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It’s water for the non-woke.

A Republican entrepreneur is launching Freedom2o, bottled water targeted at thirsty Republican voters and promising the taste of liberal tears.

Six packs go for $11.00 and hit the Internet on October 27 timed for the anniversary of one of Ronald Reagan’s most significant speeches and got a Times Square billboard debut too.

As for liberals: let them drink Perrier is White’s view.

White, 36, who has found success working in auto racing, video games and tech, came up with the idea for Freedom2o while on the sofa of her South Florida home. 

I was watching the Republican debate and a light went on in my head, White told The Post. 6 Elizabeth White’s Freedom2o got a Times Square ad campaign starting on October 27 but slogans making fun of Joe Biden were turned down.Stephen Yang 6 The water is unashamed in its branding. White told The Post that at least one first amendment lawyer turned her down, for fear of appealing to the MAGA crowd. “We’re not even MAGA!” White said.Courtesy of Elizabeth White/ Freedom2o

They cut to a commercial and I saw so many people drinking water. But the water being consumed had no connection to the people drinking it.

“Kevin McCarthy was drinking Dasani — which is left, right and center. If he drank Freedom, I think he would still be Speaker of the House.

White says that the dearth of mainstream products aimed at conservative consumers is no accident. 6 Showing that they drink the way they think, members of the Log Cabin Republicans will be serving Freedom water at their upcoming gala.Stephen Yang 6 White is hopping to put up a billboard that has more of a political sting than the current one in Times Square.Courtesy of Elizabeth White/ Freedom2o

Companies today are scared to stand up for what they believe in she said. They are afraid to say they are conservative. They are afraid of the backlash from a loud opposition. Corporate executives feel pressure from the outside and think they need to compromise. We dont compromise.

Regarding the water itself, it comes from Freedoms bottling partners in Texas, Florida, Oklahoma and California. White describes it as purified bottled water, with ionization and reverse osmosis.

Told that it originates in all red states except for one, she pointed out, Some parts of California are red.

Freedom2o water’s October 27 debut was by design. That date marked the 59th anniversary of Ronald Reagans national career-launching speech in which he warned the American people that it is a time for choosing between “the maximum of individual freedom” and “the ant heap of totalitarianism.

Clearly a fan of the movie-star turned president, and sharing in his sentiments, White recalled, He said in the speech that the trouble with our liberal friends is not that they are ignorant but they know so much that isnt so. That speech parallels very well with where we are today. 6 White believes Kevin McCarthy would still be speaker of the house if he had shown his true political colors by drinking Freedom during the Republican debates. Stephen Yang

The bottle makes clear where White stands. Our labels speak for themselves,” she said. “This water aint woke, Water for deplorables and Drink this water or move to Canada.

However not all its messaging was approved for its Times Square ad campaign, with ads reading “Sip for Dick” with a picture of President Nixon and “This water isn’t sleepy” with a picture of President Biden both nixed.

White looked into getting legal assistance to clear any potential hurdles in terms of her sloganeering, but, as she discovered, when you sell a Republican message, attorneys dont always want to take your money.

I threw some of our taglines and slogans at a pretty famous first amendment lawyer in New York; we possibly wanted to put him on retainer,” she said. 6 White hopes that Freedom water stimulates political debate or can be used to “spray the woke away.”Stephen Yang

“He heard the lines and snapped, I dont want to help you perpetuate MAGA s**t. And were not even MAGA!

Was she put off by the response? Actually,” she said, “I loved it. It speaks to how triggering it is when you say what you really think or even if you just want to start a conversation.

And White is pushing all in on the triggering. We are selling trigger sprayers, she said. You can drink the water or use it to spray the woke away.

One group making Freedom2o their choice of thirst-quencher is the Log Cabin Republicans, the LGBT wing of the party.

it will be served at the organizations upcoming gala, to be held in the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, Cali. Elizabeth is making a special run of the water for us, Charles Moran, president of the organization, told The Post. The bottles will say You dont have to be straight to shoot straight. It is a nod toward LGBT people being able to serve openly in the military.

Next up, she has her eyes set on no less a Republican stronghold than Mar-a-Lago. “Maybe we’ll send a case over,” White said. I can see the members drinking Freedom from champagne flutes.

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US Supreme Court will not review IRS case involving Coinbase user data

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US Supreme Court will not review IRS case involving Coinbase user data

US Supreme Court will not review IRS case involving Coinbase user data

A lower court ruling will stand in a case involving a Coinbase user who filed a lawsuit against the IRS after the crypto exchange turned over transaction data.

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Environment

Solar and wind industry faces up to $7 billion tax hike under Trump’s big bill, trade group says

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Solar and wind industry faces up to  billion tax hike under Trump's big bill, trade group says

Witthaya Prasongsin | Moment | Getty Images

Senate Republicans are threatening to hike taxes on clean energy projects and abruptly phase out credits that have supported the industry’s expansion in the latest version of President Donald Trump‘s big spending bill.

The measures, if enacted, would jeopardize hundreds of thousands of construction jobs, hurt the electric grid, and potentially raise electricity prices for consumers, trade groups warn.

The Senate GOP released a draft of the massive domestic spending bill over the weekend that imposes a new tax on renewable energy projects if they source components from foreign entities of concern, which basically means China. The bill also phases out the two most important tax credits for wind and solar power projects that enter service after 2027.

Republicans are racing to pass Trump’s domestic spending legislation by a self-imposed Friday deadline. The Senate is voting Monday on amendments to the latest version of the bill.

The tax on wind and solar projects surprised the renewable energy industry and feels punitive, said John Hensley, senior vice president for market analysis at the American Clean Power Association. It would increase the industry’s burden by an estimated $4 billion to $7 billion, he said.

“At the end of the day, it’s a new tax in a package that is designed to reduce the tax burden of companies across the American economy,” Hensley said. The tax hits any wind and solar project that enters service after 2027 and exceeds certain thresholds for how many components are sourced from China.

This combined with the abrupt elimination of the investment tax credit and electricity production tax credit after 2027 threatens to eliminate 300 gigawatts of wind and solar projects over the next 10 years, which is equivalent to about $450 billion worth of infrastructure investment, Hensley said.

“It is going to take a huge chunk of the development pipeline and either eliminate it completely or certainly push it down the road,” Hensley said. This will increase electricity prices for consumers and potentially strain the electric grid, he said.

The construction industry has warned that nearly 2 million jobs in the building trades are at risk if the energy tax credits are terminated and other measures in budget bill are implemented. Those credits have supported a boom in clean power installations and clean technology manufacturing.

“If enacted, this stands to be the biggest job-killing bill in the history of this country,” said Sean McGarvey, president of North America’s Building Trades Unions, in a statement. “Simply put, it is the equivalent of terminating more than 1,000 Keystone XL pipeline projects.”

The Senate legislation is moving toward a “worst case outcome for solar and wind,” Morgan Stanley analyst Andrew Percoco told clients in a Sunday note.

Shares of NextEra Energy, the largest renewable developer in the U.S., fell 2%. Solar stocks Array Technologies fell 8%, Enphase lost nearly 2% and Nextracker tumbled 5%.

Trump’s former advisor Elon Musk slammed the Senate legislation over the weekend.

“The latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country,” The Tesla CEO posted on X. “Utterly insane and destructive. It gives handouts to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future.”

Catch up on the latest energy news from CNBC Pro:

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Nissan is in crisis mode as job cuts begin and suppliers are caught in the crosshairs

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Nissan is in crisis mode as job cuts begin and suppliers are caught in the crosshairs

Is Nissan raising the red flag? Nissan is cutting about 15% of its workforce and is now asking suppliers for more time to make payments.

Nissan starts job cuts, asks supplier to delay payments

As part of its recovery plan, Nissan announced in May that it plans to cut 20,000 jobs, or around 15% of its global workforce. It’s also closing several factories to free up cash and reduce costs.

Nissan said it will begin talks with employees at its Sunderland plant in the UK this week about voluntary retirement opportunities. The company is aiming to lay off around 250 workers.

The Sunderland plant is the largest employer in the city with around 6,000 workers and is critical piece to Nissan’s comeback. Nissan will build its next-gen electric vehicles at the facility, including the new LEAF, Juke, and Qashqai.

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According to several emails and company documents (via Reuters), Nissan is also working with its suppliers to for more time to make payments.

Nissan-delays-supplier-payments
The new Nissan LEAF (Source: Nissan)

“They could choose to be paid immediately or opt for a later payment,” Nissan said. The company explained in a statement to Reuters that it had incentivized some of its suppliers in Europe and the UK to accept more flexible payment terms, at no extra cost.

The emails show that the move would free up cash for the first quarter (April to June), similar to its request before the end of the financial year.

Nissan-delays-supplier-payments
Nissan N7 electric sedan (Source: Dongfeng Nissan)

One employee said in an email to co-workers that Nissan was asking suppliers “again” to delay payments. The emails, viewed by Reuters, were exchanged between Nissan workers in Europe and the United Kingdom.

Nissan is taking immediate action as part of its recovery plan, aiming to turn things around, the company said in a statement.

Nissan-Micra-EV
The new Nissan Micra EV (Source: Nissan)

“While we are taking these actions, we aim for sufficient liquidity to weather the costs of the turnaround actions and redeem bond maturities,” the company said.

Nissan didn’t comment on the internal discussions, but the emails did reveal it gave suppliers two options. They could either delay payments at a higher interest rate, or HSBC would make the payment, and Nissan would repay the bank with interest.

Nissan-delays-supplier-payments
Nissan’s upcoming lineup for the US, including the new LEAF EV and “Adventure Focused” SUV (Source: Nissan)

The company had 2.2 trillion yen ($15.2 billion) in cash and equivalents at the end of March, but it has around 700 billion yen ($4.9 billion) in debt that’s due later this year.

As part of Re:Nissan, the Japanese automaker’s recovery plan, Nissan looks to cut costs by 250 billion yen. By fiscal year 2026, it plans to return to profitability.

Electrek’s Take

With an aging vehicle lineup and a wave of new low-cost rivals from China, like BYD, Nissan is quickly falling behind.

Nissan is launching several new electric and hybrid vehicles over the next few years, including the next-gen LEAF, which is expected to help boost sales.

In China, the world’s largest EV market, Nissan’s first dedicated electric sedan, the N7, is off to a hot start with over 20,000 orders in 50 days.

The N7 will play a role in Nissan’s recovery efforts as it plans to export it to overseas markets. It will be one of nine new energy vehicles, including EVs and PHEVs, that Nissan plans to launch in China.

Can Nissan turn things around? Or will it continue falling behind the pack? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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