In an 89-page complaint unsealed on Monday, the Justice Department alleges 34 current and former members of China’s 912 Special Project Working Group carried out a multi-year campaign to harass critics of Xi Jinping’s regime and discredit American policies. The task force, part of China’s domestic security agency, created thousands of fake social media profiles, including on Twitter and Facebook, to target Chinese dissidents in the US.

In its attempt to disseminate official government propaganda, the group created thousands of fake online personas. Judging from screenshots shared by the Justice Department, many of the profiles did not have more than a dozen accounts following them, but a common thread among them is that they tried to pass as authentic American voices. As The Wall Street Journal points out, one account claimed to be “Susan Miller,” a woman from New York. Another said they were “Julie Torres,” a native of Wisconsin. According to the Justice Department, China’s Ministry of Public Security tracked the performance of the agents involved in the operation and rewarded those who successfully ran multiple online personas without being detected by Twitter and Facebook.

In addition to targeting Chinese dissidents, the group, taking a page from Russia’s disinformation playbook, sought to discredit the US government by exploiting divisions among the American public. For instance, it spread disinformation about George Floyd, the Black Man whose murder by Minneapolis police in 2020 sparked Black Lives Matter protests across the country. The group also amplified Russian propaganda about the war in Ukraine.

“As alleged, the PRC government deploys its national police and the 912 Special Project Working Group not as an instrument to uphold the law and protect public safety, but rather as a troll farm that attacks persons in our country for exercising free speech in a manner that the PRC government finds disagreeable, and also spreads propaganda whose sole purpose is to sow divisions within the United States,” said US attorney Breon Peace, referring to the acronym for the People’s Republic of China.

According to the Justice Department, all 34 of the agents remain at large. This isn’t the first time the US has detailed an effort by China to target overseas dissidents. At the end of last year, US Attorney General Merrick Garland detailed a case involving a multi-year campaign by Chinese operatives to force a US resident to return to China.

The IRS released a list of electric vehicles that still qualify for the full $7,500 federal tax credit after strict new guidelines, announced back in March, officially go into effect on April 18th. The list is very short, as just six EVs now qualify under the new terms. The updated rules pertain to EV batteries and cut out China as an approved trading partner, so we knew the vehicle list would shrink, as most electric vehicles use batteries manufactured in China or by Chinese companies.

If you want to get that full tax credit, choose from the Cadillac Lyriq, Chevy Bolt, Chevy Bolt EUV, some Tesla Model 3 versions, some Tesla Model Y versions and Ford F-150 Lightning. Many EVs lose the full credit moving forward, like the Nissan Leaf and Volkswagen ID.4. So check the full list before zeroing in on your next car purchase. $7,500 is nothing to sneeze at.

EVs shunted out of the exclusive full tax-credit club may still qualify for a half credit of $3,750, so long as they meet certain requirements. Three PHEVs also qualify for the half credit and three more qualify for the full tax credit, including models manufactured by Ford, Lincoln, Chrysler and Jeep. These credits are not about excluding hybrid technology and are all about making sure components are sourced properly. 

Here's how that breaks down. Battery components that are 50 percent made or assembled in the USA qualify for the first half of $3,750 and if the company sources at least 40 percent of critical minerals from the US or free trade partners, the second $3,750 kicks in. If a company meets one or the other standard, the vehicle gets a half credit.

While the list winnowing down to just six vehicles makes for a good headline, it should beef up as automobile manufacturers make changes to meet the rules. New EVs that meet the component sourcing standards will get added to the list and other vehicles will get re-added as manufacturers open new factories in the US and other approved countries. New trade deals could also impact the list of approved vehicles as time marches forward. However, these rules grow stricter over time. Batteries must be completely made in North America by 2029 to continue to stay on the IRS’s good side and get that full $7,500 credit.

Former Halo scribe Joseph Staten has joined Netflix’s burgeoning gaming division. On Monday, Staten tweeted that he will serve as the creative director on a new AAA game and original intellectual property from the streaming giant. “In my work life, there’s nothing I love more than collaborating with others to build worlds filled with iconic characters, deep mysteries, and endless adventures,” Staten wrote on Twitter. "So today, I'm thrilled to announce that I've joined Netflix Games as Creative Director for a brand-new AAA multiplatform game and original IP. Let's go!"

The announcement comes less than two weeks after Staten announced his departure from Microsoft. Before joining the tech giant in 2013, he worked as a writer and director of cinematics on Bungie’s first three Halo games. Staten later helped write and co-direct Destiny, but left the studio before the game’s release in 2014. Following his return to the Microsoft fold (Bungie was a Microsoft studio before it went independent in 2007), Staten worked as senior creative director on the Xbox Game Studios team for a number of years before moving to 343 Industries in 2020 to assist in the development of Halo Infinite. This past January, Microsoft reassigned Staten away from 343 at the same time it cut “at least” 95 jobs at the troubled developer.

On Monday, Staten said the game he’s working on at Netflix would be a “multiplatform” release. To date, the company’s gaming strategy has primarily centered around obtaining mobile publishing rights to respected indie titles like Into the Breach and Terra Nil. Funding the development of a multiplatform AAA game is significantly more ambitious.

Twitter may have a looser stance on bans under Elon Musk, but it's still willing to flag content that runs afoul of its rules. The social network will label tweets it believes are violating its Hateful Conduct policy. You'll see a notice that Twitter is limiting the "visibility" of the problematic post with an opportunity to learn more.

The labels will cover more types of policy violations in the months ahead. Users can initially provide "feedback" on a label if they feel it was in error, but they'll have to wait until sometime in the future to formally appeal decisions. The company stresses that the labels only apply to individual tweets, not an entire account.

Twitter sees this as a reflection of its Musk-era "freedom of speech, not freedom of reach" philosophy where it more often shies away from outright bans in favor of limiting exposure to content. Theoretically, this prevents offensive speech from spreading without completely silencing users on the platform. It also promises greater transparency to address concerns of "shadow bans" that limit reach without someone's knowledge. Musk has lifted bans on a number of high-profile accounts, including former President Trump's, although it was willing to temporarily suspend Ye despite lifting a permanent ban in November.

The move might not please some. Advocacy groups have criticized Twitter for not doing enough to protect frequent targets of hate, such as the LGBTQ community. While offenders can still face bans if they're "bad actors" or violate the law, they're more likely to stay on the service. This also isn't certain to satisfy advertisers leaving Twitter over concerns their ads may run alongside objectionable material. And while it will address concerns over possible censorship, it won't necessarily please those who see labels as tarnishing a post's worth.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged Bittrex and former CEO William Shihara with operating an unregistered securities exchange. In a complaint filed on Monday, the SEC alleges the crypto exchange, once one of the largest in the US, earned at least $1.3 billion in revenue between 2017 and 2022 while offering the services of a broker, exchange and clearing agency. It did so without registering with the Commission, in violation of federal law, the SEC alleges.

Additionally, the SEC claims Bittrex “coordinated” with crypto issuers to delete “problematic statements” Shihara believed would prompt a regulator like the SEC to investigate the exchange. In one instance, the Commission states Shihara instructed a potential issuer to erase comments that referenced “price predictions” and “expectation of profit.”

“Today’s action, yet again, makes plain that the crypto markets suffer from a lack of regulatory compliance, not a lack of regulatory clarity,” said SEC Chair Gary Gensler. “As alleged in our complaint, Bittrex and issuers that it worked with knew the rules that applied to them but went to great lengths to evade them by directing issuer-applicants to ‘scrub’ offering materials of information indicating that certain crypto assets were securities.”

As Coindesk notes, Bittrex, citing “continued regulatory uncertainty,” announced last month it would exit the US market at the end of April. Over the weekend, the company told The Wall Street Journal it was recently notified by the SEC of potential enforcement action by the Commission. David Maria, the company’s general counsel, said Bittrex would challenge the lawsuit unless the Commission offered “a reasonable settlement offer.” Last year, the US Treasury fined Bittrex $29 million for previously failing to comply with US money laundering and sanction laws.

Spotify started pouring a whole lot of money into the podcasting space in 2019, making headlines by purchasing entire production studios and signing lucrative exclusivity deals with Joe Rogan, among others. The intention was to draw in paying subscribers via desirable long-form content, but now that experiment may be winding down, as reports indicate that the streamer is dropping the paywall for a number of high-profile podcasts.

The impacted podcasts all come from Gimlet Media, a studio that Spotify purchased during its 2019 spending spree for $230 million, as reported by Semafor. Spotify confirmed this move but hasn't indicated which Gimlet podcasts are moving to a free-to-stream model, aside from the hit Science Vs. Gimlet produces podcasts like Reply All, Crimetown and Surprisingly Awesome. The company further partnered with the streaming giant to create a host of Spotify Originals like How to Save a Planet and Motherhackers.

This not only eliminates the subscription-based paywall for Spotify listeners but opens up podcasts to be shared on other platforms. The end result should be more choices for consumers. 

“Given our position as the leading global podcast platform, we are expanding our windowing strategies to increase the audiences and ad sales potential of our shows," a spokesperson for Spotify told Semafor. "In this case, we’re pursuing broad distribution for some of our original podcasts like Science Vs. This will be done on a case-by-case basis and over time.”

As indicated above, the reasoning here involves expanding ad sales. If a podcast is tied to one subscription-based platform, that narrows the listenership which, in turn, reduces the demand for ad placement. This move does not necessarily spell the end of podcasts as a driving force behind Spotify subscriptions, as the company already allowed some established Gimlet shows to be widely distributed after the 2019 acquisition. This could be just another experiment as Spotify looks for the perfect marriage between subscriber growth and ad revenue.

After launching its .Swoosh web3 platform in November, Nike is ready to unveil its first set of digital collectibles today. The company has announced the Our Force 1 (or OF1) series of "virtual creations" will be available to a select group with invitations on May 8th, while general access opens on May 10th. You can choose to buy one of two boxes — "Classic Remix" or "New Wave," and each will cost you $19.82 either way. You'll have to have an account on the Swoosh website and have minted your ID to get one of these, though. 

Now to be clear, these aren't actual shoes you'd be getting. You're paying for a digital box to start, and you won't know what design you got either. On an undisclosed date after May 10th, Nike will reveal all the OF1 boxes at the same time, though you'll have the option of not opening the box and leaving it as a virtual Schrodinger's cat situation. Swoosh members will be alerted when that day comes, and each box comes with a 3D file that you can use to, say, export to other platforms (if compatible) and more. 

There are over 100,000 "Nike Virtual Creations" in the OF1 collection, and they're mostly based on the Air Force 1. If you picked a Classic Remix box, you'll get a "favorite, classic archive AF1 released from 1982 to 2006" or "a more unique, custom AF1 with a nostalgic twist." Those who select New Wave will receive a "classic archive from 2007 or later" or "an expressive, custom AF1 with a more futuristic twist." There are also four designs from the winners of the company's previous "Your Force 1" contest that are in the mix across both types of boxes. 

Like Nike explained when it launched .Swoosh, these digital collectibles aren't just for online use. "In the near future," the company said, it "will introduce other new utilities and benefits... such as exclusive physical products or experiences."

Since its launch, .Swoosh has seen over 330,000 accounts created and on April 18th, about 106,453 members will be chosen at random to receive virtual posters via Airdrop. This will allow them early access to buying an OF1 box. Nike said its DEI and SC+I partners will be included in this Airdrop, along with "those who participated in the #OurForce1 challenge and/or registered at our .Swoosh Session tour stops." If you're a major Nike fan and are willing to part with $20 for a digital collectible with the possibility that it might get you early access to future product drops, you can register at swoosh.nike to be eligible to buy an OF1 on May 10th. Only those who have already minted their IDs before April 12th will be considered for early access.

VW has finally revealed its ID.7 sedan in earnest, and it's clear long-distance driving is the main draw. The "upper mid-size" electric car combines a new, more powerful and efficient 210kW (282HP) motor with an optional 86kWh battery and a highly aerodynamic design (the drag coefficient is 0.23) to deliver a claimed 435 miles of range on the WLTP test cycle. We'd expect more conservative numbers from US regulators (WLTP tends to be 22 percent higher), but this might just rival some Mercedes EQS models at a lower price. It's certainly longer than the 275-mile EPA range of the ID.4.

This also represents VW's first significant shakeup of its interior design and technology since launching the ID line. The ID.7 includes an augmented reality heads-up display, a 15-inch infotainment display and interface changes like a new air conditioning system and customizable favorites buttons. You can use an "Ida" voice assistant to control a number of cabin features, such as a sunroof with smart glass. A 14-speaker Harman Kardon sound system and adaptive climate control seats (a first in a VW) also make this the brand's most luxurious EV to date.

As with the revamped ID.3, the ID.7 offers a number of driver aids. Travel Assist can use crowdsourced data to help navigation even on backroads, and performs highway lane changes. You can also have the car park itself, even if you're standing outside.

VW hasn't divulged pricing for the ID.7. It goes on sale in Europe and China in fall 2023, while North American buyers will have to wait until sometime in 2024. The EV may be a tough sell in North America, where crossovers and SUVs dominate. However, the range may help its chances. It's difficult to find this kind of endurance in any EV outside of higher-end luxury options. It may be worth choosing if you're determined to minimize charging stops during a long-distance jaunt and aren't concerned about trunk space.

My dad bought me Breville’s Juice Fountain for a very specific purpose: to recreate the horse’s neck cocktail he’d enjoyed on a snowy evening at the High West distillery saloon in Utah. The drink calls for a quarter ounce of ginger juice, and if you’ve ever seen a knotty clump of said root, it doesn’t look like it would contain much liquid. That’s where the Fountain comes in – it extracts a waterfall from seemingly parched produce like it’s squishing grapes.

I make ginger juice in bigger batches, getting about five liquid ounces from eight ounces of ginger. Weight-to-volume conversions aside, that’s a pretty great ratio. It lasts a week or two in the fridge, so I can get a lot of horse’s necks out of a juicing session. The cocktail itself is bright, warming and spicy – and possibly my favorite tipple.

But I’m not drinking as much these days, so I’ve been using the Juice Fountain for healthier stuff that doesn't have bourbon in it… like straight juice. At first, I turned to the internet for recipes, but pretty quickly learned that throwing in whatever sounds good tends to have the best results. Carrot, ginger, lemon and orange together make something sweet and zesty that tastes and looks like a sunrise. Apple, kale, celery and lemon make a vivid green drink that reminds me of spring and feels like you’re drinking a cup of vitamins — if a cup of vitamins were delicious.

Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

The appliance has two speeds: high for harder vegetables and low for softer fruit. Besides picking a speed, the only prep you need to do is to wash all ingredients and remove the peel and pith on citrus — no need to scrape the skin off ginger or remove the stalks from kale. Apples can even go in whole, as long as they fit down the impressively wide chute (though I usually core mine, out of an irrational cyanide paranoia).

Once the fruits and vegetables go in, the Fountain transforms them into juice in seconds, absolutely obliterating them with what I can only assume is a tiny jet-engine. Seriously, it sounds like an aircraft readying itself for takeoff; this is a daylight hours-only kind of machine. The motor is so powerful and the mesh/graters so robust that just the weight of a carrot or cucumber itself is usually enough to run it through the extractor. Even leafy kale only needs a light push from the plunger.

So yes, it does a great job of getting the most out of each piece of produce, but juicing still isn’t cheap. A big bunch of organic carrots and a few oranges quickly turn into a lovely neon drink, but there might be $6 worth of produce swimming in that cup. But hey, if it means my kid will drink eight ounces of a kelly green apple/kale concoction and ask for more, it’s worth it in my book.

When I first saw it, I was convinced the Fountain would be something I’d use once and never again after the tedium of washing its various intricate parts. And it does break down into quite a few pieces (seven to be exact), but taking it apart and putting it back together is completely intuitive. I don’t think I looked at the instructions since the first disassembly.

Cleaning the components isn’t hard either – as long as you do it immediately. If you wait until the pulp bits and juice spray have hardened, you’ll have to put in some muscle and fuss to get it sparkly again. The hardest part to wash is probably the mesh-and-grate extraction basket. Breville supplies a scrub brush for the job, but I promptly lost that. Turns out a standard dish brush and warm, soapy water do a great job of removing apple, carrot and all other remnants. A few of the parts are dishwasher safe, but others aren’t. I figure if I have to hand-wash some, I may as well do them all.

Photo by Amy Skorheim / Engadget

The only other thing that gave me pause was the pulp. Liquid health pours from one side of the machine, but a pile of fluffy plant matter kicks out the other. The first time I saw it I had to wonder what the heck I was supposed to do with all of that. I tried a few muffin recipes that call for juicer pulp, but they didn’t turn out well. (I blame my baking skills, not the directions.) I still believe I’ll find something that works, but I have to experiment more.

So far, my favorite solution is adding the fluff to my weekly batch of breakfast smoothies. My advice if you do the same: don’t include any ginger pulp – if you do, it’ll be the only thing you taste. Citrus leftovers are also pretty overbearing and bitter. Fluff from apple, celery and carrots have the most neutral flavor and go nicely in a morning shake. Of course, I still always have way more byproduct than I could possibly use, so I just compost the rest.

At $180, it’s not the cheapest kitchen appliance you can buy, but it’s far from the most expensive. Even though mine was a gift, I feel like it’s worth its price tag. Design-wise, the Fountain follows the silvery, matte aesthetic Breville tends to give its kitchen appliances, a look that’s neither too modern or overly retro. It has lovely curves and a graceful, tower-like profile. But thanks to the aforementioned jet engine, the Fountain isn’t small. My tiny kitchen has no space to store it on the countertop, so when it’s not doing its juice thing, it lives up in a cupboard. Honestly, it’s a pain to get down. But I’m happy (and healthier) every time I do.

Apple is launching its high-yield savings account for Card owners in the US after a months-long wait. Sign up for the 4.15 percent annual percentage yield offering and you can either transfer money (from your Apple Cash balance or a linked bank account) or automatically deposit your Daily Cash from purchases. There are no fees, balance requirements or minimum deposit amounts, and you can withdraw money at any time.

Like with Apple Card itself, Goldman Sachs provides the savings account. The concept is somewhat similar to Goldman's "Marcus" account, which offers a 2.15 percent yield with comparable flexibility. Both Marcus and Apple's account are built for mobile users who aren't keen on setting foot inside a bank. The difference, of course, is that Apple's is tied to the iPhone's Wallet app.

The savings account requires at least iOS 16.4. There are also a few limitations. You can't have more than $250,000 in the account, and transfers to or from Apple Cash have to range between $1 and $10,000. You also can't transfer more than $20,000 per week.

The debut comes just weeks after the company introduced Apple Pay Later to help American users split online purchases into interest-free payments. As with that service, the Apple Card savings account is believed to be part of a larger strategy that brings more financial services in-house. These not only let Apple control more of its customer experience, but help it keep users in the ecosystem. You may stick to iPhones knowing you can easily build funds.