Massachusetts is launching a first-of-its-kind statewide vehicle-to-everything (V2X) pilot program. This two-year initiative, backed by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC), aims to deploy 100 bidirectional chargers to homes, school buses, municipal, and commercial fleet participants across the state.

These bidirectional chargers will enable EVs to serve as mobile energy storage units, collectively providing an estimated 1.5 MW of new storage capacity. That means EVs won’t just be getting power – they’ll be giving it back to the grid, helping to balance demand and support renewable energy use. The program is also focused on ensuring that low-income and disadvantaged communities have access to this cutting-edge tech.

The Massachusetts pilot is one of the largest state-led V2X initiatives in the US and is designed to tackle key challenges in deploying bidirectional charging technology. By strategically placing these chargers in a variety of settings, the program aims to identify and resolve barriers to wider adoption of V2X technology.

Massachusetts EV owners and fleet operators enrolled in the program will get bidirectional chargers capable of both vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and backup power operations at no cost. Here’s what they stand to gain:

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• No-cost charging infrastructure: Bidirectional charging stations and installation are fully covered for participants.
• Grid resilience: With an estimated 1.5 MW of new flexible and distributed storage assets, the program strengthens Massachusetts’ energy infrastructure.
• Clean energy integration: V2G technology allows EVs to charge when renewable energy is available and discharge stored energy when it’s not, supporting the state’s clean energy goals.
• Backup power: EV batteries can be used as backup power sources during outages.
• Revenue opportunities: Some participants can earn money by sending stored energy back to the grid.

Clean energy solutions firm Resource Innovations and vehicle-grid integration tech company The Mobility House are leading the program’s implementation. “With the charging infrastructure provided through this program, we’re eliminating financial barriers and enabling school districts, homeowners, and fleets to access reliable backup power,” said Kelly Helfrich of Resource Innovations. “We aim to create a scalable blueprint for V2X programs nationwide.”

“Bidirectional charging benefits vehicle owners by providing backup power and revenue opportunities while strengthening the grid for the entire community,” added Russell Vare of The Mobility House North America.

The program is open for enrollment now through June 2025. For more details, visit the MassCEC V2X Program webpage. A list of eligible bidirectional vehicles can be found on that page.

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During a disastrous meeting with Mr Trump, the Ukrainian president was asked by vice president JD Vance, “have you said thank you once?”

In a lengthy social media post, Mr Zelenskyy said: “I always begin with words of gratitude from our nation to the American nation”.

The Ukrainian president insisted the US-Ukraine relationship “is more than just two leaders” but it was “crucial” for his country to have Mr Trump’s support.

He added: “American people helped save our people. Humans and human rights come first. We’re truly thankful. We want only strong relations with America, and I really hope we will have them.”

Ukraine latest: Zelenskyy says Ukraine should be ‘not forgotten’

Mr Zelenskyy will meet Sir Keir Starmer in Downing Street on Saturday afternoon after his plane landed at Stansted Airport.

It comes ahead of a major summit hosted by the UK prime minister on Sunday, where more than a dozen European and EU leaders including Mr Zelenskyy will meet to discuss the Ukraine war and security.

The Ukrainian president had travelled to Washington DC to attempt to secure a ceasefire agreement after three years of war with Russia and a possible mineral deal with the US.

The meeting descended into a shouting match in front of cameras and journalists.

Mr Vance told Mr Zelenskyy: “I think it’s disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media.

“You should be thanking the President [Trump] for trying to bring an end to this conflict.”

‘You’re gambling with World War Three’

The Ukrainian president tried to object but Mr Trump spoke over him and told him: “You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people.

“You’re gambling with World War Three, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that’s backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have.”

Mr Zelenskyy defended himself and his country, openly challenging Mr Trump on his softer approach to Vladimir Putin and urging him to make “no compromises with a killer”.

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European leaders express support for Zelenskyy

After the row, Mr Trump told his Ukrainian counterpart to leave the White House, according to a US official, leaving the minerals deal in limbo.

European leaders expressed their support for Mr Zelenskyy ahead of the UK summit on Sunday.

France’s Emmanuel Macron, Germany’s Olaf Scholz, and Poland’s Donald Tusk all shared social media posts expressing their support.

The post Zelenskyy says he is ‘truly thankful’ to US – as he arrives in UK for summit appeared first on World News Stories.

A former chief executive of Aston Villa and Liverpool is a surprise contender to become the inaugural chairman of the government’s controversial football watchdog.

Sky News can exclusively reveal that Christian Purslow, who left Villa Park in 2023, is on a three-person shortlist being considered by Whitehall officials to chair the Independent Football Regulator (IFR).

Mr Purslow, an outspoken character who has spent much of his career in sports finance, was this weekend said to be a serious candidate for the job despite having publicly warned about the regulator’s proposed remit and its potential impact on the Premier League.

A former commercial chief at Chelsea Football Club, Mr Purslow spent an eventful 16 months in charge at Anfield, spearheading the sale of Liverpool to its current owners following a bitter fight with former principals Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

He joined Aston Villa in 2018 when the club was in its third consecutive season in the Championship, seeing them promoted via the play-offs at the end of that campaign.

It was unclear this weekend how much of the football pyramid would respond to the appointment of a chairman at the regulator who has been so closely associated with top-flight clubs, given ongoing disagreement between the Premier League and English Football League (EFL) about the future distribution of finances.

One ally of Mr Purslow said, though, that his independence was not in doubt and that his experience of working outside the Premier League would also be valuable if he landed the IFR chairman role.

Another senior football figure said Mr Purslow “would be welcomed by the football community as someone who has worked in football, and not as a civil servant or politician”.

In the past, Mr Purslow has both welcomed the prospect of further regulatory oversight of the sport, while also warning in a BBC interview in 2021, during his stint at Villa Park: “The Premier League has really always been the source of funding for the rest of football and the danger here is killing the golden goose, if we over-regulate a highly successful and commercial operation.

“I think we have to be very careful as we contemplate reform that it does not ultimately damage the game.

“We already have a hugely successful English football Premier League – the most successful in the world.”

Two years later, however, he told Sky News’ political editor, Beth Rigby: “I like the idea that the government wants to be involved in our national sport.

“These [clubs] are hugely important institutions in their communities, economically and socially – so it’s right that they [the government] are interested.”

The disclosure of Mr Purslow’s candidacy means that two of the three shortlisted contenders for what will rank among the most powerful jobs in English football have now been identified by Sky News.

On Friday, it emerged that Sanjay Bhandari, the chairman of Kick It Out, the football anti-racism charity, was also in the frame for the Manchester-based position, which will pay £130,000-a-year.

A decision is expected in the coming weeks, with the third candidate expected to be a woman given the shift in Whitehall to gender-diverse shortlists for public appointments.

The establishment of the regulator, which was originally conceived by the previous Conservative government in the wake of the furore over the failed European Super League project, has triggered deep unrest in the sport.

This week, Steve Parish, the influential chairman of Premier League side Crystal Palace, told a sports industry conference organised by the Financial Times that the watchdog “wants to interfere in all of the things we don’t need them to interfere in and help with none of the things we actually need help with”.

“We have a problem that we’re constantly being told that we’re not a business and [that] we’re part of the fabric of communities,” he is reported to have said.

“At the same time, we’re…being treated to the nth degree like a business.”

Interviews for the chair of the football regulator took place in November, with a previous recruitment process curtailed by the calling of last year’s general election.

Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, will sign off on the appointment of a preferred candidate, with the chosen individual expected to face a pre-appointment hearing in front of the Commons culture, media and sport select committee.

The Football Governance Bill is proceeding through parliament, with its next stage expected in March.

It forms part of a process that represents the most fundamental shake-up in the oversight of English football in the game’s history.

The establishment of the body comes with the top tier of the professional game wracked by civil war, with Abu Dhabi-owned Manchester City at the centre of a number of legal cases over its financial dealings.

The government has dropped a previous stipulation that the regulator should have regard to British foreign and trade policy when determining the appropriateness of a new club owner.

The IFR will monitor clubs’ adherence to rules requiring them to listen to fans’ views on issues including ticket pricing, while it may also have oversight of the parachute payments made to clubs in the years after their relegation from the Premier League.

The top flight has issued a statement expressing reservations about the regulator’s remit, while the IFR has been broadly welcomed by the English Football League.

A Department for Culture, Media and Sport spokesman said: “We do not comment on speculation.

“No appointment has been made and the recruitment process for [IFR] chair is ongoing.”

Mr Purslow was abroad this weekend and did not respond to a request for comment.

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Ahead of the historic meeting, the Ukrainian president was advised by Trump’s team to ditch his usual military-style clothing for something more formal, Axios reports.

However, he didn’t, instead opting to wear all black.

This irritated Mr Trump ahead of what quickly became a car crash of a meeting, according to two sources who spoke to Axios.

Amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which has resulted in the deaths of thousands, it was Mr Zelenskyy’s outfit that seemed to set the meeting off on a bad footing.

As Mr Trump shook Mr Zelenskyy’s hand at the entrance to the West Wing, he said: “He is all dressed up today.”

Ukraine latest: Trump mocks ‘big shot’ Zelenskyy after fiery White House clash

Then, during the disastrous press conference, Brian Glenn, who is the chief White House correspondent for right-wing website Real America’s Voice, asked Mr Zelenskyy why he doesn’t wear a suit and accused him of having a lack of respect for America.

“I will wear a costume when this war is finished,” the Ukrainian leader responded. “Maybe something like yours. Maybe something better. Maybe something cheaper.”

In Ukrainian, the word “kostium” – pronounced “costume” – means “suit”.

Mr Glenn – who is dating far-right congresswoman and conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene – later issued a statement saying: “President Zelenskyy has worn the green jumpsuit (or something similar) on every occasion when meeting other world leaders, dressed respectfully for the occasion.

“For him, once again, to enter the highest office in the most powerful nation in the world, dressed as he did, reflects his inner disrespect for not only our country, the president and the US citizens that have made it possible for Ukraine to survive as long as they have to this point. (Financially speaking).”

His girlfriend, Ms Greene also tweeted a video of the interaction, saying she was “proud” of him.

She added: “Zelenskyy has so much disrespect for America that he can’t even wear a suit in the Oval Office when he comes to beg for money from our President!!”

Russian state media entered Oval Office

The White House selected only certain journalists to be present in the room during the press conference, in line with its new approach to media coverage.

Reuters and AP, two of the most established news agencies in the world, were banned from entering, but a Russian state media reporter was allowed inside – albeit briefly.

“TASS was not on the approved list of media for today’s pool,” a White House official said. “As soon as it came to the attention of press office staff that he was in the Oval, he was escorted out by the Press Secretary. He is not on the approved list for the press conference.”

The White House did not explain how he had been able to gain access unapproved.

The administration has clashed with journalists, notable removing AP from the White House pool after it declined to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.

Elon Musk and Churchill

Many social media users were quick to point out that Elon Musk did not wear a suit during his recent visit to the Oval Office.

Images also began circulating of Winston Churchill visiting the White House during the Second World War, dressed in a wartime “siren suit”.

Churchill wore the one-piece air raid outfit during a visit to President Franklin D Roosevelt, in which he hoped to persuade the American public to join the war.

Ironically, a bust of Churchill was present in the room during the meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskyy, which ended in the Ukrainian leader leaving the White House without agreeing to the deal on minerals he had flown 5,000 miles to seal.

Mr Zelenskyy has now arrived in the UK for a summit with European leaders on Sunday.

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Private market premium

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Prop master Adam Jette – and his wife and son – lost their home in Altadena.

“Even coming back into the neighbourhood is really, really hard,” he tells Sky News.

“You’re coming back to what it is, which is a disaster site, the whole neighbourhood is gone.”

He says he and others in the same position have no choice but to keep going.

“We all have to keep working in order to support ourselves, in order to have our health insurance, in order to be able to move forward and rebuild.

“And yet the only thing you want to do is just, you know, sit there in misery.”

In Hollywood, few productions have had to be paused because less is being shot here these days, the fires adding to the existential crisis the city was already facing.

Wes Bailey’s company SirReel has been renting out film and TV production equipment in Los Angeles since the 1990s – but in recent years work in the city of dreams has dried up.

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First COVID-19, then strikes and now, after a race for scale to commission content for streaming platforms, the industry is facing a production contraction and Bailey says it needs help.

“The fires were, I think, the catalyst to really get people to say ‘we’ve got an emergency here’,” he says.

“You go into the UK and you get a 40% return on your money.

“I think the way that California delivers that incentive has been sloppy, it’s been inconsistent.”

For glossy reality show Selling Sunset, set around high-end real estate in LA, production has now resumed after pausing when the fires broke out.

One of the show’s stars, Jason Oppenheim, says he’s had “many, many” emotional calls from clients.

“I’m 30% therapist right now, 20% attorney, 20% contractor and 30% real estate agent,” he tells Sky News.

He says Los Angeles has issues that need resolving if it wants to continue to attract investment.

“We obviously have a crime problem, we have a homelessness problem, we’ve obviously taxed to the point where we discourage development, and we obviously have seen significant loss of wealthy people leaving the state.

“If you really want to have a healthy, functioning society that’s egalitarian and creates opportunity for everyone, you’re going to need a lot of wealthy people in that city paying taxes, so you cannot force them away and that’s just a fact.”

Yet despite the frustration, he’s optimistic for the future of the Palisades – another area devastated by the fires.

“I would bet anything that the Palisades will be one of the most desirable areas on the planet to live in five years,” he says.

“The houses will be stunning, fireproof, beautiful architecture.”

But that seems a long way off now, and in the meantime for those left with nothing the little they can salvage becomes special.

For Adam Jette that’s even an iron saucepan.

“To be able to pull anything out of this wreckage and have it, it’s so meaningful,” he says.

“It didn’t take our pets and it didn’t take our family, it just took stuff, but even just some of that surviving it really, it means something.”

Buried in the ashes following the wildfires is a lesson in what matters to those who keep this industry going – and it’s not red carpets or golden statuettes.

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Compton, California, has unveiled 25 new electric school buses – the school district’s first – and 25 Tellus 180 kW DC fast chargers.

Compton Unified School District (CUSD) in southern Los Angeles County is putting 17 Thomas Built Type A and eight Thomas Built Type C electric school buses on the road this spring. In addition to working with Thomas Built, CUSD also collaborated with electrification-as-a-service provider Highland Electric Fleet, utility Southern California Edison, and school transportation provider Durham School Services.

Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean School Bus Program awarded funds for the vehicles in the program’s first round. EPA also awarded CUSD funds for the third round of the program and anticipates introducing an additional 25 EV school buses in the future.

“I can’t stress enough how vital grants like these are and the need for continued support from our partners in government at the state and federal level to fund additional grants for school districts and their transportation partners that are ready to deliver and operate zero-emission buses,” said Tim Wertner, CEO of Durham School Services.

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CUSD, which serves Compton and parts of the cities of Carson and Los Angeles, currently serves more than 17,000 students at 36 sites. The district has a high school graduation rate of 93% and an 88% college acceptance rate. One in 11 children in Los Angeles County have asthma, which makes the need for emissions-free school transportation that much more pressing.

Read more: Thomas Built Buses debuts its next-gen electric school bus

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Pep Guardiola insists there’s reason for optimism at Manchester City, despite a troubled campaign that has seen the defending champions reduced to battling for a place in the top four.

Following Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur, a result that boosted their hopes of playing Champions League football next season, the City boss laid out what he believes should be a “bright future” at the Etihad Stadium. (The victory moved them into fourth place, a point above Chelsea, with 11 games remaining.) “The young players and the new acquisitions maybe the club will do in the summertime — in the next transfer window — have to lead this club for the next few years,” he said.

They echoed his comments after Sunday’s 2-0 defeat to Liverpool. “I saw a bright future,” Guardiola told the BBC. “Other than Kevin [De Bruyne] and Nathan [Ake], they are the future of this club in the next years, with others who will come in future windows.

Guardiola and new director of football Hugo Viana — who has replaced the outgoing Txiki Begiristain — are facing a summer rebuild as they plot their way back to the top. There’s a core of established stars to build around and some exciting young players with huge potential, but also decisions to be made on some of the old guard, including Kevin De Bruyne, who is out of contract in the summer.

Ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup fifth-round tie vs. Plymouth Argyle (stream LIVE, Saturday, 12:15 p.m., ESPN+), we take a look at the state of City and whether the future is as bright as Guardiola believes.

The untouchables

One nice thing for City is that they’re not starting their rebuild from scratch. Erling Haaland has signed a mammoth contract that runs through 2034, and Phil Foden, who has already racked up more than 300 club appearances before the age of 25, has shown no desire to ever leave the Etihad.

Beyond those two, defender Rúben Dias has been a key part of City’s success since arriving from Benfica in 2020 and is a vocal presence in the squad. He has struggled for form and fitness this season — like many of his teammates — but is still only 27 and a strong character in the dressing room. Dias could take on an even more prominent role if there is an exodus of experienced players in the summer.

There has been a long-held belief by some at City that Rodri would one day be keen to return to Spain, but that talk has died down and there’s hope he will be fully recovered from his knee injury by the time preseason training begins in July and August.

The significant investment in Omar Marmoush in January means he will also be part of City’s future. The Egyptian, signed for £60 million from Eintracht Frankfurt, has made a positive start in a difficult situation after joining an underperforming team midseason.

Legends coming to the end?

This is where Guardiola and Viana will have to make big decisions.

Éderson, Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gündogan and Kevin De Bruyne have been cornerstones of the team that won the treble in 2023 and completed four titles in a row in 2024. But nothing lasts forever, and there are now serious question marks about their futures.

Each situation is different and delicate. De Bruyne is out of contract in the summer, while Gündogan has a one-year option in his deal that would take him to 2026 if it’s exercised. There’s interest in De Bruyne from teams in Saudi Arabia and the United States, and Galatasaray believe they have got a good chance of landing Gündogan. Éderson was close to moving to the Saudi Pro League last summer, and Silva has long wanted to return to continental Europe, whether Spain, France or Portugal.

The problem facing City is that Éderson, De Bruyne and Bernardo would need to be replaced, and that won’t be cheap. Florian Wirtz at Bayer Leverkusen is a target to replace De Bruyne, but there would be stiff competition from Bayern Munich and possibly Real Madrid.

If Éderson leaves, City could either make Stefan Ortega first-choice and sign an understudy or make a move for another No. 1 such as FC Porto‘s Diogo Costa.

Are they part of the future, or is it time to go?

Top of the list is Jack Grealish. At 29 and with four years at City under his belt, he should be indispensable. But he’s not. He has not been a regular in the team since the treble season, which means, naturally, his future is up in the air.

With two years left on his contract, City would demand a fee before letting him leave. There have been vague links with Tottenham Hotspur or a return to Aston Villa, but it’s likely to take significant investment — translation: wages plus transfer fee — to get a deal over the line.

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It’s different with John Stones because the issue isn’t his performances, but his durability. Into his ninth season at the Etihad and approaching his 31st birthday, he has only once been able to make more than 25 league appearances in a single campaign. His latest injury picked up against Real Madrid is set to rule him out for between eight and 10 weeks.

Guardiola’s biggest problem this season has been injuries, and it would be natural if he began to favor players he knows can stay fit.

Youngsters looking to establish themselves

The success of City’s next cycle will depend heavily on the young players the club have already invested in. If defenders Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis; midfielders Nico Gonzalez, Claudio Echeverri and Rico Lewis; and forwards Savinho, Jérémy Doku, Oscar Bobb and James McAtee can realize their undoubted potential, then their next formidable team won’t be far away.

Savinho, Khusanov and Lewis — all starters against Liverpool on Sunday — are only 20, while Reis and Echeverri, two of the most exciting prospects to come out of South America in recent, are still teenagers. The main issue with young players is that there’s always an element of risk.

It’s impossible to tell at 19 or 20 who might be a world-beater by the time they’re 25 or 26. City can only hope that the gambles pay off.

The next generation coming through

City have one of the best academy setups in the country and they currently sit top of Premier League 2 (for under-21s) and the under-18 Premier League north group. Midfielder Nico O’Reilly (19) and defender Jahmai Simpson-Pusey (19) have both made appearances this season, while striker Divin Mubama (20) scored against Salford City in the FA Cup in January.

City have been good at moving on young players for big fees, although they turned down a substantial bid from Chelsea for O’Reilly on deadline day in January. The decision might have been influenced by a growing feeling that City missed a trick by not asking for more when Cole Palmer moved to Stamford Bridge in 2023.

And what about Pep in all of this?

The City boss quieted the noise around his own future by signing a contract extension in November. His deal runs until 2027, and he insisted after the Champions League defeat to Real Madrid that he intends to honor it. But it hasn’t stopped nagging questions about whether Guardiola needs the stress that comes with another rebuild. He has achieved everything in England and the only challenge left in management is to lead a national team at a major tournament. After such a grueling campaign and so many problems to navigate, City fans will only feel confident he’s definitely staying when they see him on the training pitch preparing for next season.

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