A win for Die Roten at WWK Arena today would see them go 9 points clear at the top of the league.

April 4, 20253 min readFEMA to Halt Billions in Grants for Disaster Protection, Internal Memo SaysAn internal FEMA memo says the agency is canceling future and existing grants that help states and tribes prepare for floods, tornadoes and other disastersBy Thomas Frank & E&E News Parishioners and community members look over damage after a tornado struck the Christ Community Church on April 3, 2025 in Paducah, Kentucky. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear issued a state of emergency ahead of the storms that are expected to cause flash flooding and tornadoes across Kentucky. Michael Swensen/Getty ImagesCLIMATEWIRE | The Trump administration is canceling a popular grant program that has given states and communities billions of dollars to protect against natural disasters, according to an internal document obtained by POLITICOs E&E News.Federal Emergency Management Agency acting Administrator Cameron Hamilton wrote in a memo Thursday that the agency will not allocate the $750 million that was planned this year for Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grants. The BRIC program funds local projects that reduce damage from flooding, tornadoes and other weather-related events.FEMA also will stop funding projects that were previously approved for BRIC grants and are still underway, Hamilton wrote.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.The cancellation is the Trump administrations latest blow to FEMA, which provides tens of billions of dollars a year in disaster aid and grants. The administration has also frozen $10 billion in disaster aid for nonprofits, including hospitals, as it scrutinizes FEMA programs for potentially helping undocumented migrants.Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has floated shrinking or dissolving the agency, saying in March, Were going to eliminate FEMA.Although the agency has faced criticism notably from President Donald Trump for its response to major disasters, BRIC drew wide praise as an effort to make communities better able to withstand natural disasters and climate impacts.BRIC has distributed $5 billion in grants since it began in 2020 during the first Trump administration, FEMA records show. The grants typically pay 75 percent of a projects cost and have given some projects as much as $50 million.The program was so popular that FEMA had to reject nearly 2,000 applicants seeking $13 billion in BRIC grants. The agency itself touts BRIC for helping states, localities and native tribes reduce their hazard risk and build capacity and capability.But Hamilton wrote Thursday that BRIC grants have not increased the level of hazard mitigation as much as desired, and may supplant state, local, tribal and territorial capital investment planning.With that in mind, I am providing new direction for the BRIC Program, Hamilton added in his two-page memo.Former senior FEMA officials expressed concern over the decision to stop releasing previously approved BRIC grant money.All of those things that were selected but had not begun will get canceled, said one former senior official who asked not to be named to avoid alienating FEMA. The cancellation could apply to entire projects or to the second half of a project that is halfway completed.That will crush projects that are underway, a second former senior FEMA official said.Although BRIC is supported by Congress and coveted by states, the program has become a target of the Trump administration because of its focus during the Biden administration on addressing climate change and promoting equity.In February, the Trump administration removed a funding notice posted in the final days of the Biden administration inviting states to apply for $750 million in BRIC grants. It was unclear at the time whether the Trump administration intended to cancel the program or to rewrite the notice to remove priority for disadvantaged communities and references to climate change.President Joe Biden ordered the program to address climate change and spend 40 percent of its grant money on projects that help communities with high rates of poverty, unemployment and environmental exposure. Congress sharply increased the annual BRIC allocations under Biden's presidency.In his memo, Hamilton said FEMA is "evaluating all existing grants and their priorities, scope, and implementation timelines. The evaluation aims to ensure FEMA grants align with a March 19 executive order from Trump aimed at shifting disaster preparedness to state and local governments.Further, FEMA is working to identify how grants can accomplish the new priorities most effectively and efficiently, Hamilton added.BRIC is the largest of several FEMA grant programs that are awarded through a national competition.Another FEMA grant program that pays for flood-protection projects also is under review, although Hamiltons memo does not mention the program.When the administration removed the BRIC funding notice, it also removed a notice announcing $600 million in grants through FEMAs long-standing Flood Mitigation Assistance grant program.Reprinted from E&E News with permission from POLITICO, LLC. Copyright 2025. E&E News provides essential news for energy and environment professionals.

UPDATE 4.40pm: Eurogamer has confirmed with Nintendo that there are no current plans to adjust the ongoing pre-order process here in the UK. Read more

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games hereNintendo has surprisingly delayed the United States pre-order period for the Nintendo Switch 2 console in response to a new wave of tariffs on goods coming out of Japan, Taiwan, China, Korea and more into the US.Just days after the company properly unveiled its new Nintendo Switch 2 hardware with specs, new games and more, the Japanese console giant has scrapped its plan of opening pre-orders on April 9, 2025 due to evolving market conditions as a result of Trump tariffs.Nintendo Switch 2 US pre-orders delayedWhile pre-orders were set to open on April 9, 2025, the company is working to assess the potential impact of tariffs on the companys hardware. With a price of $449.99 RRP for just the console, there is a high possibility that the hardware could cost more when it launched in the United States.In a statement to IGN, Nintendo explaineed that the consoles release date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged as the new hardware releases worldwide. However, there is a chance that the machine will cost substantially more than expected in North America.Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. will not start April 9, 2025 in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions, the company said in the statement. Nintendo will update timing at a later date. The launch date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged.The Nintendo Switch 2 has already been criticised for its entry price as well as the cost of video games on the console. However, with the evolving tariff situation making hardware even more expensive, it seems American gamers may end up forking out even more than expected for the new machine.For more on the Nintendo Switch 2, read about the consoles new GameChat feature, new Game-Key Cards and the reason Nintendo has gone with an LCD screen instead of an OLED one for the new machine.Subscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

What if You Alpha Brush Texture Is Square or Its Blurry? By Jan van den Hemel on April 4, 2025 Videotutorials What if you Alpha Brush is square? And if the resolution is too low? In this video, Jan van den Hemel looks at solutions to those common issues when using height maps as sculpting brushes in Blender, specifically with Hard Surface Sculpting.

Tech moguls who grinned behind Trump at inauguration lose billions in wake of his tariffs announcementTech executives had argued that backing Trump might improve U.S. regulatory reform and expand investments in AIJosh Marcusin San Francisco,Katie HawkinsonFriday 04 April 2025 16:13 BSTTrump insists 'everything is going well' as stock market plunges over tariffsSign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inboxGet our free Inside Washington emailGet our free Inside Washington emailI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read ourprivacy policyTech billionaires who cozied up to Donald Trump were some of the biggest losers - shedding billions in net worth and values of their companies - in Thursdays stock market losses as Wall Street reacted to the presidents tariff plan. Meta stock was down 8.96 percent, Amazon was down 8.98 percent, Google had fallen 3.92 percent, while Apple had plunged over 9 percent. White House adviser Elon Musk also felt the pain, with Tesla sliding 5.47 percent.The losses came as Wall Street saw a historically bad day on Thursday after Trump announced his Liberation Day tariffs on nearly every U.S. trade partner. The Dow Jones saw a point drop that ranked in the top five worst of all time, while the NASDAQ suffered its largest one-day point drop in that markets history. The S&P 500 also saw its biggest one-day drop since March 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The market fell further on Friday, with the Dow dropping 1,000 at opening hours after China placed retaliatory 34 percent tariffs on U.S. goods.As a result of the sell-off, Metas Mark Zuckerberg personally lost $17.9 billion, while Amazon founder Jeff Bezoss wealth declined $16 billion and Musk was down $8.7 billion, according to an analysis from Forbes.Three men became close to Trump during the transition and donated to his efforts. They were also seen at his inauguration. Musk has become Trumps first buddy and is helping spearhead Trumps efforts to shrink the federal government. Still, their companies could be hit hard by Trumps tariff plan, which is expected to raise prices on many goods brought in from overseas. Executives Mark Zuckerberg of Meta and Jeff Bezos of Amazon attend Donald Trumps inauguration. Their tech companies lost billions in Thursdays stock market losses after Trump announced his tariff plan (Getty Images)While tech moguls lost a fortune on Thursday, Musk is still the worlds richest man, according to Forbes, with a net worth of $368.6 billion. Bezos is still at No. 2, with a net worth of $191.3 billion, while Zuckerberg is in third place with $178.6 billion. All told, the market plunge wiped away $208 billion from the worlds richest 500 people, per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, the fourth largest one-day decline in the trackers 13-year history. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday a market decline was a sign of investors correcting for months of AI hype and over-priced tech stocks, calling it a Mag 7 problem, not a MAGA problem, a reference to the Magnificent Seven tech stocks Apple, Amazon, Tesla, Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta and chip-maker Nvidia.Throughout the 2024 election season, Trump courted an unusual level of support from Big Tech for a hard-right Republican.The market plunge wiped away $208 billion from the worlds richest 500 people -including Elon Musk. The Tesla owner has become close with Trump in recent months and is leading efforts to shrink the federal government (AFP via Getty Images)During the campaign, Elon Musk donated more than $290 million to Trump and Republican-affiliated efforts. Meta and Amazon both gave $1 million to Trumps inauguration, while Apples Tim Cook personally donated another million. Ahead of Trump taking office, tech CEOs expressed optimism Trump might slash regulation and support the burgeoning artificial intelligence field, where U.S. companies are in an arms race with China.I am very optimistic that President Trump is serious about this regulatory agenda, Bezos said in December. If I can help him do that, Im going to help him, because we do have too much regulation in this country.I think theres a real opportunity in this moment, Googles Sundar Pichai added that month. One of the constraints for A.I. could be the infrastructure we have in this country, including energy. The rate at which we can build things. I think there are real areas where I think hes thinking about and committed to making a difference. So hopefully we can make progress there.Other companies appeared to court the Trump administration with preemptive policy changes, such as Meta, which rolled back diversity and content-moderation policies, while appointing Trump ally and UFC president Dana White to its board.The administration has been a mixed bag since for these tech firms.Throughout the 2024 election season, Trump courted an unusual level of support from Big Tech for a hard-right Republican - as both Musk and Besoz attended inauguration events for Trump (AP)Vice President J.D. Vance, himself a former tech venture capitalist, has been outspoken against what he sees as European regulator overreach against U.S. tech companies.The Trump administration is troubled by reports that some foreign governments are considering tightening the screws on U.S. tech companies with international footprints, he said at a conference in February. Now America cannot and will not accept that.Zuckerberg has reportedly been lobbying Trump for assistance heading off a potential effort from regulators to force Facebook to allow European users to access its Facebook and Instagram platforms without facing personalized ads, which could be a major hit to the firms business model.The White House has also thrown its support behind a joint OpenAI-Oracle-SoftBank venture called Stargate, which intends to invest up to $500 billion in U.S. AI infrastructure.At the same time, if the market continues to tank, and if, as some firms predicts, a recession arrives within the next 12 months, it could have a major impact on U.S. AI capabilities.Developing AI requires data centers that use huge amounts of electricity, so much so that major tech firms have been on a spree of signing nuclear power agreements in recent months to secure long-term energy supplies.However, given the capital-intensive, multi-year nature of electricity generation projects, the tariff chaos could stall further long-term investments in the kind of infrastructure tech firms need to keep making AI.Join our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesMost PopularPopular videosSponsored Features

Money TalksNintendo Switch 2 pre-orders delayed in US so Nintendo can "assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions"Following announcements of widespread US tariffs, Nintendo is holding back to assess the impact. News by Connor Makar Staff Writer Published on April 4, 2025 According to an official statement from Nintendo, US pre-orders for the Nintendo Switch 2 have been delayed until some time after the originally outlined date of April 9, as the company waits and sees how the massive economic policy shift changes the market.The statement, released to press, reads as follows, "pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the U.S. will not start April 9, 2025 in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions. Nintendo will update timing at a later date. The launch date of June 5, 2025 is unchanged."To see this content please enable targeting cookies. On April 2, US President Donald Trump announced a vast collection of tariffs for countries all across the world, including but not limited to Japan and Vietnam. Japan is where Nintendo is based of course, but that is not where manufacturing takes place. Much of the production for Nintendo hardware happens in China, and perhaps more importantly Vietnam, the latter being where the company relocated some of its manufacturing in what one source claimed was in anticipation of US tariffs placed on China. Vietnam is among one of the countries impacted the most by recent events, being hit with a 46% tariff. Meanwhile, China has been hit with an additional 34% tariff on top of what had already been levied against it. As a baseline tariff across all goods, this would certainly impact imports of the Nintendo Switch 2.This announcement follows major economic turmoil worldwide, as Wall Street brockerage JP Morgan raised its recession risk percentage up to 60%, something that itself could impact sales across the US. Economies across the world have also been hit by the tariff announcement, with changes to both imports and exports set to drastically change predicted growth across all territories.What this could mean for you American readers sitting at home is that the Nintendo Switch 2 could retail at a higher price than you were expecting. This, obviously, isn't good news. Especially at a time when money is already tight and the cost of living is rather brutal across the board. Sadly, we'll have to wait a little longer to find out just how bad a hit US consumers will be taking.Does this change your plans on picking up a Nintendo Switch 2 on launch? Let us know below!

Image: GenkiThere are quite a few first-party accessories already online and ready to drop alongside the Nintendo Switch 2 when it releases on June 5th. In fact, there's so many that we've already got a guide for you to check them all out in one place, because we are nice that way.With Nintendo's own launch accessories pretty much fully revealed, Genki has now stepped up with its line of Switch 2-specific gear and, we're not gonna beat about the bush here, we want all of it.With Hori recently showing off some Nintendo Switch Camera customisation options in the form of some cool Piranha Plants, and JSAUX a brand that's really delivered the goods with their Steam Deck range of accessories also already announcing full lineups of protective casing and other bits and bobs, Genki's lineup has certainly got some competition. Luckily, it's all looking fairly slick and up to the task at hand.The Genki Joy-Con Station, as shown below, can charge up four of your Switch 2's Joy-Con at once and, although we've seen this quad design loads of times in the past, this one actually looks tidy and slick.Image: GenkiPriced at $49.99 / 35.99, the Joy-Station does seem incredibly clever in how you put your four Joy-Con on shaped plastic frames, that then turn them into full controllers - whilst also charging them up. When being used, these grips can also be plugged in via USB-C, should you wish to use them when your Joy-Con have absolutely had it. Pretty sweet.Genki also unveiled an Energy Pack, costing $69.99 which connects magnetically to the back of your new console, where it will charge at 30w speeds. So those who are concerned about the battery already, take heart, there are some slick boosts on the way.Image: GenkiFor $49.99 / 43.00 the company also has the Genki Attack Vector three-piece dock-compatible shell casing. This comes with three varying sizes of grip that clip in around the Joy-Con very neatly.Image: GenkiMeanwhile, the $29.99 Force Field 2 is a more lightweight shell that also allows for the Switch 2 stand and the system's dock.Image: GenkiRounding out the accessories range we've got a $19.99 screen protector, the Aegis Shield (which you can also get for an extra $10 with the Force Field 2) a $42.99 Sleeper Case for protecting your console when it's tossed in a bag and, finally a set of three plastic cases that hold 12 games per piece. This Mimic Chest, as they're calling it, comes in at $19.99.Images: GenkiPre-orders are now live for all of this gear (you can head here to check that out) and you should also note that the whole kitchen sink can be purchased as a mega bundle with either the Force Field 2 Shell ($184.99) or with the Attack Vector ($199.99). Phew!Check out our Switch 2 pre-order guide for all the official bits and pieces Nintendo is launching alongside the console on 5th June. Update: Pre-orders are live in EuropeWill you be grabbing any of this Genki gear, or any other Switch 2 gear that you've seen so far? Let us know!See AlsoShare:00 PJ is a staff writer across Pure Xbox and Nintendo Life. He's been playing video games pretty much nonstop since the early 1980s, and enjoys boring people with tedious stories about how long ago that really is. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...Related ArticlesNintendo Switch 2 Direct: Time, Where To Watch, What To ExpectIt's time for Switch 2Switch 2 Pre-Orders Expected To Sell Out "Day One" Due To Limited Unit AllocationAccording to a "large US retailer"Nintendo Is (Kinda) Returning To Region-Locking With A Cheaper Japanese Switch 2Priced 49,980 yen, which is around $333 USDRumour: Switch 2's Pre-Order Date Might Have Been Accidentally LeakedUpdate: Pre-orders expected to follow Direct

Since IPOs slowed to trickle a few years ago, limited partners who invest in venture capital funds have had one giant problem: a dearth of liquidity.Lack of cash returns has been especially troublesome for wealthy individuals or their small family offices who manage the assets of the wealthy that made substantial investments in VC funds.Having funds locked up in venture capital was a big issue for entrepreneur Mike Hurst. After selling Exactuals (a payments startup he founded) to City National Bank in 2018, he invested a good portion of the proceeds from the exit into tech stocks and venture funds.Then the tech stocks crashed in 2022 and Hurst told TechCrunch that he didnt have enough free cash to support his VC fund commitments.Firms kept coming for capital calls and new investments. I wanted to make them, but I didnt want to mortgage the house, take a margin line or sell Amazon at $90 when I knew it was going back to $210, he said.That experience gave Hurst the idea to create a credit product that would allow limited partners to borrow funds secured by their LP position in venture funds.Hurst turned his vision into Turbine, a debtplatform for limited partners in private equity and VC. The company is coming out of stealth on Friday and announcing that it has raised a total of $22 million in equity funding co-led by Alpha Edison and TTV Capital with the participation of Fin Capital, B Capital, and Sozo Ventures.The company has also secured up to $100 million in debt from Silicon Valley Bank to support its loan making.Turbine provides a way for limited partners to access funds using their fund stakes as collateral, much like a home equity line of credit uses home value or a margin line uses stock holdings.Gardiner Garrard,I had many incidents where an LP approached me, asking about liquidity, Garrard said. But there werent many great options for helping a single investor in a fund get some cash.Garrard explained that TTV could have sold some stock in a portfolio company on the secondaries market to help the investor, but he didnt want to sell an asset early to serve the needs of only one LP.Alternatively, the LP could have tried to sell their stake (known as LP interest) in the fund, but those deals come with significant discounts, Garrard said, meaning the LP would likely have to sell the stake for less than it was worth.Turbine claims its offering investors liquidity on the appreciated value of their position in the venture funds without giving up on the future upside. For example, if an LPs initial $3 million investment in a fund has grown to $10 million, they can use that $10 million valuation as collateral for their loan.The downside is that these loans arent cheap. The interest rate is currently around 9% (the prime rate is currently around 7.5%, so many loans these days of any kind arent cheap).But Gerrard argues that this could still be considered a very reasonable rate and a lot cheaper than the cost of selling the stake on secondary markets, at a loss, or even just at a discount.Turbines first customers are the five venture firms that backed its equity raise. The general partners of these firms are already offering their LPs access to Turbines credit, Hurst said, adding that it plans to make its product available to more VC funds following todays announcement.I couldnt believe we didnt have something like this for our LPs before, Garrard said.

The Walt Disney Studios attended CinemaCon 2025 in force this week to reveal exclusive first looks and gen-up excitement for its upcoming theatrical release slate. Alan Bergman, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment, took the stage at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace to welcome attendees and speak about the cinematic events. Andrew Cripps, head of theatrical distribution, kicked off the Studios 2025 presentation with a montage of footage from the upcoming Lilo & Stitch live-action reimagining. The studio also released a brand-new clip and poster from the film.With a dazzling grid light show, Jared Leto and Jeff Bridges chatted about Disneys TRON: Ares and showed an extended trailer. Elle Fanning, star of 20th Century Studios Predator: Badlands, joined Cripps onstage and screened a first look at the trailer for the upcoming film, which opens in theaters November 7.Up next, stars Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Hannah John-Kamen and Wyatt Russell surprised attendees with footage from Marvel Studios Thunderbolts*, which opens in U.S. theaters on May 2. Kevin Feige, in a taped greeting, then introduced footage that transported attendees through time to the 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world of Marvel Studios upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which opens in theaters July 25.Zoe Saldaa took the stage to talk about her role as Aunt Olga in Disney and Pixars Elio. Fans enjoyed six minutes of 3D-footage from the upcoming film, which hits theaters June 20. Ke Huy Quan was up next and shared two clips and first-look visuals from Disney Animations Zootopia 2. Quan, who voices Gary DeSnake, a venomous-but-lovable pit viper, revealed that Quinta Brunson will play therapist Dr. Fuzzby, an adorable quokka who lends a paw to detectives Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman). Zootopia 2 releases in theaters November 26.Alan Bergman returned to the stage to present director James Cameron via a taped message for Avatar: Fire and Ash, which opens exclusively in theaters December 19. Saldaa returned to the stage to introduce a sneak peek at the film.Source: The Walt Disney Studios Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologistL'Wrenbrings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.