At the intersection of three Park Avenue apartments, a story of architectural metamorphosis unfolds. Here, BUILTIN the Manhattan-based practice led by Gary Eisner and Terence Kinee faced a challenge that epitomizes the complexities of contemporary urban living how to weave separate spaces into a cohesive whole while honoring the needs of a multi-generational family. A Coordonne floral wallpaper envelops the foyer and central hallway, serving not merely as decoration but as a unifying element that transforms what could have been a utilitarian passage into an immersive experience.In the living area, the studios sophisticated material selection comes into focus. A generously proportioned sectional in light brown, wrapped in Pierre Frey fabric, anchors the space with warmth. Against this traditional foundation, reflective vintage coffee tables and sculptural side pieces introduce contemporary sensibilities, creating a dialogue that subtly references the 1960s, which is a meaningful nod to the owners youth.Throughout the space, furnishings from RH, Dmitriy & Co, and Sebastian Herkner were carefully curated to create environments that feel both considered and lived-in. By seamlessly integrating three distinct units into five bathrooms, three bedrooms, and a private den, BUILTIN created a home that responds to the evolving nature of urban family life.The most revealing aspect of the 2,600-square-foot transformation appears in the primary bedroom, where the studio confronted the inherent challenges of combining pre-war apartments, one of which including irregular sight lines. Rather than concealing these architectural quirks, BUILTIN embraced them through strategic color-blocking, transforming potential awkwardness into intentional design moments.For more on BUILTIN, visit builtinstudio.com.Photography by David Mitchell.

When it looked like 2025 was going to kick off with a total shutdown of TikTok in the U.S., many of us turned to Instagram, YouTube, and even streaming to find the cleaning inspiration normally associated with "CleanTok." TikTok, however, is back and may never disappear at all, which means we are (for now) free to return to the app for all our scrubbing, dusting, decluttering, and organizing needs. Whether you're a longtime user of the video-sharing platform or want to get in on the action now that you've been given a second chance to explore TikTok, here are some of the best CleanTok accounts to follow. @organizingspacesbykim, 178.2k followersIf you need organizing inspo, @organizingspacesbykim is one of the best options for you on TikTok (you can also find Kim and her very-organized home on Instagram, where she has an even bigger community of followers). What I love about this account is that it's run by a mother of two who is very communicative with followers and posts a lot of pure inspo in the form of before-and-afters that can motivate you to make similar changes in your home. Her cabinet organizing is especially top-tier. @cleanthatup, 1.8 million followersIf you're into watching someone de-grime truly dirty stuff, Brandon Pleshek, a third-generation janitor with nearly 2 million followers, is for you. On TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, he shares simple hacks that make the job of cleaning just a little easier and demonstrates how to bust through the dirtiest situationsand he does it all with a positive outlook and encouraging demeanor. @nowitsclean, 1.7 million followersI like @nowitsclean because the creator, Lori, isn't boxed into her own niche. Yes, she shares cleaning tips (often inspired by direct questions from followers who have specific needs to address), but she also films beauty and lifestyle content, so you get a nice variety in your feed. She recommends products that she swears by, so you can duplicate her results, and brings a sunny disposition to tidying up that is really appreciated. @cleanmyspace, 22.3k followersThe creator of @cleanmyspace, Melissa Maker, is far from new to this: She's been a YouTube guru for a while, amassing over 2 million followers for her cleaning content on that platform. Over on TikTok, she shares quick, effective cleaning tips and inspiring organizational before-and-afters. She is funny and irreverent at times, not taking herself too seriously while also sharing straightforward advice on what products and techniques really work. @buildandcreatehome, 2.1 million followersThe clips on @buildandcreatehome are really well-produced and almost cinematic, which elevates them and makes them pretty inspiringbut they're also full of useful information, which is where this account really shines. A lot of the videos are about home reno or woodworking with some cleaning and organizing mixed in, so if you're someone with a lot of major home projects, this is where you'll find motivation. @sparklingwithdemi, 700k followersFor pure, straight cleaning content, @sparklingwithdemi is unbeatable. The clips are direct and issue-focused, demonstrating how to clean ovens, cupboards, carpets full of pet hair, and more. You get product recs and simple examples of precisely what to do with them, no matter which specific issue you're facing in your own home, all from the perspective of a pro who cleans other people's homes for a living. @cleanwithnessa, 3.8 million followersYou don't get to nearly 4 million followers without posting great content, so @cleanwithnessa is trustworthy from the jump. There are two main kinds of videos on this account: deep cleans and organizing inspo. I love the organizing ones because it's great to see how someone else puts together, say, a cabinet full of snacks and figure out how I can replicate that organization in my own cabinet. @keep_it_organised, 1.5 million followersIf it's not obvious by now, I love organizing accounts. Seeing which products and approaches someone else uses to manage all their stuff is pretty illuminating and inspiring, which is especially true when watching @keep_it_organised do it. In clip after clip, this account shows you how to organize efficiently and easily, turning small spaces into perfectly curated organizational oases. @morethancleaning, 953.6k followersIleana, the creator behind @morethancleaning, has been steadily gaining followers for yearsshe posts about her experiences as a pro cleaner and what she recommends for various messes, and she does it all in a relatable, approachable way. You feel like you know her after watching just a few clips, so it's like cleaning with a friend. She usually reposts her cleaning tips in Spanish, too, thus appealing to a wider audience. @pairswellwithwhine, 785.6k followersOn @pairswellwithwhine, you'll watch Cary, a funny, engaging creator who shares walkthroughs of how she cleans basically everything in her home, plus adds commentary and even does giveaways. Cary's relatableshe doesn't put a veneer of perfection over everything to make you feel like your life doesn't compare to hers. Rather, she wants everyone to succeed and shows you how it can be done. @cleaningwithgabie, 2 million followersWatching Gabie Vigneault on @cleaningwithgabie is soothing, since she does thorough refreshes that take you through all the stages of cleaning a particular thing, whether it's a bed or a big load of laundry. She offers tips, product recommendations, and the satisfaction of seeing a project all the way through. @vanesamaro, 5.7 million followersVanesa Amaro is a heavy hitter on CleanTok, where she has almost 6 million followers who tune in to the @vanesamaro91 account to learn all about cleaning every inch of their homes. From fridge vents to interior doors, she dives into the nitty gritty, hyper-focusing on overlooked spaces that can get way too dirty and offering simple tips for sprucing them up. @cleanwithrab, 559k followersOn @cleanwithrab, you'll watch the self-proclaimed "Cleaning Dad" tackle the kinds of messes that go with being a parent, plus a ton of other universal issues. Stains on your carpet? Scuffs on your sink? Dirty blinds? He covers it all and offers cheap product recommendations that are accessible to cleaners on any budget. @livecomposed, 733.1k followersAzure MacCannell, who runs @livecomposed, uses TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube to try out viral cleaning hacks, demonstrate products, and share tips for saving money while maintaining a clean home. Interspersed among the straightforward cleaning tips are cooking and organizing ideas, too, for a well-rounded look at all the ways you can upgrade your home life.

It has been pouring for weeks in the Northwest, with little to do but hide inside. But suddenly last week, the clouds dissipated and weve had a solid week of chilly but sunny days. When we get these breaks, I drop everything to be outside in the garden. Heres everything you should do on sunny winter days.Clean up driveways and sidewalksRain, snow, and wind can ruin all the nice lines of your yard. The mulch and dirt you swept into beds a few months ago now might be all over the place, so the first thing I do is start tidying up. Sweep the sidewalks now that theyre drythis will reduce your chance of slipping on wet leaves. You might also throw down some loose sand to help with traction, once youre done sweeping.Rake leaves back into the beds; all leaves need is a day or two of sun to dry out entirely. This will make raking (or blowing) your leaves easy work. In the same vein, ensure the mulch is pulled away from the base of your trees and shrubs. While mulch is fantastic for your beds, when its wet, it is also an easy way to spread viruses and fungus to your plants, so simply pull it away from the trunks.Work the soilNow is a great time to put plants into the ground, if the ground is workable. So long as it isnt frozen, youll find the ground is pliable and easy to dig into. Thinking about fruit trees? Roses? Your nursery will be happy to indulge you. Remember you want a hole three times the depth and width of the plastic pot the plant comes in, so get digging.If youre not feeling as ambitious, this is the best time of year, believe it or not, to weed. The weeds are at a minimum right now, but what you see above ground will yield to tons more weed progeny come spring. Nipping the weeds you see now in the bud will mean a lot less work come spring. Also, youll find it easy to get the weeds out, given the softness of the ground from rain and snow. While it sounds miserable, sitting on the ground working your way around the beds weeding is a meditational afternoon that keeps you outside.Turn your compostI have a terrible habit of ignoring my compost piles in winter, but it's important you turn the compost over so the pile has fully baked by spring. Get your spade or hayfork in there and stir it up, paying attention to what you see and smell. If the pile is well-balanced with carbon and nitrogen (some people call this brown and green), the pile wont smell and should be breaking down. Its quite rare people dont have enough nitrogenthe problem is usually not enough carbon. So if your compost isnt, well, composting, add in dry leaves, cardboard, newspaper, or something else that qualifies as brown.Plant carrotsThose bright orange veggies are a pain to germinatethey require darkness and constant moisture. That's why winter is a fantastic time to get them in the ground. Let Mother Nature do the work for you, with the rain and snow that's sure to come back at any moment. Another benefit: Carrot seeds that have overwintered tend to yield sweeter carrots. You wont see these guys until spring, but it will be a sweet surprise come April. Spread the seeds out on the top of soil that tends towards sandy rather than clay, and then ever-so-lightly cover them with soil. Some people cover the seeds with burlap or cardboard to preserve moisture, but this time of year, I find its unnecessary. Once it starts precipitating again, its unlikely to stop while the seeds are germinating.Clean your bird stationsFew things delight me as much as watching the Anna's hummingbirds in my yard fight for supremacy over my feeders, particularly as the temperatures drop. But Im not as good about cleaning my feeders in winter as I am in summer. With the sun out, its time to take the feeders down and give them an actual scrub with bleach. With bird flu in all 50 states, its more important than ever to protect our birds as well as our pets. If youre not sure if you can keep up the cleaning regimen needed, you might decide to take your feeders down altogether.Visit your garden centerIn spring, you'll have to wait in line to ask questions about your garden or specific plants, and will likely be asking seasonal help. In winter, only the year-round staff is present, and they are treasure troves of information. They're also probably a little bored, and the center probably has some hot sales. Take an hour or two and wander the center, ask questions about that garden project you've been putting off, and get great deals on plants.

A $2,000 video card for consumers shouldn't exist. The GeForce RTX 5090, like the $1,599 RTX 4090 before it, is more a flex by NVIDIA than anything truly meaningful for most gamers. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang said as much when he revealed the GPU at CES 2025, assuming that it'll be for hardcore players who have $10,000 rigs. Personally, I don't know anyone who actually fits that bill, not unless you count parasocial relationships with streamers. (My own setup doesn't even cross $5,000.) But we all know why NVIDIA is hyping up the unattainable RTX 5090: It lets the company show off benchmarks that AMD can't touch, once again cementing itself as the supreme leader of the high-end video card market. It's not just about gaming, either. The RTX 5090 is also being positioned as an AI workhorse since it's powered by NVIDIA's new Blackwell architecture, which leans on the company's Tensor Cores for artificial intelligence work more than ever. Realistically, though, the $549 RTX 5070 is the GPU more gamers will actually be able to buy. I'll admit, I went into this review with a mixture of excitement and disgust. It's astonishing that NVIDIA was able to stuff 91 billion transistors and 21,760 CUDA cores in the RTX 5090, and I couldn't wait to see how it performed. Still, I find it genuinely sad that NVIDIA keeps pushing the bar higher for GPU prices, in the process making the gaming world even more unequal. A $2,000 graphics card, in this economy?! But after hours of benchmarking and playtime, I realized the RTX 5090 wasn't much of a threat to gaming accessibility. Wealthy PC gamers have always overspent for graphics performance I've seen people (unwisely) pay thousands more than consumer GPUs just to get extra VRAM from NVIDIA's Quadro cards. But the rise of PC handhelds like the Steam Deck, which are a direct offshoot of the Nintendo Switch's success, is a clear sign that convenience matters more than raw power to mainstream players today. I don't think many Switch 2 buyers are saving up for an RTX 5090. For the few who can afford it, though, NVIDIA's new flagship sure is a treat. Hardware: Leaning more on AI In many ways, the RTX 5000 GPU family is the convergence of NVIDIA's decades-long GPU expertise and its newfound role powering the AI hype train. Sure, they'll run games faster than before, but what makes them unique is their ability to tap into "neural rendering" AI for even better performance. It's at the heart of DLSS 4, the company's latest AI upscaling technology, which can now generate up to three frames for every one that's actually rendered by the RTX 5090. That's how NVIDIA can claim this GPU is twice as fast as the RTX 4090, or that the RTX 5070 matches the speed of the 4090. Does it really matter if these frames are "fake" if you can't tell, and they lead to smoother gameplay? Before I dive further into the AI side of things, though, let's take a closer look at the RTX 5090. Once again, it features 21,760 CUDA cores, up from 16,384 cores on the 4090, as well as 32GB of GDDR7 VRAM instead of the 4090's 24GB of GDDR6X. (I thought I was future-proofing my desktop when I equipped it with 32GB of RAM years ago, but now that video cards have caught up I'm almost convinced to go up to 64GB.) The 5090 also sports 5th-gen Tensor cores with 3,352 of AI TOPs performance, while the 4090 had 1,321 AI TOPS with last-gen Tensor hardware. RTX 5090 RTX 5080 RTX 5070 Ti RTX 5070 RTX 4090 Architecture Blackwell Blackwell Blackwell Blackwell Lovelace CUDA cores 21,760 10,752 8,960 6,144 16,384 AI TOPS 3,352 1,801 1,406 988 1,321 Tensor cores 5th Gen 5th Gen 5th Gen 5th Gen 4th Gen RT cores 4th Gen 4th Gen 4th Gen 4th Gen 3rd Gen VRAM 32 GB GDDR7 16 GB GDDR7 16 GB GDDR7 12 GB GDDR7 24 GB GDDR6X Memory bandwidth 1,792 GB/sec 960 GB/sec 896 GB/sec 672 GB/sec 1,008 GB/sec TGP 575W 360W 300W 250W 450W I tested the RTX 5090 Founders Edition GPU (provided by NVIDIA), which is dramatically slimmer than its 4090 counterpart. The 5090 has a sleek two-slot case that can actually fit in small form factor systems. The three-slot 4090, meanwhile, was so massive it felt like it was going to tear my PCIe slot out of my motherboard. NVIDIA also added another cooling fan this time around, instead of just relying on a vapor chamber and a single fan. The 5090's main PCB sits in the center of the card, and it's connected to other PCB modules at the PCIe slot and rear ports (three DisplayPort 2.1b and an HDMI 2.1b connection). Devindra Hardawar for Engadget DLSS 4: The real star of the show While multi-frame generation is the defining feature for the RTX 50 cards, there are several other DLSS 4 features that should help games look dramatically better. Best of all, those capabilities are also trickling down to earlier RTX GPUs. RTX 40 cards will be more efficient with their single-frame generation, while RTX 30 and 20 cards will also see an upgrade from AI transformer models used for ray reconstruction (leading to more stable ray tracing), Super Resolution (higher quality textures) and Deep Learning Anti-Aliasing (DLAA). These transformer models should also fix some rendering artifacts present in earlier versions of DLSS. At NVIDIAs Editors Day earlier this month, the company showed off how the updated version of Ray Reconstruction made a chainlink fence in Alan Wake 2 appear completely sharp and clear. An earlier version of the feature made the same fence look muddy, almost as if it was out of focus. In Horizon Forbidden West, the new version of Super Resolution revealed more detail from the texture of Aloys bag. DLSS 4 will be supported in 75 games and apps at launch, including Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Cyberpunk 2077, according to NVIDIA. For titles that havent yet been updated with new DLSS menu options, youll also be able to force support for the latest features in the NVIDIA app. Devindra Hardawar for Engadget In use: An absolute powerhouse, with fake frames and without I could almost hear my motherboard breathe a sigh of relief when I unplugged the RTX 4090 and swapped in the slimmer 5090. Installation was a cinch, though I still needed to plug in four PSU connectors to satisfy its demand for 575 watts of power and a 1,000W PSU. If youre lucky enough to have a new PSU with a 600W PCIe Gen 5 cable, that will also work (and also avoid tons of cable clutter). I tested the RTX 5090 on my home rig powered by an AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and 32GB of RAM, alongside a 1,000W Corsair PSU. I also used Alienwares 32-inch 4K QD-OLED 4K 240Hz monitor to get the most out of the 5090, and honestly, you wouldnt want to run this GPU on anything less. Once I started benchmarking, it didnt take long for the RTX 5090 to impress me. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad test, which is a demanding DX12 demo, it scored 14,239 points, well above the 9,250 points I saw on the RTX 4090. Similarly, the 5090 hit 15,416 points in the 3DMark Speedway benchmark, compared to the 4090s 10,600 points. These are notable generation-over-generation gains without the use of frame generation or any DLSS sorcery its just the raw power you see with more CUDA and RT cores. None 3DMark TimeSpy Extreme Port Royal (Ray Tracing) Cyberpunk (4K RT Overdrive DLSS) Blender NVIDIA RTX 5090 19,525 36,003/166fos 246fps (4X frame gen) 14,903 NVIDIA RTX 4090 16,464 25,405/117fps 135fps 12,335 NVIDIA RTX 4080 Super 13,168 18,435/85fps 80fps 8,867 NVIDIA RTX 4070 Ti Super 11,366 15,586/72fps 75fps 7,342 Once I started gaming and let DLSS 4 do its magic, my jaw just about hit the floor. But I suppose thats just a natural response to seeing a PC hit 250fps on average in Cyberpunk 2077 while playing in 4K with maxed-out ray tracing overdrive settings and 4x frame generation. In comparison, the 4090 hit 135fps with the same settings and single frame generation. Now I know most of those frames arent technically real, but its also the first time Ive seen any game fill out the Alienware monitors 4K 240hz refresh rate. And most importantly, Cyberpunk simply looked amazing as I rode my motorcycle down rain-slicked city streets and soaked in the reflections and realistic lighting from robust ray tracing. Like Cypher in The Matrix (far from the best role model, I know), after suffering through years of low 4K framerates, I couldnt help but feel like ignorance is bliss when it comes to frame generation. I didnt see any artifacts or stuttering. There wasnt anything that took away from my experience of playing Cyberpunk. And the game genuinely looked better than Id ever seen it before. And if youre the sort of person who could never live with fake frames, the RTX 5090 is also the only card Ive seen that can get close to 60fps in Cyberpunk natively in 4K with maxed out graphics and no DLSS. I hit 54fps on average in my testing, whereas the 4090 chugged along at 42fps in native 4K. You could also compromise a bit and turn on 2x or 3x frame generation to get a solid fps boost, if the idea of 4x frame generation just makes you feel dirty. And if you cant tell, I quickly got over any fake frame trepidation. When I used the NVIDIA app to turn on 4x frame generation in Dragon Quest: The Veilguard, I once again saw an average framerate of around 240fps in 4K with maxed out graphics. Ive already spent over 25 hours in the game, but running through a few missions at that framerate still felt revelatory. Combat sequences were clearer and easier to follow, possibly thanks to better Ray Reconstruction and Super Resolution, and I could also make out even more detail in my characters ornate costumes. On the 4090, I typically saw around 120fps with standard frame generation. The 5090s DLSS 4 performance makes me eager to see how the cheaper RTX 5070 and 5070 Ti cards perform. If a $550 card can actually get close to what I saw on the $1,599 4090, even if its relying on massive amounts of frame generation, thats still a major accomplishment. It would also be great news for anyone who invested in a 4K 120Hz screen, which is tough to fill with other mid-range GPUs. Outside of gaming, the RTX 5090 also managed to convert a minute-long 4K clip into 1080p using the NVENC H.264 encoder in just 23 seconds. Thats the fastest conversion Ive seen yet. In comparison, the RTX 4090 took 28 seconds. Add up those seconds on a much larger project, and the 5090 could potentially save you hours of repeated rendering time. Naturally, it also saw the fastest Blender benchmark score weve ever seen, reaching 14,903 points. The RTX 4090, the previous leader in our benchmarks, hit 12,335 points. 3Dmark Throughout benchmarks and lengthy gaming sessions, the RTX 5090 typically reached around 70 degrees Celsius with audible, but not annoying, fan noise. The card also quickly cooled down to idle temperatures between 34C and 39C when it wasnt under load. Aiming to push the limits of NVIDIAs cooling setup, I also ran several stress test sessions in 3DMark, which involves looping a benchmark 20 times. It never crashed, and achieved over 97 percent accuracy in most of the tests. There was just one Steel Nomad session where it scored 95.9 percent and failed 3DMarks 97 percent threshold. That could easily be due to early driver issues, but its still worth noting. The only time I really got the RTX 5090 cooking was during an exploration of the Speedway benchmark, where I could move the camera around the ray traced scene and look at different objects and characters. The card hit 79C almost immediately and stayed there until I quit the demo. During that session, as well as typical gaming, the 5090 drew between 500W and 550W of power. Devindra Hardawar for Engadget Looking ahead: AI NPCs and neural shaders On top of DLSS, NVIDIA is also planning to tap into its RTX cards to power AI NPCs in games like PUBG and ZooPunk. Based on what I saw at NVIDIAs Editors Day, though, Im more worried than excited. The companys Ace technology can let NPCs generate text, voices and even have conversational voice chats, but every example I saw was robotic and disturbing. The AI Ally in PUBG makes a lot of sense on paper who wouldnt want a computer companion that could help you fight and find ammo? But in the demo I saw, it wasnt much of a conversationalist, it couldnt find weapons when asked and it also took way too long to hop into a vehicle during a dangerous firefight. As I wrote last week, I'm personally tired of being sold on AI fantasies, when we know the key to great writing and performances is to give human talent the time and resources to refine their craft. And on a certain level, I think I'll always feel like the director Hayao Miyazaki, who described an early example of an AI CG creature as, "an affront to life itself." NVIDIAs Neural Shaders are an attempt to bring AI right into texture shaders, something the company says wasnt possible on previous GPUs. These can be implemented in a variety of ways: RTX Neural Materials, for example, can use AI to render complex materials like silk and porcelain, which often have nuanced and reflective textures. RTX Neural Texture Compression, on the other hand, can store complex textures while saving up to 7 times the VRAM used from typical block compression. For ray tracing, theres RTX Neural Radiance Cache, which is trained on live gameplay to help simulate path-traced indirect lighting. Much like NVIDIAs early ray tracing demos, its unclear how long itll take for us to see these features in actual games. But from the glimpses so far, NVIDIA is clearly thinking of new ways to deploy its AI Tensor Cores. RTX Neural Faces, for example, uses a variety of methods to make faces seem more realistic, and less like plastic 3D models. Theres also RTX Mega Geometry, which can help developers make up to 100x more ray traced triangles, according to NVIDIA. Demos show it being used to construct a large building as well as an enormous dragon. Devindra Hardawar for Engadget Wrap-up: The new unattainable GPU king The $2,000 GeForce RTX 5090 is not meant for mere mortals, that much is clear. But it points to an interesting new direction for NVIDIA, one where AI features can seemingly lead to exponential performance gains. While I hate that its pushing GPU prices to new heights, theres no denying that NVIDIA has crafted an absolute beast. But, like most people, Im more excited to see how the $549 RTX 5070 fares. Sure, its also going to lean into frame generation, but at least you wont have to spend $2,000 to make the most of your 4K monitor.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/nvidia-geforce-rtx-5090-review-pure-ai-excess-for-2000-140053371.html?src=rss

Google and Apple are having a bad day. The tech giants are facing a new investigation into their mobile ecosystems from the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and growing pressure to adopt a new app store initiative in India.Let's start with the probe, which comes one day after the CMA named a former Amazon executive as its interim chair. The CMA is investigating whether Apple and Google's mobile ecosystems should have Strategic Market Status (SMS) and thus can be subjected to greater regulation and pro-competition directives. However, they're not fully clear what aspects exactly are being investigated. This new designation stems from the UK's Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Act, which went into effect on January 1. Google is also the subject of the first SMS investigation, launched earlier this month and focusing on possible antitrust practices around the company's search services.The CMA's SMS investigations can last up to nine months, with both cases currently accepting comments on the investigation and possible interventions. The regulator is accepting submissions around the joint Google and Apple probe through February 12.Now to Apple and Google's other headache. In India, the technology ministry is pushing Apple and Google to offer the state-backed GOV.in app store in their marketplaces, Bloomberg reports. The Indian government also wants the suite of apps to be pre-installed on all mobile devices, available for third-party downloads and not labelled with warnings such as "untrusted source." It is billing the push as a means for further distributing public-welfare services. These apps are currently available on Apple and Google's app stores, but as separate entities.The initial request reportedly came in a meeting last month but, as it stands, Google and Apple are unlikely to say yes. The Indian government is reportedly discussing using mandates or taking legal steps to force compliance. In 2021, Apple began offering a similar option for Russian users due to regulations.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/uk-investigating-google-and-apples-mobile-ecosystems-135204025.html?src=rss

New PowerSchool data allegedly came directly from the attacker.

15-20 words explaining the main thrust of the story.

California Republicans are pushing back against suggestions by President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republicans that federal disaster aid for victims of wildfires that ravaged Southern California should come with strings attached, possibly jeopardizing the presidents policy agenda in a deeply divided Congress at the outset of his second term.With Trump planning to visit the fire-ravaged state this week, resistance from even a few House members to his efforts to put conditions on disaster aid could further complicate an already fraught relationship between reliably liberal California and the second Trump administration.Several Republicans who narrowly won California House seats in November have expressed dismay that the state relief could be hitched to demands in exchange for helping the thousands of Californians in their districts still reeling from this months disaster.Playing politics with peoples livelihoods is unacceptable and a slap in the face to the Southern California wildfire victims and to our brave first responders, Republican Rep. Young Kim, whose closely divided district is anchored in fire-prone Orange County, southeast of Los Angeles, said in a statement.In an interview aired Wednesday night, Trump said he may withhold aid to California until the state adjusts how it manages its scarce water resources. He falsely claimed that Californias fish conservation efforts in the northern part of the state are responsible for fire hydrants running dry in urban areas.I dont think we should give California anything until they let the water run down, Trump told Fox News Sean Hannity.Local officials have said the conservation efforts for the delta smelt had nothing to do with the hydrants running dry as firefighters tried to contain blazes around Los Angeles. They said intense demand on a municipal system not designed to battle such blazes was to blame.The wind-driven firestorms wiped out whole neighborhoods of Los Angeles County, left thousands homeless and killed more than two dozen people.Trump said earlier this week that discussions are underway in the White House to bring more water to perennially parched Los Angeles, alluding to rainfall runoff lost to the Pacific and the states vast water storage and delivery system.Los Angeles has massive amounts of water available to it. All they have to do is turn the valve, the president said.California has long been a favorite target of Trump, who also referred to the fires in his inaugural address Monday. In LA, he said, we are watching fires still tragically burn from weeks ago without even a token of defense.Thats going to change.Trump has made no mention of the multinational firefighting force deployed to contend with multiple blazes. Firefighters were gaining ground on the two major fires Wednesday when a third blaze broke out north of Los Angeles and quickly burned through hundreds of acres of dry brush.Johnson, a Louisiana Republican echoing Trumps complaints, has said there are serious problems in how the state is managed. Those include insufficient funding for forestry programs and water storage. He also noted the public dispute between the LA fire chief and City Hall over budget cuts.Johnson said Wednesday that Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass did not prepare the state or the city for what was to come. He particularly cited a 117-million-gallon reservoir left unfilled for nearly a year. Newsom has called for an independent investigation of the reservoir.Bass didnt directly respond to a question about possible conditions on disaster aid, saying in a statement: Our work with our federal partners will be based on direct conversations with them about how we can work together.Some Republicans have suggested that the congressional relief package could become entangled with efforts to raise the nations debt limit and with the House so closely divided, even a few breakaway votes from either party could alter the outcome.That leaves GOP lawmakers from California in a political quandary: whether to forcefully stand up for their home state, often pilloried by the GOP as representing all that is wrong with America, while Republicans in Congress are eager to show a unified front and parlay their November election wins into what Trump has called a new golden age for the nation.Several California representatives agreed that the federal government must guard against the misuse of funds but argued that the money should not be held up or saddled with restrictions not placed on other states after tornadoes and hurricanes.The dilemma played out in social media posts by Republican Rep. Ken Calvert, who narrowly prevailed in November in his swing district east of Los Angeles.Californians are entitled to receive federal disaster assistance in the same manner as all Americans, he wrote on X. But, he quickly added, Some federal policy changes may be needed to expedite rebuilding as well as improve future wildfire prevention. Those kind of policies are not conditions.Republican Rep. Kevin Kiley, whose sprawling district runs from east of Sacramento south to Death Valley, told KCRA-TV in Sacramento last week that Johnsons use of the word conditions was not especially helpful. Speaking at the Capitol Wednesday, he said there is a lot of ambiguity about what constitutes conditions for disaster aid.He said his focus is to make sure the money doesnt get wasted through government inefficiency.We want to make sure the money actually gets to the victims and they can use it to rebuild their homes and to recover, Kiley said.Politicians in Washington have feuded for years over how to restrain the growing wildfire threat across the West. Republicans have long complained that inadequate land management practices have exacerbated damage from wildfires, while Democrats have emphasized the role of climate change and the failure of the federal government to address it.About the only thing they agree on is that the problem persists.Some lawmakers have noted that disaster aid over the years for Johnsons home state of Louisiana did not come with conditions. Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries called the idea a non-starter.Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa, whose largely rural district runs from the Sacramento area north to the Oregon border, said he wasnt too concerned about talk of conditions.Everything has conditions, especially the way California wastes money, LaMalfa said. We want to help people and we want to help with that, like weve helped with others. But California is very, very irresponsible.Trump plans to visit the state to see the damage firsthand on Friday. Newsom hasnt said publicly if hell accompany him on his tour.With the fragile GOP majority in the House there are 219 Republicans, 214 Democrats and one vacancy Johnson cannot afford defections on any vote. And it could be several weeks before a fuller accounting of the states recovery needs is ready and a formal request submitted to the White House.Following major natural disasters, the president typically makes supplemental spending requests, as happened after hurricanes Helene and Milton.Congress also could provide more disaster aid to California through legislation. Sen. Lindsey Graham, the Republican chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, said he would work to include disaster aid in a filibuster-proof bill Republicans hope to craft this year that would pay for some of Trumps top policy priorities.Newsom urged Johnson and other congressional leaders to quickly approve assistance for the state, where fires are still burning and strong winds continue to threaten new ones. In an email to supporters from his campaign committee, he warned that Republicans are holding federal aid hostage and said Democrats might be able to peel off a handful of GOP votes to push through an aid package.In times of natural disaster from Hurricane Katrina to Hurricane Helene Americans have always stood together, setting aside politics to extend a helping hand to those in need, the governor wrote. Historically, federal disaster aid has been provided without conditions.Michael R. Blood and Kevin Freking, Associated Press

On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order declaring that the U.S. government will only recognize sexes: male and female. Since 2022, the Biden administration had allowed U.S. citizens to choose the gender-neutral X on their passports. The new executive order rolls this back, as well as prevents taxpayer funds from being used for gender-transition healthcare. Its the first in what will surely be more policy blows aimed at the LGBTQ+ population.The Trevor Project, a nonprofit focused on preventing suicide among LGBTQ+ youth, released a report on the impact of state policies on the well-being of LGBTQ+ youth. The report draws on data from the Trevor Projects 2024 mental health survey of 18,000 LGBTQ+ people ages 13 to 24, and data from think tank the Movement Advancement Projects work tracking policy changes across the U.S.The study shows how anti-LGBTQ+ policies have a non-trivial impact on the LGBTQ+ population. Here are the key findings:Negative impact on well-being: Anti-LGBTQ+ politics has an overwhelmingly negative impact on well-being. Ninety percent of LGBTQ+ people said these policy changes had a negative impact on their well-being. Anti-transgender state laws directly resulted in a 72% increase in suicide attempts among trans and nonbinary youthwho lived in states that implemented such laws.Anti-LGBTQ+ polices are common: Currently, 27% of LGBTQ+ young people live in a state with negative LGBTQ+ policies, and 38% in states with positive LGBTQ+ policies.LGBTQ+ youth want to move based on politics: Almost two in five reported thinking about moving to a different state with more friendly LGBTQ+ policies and 4% actually did move. This was particularly pronounced for trans youth: Seven in 10 living in a state with anti-trans policies have considered moving to another state.Trumps executive order is a blow at the federal level, which raises fears about what else may come down the pipeline and how much states with positive LGBTQ+ policies can do to protect their residents. After all, where is there to move except across country borders when federal policies slide into place? The Trevor project reported that it saw a 33% increase in calls to its crisis hot line on inauguration day.One thing must be made clear: regardless of if, when, or how todays anticipated anti-transgender executive orderand others like itmay be implemented, targeting the transgender and nonbinary community on day one will cause harmespecially for young people, said Janson Wu, senior director of state advocacy and government affairs at the Trevor Project, in a statement about Trumps executive order. We know that many people are feeling afraid, or even confused, by what certain actions today and in the coming days mean for our community. I want to remind everyone that we are prepared for whatever lies aheadand will continue to protect and care for each other now, just as we always have.