(The Center Square) – The White House responded indifferently Thursday morning after former Vice President Kamala Harris blasted President Donald Trump in her first major speech since she left office.

“I think I speak for everyone at the White House. We encourage Kamala Harris to continue going out and do speaking engagements,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said before ending a press conference.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung went a step further and called Harris “a failed loser desperately clinging to relevance as she spirals into the political abyss” on X.

The White House’s comments came a day after Harris’ speech Wednesday evening at a ballroom at the Palace Hotel in downtown San Francisco. 

Supporters of Harris’ failed bid to win the White House in 2024 said they saw reasons to be encouraged after the former vice president’s speech before Emerge America, an organization training female Democratic candidates. 

“A lot of people have been feeling down, they’ve been feeling like what’s the future for women,” said Aimee Allison with She the People. 

“Our rights. Our power. Our leadership. Her very presence here is telling us it’s not over yet,” Allison told CBS News Bay Area.

Harris gave no hint on whether she plans to run for California governor in 2026 or again for president in 2028 as various Democratic candidates for governor listened to her from their front row seats. One gubernatorial candidate, former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, accompanied Harris to the stage at the gala for Emerge America, an organization training female Democratic candidates.

Harris used her speech before a crowd of about 500 people to criticize Trump, accusing him of an unconstitutional grab for power and warning of a “constitutional crisis” if the legislative and judicial branches fail to keep the Republican president in check. She accused Trump of defying court orders and trying to bully people into submission.

And Harris condemned the president’s tariffs, warning they would bring a recession. 

Harris praised U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, for his 25-hour Senate speech criticizing the Trump administration and other prominent Democrats who have opposed the president.

“Please always remember this country is ours,” Harris told her audience. “It doesn’t belong to whoever is in the White House. It belongs to you.”

Harris said Trump and other Republicans are counting on creating a chilling effect by making people afraid, but noted, “Courage is contagious.”

(The Center Square) – Taxpayers in South Carolina will face an average tax increase of $2,319 if the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expires at the end of the year, says the National Taxpayers Union Foundation.

Results of analysis were released Thursday morning by the nonprofit organization billing itself a “nonpartisan research and educational affiliate of the National Taxpayers Union.” Its two state neighbors were similar: North Carolina ($2,382) and Georgia ($2,680) were each a tick higher.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of eight years ago was a significant update to individual and business taxes in the federal tax code. According to the Tax Foundation, it was considered pro-growth reform with an estimate to reduce federal revenue by $1.47 trillion over a decade.

Should no action be taken before Jan. 1 and the act expire, the federal standard deduction would be halved; the federal child tax credit would decrease; higher federal tax brackets would return; the federal estate tax threshold will be lower; and some business tax benefits will be gone.

The foundation says South Carolina does not adopt full expensing of business investments. Lawmakers could adopt 100% expensing regardless of federal renewal.

An option is also available to avoid state tax increases even though the federal taxable income starting point is automatic with federal tax exclusion, exemption or deduction. To do so, the state could continue current policy on the standard deduction or Section 199A.

The state standard deduction would be significantly reduced if the expanded federal standard deduction expires. The foundation says the Legislature could combat it by “establishing that the standard deduction in their state is the larger of federal law or the inflation-adjusted amount from this year.”

The National Taxpayers Union Foundation also says lawmakers “should at least be conscious of any retroactive provisions when selecting their date of fixed conformity.” South Carolina is among 21 states conforming to the federal income tax base “only as of a certain date” rather than automatically matching federal tax code changes – meaning definitions, calculations or rules.

The foundation said nationally the average filer will see taxes raised $2,955. It estimates an increase for 62% of Americans. The biggest average increases by state are in Massachusetts ($4,848), Washington ($4,567) and Wyoming ($4,493) and the lowest are in West Virginia ($1,423), Mississippi ($1,570) and Kentucky ($1,715).

Individual wages, nationally, are expected to go down 0.5%, reducing economic growth by 1.1% over 10 years.

(The Center Square) – Tennessee residents could have an additional $2,660 tax burden if the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expires, according to a study by the National Taxpayers Union Foundation.

The report’s authors recommend that Tennessee officials look at protecting tax code elements included in the 2017 bill in case Congress does not extend the cuts before the Jan. 1 deadline. Tennessee follows the federal tax code.

The state’s net operating loss policies, which are “less generous” than the federal, should also be reconsidered, the report said.

Tennessee’s potential tax burden if the cuts expire is second only to Georgia at $2,680 among the Volunteer State’s neighbors. Mississippi would have the least impact of the states surrounding Tennessee at $1,570 per taxpayer, according to the report.

More than 80% of Americans could see higher taxes, the organization said in its report.

“The standard deduction used by over 90% of taxpayers will be cut in half,” the report said. “The $2,000 child tax credit will fall to $1,000 and will be phased out for more taxpayers. Higher tax brackets will kick back in, as will a lower estate tax threshold.”

A letter sent to U.S. Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., from the Congressional Budget Office shows the tax cuts could add $37 trillion over the next 30 years, according to previous reporting by The Center Square.

The nonprofit Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget said in a March report the cuts could hurt the economy in the long run.

“While CBO finds the TCJA extensions would boost output over the next decade, they find that the higher debt load from deficit-financed extension would negatively impact the economy over the long run while also pushing up interest costs,” it said. “By FY 2054, CBO estimates that GDP would be 1.8% smaller and the average interest rate on federal debt would be 29 basis points higher relative to its baseline scenario.”

The National Taxpayers Union Foundation presented another scenario where an increase in business taxes would also cause the GDP to decrease if the tax cuts expire.

“On the business side, investment in new equipment will be literally taxed through reduced expensing, internationally-sourced income will face higher rates, and the Section 199A deduction used by 25 million small businesses will go away,” the report from the foundation said. “All told, taxes will increase by $500 billion a year, with an economic impact enough to reduce wages by 0.5% and Gross Domestic Product by 1.1%.

Taxpayers in other regions would be impacted more than those in the South, according to the report. Massachusetts is the most affected, with a $4,848 tax increase, followed by Washington ($4,567) and California ($3,768).