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Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. Tom Williams/Pool Photo via AP, File Sen. Pat Toomey on Sunday criticized the Democratic-led climate and tax plan backed by Joe Manchin. "It really looks to me like Joe Manchin has been taken to the cleaners," the Republican said on CNN. Democrats have hailed the proposed climate investments as something that has been long overdue. GOP Sen. Pat Toomey on Sunday criticized the Democratic-led climate, health care, and tax deal crafted by Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, stating that he was "really surprised" to see the conservative West Virginia senator agree to the proposal. During an interview on CNN's "State of the Union," the retiring two-term Pennsylvania lawmaker told co-anchor Jake Tapper that he valued his relationship with Manchin, but said the bill that is slated to come from the deal would be "a disaster." "I like Joe Manchin very ...

China's third aircraft carrier, Fujian, at its launch ceremony in Shanghai on June 17, 2022. Li Gang/Xinhua via AP Recent photos and videos show developments in Chinese early-warning aircraft and stealth fighter jets. Currently, Chinese aircraft carriers must rely on helicopters as their airborne early-warning system. China has stepped up efforts to develop its next generation of ship-based warplanes for its new aircraft carriers , with recent photos revealing Beijing's progress in developing early warning aircraft and stealth fighter jets. A video circulating on Chinese social media this week showed the KJ-600 — China's first fixed-wing early-warning plane capable of operating on the carriers — on a test flight over the northwestern city of Xian, where its manufacturer, Xian Aircraft Industrial Corporation, is based. The KJ-600 made its first flight in August 2020. And the latest online pictures showed a plane in green and white paint — suggesting it was still ...

Brittney Griner in a Russian jail cell (left), Elon Musk (right) ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images (left) and JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images (right) Elon Musk responded to reports of a US-Russia prisoner exchange to free WNBA player Brittney Griner. "Maybe free some people in jail for weed here too?" he tweeted alongside a meme on Sunday.  Griner was imprisoned in Russia after officials found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage. Elon Musk tweeted Sunday in response to a US-Russia prisoner exchange offer reportedly made by the Biden administration to free WNBA star Brittney Griner. The two-time Olympic gold medalist has been detained in Russia since February after Moscow airport officials claimed they found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage. "Maybe free some people in jail for weed here too?" Musk wrote in Sunday's tweet, alongside a meme captioned: "People in the US in jail for weed while ...

Bolt Mobility, the Miami-based micromobility startup co-founded by Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt, appears to have vanished without a trace from several of its U.S. markets.  In some cases, the departure has been abrupt, leaving cities with abandoned equipment, unanswered calls and emails and lots of questions. Bolt has stopped operating in at least five U.S. cities, including Portland, Oregon, Burlington, South Burlington and Winooski in Vermont and Richmond, California, according to city officials. City representatives also said they were unable to reach anyone at Bolt, including its CEO Ignacio Tzoumas. TechCrunch has made multiple attempts to reach Bolt and those who have backed the company. Emails to Bolt’s communications department, several employees and investors went unanswered. Even the customer service line doesn’t appear to be staffed.  The PR agency that was representing Bolt in March of this year told TechCrunch it is no longer working with the company....

Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois outside a January 6 committee hearing on June 13, 2022. Drew Angerer/Getty Images Adam Kinzinger told CNN on Friday he found GOP leader Kevin McCarthy to be untrustworthy. After McCarthy contradicted statements from Cassidy Hutchinson, Kinzinger questioned the GOP leader. Kinzinger said that McCarthy will "do whatever he has to do" to become House speaker next year. Rep. Adam Kinzinger on Friday blasted House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy after the California Republican said last week that he couldn't "recall" speaking with ex-White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson on January 6, 2021. Hutchinson, who last month testified under oath while speaking with the House committee investigating the Capitol riot, said that she spoke to McCarthy on the phone on January 6 as the election fraud rally at the Ellipse headlined by then-President Donald Trump was coming to a close; she said McCarthy was upset when Trump initiall...

Rep. Adam Schiff of California. Brandon Bell/Getty Images Rep. Adam Schiff is gauging a potential run for House Democratic leader, per The Washington Post. Schiff, the chair of the House Intelligence Committee, is a prominent face within the party. However, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries has long been seen as a frontrunner to succeed Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Rep. Adam Schiff — the California Democrat and influential chairman of the Intelligence Committee who rose to national prominence as a manager of former President Donald Trump's first impeachment — is maneuvering behind the scenes to potentially succeed Speaker Nancy Pelosi as House Democratic leader, according to The Washington Post . Pelosi, who has led the Democratic caucus in the lower chamber since 2003 and served as speaker from 2007 to 2011 before regaining the speaker's gavel in 2019, is running for reelection this fall but has not committed to remaining in leadership beyond this year — when the party is poised to brin...

Welcome back to Chain Reaction. Last week, we looked at Musk holding onto doge. This week, we’re talking about where all of this crypto VC money is possibly gonna go. To get this in your inbox every Thursday, you can subscribe on TechCrunch’s newsletter page. maybe, it’s all a game? A weekly dispatch from the desk of TechCrunch crypto editor Lucas Matney : The reality is that the dreams of web3 investors and founders are facing a bit of a jam — a crypto downturn generally means less hype, fewer conversations between friends and generally less organic consumer onboarding to consumer experiences. This is far from ideal for VCs who saw a consumer web dream within grasp, but fortunately they’ve got some deep pockets thanks to recently raised mega funds with crypto bets as their sole focus. Still, it’s a rough time for consumer crypto’s core audience though, with recently minted acolytes down bad and many likely discouraged from sinking more time, money or effort into new web3 proje...

From left: Meiloorun Juice, Tatooine Sunset, Sour Sarlac (top) on display. Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images The cost of tickets to Disneyland went up 8% in 2021, reports say. Disney is experiencing the effects of inflation like 'any restaurant on the street,' expert says. Food and beverage prices at Disneyland have gone up 12% over the past two years. The cost for a day at Disneyland is only going up as inflation continues to drive up the price of concessions at the theme park. Disneyland, which is in Anaheim, California, is no stranger to price increases when it comes to tickets, parking, and fast passes. Ticket prices went up 8% while parking increased by 20% in 2021, the Los Angeles Times reported . Now, patrons also are having to pay more for food inside the park and even reportedly deal with smaller portions.  Over the last two years, food and beverage prices at Disneyland have gone up 12%, according to the LA Times .  New Orleans mint ju...

Welcome back to This Week in Apps, the weekly TechCrunch series that recaps the latest in mobile OS news, mobile applications and the overall app economy. Global app spending reached $65 billion in the first half of 2022, up only slightly from the $64.4 billion during the same period in 2021, as hypergrowth fueled by the pandemic has slowed down. But overall, the app economy is continuing to grow, having produced a record number of downloads and consumer spending across both the iOS and Google Play stores combined in 2021, according to the latest year-end reports . Global spending across iOS and Google Play last year was $133 billion, and consumers downloaded 143.6 billion apps. This Week in Apps offers a way to keep up with this fast-moving industry in one place with the latest from the world of apps, including news, updates, startup fundings, mergers and acquisitions, and much more. Do you want This Week in Apps in your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here: techcrunch.com/newsle...

Homes along Gross Loop off of KY-15 are flooded with water from the North Fork of the Kentucky River. Arden S. Barnes/For The Washington Post via Getty Images Flash floods in Eastern Kentucky have killed at least 25 people, including 6 children. A couple lost all four of their young kids— ages 2 to 8 —when their trailer parker was swept away.  The bodies of Maddison Noble, Riley Jr., Nevaeh Noble, and Chance Noble were found on Friday. All four children of a Kentucky couple died during a flash flood earlier this week, The Washington Post reported.  Amber Smith and her husband, Riley Noble, got their kids dressed and climbed to the roof of their trailer when it flooded on Thursday at around 2:00 a.m. The bodies of their children — Maddison Noble, 8; Riley Jr., 6; Nevaeh Noble, 4; and Chance Noble, 2 — were found on Friday, The Lexington Herald-Leader reported.  Brittany Trejo, Smith's cousin told The Post that the family of six thought they'd be safe on the r...

Equal Ventures , a venture firm that debuted in 2020 with a $56 million first fund, has raised a pair of new investment vehicles, SEC filings show. The New York City-based firm has closed a $94.8 million second fund and its first opportunity fund, worth $75 million. The investment firm is led by two investors, Richard Kerby and Rick Zullo, equal partners in the firm. Kerby declined to comment about the funds over email. Equal Ventures looks to be the first institutional investor in a startup, a level of conviction that means that it is more focused on a concentrated portfolio than small checks in a widespread group of startups. The firm’s portfolio includes Ghost, a marketplace that connects brands with extra inventory to retailers; Block Renovation, a platform that productizes the home renovation experience for consumers; and Smarthop, which helps truckers optimize their work. Zullo formerly invested on behalf of Lightbank, a Chicago-based venture operation, while Kerby spent year...