The ruling, filed Thursday in Santa Fe County District Court, found Meta intentionally used features such as endless scrolling, auto play, notifications and content recommendations to keep users, especially teenagers, on its platforms longer.

The judge ruled that Meta helped fuel the state’s youth mental health crisis through the design of Facebook and Instagram, finding the company created a public nuisance and ordering it to pay $567 million for treatment and prevention programs.

The judge said those features contributed to higher rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, eating disorders and suicide risk among young people. The court also found the platforms contributed to child sexual exploitation and put added pressure on schools, law enforcement and New Mexico’s mental health system.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez applauded the ruling, calling it a “historic moment.”

The judgment not only helps New Mexico protect online safety but also changes the “narrative in this country and all over the world about whether or not companies of this size and scale can actually be held accountable,” Torrez said.

“[Meta] knew about these harms, they weren’t forthcoming about the danger, they weren’t honest with policymakers, parents and families,” Torrez added. “Now they must pay the price for the choice they made to put profits over children’s safety.”

The judge later ruled the company’s conduct also amounted to a public nuisance and ordered Meta to reduce the harm caused by its platforms rather than shut them down.

Under the order, Meta must pay $567 million into an abatement fund. The money includes $33 million for prevention and awareness, $90 million for screening and assessment, $15 million for referrals and care coordination, $420 million for treatment, and $9 million for program oversight and evaluation.

In a statement to ABC News, a Meta spokesperson voiced disagreement with the ruling and vowed to appeal.

“We work hard to keep people safe on our platforms and have been transparent about the challenges of identifying and removing bad actors and harmful content. We remain confident in our record of protecting teens online and will continue to defend ourselves against claims that misrepresent the facts,” the spokesperson said.

Torrez, of New Mexico, said he expects the appeals process to play out over a period of months or years, but said his office would “be pressing the court to order the payment of these funds as quickly as possible.”

“The longer we wait, the more harm is done to our kids,” Torrez added.

In its statement to the AP at the time, Meta said it shares “the attorneys general’s commitment to providing teens with safe, positive experiences online, and have already introduced over 30 tools to support teens and their families.”

“We’re disappointed that instead of working productively with companies across the industry to create clear, age-appropriate standards for the many apps teens use, the attorneys general have chosen this path,” it added.

The lawsuit was filed in December 2023 by Attorney General Torrez, who alleged Meta’s platforms harmed children and violated state law. Earlier this year, a jury found Meta committed 75,000 violations of the state’s Unfair Practices Act and imposed the maximum civil penalty of $375 million.

In March, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and the Google-owned YouTube negligent for designing apps that harmed kids and teens and failed to warn them about the dangers. The jury awarded total damages of $6 million to the plaintiff Kaley.

Meta is also preparing for a trial later this month in federal court in Oakland, California, The Associated Press reported. The company will face the first four of 29 states that sued it in a federal multi-district lawsuit filed in 2023 for allegedly contributing to the youth mental health crisis by knowingly designing features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children, according to the suit.

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The initiative comes after Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment and declined to answer questions at a hearing last week about his role in handling the COVID-19 pandemic.

The committee’s party-line vote of 8-5 came after Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment against self-incrimination and declined to answer questions at a hearing last week about his role in handling the COVID-19 pandemic and its origins.

A contempt resolution would normally now head to the full Senate, where it would require 60 votes. It is unlikely the Fauci resolution would receive enough support in the full Senate to pass.

But committee chairman Sen. Rand Paul told reporters he is opting instead to immediately send it to the Department of Justice in the hopes they’ll take action.

Paul said Fauci could not plead the Fifth Amendment given he was preemptively pardoned by President Joe Biden out of fear of political prosecution.

“We are voting on whether a witness who has received the benefit of a sweeping federal pardon can be ordered by this committee to answer questions and then defy that order without consequence,” Paul said ahead of the vote.

David Schertler, legal counsel for Fauci, called Thursday’s vote “a crude political stunt intended to punish Dr. Fauci for exercising his constitutional rights.”

“The Senate should reject Senator Paul’s meritless and politically-motivated contempt resolution,” Schertler said in a statement. “For years, Senator Paul has proclaimed to anyone who would listen that Dr. Fauci should be prosecuted and put in prison. Dr. Fauci has committed no crime — and Senator Paul knows it.”

Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee attempted several times to table the contempt resolution but were unsuccessful.

Fauci invokes 5th Amendment during Senate testimony, refrains from answering lawmakers’ questions

Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, the committee’s ranking member, criticized the vote and the “damaging precedent” it sets, saying this “could harm our ability to conduct future investigations and disregards constitutional protections long recognized by the U.S. Senate.”

“This resolution will not provide the committee with any additional information, or compel Dr. Fauci to provide answers to our inquiries. Criminal contempt is punitive; it does not compel a witness to answer questions or produce the documents we’d all like to see,” Peters said.

Peters also condemned Paul’s suggestion of referring the contempt resolution directly to the Department of Justice after the vote, saying “that would be even more dangerous and widely unprecedented move.”

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Participants explored the interactive experience by scanning Freedom 250 QR codes placed at designated locations across Dhaka, including specially branded American flag-themed rickshaws and partner locations. By visiting these locations and engaging with the platform, participants earned points to climb the leaderboard, with the top 120 scorers qualifying for the final in-person trivia competition.

The U.S. Embassy Dhaka’s Public Diplomacy team commended the CodersTrust team for its technical expertise, professionalism, and timely delivery of the project. CodersTrust’s developers designed and implemented key features of the platform, including the QR code system, user login functions, and leaderboard.

“[It’s] an amazing project!” said Monica Shie, Counselor for Press and Public Diplomacy at the US Embassy Dhaka, reflecting on the launch.

The game attracted more than 1,400 registered users who recorded over 15,000 QR code scans during the campaign, demonstrating strong public engagement with the interactive experience.

“It was great for our team to work with CodersTrust on this project that connected history, technology, and community engagement in such a fun way” said Richard Bruner, U.S. Embassy Dhaka. “We’re proud of what this partnership produced. The turnout and energy the program received far exceeded our expectations.”

Co-Founder and Global Chairman of CodersTrust  Aziz Ahmad reaffirmed the commitment to empowering young people through digital innovation, AI, and workforce development.

“This project exemplifies what CodersTrust set out to do from day one — using digital skills to build real, meaningful platforms for our partners,” said Aziz Ahmad..

Seeing the turnout and enthusiasm at the launch was incredibly rewarding. Partnering with the US Embassy on America’s 250th anniversary celebration is a proud moment for our entire Bangladesh team, and we look forward to deepening this relationship,” he added.

CodersTrust, the global digital skills and workforce development platform, served as the embassy’s technology development partner for the project, building the web application live at freedom250treasurehunt.com. On the CodersTrust side, the project was led by the organization’s Dhaka based technical and leadership team, who were on hand at the launch to see the platform come to life for the public.

The website also served as the initial qualifying stage, generating a leaderboard that determined which participants advanced to a final in-person trivia contest where winners received great prizes.

By visiting these locations and engaging with the platform, participants earned points to climb the leaderboard, with the top 120 scorers qualifying for the final in-person trivia competition.

The campaign concluded with the final trivia contest on July 9 at the Edward M. Kennedy (EMK) Center in Dhaka.

In 2026, CodersTrust was recognized by the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka as an application development partner supporting youth engagement initiatives as part of the United States’ 250th Anniversary (America250) celebration in Bangladesh. The collaboration reflects CodersTrust’s commitment to empowering young people through digital innovation, AI, and workforce development.

CodersTrust is a mission-driven global EdTech organization headquartered in New York City, dedicated to equipping people with digital, AI, and employability skills for the future of work. Founded in 2014, CodersTrust has trained over 1.5 million learners across more than 15 countries through industry-led, technology-enabled learning. With major operations in Bangladesh and a growing global presence, CodersTrust empowers youth, women, and underserved communities to build sustainable careers and economic opportunity.

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“I think most parents will welcome this action,” Starmer said. “They will welcome a government that stands by them, that supports them to do the best for their children, and that fights for their happiness and safety against the most powerful companies in the world.”

The ex-Love Island personality Georgia Harrison — who described the plans as “absolutely amazing” — and more than a dozen parents from Smartphone Free Childhood.

Molly Rose Foundation, along with 5Rights, youth-led digital wellbeing charity FlippGen, and other civil society voices who’ve warned blanket bans are a blunt instrument that risk doing more harm than good, were kept away from the fanfare, and only invited to a later technical briefing run by officials from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Smartphone Free Childhood, which describes itself as a movement of families “standing together to delay [access to] smartphones and social media,” has long been agitating for precisely the kind of action outlined Monday.  

According to a previous report by POLITICO back in January, the charity used its 100,000 person-strong network of WhatsApp groups to organize a grassroots lobbying blitz that saw MPs flooded with messages from concerned parents urging them to back a ban. 

The U.K.’s online safety regime has already been a boon for the industry, thanks to provisions under the Online Safety Act that require services to introduce age checks to prevent children from encountering pornography and other types of “primary priority” content. 

Now more age-gates are coming — across social media, but also a wide range of services that allow livestreaming and communication with strangers, plus AI chatbots specifically designed for sexually-explicit interactions.

Two, since Ofcom is now carrying out a rapid study on what effective age assurance looks like for the purpose of verifying whether someone is over 16, there could be tighter regulation coming down the track, which is good for companies worried about cheaper but less accurate or privacy-preserving offerings, and bad for those that have so far largely escaped scrutiny.

Secondary legislation — increasingly the government’s preferred tool — is particularly vulnerable to judicial review, and concerns have already been raised about the human rights impacts of blanket bans.

Digital rights activists fear the rapid expansion of poorly regulated age checks will create a backdoor for more intensive surveillance and increase the risk of mass data breaches — and don’t trust the U.K.’s data protection watchdog to take action.

They aren’t fans of Big Tech, of course, but argue the government has failed to take a rights-respecting approach to regulation.

Watch this space. On Friday evening, a group of content creators and activists from the U.K., U.S., EU, Canada, and India met virtually to discuss the launch of a new global movement called “Stop Killing the Internet” in response to jurisdictions the world over converging around the ban playbook, a person on the call told POLITICO.

“The talk is that a Rubicon has been crossed and a line in the sand has to be drawn,” they said. The website went live shortly after Starmer’s announcement, and the campaign will launch in less then two weeks’ time.

Ofcom already has its hands full regulating the more than 100,000 services in scope of the Online Safety Act, parts of which aren’t even in force yet.

Now there’s even more to do, as its group director for online safety Oliver Griffiths acknowledged would be the case last month. Many of the proposals outlined by the government in its kids’ online safety consultation “create new duties and require comprehensive policy work to implement,” he said.

 “The Government has entrusted us to build on this progress with new measures to protect children, and we’re ready to work closely with them as the detailed regulations take shape,” a spokesperson said in a statement Monday.

‘Safety by design’

The government’s decision to kick kids off social media suggests it buys the argument — at least in the short term — that platforms can’t be made age-appropriate through regulation. 

“We remain of the view that banning children from social media platforms without addressing the underlying, unsafe and addictive design choices made by tech companies that place profit before safety and well-being will not make them safer,” the Online Safety Act Network’s director Maeve Walsh said.

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The court intervened after the Food and Drug Administration was ordered on May 1 to revive a requirement that doctors prescribe the drug only after an in-person exam. It was the first time access to mifepristone had been significantly curtailed during years of litigation over the the drug, which was first approved in 2000.

At the request of drug makers, Justice Samuel Alito paused until May 11 the restrictive ruling by a lower court while the full court decides what the rules for mifepristone should be as Louisiana challenges expanded access.

“While this is a positive short-term development, no one can rest easy when our ability to get this safe, effective medication for abortion and miscarriage care still hangs in the balance,” Julia Kaye, senior staff attorney with the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, said in a statement. “The Supreme Court needs to put an end to this baseless attack on our reproductive freedom, once and for all.”

State officials argue that allowing the drug to be dispensed through the mail ignores the threat of complications from mifepristone, such as sepsis and hemorrhaging. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill also says mailed delivery of the drug allows women to get around abortion bans.

In its ruling May 1, the conservative 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Louisiana is likely to win its challenge and blocked mail-order access for now.

Danco Laboratories, which makes Mifeprex, the brand-name version of mifepristone, said that decision injected “immediate confusion and upheaval into highly time-sensitive medical decisions.”

Danco also told the Supreme Court that Louisiana’s challenge should be rejected for the same reasons the justices in 2024 tossed out a similar lawsuit brought by anti-abortion doctors.

In that case, the court said the doctors couldn’t sue because they hadn’t shown they were sufficiently harmed by the FDA’s loosening of the regulations for mifepristone in 2023.

Louisiana argues the state’s ability to enforce its anti-abortion laws is harmed by the ability of women in the state to more easily access mifepristone. State officials also say Louisiana’s Medicaid program had to pay $92,000 for the emergency care of two women who had complications after taking mifepristone.

Danco said the Supreme Court rejected a similar argument about downstream economic injuries when dismissing the anti-abortion doctor’s lawsuit.

Multiple Republican-led states are trying to make it harder for women to access mifepristone, a pill used in nearly two-thirds of abortions across the United States – including in states that have largely banned abortion.

But Louisiana “is alone in seeking such sweeping preliminary relief,” GenBioPro, which makes a generic version of Mifeprex, told the Supreme Court in its appeal.

The Trump administration’s FDA is now reviewing the safety of the drug. Abortion rights advocates have called the review a sham, saying the science behind the agency’s previous decision is solid.

In January, the administration asked a judge to pause Louisiana’s challenge until the FDA’s review is done.

A federal judge agreed. But the appeals court blocked that ruling and said the in-person dispensing requirement should return while Louisiana appeals the judge’s decision.

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Investigators said the crash happened before 2 p.m. in the 280 block of South Beach Road when a truck pulling a small pressure-cleaning trailer was traveling north and slowing to turn into a driveway. That’s when a Land Rover, driven by Woods, approached from behind at a high rate speed, the sheriff’s office said.

The Land Rover attempted to pass the truck but clipped the back of the trailer, according to authorities. The impact caused the SUV to tip onto the driver’s side and slide along the road before coming to a stop. Woods was able to exit the vehicle through the passenger side, authorities said.

No one was injured during the crash, including Woods and the truck driver, the sheriff’s office said.

During a press conference Friday, the sheriff’s office said that Woods exhibited signs of impairment at the scene of the crash and was arrested.

The sheriff’s office said Woods agreed to take a breathalyzer test which showed no alcohol in his system, but refused to take a urine test, which is used to detect drugs or medication.

Investigators said they believe impairment may have been caused by medication, though no substances were found in the vehicle.

Authorities added that the road where the crash took place is a narrow, two-lane roadway with a 30 mph speed limit and little room for drivers to move aside. Investigators noted the crash could have been far more serious if oncoming traffic had been present.

In addition to driving under the influence with property damage, Woods was charged with refusal to submit to a lawful test. Both are misdemeanors.

Woods was being held at the jail for a minimum of eight hours, as required by Florida law, and was released Friday night.

No court date has been set for Woods as of Saturday afternoon.

President Donald Trump, who said he is a “close friend” to Woods, reacted to news, telling reporters during a gaggle in Miami on Friday, “I feel so badly. He’s got some difficulty. There was an accident and that’s all I know. Very close friend of mine.”

“He’s an amazing person, amazing man. But some difficulty,” he added.

Tiger Woods shares health update following car crash: ‘I am back home and continuing my recovery’

In 2021, the golfer was seriously hurt in a crash that occurred in Southern California.

The SUV he was driving, a 2021 Genesis GV80, was found several feet away from the center divider, in an area that had a “high-frequency” of accidents, officials said at the time.

Authorities said there was no “evidence of impairment” in that crash, adding that the wreck was “purely an accident.”

Following the accident, Woods told Golf Digest in an interview that he began a rehabilitation process that included three months in a hospital-type bed in his home.

In 2017, Woods was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in Jupiter, Florida. An incident report at the time said that he was asleep and “had to be woken up.” Woods was later released on his own recognizance.

Woods shared a statement after the incident apologizing to his family, friends and fans.

The post Tiger Woods charged with DUI after rollover crash in Florida: Sheriff appeared first on NEWSMAN.

Records indicate she was released early Thursday morning. The arresting agency was the California Highway Patrol, records state.

A representative for Spears shared a statement with ABC News on Thursday following the singer’s arrest.

Britney Spears apologizes for smoking on a plane, sets the record straight

“This was an unfortunate incident that is completely inexcusable,” the statement read. “Britney is going to take the right steps and comply with the law and hopefully this can be the first step in long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney’s life. Hopefully, she can get the help and support she needs during this difficult time.”

The statement noted that Spears’ sons Sean Preston Federline and Jayden James Federline, whom she shares with ex Kevin Federline, “are going to be spending time with her.”

“Her loved ones are going to come up with an overdue needed plan to set her up for success for wellbeing,” the statement added.

Spears is scheduled to appear in Ventura County Superior Court on May 4, 2026, according to arrest records.

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But the SNAP benefits eligibility requires new work requirements.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has been directing states to implement new guidance as part of President Donald Trump’s mega bill signed into law in July, which will include new work requirements, decreased eligibility for refugees and states shouldering some of the cost of the program.

Under the megabill, the upper age limit for those who need to meet work requirements was raised from age 54 to 64 for the first time for able-bodied adults without dependents

Additionally, exemptions were changed for parents or other family members with responsibility for a dependent under 18 years old to under 14 years old.

Estimates from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) published in August suggest that, as a result of the changes, more than 3 million Americans could lose assistance within the next few years.

According to CBO estimates, about 1.1 million people will lose SNAP benefits between 2025 and 2034, including 800,000 able-bodied adults through age 64 who don’t live with dependents and 300,000 parents or caregivers up to age 64 with children aged 14 and older.

Exemptions were also removed for homeless individuals, veterans and young adults who were in foster care when they turned age 18. Meanwhile, exemptions were added for American Indians.

CBO estimates the removal of these exemptions will lead to a loss of benefits for 300,000 people among those groups.

The nation’s largest nutrition assistance program was a flashpoint during the 43-day government shutdown, leading to unprecedented disruptions in payments and a litany of court rulings. The spending package that ended the shutdown on Nov. 12 restored full funding to the USDA, which oversees SNAP, after benefits were paused for the first time in the program’s history on Nov. 1.

To qualify, households must be at or below 130% of the poverty line, meaning they make up to 30% more than the federal poverty guideline, which in 2025 was $15,650 for a single person, $26,650 for a three-person household, and $37,650 for a five-person household.

A one-person household had a maximum monthly allotment of $298 in 2025, while a three-person household could get a maximum of $785 and a five-person household could receive $1,183, according to the USDA. There are special additional rules for households with elderly or disabled members.

Asylum seeker restrictions

Under the mega bill, refugees, asylum seekers and those granted legal protection for humanitarian reasons are no longer eligible for SNAP benefits, removing decades of federal precedent.

This includes trafficking victims who were previously certified by the Department of Health and Human Services and Iraqi or Afghan special immigrant visa holders who worked with U.S. forces or agencies.

Under CBO estimates, about 90,000 people in these categories will become ineligible for SNAP benefits.

The only non-citizens who can still receive benefits include lawful permanent residents, although they must wait five years after receiving their green card, with certain exceptions.

SNAP benefits are determined by states and funded by the USDA. Recipients must recertify regularly to maintain eligibility. Typically, benefits can only be provided for 3 months within a 36-month period, unless additional work-related requirements apply. Approved recipients are given a finite timeline to access their benefits.

Nearly 42 million Americans, including low-income families and vulnerable households, rely on SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, to help pay for groceries or other household essentials.

Some food banks see up to 1,800% surge in demand since SNAP benefits were halted.

However, work requirements can reduce program participation. A 2021 report from the National Bureau of Economic Research found SNAP work requirements could lead to up to 53% of eligible adults exiting the program within 18 months.

States sharing costs

States will have to share in the cost of SNAP benefits under the megabill, a change from the federal government shouldering the cost of the program.

Under the megabill, states with SNAP payment error rates above 6% have to pay a share of 5% — starting in 2028 — up to a maximum of 15 % of SNAP benefit costs.

CBO estimates some states will keep their current benefits and eligibility, while others will modify and some will leave the program altogether. This will reduce or eliminate SNAP benefits for about 300,000 people between 2028 and 2034.

Reapply versus recertifying for SNAP

Participants must recertify their information at least every 6 months, depending on the state and their status. They must report any changes to household status, income, medical needs, work history, and other personal information.

Those who do not recertify benefits in time no longer receive them and have to reapply entirely.

Brooke L. Rollins is the current U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Rollins has suggested, Reapplying entirely  is a more intense, time-consuming and costly process than recertifying. States are now responsible for a higher share of administrative costs to maintain and distribute benefits under the “Big Beautiful Bill,” meaning nearly 42 million Americans reapplying from scratch would impose a burden on personnel and administrative costs.

The process can sometimes be done online, depending on the state. Still, it entails completing an online application and submitting pertinent documents such as proof of identity and citizenship, proof of residence, proof of income and household expenses, medical expenses, and the like. Applicants must then complete an eligibility interview, wait for state verification and then wait for a decision from the state, which typically takes about 30 days.

Recertifying is an abbreviated version of this process, focusing on confirming current eligibility and updating information already in the system. Typically, recipients complete a shorter form, submit fresh documentation of household status and any changes, and, in some states, complete another brief interview.

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 “Elizabeth’s experience transiting through Dubai International Airport has left our organization, Detained in Dubai, calling for increased travel warnings to U.S. citizens,” founder Radha Stirling said in a statement.

She was subjected to unpleasant, humiliating, and offensive searches when traveling from Istanbul to New York via the international hub.

Polanco De Los Santos was traveling to Turkey with a friend and had a 10-hour layover in the United Arab Emirates. The 21-year-old reached out to the organization after it helped Tierra Young Allen, an American also detained in Dubai after being accused of yelling in public and violating the obscenity law. Allen was released and brought back to the United States after four months.

“Elizabeth only intended to transit through Dubai for six hours, but she’s been there for months on end and has lost $50,000 in expenses and lawyers costs,” she continued. “She’s now been told she has a one-year prison sentence but that if all ‘goes well, she will only be detained until she can book a flight out of the UAE  Radha Stirling said.

 “We thought it would be a more modern and futuristic city, but we were completely wrong,” she said in a press release shared by Detained in Dubai, an organization that assists foreigners in the UAE.

Authorities told her to remove the doctor-mandated waist-training brace she wore while going through airport security. She hesitantly agreed and was led to a booth where women security officers took the trainer off in a “rough” manner, according to the press release.

“I felt really violated,” the student said, adding she was “uncomfortable and afraid.”

Polanco De Los Santos attempted to put the trainer back on, which usually requires two people and asked for help. The security officers blocked her exit, and the student nudged one of them while calling her friend for help.

“I gently touched her arm to guide her out of the way, then desperately started crying to my friend for help,” the 21-year-old said.

After the search came back clear, officials told her she would be detained for “touching the female customs officer.” She was kept for several hours as the officers filed a complaint, accusing Polanco De Los Santos of “assaulting and insulting” them.

Since the incident, she has been unable to return home to New York. Polanco De Los Santos’ apartment lease has expired, and classes at Lehman College, where she is enrolled, have resumed, according to the Economic Times.

An Aug. 24 court ruling required her to pay an AED 10,000 fine ($4,500), but customs officials have appealed the decision. A new hearing is scheduled for Oct. 24, and, according to Detained in Dubai, Polanco De Los Santos may face jail time.

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The bill implements new requirements for able-bodied adults without children to show that they’ve worked, volunteered, or attended an educational program for at least 80 hours per month.

Johnson defended the requirements in an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on June 1, arguing that the bill would implement “common sense” requirements.

“You’re telling me that you’re going to require the able-bodied, these young men, for example, to only work or volunteer in their community for 20 hours a week. And that’s too cumbersome for them?” Johnson said “I’m not buying it. The American people are not buying it.”

He added that the requirements “should have been put in a long time ago.”

“The people who are complaining that these people are going to lose their coverage because they can’t fulfill the paperwork, this is minor enforcement of this policy, and it follows common sense,” he said.

An estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that the bill would cut $723 billion from federal Medicaid spending and reduce the number of insured people by 7.6 million.

Some researchers argue that millions of people eligible for Medicaid could lose coverage because they are unable to meet the bureaucratic requirements to prove they are disabled, working or going to school.

Some Republican senators, like Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, have raised concerns about the depth of potential cuts to Medicaid.

Democrats have argued that the legislation is cutting benefits for low-income Americans in order to deliver additional tax breaks to the wealthy.

Republican lawmakers hope to pass the legislation by July 4, leaving them only four weeks to approve it in the Senate, reconcile changes between the House and Senate versions, approve it again in the House, and send it to the president’s desk.

However, the real deadline is the end of July. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned lawmakers that the U.S. will default on its debt in August if the debt ceiling is not raised. The bill also includes a $4 trillion increase in the debt ceiling.

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