Reuters World News - A weekend like no other: Khamenei's funeral, America's birthday and Taylor's wedding bash

Episode Date: July 3, 2026

Iran prepares to bury its slain leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamanei, with a week of mass mourning. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are widely expected to host their wedding celebration at Madison Square Garden. And America celebrates the 250th anniversary of its Declaration of Independence on Saturday. Listen to the Morning Bid podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Sign up for the Reuters Econ World newsletter ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Listen to the Reuters Econ World podcast ⁠⁠here⁠⁠. Visit the Thomson Reuters Privacy Statement for information on our privacy and data protection practices. You may also visit megaphone.fm/adchoices to opt out of targeted advertising. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi, I'm Carmel Crimmons in Dublin. It's Friday, July 3rd. Today, we've got a jam-packed weekend around the globe. America is turning 250. Trump's giving a speech at Mount Rushmore, while New York Mayor at Zoran Mamdani gives an Independence Day address. Iran starts a week of morning for its slain supreme leader. And, Madison Square Garden gears up for a hotly anticipated love story. This is Reuters World News, bringing me. everything you need to know from the front lines in 10 minutes, seven days a week. Today kicks off a hot weekend of celebrations as the US marks the 250th anniversary of its independence under a scorching heat wave. President Donald Trump will deliver remarks at a Freedom 250 event at Mount Rushmore, while New York mayor at Zoranam Dany will give a speech to

recently naturalized immigrants at City Hall. But the most anticipated event might be going down in Midtown Manhattan. The fencing is up, streets are closed, and all signs point to a lavish wedding celebration for megastars Trailer Swift and Travis Kelsey at Madison Square Garden. New York Post's page 6 is reporting that they've already tied the knot in a private ceremony ahead of a big MSG event. Our reporter, Kurt Hall, was outside the garden to try to find out what's going on. There's been a lot of action out here near Madison Square Garden,

with cars going in and out of this loading dock right here behind me, where also trucks have been unloading all kinds of equipment and gear and who knows what. There are barricades all over Madison Square Garden, blocking off traffic and pedestrians. But passers-by are curious, looking on taking pictures and asking all the media gathered here, what's going on, and when is this all going down? While their engagement was publicly announced on Instagram last August, the couple have been pretty tight-lipped on the details. Page 6 style and shopping director Alana Fishman,

So Swift and Kelsey reportedly rented out the arena for three days. You know, you might be saying, why would our tortured poet, our queen of love songs, choose to get married in a venue next to pretzels and hot dogs and public bathrooms? Well, you have to remember with her financial means and Travis's financial means, too, like, this couple can transform MSG into whatever their hearts desire. As for what the real experts, the Swifties, are saying, here's Katie Sue, who founded the Taylor Swift Society at her university in London.

I feel like she's going to do like, you know, the 4th of July parties that she does? I feel like it's going to be that kind of vibe, like Hamptons, like American vibes, like American Beachside kind of vibes. Page 6 has also reported that Stevie Nix and Tim McGraw will perform during the celebrations. As for the stars who might have made the guest list,

A-lister's expected include Selena Gomez, Emma Stone, Zheedhadi, Suprina Garpenter, and of course, some NFL royalty too. Meanwhile in Iran, a stark contrast, as it prepares for the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatali al-Hamini. The country is organising a week of mass funeral rights for Hamini, who was killed in US and Israeli strikes four months ago. Authorities are mobilizing millions of mourners across Iran and Iraq in a mass display that the government hopes will illustrate strong support for the Islamic Republic. but that support could be wearing thin. Tehran has been tense and quiet in recent days,

a sharp contrast with the last burial of a supreme leader in 1989. Back then, massive crowds flooded the streets to mourn the father of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhalla Comini. Earlier this year, after news of Ali Hamani's killing began to circulate, Tehran residents reported cheering erupting from houses and apartments in parts of the city. U.S. job growth slowed sharply in June, with less than 60,000 positions added last month,

about half what economists expected. That comes as the unemployment rate fell to 4.2%. On the surface, a positive indicator for the economy. But, as our US economics editor Dan Burns explains, that fall in unemployment isn't the good news economists were hoping for. It fell because the workforce trunk. More than 700,000 people left the workforce last month.

It's a bit of a trend we've seen in the last number of months. And in fact, you know, something like 1.3 million people have left the workforce since Trump re-took the White House in January 2025. The number of factors at play here. Aging workforce, a lot of retirements, immigration policies that are restricting foreign-born workers from coming into the job market. possibly some other dynamics around, you know, changing in the employment environment around things like AI and certain white collar jobs. Dan says while these numbers may concern some economists, the Fed is still focusing on tackling inflation.

Underneath the surface, the trend suggests that it's still a pretty healthy job market. It's probably going to keep the Fed's eye on inflation rather than worrying extensively about the job market right now. Until we start seeing inflation showing a behavior and trajectory that suggests it's on a decent track back to their 2% target, remember, inflation is running at more than 4% annually right now. The bulk of the committee is going to be hard to convince that if nothing else keeping rates on hold and probably job-owning a little bit about, you know, possibly raising rates before the end of the year is going to remain kind of the status quo conversation they have. Dan mentioned Trump's immigration crackdown as one possible contributor to the U.S. employment

picture. A recent ruling by the Supreme Court could exacerbate that situation. Hundreds of thousands of Haitians are at risk of losing the right to live and work in the United States. That's after the top court ruled that the Trump administration has the authority to end the temporary protected status program. For Manny, like Uthi, a near-qualified doctor who fled Haiti three years ago, the ruling brings daily fear of deportation and separation from family. America, for us, it's not a dream. It's just like, most like a jungle. I'm sorry, but we're trying to survive every single day.

Reporter David Hood-Nunoz recently visited Miami's Little Haiti, home to a large concentration of Haitian migrants, who he says now live with uncertainty and fear. It's a scrabble because they don't know what. to do. Some of them are applying for asylum. Some of them are if they have, if they have jobs of companies, they're going to their companies and asking them for work visas. Lots of folks told me that they never intended to stay in the U.S. They love their country, that they wanted to stay in Haiti. And if they had a choice, they would live in Haiti. But it's, it is unsafe. It is unsafe for them, it's unsafe for their families. While the immediate impact is for some 350,000 Asians

and Syrians living in the United States, it's really about 1.3 million people who could be affected by this ruling by the Supreme Court. So it's not just Asians, it's not just Syrians, it's not just Venezuelans, it's a broad swath of immigrants and people here. Over at the World Cup today, tournament debutante's Cape Verde will try to pull off a major shock, beating and knocking out three-time world champions Argentina. But if you're rooting for an upset, the hosts of our World Cup show Reuters pitchside say, don't get your hopes up. I'll ask you again, Erisa, and this time give me what I'm looking for.

What are your predictions? It's got to be Cape Verde. I don't even think Zinia can save Cape Verde from Messi, to be honest. He's going to get a super workout that way. Yes, he will. I think even with his mum in the stands, I think, It's going to be a tough one against Messia and Argentina. But you know what? We can all dream.

We're in America. The latest edition of Pitchside is out now on the Reuters app, or wherever you get your podcasts. The moment rescue crews pull 44-year-old Hernan Alberto Hill from the rubble of a Venezuelan mall this week. He'd been trapped under nearly 30 feet of rubble for more than a week following two earthquakes that rocked Venezuela on June 24th. The rescue took around 70 hours with aid workers,

communicating with Hill via video and providing hydration through tubing. Rescuers dug two separate tunnels to try to reach him because of the instability of the ruins. Hill is now in the hospital recovering. More than 2.5,000 people have died in the quakes, with more than 38,000 still missing. Before we go, we've got something special for you

this July 4th weekend. Our On Assignment podcast gives you a rare look at what it's really like covering the Trump administration with our very own White House correspondence. That pod drops on Saturday morning. And to all our American listeners, happy 4th and happy 250th.

Stay cool out there. For more in any of the stories from today, check out roiders.com or the Reuters app. Don't forget to follow us on your favourite podcast player. If you're listening on a smart speaker, just ask for the latest news from Reuters seven days a week. We'll be back tomorrow with our daily headline show.