Alabama News

Fireworks, live music and food trucks, oh my! There are several events across north Alabama to showcase your patriotism. Almost every corner has a fireworks show with food and live music to celebrate on July 4th.

Village of Providence Independence Day Celebration

What: Fireworks, DJ music, food, drinks, special shopping deals from Providence merchants.

When: July 4, 6 p.m.- 9 p.m., fireworks at dusk.

Where: The Village of Providence, 7 Town Center Dr. NW, Huntsville, AL 35806.

Admission: Free.

More info: Event Facebook Page.

Celebration at the Casual Pint

What: Live music, food specials

When: July 4, 5 p.m.- 8 p.m., Walk to Village of Providence fireworks at dusk.

Where: The Casual Pint of Huntsville, 2 Off Broadway St. NW, Huntsville, AL 35806.

Admission: Free.

More info: The Casual Pint website.

Independence Day Celebration at MidCity District

What: Fireworks show, live music, family-friendly activities, contests like watermelon carving and mullet and mustache competitions.

When: July 4, 5 p.m.- July 6, 4 p.m., fireworks celebration at 9:30 p.m.

Where: The Camp, 5901 University Dr., Huntsville, AL 35806.

Admission: Free.

More info: Event Facebook Page.

Independence Day Celebration at MidCity District

What: Fireworks show, live music, family-friendly activities, contests like watermelon carving and mullet and mustache competitions.

When: July 4, 5 p.m.- July 6, 4 p.m., fireworks celebration at 9:30 p.m.

Where: The Village of Providence, 7 Town Center Dr. NW, Huntsville, AL 35806.

Admission: Free.

More info: Event Facebook Page.

Trash Pandas 4th of July Festival

What: Fireworks show, family-friendly games, vendors, food

When: July 4, 5:30 p.m.- 9 p.m.

Where: Toyota Field, 500 Trash Panda Way, Madison, 35758.

Admission: Adult Ticket: $12.40, children 12 and under: free

More info: Event Facebook Page.

Freedom 5k & The Independence Mile

What: 5k

When: July 4, 7 a.m.

Where: Big Spring Park, 252 Church St. SW, Huntsville, AL, 35801.

Admission: Must have previously registered to attend, watching race is free

More info: Event Facebook Page.

Spirit of America Festival

What: Fireworks show, live music, arts and crafts vendors, food trucks, car show, cornhole tournament, hot dog eating contest

When: July 4, 1 p.m. – 9:30 p.m., fireworks celebration at 9 p.m.

Where: Point Mallard Park, 2901 Point Mallard Crc SE, Decatur, AL, 35601.

Admission: Free

More info: Morgan County Tourism Page.

Sand Mountain Potato Festival

What: Fireworks show, parade, cornhol tournament, antique car show, tractor show, live music, food vendors, craft vendors, kids’ activities,

When: July 4, 10 a.m.

Where: Henagar City Park, 18294 AL-75 Henagar, AL 35653.

Admission: Free

More info: City of Henagar website.

What: Fireworks show, live music

When: July 4, 6:30 p.m. – 10 p.m., fireworks at 9 p.m.

Where: Best viewing on Sunset Drive, Civitan Park and Lurleen B. Wallace Drive.

Admission: Free

More info: Sweet Home Alabama Vacations Website.

42nd Annual Shoals Spirit of Freedom Celebration

What: Fireworks show, live music, food trucks

When: July 4, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Where: McFarland Park, 200 James M Spain Dr., Florence, AL, 35630.

Admission: Free

More info: Event Facebook Page.

Smith Lake Park Fireworks and Music Festival 2025

What: Fireworks show over the water, live music, food vendors, arts and crafts, water slide, putt-putt golf, swimming

When: July 4, 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Where: Smith Lake Park, 403 County Road 386, Cullman, AL, 35057.

Admission: $5 per person or $20 per car. Additional costs for camping, pool, kayaks, canoes, paddle boards and putt-putt

More info: Sweet Home Alabama Vacations Website.

Red, White & Boom – Athens July 4th Fireworks Show

What: Fireworks show, live music, vendor fair, food trucks

When: July 4, 5 p.m. – 10 p.m., fireworks show at 9 p.m.

Where: Athens Sportsplex, 1403 U.S. 31, Athens, AL, 35613.

Admission: Free

More info: Sweet Home Alabama Vacations Website.

Celebrate July 4th with the Town of Gurley

What: Fireworks show, live music, food vendors

When: July 4, 5:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Where: 255 Walker St, Gurley, AL 35748.

Admission: Free

More info: Town of Gurley Website.

Fourth of July Bash (Hazel Green)

What: Fireworks show, live music, food trucks, market vendors, kids’ activities,

When: July 4, 4:30 p.m. – 10 p.m., fireworks show at 9 p.m.

Where: North Alabama Gin, 14146 Highway 231 431 N, Hazel Green, AL, 35750.

Admission: Free

More info: Event Facebook Page.

Jam on Sloss Lake (Russellville)

What: Fireworks show, car show, splash pad, live music, food trucks, market vendors, kids’ activities,

When: July 4, 7 a.m. – 10 p.m., car show from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., activities follow

Where: Sloss Lake Park, Hwy 43, Russellville, AL 35653 (Behind IHP & Ball Fields)

Admission: Free

More info: Franklin County Chamber of Commerce website

ASICS just dropped the price on its fashionable Dynablast 5 sneaker, making it even easier to score a quality pair of running shoes without breaking the bank. Whether you’re gearing up for race day or just want a smoother stride on your daily jog, this deal is a win for your feet and your wallet.

With this deal, ASICS customers can get the Dynablast 5 running shoe for just $99 compared to its original retail price of $120. The men’s and women’s Dynablast 5 shoes are available in four colors each, all of which are available at the same discount.

RELATED: ASICS just dropped a new deal on one of its top-rated running shoes

According to ASICS, the Dynablast 5 running shoe was designed specifically for the fitness enthusiast seeking comfort for their runs or training routine.

“A soft, engineered jacquard mesh upper and mesh tongue improves the shoe’s fit, comfort and breathability,” ASICS states. “The midsole and outsole are engineered to target the ball of your foot and heel striking zone. This helps create a higher energy return and more bounce at a lower stack height.”

Those interested in this deal can checkout the full men’s listing here and women’s listing here.

The United Auto Workers have filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board to represent workers at International Motors in Huntsville.

The union petition includes 220 full-time and part-time manufacturing workers, according to NLRB paperwork.

The petition excludes clerical employees and engineers, among others.

Illinois-based International Motors is a manufacturer of trucks, buses, engines and parts, among other items.

The Huntsville plant, on Short Pike Road Southwest, is a powertrain manufacturing facility, turning out diesel engines and transmissions.

The plant currently supplies International’s vehicle assembly plants in Springfield, Ohio and Escobedo, Mexico.

In a statement, International Motors said it respects the “right of all employees to establish unions and pursue employee representation.”

“We also remain committed to maintaining a fair and open dialogue with our employees, while fully complying with all applicable labor laws,” the statement reads. “Regardless of union-related activity, our focus continues to be on fostering a fair, competitive and supportive workplace for all our employees.”

Last year, the UAW’s executive board earmarked $40 million to fund an organizing push among non-union auto and electric battery workers, concentrating some of the money in the South.

But a high-profile push to unionize Mercedes-Benz’s plant in Tuscaloosa County failed by a margin of 597 votes.

And late last year, The Wall Street Journal reported that the UAW was shifting its strategy after the drive appeared to stall at Hyundai’s Montgomery plant.

Denmark plays against Sweden in the 2025 UEFA Women’s EURO group stage today. The matchup is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. CT on FS1. Fans can watch this game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV and Fubo TV. Alternatively, Sling offers a first-month discount to new users.

Today’s match is the first game for both of these teams at the tournament. With this in mind, both teams will try to earn three points for their country this morning.

Notably, Sweden defeated Denmark 6-1 in the Nations League last month.

In order to bounce back today, the Denmark squad will need great performances from their star players Pernille Harder and Janni Thomsen. Both players have scored two goals in the Nations League this year, so they will try to find the back of the net this morning.

In order to win today’s game, Sweden will need to rely on their star players Filippa Angeldahl and Stina Blackstenius. Both players have scored three goals in the Nations League, so they will look to continue their offensive success this morning.

Fans can watch the Women’s EURO group stage game for free online by using the free trials offered by DirecTV and Fubo TV. Alternatively, Sling offers a first-month discount to new users.

The Birmingham Zoo is losing a ferocious-looking attraction.

Khan, an 11-year-old jaguar, will be moving to Florida.

Khan arrived in Birmingham more than eight years ago from the Jacksonville Zoo and quickly became a favorite for zoo visitors.

Named for the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Khan will be moving next week to Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, Florida, another zoological facility accredited with the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, as part of the Species Survival Plan. Khan was born on July 18, 2013, and arrived at the Birmingham Zoo on February 8, 2017. After Khan’s departure, renovations will be made to the jaguar habitat in preparation for another jaguar arriving later this summer.

“These decisions are never made lightly and it is hard for our teams, too,” said Chris Pfefferkorn, President and CEO of the Birmingham Zoo. “But moving animals like Khan helps protect his species, gives him a future with a family of his own, and ensures we are doing everything possible to keep wildlife thriving for generations to come.”

AZA-accredited zoos collaborate to protect endangered species like jaguars. The Species Survival Plan, or SSP, helps zoos manage populations through careful breeding and transfer recommendations. They consider genetics, health, personality, space, and age to decide which animals should move or pair up to keep the species healthy and strong. You can think of it as a very thoughtful version of JaguarMatch.com.

Khan is in the prime of his life and genetically will help expand the jaguar population through his offspring.

Jaguars are native to South America and are the third largest cat in the world. There are around 173,000 jaguars left in the world today with most of these big cats being found in the Amazon rainforest.

“Our mission is inspiring passion to conserve the natural world and Khan will definitely continue to help us do that,” Pfefferkorn said.

In the wild, jaguars can live up to 12 to 15 years. With the expertise of animal care professionals in AZA facilities, they can live up to 20 years or longer. Jaguars are a “Near Threatened” species with a decreasing population. They are under threat from growing demand for their skin/fur, teeth, and claws.

Once Khan has safely left the Birmingham Zoo in route to Brevard Zoo, renovations will begin on the habitat in the Primate/South America Building. This refurbishment should take less than a month and will include reactivating the waterfall and other improvements. Jaguars are known to be excellent swimmers.

Once complete, a jaguar from another AZA facility will arrive in the enhanced space.

Who is the most important person in the history of sports in the state of Alabama?

Inspired by a debate on ESPN earlier this week, we’re seeking to answer that question. “Most important” is a highly subjective term, which we take to include not only on-field athletic exploits, but also fame and cultural impact.

It’s not an easy task, given that this state has produced many transcendent figures in the world of sports over the years. But we have narrowed it down to 10 we believe best answer the question we posed above.

For this list, we considered those who were both born in Alabama and grew up here, or who made their professional lives in the state. Thus, we don’t include those sports legends who were born in the state but left as small children and made their names elsewhere, such as Jesse Owens, Joe Louis and Mia Hamm.

Here’s our list:

10. Vonetta Jeffery Flowers

A Birmingham native and seven-time All-American as a track & field sprinter and long jumper at UAB, Flowers became a pioneer for both women and African-Americans in winter sports. She teamed with Jill Bakken to win the Olympic gold medal in the two-person bobsled in Salt Lake City in 2002, becoming the first Black athlete (male or female) from any country to win gold at the Winter Olympics. Flowers later won a bronze medal at the 2004 World Championships and competed in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin before retiring from competition to raise a family with her husband, Johnny. She was elected to the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.

9. Bobby Allison

The leader of NASCAR’s “Alabama Gang,” Allison helped turn stock-car racing from a regional enterprise to a nationwide phenomenon during his heyday in the 1970s and 80s. Racing alongside brother Donnie Allison and fellow Hueytown residents Red Farmer and Neil and David Bonnett (and later sons Davey and Clifford Allison), Allison was among the most-popular drivers on the circuit for more than two decades. He won the Daytona 500 three times among his 85 Cup Series victories (which also included four wins at Alabama’s Talladega Superspeedway), and was Winston Cup points series champion in 1983. Allison is a member of the International Motor Sports Hall of Fame, the NASCAR Hall of Fame and in 2023 was named one of the sport’s 75 Greatest Drivers.

8. Satchel Paige

Major League Baseball and independent researchers have done a good job in recent years of highlighting pre-integration Black baseball in this country, but what we know about the Negro Leagues is largely due to the exploits of Paige, the ageless Mobile native who might be the greatest pitcher of all-time. Including barnstorming exhibitions, international competition and official league contests in a career that lasted until he was nearly 60, Paige is reputed to have won nearly 2,000 games. He was also well-known as a master showman and eccentric personality, whose “Six Rules for Staying Young” became part of the cultural lexicon.

7. Bobby Bowden

A Birmingham native and Howard (now Samford) graduate, Bowden became one of the greatest coaches in college football history after leaving his home state. In 34 years at Florida State from 1976-2009, he won 316 games, 21 bowl games, 12 conference championships and national titles in 1993 and 1999. Bowden’s Seminoles finished in the Top 5 in the final national rankings every year from 1987-2000. He also won another 73 games at Howard and West Virginia, giving him a total of 389 victories in his career. A two-time national Coach of the Year, Bowden was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

6. Charles Barkley

A Leeds native, Barkley was SEC Player of the Year at Auburn in 1984 and an 11-time All-Star and league Most Valuable Player in an NBA career that spanned 16 seasons from 1984-2000. He was also a key part of the 1992 U.S. Olympic “Dream Team,” which dominated the competition in Barcelona and helped spark an explosion of the game internationally. A member of the NBA’s 50th and 75th anniversary all-time teams, the outspoken Barkley has become even more well-known since his playing career ended, first as an advertising pitch man and more recently as a broadcaster on the Emmy Award-winning “Inside the NBA” studio show on TNT.

5. Willie Mays

Arguably the greatest baseball player who ever lived, Mays grew up in the Westfield neighborhood of Birmingham and played for the Negro American League’s Black Barons as a 17-year-old before signing with the New York Giants in 1950. The 1951 National League Rookie of the Year, a 24-time All-Star, 12-time Gold Glove winner and two-time National League Most Valuable Player in a career that spanned 22 seasons, his 660 career home runs remain sixth all-time in MLB. A 1979 inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame and a member of MLB’s All-Century Team, Mays is perhaps best-remembered for his other-worldly catch in deep center field during Game 1 of the 1954 World Series, believed by many to be the most-sensational defensive play in the sport’s history.

4. Nick Saban

A West Virginia native, Saban restored Alabama football to glory and put together what might be the greatest sustained run of coaching excellence in college football history during his 17-year tenure in Tuscaloosa. His Crimson Tide teams won 206 games (losing only 29), nine SEC championships and six national titles (including 2003 at LSU, Saban has a record seven national championships as a coach). Saban won at least one national Coach of the Year Award in six different seasons, was SEC Coach of the Year four times while at Alabama, and coached three Heisman Trophy winners and 76 first-team All-Americans. Saban — who will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in December — ventured into broadcasting following his retirement at the end of the 2023 season, and won an Emmy for his first year of work on ESPN’s College GameDay pre-game show.

3. Bo Jackson

There was a time in the late 1980s and early 1990s that Jackson was the most-famous athlete on the planet, a star in both baseball and football and a ubiquitous advertising pitchman. The Bessemer native won the Heisman Trophy and the SEC Male Athlete of the Year award at Auburn in 1985, but shocked many when he publicly announced he would pursue two sports at the professional level — something no one had done successfully in decades. The Most Valuable Player of the 1989 MLB All-Star Game and a Pro Bowl selection a year later with the NFL’s Los Angeles Raiders, Jackson’s football career was ended by a severe hip injury suffered during a playoff game in January 1991. He continued to play baseball for several more years with the Chicago White Sox and California Angels, however, hitting a home run in his first at-bat following hip replacement surgery in 1993.

2. Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant

Saban may have surpassed many of his records, but Alabama football would not exist in its current form without the foundation put in place by Bryant during his quarter-century tenure from 1958-82. An Arkansas native, Bryant started at end on a Rose Bowl champion Crimson Tide team in 1934, and returned to his alma mater as head coach more than two decades later. In 25 seasons, Bryant won 232 games, 13 SEC championships and six national titles, retiring as the winningest coach in major-college football history with 323 victories. A 12-time SEC Coach of the Year, three-time National Coach of the Year and a 1986 College Football Hall of Fame inductee, Bryant became synonymous with the state of Alabama during his 1960s and 70s glory years. His 1983 funeral — he died just 28 after coaching his last game with the Crimson Tide — became a day of mourning throughout the state, with hundreds attending services and several thousand more watching the procession pass on its journey from Tuscaloosa to Birmingham.

1. Hank Aaron

A Mobile native, “Hammerin’ Hank” held the most-famous record in all of sports for more than 30 years. A 25-time All-Star, National Rookie of the Year, MVP and World Series champion during his career with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers, Aaron hit his 715th home run on April 8, 1974, overtaking Babe Ruth as baseball’s “Home Run King” and surpassing a record many figured might never be broken. He did so with grace and humility, despite facing torrents of racist hate mail and even death threats. Aaron’s home run record was broken by Barry Bonds in 2007, but he still holds MLB career marks for runs batted in (2,297), total bases (6,856) and extra-base hits (1,477). He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982 and was named a member of MLB’s All-Century Team in 1999.

Honorable mention

(in alphabetical order)

Gene Bartow, Sylvester Croom, Alice Coachman Davis, Mike Donahue, Pat Dye, Rowdy Gaines, John Heisman, Wendell Hudson, Wilbur Jackson, Ralph “Shug” Jordan, Joe Namath, Ozzie Newsome, James Owens, Sarah Patterson, Bruce Pearl, Bruce Pearl, Bart Starr, Pat Sullivan, Wallace Wade.

Creg Stephenson has worked for AL.com since 2010 and has written about sports for a variety of publications since 1994. Email him at [email protected].

Just in time for Fourth of July weekend, Dyson is offering a massive $200 discount on its exclusive V12 Detect Slim cordless vacuum, the lowest price we’ve seen on this popular stick vacuum in a while.

With this deal, you can score V12 Detect Slim, Dyson’s lightest intelligent cordless vacuum, for just $449 instead of its original list price of $649. The last time Dyson offered this deal was around Black Friday last year.

On average, Dyson vacuums go on sale for about $150 off, sometimes up to $170. So when a $200 discount rolls around, it’s a deal worth jumping on if you’ve been eyeing one for a while.

The Dyson V12 Detect Slim notably features a Fluffy Optic cleaner head which illuminates microscopic dust on hard floors, making it easy to see and clean even the smallest particles. Not to mention, it comes with a dust detect sensor that counts particles up to 15,000 times a second and automatically adjusts suction power as needed, optimizing both cleaning performance and run time.

RELATED: Walmart week-long summer sales event to coincide with Prime Day 2025

“[The Dyson V12 Detect Slim vacuum] is engineered with the power, intelligence, versatility and run time to deep clean your whole home in a lightweight, compact format [while] Dyson illumination reveals invisible dust on hard floors,” Dyson states.

“The Dyson V12 Detect Slim intelligently optimizes power and run time based on the debris picked up, reporting it all on the LCD screen.³ The LCD screen also displays the run time countdown, power modes and maintenance alerts. Dyson’s de-tangling Motorbar™ cleaner head deep cleans carpets and hard floors without tangles.”

Those interested in this Dyson deal can checkout the full listing here. You can also browse all Dyson deals here.

The check may be in the mail but don’t look for it to arrive today.

Post offices will be closed on Friday, July 4 in observance of the Independence Day holiday. There will be no mail delivery or Post Office Box service and post offices will be closed. All services will resume Saturday, July 5th.

Some post offices will continue to provide access to Self-Service Kiosks. The ATM-like kiosks, which accept debit and credit cards only, can handle 80% of the transactions conducted at retail counters such as buying stamps, mailing a parcel or shipping an urgent letter or package by Express or Priority Mail, USPS said.

To find SSK locations, customers can go to www.usps.com.

USPS holidays

USPS celebrates 11 holidays a year. Five have already passed:

New Year’s Day: Wednesday, Jan. 1

Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Monday, Jan. 20

Presidents Day: Monday, Feb. 17

Memorial Day: Monday, May 26

Juneteenth: Thursday, June 19

After Independence Day on July 4 the following postal holidays remain:

Labor Day: Monday, Sept. 1

Columbus Day: Monday, Oct. 13

Veterans Day: Tuesday, Nov. 11

Thanksgiving: Thursday, Nov. 27

Christmas: Thursday, Dec. 25

This is an opinion column.

Do we really need Taylor Swift to sing the history of America? The Bill of Rights and the Constitution – Taylor’s version?

I don’t know. A lot of Americans can’t remember their own rights. But whatever. Taylor’s “Amendment No. 1” is gonna be dope.

I got a note from a young, bright, capable sound engineer the other day, part of a team of young, bright, capable people I’ve been working with on a podcast. He questioned a line I’d written about the rise of militias in the 1980s,.

The line went like this:

“Militias – constitutionally protected and held in the American psyche like Bunker Hill – took extremist views and recast them as the American way.”

The young, bright, capable sound engineer – he really is all those things – highlighted “Bunker Hill” and asked a question in the margin: “Too esoteric?”

And my head exploded in a burst of red, white and blue fireworks.

Bunker Hill too esoteric? Is the Boston Tea Party a New England gossipfest? Is Valley Forge just a Brooklyn espresso bar? Is Independence Day just a movie kids these days don’t remember?

It was made worse because I’d just had to defend my use of “Keystone Kops” to another young, bright, capable colleague. I’d explained the phrase was in the vernacular long before I was born, that you didn’t have to watch silent films to know the Kops had come to mean any bumbling bunch. All you need is context clues and a skosh of cultural literacy.

But then I screwed up and mentioned Barney Fife, and it was like I was speaking Latin. A dead language.

Bunker Hill, of course was a desperate stand from the Revolutionary War, and though most of the action actually happened at nearby Breed’s Hill and the Americans lost, it took on mythical status as the place where plucky colonials convinced themselves they could stand toe-to-toe with the world’s most fearsome fighting force. It’s where, we’re told, they were ordered not to fire “until you see the whites of their eyes.” It’s about American grit.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t care if young, bright, capable people don’t remember VCRs or AM radio or stepping off a plane to see their families waiting at the gate. So what?

I get it if they can’t visualize a world of payphones and busy signals, of football games without a yellow line to measure first downs, of dial-up and phone books and silence. Of getting totally, completely lost. And being totally, completely ok with it.

I don’t care if they don’t know Sam Cooke or James Brown or Buddy Holly.

I mean, I do care, but it ain’t my loss.

But it’s clear there’s a lot we Americans need to remember about America. About our freedoms and ambitions. We can’t let it drift into esoterica.

How our founding fathers sometimes hated each other, and disagreed violently about many things, but worried together about tyrants and overreach. They separated the powers of government to watch over one another. They wrote the Bill of Rights (better than Taylor could) to ensure our government doesn’t take our stuff, or lock us up without going through the legal process, or punish us for saying the wrong thing.

About how we don’t have to be alike or agree. Except to agree on that. These moments and beliefs made us who we are. They set the course for who we can be.

I told an older editor I was gonna write Off-the-Cliff’s Notes for young, bright, capable people to lay out all these important moments.

Nah, he said. They don’t know what Cliff’s Notes are.

John Archibald is a two-time Pulitzer winner.

Business investors and wealthy Americans are among the biggest winners in President Donald Trump’s tax bill. Those hit the hardest by the sweeping package include elite universities, who face new levies, and immigrants.

The House passed the bill in a 218-214 vote just a day ahead of Trump’s self-imposed July 4 deadline.

Here’s who won and who lost in the legislative centerpiece of the president’s domestic agenda:

Winners

Multimillionaires

The rich gain the ability to pass more wealth on to their heirs and dodge a tax increase. The bill includes $4.5 trillion worth of tax cuts, according to a Saturday estimate from the Joint Committee on Taxation.

The estate tax exemption rises to $15 million for individuals — totaling $30 million for married couples — and then adjust with inflation. The 2017 Trump income tax rate cuts also become permanent, with benefits skewing toward the wealthy.

Residents of high-tax states

The limit on the state and local tax deduction rises to $40,000 annually for a five-year period. The write-off phases out for taxpayers who make more than $500,000 per year. After the five-year period, the limit snaps back to the current $10,000 limit imposed in the 2017 tax law.

Small business owners

The 2017 law that allowed pass-through business to deduct up to 20% of their qualified business income from their taxable income is permanently extended beginning in the tax year 2026. The deduction is available to owners of sole proprietorships, LLCs and partnerships.

Private equity

The carried interest tax break benefiting private equity, venture capital and real estate partnerships is maintained, despite the president’s push to eliminate it. Private equity also won an expanded interest expensing tax break.

Domestic car dealers

Up to $10,000 a year in loan interest for U.S.-made cars becomes tax deductible through 2028, a boon to auto dealers looking to close sales. But the break phases out slowly for individuals with more than $100,000 in income and couples with more than $200,000.

Manufacturers

The bill revives several favorable tax rules for businesses, including bonus depreciation for the cost of production upgrades and a research and development tax break, winning the endorsement of the National Association of Manufacturers. The final legislation makes permanent those breaks, which were temporary in an earlier version of the bill that passed the House in May.

Fossil fuel producers

Industries like coal, oil and natural gas win tax breaks and new requirements to open up more federal land for drilling, while breaks for competing clean energy technologies are phased out.

Elderly and tipped workers

In a nod to some of Trump’s populist campaign promises, taxpayers 65 and older get a larger standard deduction, while tips and overtime pay are exempted from income taxes. The provisions include limits to shrink their cost and expire after 2028.

Parents

The maximum child tax credit increases by an additional $200 from $2,000 starting in tax year 2025 and is permanently indexed to inflation. Parents could open up new “Trump accounts” for their babies seeded with $1,000 from the government for children born from 2025 through 2028.

Telecommunications

The bill auctions off a massive amount of radio spectrum for use in wireless broadband, a potential boon for services like SpaceX’s Starlink and 5G and future 6G mobile networks.

Corporations

Other tax increases that had been considered that would have hit big business, such as an increase in the stock buyback tax or a limit on the state and local deduction for corporations, were mostly rejected.

Defense contractors

The package boosts defense spending by $150 billion, with much of the funding going to new weapons systems made by major contractors.

Space

The bill provides nearly $10 billion to fund projects including efforts to reach the Moon and Mars and eventually decommission the international space station.

Losers

Low-income Americans

Some of the costs for the tax bill are defrayed through cuts to Medicaid health coverage and food stamps, both of which benefit low-income Americans. On average, the legislation will cost the bottom 20% of taxpayers $560 a year, according to a Yale Budget Lab analysis.

The measure creates new work requirements for Medicaid recipients, unless they are elderly, disabled or have children under 14 years old. Medicaid beneficiaries who gained eligibility through the Affordable Care Act will have to pay a share of costs through charges like co-pays.

Food assistance for low-income Americans is cut by expanding existing work requirements for federal food stamps to cover beneficiaries up to 65 years old. Beginning in 2028, states also are required to pay a portion of food benefit costs, which are now fully paid by the federal government.

Renewable energy

Clean energy industries are hit by the Republican plan, which rolls back many provisions of former President Joe Biden’s landmark climate law.

A tax credit for solar panels and wind systems is quickly phased out, though the legislation takes more time to eliminate other clean electricity production and investment credits.

Tax credits for energy efficiency home improvements and residential installation of solar or other clean energy upgrades are eliminated at the end of the year.

Technology companies

The Senate squelched a controversial effort in the bill to prevent U.S. states from regulating artificial intelligence, delivering a win for tech industry critics and a blow to the likes of Microsoft Corp. and Meta Platforms Inc., as well as venture capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz.

Trump administration officials and GOP allies in Silicon Valley had pushed the measure saying it would prevent a patchwork of cumbersome state-by-state regulations.

Electric vehicle makers

Tesla Inc., General Motors Co. and other electric vehicle makers are hit by elimination of a consumer tax credit of up to $7,500 for the purchase of electric vehicles.

Elite universities

Add tax bills to the escalating battle the Trump administration is waging against elite universities such as Harvard and Columbia.

The current 1.4% tax on net investment income of private college and university endowments ratchets up for better-funded institutions. The new tiered tax rate structure climbs as high as 8% for colleges with the most endowment income per student.

Immigrants

Several provisions raise taxes on immigrants. That includes a new 1% tax on transfers of money to foreign countries, known as remittances. Many immigrants in the U.S. send money to relatives in their countries of origin.

The proposal also restricts some immigrants’ access to tax credits for health coverage premiums. The change prevents many immigrants granted asylum or temporary protected status from accessing those credits.

Gamblers

Gamblers would only be able to deduct 90% of their losses against their winnings, leading to a situation where they could still owe income tax if they break even over a year or lose money overall.

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With assistance from Alicia Diaz and Erik Wasson.

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