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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.”

Tesla sales plunge again as anti-Musk boycott shows staying power and rivals pounce on the weakness

Tesla sales plunge again as anti-Musk boycott shows staying power and rivals pounce on the weakness

By BERNARD CONDON AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Sales of Tesla electric cars fell sharply in the last three months as boycotts over Elon Musk’s political views continue to keep buyers away, a significant development given expectations that anger with the company’s billionaire CEO would have faded by now.

The company reported a 13% plunge in sales on Wednesday in a sign that Musk’s embrace of U.S. President Donald Trump and far-right politicians in Europe has had a deep and enduring impact on Tesla’s brand appeal. The new figures show rival electric-vehicle makers have wasted no time to pounce on the company’s weakness to steal market share and suggest Tesla’s quarterly earnings report later this month could also disappoint.

Sales fell to 384,122 in April through June, down from 443,956 in the same three months last year. During the latest period, Musk formally left the Trump administration as a cost-cutting czar, and hopes rose that sales would recover. Musk himself recently said that Tesla was in the midst of a “major rebound” in sales.

Still, some parts of the report were encouraging. Sales of the Models 3 and Y totaled 373,728, above the estimate of 356,000 from Wall Street analysts. Tesla shares rose 3.7% in morning trading.

“The numbers weren’t as bad as thought with all the analyst forecast cuts we saw over the past week,” said Morningstar’s Seth Goldstein, though he added the report overall showed the company faces big challenges. “The current product lineup is at market saturation and Tesla will need the new affordable vehicle to grow deliveries.”

Musk has promised a cheaper EV model would be coming this year that would boost sales.

It’s not clear yet if Musk’s latest feud with Trump will help lure back buyers who have been angry at the billionaire’s political positions. After Musk once again took to social media to criticize Trump’s budget bill, the president threatened Tuesday to use the power of his office to hurt his companies, including Tesla, pushing its stock down more than 5%.

The new figures come as Tesla is focusing less on new models and more on robots, self-driving technology and robotaxis ferrying passengers around without anyone behind the wheel.

Tesla is in the midst of a test run of robotaxis in Austin, Texas, that seems to have gone smoothly for the most part. But it also has drawn the scrutiny of federal car safety regulators because of a few mishaps, including one case in which a Tesla cab was shown on a video heading down an opposing lane.

The competition from rival EV makers is especially fierce in Europe where China’s BYD has taken a bite out of its market share. Tesla sales fell 28% in May in 30 European countries even as the overall market for electric vehicles expanded sharply, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association.

Musk has acknowledged that his work as head of the Department of Government Efficiency and his embrace of European far-right candidates have hurt the company. But he attributed much of the sales plunge to customers holding off while they waited for new versions of Tesla’s best selling Model Y.

Tesla reports second quarter financial result on July 23. In the first quarter, net income fell 71%.

Flawless Buttermilk Hush Puppies

Flawless Buttermilk Hush Puppies

These hush puppies are crispy little clouds—golden and crunchy on the outside, soft and fluffy inside. They’re perfect next to fried fish, pulled pork, or just dipped in remoulade at your next cookout.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon paprika (optional, for a little kick)
  • 1 cup buttermilk (gives that tender, tangy flavor)
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • ¼ cup finely chopped onion
  • Oil (vegetable or peanut) for frying

Instructions

Mix the dry stuff.
Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pepper, and paprika in a bowl.

Wet mix time.
In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk and egg until smooth. Stir in the chopped onion.

Bring it together.
Pour the wet mix into the dry ingredients. Gently stir until just combined. Don’t overmix, we want them fluffy, not dense.

Heat it up.
Heat about 2 inches of oil in a pot or Dutch oven to 350°F (if you do the toothpick test: insert it and if bubbles form around it, you’re ready).

Fry in batches.
Drop spoonfuls (about tablespoon-sized) into the hot oil. Don’t crowd them. Work in batches. Fry until each is golden brown and crispy (about 2–3 minutes), turning once halfway.

Drain and rest.
Use a slotted spoon to pull them out and set onto a paper-towel-lined plate. Give them a sprinkle of salt while they’re hot.

Serve them up.
Best enjoyed warm straight from the fryer. Set them beside your fish fry, BBQ, or laugh-filled backyard hangout.

Wet Nose Wednesday: Meet Beyonce and Bisquick!

Wet Nose Wednesday: Meet Beyonce and Bisquick!

Buckle up, adventure seekers! I’m Beyonce, a curious feline with wanderlust in my whiskers and dreams of epic journeys. While I may have started my travels through a unexpected rescue mission, I’m ready to embark on my most exciting adventure yet – finding my forever home! My spirit of exploration means I’m always eager to investigate new spaces, peek around corners, and discover hidden treasures in my environment. As a world-traveling cat (well, at least in my imagination), I’m looking for a co-pilot who appreciates spontaneity and companionship. Whether we’re mapping out a cozy window perch or planning our next indoor expedition, I promise to be an engaging and affectionate travel buddy. My curiosity knows no bounds, and I’m excited to learn about all the wonderful destinations life might take us – starting with your heart and home! Are you ready to stamp my passport and begin our journey together? How did I get here? Found by a good samaritan. ~My adoption fee is $65.00.~

Meet Beyonce!

Hey there, sports fans! I’m Bisquick, the ultimate playful pup who’s ready to be your MVP (Most Valuable Pooch)! Just like a star quarterback, I’m always eager to join the team and bring energy to every play. Whether we’re tossing a ball around the backyard or running drills in the park, I’m all about that game-day excitement and teamwork spirit. My training skills are top-notch, and I’m super motivated by treats – think of me as the athlete who will do anything for that post-game snack. I love meeting new teammates (aka humans) and I’m especially good with kids who are 6 and older. My playful attitude means I’m always ready to practice, play, and bring joy to my forever family’s lineup. Are you looking for a furry friend who’s ready to score big in the game of life? I’m your player! I am full grown at ~38lbs. How did I get here? Transferred from Durham APS when my family found themselves homeless. ~My adoption fee is $120.00.~

Meet Bisquick!

UPenn to update swimming records set by Lia Thomas, settling with feds on transgender athletes case

UPenn to update swimming records set by Lia Thomas, settling with feds on transgender athletes case

By COLLIN BINKLEY AP Education Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The University of Pennsylvania says it will update records set by transgender swimmer Lia Thomas and apologize to female athletes “disadvantaged” by Thomas’ participation on the women’s swimming team, part of a resolution of a federal civil rights case.

The U.S. Education Department and Penn announced the voluntary agreement Tuesday. The case focused on Thomas, the transgender swimmer who last competed for the Ivy League school in Philadelphia in 2022, when she became the first openly transgender athlete to win a Division I title.

The department investigated Penn as part of the Trump administration’s broader attempt to remove transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports, finding the college violated the rights of female athletes.

Under the agreement, Penn agreed to restore all individual Division I swimming records and titles to female athletes who lost out to Thomas and send a personalized apology letter to each of those swimmers, the Education Department said.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Penn website showed other athletes holding the school’s top times in Thomas’ freestyle events. The site was annotated with a note that read, “Competing under eligibility rules in effect at the time, Lia Thomas set program records in the 100, 200 and 500 freestyle during the 2021-22 season.”

“While Penn’s policies during the 2021-2022 swim season were in accordance with NCAA eligibility rules at the time, we acknowledge that some student-athletes were disadvantaged by these rules,” Penn President J. Larry Jameson said in a statement. “We recognize this and will apologize to those who experienced a competitive disadvantage or experienced anxiety because of the policies in effect at the time.”

As part of the settlement, the university must also announce that it “will not allow males to compete in female athletic programs” and it must adopt “biology-based” definitions of male and female, the department said.

In his statement, Jameson said Penn has always been in compliance with NCAA and Title IX rules as they were interpreted at the time, and that the university has never had its own policies around transgender athlete participation. The school has followed changes to eligibility guidelines as they were issued earlier this year, he said. The NCAA changed its participation policy for transgender athletes in February, limiting competition in women’s sports to athletes who were assigned female at birth.

“Our commitment to ensuring a respectful and welcoming environment for all of our students is unwavering,” Jameson said. “At the same time, we must comply with federal requirements, including executive orders, and NCAA eligibility rules, so our teams and student-athletes may engage in competitive intercollegiate sports.”

Education Secretary Linda McMahon called it a victory for women and girls.

“The Department commends UPenn for rectifying its past harms against women and girls, and we will continue to fight relentlessly to restore Title IX’s proper application and enforce it to the fullest extent of the law,” McMahon said in a statement.

The Education Department opened its investigation in February and concluded in April that Penn had violated Title IX, a 1972 law forbidding sex discrimination in education. Such findings have almost always been resolved through voluntary agreements. If Penn had fought the finding, the department could have moved to refer the case to the Justice Department or pursued a separate process to cut the school’s federal funding.

In February, the Education Department asked the NCAA and the National Federation of State High School Associations, or NFSHSA, to restore titles, awards and records it says have been “misappropriated by biological males competing in female categories.”

The most obvious target at the college level was in women’s swimming, where Thomas won the national title in the 500-yard freestyle in 2022.

The NCAA has updated its record books when recruiting and other violations have stripped titles from certain schools, but the organization, like the NFSHSA, has not responded to the federal government’s request. Determining which events had a transgender athlete participating years later would be challenging.

___

Associated Press writers Annie Ma and Dan Gelston contributed. Gelston contributed from Philadelphia. ___

The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Wall Street is split as Tesla and tech drop while most other US stocks climb

Wall Street is split as Tesla and tech drop while most other US stocks climb

By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — A mixed day of trading left the U.S. stock market split on Tuesday as Wall Street’s momentum slowed after setting record highs in each of the last two days.

The S&P 500 dipped 0.1% for its first loss in four days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 400 points, or 0.9%, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.8%.

Tesla tugged on the market as the relationship between its CEO, Elon Musk, and President Donald Trump soured even further. Once allies, the two have clashed recently, and Trump suggested there’s potentially “BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED” by scrutinizing subsidies, contracts or other government spending going to Musk’s companies.

Tesla fell 5.3% and was one of the heaviest weights on the S&P 500. It has lost just over a quarter of its value so far this year, 25.5%, in large part because of Musk’s and Trump’s feud.

Drops for several darlings of the artificial-intelligence frenzy also weighed on the market. Nvidia’s decline of 3% was the heaviest weight on the S&P 500.

But more stocks within the index rose than fell, led by several casino companies. They rallied following a report showing better-than-expected growth in overall gaming revenue in Macao, China’s casino hub. Las Vegas Sands gained 8.9%, Wynn Resorts climbed 8.8% and MGM Resorts International rose 7.3%.

Automakers outside of Tesla were also strong, with General Motors up 5.7% and Ford Motor up 4.6%.

All told, the S&P 500 slipped 6.94 points to 6,198.01. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 400.17 to 44,494.94, and the Nasdaq composite fell 166.84 to 20,202.89.

The overall U.S. stock market has made a stunning recovery from its springtime sell-off of roughly 20%. But challenges still lie ahead for Wall Street, with one of the largest being the continued threat of Trump’s tariffs.

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. Depending on how big they are, they could hurt the economy and worsen inflation.

Washington is also making progress on proposed cuts to tax rates and other measures that could send the U.S. government’s debt spiraling higher, which could raise inflation. That in turn could mean higher interest rates, which would hurt prices for bonds, stocks and other investments.

Despite such challenges, strategists at Barclays say they see signals of euphoria among some investors. The strategists say a measure that tries to show how much “excess optimism” is in the market is not far from the peaks seen during the “meme stock” craze that sent GameStop to market-bending heights or to the dot-com bubble at the turn of the millennium.

Other signals include demand for what are known as “blank-check companies,” which are essentially piles of cash that hunt for privately held companies to buy. When too much optimism is in the market, it can inflate stock prices to too-high levels in what’s called a “bubble.”

Of course, “market bubbles are infamously difficult to predict and can endure far longer than anticipated before correcting,” according to the Barclays strategists led by Stefano Pascale and Anshul Gupta.

In the bond market, Treasury yields swiveled following some mixed reports on the U.S. economy.

One said U.S. employers were advertising more job openings at the end of May than the month before and than economists expected. That could be an encouraging signal for a job market that had been appearing to settle into a low-hire, low-fire state.

Separate reports on U.S. manufacturing were more mixed. One from the Institute for Supply Management said U.S. manufacturing activity shrank again in June, though not by as much as the month before.

“Customers do not want to make commitments in the wake of massive tariff uncertainty,” one survey respondent in the fabricated metal products industry said.

A separate report from S&P Global suggested manufacturing production returned to growth in June after three months of declines.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury held at 4.24%, where it was late Monday, after bouncing from a modest loss to a modest gain earlier in the day.

The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks expectations for what the Federal Reserve will do with its main interest rate, rose more sharply to 3.77% from 3.72%. Better-than-expected data on the economy could push the Fed to stay on pause with interest rates, after it halted its cuts to rates at the start of this year.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell said again on Tuesday that he wants to wait for more evidence about how Trump’s tariffs will affect the economy and inflation before resuming cuts to interest rates. That’s despite Trump’s angry insistences lately that Powell and the Fed act more quickly to give the economy a boost through lower rates.

In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed in Europe and Asia.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 1.2%, and South Korea’s Kospi rose 0.6% for two of the larger moves.

___

AP Writers Teresa Cerojano and Matt Ott contributed.

Trump says migrants would need to know ‘how to run away from an alligator’ to flee Florida facility

Trump says migrants would need to know ‘how to run away from an alligator’ to flee Florida facility

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON and WILL WEISSERT Associated Press

OCHOPEE, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday toured a new immigration detention center surrounded by alligator-filled swamps in the Florida Everglades, suggesting it could be a model for future lockups nationwide as his administration races to expand the infrastructure necessary for increasing deportations.

Trump said he’d like to see similar centers in “really, many states” and raised the prospect of also deporting U.S. citizens. He endorsed having Florida National Guard forces serve as immigration judges to ensure migrants are ejected from the country even faster, despite the dubious constitutional implications of doing so.

President Donald Trump says migrants would need to know “how to run away from an alligator” to flee the new detention center he’s visiting in a remote area of the Florida Everglades. (AP Video)

“Pretty soon, this facility will handle the most menacing migrants, some of the most vicious people on the planet,” Trump said of the Florida site known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”

He added: “The only way out, really, is deportation.”

Hundreds of protesters converged outside the site — a remote airstrip with tents and trailers. They waved signs calling for the humane treatment of migrants as well as the protection of the expansive preserve that is home to a few Native American tribes and many endangered animal species.

The administration sees the location as a plus

The White House has delighted in the area’s remoteness — about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of Miami — and the fact that it is teeming with pythons and alligators. It hopes to convey a message to detainees and the rest of the world that repercussions will be severe if the immigration laws of the United States are not followed.

Before arriving, Trump even joked of migrants being held there, “We’re going to teach them how to run away from an alligator if they escape prison.”

“Don’t run in a straight line. Run like this,” Trump said, as he moved his hand in a zigzag motion. “And you know what? Your chances go up about 1%.” Alligator experts suggest it is better to dash in one direction in the rare situation when the reptile gives chase, according to a website run by the University of Florida.

Coming soon! pic.twitter.com/v3DCJsrDwV

— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) June 28, 2025

Trump on his tour walked through medical facilities and other parts of the detention center, then held a lengthy roundtable where Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and assorted state and federal officials, heaped him with praise.

Authorities originally suggested it could house up to 5,000 detainees upon completion, but DeSantis said it would actually hold around 3,000, with some starting to arrive Wednesday.

The center was built in eight days over 10 miles (16 kilometers) of Everglades. It features more than 200 security cameras, 28,000-plus feet (8,500 meters) of barbed wire and 400 security personnel.

Trump dismissed concerns from critics, particularly the argument of the potential impact on a delicate ecosystem. He said there was already an airstrip in the area, which meant authorities won’t be “dropping dirt.”

“Frankly, it’s, like, perfect,” Trump said. “I don’t think you’re doing anything to the Everglades. You’re just enhancing it.”

Other, though, are appalled, including Phyllis Andrews, a retired teacher who drove from Naples, Florida, to protest Trump’s visit and called migrants “fine people.”

“They do not deserve to be incarcerated here,” Andrews said. ”It’s terrible that there’s a bounty on their head.”

Some Trump supporters showed up near the detention center as well, including Enrique Tarrio, a former leader of the Proud Boys whom Trump pardoned for his conviction related to the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol. He suggested Trump won last year’s election because voters wanted “mass deportation” and “retribution.”

Part of a larger Trump immigration push

Crackdowns on the U.S.-Mexico border and harsh immigration policies have long been a centerpiece of Trump’s political brand for years. During his first term in 2019, Trump denied reports that he floated the idea of building a moat filled with alligators at the southern border.

Trump has more recently suggested that his administration could reopen Alcatraz, the notorious island prison off San Francisco. The White House similarly promoted the political shock value of sending some immigrants awaiting deportation from the U.S. to a detention lockup in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and others to a megaprison in El Salvador.

His administration has vowed that mass deportations are coming, even if some of those notions are impractical. Transforming Alcatraz from a tourist attraction into a prison would be very costly, and Guantánamo Bay is being used less often than administration officials originally envisioned.

Trump also mused Tuesday about deporting dangerous people born in the United States, like ones who “knife you when you’re walking down the street” or who kill people from behind with a baseball bat.

“They’re not new to our country. They’re old to our country. Many of them were born in our country. I think we ought to get them the hell out of here, too,” Trump said. “So maybe that’ll be the next job that we’ll work on together.”

Alluding to his criminal indictments during President Joe Biden’s administration, Trump said of the detention facility, “Biden wanted me here,” using an expletive to describe his predecessor.

Construction of the Everglades site came together fast

Florida plans to offer members of the National Guard to be “deputized” and assist immigration judges, as a way to loosen another chokepoint in the country’s long-overburdened immigration court system. Guard personnel could provide site security along perimeter and entry control points, but also serve as staff augmentation while being ready to provide other support, officials say.

The detention center has an estimated annual cost of $450 million, but state officials say at least some of that will be covered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency — which is best known for responding to hurricanes and other natural disasters.

During his tour, Trump greeted around 20 FEMA employees and construction workers and bonded with DeSantis, who once bitterly challenged him for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

“We have blood that seems to match pretty well,” Trump said of Florida’s governor. When DeSantis suggested that members of the Guard could ease immigration judges’ workloads, Trump offered, “He didn’t even have to ask me. He has my approval.”

Encouraging self-deportation?

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who was also on the tour, said immigrants arriving to the site could still opt to “self-deport” and board flights to their home countries rather than being held in it. She said she hoped “my phone rings off the hook” with other states looking to follow Florida’s lead and open similar sites.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees are generally held for reasons like entering the country illegally or overstaying a visa. They are either waiting for ICE to put them on the next flight or bus ride home, or they’re fighting their removal in immigration court.

As of mid-June, ICE detention facilities held more than 56,000 immigrants, the most since 2019.

During his visit, Trump was informed that the sweeping tax cut and spending bill the White House has championed had cleared the Senate, drawing applause. The president said his being in Florida, rather than helping promote bill in Washington, underscored the importance of the immigration issue.

“I’m here, and I probably should be there,” he said, shortly before flying back to the White House.

___

Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Kate Payne in Tallahassee, Florida, Elliot Spagat in San Diego and Chris Megerian in Washington contributed to this report.

Senate passes Trump’s big tax breaks and spending cuts bill as Vance breaks 50-50 tie

Senate passes Trump’s big tax breaks and spending cuts bill as Vance breaks 50-50 tie

By LISA MASCARO, MARY CLARE JALONICK and MATT BROWN Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans hauled President Donald Trump’s big tax breaks and spending cuts bill to passage Tuesday on the narrowest of votes, pushing past opposition from Democrats and their own GOP ranks after a turbulent overnight session.

Vice President JD Vance broke a 50-50 tie to push it over the top. The three Republicans opposing the bill were Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.

The outcome capped an unusually tense weekend of work at the Capitol, the president’s signature legislative priority teetering on the edge of approval, or collapse.

Senators are considering proposed amendments to President Donald Trump’s big bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, hunkering down for a series of votes on Monday. (AP Video)

The difficulty it took for Republicans, who have the majority hold in Congress, to wrestle the bill to this point is not expected to let up. The package now goes back to the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson had warned senators not to deviate too far from what his chamber had already approved. But the Senate did make changes, particularly to Medicaid, risking more problems as they race to finish by Trump’s Fourth of July deadline.

The outcome is a pivotal moment for president and his party, which have been consumed by the 940-page “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” as it’s formally titled, and invested their political capital in delivering on the GOP’s sweep of power in Washington.

Trump acknowledged it’s “very complicated stuff,” as he departed the White House for Florida.

“I don’t want to go too crazy with cuts,” he said. “I don’t like cuts.”

What started as a routine but laborious day of amendment voting, in a process called vote-a-rama, spiraled into a round-the-clock slog as Republican leaders were buying time to shore up support.

The droning roll calls in the chamber belied the frenzied action to steady the bill. Grim-faced scenes played out on and off the Senate floor, amid exhaustion.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota was desperately reaching for last-minute agreements between those in his party worried the bill’s reductions to Medicaid will leave millions without care, and his most conservative flank, which wants even steeper cuts to hold down deficits ballooning with the tax cuts.

The GOP leaders have no room to spare, with narrow majorities. Thune can lose no more than three Republican senators, and already two — Tillis, who warned that millions of people will lose access to Medicaid health care, and Paul, who opposes raising the debt limit by $5 trillion — had indicated opposition.

Attention quickly turned to two key senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Collins, who also raised concerns about health care cuts, as well as a loose coalition of four conservative GOP senators pushing for even steeper reductions.

Murkowski in particular became the subject of the GOP leadership’s attention, as they sat beside her for talks. She was huddled intensely for more than an hour in the back of the chamber with others, scribbling notes on papers.

Then all eyes were on Paul after he returned from a visit to Thune’s office with a stunning offer that could win his vote. He had suggested substantially lowering the bill’s increase in the debt ceiling, according to two people familiar with the private meeting and granted anonymity to discuss it.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said “Republicans are in shambles because they know the bill is so unpopular.”

An analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found 11.8 million more Americans would become uninsured by 2034 if the bill became law. The CBO said the package would increase the deficit by nearly $3.3 trillion over the decade.

And on social media, billionaire Elon Musk was again lashing out at Republicans as “the PORKY PIG PARTY!!” for including the $5 trillion debt ceiling in the package, which is needed to allow continued borrowing to pay the bills.Senators insist on changes

Few Republicans appeared fully satisfied as the final package emerges, in either the House or Senate.

Collins had proposed bolstering the $25 billion proposed rural hospital fund to $50 billion, offset with a higher tax rate on those earning more than $25 million a year, but her amendment failed.

And Murkowski was trying to secure provisions to spare people in her state from some food stamp cuts, which appeared to be accepted, while she was also working to beef up federal reimbursements to hospitals in Alaska and others states, that did not comply with parliamentary rules.

“Radio silence,” Murkowski said when asked how she would vote.

The conservative senators demanding a vote on their steeper health care cuts, including Rick Scott of Florida, Mike Lee of Utah, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, filed into Thune’s office near-midnight.What’s in the big bill

All told, the Senate bill includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, according to the latest CBO analysis, making permanent Trump’s 2017 rates, which would expire at the end of the year if Congress fails to act, while adding the new ones he campaigned on, including no taxes on tips.

The Senate package would roll back billions of dollars in green energy tax credits, which Democrats warn will wipe out wind and solar investments nationwide. It would impose $1.2 trillion in cuts, largely to Medicaid and food stamps, by imposing work requirements on able-bodied people, including some parents and older Americans, making sign-up eligibility more stringent and changing federal reimbursements to states.

Additionally, the bill would provide a $350 billion infusion for border and national security, including for deportations, some of it paid for with new fees charged to immigrants.Democrats fighting all day and night

Unable to stop the march toward passage, the Democrats tried to drag out the process, including with a weekend reading of the full bill.

A few of the Democratic amendments won support from a few Republicans, though almost none were passing. More were considered in one of the longer such sessions in modern times.

One amendment overwhelmingly approved stripped a provision barring states from regulating artificial intelligence if they receive certain federal funding.

Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, raised particular concern about the accounting method being used by the Republicans, which says the tax breaks from Trump’s first term are now “current policy” and the cost of extending them should not be counted toward deficits.

She said that kind of “magic math” won’t fly with Americans trying to balance their own household books.

___

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

Kick It for an NCFC Ticket!

Kick It for an NCFC Ticket!

Score with the NCFC on Friday, July 11th, against Birmingham Legion FC. There are two ways to win: comment on 96.1 BBB’s social media or enter to win below! Let’s keep the party going. The Summer of Variety is on 96.1 BBB, and winning happens ALL SUMMER LONG.

Jabil plans to create nearly 1,200 jobs in North Carolina with manufacturing investment

Jabil plans to create nearly 1,200 jobs in North Carolina with manufacturing investment

SALISBURY, N.C. (AP) — Electronics maker Jabil Inc. aims to create nearly 1,200 jobs in central North Carolina, spending $500 million to create a manufacturing facility that will support cloud computing and artificial intelligence data centers.

Gov. Josh Stein’s office and the company said the manufacturing operation will be in Rowan County, which is about 45 miles (72.4 kilometers) northeast of Charlotte.

The investment will be made over several years, with capital spending of $264 million and 1,181 jobs proposed by the end of 2030, according to a state document released Monday along with the plant’s planned location.

The Florida-based multinational company already has 30 locations in the U.S., including three in North Carolina that employ about 1,000 workers. The minimum average wages for the new jobs will be about $62,000, with opportunities for manufacturing and engineering professionals, state officials said.

“The drive to build AI data centers is only accelerating in the United States,” Matt Crowley, a Jabil executive vice president, said in a news release by Stein’s office. “We are excited to help meet that demand, provide additional scale and capabilities for our data center customers, and empower the AI solutions of the future.”

North Carolina competed with Florida to host the project, according to a document provided by the state Commerce Department.

The document said state and local incentives total more than $21 million, from which Jabil could receive cash payments of $11.3 million over 12 years if it meets investment and job-creation thresholds. The Job Development Investment Grant was approved Monday by a state incentives committee, Stein’s office said.

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