President Donald Trump’s tax and spending law will result in less income for the poorest Americans while sending money to the richest, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reported Monday.

The CBO estimates that 10% of the poorest Americans will lose roughly $1,200 a year as they experience restrictions on government programs like Medicaid and food assistance, while the richest 10% of Americans will see their income increase by $13,600 from tax cuts. Overall, American households will see more income from the tax cuts in the legislation, including middle-income households, but the largest benefit will go to the top 10% of earners.

The CBO’s report comes as lawmakers are away from Washington, many taking their messages about the bill to voters. Republicans muscled the legislation — deemed “the big, beautiful bill” by Trump — through Congress in July. Democrats all vehemently opposed the legislation, warning that its tax cuts and spending priorities would come at the expense of vital government aid programs and a ballooning national debt.

“This really is a big, beautiful bill for billionaires, but for the poor and the working class in this country, you are actually poorer,” said Rep. Brendan Boyle, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, in an MSNBC interview on Monday.

Changes to eligibility for government food assistance under the law will impact millions of Americans, the CBO found. Roughly 2.4 million people won’t be eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program under new work requirements for many recipients. Low-income Americans could also see their income reduced through further restrictions on food aid and other types of assistance included in the law.

Already, more than 10 million Americans are expected to be without health insurance by 2034 due to changes to Medicaid under the law.

Following the release of the report, Rep. Jason Smith, the Republican chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, said he took issue with CBO’s methodology, repeating criticism he has made in the past.

“CBO has a troubled track record of getting its estimates incorrect and, like Democrats, is biased in favor of more federal spending and higher taxes,” Smith said on social media. “Don’t buy it.”

Republicans have been eager to sell the upsides of the legislation — arguing that the tax cuts will spur economic growth — while they are on a monthlong summer break from Washington. But those who have held townhalls in their home districts have often been greeted by an earful from voters and activists.

“Tax the rich,” the crowd in Lincoln, Neb. chanted last week as Republican Rep. Michael Flood attempted to defend the bill.

Still, Trump has been undeterred.

“President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill is putting America First like never before, delivering huge savings for hardworking families, boosting our economy, and securing our borders,” said White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson in a statement last week.

24

As she waited for her widely publicized album VIE, already causing a buzz for its unapologetic pop disco rhythms, Doja Cat has been battling to maintain her place in rap, one tweet at a time.

The Grammy-winning musician, whose career has been built upon blending styles in chart–toppers, was at the center of a bitter online war of words when an X user (@playeration) suggested her new project highlighted that she ought to be excluded from conversations regarding female rap in general.

“Hopefully after Doja drops pop disco album of the century her fans can stop trying to force her into female rap conversations,” the user posted. They doubled down with another tweet: “Sorry to inform you guys but you can’t be taken seriously as a rapper without ever prioritizing bars, punchlines, wordplay, and storytelling: the very things that make rap what it is.”

Doja Fires Back: ‘I Do Tell Stories… I Rap on 95% of My Music’

Doja Cat struck back swiftly and nastily. Paraphrasing the accusation, she replied:

“You can continue to copy and paste this theory but the truth is is I do tell stories, use punchlines regularly, and prioritize wordplay frequently. This is what rapping is by definition. You agreed that I rap. If I rap on 95% of my music what does that mean in your mind?”

But the critic was less certain. Claiming to have gone out and gotten four of Doja‘s fans‘ opinions on her “best bar“ and gotten “CRICKETS,” the user wanted to know if she had ever actually dropped a knock-out rap moment.

Doja‘s reply did not hold back:

“You don’t listen to or read enough of my writing to be able to make this claim. I’m alright at what I do and sometimes I’m incredible. Please stop trying to downplay my ability… it feels like you’re doling out criticism with no constructiveness based on something that’s deeper than just the topic of music.”

The Demand for Proof and Doja’s Refusal to “Dumb Down”

The critic pressed again, asking Doja to name her own go-to bar. Her answer was a blend of creative pride and irritation at being required to provide instant verification:

“If I give you any bars part of me feels like you will immediately shoot it down… I shouldn’t have to sit here on twitter and give you a simplified, snipped, deconstructed, and without insulting you, DUMBED down version of my writing for you to be able to hear what hundreds of thousands and let’s be honest, millions of people are recognizing as adequate rap bars. You aren’t stupid. Listen to my music.”

A Surprising Turn From Criticism to Respect

In a plot twist befitting a reality show reconciliation, the X user disclosed that they had in fact listened to her entire discography, even singing praises about deep cuts like “Jealous Type“ and “Take Me Dancing,” but clarified that when critiquing rap, they measure artists against legends like Rakim, Jay-Z, and Jeezy.

“By that metric, wordplay, punchlines, bars, I just don’t rate you as highly. That’s not hate, it’s just a difference in what I look for in rap.”

This prompted Doja to extend an olive branch:

“Now I understand you and you understand me and now I can respect where you’re coming from… If you haven’t been able to find a bar that you can connect with, that’s more than okay, that’s your right. Thank you.”

The critic continued praising the scenes from VIE, calling them “album of the century“ material.

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President Donald Trump said Monday that he’s deploying the National Guard across Washington and taking over the city’s police department in the hopes of reducing crime, even as the city’s mayor has noted that crime is falling in the nation’s capital.

The Republican president, who said he was formally declaring a public safety emergency, compared crime in the American capital with that in other major cities, saying Washington performs poorly on safety relative to the capitals of Iraq, Brazil and Colombia, among others.

Trump also said at his news briefing that his administration has started removing homeless encampments “from all over our parks, our beautiful, beautiful parks.”

“We’re getting rid of the slums, too,” Trump said, adding that the U.S. would not lose its cities and that Washington was just a start.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi will be taking over responsibility for Washington’s metro police department, he said, while also complaining about potholes and graffiti in the city and calling them “embarrassing.”

For Trump, the effort to take over public safety in Washington reflects a next step in his law enforcement agenda after his aggressive push to stop illegal border crossings. But the move involves at least 500 federal law enforcement officials as well as the National Guard, raising fundamental questions about how an increasingly emboldened federal government will interact with its state and local counterparts.

Combating crime

The president has used his social media and White House megaphones to message that his administration is tough on crime, yet his ability to shape policy might be limited outside of Washington, which has a unique status as a congressionally established federal district. Nor is it clear how his push would address the root causes of homelessness and crime.

Trump said he is invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to deploy members of the National Guard.

About 500 federal law enforcement officers are being tasked with deploying throughout the nation’s capital as part of the Trump administration’s effort to combat crime, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Monday.

More than 100 FBI agents and about 40 agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are among federal law enforcement personnel being assigned to patrols in Washington, the person briefed on the plans said. The Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Marshals Service are also contributing officers.

The person was not authorized to publicly discuss personnel matters and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity. The Justice Department didn’t immediately have a comment Monday morning.

The National Guard

Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, questioned the effectiveness of using the Guard to enforce city laws and said the federal government could be far more helpful by funding more prosecutors or filling the 15 vacancies on the D.C. Superior Court, some of which have been open for years.

Bowser cannot activate the National Guard herself, but she can submit a request to the Pentagon.

“I just think that’s not the most efficient use of our Guard,” she said Sunday on MSNBC’s “The Weekend,” acknowledging it is “the president’s call about how to deploy the Guard.”

Bowser was making her first public comments since Trump started posting about crime in Washington last week. She noted that violent crime in Washington has decreased since a rise in 2023. Trump’s weekend posts depicted the district as “one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the World.”

For Bowser, “Any comparison to a war-torn country is hyperbolic and false.”

Focusing on homelessness

Trump in a Sunday social media post had emphasized the removal of Washington’s homeless population, though it was unclear where the thousands of people would go.

“The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY,” Trump wrote Sunday. “We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital. The Criminals, you don’t have to move out. We’re going to put you in jail where you belong.”

Last week, the Republican president directed federal law enforcement agencies to increase their presence in Washington for seven days, with the option “to extend as needed.”

On Friday night, federal agencies including the Secret Service, the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service assigned more than 120 officers and agents to assist in Washington.

Trump said last week that he was considering ways for the federal government to seize control of Washington, asserting that crime was “ridiculous” and the city was “unsafe,” after the recent assault of a high-profile member of the Department of Government Efficiency.

Crime statistics

Police statistics show homicides, robberies and burglaries are down this year when compared with this time in 2024. Overall, violent crime is down 26% compared with this time a year ago.

Trump offered no details in Truth Social posts over the weekend about possible new actions to address crime levels he argues are dangerous for citizens, tourists and workers alike. The White House declined to offer additional details about Monday’s announcement.

The police department and the mayor’s office did not respond to questions about what Trump might do next.

The president criticized the district as full of “tents, squalor, filth, and Crime,” and he seems to have been set off by the attack on Edward Coristine, among the most visible figures of the bureaucracy-cutting effort known as DOGE. Police arrested two 15-year-olds in the attempted carjacking and said they were looking for others.

“This has to be the best run place in the country, not the worst run place in the country,” Trump said Wednesday.

He called Bowser “a good person who has tried, but she has been given many chances.”

Trump has repeatedly suggested that the rule of Washington could be returned to federal authorities. Doing so would require a repeal of the Home Rule Act of 1973 in Congress, a step Trump said lawyers are examining. It could face steep pushback.

Bowser acknowledged that the law allows the president to take more control over the city’s police, but only if certain conditions are met.

“None of those conditions exist in our city right now,” she said. “We are not experiencing a spike in crime. In fact, we’re watching our crime numbers go down.”

26

This November, luxury event production powerhouse KDE Events will stage its most intimate and emotionally charged production to date: The Sisterhood Wedding, a multi-day, groomless celebration centering on healing, self-devotion, and the unshakable bonds of sisterhood.

The mastermind Kaky Daniel, founder and creative director of KDE Events, the event flips the traditional wedding script entirely. Instead of walking down the aisle toward a partner, Kaky will stand before more than 40 women who have loved, supported, and uplifted her, committing herself to them, and to herself, in a ceremony rich with symbolism, cultural heritage, and unapologetic self-love.

A Wedding Without a Groom and Without Apology

The Sisterhood Wedding will be staged in Cartagena, Colombia, the birthplace of Kaky’s mother. There will be a bridal gown, vows, music, rituals, and a symbolic altar commitment but no groom. Instead, the celebration will honor the community of women who have been Kaky’s anchor through joy and loss.

“This isn’t just a wedding,” Kaky says. “It’s a reclamation. It’s a spiritual homecoming. It’s about honoring the women who’ve held me, uplifted me, and never left.”

Born From Loss, Reimagined Through Joy

The concept of The Sisterhood Wedding was shaped by a deep personal tragedy. In 2022, on the eve of her birthday, Kaky lost her boyfriend Giovanni in a senseless act of violence in Mexico. What could have been a day forever defined by grief became instead the catalyst for transformation.

“Giovanni always told me I’d never forget him,” Kaky reflects. “He made sure of that. His loss pushed me into deep spiritual work and made me redefine what love really means. This wedding is part of that healing.”

In 2023, Kaky chose not to mourn in isolation. She launched KakyFest, a birthday festival dedicated to joy, healing, and intentional living. This year, that celebration evolves into The Sisterhood Wedding, a more focused and ceremonial expression of love, loss, and renewal.

KDE Events Luxury Meets Emotional Depth

Under Kaky’s leadership, KDE Events has become the go-to for transformative luxury experiences, producing high-profile weddings, celebrity galas, brand activations, and corporate retreats for elite clients and Fortune 500 companies. With offices in Los Angeles and Miami, the company is known for blending emotional resonance with sophisticated, world-class design.

Yet, The Sisterhood Wedding marks an unprecedented step for KDE, a project where the founder herself is at the heart of the story. The event will feature ancestral healing rituals, luxury dinners, wellness activities, spiritual ceremonies, and spaces dedicated to Black and Latina women, amplifying narratives of legacy, liberation, and love outside of romantic partnership.

Redefining the Bride Archetype

In a world that often pressures women to define themselves through marriage or motherhood by a certain age, The Sisterhood Wedding dares to reframe the role of the bride entirely.

“We spend so much time waiting for love to look a certain way,” Kaky says. “But I’ve realized that love is already here, in our friendships, in our families, in ourselves. This wedding honors that.”

The celebration is already attracting attention for its cinematic concept and bold message. Kaky is documenting the journey in behind-the-scenes content, giving audiences an intimate look at the planning process and emotional milestones leading up to the event. That footage could be developed into future media projects.

A Defining Moment for KDE And for Women Everywhere

“This isn’t just about me,” Kaky declares. “It’s about every woman who’s done waiting to be celebrated. We’re done waiting.”

With The Sisterhood Wedding, KDE Events is not just producing another luxury affair, it is staging a cultural statement, one that challenges societal expectations, honors the bonds of womanhood, and redefines the meaning of “happily ever after.”

November in Cartagena will not be about a union between two people, it will be about a woman’s sacred union with herself, her sisters, and the legacy of love they all carry.

Related

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser defended the city’s handling of crime amid an escalation of threats from President Donald Trump to federalize the nation’s capital.

“We have spent over the last two years driving down violent crime in this city–driving it down to a 30-year low, in fact, over the past year,” Bowser told MSNBC on Saturday. “We have decreased violent crime by 26% [and] the year before that, by 35%.”

Trump railed against D.C.’s crime after a top employee of the White House’s DOGE agency was assaulted last week during an attempted carjacking. As a result, he called for more federal police presence on the streets of the District of Columbia and said that minors as young as 14 years old should be charged as adults.

Over the weekend, the Trump administration deployed up to 120 federal agents, mostly from the FBI, to assist the Metropolitan Police in preventing crimes in D.C., which have largely been carjackings.

On Sunday, the president announced he would hold a press conference at the White House to address D.C.’s crime and the city’s “Beautification.” The announcement fuels speculation that he will deploy the National Guard, which he has the legal authority to do since D.C. is not a state and is locally governed.

However, Bowser pushed back against Trump’s characterizations of D.C., which is a majority Black and Brown city.

“We are not experiencing a crime spike,” said the D.C. mayor, who credited years-long coordination between D.C. city officials and federal agencies in keeping the nation’s capital safe.

During her MSNBC interview, Bowser sought to humanize the city, which has long been a target of Republicans who have threatened to take federal control of D.C. and cast it as poorly run and dangerous to live in. The mayor said D.C. was among “the most beautiful and best cities in the world.”

“It’s well run. We have excellent schools. The number one park system. We have experienced rises in tourism compared to before the pandemic. So people are coming to our capital. They’re starting businesses in our capital, and they’re raising families in our capital,” said Bowser.

“Any comparison to a war-torn country is hyperbolic and false,” she added, referencing White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller’s remark that D.C. is “worse than Baghdad.”

Residents and advocates have long resisted those characterizations and threats as untrue, racialized, and undemocratic, given that D.C. is self-governed under the Home Rule Act.

In a Sunday Truth Social post, Trump suggested he was close to using his federal powers to take control of the nation’s capital. To what degree is unknown.

“The Mayor of D.C., Muriel Bowser, is a good person who has tried, but she has been given many chances, and the Crime Numbers get worse, and the City only gets dirtier and less attractive,” wrote Trump, who also called out the city’s homelessness and demanded that unhoused individuals “move out, IMMEDIATELY.”

Bowser said that if Trump wants to make the city safer, he could take action on the federal level, like ensuring that more prosecutors are hired and more federal judges are confirmed by Congress.

“We have 15 vacancies in the Superior Court, which we need to go down to the Congress for approval. We have two vacancies in the Court of Appeals,” the mayor explained. “Anytime you have a backlog in the courts, you have delayed justice and people are less safe.”

Bowser also touted actions taken by her office and the D.C. City Council, such as changing local criminal laws. She noted the city’s interventions, such as allowing the city to hold violent offenders using guns pre-trial. “We’ve seen shootings and homicides precipitously drop,” she shared.

In his Sunday post, Trump vowed to do in D.C. what he was able to do at the U.S. border since reentering office six months ago.

“Just like I took care of the Border, where you had ZERO Illegals coming across last month, from millions the year before, I will take care of our cherished Capital, and we will make it, truly, GREAT AGAIN!” he wrote.

9

There was something more than the Southern summer breeze blowing in the air above Charleston on Sunday night. There was Hollywood glitz. The South Carolina town hosted the premiere of The Map That Leads to You, the epic romance drama adaptation of the best-seller by J.P. Monninger, and it drew an A-list gathering of stars, reality TV stars, and socialites out for its big opening.

The Stars Step Out

The stars stepped out on the red carpet, including Madelyn Cline and KJ Apa, whose chemistry in front of the camera is going to underpin the emotional centre of the film. Cline, a Charleston native who has become a Netflix and film star, was stunning in a streamlined evening ensemble, while Apa rocked a crisp look, effortlessly pulling off a relaxed yet refined look that hinted at the magnetic appeal of his character, Jack.

They were joined by co-stars Sofia Wylie and Madison Thompson, both of whom added youthful energy to the event. The cast mingled easily with fans and photographers, radiating the camaraderie of a team that feels great about what they do.

The event was hosted by Leva Bonaparte, a well-known to fans of Bravo’s Southern Charm, whose presence added Charleston society elegance to the evening.

Notable Names in Attendance

Aside from the actors in the movie, the guest list was a who’s who of Charleston nightlife and pop culture. Some of them included Michols Pena, Lake Rucker, Madison Reese, Joe Bradley, Bradley Carter, Mia Alario, TJ Dinch, Salley Carson, Molly Moore, Justin Assada, Grace Lilly, Venita Aspen, Rodrigo Reyes, and Molly O’Connell. Most of them brought a reality TV glow, with connections including Bravo, The Bachelor, and Southern Hospitality.

A Story of Love, Fate, and Self-Discovery

The Map That Leads to You follows Heather (Madelyn Cline), a young adult who goes on a whirlwind adventure across Europe with her best friends before settling into what she believes will be her “perfectly planned” life. Plans are firmly derailed, however, when she meets Jack (Apa), a mysterious and charming vagabond. Their first spark of chemistry blossoms into a romance played out against the breathtaking vistas of European landscapes, but also forces both characters to confront secrets, make hard choices, and face unwanted realities.

From Academy Award–nominated director Lasse Hallström (Dear John, Safe Haven), the film weaves panoramic landscapes of romantic beauty with depth of emotion in an attempt to capture the bittersweet beauty of forging one’s own destiny in life.

Behind the Scenes Power

The pedigree of the film is loaded with industry moguls. The script is penned by Vera Herbert and Les Bohem, based on Bohem’s tale and Monninger’s popular novel. Behind the camera are Martin Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, John Fischer, and Isaac Klausner, while executive producers are Hal Sadoff and Matt Luber.

The cast is not limited to Cline and Apa, as Josh Lucas, Madison Thompson, Sofia Wylie, and Orlando Norman join the roster.

When and Where to Watch

96 minutes and PG-13 for thematic elements and romantic content, The Map That Leads to You promises an inclusive but emotionally resonant viewing experience. Audiences everywhere can stream the film exclusively on Prime Video starting August 20.

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Through the character of Peggy Scott (played by Denée Benton), “The Gilded Age” explores Black life in Brooklyn, New York in the later decades of the 1800s, both in parallel and intertwined with their white counterparts that inhabit Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue. While season two gave us a glimpse into the differences between Black life in the North versus life in the South, this season takes more time to show the internal conflicts of the elite Black communities in the North, using Newport, Rhode Island, as its backdrop.

Newport was featured in the show as a summer destination for the white Manhattan elite in previous seasons, but Peggy’s budding romance with Dr. William Kirkland (played by Jordan Donica), who comes from a wealthy, established family from the seaside city, introduces the audience to its Black society in season three. And though Peggy comes from a privileged family herself, she is met with classism and colorism from his family, specifically its matriarch, Elizabeth (played by Phylicia Rashad).

Elizabeth boasts that she comes from five generations of Rhode Islanders, including a free Black great-grandfather who fought in the Revolutionary War. The show’s writers said they included this detail to show that the Kirkland family did not have a history of enslavement, unlike the Scotts.

Newport’s free Black community was well organized long before the Gilded Age. In 1780, the city’s Black male residents created a Black mutual aid society called the Free African Union Society, which is considered the first of its kind. Its female counterpart was created later in 1809 and named the African Female Benevolent Society, which primarily worked to educate free Black people and their children. The Society established one of the first free Black schools in the nation. By the Gilded Age, Rhode Island’s schools were already desegregated. One of the real-life prominent Black Newport families that inspired the Kirklands was the Van Hornes, whose patriarch, Mahlon Van Horne, became the pastor for the Society’s Union Colored Congregational Church and Rhode Island’s first Black legislator. His son, Alonzo Van Horne, was Rhode Island’s first Black dentist.

Peggy’s character has previously been used to highlight the racism of the North, which was different from that of the South, but still very much present. Though she attains opportunities and access by befriending and working for the Van Rhijn family, Peggy’s interactions with New York white society range from discriminatory to deadly. In episode two of this season, she becomes sick at the Van Rhijn house and is bedridden, but their doctor refuses to treat her because she is a Black woman. This is how she eventually meets William, because her parents have to send a Black doctor to Manhattan to treat her.

What season three of “The Gilded Age” shows is that Peggy not only navigates her life as a Black woman, but as a dark-skinned Black woman who experiences colorism. Her love interest, William, is light-skinned, as is his entire family. Though the two lovers don’t seem to give this any importance, their families immediately clock this as an issue. Peggy’s father, Arthur (played by John Douglas Thompson), expresses his concern to Peggy’s mother, Dorothy (played by Audra McDonald), that if Peggy has lighter children, she’ll be looked at as their nurse instead of their mother. Or that if she has darker children, William’s family will resent them. He makes these comments after meeting William’s family, particularly the icy Elizabeth, and watching her make comments about how her grandchildren need to stay out of the sun to avoid getting darker.

During the initial meeting of the two families, Elizabeth reacts disapprovingly at Peggy’s family’s newer money, particularly Arthur’s, which comes from owning a pharmacy. But one of the most glaring slights by Elizabeth toward Peggy and her family happens when their conversation reveals that Arthur was born enslaved. This may confuse viewers, because given the period, many Black Northerners at the time would have come from the South and been born in slavery. But “The Gilded Age” shows that in elite Black circles, this could be seen as taboo. Dr. Kirkland’s mother uses this as one of many reasons why Peggy is not good enough for her son.

As the finale approaches, Elizabeth, who has failed to dissuade her son William from courting Peggy, might now have the ammunition she needs to break up their relationship. In the previous episode, a friend in Newport who comes over to gossip reveals to her that Peggy had a child out of wedlock from a previous relationship, and that another family adopted the child. Upon hearing this news, Elizabeth gleefully travels from Newport to New York to tell her son about the scandal. The finale preview shows that William will confront Peggy about her secret.

Fans of “The Gilded Age” will understand that the story is more complicated, and though Peggy did have a child when she was not married, she believed the child died during birth, and found out much later that her father had secretly given the boy away to a family in Philadelphia. When she went to find him, she was too late because he had died from scarlet fever.

We’ll find out if Peggy can (or is willing to) overcome her potential mother-in-law’s elitism to be with Dr. William. In the preview, her mother consoles her while she’s crying and tells her, “You are worthy.” Maybe that message, rather than whether she can secure a life partner, is the point of Peggy’s arc this season.