Mini Big Mac-ish Sliders

Mini Big Mac-ish Sliders

These sliders have all the flavor of a classic Big Mac, just in a fun, bite-sized form. They’re perfect for game day, parties, or when you’re craving a fast-food fix you can make at home.

Ingredients

For the sauce:

  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
  • 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
  • ½ teaspoon white vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • Pinch of paprika

For the sliders:

  • 1 pound ground beef (80/20 blend is ideal)
  • 12 slider buns, sliced into tops and bottoms
  • Sliced American cheese
  • Shredded iceberg lettuce
  • Finely chopped white onion
  • Dill pickle slices

Instructions

1. Make the sauce. In a small bowl, stir together all the sauce ingredients until smooth. Give it a taste and adjust if needed. Set it aside so the flavors can come together.2. Get the buns ready. Place the bottoms of the slider buns in a baking tray or dish. Save the tops for the end.3. Shape the patties. Divide the ground beef into 12 small, thin patties about the size of your slider buns. Season both sides with a little salt and pepper.4. Cook the patties. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the patties for about 2 minutes per side. Add a slice of cheese just before flipping so it melts nicely. Once cooked, place each patty on a bun bottom.5. Build the sliders. Spoon a bit of special sauce onto each patty. Add shredded lettuce, chopped onion, and a pickle slice. Top each one with the remaining bun half.6. Time to serve. Stick a toothpick in each one if needed, and serve warm. These are always a hit.

How an empty North Carolina rural hospital explains a GOP senator’s vote against Trump’s tax bill

How an empty North Carolina rural hospital explains a GOP senator’s vote against Trump’s tax bill

By AMANDA SEITZ Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Though patients don’t rush through the doors of this emergency room anymore, an empty hospital in Williamston, North Carolina, offers an evocative illustration of why Republican Sen. Thom Tillis would buck his party leaders to vote down President Donald Trump’s signature domestic policy package.

Martin General is one of a dozen hospitals that have closed in North Carolina over the last two decades. This is a problem that hospital systems and health experts warn may only worsen if the legislation passes with its $1 trillion cuts to the Medicaid program and new restrictions on enrollment in the coverage.

Health care advocates in Jackson, Mississippi and Anchorage, Alaska express concern that Medicaid funding changes in President Trump’s big bill will hurt already struggling rural hospitals. (AP video: Sophie Bates)

Tillis’ home state showcases the financial impact that more Medicaid dollars can have on hospitals in rural and poor regions throughout the country. Tillis said in a floor speech on Sunday, explaining his vote, that the GOP bill will siphon billions of dollars from Medicaid recipients and the health system in his state.

“Republicans are about to make a mistake on health care and betraying a promise,” said Tillis, who has announced he will not seek re-election because of his opposition to the bill. Along with Republicans Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky, he joined all Democrats in voting against the bill.

Tillis later accused the president and his colleagues of not fully grasping the full impact of the bill: “We owe it to the states to do the work to understand how these proposals affect them. How hard is that? I did it.”

For Martin General Hospital in Williamston, North Carolina’s decision to expand Medicaid came just too late. The emergency room abruptly closed its doors in the eastern North Carolina county that’s home to more than 20,000 people in August 2023. The closest hospital is now about a 30-minute drive away.

Then-Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper faulted the state’s failure to expand the Medicaid program to more low-income adults sooner to prevent Martin General’s closure.

North Carolina began offering Medicaid expansion to its residents in December. Today, more than 673,000 people are receiving this coverage.

Now, Tillis and other state officials are worried the Republican bill, which will limit how much Medicaid money is sent back to providers, threatens funds for hospitals in their state again. And it could trigger a state Medicaid law that would close down North Carolina’s otherwise successful expansion of coverage unless state legislators make changes or locate funds.

The Medicaid dollars that Republicans seek to scale back in their bill have helped buttress the remaining rural hospitals across North Carolina, said Jay Ludlam, a deputy health secretary who leads North Carolina Medicaid.

“This has been a lifeline for our rural hospitals here in North Carolina and has helped provide and keep them open,” Ludlam said. “Rural hospitals play an integral role in communities both as a point of access for health care but also for the local economy because of the contributions that those hospital and hospital systems make to those communities.”

Republicans have responded to concerns with a provision that will provide $10 billion annually to rural hospitals for five years, or $50 billion in total.

Around the country, 200 hospitals have closed or shuttered emergency services in the last two decades, many of them in red states across the southeastern and midwestern U.S.

States that have declined to expand Medicaid coverage, the health insurance program for the poorest of Americans, have seen the closures accelerate. Tennessee, for example, has shed 500 beds since 2014, when a federal law first allowed states to expand Medicaid coverage to a greater share of low-income people. It’s one of 10 states that has not expanded Medicaid.

More than 300 hospitals could be at risk for closure if the Republicans’ bill becomes law, an analysis by the Cecil G. Sheps Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found last month. The center tracks rural hospital closures.

“Substantial cuts to Medicaid or Medicare payments could increase the number of unprofitable rural hospitals and elevate their risk of financial distress,” the analysis concluded. “In response, hospitals may be forced to reduce service lines, convert to a different type of health care facility, or close altogether.”

—

Associated Press writer Gary D. Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this report.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is denied bail after mixed verdict clears him of top charges in sex crimes case

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is denied bail after mixed verdict clears him of top charges in sex crimes case

By MICHAEL R. SISAK and LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs dropped to his knees and prayed in the courtroom after he was acquitted Wednesday of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put one of hip-hop’s celebrated figures behind bars for life. The rapper was convicted of lesser prostitution-related offenses and denied bail as he awaits sentencing.

His lawyer Marc Agnifilo called the verdict a “great victory” and said the jury “got the situation right — or certainly right enough” as he stood outside Manhattan federal court at a stand of microphones. “Today is a victory of all victories.”

A judge declined Wednesday to set Sean “Diddy” Combs free on bond to await sentencing in his sex crimes case. The bond decision came after a jury convicted one of hip-hop’s celebrated figures of federal prostitution-related offenses but acquitted him of sex trafficking and racketeering charges, AP’s Michael Sisak explains.

The mixed verdict capped a sordid legal odyssey that shattered Combs’ affable “Puff Daddy” image and derailed his career as a Grammy-winning artist and music executive, fashion entrepreneur, brand ambassador and reality TV star.

“I’ll see you when I get out,” Combs told family members including his mother and children just before leaving the courtroom to return to jail. “We’re going to get through this.”

Combs stands convicted of two counts of a crime — transportation to engage in prostitution — that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. But jurors cleared him of three charges, two of which carried a mandatory 15 years and a maximum of life.

He was convicted of flying people around the country, including his girlfriends and male sex workers, to engage in sexual encounters, a felony violation of the federal Mann Act.

Combs’ lawyers said that under federal sentencing guidelines, he would likely face about two years in prison. Prosecutors, citing Combs’ violence and other factors, said the guidelines would call for at least four to five years. Locked up since his September arrest, Combs has already served nine months.

“We fight on and we’re going to win,” Agnifilo said. “And we’re not going to stop until he walks out of prison a free man to his family.”

Acquittal on the most serious charges

In a triumph for Combs, the jury of eight men and four women acquitted him of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges related to allegations that he used his money, power and frightening physical force to manipulate girlfriends into hundreds of drug-fueled sex marathons with men.

Combs’ defense team argued that the women were willing participants and that none of his violence justified the severity of the charges.

Agnifilo asked that Combs be released on bond immediately to await sentencing, saying the acquittals changed the calculus about whether he needed to be held.

“He’s not going to flee. He’s been given his life back,” Agnifilo said.

Judge Arun Subramanian denied it, saying Combs — for now — had not met the burden of showing by clear and convincing evidence a “lack of danger to any person or the community.”

North Carolina Gov. Stein vetoes bill repealing interim greenhouse gas reduction mandate

North Carolina Gov. Stein vetoes bill repealing interim greenhouse gas reduction mandate

By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein vetoed legislation Wednesday that in part would repeal an interim greenhouse gas reduction mandate set for power generation in a 2021 law, arguing that the bill would have discouraged diverse energy sources and harmed consumers.

The measure, which largely addresses activities involving Duke Energy — the state’s dominant electric utility — would get rid of the current requirement that electric regulators take “all reasonable steps to achieve” reducing carbon dioxide output 70% from 2005 levels by 2030.

A directive in the 2021 law to meet a carbon neutrality standard by 2050 stays in place with or without the legislation.

Environmental critics who want cleaner energy sources to come online sooner urged Stein to veto the bill. They also were unhappy with other bill provisions that they argue will make Duke Energy more profitable and shift costs of producing or purchasing electricity to residential customers.

The bill “walks back our state’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions, sending the wrong signal to businesses that want to be a part of our clean energy economy,” Stein said in a news release. “My job is to do everything in my power to lower costs and grow the economy. This bill fails that test.”

Stein, a former attorney general who took office in January, also vetoed two more bills Wednesday from dozens still on his desk left by the GOP-controlled legislature.

These and four other recent Stein vetoes are subject to potential override votes, perhaps coming as soon as later this month. Speaking Wednesday only on the energy bill, House Speaker Destin Hall and Senate leader Phil Berger expressed confidence in successful overrides. Over a dozen House and Senate Democrats voted for the measure in June.

The 2021 greenhouse gas law was the result of a rare agreement on environmental issues by then-Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and Republican lawmakers.

Now GOP supporters of the current bill say the 70% reduction mandate is unnecessary and will needlessly raise customer rates by requiring outsize growth for renewable sources like solar and wind power. The state Utilities Commission already pushed back the 2030 deadline — as the 2021 law allows — by at least four years.

By focusing on meeting the 2050 carbon-neutrality mandate, bill supporters say, regulators can direct Duke Energy, which backed the measure, to assemble less expensive power sources now and moderate electricity rate increases.

They cite an analysis performed by a state agency that represents utility customers that calculated the repeal would reduce by at least $13 billion what Duke Energy would have to spend on energy sources for the next 25 years.

Bill opponents, which include several environmental groups, question the savings figure. And Stein cited another study in saying the bill could cost utility customers more through 2050 due to higher fuel costs.

“We need to diversify our energy portfolio so that we are not overly reliant on natural gas and its volatile fuel markets,” Stein added.

At least 17 other states, most of them controlled by Democrats, have laws setting similar net-zero power plant emissions or 100% renewable energy targets, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The bill also contains language that would help Duke Energy seek higher electric rates to cover financing costs to build nuclear or gas-powered plants incrementally, rather than wait until the project’s end.

Environmentalists praised Stein’s action and urged lawmakers to uphold the veto. “Stand instead for affordable energy and economic opportunity for all,” said Dan Crawford of the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters.

Donald Bryson of the conservative-leaning John Locke Foundation urged an override, saying Stein “has chosen ideology over affordability.”

Another vetoed measure Wednesday attempted to clarify and adjust powers of the state auditor — currently Republican Dave Boliek — including his ability to investigate alleged improper governmental activities of individuals, nonprofits and other groups that receive government funds.

Stein’s veto message said the auditor’s “sweeping access” in the bill to records of “any private corporation that accepts any amount of state funding” could undermine business recruitment efforts.

Boliek said in a statement that Stein’s veto “undercuts the important principles of accountability and transparency that taxpayers expect from their government.”

Angus Barn Chef Michael Kerill Dishes on How to Cook the Perfect Steak

Angus Barn Chef Michael Kerill Dishes on How to Cook the Perfect Steak

Listen in as Madison learns how to cook the perfect steak while talking with Angus Barn Chef Michael Kerill. This fun, in-depth discussion covers everything from grill selection and cooking temperatures to how to properly season steaks and how to cook them to sear in juices. Before you fire up your grill, give this one a quick listen and learn how to become the ultimate backyard grillmeister.

Dallas Mavericks sign No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg to rookie contract

Dallas Mavericks sign No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg to rookie contract

DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Mavericks have signed No. 1 overall draft pick Cooper Flagg to his four-year rookie contract.

The team didn’t disclose details in announcing the deal Wednesday. The total value of the contract for the top pick on the 2025-26 rookie wage scale is in the range of $62.7 million, with a first-year salary of about $13.8 million, according to Spotrac. Those numbers can fluctuate slightly.

There are team options in the third and fourth seasons of rookie deals.

Flagg said during his introductory news conference last week that he intends to play in the Summer League in Las Vegas later this month. The Mavericks’ Summer League opener against the Los Angeles Lakers and Bronny James is set to be nationally televised on July 10.

Flagg was taken with the top pick after Dallas converted just a 1.8% chance to win the draft lottery. The 18-year-old from Duke became the fourth freshman to win The Associated Press national player of the year honors in the 64-year history of the award. Flagg led the Blue Devils to the Final Four in his only season.

The 6-foot-9 forward joins a frontcourt that should include 10-time All-Star Anthony Davis and promising young center Dereck Lively II, Flagg’s fellow Duke alum. The Mavs shocked the NBA by sending 25-year-old superstar Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Davis in February.

Dallas guard Kyrie Irving is another former Duke player to go first overall in the draft, in 2011. He will be out, probably until at least midseason, while recovering from a torn ACL. Irving was injured in March.

US stocks hit another record as Tesla and Nike rally

US stocks hit another record as Tesla and Nike rally

By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks ticked higher on Wednesday to hit another all-time high.

The S&P 500 rose 0.5% and set a record for the third time in four days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged down by 10 points, or less than 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.9%.

Tesla helped drive the market higher and rose 5% after saying it delivered nearly 374,000 of its Model 3 and Model Y automobiles last quarter. That was better than analysts expected, though the electric-vehicle maker’s overall sales fell 13% from a year earlier.

Worries have been high that CEO Elon Musk’s involvement in politics is turning off potential Tesla buyers.

Constellation Brands climbed 4.5% despite reporting a weaker profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It pointed to slowing growth for jobs in the construction industry and other “4000 calorie+” sectors, which tends to hurt demand for its beer.

But the company selling Modelo beer and Robert Mondavi wine nevertheless stuck with its financial forecasts for the full upcoming year.

They helped offset a 40.4% drop for Centene. The health care company withdrew its forecasts for profit this year after seeing data that suggests worse-than-expected sickness trends in many of the states where it does business. It was the worst day for the stock since its debut in 2001.

All told, the S&P 500 rose 29.41 points to 6,227.42. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 10.52 to 44,484.42, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 190.24 to 20,393.13.

In the bond market, Treasury yields were mixed ahead of a highly anticipated report on Thursday, which will show how many jobs U.S. employers created and destroyed last month. The widespread expectation is that they hired more people than they fired but that the pace of hiring slowed from May.

A stunningly weak report released Wednesday morning raised worries that Thursday’s report may fall short. The data from ADP suggested that U.S. employers outside the government cut 33,000 jobs from their payrolls last month, when economists were expecting to see growth of 115,000 jobs.

“Though layoffs continue to be rare, a hesitancy to hire and a reluctance to replace departing workers led to job losses last month,” according to Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP.

The ADP report does not have a perfect track record predicting what the U.S. government’s more comprehensive jobs report will say each month. That preserves hope that Thursday’s data could be more encouraging. But a fear has been that uncertainty around President Donald Trump’s tariffs could cause employers to freeze their hiring.

Many of Trump’s stiff proposed taxes on imports are currently on pause, and they’re scheduled to kick into effect in about a week. Unless Trump reaches deals with other countries to lower the tariffs, they could hurt the economy and worsen inflation.

Trump said on Wednesday that he reached a deal with Vietnam, where U.S. products sold in the country will face zero tariffs and Vietnamese-made goods will face a U.S. tariff of 20%. That helped companies that import lots of things from Vietnam, including Nike, whose stock rose 4.1%. Factories in Vietnam made half of all Nike brand footwear in its fiscal year of 2024.

Other factors could also be dragging on the job market, such as the U.S. government’s termination of protected status for 350,000 Venezuelans, potentially exposing them to deportation. That alone could create a drag on payrolls of 25,000 jobs, according to Goldman Sachs economist David Mericle, whose forecast for Thursday’s report is weaker than many of his peers.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.28% from 4.26% late Tuesday.

The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks expectations for what the Federal Reserve will do with its overnight interest rate, held steady at 3.78%.

An unexpected weakening of the job market could push the Fed to cut interest rates in order to give the economy a boost. So far this year, the Fed has said it would rather wait to see how Trump’s tariffs affect the economy and inflation before cutting rates any further.

Trump, meanwhile, has angrily been calling for cuts to rates to happen sooner.

In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed as the deadline approaches for when Trump’s tariffs will come off their pause.

France’s CAC 40 rose 1%, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.6%. But Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.6%, and South Korea’s Kospi dropped 0.5%.

___

AP Writers Teresa Cerojano and Matt Ott contributed.

Raleigh’s Food Truck Rodeo serves up a feast for all ages this Fourth of July

Raleigh’s Food Truck Rodeo serves up a feast for all ages this Fourth of July

RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) – If good eats and live tunes are your Fourth of July vibe, head to the State Farmers Market in Raleigh this Friday—its Food Truck Rodeo is rolling in from 4 to 9 p.m. Monica Wood, Marketing Specialist for the N.C. Farmers Market, says regardless of how picky an eater may be, there should be something to “meet and treat” all the taste buds.

“Whether you like something sweet, savory or hot, there’s going to be all different things. The list just goes on and on. This is all in addition to all of our regular vendors that are here at the market,” said Wood.

In North Carolina, Fourth of July is a really big deal for most of the farmers that participate in the farmers market.

“Usually it’s really busy. A lot of our farmers come in regular time, they’ll bring in the products fresh from the farm daily. The best time to shop typically in our farmers are is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. but again Friday they’re going to be expanding their hours with many of them being here until 9 p.m. along with the Food Truck Rodeo,” said Wood.

According to Wood, there are going to be many kinds of music events going on.

“We’re going to have a DJ that’s going to be playing music and keeping everybody upbeat and happy. It is my understanding someone’s going to be doing line dancing instruction, so it’s going to be a lot of fun,” said Wood.

The event is going to be held in the front parking lot with tours of the market, special prizes and a scavenger hunt.

“Kind of a fun little thing where everybody gets a little card where you get to walk around, almost like a little passport, and you’ve got to visit all the different businesses that are on there and get your card stamped and turn it in to the registration box for a chance to win the grand prize that’s being but together from many of the vendors that are participating,” said Wood.

According to a press release, The event is hosted by Larger than Lemons in partnership with the State Farmers Market, admission and parking are free. The Farmers Market is going to be big, so expect more than just produce this Friday. With music, dancing, colorful face painting, inflatable’s and more, the event is sure to keep the whole family entertained.

Durham’s Festival for the Eno returns with music, art and riverfront fun

Durham’s Festival for the Eno returns with music, art and riverfront fun

RALEIGH, N.C. (WPTF) – It wouldn’t be the Fourth in Durham without the Festival for the Eno—now in its 46th year, the riverside celebration kicks off Friday with live music, food, crafts, and summertime vibes. Bryan Iler, Director for Festival for the Eno, says there are some performers that they are specifically excited about.

“Durham’s own Shirlette Ammons is going to be one of our headliners this year, I think Dom Flemons…from Chapel Hill, another real kind of legend and I think that is going to be something incredible that people don’t want to miss,” said Iler.

All of their arts and crafts vendors are truly artists offering people things made by their own hands.

“They made it here and frankly every one of those arts and crafts vendors as well is either from North Carolina or one of the five bordering states…so in that sense it really is a local representation at least of our wider community,” said Iler.

He says there are going to be many types of artists such as leather workers, metal workers, painters, photographers, jewelry makers, ceramics, clothing designers and more.

Some people may be hesitant to go out due to the weather, but the festival is located somewhere with a lot of shade.

“We do have down near the main meadow stage a cool misitng tent, but the other benefit is that the festival takes place at West Point on the Eno and there’s very easy river access. We encourage attendees to get in the water, swim around [and] cool down during these hot days,” said Iler.

He says the festival has also partnered with Frog Hollow who will offer canoes and kayaks north of the dam for people to take out an enjoy the river as well.

The Festival for the Eno’s food court this year has reportedly doubled in size now hosting approximately 20 local food vendors.

“All of them, from Raleigh, Durham, they’re really from Wake, Durham, Orange and other counties, very local…a lot of exciting things,” said Iler.

Since 1980, so more than 40 years, the Eno River has been the backdrop for a one-of-a-kind celebration where crowds gather to eat, sing, shop, and support conservation efforts that keep the river and its basin thriving.

K’Andre Miller is eager for his new start after trade from New York Rangers to Carolina Hurricanes

K’Andre Miller is eager for his new start after trade from New York Rangers to Carolina Hurricanes

By AARON BEARD AP Sports Writer

K’Andre Miller kept his phone off and avoided social media in recent weeks with his future uncertain after five seasons with the New York Rangers.

Now, he’s eager to jump into the Carolina Hurricanes’ aggressive system.

The Hurricanes acquired the 25-year-old former first-round pick to bolster their blue line and gave him a long-term contract Tuesday, the first official day of free agency. He joins a team that has made seven straight playoff trips and is coming off a third trip to the Eastern Conference final in that span.

Carolina has a headlining defenseman in Jaccob Slavin, but is retooling that group with veterans Brent Burns and Dmitry Orlov unlikely to return. The tweaks trading away defenseman Scott Morrow — a rising prospect pressed into playoff duty due to injuries — and draft picks to New York to land Miller.

“They have such a fast team,” Miller said Wednesday in a Zoom call with reporters. “They get up and down the ice in a fast motion and they do everything as a team. It’s a fun group to watch and they’ve had a lot of success recently. So I’m excited to join that style of game, and they have a great team over there.”

The Hurricanes project the 6-foot-5, 210-pound Miller as a strong fit with his size and skating ability. They’re counting on him to bolster a system that relies on an aggressive forecheck to pressure opponents, get control of the puck and keep it to maintain pressure in the offensive zone.

The Hurricanes are betting Miller is still on the rise, handing him an eight-year contract paying an average annual value of $7.5 million through the 2032-33 season.

There were certainly flashes of it with the Rangers as a regular Metropolitan Division foe for the Hurricanes. The No. 22 overall pick in 2018 by the Rangers has played at least 74 regular-season games for four straight seasons, including posting 17 goals and 56 assists for 73 points over the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.

But his play fell off last season as he went from looking like a Rangers building block to expendable, coming amid New York’s overall crash from Presidents’ Trophy winner in 2024 to six points out of a wild-card playoff spot this year.

Afterward, Miller tried to tune out “all the speculation and kind of noise and uncertainty with New York.” That meant focusing instead on getting stronger and getting mentally prepared for what’s next.

And now, that’s a new start.

“I think there was a lot of noise throughout the season,” Miller said. “So I think it was definitely in the back of my head that something could happen, might happen. I loved my time in New York and it was great, but I’m excited for what’s to come in Carolina.”

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