Understanding the theater behind government shutdowns—and why they have nothing to do with America actually running out of money We’ve all seen it play out like clockwork: the breathless countdown to a “government shutdown,” politicians pointing fingers across the aisle, essential workers wondering if they’ll get paid, and the American people watching another episode of Washington’s favorite reality show. But...
February 17, 2026
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The cryptocurrency designed to escape government oversight has instead enhanced the state’s ability to tax, monitor, and seize digital wealth
In 2008, an anonymous figure using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto released a white paper describing Bitcoin as “a peer-to-peer electronic cash system” that would operate without the need for trusted third parties. The promise was revolutionary: money beyond government control, transactions without intermediaries, financial sovereignty for individuals in a digital age. Fifteen years later, Bitcoin has achieved mainstream adoption—but not...
From Revolution to Casino Chip: How Wall Street Transformed Bitcoin Into Just Another Leveraged Gamble
An investigation into how the anti-establishment cryptocurrency became the very thing it was designed to oppose When Satoshi Nakamoto published the Bitcoin whitepaper in October 2008—weeks after Lehman Brothers collapsed and the global financial system teetered on the brink—the vision was clear: create a peer-to-peer electronic cash system that operated outside the control of central banks and financial institutions. “The...
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TechCrunch Startup and Technology News
- Climactic launches hybrid fund to get startups through the ‘valley of death’by Tim De Chant on February 17, 2026 at 6:57 pm
The new project, called […]
- Anthropic releases Sonnet 4.6by Russell Brandom on February 17, 2026 at 6:00 pm
Anthropic has released a new […]
FEATURED STORIES
The Shutdown Charade: How Congress Turned Budget Deadlines Into Political Hostage-Taking
Understanding the theater behind government shutdowns—and why they have nothing to do with America actually running out of money We’ve...
The cryptocurrency designed to escape government oversight has instead enhanced the state’s ability to tax, monitor, and seize digital wealth
In 2008, an anonymous figure using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto released a white paper describing Bitcoin as “a peer-to-peer electronic...
From Revolution to Casino Chip: How Wall Street Transformed Bitcoin Into Just Another Leveraged Gamble
An investigation into how the anti-establishment cryptocurrency became the very thing it was designed to oppose When Satoshi Nakamoto published...
The Epstein-Barr Problem: A Web of Coincidences That Defies Belief
There’s a running joke among alumni of Manhattan’s elite Dalton School — a dark, uncomfortable joke that landed differently after...
The Legal Minefield of Paying Protesters: Can Organizations Face Liability for Creating Unsafe Working Conditions?
Picture this: An organization hires dozens of people to attend a demonstration, pays them cash or provides other compensation, and...
The Uncomfortable Truth Billie Eilish Accidentally Highlighted
When Billie Eilish stood on the Grammy stage and declared “no one is illegal on stolen land,” she probably didn’t...
The Socialist Mayor’s Secret: How NYC’s Zohran Mamdani Campaigned as a Man of the People While His Family Circulated Among Global Elites
A NexfinityNews.com Investigation The protesters outside Gracie Mansion weren’t holding back. “We voted for you, Zohran!” they shouted through megaphones...
The Great Redistricting Showdown: How California and Texas Are Reshaping the 2026 Midterms
Something extraordinary happened in American politics over the past year, and it all started with a phone call from the...
TECH STORIES
TechCrunch Startup and Technology News
- Climactic launches hybrid fund to get startups through the ‘valley of death’by Tim De Chant on February 17, 2026 at 6:57 pm
The new project, called Material Scale, will initially focus on climate tech startups in the apparel industry.
- Anthropic releases Sonnet 4.6by Russell Brandom on February 17, 2026 at 6:00 pm
Anthropic has released a new version of its mid-size Sonnet model, keeping pace with the company's four-month update cycle.
- Mistral AI buys Koyeb in first acquisition to back its cloud ambitionsby Anna Heim on February 17, 2026 at 5:22 pm
Mistral AI has agreed to buy Koyeb, a Paris-based startup that simplifies AI app deployment at scale and manages the infrastructure behind it.
- SpaceX vets raise $50M Series A for data center linksby Tim Fernholz on February 17, 2026 at 5:00 pm
Mesh aims to mass-produce optical transceivers for AI data centers.
- Running AI models is turning into a memory gameby Russell Brandom on February 17, 2026 at 4:44 pm
When we talk about the cost of AI infrastructure, the focus is usually on Nvidia and GPUs -- but memory is an increasingly important part of the […]
- European Parliament blocks AI on lawmakers’ devices, citing security risksby Zack Whittaker on February 17, 2026 at 4:30 pm
EU lawmakers found their government-issued devices were blocked from using the baked-in AI tools, amid fears that sensitive information could turn up […]
- WordPress.com adds an AI Assistant that can edit, adjust styles, create images, and moreby Sarah Perez on February 17, 2026 at 4:10 pm
The WordPress AI assistant doesn't need precisely tailored prompts, either.
- These are the countries moving to ban social media for childrenby Aisha Malik on February 17, 2026 at 3:59 pm
Australia was the first country to issue a ban in late 2025, aiming to reduce the pressures and risks that young users may face on social media, […]
- Amazon Fire TV’s new interface is now rolling out in the USby Sarah Perez on February 17, 2026 at 3:58 pm
Fire TV's new interface simplifies its layout and navigation and adds Alexa+.
- Apple Podcasts is getting an enhanced video experience this springby Aisha Malik on February 17, 2026 at 3:06 pm
By bringing an enhanced video podcast viewing experience to its app, Apple is aiming to keep users from turning to rival platforms to watch their […]
- Here are the 17 US-based AI companies that have raised $100M or more in 2026by Rebecca Szkutak on February 17, 2026 at 2:58 pm
Three U.S.-based AI companies raised rounds larger than $1 billion so far in 2026, with 14 others raising rounds of $100 million or more.
- India bids to attract over $200B in AI infrastructure investment by 2028by Jagmeet Singh on February 17, 2026 at 2:13 pm
India is ramping up shared AI compute, adding 20,000 GPUs as part of a broader push to attract global AI investment.