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Uber expands its $4,000 ‘Go Electric’ grant to drivers nationwide

electric vehicles and lightning bolts

Since last year, Uber has been offering drivers in a handful of locations - California, Colorado, Massachusetts and New York City - $4,000 to swap their gas guzzlers for electric vehicles. The company must have liked the results because today it announced that it would be expanding eligibility for its "Go Electric" grant to drivers nationwide for the first time.

The timing, of course, is everything. Gas prices have been rising at a steady clip since the US and Israel launched their attack on Iran last month. Uber drivers are particularly exposed to rising gas prices, as increased fuel costs directly reduce their take-home pay. But with no …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Insider trading or random guy? It doesn’t matter to Polymarket

Puppet show of a mouth whispering behind a hand into an ear.

In mid-March, conspiracy theories swirled claiming Benjamin Netanyahu had been replaced by an AI clone. Though there was no actual proof that the Israeli Prime Minister had been injured or killed, on X this spurred a flurry of posts promoting prediction markets where people bet on whether he would be out of office by March 31st. One newly created Polymarket account in particular caught the attention of bettors: dududududu22, which had purchased more than $177,000 worth of "Yes" shares at 4.7 cents. Surely, only someone with inside knowledge would take such a risky position?

"This makes him possible to get paid of $3,779,000 in case of win," …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Trump’s birthright citizenship ban may fail — but the administration already got too far

A photo of Donald Trump with an illustrated background.

On Wednesday morning, the Supreme Court heard arguments in Trump v. Barbara, a case challenging President Donald Trump's 2025 executive order banning birthright citizenship. Justices seemed skeptical of the administration's argument, but by taking up birthright citizenship at all, they showed how much ground nativists have gained since Trump's first term. The 14th Amendment is quite clear: "all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." Trump seeks to overturn this and create a new, effectively stateless American underclas …

Read the full story at The Verge.

NASA launches four astronauts toward the Moon on the Artemis II mission

NASA's Artemis II flight, which is set to take four astronauts toward the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years, successfully launched on Wednesday evening.

The Artemis II mission, part of NASA's Artemis program that's intended to bring humans back onto the Moon as early as 2028, will bring the four astronauts in orbit around the Moon on the first crewed flight of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The astronauts, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and Canadian Jeremy Hansen, will make the trip aboard the Orion crew capsule, and the full mission is expected to be a 10-day journey. The mission was delayed in February

Read the full story at The Verge.

The Artemis Moon base project is legally dubious

NASA's Artemis II Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft rest on Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on March 31, 2026, ahead of the crewed lunar mission. | Image: AFP via Getty Images

With NASA planning to launch four astronauts on Wednesday on its Artemis II mission, the race to return to the Moon is back on. The current mission will see astronauts aboard the Orion capsule travel around the Moon before returning to Earth in 10 days' time. They'll be testing out the hardware and systems that could soon see Americans standing on the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years in the Artemis IV mission scheduled for 2028. NASA isn't ready to land people on the Moon just yet, but that's the aim for the next five years: to not only get people onto the Moon but establish a lengthy human presence on its surface.

That's NASA' …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Everything is iPhone now

Original iPhone coming out of a Mac desktop window.

This is part of our package about Apple's 50th anniversary. Read more here.

The thing about the iPhone is that everyone knew it was going to be a big deal, and then it was an even bigger deal than that. Hell, it's still the biggest thing going.

It's hard to remember, but almost 20 years ago Apple's first iPhone really was that good. The trick that Steve Jobs and Jony Ive kept pulling off in that era was turning the limitations of the available technology into focal points of the products they made. The first iMac was built around a big, heavy CRT display - but Ive made the translucent case wrap around it, transforming the internals into a …

Read the full story at The Verge.

April Fools’ Day 2026: the best and cringiest pranks

A clown face with s huge smile on a lime green background

Welcome to the worst day on the internet! As Chaim Gartenberg pointed out years ago, brands and a holiday dedicated to hoaxes are rarely a winning combo. If you’re a company with any kind of social media, internet, or AI chatbot presence in 2026, you really, truly only have four options on April Fools’ Day:

  1. Don’t do an April Fools’ joke. Put the time and energy into doing something productive that will materially benefit the world (or, less idealistically, your business) instead. Or just don’t do anything. Abstaining entirely would still be a net positive over the drain of resources and mental energy.
  2. Do an April Fools’ “joke,” but actually follow through on your stunt. This is arguably not a prank since you’ve actually created a video game skin or a real product that people can buy — but it doesn’t really hurt anyone.
  3. Do an April Fools’ joke, but be extremely clear from the start that this is a dumb joke and you have no intention of doing the thing that you are “humorously” pretending to do. Does this defeat the purpose of doing an April Fools’ joke because you’re not “fooling” anyone anymore? Absolutely. (Please see my first two points.)
  4. Lie to your customers, successfully tricking them into believing you are making some product, rebranding, or service you are not. By doing so, you will almost certainly annoy everyone once your deceit is made plain for the extremely small gain of pointless PR. The aphorism goes that there is no such thing as bad publicity; the seemingly endless line of companies willing to make fools out of themselves has proven this false time and time again.

So far, we’ve seen some socks that even you can’t lose, Snapchat “Reals” took a shot at Instagram’s Xerox machine approach to product development, and the monitor accessory cats want the most.

If you see anything that particularly sticks out for good, bad, or just unusual reasons, send it to us.

Kia’s compact EV3 is coming to the US this year, with 320 miles of range

The North American version of the 2027 Kia EV3 SUV in white and black
2027 EV3 | Image: Kia

At the New York International Auto Show on Wednesday, Kia announced that its compact electric SUV, the EV3, will be available in the US "in late 2026." The EV3 has been available overseas since 2024, when it launched in South Korea and Europe. The 2027 model coming to the US appears to have the same slightly boxy design as the current 2026 model, and it looks like Kia updated the center console to remove the much-mocked "chopping board" armrest in the original design. The North American version will also have a new glossy black "Nightfall" appearance package option.

The EV3 will be available in standard and long-range configurations, offer …

Read the full story at The Verge.

The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 are now at their lowest price in months

The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2
The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 deliver good bass for a pair of bone conduction headphones. | Image: The Verge

As the days get warmer, it’s tempting to take your workouts outside. Bone conduction headphones let you listen while staying aware of your surroundings, making them ideal for runs, walks, and more. Through April 7th, Shokz is discounting several models during its spring sale, from the Shokz OpenFit Air Earbuds to the OpenDots One clip. The best deal, however, is on the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2, which are on sale for $139.99 ($40 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and directly from Shokz. That’s their best price since December and $15 shy of their all-time low.

The OpenRun Pro 2 are Shokz’s best bone conduction headphones yet, addressing a long standing problem with the category: bass. The running-safe open-ear design often comes at the expense of clarity. The OpenRun Pro 2 tackles that problem with dedicated 18mm by 11mm air conduction drivers, which our reviewer Victoria Song found delivered noticeably richer bass and clearer sound than their predecessor.

She was also impressed by the fit. The updated design features thinner, more flexible ear hooks connected to a lightweight neckband, resulting in a more secure and comfortable feel than earlier models like the AfterShokz. Those older versions could feel too tight around the temples and uncomfortable with glasses, but here, the reduced clamping force and more flexible build make a difference.

In addition to delivering better sound, the OpenRun Pro 2 also offers improved battery life. They can last up to 12 hours on a single charge, and now recharge over USB-C. They also include AI-powered noise cancellation to improve call performance, though in our testing it wasn’t particularly effective. Still, if you’re looking for a comfortable, safety-minded pair of headphones, they’re still a solid option, particularly if you primarily use them for listening to music or podcasts.

Read our Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 review.

Some more ways to save:

  • Now through April 13th, Woot is selling the white, 14-ounce Ember Mug 2 Heated Coffee Mug for just $79.99 ($70 off), which is its best price to date. The self-heating smart mug is a Verge favorite, letting you set and save your preferred temperature between 125 and 145 degrees Fahrenheit via the app, and sending a notification when your drink reaches it.  It keeps beverages warm for up to 80 minutes on battery or all day on the included charging coaster, and automatically wakes and sleeps to conserve power. Just note that while the mug’s water-resistant, it isn’t dishwasher-safe so you’ll have to wash it by hand.
  • The Goliath Power Saber is on sale for $22.99 ($37 off) at Woot through April 4th. As my colleague Sean Hollister wrote in 2024, the lightsaber toy is the first of its kind to automatically extend to a full 35 inches and retract back down at the press of a button. While it lacks official Star Wars branding and premium build quality, it still captures some of the magic of more advanced (and far pricier) lightsaber props. The toy also features motion-activated sound effects and can be displayed on the included stand or carried with the attached belt clip.
  • Apple has just released the second-generation AirPods Max, but if you want to save $150 the original model is currently available for $399 at Woot, which matches its all-time low. The first-gen AirPods Max still offer a premium build with aluminum, stainless steel, and breathable mesh along with great sound and noise cancellation, even if the newer version improves on both and adds features like live translation courtesy of Apple’s new H2 chip. Read our review.

I tested a living room full of cheap Ikea speakers against Sonos and Bose

A green Ikea Kallsup Bluetooth speaker on a wooden coffee table in front of a stack of more green, pink, and white Kallsup speakers.

Ikea's $10 Kallsup Bluetooth speaker is fun and colorful and sounds better than its price suggests. It's not mind-blowing (it is a $10 speaker, after all), and there are no features to speak of, other than the ability to connect up to 100 of them together, but at that price, I don't really care. They're a quick addition if I need a bit more color and sound on my desk or in my son's room.

The Kallsup is about as simple as a Bluetooth speaker can get. It's a 2.75-inch plastic cube enclosure with four short feet on the bottom and a single speaker inside, and it's available in pink, white, and yellow green. There are two buttons and a small LED …

Read the full story at The Verge.