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The Solar Energy Industries Association released an assessment of how the budget reconciliation bill currently under review in Congress would have a negative impact on the economy. The legislation cuts incentives around solar power investment and adoption, such as the Section 25D residential tax credit.

The group’s analysis found that the bill, as it stands, would lead to the loss of nearly 300,000 current and future jobs in the US. It also said removal of incentives could mean a loss of ​​$220 billion in investment in the sector by 2030. It also pointed to a future energy shortage, claiming that solar was on course to be responsible for about 73 percent of the 206.5 GW of new energy capacity needed in the country by 2030.

“Passing this bill would create a catastrophic energy shortfall, cede AI and tech leadership to China, and damage some of the most vital sectors of the U.S. economy,” SEIA President and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper said.

It’s the type of reaction we expect to see when an industry is under threat from federal action. It’s also the type of researched data that doesn’t seem to have much influence on the current administration, particularly when it comes to the environment and sustainability.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/solar-trade-association-warns-of-devastating-energy-shortages-if-incentives-are-cut-214607526.html?src=rss 

Fortnite is back in the US App Store. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney announced that he intended to relaunch the game in late April, following a court order that demanded Apple stop collecting a 27 percent fee on app transactions that happen outside of its in-app purchase system. The company finally amending its rules to remove that additional commission is why Epic moved forward with the relaunch.

The origins of this conflict can be traced all the way back to 2020, when Epic added its own method for collecting payments for in-game items in Fortnite and encouraged players to circumvent Apple’s system. Fortnite was removed from the App Store (and the Google Play Store for that matter), Epic sued and the rest is history. 

Epic didn’t win its entire case against Apple, but it did secure a permanent injunction allowing developers to include in-app text that makes users aware of payment options other than the App Store. According to the latest court order, Apple allowed that text, but was still demanding developers pay it a fee for those non-App Store transactions. That prompted the judge overseeing the companies’ case to demand Apple stop and remove even more obstacles from the payment process.

It was anticipated that Fortnite would return far earlier than it actually did. Companies like Spotify swiftly updated their apps to take advantage of Apple’s rule change, and in fact Spotify managed to submit multiple updates in the time it took Epic to get its up once. Today’s news comes in the wake of a Judge ordering Apple on May 19 to either resolve the matter or have the “Apple official who is personally responsible” show up in court next week to explain why.

Fortnite has technically been available on Apple devices in other ways for a while now, whether its through the Epic Game Store in the European Union, or game streaming services like Xbox Cloud Gaming and NVIDIA GeForce Now in the US. Returning to the App Store is a symbolic victory. The real prize are the court orders that came from Epic v. Apple.  

Assuming they survive Apple’s appeal, they could dramatically reshape Apple’s business and the way apps work on the iPhone. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/fortnite-is-finally-back-in-the-us-app-store-222946133.html?src=rss 

The latest video game to be getting the TV show treatment is a pair of hugely popular mobile titles. Developer Supercell is partnering with Netflix for an animated series based on the world of its games Clash of Clans and Clash Royale. Fletcher Moules, who directed the original Clash of Clans animated videos on YouTube, will be the showrunner for the Netflix project and Ron Weiner, who has worked on Silicon Valley, 30 Rock, Futurama and Arrested Development, will be the head writer.

Clash of Clans debuted in 2012 and the casual strategy game got a deck battler sequel in Clash Royale, which launched in 2016. According to the show announcement, the pair of games have more than 4 billion downloads and more than 180 billion gameplay hours logged by players. The Netflix show will center on the Barbarian character from this game universe as he tries to “rally a band of misfits to defend their village and navigate the comically absurd politics of war.” The series is in pre-production, and no additional casting or release info has been shared at this stage.

Netflix has hosted several animated shows based on video games, from Arcane to Devil May Cry. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/an-animated-clash-of-clans-series-is-coming-to-netflix-204104822.html?src=rss 

In the latest episode of How to Dismantle Public Services in 12 Easy Steps, a Trump executive order targeting libraries has real-world consequences. The AP reported over the weekend that libraries across the country are cutting programs that offer ebooks, audiobooks and other loan programs. These initiatives exploded in popularity following the pandemic, with over 660 million people globally borrowing them in 2023 — a 19 percent annual increase.

The cuts and slashing of grants followed a Trump executive order issued on March 14 targeting the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). His appointee to helm the agency, Keith E. Sonderling, quickly signaled that he was there to do the president’s bidding. He placed the IMLS’s entire staff on administrative leave, sent termination notices to most of them, canceled grants and contracts and fired everyone on the National Museum and Library Services Board.

Federal judges have temporarily blocked the administration from further gutting the IMLS. But while lawsuits from 21 states and the American Library Association make their way through the courts, the agency’s federal funding remains frozen. And libraries are scrambling to adjust.

If you’ve ever used your library to borrow an ebook or audiobook through an app like Libby or Hoopla, there’s a good chance federal funding made that possible. Libraries purchase digital leases for ebooks and audiobooks from publishers, enabling them to lend titles to patrons. The leases typically cost much more than physical copies and must be renewed after a set period or number of checkouts.

With library digital borrowing surging, those federal funds went a long way toward keeping the programs afloat. Mississippi has indefinitely suspended its Hoopla-based lending program.

The IMLS was created in 1996 by a Republican-controlled US Congress. The agency has an annual budget of under $300 million, with nearly half of that amount allocated to state libraries, which, in turn, help fund local libraries’ digital lending programs. “The small library systems are not able to pay for the ebooks themselves,” Rebecca Wendt, California’s state library director, told the AP.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/us-libraries-cut-ebook-and-audiobook-lending-programs-following-trump-executive-order-205113868.html?src=rss 

The French government has forbidden Telegram CEO Pavel Durov from leaving the country without official authorization, according to a report from Politico. Durov was arrested in France in August 2024 and later indicted for being complicit in illegal activity that occurrs on Telegram, like money laundering and the distribution of CSAM (child sexual abuse material).

Durov was attempting to travel to the US for “negotiations with investment funds,” Politico writes, something that French officials decided “did not appear imperative or justified.” In March, Durov received permission to travel to the United Arab Emirates, where he maintains citizenship. 

Following Durov’s arrest, Telegram shared that it abided by EU laws, including the Digital Services Act, and that “its moderation is within industry standards and constantly improving.” As evidence of that constant improvement, Telegram decided it would provide user IP addresses and phone numbers in response to legal requests in September 2024, something it originally made a point of avoiding. The messaging platform later partnered with the International Watch Foundation in December 2024 to use the organization’s tools to block links to CSAM in Telegram. Both moves could be seen as attempts to appease authorities who might want the messaging platform to answer for the criminal activity it’s seemingly enabled. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/telegram-ceo-pavel-durov-is-banned-from-leaving-france-without-permission-following-his-arrest-210401130.html?src=rss