Welcome to The Hill's Business & Economy newsletter {beacon} Business & Economy Business & Economy   The Big Story  State politics ensnare colleges and universities As states pass sweeping measures on everything from abortion to LGBTQ rights, a chunk of students are writing off schools simply based on where they are. © Getty Images Katharine Meyer, a fellow in the Brown Center on Education Policy at The Brookings Institution, said she thinks the country is “in a place and a time where colleges are increasingly being seen as political places.”   “So, it makes every sense that students would be aware of this as they’re making decisions about where to enroll, and that they would factor that into whether or not this is an institution they want to apply to.”   A poll from last year found similar results, with 1 in 4 college applicants eliminating schools based on the politics of their state.   Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) offices are banned at state universities in Florida and Texas, which also have two of the nation’s most restrictive abortion bans.   California and New York, meanwhile, are among the bluest states in the nation, with legislators there approving a bevy of liberal priorities, including extensive protections for abortion rights and transgender Americans.   “I think, you know, some institutions are likely trying to emphasize that despite what may be happening in the state, there are different realities in their particular area, and that there is a greater diversity of students and viewpoints that you can find there that creates somewhat of an island, as it were, within the greater context, political context of the state,” said Kevin McClure, associate professor of higher education at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.   But McClure also said, “there are certain laws that are going to be passed that are going to have ramifications for college students.”   The Hill's Lexi Lonas has more here.   Welcome to The Hill’s Business & Economy newsletter, we’re Aris Folley and Taylor Giorno — covering the intersection of Wall Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.   Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.   Essential Reads  Key business and economic news with implications this week and beyond:   Trump holds 18-point lead over Harris on economy: Survey Former President Trump holds an 18-point lead over Vice President Harris on the economy, according to a new survey from CNBC.  Full Story   Biden administration expands tax credit for producing solar, wind and battery components The Biden administration is expanding a federal tax credit that seeks to incentivize domestic production of components for solar and wind energy, as well as batteries.   Full Story   Boeing machinists reject new contract on 41st day of strike Striking Boeing machinists rejected a proposed contract that would have ended a costly 41-day work stoppage.  Full Story   Novo Nordisk asks FDA to block compounding pharmacies from making Ozempic copycats Novo Nordisk wants the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prevent compounding pharmacies from manufacturing their own versions of the company’s popular weight loss drug Wegovy and diabetes treatment Ozempic, arguing the drugs are too complex for the pharmacies to make safely.   Full Story   The Ticker  Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: Shaktikanta Das, governor of the Reserve Bank of India, is set to speak on Friday at 3 pm E.T. as part of the Peterson Institute for International Economics' Macro Week.   In Other News  Branch out with more stories from the day: Merger of handbag makers Tapestry, Capri halted as judge sides with FTC in antitrust case NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. District judge has halted the merger between makers of Coach and Michael Kors … Full Story   Good to Know  Business and economic news we've flagged from other outlets: S&P 500 rises to end three-day losing run, lifted by surge in Tesla (CNBC) US labor market plodding along, but jobs becoming more scarce (Reuters) By moving to podcasts, Harris and Trump are turning away from legacy media to spread their messages (The Associated Press)   What Others are Reading  Top stories on The Hill right now: CNN polling guru says battleground state sweep ‘more likely than not’ CNN polling guru Harry Enten said he believes a sweep of the main battleground states in the presidential election is “more likely than not,” even as polls show all seven of the big swing states almost even between Vice President Harris and former President Trump.  Read more Democrats give Harris rocky reviews on CNN town hall Vice President Harris’s CNN town hall performance received tough reviews from fellow Democrats who criticized her for missing the moment to sell her candidacy as polls have started to show a shift toward former President Trump in recent days. Read more   What People Think  Opinions related to business and economic issues submitted to The Hill: Without broad-based productivity, our country cannot prosper  Trump’s getting Harley-Davidson’s story wrong: It’s not about tariff skipping      You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Close Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Business and Economy newsletter Subscribe