Trump shouldn't be able to tax colleges he doesn't like
Rice University could go from owing the federal government $9 million to $87 million, Princeton from $39 million to $586 million, Harvard from $57 million to a whopping $849 million.
In its first four months back in office, the Trump administration has relentlessly attacked prestigious colleges. They have been stripped of billions in federal funding, unfairly accused of antisemitism and repeatedly investigated on legally dubious grounds. Now, congressional Republicans are joining the administration in its latest attack on these colleges: a massive, permanent increase on the tax rate of university endowments. This proposal will hurt not only students and faculty at those schools but the country overall.
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Newsweek
16 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Marjorie Taylor Greene Partially Agrees With Elon Musk on Trump-Backed Bill
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene partially backed Elon Musk Tuesday in his criticism of President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" that recently passed the House of Representatives and is under debate in the Senate. The Context The Trump-backed reconciliation package passed the House last month following weeks of negotiations in which House Speaker Mike Johnson wrangled votes from the ultraconservative and more centrist factions of the GOP. While Trump praised the measure in its current form, Senate Republicans have made it clear that they plan to make significant changes to it before it passes the upper chamber. Musk, meanwhile, has repeatedly criticized the bill, most recently calling it a "disgusting abomination," saying it was filled with "outrageous pork" that would balloon the federal deficit and undo the work by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene is pictured arriving for a House Republican meeting at the U.S. Capitol on May 20 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by) Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene is pictured arriving for a House Republican meeting at the U.S. Capitol on May 20 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by) What To Know "Congresswoman, what do you make of Elon Musk criticizing the 'One Big Beautiful Bill?'" a reporter asked Greene in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. "Well, you know, I have to agree with him on one hand," the Republican firebrand responded. "I always love it when Americans are angry at the federal government and express it. I think that should've been happening for years now. I mean, we're $36 trillion in debt for a reason." Greene, one of Trump's staunchest supporters in Congress, went on to criticize the Biden administration's initiatives on renewable energy, its handling of the economy and more. "Unfortunately, in the 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' we had to spend some money to right the ship and pass President Trump's campaign promises" on issues including border security and immigration enforcement, tax cuts and "America First energy." Greene is among three House Republicans who have voiced their agreement with Musk's criticisms. Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie re-shared Musk's post on X, formerly Twitter, ripping into the bill, writing, "He's right." Representative Warren Davidson of Ohio also appeared to agree, sharing another post from Musk that said, "Congress is making America bankrupt." Massie and Davidson voted against the bill in the House. Greene voted in favor of it but said she did not read through a portion of the measure related to artificial intelligence (AI) when it was initially up for vote. Greene said the provision violates states' rights, writing on X on Tuesday: "Full transparency, I did not know about this section on pages 278-279 of the OBBB that strips states of the right to make laws or regulate AI for 10 years. I am adamantly OPPOSED to this and it is a violation of state rights and I would have voted NO if I had known this was in there." "We have no idea what AI will be capable of in the next 10 years and giving it free rein and tying states hands is potentially dangerous," she added. Greene said that if the Senate doesn't strip the provision from the version of the bill that's sent back to the House for final approval, she won't back it, which could complicate House GOP leadership's effort to pass the Trump-backed package. The White House responded to Musk's X posts during Tuesday's press briefing. "Look, the president already knows where Elon Musk stood on this bill. It doesn't change the president's opinion," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. "This is one big, beautiful bill, and he's sticking to it." What People Are Saying Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters: "We obviously respect everything that Elon did with DOGE. On this particular issue, we have a difference of opinion ... he's entitled to that opinion. We're going to proceed full speed ahead." Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina said of Musk's criticisms: "He's entitled to his opinion." Asked by Politico whether Musk's criticism would affect amendments to the bill, Tillis said: "No." Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer waved around a printout of Musk's post and told reporters: "I agree with Elon Musk!" What Happens Next Trump recently gave Senate Republicans a July 4 deadline to pass the bill and get it to his desk.
Associated Press
17 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Los Angeles unveils compact, athlete-friendly venue plan for 2028 Paralympics
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Every venue for the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles will be within a 35-mile radius, and athletes will be housed together, on the UCLA campus, for the first time since the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. LA28 announced an updated venue plan Tuesday following approval from the International Paralympic Committee's governing board. The Paralympics will run Aug. 15-27, 2028, about two weeks after the the Los Angeles Olympics end. The majority of sports will be held in Los Angeles, with the downtown and Exposition Park sites serving as the main competition hubs. The Los Angeles Convention Center will host boccia, para judo, para table tennis, para taekwondo and wheelchair fencing. Adjacent to the Convention Center, Arena will host wheelchair basketball. Across the street, Peacock Theater will host goalball in an acoustically optimized setting. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum will host para track and field, as well as the closing ceremony. The nearby Galen Center will host wheelchair rugby and para badminton. Venice Beach on the city's westside will be the site of para triathlon and the starting point of the marathon. The Dignity Health Sports Park complex in Carson will host para archery, wheelchair tennis and para track cycling in the velodrome. Climbing will make its Paralympic debut in 2028, with four men's and four women's events in the parking lot of the Long Beach Convention Center. Para swimming will be on the same site in a temporary pool. Sport shooting will be inside the convention center at a temporary range. Long Beach Arena will host sitting volleyball. A temporary arena at Alamitos Beach along the Pacific Ocean will be the site of blind football. Para rowing and para canoe-sprint events will be held at Marine Stadium. Para equestrian events will take place at Santa Anita racetrack in Arcadia. ___ AP Olympics:
CBS News
25 minutes ago
- CBS News
Sacramento stalls on enforcing daylighting law aimed at improving pedestrians safety
SACRAMENTO — A California law aimed at pedestrian safety now bans cars from parking 20 feet from intersections. The law allows cities to issue fines to violators, but the City of Sacramento has not issued those fines even in the face of what some have called a pedestrian safety crisis. Slow Down Sacramento founder Isaac Gonzalez is calling on the city to speed up its conversion of city streets to follow state law. "We really shouldn't wait until people get hurt before we actually act and follow state law," Gonzalez said. "I think, unfortunately, in the city, we get decision paralysis. Where do we start? The problem is so huge." The so-called daylighting law requires all California cities to create 20 feet of space on the approaching side of intersections to prevent collisions. A City of Sacramento spokesperson confirmed that the city has not removed all meters, has not started red striping all the intersections, and is still working to identify how many spots need to be removed. Asad Mohammadi lives in Natomas, down the street from a new "quick-build" temporary traffic safety installation the city created after two pedestrians were killed in separate collisions. The installation went up after the second deadly collision. Asad Mohammadi /lives near deadly crash "It was a very sad day," Mohammadi said. "After that incident happened, then they put the sign up, they should have put it at the beginning." Sacramento's police department reports that so far this year, there have been 13 deadly collisions on city streets. Last year, there were 34. The year before, there were 55. Sacramento's own law and legislation committee declared an emergency in 2024 over the number of pedestrians killed in roadway collisions. "Let's talk about the cost-benefit ratio here," Gonzalez said. "What does it cost to paint a curb red, versus what does it cost for someone to die and for us to pay out a big lawsuit? I would rather be on the side of painting the curb red." The city council voted to approve a $25 fine starting July 1 for violators of the law. It will need to ID and remove spaces to begin that enforcement. What the rollout of that enforcement will look like is still unclear.
