Hacker News with Generative AI: Government Policy

Solar Panels to Be Fitted on All New-Build Homes in England by 2027 (theguardian.com)
Almost all new homes in England will be fitted with solar panels during construction within two years, the government will announce after Keir Starmer rejected Tony Blair’s criticism of net zero policies.
NIH to end billions of dollars in foreign research grants (nature.com)
A new policy from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) will end billions of dollars of funding to laboratories and hospitals outside the United States, imperiling thousands of global-health projects and clinical trials on topics such as emerging infectious diseases and cancer.
NIH to update policies and practices guiding subawards (nih.gov)
The National Institutes of Health’s mission is powered by the public’s investment. As such, NIH continually seeks ways to improve transparency in all that we do, especially in accounting for every dollar spent in support of lifesaving biomedical research, both here and abroad. Today I am announcing changes to NIH’s award structure that will enable NIH to maintain strong, productive, and secure foreign collaborations while better tracking how dollars are spent.
Solar panels to be fitted on all new-build homes in England by 2027 (theguardian.com)
Almost all new homes in England will be fitted with solar panels during construction within two years, the government will announce after Keir Starmer rejected Tony Blair’s criticism of net zero policies.
Starting July 1, academic publishers can't paywall NIH-funded research (nih.gov)
I am excited to announce that one of my first actions as NIH Director is pushing the accelerator on policies to make NIH research findings freely and quickly available to the public. The 2024 Public Access Policy, originally slated to go into effect on December 31, 2025, will now be effective as of July 1, 2025.
USCIS to Screen Immigrants' Social Media for Antisemitism (uscis.gov)
WASHINGTON— Today U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin considering aliens’ antisemitic activity on social media and the physical harassment of Jewish individuals as grounds for denying immigration benefit requests.
U.S. says it is now monitoring immigrants' social media for antisemitism (npr.org)
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced it will begin screening immigrants' social media for evidence of antisemitic activity as grounds for denying immigration benefit requests.
Regulating Imports with a Reciprocal Tariff to Rectify Trade Practices (whitehouse.gov)
Google's comments on the U.S. AI Action Plan (google)
AI isn’t just a scientific breakthrough — it’s a breakthrough in how we make breakthroughs. Already we’re seeing how AI can revolutionize healthcare, accelerate scientific discovery, and transform our economy for the better.
Tesla products now excluded from B.C. Hydro rebates in response to U.S. tariffs (cbc.ca)
B.C. Hydro has excluded Tesla products from its electric vehicle charger rebate program in response to U.S. tariffs.
Trump's Call to Scrap 'Horrible' Chip Program Spreads Panic (nytimes.com)
As President Trump addressed Congress last week, he veered off script to attack a sensitive topic, the CHIPS Act, a bipartisan law aimed at making the United States less reliant on Asia for semiconductors.
Why most countries are struggling to shut down 2G (restofworld.org)
Telecom companies aim to profit from the 2G-to-5G transition as governments worldwide face pressure to free up mobile spectrum.
Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Establishes the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (whitehouse.gov)
CREATING A STRATEGIC BITCOIN RESERVE AND DIGITAL ASSET STOCKPILE: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to establish a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a U.S. Digital Asset Stockpile, positioning the United States as a leader among nations in government digital asset strategy.
UK homes install subsidised heat pumps at record level (bbc.co.uk)
The number of UK homes installing heat pumps supported by government-funded incentives rose to a record level last year.
Groceries in the U.S. remain expensive; more states want to stop taxing them (apnews.com)
The number of states imposing sales taxes on groceries has shrunk over the years, and the number may decrease further in the coming months as lawmakers hear complaints about high prices for eggs and other household staples.
U.S. Commerce to Overhaul 'Internet for All' Plan, a Potential Boon for Starlink (wsj.com)
The Commerce Department is examining changes to a $42.5 billion Biden-era program aimed at expanding internet access around the country with new rules that will make it easier for Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite-internet service, to tap in to rural broadband funding, said people familiar with the plans.
Federal workers ordered to return to offices without desks, Wi-Fi and lights (cnn.com)
New York Requires Internet Providers to Offer $15 Plans to Low-Income Residents (highspeedinternet.com)
A New York law went into effect this month that requires big internet providers to offer $15 or $20 internet service to low-income households throughout the state.
Turning Off All 8k EV Chargers at All Federal Government Buildings (thedrive.com)
Electric vehicles are “not mission critical,” said the Trump administration, which has ordered all EV chargers located at federal buildings to be shut down nationwide and newly purchased EVs to be offloaded. This comes on the heels of pausing already-promised EV infrastructure funding.
Countries spend huge sums on fossil fuel subsidies – why they're so hard to end (theconversation.com)
Fossil fuels are the leading driver of climate change, yet they are still heavily subsidized by governments around the world.
How Europe is funding its solar boom (dw.com)
The EU has doubled its solar capacity in the last three years. How have subsidies made this possible, what support is still available, and what still needs to happen?
NIH's drastic cut to indirect cost rates is a critical threat to US research (statnews.com)
The National Institutes of Health has made a landmark decision that could irreparably damage the backbone of American scientific innovation: a dramatic reduction in the indirect cost rate for research grants.
Japan plans to sell rice from emergency stockpiles to cut prices (japantimes.co.jp)
Japan plans to release some of its rice stockpiles reserved for emergency use in response to record domestic prices for the grain.
Norway set to become first country to transition to electric vehicles (cnbc.com)
Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artifical Intelligence (whitehouse.gov)
To maintain this leadership, we must develop AI systems that are free from ideological bias or engineered social agendas. With the right Government policies, we can solidify our position as the global leader in AI and secure a brighter future for all Americans.This order revokes certain existing AI policies and directives that act as barriers to American AI innovation, clearing a path for the United States to act decisively to retain global leadership in artificial intelligence.
Japan Offers Free Daycare to Boost Tokyo's Falling Birth Rate (xatakaon.com)
Japan has been grappling with its demographic statistics with a sense of urgency, particularly regarding its declining birth rate. In 2023, the country recorded its eighth consecutive year of decreasing births, with a 5.1% drop that has pushed its fertility rate to historic lows.
Elon Musk complains Tesla is not getting subsidies for electric truck chargers (electrek.co)
Elon Musk complains that Tesla is not getting subsidies for its electric truck chargers while calling for the end of electric vehicle subsidies in the US.
Norway on track to be first to go all-electric (bbc.com)
Norway is the world leader when it comes to the take up of electric cars, which last year accounted for nine out of 10 new vehicles sold in the country. Can other nations learn from it?
Ministers mull allowing private firms to make profit from NHS data in AI push (theguardian.com)
Ministers are considering allowing private companies to make profits from NHS data as part of a push to revolutionise the health service using artificial intelligence, government officials have indicated.
WH Executive Order Affecting Chips and AI Models (whitehouse.gov)
Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming central to both security and economic strength.