Asweeping bill that's at the center of Republicans' efforts to deliver on President Donald Trump's second-term agenda hit a major roadblock on Friday. Trump was not happy. “We don’t need ‘GRANDSTANDERS’ in the Republican Party,” the President posted on Truth Social minutes before a handful of GOP hardliners voted against his “big, beautiful bill” at a key House Budget Committee meeting, effectively stalling the legislation from advancing. The measure would extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts and increase spending on the military and border security, offset in part by cuts to Medicaid, food stamps, and subsidies for clean energy. House Speaker Mike Johnson has struggled to craft a bill that slashes enough spending to satisfy right-wing members of his party without losing support from GOP moderates, who are wary of cutting too much from widely used safety-net programs. Advertisement Republican leaders had been hoping to push the bill through the House before a Memorial Day recess, though that timeline appears less probable after Friday’s failed vote in the Budget Committee—one of the final stops before it can reach the House floor. Five Republican fiscal hawks on the committee joined with all Democrats in voting against the bill, with the GOP holdouts expressing concerns that the bill doesn’t cut Medicaid spending enough and takes too long phasing out the clean energy tax credits passed as part of former President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. They argued that the way the bill front-loads tax cuts in the next few years but delays spending cuts until later is fiscally reckless. “This bill falls profoundly short. It does not do what we say it does with respect to deficits,” Texas Rep. Chip Roy, one of those holdouts, said during the markup. South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman, another one of the holdouts, said he was “very disappointed” with the bill: “Sadly, I’m a hard no until we get this ironed out.” Top GOP lawmakers are expected to continue private talks with the White House and reluctant Republicans over the weekend to figure out a path forward on Trump’s signature legislation. They are using a process known as budget reconciliation to allow Republicans to push the measure through the Senate with a simple majority, rather than the two-thirds support they would need to avoid a filibuster. Assuming Democrats remain united against the bill, Republicans can afford to lose no more than three votes in either the House or the Senate. Even if the bill makes it through the House, Republican Senators are expected to make their own changes to it, which both chambers will then have to reconcile. Here are the main sticking points for Republicans on Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” Medicaid cuts For months, Democrats have condemned the bill’s health care provisions as a disaster for the country. More than eight million Americans are expected to lose insurance coverage if the bill becomes law—an outcome some Republicans fear will kill their chances in the 2026 midterms.But that isn’t stopping some fiscal conservatives from wanting even more cuts. A key part of the measure is nearly $800 billion in reduced spending for Medicaid, a program that provides health coverage for low- and middle-income households. Republicans are hoping to include new work requirements for adult Medicaid beneficiaries without children that would take effect starting in 2029. Under the proposed plan, adult Medicaid recipients would need to submit paperwork every month showing they worked at least 80 hours or qualified for an exception. Democrats, and some swing-vote Republicans, have warned that millions of Americans will lose health care coverage if the provision goes into effect. Indeed, an estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that the Medicaid changes would reduce the number of people with health care by at least 7.6 million. But proponents say that the new work requirements are estimated to save $300 billion over a decade, while also creating incentives for work.

ARLINGTON, Texas — Dallas Wings point guard Paige Bueckers will make her WNBA debut Friday night, only 40 days removed from leading the Connecticut Huskies to their first national championship in nine years. And when Bueckers, the No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft, takes the court against the Minnesota Lynx, she will be fulfilling a lifelong dream. “A dream, really,” Bueckers told NBC News about what it feels like to be at the precipice of her first professional game. “You get to that stage, and then you want to see what you do with it, like you’re living out your childhood dream. But then you want to continue to build and get better.” “You’re just trying to be grateful for it, like you worked so hard to get here, you had so many people invest in you to get here. So it was really a group effort, and it took a village,” she said. Bueckers, 23, enters the WNBA after an eventful collegiate career. Injuries shortened her 2021-22 season to only 17 games, and she missed the entirety of the following year due to a torn ACL. But Bueckers bounced back, leading the Huskies to the Final Four in 2024 before a championship run in April. She ended her career at Connecticut as the school’s third all-time leading scorer. When asked what Dallas fans can expect when she puts on her Wings jersey, Bueckers said “a passion and sense of pride.” Bueckers will be trying to help build up a Dallas team that has not won a second-round playoff game since moving to Texas in 2016. In that time, the Wings have only made it out of the first round once, in 2023. Bueckers, one of the biggest stars in the women’s game in her time at Connecticut, is joining the league at the same time as an increase in attention on the WNBA, which is coming off its most-watched Finals game in 25 years. Bueckers is cognizant of the impact she and the current generation of stars can have on the visibility of the league. “Continue to build on the foundation that was laid for us and all the people that came before us,” Bueckers said when asked what she hopes to contribute to the sport at large. “So we can dream and live in these shoes, I’m gonna try to build for the next generation.”

ARLINGTON, Texas — Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. allowed two unearned runs over four innings against the Texas Rangers on Friday, six nights after the right-hander failed to get out of the first inning in a game that he said was followed by online threats. “Honestly, a lot, a lot of prayer. And a lot of faith,” McCullers said when asked how he handled everything between those starts. “And my teammates were so supportive of me. I hope one day I’m able to repay the favor of what these guys in here have meant to me over the last couple years, and over the this last week.” The 31-year-old right-hander made only his third start for the Astros since the 2022 World Series. He got a no-decision in their 6-3 win over the Rangers, who led 2-0 when he threw his last pitch. McCullers, who is making a comeback after missing two full seasons with injuries, allowed seven runs while getting only one out in Houston’s 13-9 loss last Saturday, then said afterward that he had received online death threats directed at his children. The Astros said Houston police and Major League Baseball security were alerted to the threats. “They’re on it,” McCullers said, adding that he was asked to not comment on any investigations. “These things aren’t taken lightly.” Back on the mound, McCullers needed 83 pitches to get through his four innings and he threw 53 strikes. He struck out two, walked one and gave up four singles. The only runs against McCullers came when Jonah Heim had a two-run single with two outs in the second inning. That was three batters after shortstop Jeremy Peña was charged with an error when he failed to catch a throw from McCullers, who was trying to get the lead runner at second base after fielding a comebacker. “I’m sure if you ask Peña, he’s going to say he should have made the play. And I’m going to say I should have made a little bit of a better throw,” McCullers said. “I kind of joked with some of the guys, my best sinker all night was to Peña at second.” Jake Burger, whose homer was the only run in the Rangers’ 1-0 win in the series opener Thursday night, then had an infield popout before Heim’s hit into the right field corner. Astros manager Joe Espada said before Friday’s outing that McCullers was mentally in a good spot and fine physically, and he liked what he saw during the game. “It was a really good bounce-back outing for him,” Espada said. “He came out throwing a ton of strikes. ... Where he was five or six starts ago, and where he’s at now is now, it’s a step in the right direction.” McCullers had surgery in June 2023 to repair his right flexor tendon and remove a bone spur, and was rehabbing last June when he had a setback during a bullpen session that shut him down for the rest of the season. He made four starts in the minor leagues this year before rejoining the Astros’ rotation on May 4. “We all have confidence he can do it. He just needs to go out there and do his thing,” Espada said. “It’s going to happen.” McCullers is 49-33 with a 3.53 ERA in 133 games (130 starts) for the Astros since his big league debut with them in 2015. An All-Star in 2017, McCullers went 10-6 with a 3.86 ERA in 25 games in 2018 before having Tommy John surgery. He was 13-5 with a 3.16 ERA in 28 starts in 2021, then signed a five-year, $85 million contract that goes through 2026.

For the first time ever, an NFL team will play a pair of road games in two different European cities. It’s a sign of things to come. Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Vikings’ Week 4 game against the Steelers in Dublin followed by their Week 5 game against the Browns in London is trial run for the expanded use of multiple teams that will play in multiple European cities in consecutive weeks. As soon as next year, there could be two or three teams that swap two traditional road games for a pair of neutral-site games in London and/or Dublin and/or Germany and/or Spain and/or elsewhere in Europe. (Sign me up for Bruges.) In 2026, those teams would likely come from the AFC, which will have nine road games in the current 17-game eight/nine home/away rotation. Eventually, look for four franchises to serve as the “road” team in (math is hard) eight European games. It’s all part of the NFL’s current plan to expand the number of international games to 16 per year. Which will be the approach unless and until the NFL drops a franchise or two (or four) in Europe.

BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles fired manager Brandon Hyde on Saturday after a dismal start to the season by a team coming off two consecutive playoff appearances. The Orioles are 15-28 and in last place in the AL East following a loss to Washington on Friday night. Hyde guided the team through an extensive rebuild and won manager of the year honors in 2023, but Baltimore’s performance slipped noticeably during the second half of last year, and the Orioles have put themselves in a significant hole so far in 2025. “As the head of baseball operations, the poor start to our season is ultimately my responsibility,” Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said in a statement. “Part of that responsibility is pursuing difficult changes in order to set a different course for the future. I want to thank Brandon for his hard work, dedication and passion all these years, and for returning the team to the playoffs and winning an AL East championship.” Third base coach Tony Mansolino will serve as interim manager. The Orioles also fired major league field coordinator/catching instructor Tim Cossins.

Social media was buzzing on Saturday morning with various videos of what appeared to be an incident involving former NFL receiver Antonio Brown. Near the end of one of the videos, a pair of gunshots could be heard. Via Devon Cetoute of the Miami Herald, Brown explained that he was “was jumped by multiple individuals who tried to steal my jewelry and cause physical harm to me.” Brown added that, after being briefly detained by police, he was released after the officers “received my side of the story.” It happened at a boxing event in a Miami warehouse, featuring someone named Adin Ross. (If I was 40 years younger, I’d probably know who that is. If I was 20 years younger, I’d take the time to look it up.) The videos that surfaced seemed to show Brown being attacked and Brown running through a crowd. In a livestream conducted by Ross, Brown said, “I got CTE, I blacked out. I ain’t know what happened.” Police arrived after they received an alert that shots had been fired. No arrests were made. Brown said he’ll explore “pressing charges on the individuals that jumped me.” Brown last played in the NFL in 2021, after a career that included many spectacular seasons with the Steelers, failed stints with the Raiders and Patriots, and a Super Bowl win in Tampa Bay.

ROME — Jasmine Paolini took advantage of the crowd’s support and beat Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-2 to become the first home player to win the Italian Open in 40 years on Saturday. With top-ranked Jannik Sinner to play Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s final on Sunday, Italy could earn its first sweep of the Rome singles titles. The last Italian woman to win the open was Raffaella Reggi in 1985 in Taranto. The last local man to raise the trophy was Adriano Panatta in 1976. When Paolini hit a big serve down the T on her second championship point and Gauff couldn’t get it back, Paolini celebrated with a big smile and raised her arms as she spun around in joy. “It doesn’t seem real to me,” Paolini said. “I came here as a kid to see this tournament but winning it and holding up this trophy wasn’t even in my dreams.” Before the trophy ceremony, the crowd chanted “Ole, ole, ole, Jas-mine, Jas-mine,” and Paolini responded by forming her hands into a heart shape. “The crowd has been incredible,” Paolini said. Paolini and partner Sara Errani are also in the women’s doubles final and will play Veronika Kudermetova and Elise Mertens for that trophy on Sunday. “It’s been two incredible weeks and it’s not finished yet,” Paolini said. With the country’s tennis boom in full force, Italy President Sergio Mattarella attended the woman’s final at the Foro Italico. Numerous fans held aloft Italian flags and they constantly shouted “Vai Jasmine” (“Go Jasmine”). The fifth-ranked Paolini was the runner-up at the French Open and Wimbledon and led Italy to the Billie Jean King Cup title last year. She and Errani also won gold in doubles at the Paris Olympics. Paolini will move up to No. 4 in the rankings on Monday, which will improve her position in the draw for the French Open starting next weekend. Despite her success last year, Paolini recently made a coaching change and replaced Renzo Furlan with Marc Lopez. Errani is also almost always with her, too, and acts as an unofficial coach. Gauff, the 2023 U.S. Open champion who was ranked No. 3, struggled with unforced errors and double faults. Gauff made a whopping 55 unforced errors to Paolini’s 20 and hit seven double faults to her opponent’s none. The final lasted just under 1 ½ hours. It’s the second time in two clay-court tournaments that Gauff has finished runner-up. She lost the Madrid Open final two weeks ago to Aryna Sabalenka. Gauff was coming off the longest match of her career, a 3 1/2-hour victory over Zheng Qinwen in the semifinals that ended in the early Friday morning. Paolini also beat Gauff at a clay-court event in Stuttgart, Germany, in April. Monica Seles in 1990 was the last woman to sweep Rome’s singles and doubles titles in the same year.

CASTELRAIMONDO, Italy — Luke Plapp soloed to victory in the eighth stage of the Giro d’Italia for the biggest win of his career while Italian veteran Diego Ulissi moved into the overall lead on Saturday. “Crazy, crazy,” Plapp said with a smile immediately after his first victory in a Grand Tour. Plapp attacked from a breakaway with about 45 kilometers (28 miles) remaining and had about a minute’s advantage on the final climb. The Australian rider then used his time trialling skills to hold off his chasers. “I knew I couldn’t beat any of them in a sprint, so I knew I had to go at some stage pretty early,” Plapp said. “I just thought I’d give it a crack and, to be honest, just wanted a bit of a head start on the descent as well. “So, to stay away all the way to the finish is definitely not what I expected.” Plapp had plenty of time to celebrate, sitting up and lifting his arms out as he crossed the line 38 seconds ahead of Wilco Kelderman and Ulissi at the end of the tricky 97-kilometer (122-mile) route from Giulianova to Castelraimondo. “I feel like it’s been a long time coming,” Plapp said. “Last year I got so close at the Giro so many times, and for today to happen is so, so special. “We marked it as a stage (to win) for a few weeks now and then this morning on the bus we were really really excited. So to make it happen is a dream come true.” Ulissi faced an anxious wait to see whether he’d done enough to take the pink jersey from pre-race favorite Primoz Roglic and become the first Italian to lead the race since 2021. He let out a loud yell of joy when it was confirmed, after Roglic and most of the rest of the peleton finished nearly five minutes off the pace. Ulissi, who had never previously led the Giro, has a 12-second advantage over compatriot Lorenzo Fortunato and was 17 seconds ahead of Roglic. “Just before putting it on (the leader’s jersey), I was really thinking about the afternoons I spent with my grandparents when I was a kid and watching the Giro and dreaming,” Ulissi said. “I had already realized the dream of winning stages, I came very close to wearing the pink jersey. Now, living this dream at the end of my career — because I’m not getting any younger — is everything, truly a great joy.” Even more special is that Ulissi will be in pink as his home race heads into his home region of Tuscany. “I’m thinking of sleeping with the maglia rosa on tonight,” Ulissi said with a laugh. “But the thought of going through my Tuscany with the maglia rosa is truly a great emotion.” Sunday’s ninth stage includes a mini Strade Bianche on the white, gravel roads on the 181-kilometer route from Gubbio to Siena. The Giro ends in Rome on June 1.

NEW YORK — The first championship banner in New York Liberty history slowly rose from the ground to its permanent home in the rafters of Barclays Center. The final piece of last year’s title run was celebrated Saturday before the team tipped off its 2025 season against the Las Vegas Aces. The green banner found its place high above the court with the players looking on in amazement. Minutes before members of the team were given their championship rings. Breanna Stewart walked up to receive her ring with 3-year-old daughter Ruby holding her hand and 1-year-old son Theo in her arms. This was the third title for Stewart, who won two with Seattle, but the first her kids were around for. Sabrina Ionescu, who was the No. 1 draft pick in 2020 was the last player to be introduced and received a long ovation from the sold out crowd. “We’re so thankful, thank you guys for being part of this championship journey for us,” Ionescu said to the crowd. “We got to run it back. We need the energy the love and support.” New York was the last of the original franchises still playing to win a championship. The Liberty did it in dramatic fashion, beating the Minnesota Lynx in overtime of a decisive Game 5 last year. Liberty co-owner Clara Wu Tsai said during the ceremony that the Liberty “represents the best of New York City. Creativity, grit, hustle and resilience.” She then went on to say that this was “our first championship, but will not be our last.” The Aces stayed inside their locker room during the ceremony. Coach Becky Hammon, who played for the Liberty in her early years in the league, said at practice Friday she had mixed emotions. “I have a lot of respect for this organization,” she said. “A lot of respect for Joe (Tsai) and Clara. I thought last year they were the best team and the best team gets rings.” Chelsea Gray, who has been a part of three championship teams, has been in this spot before while playing for Los Angeles. The Sparks opened the 2018 season in Minnesota after losing to the Lynx in a decisive Game 5 of the WNBA Finals the year before. She hit a buzzer-beater to win the opener and spoil the night for Minnesota that year. She hopes to do the same on Saturday. “It’s more incentive, the away team always tries to ruin the ring night,” Gray said.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A PGA Championship missing star power got the best in golf Saturday when Scottie Scheffler delivered a clinic over the closing stretch at Quail Hollow for a 6-under 65 and a three-shot lead going into the final round. Scheffler started his big run with a 3-wood to just inside 3 feet on the reachable par-4 14th for an eagle, causing so much hysteria that Bryson DeChambeau had to back off his putt across the lake at the 17th. It ended with an 8-iron from the seam of a divot to just inside 10 feet for birdie on the 18th, creating even more space between Scheffler and Alex Noren, who had a 66 and gets his first shot in a final group along the No. 1 player in the world. DeChambeau, the U.S. Open champion who has been a major force at golf’s biggest events, briefly took the lead with a birdie on the par-5 15th. And then it all came undone. He missed a 4-foot par putt on the 16th. He found the water on the par-3 17th — the cheer for Scheffler made him back off a 25-foot bogey putt that he eventually missed — and he had to scramble for par to salvage 69 that felt much better. DeChambeau was three behind when he finished, six behind when Scheffler got done with his masterful performance by playing the final five holes in 5 under par. The third round was delayed by morning storms, forcing a change in tee times to threesomes off both tees that didn’t start until shortly before noon. And then it became a game of musical chairs for the lead. Nine players had at least a share of the lead at one point. One of them was two-time major champion Jon Rahm, who has not seriously contended in the four majors he has played since joining LIV Golf. “Hard to express how hungry I may be for a major, about as hungry as anybody can be in this situation,” Rahm said. “Very happy to be in this position.” He finished nearly two hours before Scheffler and figured he would be at least one shot behind going into the final round. “This golf course is tricky and one shot is nothing on 18 holes,” Rahm said. He now faces a five-shot deficit, but armed with growing confidence in his game. Scheffler, remarkably, posted the low score of any round in a major with his 65, which moved him to 11-under 202 as he goes for a third major. The 3-wood on the 14th was what got it started. The up-and-down for birdie on the par-5 15th gave him the lead for the first time in the championship. Scheffler was equally pleased with the finish, wanting the proper conclusion to such an important round. He holed an 18-foot birdie putt for one of only six birdies on the day at the 17th, and then finished it off with a closing birdie, each with a slight show of emotion. “Big emotion for me,” Scheffler said with a smile. “It was an important time in the round. I wanted to finish off the round the right way. I hit some good shots down the stretch.” Masters champion Rory McIlroy and defending PGA champion Xander Schauffele had a long day, nothing to do with each posting a 72. They were supposed to tee off at 8:25 a.m. and likely would be finished in time for lunch. With the change to threesomes of both tees, they didn’t start until 1:38 p.m. and were on the other side of Quail Hollow as all the action was on the closing stretch. Davis Riley, whose game has been rounding into form since he battled a two-way miss at the start of the year, made three straight birdies around the turn and two more on the scorable 14th and 15th holes for a 67. He was at 7 under 206 along with North Carolina native J.T. Poston, who birdied his last hole for a 68. Rahm was tied for fifth with Si Woo Kim and Jhonattan Vegas, who had two-shot leads after 18 holes and 36 holes and began Saturday with two straight bogeys. But he steadied himself and was still in the mix until driving into the water on the 15th for bogey and finishing out his 73 with a three-putt going on the 18th. DeChambeau played in the final group at the Masters with McIlroy, and he played bogey-free through 15 holes until a finish that did more damage than he realized. “It cost me three shots and that’s what happens here at Quail Hollow,” he said. It left DeChambeau, Rahm and everyone else in a tough spot trying to make up ground on Scheffler, whose last tournament was an eight-shot victory in the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.