WSJ Opinion: Which Is Worse, Trump or Elite U.S. Colleges?
Free Expression: The knowledge that America's actual and potential enemies are among the biggest fans of Harvard and other elite U.S. colleges crystallizes many Americans' conviction that our higher-education system has badly lost its way. Photo: Kent Nishimura/Reuters/
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump suggests terminating Musk's US government contracts, subsidies
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump suggested on Thursday that he may terminate U.S. government contracts and subsidies given to Elon Musk's companies, as the public feud between the two men escalates over a tax and spending bill. "The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts," Trump said in a Truth Social post. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump budget bill would kill subsidies that made home solar mainstream
By Nichola Groom (Reuters) -A last-minute tweak to the Republican budget bill passed by Congress last month would immediately end subsidies for solar leasing companies that help make rooftop systems affordable to homeowners, likely leading to a massive drop in the pace of installations, according to industry representatives. President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill," now being taken up by the Republican-controlled Senate, would eliminate a 30% tax credit for solar leasing companies that charge homeowners a monthly fee for panels - one of numerous cuts directed at clean energy subsidies passed by former President Joe Biden. That provision, inserted shortly before the bill passed the House of Representatives on May 22, risks stifling a sector that buys American-made equipment, employs thousands of people and relieves strain on the grid, according to industry backers. "That's one of the harsher components of the one big, beautiful bill currently," said Gabe Rubio, a principal in the business incentives and tax credits practice at professional services firm BDO. Tax credits for homeowners who own their own rooftop systems would also be eliminated. The changes could result in as much as 40% less residential solar capacity being installed over the next five years, according to energy research firm Wood Mackenzie. Solar companies are lobbying the Senate to make changes to the bill before it becomes law. "America's home solar and storage industry is a powerful economic growth engine," Sunrun CEO Mary Powell said in a statement. "Senate Republicans now have an opportunity to advance the administration's energy independence agenda by amending this bill to keep American energy prices low and create well-paying U.S. manufacturing jobs." Trump campaigned on a promise to repeal the clean energy tax credits in Biden's 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, arguing they are expensive, unnecessary and harmful to business. Republican backers of the bill say the subsidy cuts would free up billions of dollars for other priorities. More than 5 million U.S. homes have solar panels, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. LAST MINUTE CHANGE An earlier version of the bill had protected the credit for leased solar systems, but fiscal hawks including Representative Chip Roy of Texas have said publicly that they pressed for deeper cuts to clean energy credits at the eleventh hour. Roy's office did not respond to a request for comment. Solar leasing was pioneered two decades ago by companies including Sunrun and SolarCity, which is now owned by Elon Musk's company Tesla, and quickly became the primary way home solar panels were financed. Under the model, solar installers partner with financiers that own the rooftop panels and offset their federal tax bills by claiming the credit. Homeowners either pay a monthly fixed fee to lease the equipment or pay for the electricity the system generates under a power purchase agreement (PPA). In what some analysts have said could be a loophole, the House bill directly references leased systems but does not mention PPAs. About 44% of residential systems sold today are under such arrangements, according to EnergySage, an online solar marketplace. Solar installers say undermining the subsidies could have a ripple effect on U.S. manufacturers that supply them. Freedom Forever, a top privately-held installer based in Temecula, California, said in two years it has gone from using no U.S.-made equipment to now sourcing 85% of it from American facilities. That is thanks to another IRA subsidy that provides bonus 10% tax credits for using American-made equipment. "The administration wants to bring manufacturing back to the United States, and that's what our industry has been doing for the last two to three years," Freedom Forever CEO Brett Bouchy said.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Drillers, unions urge US senators to preserve hydrogen credit
By Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A coalition of nearly 250 companies and business and labor groups on Thursday urged top U.S. Republican senators to preserve a credit for the emerging hydrogen fuel industry as they hash out President Donald Trump's tax and spending bill. Oil and gas lobbying group the American Petroleum Institute, a local unit of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and DuPont urged Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senator Mike Crapo to extend the construction deadline to December 31, 2029 for hydrogen projects to receive a tax break. The Senate is debating its version of the bill after the House of Representatives terminated the so-called 45V credit for any project which begins construction after the last day of 2025. "If this course of action is adopted by the Senate, it will drive tens of billions of dollars in planned private sector investments out of the United States and into other countries," the groups said in a letter to the senators, dated June 5. "Failing to act now by preserving 45V means ceding the future of hydrogen to China." The Business Council for Sustainable Energy and the Nuclear Hydrogen Initiative also signed the letter. House Republicans slashed the credits which had been included the Inflation Reduction Act, the landmark climate legislation signed by former President Joe Biden, a Democrat. Under the IRA, hydrogen producers got tax credits for projects that began construction before 2033. Industry analysts say clean hydrogen, or hydrogen produced from non-fossil energy sources, or natural gas paired with technology to capture carbon emissions and store them underground, is needed to decarbonize heavy industry and some vehicles. The letter said clarity from lawmakers would spur tens of billions of dollars in private capital, boost domestic manufacturing, and create long-term employment in construction, operations, and technology. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data