Total repression and air strikes bring daily unrelenting dread for IraniansFergal KeaneSpecial correspondentWatch: Iranians show daily life under air strikes and regime crackdownA woman stands on a rooftop listening to the sounds of the city below. There is only the dull hum of traffic tonight. But she knows how easily that can change. It is usually the dogs who notice the sound first and begin...

AI inference startup Baseten reportedly raising $1.5B months after its last mega round In Brief Posted: 2:20 PM PDT · June 18, 2026 Image Credits:Nuthawut Somsuk / Getty Images AI inference company Baseten is close to finalizing a stunning $1.5 billion funding round at a $13 billion valuation, the WSJ reports. Just five months ago, the...

Parade’s Cami Tellez announces new creator economy marketing platform, $4M in funding Cami Tellez is back.  Tellez is the founder of the viral undergarments brand Parade, which at one point was seen as the Gen Z rival to Victoria’s Secret. Launched in 2019, when Tellez was just 21, the company went on to raise millions in funding and attract thousands of customers, but was sold in 2023 to...

What do you mean my new smart scale is ‘built for GLP-1 users’?This is Optimizer, a weekly newsletter sent from Verge senior reviewer Victoria Song that dissects and discusses the latest gizmos and potions that swear they’re going to change your life. Opt in for Optimizer here.A few days ago, I walked into the basement of a midtown gym. Smoothies and healthy snacks were passed out. Fresh from a...

a16z-backed Base Power is offering cheaper electricity to the power grid that needs it most Energy storage startup Base Power began selling its massive home battery systems to residents of Illinois yesterday, Canary Media reported. Crucially, it’ll be the startup’s first foray into the grid territory operated by PJM Interconnection, the largest U.S. grid operator by territory, and one that has...