Timef 04/18/2025

Instability, cuts, and a looming sense of dread have FEMA employees unsure the agency is ready for hurricanes, fires, and floods. “We are being set up for a really, really bad situation," says one.

The company sells “cooling credits” for its sulfur dioxide-based geoengineering projects.

In a document published Thursday, ICE explained the functions that it expects Palantir to include in a prototype of a new program to give the agency “near real-time” data about people self-deporting.

Preorders for the console will resume next week at the previously announced price of $450 but accessories are getting more expensive.

For startups around the world, the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield program offers unmatched exposure, credibility, and connections to scale their businesses. TechCrunch has long been committed to spotlighting companies solving real-world problems in scalable and sustainable ways — making it a powerful launchpad for startups both in and outside the U.S. Several Latin American startups have […]

Nintendo announced on Friday that it will open Switch 2 pre-orders in the U.S. on April 24, following a delay due to the Trump administration’s hefty tariffs. Fans feared the long-awaited console would spike in price due to Trump’s export rules on international goods, but Nintendo confirmed the Switch 2 will still cost $449.99 and […]

Today’s the day! The application to speak at TechCrunch All Stage closes tonight at 11:59 p.m. PT — this is your final chance to share real-world insights with 1,200+ startup founders and VCs attending the event. Whether you’ve built or backed startups, battled bottlenecks, or cracked the code on growth, the stage is yours. TC […]

As the FTC trial has shown, a lack of competition allowed the company to shift its focus away from users—and toward its bottom line.

Wildfire season is coming. Here are the best disposable face coverings we’ve tested—and where you can find them.

The gorpcore backpackers are wearing a breathable fabric called Alpha Direct or grid fleece. It’s coming for your cover-ups.

Netflix is building a new search experience aimed at improving the discovery experience, and it’s going to use AI to do it, the company’s CEO Greg Peters said during its first-quarter results conference call. Peters said Netflix is working on “interactive search that’s based on generative technologies” to help people find different titles. Answering an […]

These tips and recommendations can help you get some shut-eye before you fly.

We tested the top curling irons on the market, and here are the ones that made the cut.

“The market for social networks, or even what Meta is, is very different now than it was even a couple of years ago.”

Apple’s 2025 iPad refresh doesn’t bring anything new to the table, but it’s still the best tablet for most people.

LG has licensed tech that claims to interpret TV users’ feelings and convictions. The company will use this data to more directly target the ads it’s showing to users of its smart TV platform.

The Reachy 2 robot is designed to be friendly and approachable, inviting natural interaction and is perfect for research, education and experimenting with embodied AI.

Three DOGE associates have been granted access to systems at the Department of Labor housing sensitive information on migrant farm workers, visa applicants, and more.

When news broke that OpenAI was in talks to acquire AI coding company Windsurf for $3 billion, one of the first questions on the mind of anyone following the space was likely: “Why not buy Cursor creator Anysphere instead?” After all, OpenAI Startup Fund has been an investor in Anysphere, the maker of Cursor, since the […]

Connections: Sports Edition is a New York Times word game about finding common sports threads between words. How to solve the puzzle.

The NYT Strands hints and answers you need to make the most of your puzzling experience.

Connections is a New York Times word game that's all about finding the "common threads between words." How to solve the puzzle.

Here's the answer for "Wordle" #1399 on April 18 as well as a few hints, tips, and clues to help you solve it yourself.

Hints and answers to today's Hurdle all in one place.

On February 18, 2024, Ian Laffey posted on X that he and two others he’d just met built a cheap drone at a hackathon that calculated its coordinates simply by using its camera and Google Maps. He and his colleagues, Sacha Lévy and Carl Schoeller, were all engineers under the age of 25. The tech […]

I went into the 'Mario Kart World' Nintendo Direct wanting to know why the game costs $80, but that answer was never coming.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau terminated the positions of 1,406 employees at the congressionally mandated agency.

Expense management startup Ramp is being considered for a charge card pilot program by the U.S. government’s General Services Administration, the company confirmed to TechCrunch on Thursday. The government’s internal expense card program, dubbed SmartPay, is a $700 billion program. It is estimated that the charge card pilot program contract for which Ramp is being […]

In a bid to more aggressively compete with rival AI companies like Google, OpenAI is launching Flex processing, an API option that provides lower AI model usage prices in exchange for slower response times and “occasional resource unavailability.” Flex processing, which is available in beta for OpenAI’s recently released o3 and o4-mini reasoning models, is […]

The deal was executed through Oxy Low Carbon Ventures for an undisclosed amount.

President Donald Trump’s tariffs have underscored the increasing geopolitical risk that almost all businesses now face. As the situation continues to shift with Trump’s unpredictable deal-making, it’s also becoming clear how challenging it is for companies, nonprofits, consultants, and lawyers to keep up with the rapid day-to-day changes. “We are drowning in trade updates every […]

The Chinese e-commerce marketplace app DHgate, which is now the No. 2 free iPhone app in the U.S., isn’t the only one that’s oddly benefiting from President Trump’s tariffs on U.S. imports from China. Another Chinese shopping app, Taobao, has now also entered the Top 5 as of Thursday. U.S. consumers began flocking to these […]

Geoff Ralston, known for his years at Y Combinator, has a new AI VC fund called SAIF. It is seeking AI startups focused on safety.

Google shipped Gemini 2.5 Flash to the Gemini app as well as Vertex AI and AI Studio. Find out what you can do with the latest Gemini reasoning model.

On Thursday, weeks after launching its most powerful AI model yet, Gemini 2.5 Pro, Google published a technical report showing the results of its internal safety evaluations. However, the report is light on the details, experts say, making it difficult to determine which risks the model might pose. Technical reports provide useful — and unflattering, […]

China is cracking down on how automakers advertise driver assistance features, banning terms like “autonomous driving,” “self-driving,” and “smart driving,” Reuters reported, citing a transcript of a meeting between the government and industry representatives. The updated rule will also prohibit automakers from rolling out improvements via software updates to advanced driving assistance systems in vehicles […]

The future of Google's advertising business is at stake after a federal judge found the company illegally monopolized parts of it.

Chatbot Arena, the crowdsourced benchmarking project major AI labs rely on to test and market their AI models, is forming a company called Arena Intelligence Inc., reports Bloomberg. In a blog post published Thursday, Chatbot Arena said that the company will “give [it] the resources to improve [its platform] significantly over what it is today.” […]

A federal judge has ruled that Google monopolized the online advertising technology business.

People who've visited certain Planned Parenthood locations might've been affected by a major data breach.

A digital rights group blasted the Florida bill, but lawmakers voted to advanced the draft law.

Upgrade your PC with Windows 11 Pro for A$24 and get pro-level security, multitasking, and AI-powered tools with a lifetime license.

In her second day on the stand of a landmark antitrust trial over Meta’s power, Ms. Sandberg, the former chief operating officer, also said the company faced plenty of competition from TikTok.

New reports about the foldable iPhone reinforce rumors about its display and unlocking mechanism.

As of April 17, get the Nintendo Switch OLED Model for under $250 at Woot.

Two major iPhone vulnerabilities have been fixed by Apple in the latest iOS update.

The Apple Watch Series 10 is on sale at Amazon for $329, down from the normal price of $399. That's an 18% discount.

Here's what you need to know about surveillance technology and protests—and how you can best protect yourself.

As of April 17, get 30% off a 2TB Samsung 990 EVO Plus SSD at Amazon

Instagram on Thursday announced that it’s rolling out Blend, a new feature that lets you create a custom, personalized reels feed for you and your friends. Blends are invite-only and can be created with a singular friend or with a group chat. The custom feeds are refreshed with new content each day. The launch doesn’t […]

"The Fantastic Four: First Steps" stars Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn as Marvel's First Family.

Fans of the hit YouTube series are upset over Netflix’s “watered-down” remake, which one of the streamer’s executives calls a “tragedy.”

Workers who recently lost their jobs at the National Institute for Occupational Safety say they’re concerned that there’s no plan for managing biological samples tied to research projects.

Instagram Blend is a new feature that lets friends share a private feed of recommended Reels in their DMs to scroll together.

Trade in an eligible Apple device in-store to get a 10% discount on eligible Apple accessories though May 17.