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Trump tax bill will add $2.4 trillion to the deficit and leave 10.9 million more uninsured, CBO says

By LISA MASCARO AP Congressional Correspondent

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s big bill in Congress would unleash trillions in tax cuts and slash spending, but also spike deficits by $2.4 trillion over the decade and leave some 10.9 million more people without health insurance, raising the political stakes for the GOP’s signature domestic priority.

Republican leaders in Congress, determined to muscle the sweeping package forward, had little to say after the analysis released Wednesday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. GOP senators were heading for an afternoon meeting with Trump at the White House.

But Democrats laboring to halt the march of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act piled on with relentless opposition.

“In the words of Elon Musk, this bill is a ‘disgusting abomination,’” said Rep. Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, reviving the billionaire former Trump aide’s criticism of the package.

The analysis comes at a crucial moment as Trump is pushing Congress, where Republicans have majority control, to send the final product to his desk to become law by the Fourth of July. The House passed the bill last month by a single vote, but it’s now slogging through the Senate, where Republicans want a number of significant changes.

And the politics are only intensifying.

After Musk blindsided Congress with his all-out assault against the bill this week, House Speaker Mike Johnson rushed to do damage control.

The GOP speaker said he called Musk to discuss the criticism leveled late Tuesday, but had not heard back. Musk has threatened to use his political apparatus to go after Republicans in the midterm elections.

“I hope he comes around,” Johnson, R-La., told reporters.

Hours later, Musk, whose business interests could be impacted by green energy rollbacks in the bill, implored voters to call their representatives and senators: “Bankrupting America is NOT ok!” he wrote on social media, “KILL the BILL”

Tax breaks, but also cuts to health care

The work of the CBO, which for decades has served as the official scorekeeper of legislation in Congress, is closely watched by lawmakers and others seeking to understand the budgetary impacts of the sprawling 1,000-page-plus package.

Along with $3.75 trillion to extend the 2017 tax breaks and add the new ones Trump campaigned on, including no taxes on tips, it found that the package would reduce federal spending outlays by nearly $1.3 trillion, largely through proposed reductions to Medicaid and rollbacks of green energy initiatives.

Some 7.8 million people would no longer have health insurance with changes to Medicaid, including 5.2 million from the proposed new work requirements on those able-bodied adults up to age 65, with some exceptions, according to the analysis.

As part of those Medicaid changes, 1.4 million people who are in the United States without legal status in state-funded health programs would no longer have coverage. Also, some 400,000 would lose coverage from the termination of a medical provider tax that key Republicans, including Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, want to keep in place to ensure rural hospitals can keep paying their bills.

Republicans argue that their proposals are intended to strengthen Medicaid and other programs by rooting out waste, fraud and abuse. They want the federal funding to go to those who most need health care and other services, often citing women and children.

But Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said those claims are bogus and are simply part of long-running GOP efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, as most states have expanded Medicaid to serve more people under the program.

“They just want to strangle health care,” Schumer said.

Additionally, the CBO had previously estimated that nearly 4 million fewer people would have food stamps each month due to the legislation’s proposed changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP. Some would see their benefits reduced by about $15 by 2034, the CBO has said.

Republicans criticize the CBO

Ahead of the CBO’s release, the White House and Republican leaders criticized the budget office in a preemptive campaign designed to sow doubt in its findings.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the CBO was “flat wrong” because it underestimated the potential revenue growth from Trump’s first round of tax breaks in 2017. The CBO last year said receipts were $1.5 trillion, or 5.6% greater than predicted, in large part because of the “burst of high inflation” during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.

White House Budget Director Russ Vought said when you adjust for “current policy,” which means not counting some $4.5 trillion in existing tax breaks that are simply being extended for the next decade, the overall package actually doesn’t pile onto the deficit. He argued that the spending cuts alone, in fact, help reduce deficits by $1.4 trillion over the decade.

But Democrats and even some Republicans call that “current policy” accounting move a gimmick, but it’s the approach Senate Republicans intend to use during their consideration of the package to try to show it does not add to the nation’s deficits. Vought argued that the CBO is the one using a “gimmick” by tallying the costs of continuing those tax breaks that would otherwise expire.

“Russ is right,” Johnson, the House speaker, posted on social media. “Our One Big Beautiful Bill will REDUCE the deficit WHILE delivering on the mandate given to us by the American people. Let’s get it done!”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has also suggested that the CBO’s employees are biased, even though certain budget office workers face strict ethical rules — including restrictions on campaign donations and political activity — to ensure objectivity and impartiality.

What’s at stake

The individual income tax breaks that had been approved during Trump’s first term in the White House will expire in December if Congress fails to act, in what Republicans warn would be a massive tax hike on many American households.

The package also includes a massive buildup of $350 billion for border security, deportations and national security that is central to the GOP agenda, as well as a $4 trillion increase to the nation’s $36 trillion debt limit, which the Treasury Department says is needed by this summer to pay the nation’s bills.

CBO aims for impartiality

Now in its 50th year, the CBO was established by law after Congress sought to assert its control, as outlined in the Constitution, over the budget process.

Staffed by some 275 economists, analysts and other employees, the CBO says it seeks to provide Congress with objective, impartial information about budgetary and economic issues.

Its current director, Phillip Swagel, a former Treasury official in Republican President George W. Bush’s administration, was reappointed to a four-year term in 2023.

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Associated Press writers Kevin Freking and Joey Cappelletti contributed to this report.

The International Soccer Tournament kicks off in Cary promising major matches and entertainment

RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) — June has arrived and so has one of the biggest sports events Wake County has ever seen. WakeMed Soccer Park is playing host to The Soccer Tournament—a global, winner-take-all competition that’s breaking records in its third year.

Thousands of fans from around the world are expected to flood into Cary this week for the event, which features 48 men’s teams and 16 women’s teams all chasing a $1 million prize in each division. That’s over 144 matches packed into just six days.

“We’re expecting large crowds,” said Scott Dupree, Executive Director of the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance. “This tournament has exploded in a way I’ve rarely seen. It went from concept to major event in three years.”

And it’s not just the size that’s growing—it’s the star power.

“This is the real deal,” Dupree said. “You’ve got teams from all across the U.S. and Europe. West Ham is here. A team from Madrid. Hope Solo is bringing a team, the U.S. women’s national team is represented, and the North Carolina Courage are in it too. Big names all around.”

The economic boost to Wake County is also expected to be substantial, with hotels, restaurants, and local businesses bracing for an influx of visitors and fans.

Meanwhile, Cary is also hosting another major sporting event: the NCAA Division II Baseball World Series. Dupree says the town has worked hard to build its reputation as a national hub for college baseball.

“We spent years trying to make Cary the Omaha of Division II,” said Dupree. “And now, we’ve secured the tournament through 2038. The stadium is perfect, the teams love it—it’s become a signature event for us.”

Between world-class soccer and championship baseball, Cary is cementing itself as a top-tier destination for sports this summer.

Go online to https://tst7v7.com/experience/faqs/ and https://www.ncaa.com/sports/baseball/d2 to learn more about the events.

Kevin Talks to Mike Love of the Beach Boys!

Homemade Mozzarella Cheese

Homemade Mozzarella Cheese Recipe from AllRecipes

Prep time: 50 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Serving size: 12 servings

Ingredients

¾ cup cool water, divided
1/4 teaspoon liquid rennet
1 ½ teaspoons citric acid
1 gallon raw milk
1 teaspoon salt (Optional)

Directions

Combine 1/4 cup water and rennet in a small bowl; mix well.
Combine remaining 1/2 cup water and citric acid in another small bowl; mix until dissolved.
Pour milk into a large pot set over medium heat. Stir in citric acid mixture.
Heat milk, stirring occasionally, until it registers 90 degrees F (32 degrees C) on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 minutes.
Remove milk from heat and stir in rennet mixture in a figure-8 motion for 30 seconds. Stir counterclockwise for 30 seconds to still the milk. Let stand, covered, until milk sets into curd, 5 to 10 minutes. Press edge of curd gently with a palette knife or the back of a spoon to check for firmness.
Slice vertically into the pot to cut curd into 3/4-inch cubes with a palette knife. Stir curds gently, but leave cubes mostly intact.
Return pot to the heat; cook over medium heat, stirring curds gently, until temperature reaches 109 degrees F (43 degrees C), about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Ladle curds into a colander set over a large bowl using a slotted spoon. Press curds gently to extract liquid whey. Pour drained whey back into the pot.
Heat whey to 185 degrees F (85 degrees C), about 5 minutes. Wearing gloves, tear off a piece of curd and place on a slotted spoon. Dip curd into hot whey for 5 to 10 seconds. Stretch, fold, and knead curd. Repeat until mozzarella is smooth and elastic. Knead in salt and form curd into a ball. Repeat dipping and kneading process with remaining curd.
Allow mozzarella to cool. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator.

Trump urges senators to get his big tax bill done by July 4th

By LISA MASCARO and MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump wants his “big, beautiful” bill of tax breaks and spending cuts on his desk to be signed into law by the Fourth of July, and he’s pushing the slow-rolling Senate to make it happen sooner rather than later.

Trump met with Senate Majority Leader John Thune at the White House earlier this week and has been dialing senators for one-on-one chats, using both the carrot and stick to nudge, badger and encourage them to act. But it’s still a long road ahead for the 1,000-page-plus package.

“His question to me was, How do you think the bill’s going to go in the Senate?” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said about his call with Trump. “Do you think there’s going to be problems?”

Some U.S. Senators want to make changes to President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, like making additional cuts to Medicaid and not raising the debt limit. (AP Video by Nathan Ellgren)

It’s a potentially tumultuous three-week sprint for senators preparing to put their own imprint on the massive Republican package that cleared the House late last month by a single vote. The senators have been meeting for weeks behind closed doors, including as they returned to Washington late Monday, to revise the package ahead of what is expected to be a similarly narrow vote in the Senate.

“Passing THE ONE, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL is a Historic Opportunity to turn our Country around,” Trump posted on social media. He urged senators Monday “to work as fast as they can to get this Bill to MY DESK before the Fourth of JULY.”

But Trump’s high-octane ally, billionaire Elon Musk, lambasted the package — and those voting for it.

“This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination,” Musk posted on his site X, as some lawmakers have expressed reservations about the details. “Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.”

A test for Thune

Thune, like House Speaker Mike Johnson, has few votes to spare from the Senate’s slim, 53-seat GOP majority. Democrats are waging an all-out political assault on GOP proposals to cut Medicaid, food stamps and green energy investments to help pay for more than $4.5 trillion in tax cuts — with many lawmakers being hammered at boisterous town halls back home.

“It’d be nice if we could have everybody on board to do it, but, you know, individual members are going to stake out their positions,” Thune said Tuesday. “But in the end, we have to succeed. Failure’s not an option.”

Johnson called Musk’s harsh criticism of the bill “very disappointing.”

“With all due respect,” said Johnson, who said he spoke with Musk for more than 20 minutes, “my friend Elon is terribly wrong about the one big beautiful bill.”

Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who recently left President Donald Trump’s administration, has blasted the tax cuts and spending plans backed by the president that passed the House (AP Video)

At its core, the package seeks to extend the tax cuts approved in 2017, during Trump’s first term at the White House, and add new ones the president campaigned on, including no taxes on tips. It also includes a massive buildup of $350 billion for border security, deportations and national security.

To defray the lost tax revenue to the government and avoid piling onto the nation’s $36 trillion debt load, Republicans want reduce federal spending by imposing work requirements for some Americans who rely on government safety net services. Estimates are 8.6 million people would no longer have health care and nearly 4 million would lose Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program benefits, known as SNAP.

The package also would raise the nation’s debt limit by $4 trillion to allow more borrowing to pay the bills.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Trump’s bill “is ugly to its very core.”

Schumer said Tuesday that senators should listen to Musk. “Behind the smoke and mirrors lies a cruel and draconian truth: tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy paid for by gutting health care for millions of Americans,” said the New York senator.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office is expected to soon provide an overall analysis of the package’s impacts on the government balance sheets. But Republicans are ready to blast those findings from the congressional scorekeeper as flawed.

The GOP holdouts

Trump switched to tougher tactics Tuesday, deriding the holdout Republican senators.

The president laid into Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, the libertarian-leaning deficit hawk who has made a career of arguing against government spending. Paul wants the package’s $4 trillion increase to the debt ceiling out of the bill.

“Rand votes NO on everything, but never has any practical or constructive ideas. His ideas are actually crazy (losers!),” Trump posted.

Paul seemed unfazed. “I like the president, supported the president,” the senator said. “But I can’t in good conscience give up every principle that I stand for and every principle that I was elected upon.”

The July 4th deadline is not only aspirational for the president, it’s all but mandatory for Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who has warned Congress that the nation will run out of money to pay its bills if the debt ceiling, now at $36 trillion, is not lifted by mid-July or early August to allow more borrowing. Bessent has also been meeting behind closed doors with senators and GOP leadership.

To make most of the tax cuts permanent — particularly the business tax breaks that are the Senate priorities — senators may shave some of Trump’s proposed new tax breaks on automobile loans or overtime pay, which are less prized by some senators.

There are also discussions about altering the $40,000 cap that the House proposed for state and local deductions, known as SALT, which are important to lawmakers in high-tax New York, California and other states, but less so among GOP senators.

“We’re having all those discussions,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., another key voice in the debate.

Hawley is a among a group of senators, including Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who have raised concerns about the Medicaid changes that could boot people from health insurance.

A potential copay of up to $35 for Medicaid services that was part of the House package, as well as a termination of a provider tax that many states rely on to help fund rural hospitals, have also raised concerns.

“The best way to not be accused of cutting Medicaid is to not cut Medicaid,” Hawley said. Collins said she is reviewing the details.

Associated Press journalists Kevin Freking, Mary Clare Jalonick, Matt Brown, Joey Cappelletti, Michelle L. Price, Josh Boak and Nathan Ellgren contributed to this report.

Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month highlights the importance of brain health in North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) – June marks Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month and the Alzheimer’s Association of Eastern North Carolina is calling on residents to take proactive steps toward protecting their cognitive health. With more than two-thirds of Americans carrying at least one major risk factor for dementia, experts say the time to act is now.

Lindsay Golden, a representative of the Alzheimer’s Association’s Eastern North Carolina chapter, says the disease is often decades in the making.

“Brain changes can begin up to 20 years before symptoms appear,” said Golden. “We encourage people to pay attention to what may not be signs of normal aging and talk to a doctor. But there are also things you can do to mitigate risk—especially during Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month.”

According to the CDC, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia and one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Today, more than 7 million Americans over the age of 65 are living with Alzheimer’s, including over 210,000 people in North Carolina alone.

Golden says while age remains the biggest risk factor, other contributors include physical inactivity, unmanaged high blood pressure, genetics and even sleep quality.

“There can be other risk factors such as race and family history,” said Golden. “But we also know that incorporating healthy habits—like managing blood pressure, exercising regularly and getting good sleep—can significantly reduce your risk of cognitive decline.”

The Alzheimer’s Association promotes what’s known as the “Healthy Brain Initiative,” a public health roadmap launched in partnership with the CDC. It encourages people to make lifestyle changes that support not just physical wellness, but long-term brain function too.

Golden notes that early warning signs often go beyond memory issues.

“Altered judgment, mood changes, difficulty paying bills or managing complex projects can all signal early cognitive impairment,” said Golden. “If you notice those signs in yourself or someone else, don’t wait—have a conversation and speak with a physician.”

As June continues, the Alzheimer’s Association of Eastern North Carolina will host educational events, share resources and encourage residents to wear purple in support of Alzheimer’s awareness.

To learn more about prevention strategies, support programs or how to get involved, visit www.alz.org/nc or call the 24/7 helpline at 1-800-272-3900.

Wake Forest baseball coach apologizes for apparent homophobic slur at NCAA regional vs. Tennessee

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Wake Forest and baseball coach Tom Walter apologized on Tuesday for what appeared to be a homophobic slur caught by television cameras during an NCAA regional game against Tennessee.

“I am very sorry for my outburst in frustration last night and I recognize the hurt and disappointment it has caused,” Walter said in a statement issued by the school. “I own the consequences and I apologize to the University of Tennessee, to Wake Forest University, and the SEC & ACC.”

Walter said he has watched the video and doesn’t remember the specific moment but acknowledged “that language doesn’t reflect my values or the standards of this program.”

Wake Forest athletic director John Currie said he was “surprised and deeply disappointed” and said he spoke with Walter after the game and again Tuesday morning.

“I feel badly for those most hurt by such words,” Currie said. “This incident … is completely out of character for him and does not meet the standards of Wake Forest Athletics, Wake Forest University or the Atlantic Coast Conference.”

Tennessee beat Wake Forest 11-5 on Monday night to win the Knoxville Regional and earn a best-of-three super regional matchup with Arkansas for a chance to advance to the College World Series.

An Atlantic Coast Conference spokeswoman did not immediate respond to an email seeking comment.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs paid to hide Cassie beating video because he feared career ruin, witness says

By MICHAEL R. SISAK and LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Soon after viciously attacking his longtime girlfriend Cassie in a hotel hallway, Sean “Diddy” Combs sought out a security guard and predicted accurately that his iconic career would be ruined — his image as the affable, successful “Puff Daddy” destroyed — if video of the beating ever became public.

Eddy Garcia, 33, testified Thursday that the hip-hop mogul made the comment repeatedly before giving a brown paper bag stuffed with $100,000 in cash to the then guard, in order to buy what he hoped was the only copy of surveillance footage of the March 2016 assault.

Prosecutors at Combs’ sex trafficking trial in Manhattan have made the footage of Combs kicking, beating and dragging Cassie at the Intercontinental Hotel in Los Angeles a centerpiece of their federal case against him. They contend it supports the claims of three women, including Cassie, who allege the Bad Boy Records founder sexually and physically abused them over two decades.

Prosecutors say Combs’ persistent efforts to hush up the episode fit into allegations he used threats and his fortune and fame to get what he wanted.

Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering charges.

After the attack, Garcia said, he spoke several times to Combs’ chief-of-staff, Kristina Khorram, telling her he couldn’t show her the recording but “off the record, it’s bad.”

He said during one phone call she put a “very nervous”-sounding Combs on the phone, who “was just saying he had a little too much to drink” and that, as Garcia surely knows, “with women, one thing leads to another and if this got out it would ruin him.”

Garcia added: “He was talking really fast, a lot of stuttering.”

In the evening, Garcia said, he became nervous and scared when Khorram called him on his cell phone — the number for which he had not provided — and she put Combs on.

“He stated that I sounded like a good guy,” Garcia testified, adding that Combs again said “something like this could ruin him.”

When he told Combs he didn’t have access to the server to obtain the video footage, Combs said he believed Garcia could make it happen and that “he would take care of me,” which Garcia said he took “to mean financially.”

Garcia said he checked with his boss and was told he’d sell it to Combs for $50,000.

When he told Combs, he said the music producer “sounded excited.”

“He referred to me as ‘Eddy my angel,’” Garcia said, adding that Combs told him: “I knew you could help. I knew you could do it.”

Within two days of the attack on Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, Garcia gave Combs a storage device containing the footage in exchange for $100,000 in cash — with Combs feeding bills through a money counter and putting them in a brown paper bag.

Garcia signed a confidentiality and non-disclosure agreement, shown in court, that required he pay $1 million if he breached the deal. At the time, he said, he was making $10.50 an hour working hotel security.

Garcia said he signed a declaration swearing that there was no other copy of the video.

He said he signed the papers in an office building with Combs’ bodyguard and Khorram present. Garcia said he didn’t fully read the documents, explaining that he was nervous and “the goal was to get out of there as soon as possible.”

After signing, he said, Combs asked him what he planned to do with the money and advised him not to make big purchases. Garcia said he took that to mean he shouldn’t do anything that would draw attention.

Garcia said he gave $50,000 to his boss and $20,000 to another security officer. He pocketed $30,000 and used some of it to buy a used car, he said.

He used cash and, avoiding a further paper trail, never put the money in the bank, he said.

A few weeks later, Garcia said, Combs called him and asked if anyone had inquired about the video. Garcia said no, recounting Combs’ ebullient greeting: “Happy Easter. Eddy, my angel. God is good. God put you in my way for a reason.”

Garcia said he asked Combs if the rapper might have future work for him, and Combs sounded receptive. But Combs never responded to his later inquiries, the witness said.

Last year, CNN aired footage of the security video. Another hotel guard has testified he recorded the footage on his phone so he could show it to his wife.