• Sean "Diddy" Combs used to be one of the richest people in the music industry.
• His record label, Bad Boy Records, is just one source of his former empire.
• Musicians like Faith Evans, Janelle Monáe, and Machine Gun Kelly were once signed to the label.

Before Sean Combs, also known as Diddy, was sued by more than a dozen people, alleging sexual misconduct among other things, he was a powerful music tastemaker, creating his own record label.

Diddy founded Bad Boy Records in 1993 and went on to sign major musicians such as The Notorious BIG, Mase, and Faith Evans. It's impossible to think of '90s and '00s rap without also thinking of Bad Boy, which released 13 No. 1 albums from 1997 to 2022.

Over the years, Bad Boy and its founder gained a reputation for being difficult to work with, highlighted by multiple public instances of friction between artists and the label.

In a statement provided to Business Insider, a representative for Combs said, "It's easy to reduce a 30-year legacy to a few negative statements, but that doesn't capture the full story."

"Sean Combs and Bad Boy Records were more than just a label — they were a cultural movement that shaped music, launched careers, and produced iconic hits," they said. "Focusing only on grievances distorts the narrative. The label's contributions remain an essential part of music history."

Before Diddy was arrested in September 2024, he had begun the process of reverting the publishing rights of many of Bad Boy's most famous songs to their original artists, provided they signed agreements, as reported by Billboard.

On Wednesday, a Manhattan jury found Diddy not guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering, but convicted him of two lesser charges: two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.

"It's a great victory for Sean Combs. It's a great victory for the jury system," Diddy's lawyer Mark Agnifilo said, NBC reported.

Diddy, who remains in custody, is facing up to 20 years in prison, but experts say it's unlikely he'll serve for that long. His sentencing is scheduled for October. At this point, it's unclear what will happen to Diddy and his career.

Bad Boy is still in existence today and remains one source of Diddy's wealth. Here are 15 of the biggest acts that have released albums through Bad Boy since its inception.

The Notorious BIG

Biggie was one of the first artists signed to Bad Boy, and his two studio albums ("Ready to Die" in 1994 and "Life After Death," which was released 16 days after his death in 1997) were released through Bad Boy.

Publicly, the two appeared to be close friends, and Diddy released "I'll Be Missing You" with Biggie's wife, Faith Evans, in 1997.

However, their relationship had become strained. Rolling Stone reported the "Juicy" rapper was preparing to leave Bad Boy. He "was absolutely about to leave Puff" before he was shot, fellow rapper Babs Bunny told the publication.

In the decades since his death, Biggie's mother Violetta Wallace (before her death in February 2025), negotiated with Diddy to gain control of her son's music, per Variety. In February 2025, his estate partnered with Primary Wave Music to handle his music in the future.

Primary Wave did not respond to a request for comment.

Faith Evans

Evans, who was married to The Notorious BIG from 1994 until he died in 1997, was also signed to Bad Boy Records.

Her first three albums, 1995's "Faith," 1998's "Keep the Faith," and 2001's "Faithfully," were put out through Bad Boy. She then moved to Capitol Records.

"In my heart, I really wanted to try and leave Bad Boy after Big died. I mean, after I came back to any type of reality, any clear thinking. I just was so distraught," Evans told XXL in 2014.

Evans said she left Bad Boy because she felt Diddy and the label were paying more attention to other artists, but she emphasized that there was no bad blood.

Evans did not respond to a request for comment.

Mase

Mase released his first two albums, "Harlem World" and "Double Up" through Bad Boy, and was also known as Diddy's hype man through the '90s.

Their partnership collapsed after he released his third album, "Welcome Back," in 2004, also with Bad Boy.

Mase said he felt like his contract was too constricting, leading him to crash a Diddy interview on V103 in Atlanta and demand that Diddy sign paperwork allowing him to feature on other artists' songs.

Things simmered down until 2022, when Mase once again criticized Diddy's business practices in a now-deleted Instagram post.

"Your past business practices knowingly has continued purposely starved your artist and been extremely unfair to the very same artist that helped u obtain that Icon Award on the iconic Badboy label," he wrote.

Mase added that he had offered Diddy $2 million to buy his songs back and was refused. "This is not black excellence at all," he wrote.

Diddy responded during an interview on the syndicated iHeartRadio show "The Breakfast Club" and said that Mase actually owed him $3 million after failing to deliver an album.

In 2023, on another "Breakfast Club" appearance, Diddy said they were "brothers" and that he had "unconditional love" for Mase.

Mase's rights were returned to him when Diddy allowed songs from Bad Boy to revert back to artists that year.

In 2024, Mase called Diddy's arrest "the big payback" and added that "reparations is getting closer and closer" on an episode of the podcast he cohosts with Cam'ron, "It Is What It Is."

During the trial, Mase wondered aloud if he should attend Diddy's trial on his podcast, but it doesn't appear that he ever went.

Mase did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

112

The R&B group 112's first four albums were released through Bad Boy from 1996 to 2003. Most famously, they were featured alongside Diddy and Faith Evans on the song "I'll Be Missing You."

As MTV reported, 112 said that they left Bad Boy for Def Jam because of a "lack of money and attention." They added that they also left because their contract was "doo-doo."

"We still work with [Diddy] as far as getting ideas. We got three joints from his camp. It's no bad blood, it's no love lost," said member Mike in 2003.

"It's unfortunate what happened with Diddy," 112 member Slim said while appearing on "Ryan Cameron Uncensored" after the verdict was announced on Wednesday. "That's somebody people looked up to, and there was no win for any of the victims or anybody involved in the situation. It's more like you learn something from this."

112 did not respond to a request for comment.

Cassie

Cassie started publicly dating Diddy shortly after her debut album, "Cassie," was released in 2006 through Bad Boy. They dated until 2018.

In November 2023, Cassie sued Diddy and accused him of rape, abuse, and blowing up Kid Cudi's car after Diddy found out the rapper was interested in Cassie. The suit was settled the same month for an undisclosed amount, The New York Times reported.

In May 2024, CNN published a 2016 video that appeared to show Diddy dragging and kicking Cassie through the halls of a California hotel. Diddy apologized in a since-deleted Instagram post and said he was "disgusted" by his behavior in the video.

In an Instagram post, Cassie thanked fans for their support after the video was made public. "The outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now, but this is only the beginning," she wrote. "Domestic Violence is THE issue."

Cassie was one of the witnesses called during Diddy's trial, taking the stand for four days. "I hope that people still see what Cassie did and think that she really made a difference," her lawyer, Douglas H. Wigdor, told ABC News after the verdict announcement.

"She was pleased that he's been found guilty and held responsible to federal crimes, something that he's never been held responsible [for] in his entire life," Wigdor said outside the courthouse.

Cassie Ventura had no comment on the lawsuit when reached by Business Insider.

Shyne

In December 1999, Diddy, his then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez, and his protégé, Shyne, were arrested after a nightclub shooting, but Shyne was the only one who went to prison.

He was later convicted of assault and sentenced to 10 years in prison, reports The New York Times.

Bad Boy released his self-titled debut album in September 2000, while he was in prison.

In 2012, Shyne, who served almost nine years, told MTV that he and Diddy made amends.

"As far as Puff is concerned, that's been a long time coming," he said. "He had reached out to me twice while I was in the pen, but I just wasn't ready for it."

In 2024, he spoke about Diddy's legal troubles. He told journalists soon after Diddy's arrest, "Let us not forget what the cold facts are. This is someone who destroyed my life."

A Hulu documentary following Shyne, "The Honorable Shyne," is set to be released on November 18. In the trailer, he said he believed he was set up to be the fall guy for the shooting.

In December, he told People, "We live in a world, in democracies at least, where the rule of law is tantamount. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. I pray for justice, I pray for the victims. I pray for Diddy."

Shyne did not respond to a request for comment.

The Lox

The Lox released their first album, 1998's "Money, Power & Respect," via Bad Boy before the trio — Sheek Louch, Styles P, and Jadakiss — left for Ruff Ryders and Interscope.

That wasn't without its drama. The Lox said they had to plead with Diddy to get off Bad Boy and started a grassroots campaign to "Free The Lox," as they felt they weren't receiving a fair publishing deal.

This culminated in a 2005 appearance on Hot 97 in which Styles P threw a chair at Diddy, per Billboard.

"We made one record with you, 'Money Power & Respect.' It's 10 years later, and you still got half of our publishing. And you can't make it justifiable that you deserve half of our publishing," Styles P is heard saying in the recording.

According to AllHipHop, a deal was struck soon after the altercation.

In 2023, Jadakiss appeared on an episode of the podcast "I Am Athlete," saying how he appreciated how Diddy handled the situation: "He could've played much harder ball than he played."

The Lox did not respond to a request for comment.

Janelle Monáe

Monáe is one of the remaining artists signed to Bad Boy who isn't Diddy or his family members.

All four of Monáe's albums have been released through Bad Boy, including the 2019 album of the year nominee "Dirty Computer" and her most recent album, 2023's "The Age of Pleasure" (though both were also co-released by Atlantic Records).

"I got to say, I was scared to be partnering with a major label after a few years of being independent. I met Puff at a time I had decided to live frugally," Monáe told Billboard in 2018.

"But when I spoke to him, his words were, 'I love what you and Wondaland are doing," she continued, referencing the indie record label she had founded. "I don't want to be creatively involved. I just want people to know who you are and what you guys are doing.'"

"It was so humbling and beautiful. We're still close," she added.

Monáe did not respond to a request for comment.

Dream

Dream, a girl group, was formed in 1998 and then signed to Bad Boy as its first white act.

Their first album, "It Was All a Dream," was released in 2001 and debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200. Their second album, 2003's "Reality," failed to chart at all, and they were dropped from Bad Boy and broke up.

"There were some shady people who maybe didn't have the best intentions for children. And there were some people who maybe were just doing business," Ashley Poole, a former member, told Complex in 2016.

"There was a big disconnect from Puff and us because we were from such different worlds," continued Poole. "Puff was straight business. He didn't care if feelings were hurt. He said what he needed to say. He would tell us we needed to lose weight."

One of Dream's former members, Alex Chester-Iwata, told Business Insider that working with Bad Boy was "a nightmare," saying they "pitted each of us against each other."

Another group member, Holly Restani, told Business Insider what she thought of the verdict.

"Sean Combs, the same as all individuals, should be held accountable for his wrongdoings, namely his abuses of power, coercion, manipulation, violence, and harm of others in positions beneath him," she said.

"Many of these are well documented and known to many to have occurred. He was acquitted of the charges the prosecution brought in his trial. He is not free of accountability, nor is he innocent," she continued.

The other members of Dream did not respond to a request for comment.

Yung Joc

Yung Joc was one of the biggest musicians signed to Bad Boy South, another offshoot of Bad Boy, this time focusing on rappers out of cities like Atlanta.

Both of the rapper's albums (2006's "New Joc City" and 2007's "Hustlenomics") were released by Bad Boy South.

Two years later, it went south: In 2009, Yung Joc told Billboard he was planning to sue Bad Boy and Block Entertainment, his original record label that partnered with Bad Boy, for "failure to pay royalties and advances for his first two albums and charging 'outrageous clearance fees' for his collaborations with other artists."

"Diddy said he's got to stay out of it because it's between me and Block Entertainment," he said, adding, "I feel like [Bad Boy] isn't doing anything to try to intervene and help the situation."

It's unclear if he ever filed the suit.

He hasn't released an album since, though he has put out singles and EPs independently.

In 2014, Yung Joc told The Grio, "Diddy and I are great. We made a lot of money together. Every time we've crossed paths since, it was love."

Yung Joc did not respond to a request for comment.

French Montana

All four of French Montana's albums have been Bad Boy releases, most recently 2021's "They Got Amnesia."

"The deal [with Diddy] just felt right and it felt like it was the right thing to do. I felt like I can make a change with this for the music culture that I came from," Montana told Billboard in 2011.

In April 2024, during an episode of "Vlad TV," he confirmed he had left Bad Boy.

"I fulfilled everything. I make sure everybody got their money. I made sure, you know, Rozay got his money," he said, referring to rapper Rick Ross, who also owns a record label. "I made sure Puff got his money, made sure Epic got their money."

French added that he left Bad Boy on good terms with Diddy.

Montana did not respond to a request for comment.

New Edition

After an eight-year hiatus, New Edition teamed up with Bad Boy for their first album, "One Love." It was released in 2004 and is their last album to date.

The band's members said there were lots of disagreements about the future of the band with Diddy and his label. In a 2005 radio interview, they opened up about the problems.

"Diddy, when we didn't agree with him on certain songs, we would get sent home for like six, seven months. You know, it would just be nothing being done," said member Ricky Bell.

The final straw, they said, came when a song that none of the members liked appeared on the album instead of a song they worked on together with their longtime producers, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.

"On top of that, Puffy paid himself $50,000, on top of that put a song on it that we didn't like, and we just felt like that was just a slap in the face. No respect," Bell added.

New Edition did not respond to a request for comment.

Pitbull

Pitbull released two albums via Bad Boy: 2006's "El Mariel" and 2007's "The Boatlift."

Pitbull was one of the first acts signed to Bad Boy Latino, an offshoot founded by Diddy and Emilio Estefan in 2005, per Billboard. He was also a partner in the venture and had an A&R role.

It didn't last long. Before "The Boatlift" was announced, Pitbull said he was leaving the label. Pitbull was dissatisfied with his role, a 2006 New York Post report said.

"I told him, 'Yo, I want a piece. If I'm gonna get in the bed with you, I want a piece,'" he said. "I got a whole lot to bring to the table, which [he] is gonna definitely capitalize off of."

Pitbull did not respond to a request for comment.

Machine Gun Kelly

From 2012 to 2022, Machine Gun Kelly's six albums and three EPs were released through Bad Boy. His most recent EP, "Genre: Sadboy," was released in March through Interscope.

The "Wild Boy" rapper was first signed in 2011, as Diddy noted in a now-deleted Instagram post in August 2019.

"When I first signed @machinegunkelly I knew he was going to be a star. I didn't know how exactly we'd get there but I knew it would happen," he wrote. "'I'm so proud of the artist he is becoming, he's shown all the traits of an artist that will stand the test of time."

Kelly did not respond to a request for comment.

B5

Both of B5's albums — 2005's "B5" and 2007's "Don't Talk Just Listen" — were released by Bad Boy. They were a departure from Bad Boy's roster, as the group was primarily a boy band that also appeared on Radio Disney.

During an interview with The Shade Room in 2023, the brothers said they didn't regret leaving Bad Boy. "We just couldn't see eye to eye so we decided to split," said Patrick Breeding.

They added that after Diddy announced his intentions to revert publishing to the original musicians, they hadn't heard anything from him.

"We didn't hear anything. We didn't get no calls or nothing like that from them," said Carnell Breeding.

Dustin Breeding added, "Puff, Diddy, yeah, we all want our publishing too. We were so young at the time, we didn't understand the business of it. But looking back now, damn, why our names wasn't on the credit?"

B5 did not respond to a request for comment.

• Patrick Lyons was laid off from Microsoft twice and worked there for a total of five years.
• Despite layoffs, Lyons maintained financial stability through side businesses and severance.
• Lyons advises pursuing monetizable passions to mitigate the impact of potential layoffs.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Patrick Lyons, a 29-year-old ex-Microsoft employee, based in Austin. It's been edited for length and clarity.

After five years at Microsoft, the last three of which I was a product manager for Microsoft Teams, I felt fulfilled and completely secure in my job.

I learned new things every day, pushed boundaries, and collaborated with brilliant minds. I saw how people needed me and called upon me at work for my expertise, and it brought me a real sense of purpose.

I had also been running three side businesses outside of work for several years, namely an online fitness coaching company. This allowed me to pursue my fitness passion while having bidirectional income streams. I had no plans for anything to change.

Then, in October 2024, I woke up to an early call from my VP letting me know that my role had been permanently eliminated due to business restructuring. I was shocked, but my next thought was, "How can I get rehired?"

During my unemployment, I enjoyed my hobbies

The next day, I started looking at Microsoft's internal job portal, which I'd only have access to for two more weeks. I didn't have any success in that period, so I started applying to jobs at other companies while keeping an eye on Microsoft openings.

Despite the stress about my sudden layoff, I was financially stable because of my businesses and a generous severance.

I spent the next few months applying to jobs and pouring my time into hobbies like improv comedy, fitness, and movies. It was one of the best times of my life. I started having such a good time away from work that a big part of me started questioning if I shouldn't go back to corporate at all and just fully commit to my fitness businesses.

I kept finding myself coming back to how much I missed Microsoft

I missed the ritual of logging into Microsoft Teams, doing my job, and collaborating with the same great people. I loved feeling as though I was really contributing to something larger than myself.

Microsoft's work culture is unbeatable. The idea of a growth mindset was tangible in our daily work, and our expectation was not to be a "know-it-all" but a "learn-it-all." I was surrounded by brilliant minds who wanted to help me become just as brilliant, not put me down for making mistakes or questioning the status quo.

A few months into unemployment, a former mentor of mine at Microsoft forwarded my résumé to a hiring manager, and I got rehired at Microsoft as a program manager for Azure, a cloud computing platform.

I got rehired and laid off in two months

When I returned to Microsoft, I treated my job the same as before, but I doubled down on my communication to make sure I was always on the same page with my team and superiors. It might sound counterintuitive, but I felt even more job security this second time around, because Microsoft had invested a massive amount of money into Azure.

Two months later, I woke up to a nearly identical message inviting me to a meeting where I would be laid off again. It was so jarring. I've already started applying to jobs again, but to be honest, I would still go back to Microsoft if I had the chance.

Even though Microsoft can be political at times, as there is a clear hierarchical structure in which you often have to cater to leaders' preferences, I feel as though I've learned how to navigate it. I can't always just "do" things; I need to consistently present and seek out buy-ins from various leaders.

My advice for people going through layoffs

I've stayed so level-headed while navigating two layoffs because I have diverse income streams.

My businesses allow me to completely support myself and remain in a comfortable financial position. However, I'm still choosing to seek out full-time employment because of health insurance and my desire for multiple streams of income.

I don't think it's possible to be lay-off proof, but you can limit the ability of a layoff to cause harm to your life. If you have something outside of work that you're passionate about that you can realistically monetize, do it.

If you have a unique layoff experience you'd like to share, please email the editor, Manseen Logan, at [email protected].

• President Donald Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" passed the House and is now headed to his desk.
• The tax and spending bill passed in a 218-214 vote on Thursday.
• Trump had urged GOP lawmakers to get the bill passed by July 4.

President Donald Trump's Big Beautiful Bill is one step closer to becoming law — and reshaping policy from Medicaid to taxes.

The House passed the massive spending bill on Thursday afternoon in a 218-214 vote.

Every Democrat voted against the bill, along with two Republicans: Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania.

The final passage came after House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke for roughly eight hours and 45 minutes in opposition to the bill, breaking the record for the longest House floor speech in American history.

The bill now heads to Trump's desk for signing, which could happen as soon as Friday, July 4.

The bill underwent a number of changes since the House passed an initial version in May. That included the eventual removal of a provision aimed at preventing states from regulating AI for 10 years. The bill passed the upper chamber on Tuesday, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote after three GOP senators opposed it.

The bill will have a sweeping impact on Americans' wallets and the country's fiscal health. In addition to extending the 2017 tax cuts, making cuts to Medicaid, and repealing student loan forgiveness, the bill is also expected to add trillions to the deficit over the next ten years.

In May, Moody's Analytics downgraded the US's credit rating, citing rising federal debt. This could lead to higher interest rates on mortgages, auto loans, and more down the road.

Republicans passed the bill despite vehement opposition from Elon Musk, the former face of DOGE.

Musk had criticized the bill's impact on the deficit and its phase-out of green energy tax credits, some of which benefit Tesla. That led to his epic feud with Trump, which remains ongoing to this day.

On Monday, Musk vowed to support primary challengers against any Republicans who supported the bill and said that if it passed, he would form a new political party, called the America Party.

Republicans have largely brushed all of that off.

"Similar threats have been made before, and I'm unsure if anything's come of those threats," Rep. Brian Jack of Georgia told BI on Wednesday.

• The "Big Beautiful Bill" is headed to President Donald Trump's desk.
• It includes a repeal of student loan forgiveness and an increased child tax credit.
• It also includes new "Trump accounts" and changes to Medicaid and SNAP.

From taxes to student loan forgiveness, provisions in President Donald Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" will soon be impacting Americans' wallets.

On Thursday, the House passed the final version of the bill, which would extend the president's 2017 tax cuts and make key changes to the tax system, along with implementing significant changes to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Beyond the effects on Americans' wallets, the legislation provides roughly $150 billion to ramp up immigration enforcement.

The bill first passed the House in May before undergoing changes in the Senate, where it narrowly passed on Tuesday. Trump could sign the bill into law as soon as Friday, July 4.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the bill would add at least $3.3 trillion to the US deficit. In May, Moody's Analytics downgraded the US's credit rating last week, citing rising federal debt. It said an extension of Trump's 2017 taxes could add $4 trillion to the deficit over the next decade. This could lead to higher interest rates on mortgages, auto loans, and more down the road.

Here are four other key ways the tax bill could affect Americans' finances.

A slew of tax policies

Many of Trump's campaign promises are included in the tax bill.

The legislation would eliminate taxes on tips and overtime wages. About two-thirds of tipped workers earn enough to owe federal income tax. After a final bill is signed, the Trump administration will release a list of qualifying occupations.

The Senate bill includes a $6,000 tax deduction for older people making less than $75,000 a year ($150,000 for couples). Seniors making above that threshold would see a decreasing deduction until hitting a cap of $175,000 ($250,000 for couples.) Lower-income seniors likely won't benefit from the deduction. The provision is how lawmakers are trying to fulfill Trump's promise to end taxes on Social Security payments. The deduction would run through 2028.

Another provision would permanently raise the child tax credit to $2,200. Additionally, it would eliminate electric vehicle tax credits after September. It also proposes ending tax credits for homeowners to install solar panels or energy-efficient heat pumps and incentives for new energy-efficient homes and home weatherization projects by the end of this year.

The bill would also make Trump's 2017 tax cuts permanent and increase the state and local tax deduction, known as SALT, from $10,000 to $40,000 in 2025, $40,400 in 2026, and increase an additional 1% every year through 2029 before reverting to $10,000 in 2030. Lifting the SALT cap allows wealthy taxpayers in states and cities with high taxes to claim a bigger federal deduction, and the cap is something some Republican lawmakers have sought to raise or eliminate.

Student loan forgiveness repealed

Under the Senate bill, millions of student loan borrowers would see their repayment options change. The legislation proposes eliminating existing income-driven repayment plans and replacing them with two options: the Repayment Assistance Plan and a standard repayment plan.

The Repayment Assistance Plan would allow for loan forgiveness after 360 qualifying payments based on the borrowers' income, while the standard repayment plan would require a fixed monthly payment over a period set by the servicer.

The bill also would repeal former President Joe Biden's SAVE plan, an income-driven repayment plan that promised cheaper monthly payments and a shorter timeline for debt relief. The plan is blocked in court pending a final legal decision.

'Trump accounts'

If the bill passes, parents could get extra money for their kids down the line. The tax bill includes a "Trump account," previously called a "money account for growth and advancement," or MAGA account. The government would put $1,000 into accounts for babies born after December 31, 2024, and before January 1, 2029. The baby would be required to have been born in the US and have a Social Security number to receive the cash. The money would need to be invested in a qualified index fund and can't be touched until the child turns 18. Parents and others could contribute up to $5,000 a year to each account.

The accounts would have tax incentives; earnings would be tax-deferred, meaning taxes on the accounts would not need to be paid right away. Withdrawals from the accounts would also be taxed at the long-term capital-gains rate, which is dependent on income and typically lower than the regular income tax rate.

Work requirements for Medicaid and SNAP

Lower-income Americans could face bigger healthcare costs or lose federal assistance benefits. The tax bill would mean significant changes for the millions who rely on Medicaid and SNAP. The legislation would mandate that states implement an 80-hour-a-month work requirement by the end of 2026 for childless adults on Medicaid without a disability.

The Congressional Budget Office previously estimated that work requirements on Medicaid could strip coverage from over 8 million Americans over the next decade.

Additionally, the bill would extend the age range of adults subject to work requirements to receive SNAP to include adults ages 55 to 64. Currently, adults ages 18 to 54 without children can receive SNAP benefits only if they work at least 20 hours a week.

• Education and healthcare roles drove unexpected job growth in June.
• But employment in state and local government education and healthcare masked weakness in other sectors.
• White-collar job seekers face challenges as professional services shed roles from May to June.

Sharpen your pencils and shine your stethoscopes: If you're looking for the drivers of the resilient labor market, they might be behind a desk at your local school or staffing your local hospital.

They were largely responsible for a June jobs report that came in hotter than expected, with the country adding 147,000 jobs — far outpacing the consensus forecast of 111,000 — and unemployment unexpectedly ticking down.

Payroll additions in state and local government education, as well as private healthcare and social services, masked weakness elsewhere. Those sectors alone added about 122,000 jobs in June. White-collar job seekers are facing a struggle, as roles feel increasingly scarce and hundreds of applications lead to dead ends.

"If you're not a teacher, if you're not a nurse, and you're not a doctor, you're not seeing those opportunities," Cory Stahle, an economist at the Indeed Hiring Lab, said. An industry breakdown of payrolls shows that professional and business services, a white-collar sector, shed roles from May to June.

The gains in education and healthcare might be in part because schools were more hesitant to let folks go this summer, perhaps due to ongoing teacher labor shortages.

"Probably what's going on here is that there were smaller-than-expected summer layoffs in the education sector, which could be about teachers or it could also be about support staff, like school bus drivers or custodial staff," Daniel Zhao, lead economist at Glassdoor, said.

If that is the case, Zhao said, "we might get an equivalently sized drop in the fall when schools reopen due to a smaller-than-expected hiring." He added that the new data is likely a seasonal quirk, rather than a sustainable increase in roles.

The private sector, which encompasses roles outside government employment, added 74,000 jobs in June, missing the expected 105,000. Within that, employment in the healthcare and social assistance sector increased by 58,600.

Stahle said that with healthcare, social assistance, and state and local government making up much of the job growth in June, "that's not necessarily reflective of a robust labor market that's benefiting everybody."

For workers who already have the qualifications for teaching and healthcare, which often require degrees or specialized training, June's numbers may be a good sign. But for everyone else, the job market is still looking murky.

"If you're already in the labor market, you're in pretty good shape," Stahle said. "But if you're out of it and you're looking for work, things are going to feel a lot different right now."

Are you a white-collar professional looking for work, or are you trying to get into education or healthcare? Contact these reporters to share your story at [email protected] and [email protected].

The House passed President Trump's "big, beautiful bill" Thursday, clearing the way for Trump to sign it by his July 4 deadline.

Why it matters: It's a massive victory for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who was able to flip dozens of members who had initially threatened to vote "no" — as well as for Trump and Senate Republicans.

• The bill passed 218-214. Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) were the only Republicans to join all Democrats in voting against the measure.
• Moderates and conservatives demanded adjustments after the Senate made significant changes to the House version — but ultimately none were made.

The big picture: Several key holdouts flipped following meetings with the president at the White House, but a group of hardliners needed more persuading.

• Johnson and other leaders shuffled in and out of a room tucked off the House floor where House Freedom Caucus members camped out during negotiations.
• Trump "was directly engaged" throughout the evening in the ongoing effort to sway lawmakers, who "wanted to hear certain assurances from him about what's ahead, what the future will entail, and what we're going to do next," Johnson told reporters.
• The House narrowly approved its own version of the bill in May with the commitment from leadership that members would see improvements.

Zoom in: House GOP leadership had to hold open what was meant to be a five-minute procedural vote for hours Wednesday as they worked to whip the remaining "no" votes.

• They eventually set a new record for the longest House vote: seven hours and 24 minutes.
• Another vote to start debate on the bill was left open for nearly 6 hours.

Between the lines: The House floor again came to a standstill overnight while House leaders continued negotiations.

• A resolution setting the terms for floor debate on the reconciliation package was eventually adopted — at about 3:30am Thursday.
• In the end, Fitzpatrick was the only Republican to vote with all Democrats in opposition to the rule resolution.

The intrigue: And after GOP leaders finally secured the votes to pass the bill, Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) caused yet another delay.

• Perry had returned to Pennsylvania to get a "fresh change of clothes," according to Johnson.
• Conservatives demanded House leaders wait for him to return to Washington to cast his vote.
• Johnson said he even offered to loan Perry clothes, but Perry refused the offer.

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) held the floor for close to nine hours Thursday to protest the proposal, setting a new record.

• But Democrats ultimately could only delay and not block the plan.

The details: The bill makes permanent Trump 2017 tax cuts and adds additional tax benefits, including eliminating taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security.

• It makes significant changes to Medicaid, including imposing work requirements and reducing federal cost-sharing with states.
• It raises the debt ceiling by $5 trillion, and provides $175 billion for border security as well as $150 billion for defense.
• It temporarily raises the cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions to $40,000 before reverting to the current $10,000 cap after 5 years.

By the numbers: The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the bill would add roughly $3.3 trillion to the national debt over the next 10 years.

• The White House disputes the analysis, arguing it would instead decrease the deficit by over $5 trillion when combined with other growth efforts.
• CBO also estimates the changes to Medicaid would result in nearly 12 million fewer people with health insurance over the next decade.

What's next: Johnson is already eyeing another reconciliation package for later this year.

• "The plan is to do one in the fall for FY26 budget year, and we can also squeeze in a third one for FY27 before this Congress is up," Johnson said on Fox Tuesday.
• "Speaker Johnson has been really good about talking long-term, that this is not the only tool at the disposal of Congress," Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) told reporters.
• He added: "There are a number of other things that can be done legislatively in the months to come to more fully deliver conservative priorities."

President Trump's massive tax and spending bill, which is advancing through the House after surviving its Republican push through the Senate, would slash food benefits for thousands.

The big picture: It would mark a historic cut to the social safety net that Republicans claim weeds out waste, fraud and abuse — but experts say the restructuring of assistance programs could leave more people hungry and uninsured.

Context: Trump's signature policy bill adjusts work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the country's largest nutrition assistance program.

• In order to keep their benefits under the Senate-passed version of the bill, parents of children aged 14 or older would have to meet work requirements. The bill also bumps the work requirement age up to 64.
• Currently, SNAP's requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents apply to those between 18 and 54.
• It could also force some states to shoulder more benefit costs, the rate of which would be set by a state's percent of erroneous payments. Benefits are currently 100% federally funded, though states share administrative costs.

Threat level: Medicaid and food aid cuts could also lead to lead to job losses and hits to state GDPs, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick writes.

Zoom out: In March 2025, more than 42 million Americans participated in SNAP, according to initial USDA data.

• The program provides crucial support for families with low-paying jobs, low-income older adults, people with disabilities and others.
• According to a CBPP analysis of FY 2024 USDA data, more than 62% of SNAP participants are in families with children, and more than 38% are in working families.
• New Mexico has the largest share participating in SNAP, with some 21% of the population helped by the program, according to preliminary March data.

By the numbers: The bill would reduce nutrition funding, which includes SNAP, by around $186 billion between 2025 and 2034.

• While analyst's projections have fluctuated as the legislation's provisions are tweaked, analysts have indicated millions of people could be cut from SNAP under the work requirement provisions.
• CBPP points to a CBO indication that more than 2 million people would be cut from SNAP under the work requirement provision.
• While the CBPP notes that revised legislation released June 25 slightly modified several SNAP provisions in the reconciliation plan, it still says more than 5 million people live in households at risk of losing at least some food assistance.

Go deeper: 5 under-the-radar pieces of Trump's "big, beautiful bill" that may impact your life

Multiple crypto companies have applied for national bank charters, with more expected on the way.

Why it matters: Crypto companies are increasingly laying the plumbing for potentially huge new business lines as Washington readies new rules and regulations.

Driving the news: The stablecoin company Circle, fresh off its $18 billion IPO, confirmed on Monday that it had applied with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to establish a national trust bank, First National Digital Currency Bank, N.A.

• The cryptocurrency firm Ripple announced Wednesday that it too had also applied for a national banking license.
• And others are seeking approval too, including Fidelity's digital assets business.

The big picture: The sudden rush comes as stablecoin legislation, which defines new requirements for issuers in the U.S., moves closer to President Trump's desk.

• Large issuers will need the imprimatur of the OCC to run a compliant dollar-backed stablecoin if Congress passes the GENIUS Act this year.
• A national charter would also smooth the path for digital asset firms to expand their business lines, setting them up to offer custody services, tokenized assets and payment infrastructures.

Between the lines: National trust banks aren't traditional Main Street banks, and can't accept customer deposits or make loans.

• Circle said that, if approved, First National Digital Currency Bank would manage the reserve assets backing its stablecoin, USDC, and offer custody services to institutional customers.

State of play: One crypto company has had such a charter since 2021: Anchorage Digital. It declined to comment on its stablecoin plans.

• Paxos, another stablecoin issuer, which oversees Paypal's PYUSD, sought a charter previously, but the application expired in 2023.
• Paxos declined to comment about whether or not it would renew its application.

What we're watching: Banking groups.

• They have objected in the past to crypto firms seeking these charters.