What I read this week...

Nigeria's bet on solar, Plaid's shift into lending, and childhood vaccine exemptions

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Caught my eye…

• Nigeria ends fuel subsidies for gasoline and diesel, making the cost of solar energy on par with unsubsidized gasoline. Bloomberg estimates that Nigeria could become one of the first countries where off-grid solar can build grid-scale volumes.

• Plaid has formed a new entity to act as a consumer reporting agency (CRA), a major shift from its previous position that it should not be considered one. While Plaid currently aggregates raw bank account data, this move enables Plaid to refine this data into attributes and models to aid with lending decisions.

• The CDC reports a record high in U.S. childhood vaccine exemptions, with 3% of kindergarteners in 2022-2023 granted a vaccine exemption from their state. This trend is most pronounced in states like Idaho, where over 12% of kindergarteners were exempted. The rise in exemptions across forty states raises concerns about increased vulnerability to preventable diseases like measles and whooping cough.

Other reading…

• Deflation Is the Last Thing China’s Recovery Needs (Bloomberg)

• Peter Thiel is Taking a Break From Democracy (The Atlantic)

• Why Third-Party Candidates Threaten Biden in 2024 (WSJ)

• Inside the Race to Develop $500 "Super Shoes" (Axios)

• The 20 Farming Families Who Use More Water From the Colorado River Than Some States (Desert Sun)

• Biden announces $16.4B in new funding for Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor (The Hill)

• Can Humans Control the Weather? Japanese Scientists Think They Can (Bloomberg)

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