Senate plunges into do-or-die moment on "big, beautiful bill"

• The Senate wants to start voting on the "big, beautiful bill" at noon Saturday, said Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.). It had hoped to vote on Friday.
• "We'll find out tomorrow," Thune told reporters when asked if he has the votes to start the debate on the bill.

Complicating the whip count: As of Friday evening, the Senate parliamentarian was still making rulings.

• "It's clear we're not going to have unanimity on some of this," Kennedy said.
• "That's why God made votes."

Zoom in: The Senate also has yet to agree on a tentative deal with the House GOP's SALT crew, which was presented to them at lunch on Friday. There were some skeptics, notably Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), per two attendees.

• There are lingering concerns about Medicaid. Senators leaving lunch told reporters that they plan to delay lowering the provider taxes.
• Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) told us he did not see any substantial changes to Medicaid that would alter his analysis of the impact on his state. Asked about a vote tomorrow, he said, "It doesn't matter to me, if the baseline doesn't change, I'm a no."

What to watch: There also is a growing possibility of floor fights — with senators seeking to strike unpopular parts of the bill via amendments.

• The AI moratorium is one big issue to watch with growing skeptics. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) told Axios she intends to file an amendment to strike it from the bill, after failing to resolve her concerns with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
• So is Sen. Mike Lee's (R-Utah) provision that would enable the sale of millions of acres of public land — though an altered version has not made it past the parliamentarian.