Harper Stanfield and Suzanne Englot took park in the in the National Day of Action joining EPA workers across the US protesting cuts to the agency.Environmental Protection Agency workers took to the streets across the US today to protest drastic cuts President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE have made at the federal agency whose mission is to “protect human health and the environment.” Musk, the face of DOGE and the target of growing protests at Tesla dealerships, was a bigger name at the rally than Trump. “How do you spell corruption? E-L-O-N” workers and their supporters chanted at a picket line in front of a federal building in New York City. Some held signs with “this man is not our boss” written in red over a sketch of Musk’s face. More than 150 people rallied with picket signs chanting “Move, DOGE, get out the way,” to the tune of a Ludacris song, and “What do we do when clean land/air/water/science is under attack? Stand up, fight back!”The workers, represented by union AFGE Council 238, held marches in 8 cities as part of a ‘National Day of Action.’ Plans to dismantle much of the agency and weaken protections against pollution put Americans at risk, EPA workers warn.“I work on enforcing regulations that deal with hazardous waste and toxic substances, which is work that I feel is not a partisan issue.”“I work on enforcing regulations that deal with hazardous waste and toxic substances, which is work that I feel is not a partisan issue,” says Suzanne Englot, an attorney who works in enforcement at the EPA. “Everyone wants to make sure that hazardous waste and toxic substances are properly regulated, disposed of, stored and all of that. But in these times, it makes me nervous that things are going to change.”The EPA, under Trump’s executive orders, is now barred from taking any enforcement or compliance actions that would “shut down any stage of energy production” unless there’s an “imminent and substantial” health threat, according to a memo that EPA leadership issued on March 12th.On the same day, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin announced what he called “the greatest day of deregulation our nation has seen,” proposing rollbacks on dozens of rules meant to curb pollution from power plants, oil and gas refineries, chemical plants, cars and trucks, factories, and more.The Trump administration has also moved to shutter the agency’s scientific research office and environmental justice offices. Trump has mused about cutting the EPA’s budget by 65 percent. Around 1,100 probationary employees at the EPA received notice in January telling them the agency “has the right to immediately terminate you.” A federal judge later ordered the Trump administration to rehire hundreds of workers who had been laid off at the agency. And the White House faces more legal challenges over its dismantling of federal agencies and deregulation spree.    Both Trump and billionaire-backer Musk complained about regulations slowing companies down during last year’s election season. “It costs much more to do things environmentally clean,” Trump said in an interview with Joe Rogan on October 25th. “We’ve got to have sensible spending. And we’ve got to have deregulation …. I’m pro-environment, [but] I don’t think we should vilify the oil and gas industry because they’re keeping civilization going right now,” Musk said in his X interview with Trump on August 12th. Musk later wielded a chainsaw “for bureaucracy” at the Conservative Political Action Conference stage last month.  “Elon is perpetuating a climate of fear and targeting federal workers and the mission that they carry out to protect human health and the environment,” EPA environmental engineer Harper Stanfield told The Verge at the rally in New York City. “We can’t let EPA be silenced by billionaires.”Trump has accepted tens of millions of dollars in funding from the oil and gas industry. Elon Musk spent more than $250 million helping Trump get elected. The president then handed Musk the power to dramatically makeover federal agencies through his post leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). In an email to The Verge, the EPA said that it’s “listening” to employees and made cuts to comply with Trump’s agenda to eliminate programs it considers diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.Stanfield and Englot said at the rally today that they’re calling on Congress to act as a check on the executive branch, and asking people to reach out to their elected representatives to support the EPA’s work. “Democrat, Republican, independent, whoever it is, everyone is impacted by this,” Englot says. “EPA’s work touches everyone’s lives.”

Windows can be frustrating, and it's only natural to want an alternative, especially one that isn't tied to Microsoft. That's where ReactOS, an open-source version of Windows that closely resembles the functionality of classic Windows, comes in. After more than three years without a significant update, ReactOS is finally back, with its latest release, ReactOS 0.4.15, now available for download.

Game Informer is back, and so is its entire staff. On Tuesday, editor-in-chief Matt Miller announced that Gunzilla Games has acquired the rights to the gaming magazine, helping to bring the site and its archives back online.GameStop, which previously owned Game Informer, shut down the beloved magazine last August and laid off its entire staff after a more than 30-year run. The team teased a comeback last week, and has already published a series of new reviews for titles released during the magazine’s hiatus, along with a belated list of the best games of 2024.Its new owners, Gunzilla Games, is a game developer based in Europe that’s currently working on a battle royale title called Off the Grid. Miller says the magazine will continue operating as an independent editorial outlet under a new entity called Game Informer, Inc. “Our intent is to continue to focus on highlighting the coolest games, celebrating the history and legacy of the gaming industry, and shining a spotlight on the creators and players who are charting its future,” Miller says.In addition to bringing back its website, Game Informer plans to resurrect its print magazine, too, with “new membership and subscription benefits.” Though Game Informer currently isn’t offering a subscription just yet, you can sign up for an account on its website to receive updates, as well as gain access to the magazine’s archive. Game Informer will continue updating its site with news, reviews, previews, features, event coverage, and more starting today.

Just as flower buds are beginning to bloom to mark the seasonal shift toward warmer months, Amazon is hosting its first big sales event of 2025. The Big Spring Sale, as it is known, is live, and runs through Monday, March 31st, bringing with it a slew of discounts on gardening supplies, bedding, and other necessities. While the discounts aren’t as steep as during tentpole events like Prime Day or even Amazon’s October event, you can still find steep savings on security cameras, headphones, smartwatches, and loads of other tech.We’ve dug into all the deals and discounts available so far, the best of which you’ll find below. By and large, most of the deals will last until the end of the event. And, while having a Prime subscription means your packages will certainly arrive more quickly, you don’t necessarily need to be a member to get in on these tried-and-tested Verge favorites. We’ll also be keeping an eye on deals at competing retailers, including Best Buy, Walmart, and Target.Featured dealsHeadphone and earbud dealsSpeaker and soundbar dealsSmart home dealsTablet and e-reader dealsSmartwatch and fitness tracker dealsOther Verge favoritesFeatured dealsHeadphone and earbud dealsThe Beats Studio Pro are on sale at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy for $179.95 ($170 off), which remains one of the best prices we’ve seen. Looks-wise, they’re not drastically different than prior Beats models, though they tack on a useful transparency mode, personalized spatial audio, and lossless playback over USB-C. Plus, unlike most noise-canceling headphones, they offer native support for both iOS and Android software features. Read our review.If you prefer a pair of noise-canceling earbuds that support native software features on both iOS and Android, the Beats Studio Buds Plus are available at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy for around $130 ($40 off), nearly matching their best price to date. Yes, their lack of wireless charging and in-ear detection stings a bit at their typical list price, but their see-through design is slick enough that the shortcomings are (almost) forgivable. Read our review.If you’re not dead set on noise cancellation but would still like a pair of Apple earbuds, the recently released AirPods 4 are matching their all-time low of $99.99 ($30 off) at Amazon and Walmart right now. They’re a substantial upgrade over the prior model when it comes to call clarity and sound, and they offer the same seamless integration with macOS, iOS, and tvOS as the rest of Apple’s earbuds. Read our review.The Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e — aka, the best-sounding wireless headphones you can buy — are available at Amazon starting at $296.71 (about $102 off), or from Bower & Wilkins or Best Buy for $319.99 ($80 off). The British audio brand isn’t as well-known as Sony or Bose, though with the S2E, you’re getting superb sound, superior build quality, and controls that rely on physical buttons as opposed to the tap/swipe gestures found on mainstream noise-canceling headphones like Sony’s XM5. Read our review.Anker’s Soundcore Sport X20 earbuds are on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart for $63.99 ($16 off), matching their second-best price to date. The fitness-friendly buds are a lot like the Sport X10 — which were once our favorite budget earbuds for the gym — only they offer longer battery life, a more robust IP68 water resistance rating, and multipoint support. They also supposedly offer better noise cancellation and continue to sport an adjustable ear hook, which is a boon if you’re someone who struggles with keeping traditional earbuds in during intense gym sessions.Speaker and soundbar dealsJBL’s Charge 5 is on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart in multiple colors starting at $119.95 ($60 off), which is the best price we’ve seen on the portable speaker since July. We’re not huge fans of the oversized JBL logo, but the powerful Bluetooth speaker hits all the right marks when it comes to functionality and performance, offering an impressive 20 hours of battery life and a built-in USB-A port that lets you top off your phone while listening to music.Despite the fact the Sonos app has been a bit of a debacle as of late, I have few qualms about recommending the Sonos Era 100 for $199 ($50 off), its current price at Amazon, Best Buy, and Sonos’ online storefront. It’s a great smart speaker with stereo sound, privacy-conscious microphone controls, and support for both Bluetooth and line-in connections. It can also connect to Spotify and every other music service you can think of and supports AirPlay 2, letting you stream content from Apple devices. Read our review.Amazon’s latest Echo Dot is down to $39.99 ($10 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Kohl’s. The tiny, orb-shaped smart speaker features onboard microphones and produces good sound for its size, making it a solid option for listening to music, issuing smart home commands, checking the weather, and making other various Alexa requests. It also includes a built-in temperature sensor, which can tell you the temperature in the room and trigger various Alexa Routines, if necessary. Read our review.Sony’s SRS-XB100 speaker is available at Amazon and Best Buy for around $48 ($12 off) or at Target for $39.99 if you’re a member of the retailer’s free loyalty program. Despite the fact it’s tiny, the Bluetooth speaker delivers crisp, clear sound along with up to 16 hours of continuous battery life. It also sports IP67 dust and water resistance, so you can take it hiking or to the pool without worrying. Read our review.Want a compact smart display for your nightstand? Amazon’s latest Echo Show 5 is on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H Photo for $69.99 ($20 off), which is a pretty typical discount. The Alexa-enabled smart display is Amazon’s smallest at 5.5 inches, though it’s still plenty big enough for managing smart home devices and controlling music playback. It also has a 2-megapixel camera (with an integrated privacy shutter), just in case you want to use it for more than a smart alarm clock.Smart home dealsRing’s latest Indoor Cam is on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and The Home Depot for $39.99 ($20 off), matching its second-best price to date. The 1080p security camera boasts all the same features as the prior model — including two-way talk, color night vision, and a built-in siren — only it’s equipped with a redesigned mount that makes it easier to adjust. That said, you’ll need a Ring Protect Plan ($4.99 a month / $49.99 a year) to share or view video recordings.Verge smart home reviewer Jennifer Pattison Tuohy recommends the Roborock Q5 Pro for those who want a budget-friendly robot vacuum that’s skilled in the arcane art of sucking up pet hair. Fortunately, the Q50 Pro Plus model is on sale at Amazon with its auto-empty bin for just $299.99 ($400 off) — a $70 upcharge on the standard Q50 Pro that’s well worth it if your space has a lot of fur to sweep up.Tablet and e-reader dealsAmazon’s ad-supported Fire HD 10 tablet is on sale at Amazon and Best Buy right now with 32GB of storage starting at $94.99 ($45 off), or about $20 shy of its lowest price to date. The 2023 model sports USB-C charging, a 10.1-inch, 1080p display, and 3GB of RAM, which is plenty if all you’re doing is streaming or browsing. Just be aware that, like all of Amazon’s budget-minded tablets, it’s really focused on serving up Amazon content at every turn.If you prefer a big-screen, note-taking alternative to the Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Colorsoft, the 2024 Kindle Scribe is matching its all-time low of $324.99 ($75 off) at Amazon and Best Buy with 32GB of storage. It remains the biggest Kindle available thanks to its 10.2-inch 300 ppi display, which features a textured cover that makes it feel more akin to writing on paper. The latest model offers a host of new writing features, too, including a tool that lets you jot notes directly in your book. Read our review.Smartwatch and fitness tracker dealsAmazon and Walmart are both selling the Garmin Venu Sq 2 starting at around $185 ($64 off), which matches its second-best price to date. Although not originally priced as such, it’s considered an entry-level fitness watch for Garmin fans. It’s pretty stylish, overall, and can last just as long and do just as much as a Fitbit (if not more). We also like it for its wide breadth of health and workout-tracking features, along with its support for built-in GPS and contactless payments. Read our full review.Other Verge favoritesWe’ve said it several times before, but if all you need is a basic monochrome laser printer, just buy whatever Brother model is on sale. Right now, that’s the Brother HL-L2400D printer, which is matching its all-time low of $99.99 ($20 off) at Amazon as part of the retailer’s spring sales event. It’s not really suited for photo use or anything fancy, but it connects to Wi-Fi, works reliably, and lasts ages on a single toner cartridge. It also supports automatic duplex printing, so, you know, it has that going for it.We like Hoto’s svelte toolkits for a couple of reasons. They strike a minimalistic look, for one thing, and they incorporate at least one power tool. The company’s Drill Tool Set — which is on sale at Amazon for a new low of $159.58 ($40 off) — is no exception, as it comes with a power drill, a bunch of bits, and several other handy tools.Pet owners who strive to keep pet hair to a minimum shouldn’t overlook the ChomChom Roller, especially since it’s currently on sale at Amazon for $19.59 ($5 off). This simple tool can de-fur your couch faster and more effectively than most vacuums, even if it’s not the best tool for ridding clothes of unwanted hair.The Blue Yeti microphone is on sale at Amazon in a myriad of colors starting at $89.99 ($40 off). That’s not the lowest price we’ve seen — it’s fallen to around $70 in the past — but it’s still a good deal on what has become a certifiable classic USB mic in the era of never-ending Zoom meetings. The versatile mic is easy to set up and simple to use, with a three-capsule microphone that can capture clear, warm sound that should appeal to both amateur podcasters and anyone wanting a more professional setup.One of our go-to gift guide picks, the Instant Pot Duo Plus, is currently available for an all-time low of $89.95 ($40 off) at Amazon. Multiple Verge staffers swear by the six-quart multi-cooker, which is similar to the base-model instant pot but comes with a few additional smart programs, including a customizable sous vide setting and a cake option that lets you pressure cook at high temperature for 40 minutes. That’s in addition to the ability to cook rice, steam veggies, and sauté, among other actions.Power banks with built-in USB-C cables are the hot thing right now. As it turns out, having a battery pack that can charge your device in a jiffy and double as a lanyard is pretty great. Luckily, you can snag one of the most affordable 20,000mAh models out there, Anker’s 30W Zolo power bank, for $24.61 (about $11 off) at Amazon. While it’s not powerful enough to quickly charge a Steam Deck that’s running games, it’ll do just fine for charging it (as well as other USB-C devices) while they sleep.If you’re someone who owns (or, someday, envisions owning) USB-C gadgets that draw a lot of power, it’s wise to buy cables with high wattage passthrough, just so you’re ready for the future. Anker’s six-foot 240W USB-C cable is a great candidate, especially since it’s discounted to $16.99 ($8 off) at Amazon.Ugreen’s Uno lineup of charging accessories aims to be more personable. To that end, its 6.6-foot 1ooW USB-C cable — which is currently discounted to $10.39 ($2.61 off) at Amazon — has expressive, Tamagotchi-like eyes. The reason? There’s no reason — it’s just cute, okay?Govee may be best known for its ambient TV backlighting, but it also makes lighting products to illuminate your entire living space in shades of RGB. One of its most stunning lights, the Smart Table Lamp 2, is on sale for $55.99 ($14 off) at Amazon. It can provide vibrant lights for a gathering, or you can adjust its color temperature to suit your bedtime and wake-up rituals better.Having access to clean drinking water everywhere you are is a privilege, but not guaranteed. If you’ll be out in the wild, or if you’re vacationing but want to be cautious when it comes to water intake, the LifeStraw Peak is worth picking up at Amazon for its current price of $18.62 ($6 off). It’s essentially a thick straw outfitted with a filter that’s capable of removing 99.9 percent of bacteria, parasites, and microplastics from the water you’re drinking.Update, March 25th: Updated to reflect current pricing/availability and several new deals, including those for the AirPods 4 and Eufy’s X10 Pro Omni robot vacuum.

“Pick-your-own” promotions are a personal favorite of mine, so I’m stoked to see the return of Amazon’s deal that lets you grab three 4K Blu-rays, standard 1080p Blu-rays, or DVDs for the price of two. All you have to do is add any three items included on this page and head to checkout, after which point you’ll find the cheapest of the three to be free. Just a note that playing a 4K Blu-ray requires a PlayStation 5 with a disc drive, an Xbox Series X, or a standalone 4K Blu-ray player — such as this high-end Panasonic model that’s currently 23 percent off.Included in the list are some of our favorite movies of 2024, including Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, The Substance, and Alien: Romulus. The page has other titles you might be interested in, like the recent 4K re-releases of Kill Bill Vol.1 and Vol. 2, the steelbook version of Akira, Prey (an incredible Predator spin-off), the 4K version of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and a whole lot more.

After delivering a new “open” AI model with better performance on a single GPU, Google has now introduced an update to the AI models for its products with Gemini 2.5, which combines “a significantly enhanced base model with improved post-training” for better overall performance. It’s claiming that the first release, Gemini 2.5 Pro experimental, leads competition from OpenAI, Anthropic, xAI, and DeepSeek on common AI benchmarks that measure understanding, mathematics, coding, and other capabilities. The new model is available to access in Google AI Studio or for Gemini Advanced subscribers in the app’s model dropdown menu.The company is also touting Gemini’s native multimodality as an advantage, as it’s able to interpret not just text, but also audio, still images, video, and code, and says that a 2 million token context window is “coming soon” to help it process more data. Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis called Gemini 2.5 Pro “an awesome state-of-the-art model, no.1 on LMArena by a whopping +39 ELO points, with significant improvements across the board in multimodal reasoning, coding & STEM,” in a post on X.Google says it’s jumped forward in quality because Gemini models are now “reasoning” models that process tasks step-by-step and make more informed decisions, which they say results in better answers and responses for complex prompts. Now, the blog post reads, “…we’re building these thinking capabilities directly into all of our models, so they can handle more complex problems and support even more capable, context-aware agents.” One demo video shows 2.5 Pro using those reasoning capabilities to program a video game based on a single prompt:

If you're a Windows 11 user, PowerToys is one of the most useful programs you can have installed. With a suite of over 25 tools built-in, PowerToys is an incredibly versatile app that can enhance your productivity with a wide range of ways. But with so many tools at your disposal, one might wonder: which ones are truly the best?

You can have a lot of fun with a Raspberry Pi on April Fool’s Day by transforming ordinary devices into mischievous surprises. These playful projects are perfect for lighthearted pranks that won’t harm anyone’s equipment or hurt anyone’s feelings. They also allow you to experiment with coding and electronics, which is a good way to sharpen your technical skills. With a few carefully chosen components and some creative ideas, you can set the stage for an entertaining day that keeps everyone on their toes.

Everyone knows what a classic NES looks like, down to its iconic controller, but not all Nintendo consoles were stand-alone. Some of the most interesting parts of Nintendo’s hardware history were the things that came later—add-ons and expansions that made those systems do more than they were originally built for. While the expansion port on the bottom of the NES is infamous for never being used, other systems like the Japanese Famicom and Super Famicom did have extension add-ons.

Adobe has long topped lists for the best creative software in industries such as graphic design, photography, and videography. It's the most popular brand for the majority of creative tools, but huge swathes of users are making the switch from Adobe or have avoided it entirely. Price is the biggest factor, along with a lack of ownership and privacy concerns. Other software offers better options for those three problems without forgoing many of the creative features offered in Adobe products.

Samsung makes some of the best gaming monitors that you can buy. But if you're not looking to spend $1,000 or more, or want something a little smaller, we think that this Odyssey G65B gaming monitor is going to be right up your alley.

It's finally here: the Amazon Big Spring Sale. This is a brief period where a ton of product across Amazon's products go on pretty big discount, and is the perfect time to snap up some deals as we head into the start of Spring. So, here are seven great deals to get you started during the Amazon Big Spring Sale 2025.