Blog

The List of the Top 15 Most Searched Altcoins in Recent Hours Has Been Revealed!
The cryptocurrency data platform CoinGecko has published its list of the digital assets that have attracted the most user interest in recent hours. Based on search data from the last three hours, the list reveals which altcoins are drawing investor attention in the markets, with high volatility being particularly noteworthy.

RaveDAO ($RAVE), which topped the list, stood out with its sharp decline in value over the last 24 hours; while Aave ($AAVE), in second place, and Asteroid Shiba ($ASTEROID), in third place, caught the attention of investors with their differing price movements.

Related News Following the $RAVE Manipulation, the Crypto Detective Named 6 More Altcoins: These Are the Same

According to CoinGecko data, the most searched cryptocurrencies and their market capitalization are ranked as follows:
1. RaveDAO ($RAVE) – $279 million
2. Aave ($AAVE) – $1.35 billion
3. Asteroid Shiba ($ASTEROID) – $121.9 million
4. BOOK OF MEME (BOME) – $40.5 million
5. Pieverse (PIEVERSE) – $251.8 million
6. Bitcoin (BTC) – $1.49 trillion
7. Pudgy Penguins (PENGU) – $445.4 million
8. Venice Token (VVV) – $419.9 million
9. Siren (SIREN) – $465.2 million
10. Monad (MON) – $355.7 million
11. LayerZero (ZRO) – $407.5 million
12. Bittensor (TAO) – $2.30 billion
13. Morpho (MORPHO) – $1.07 billion
14. $BNB ($BNB) – $83.7 billion
15. Dogecoin (DOGE) – $14.4 billion
*This is not investment advice.
April 19, 2026
Starting 5: LeBron’s dimes lead Lakers, Joker & Murray take control, Knicks & Cavs take Playoff Game 1 wins
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers took Game 1 over the Rockets, as The King handed out 13 assists.

Not in our house.

Saturday was for the home teams, as higher seeds opened the 2026 Playoffs 4-0.

With four more Game 1s on the way — two on ABC, two on NBC & Peacock — what does today have in store?

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

April 19, 2026

LeBron & Luke: James, Kennard lead Lakers over Rockets with Durant out

Denver’s D: Joker & Murray boost scoring while Nuggets shut down Wolves to win Game 1

East Winners: Spida’s 32 lead Saturday’s scorers, Brunson opens & KAT closes as Knicks, Cavs take Game 1’s

ABC Doubleheader: Sixers, Celtics meet for record 116th Playoff game, Thunder’s road to repeat begins

NBC Sunday Night Basketball: No. 1 Pistons clash with No. 8 Magic, Wemby makes Playoff debut

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Reloaded with four more Game 1’s…

Sunday brings four more Game 1’s to get all first-round series underway.
- ABC Doubleheader: No. 2 Celtics meet No. 7 Sixers (1 ET) and No. 1 Thunder start title defense vs. No. 8 Suns (3:30 ET)
- SNB On NBC & Peacock: No. 1 Pistons clash with No. 8 Magic (6:30 ET) before Wemby makes his Playoff debut vs. No. 2 Blazers (9 ET)
1. HOLLYWOOD NIGHT: LEBRON & LUKE SHOW TAKES GAME 1 FOR L.A.

Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

Houston and L.A. began their First Round series Saturday without the matchup’s top-3 scorers.

In response, the game’s all-time leading scorer came out with seemingly one thing on his mind:

Make something happen.

Lakers 107, Rockets 98: James (19 pts, 8 reb) dished out eight 1st-quarter dimes, on his way to 13 total, and Luke Kennard netted Playoff career-highs of 27 points and 5 3s (100 3P%) to help the Lakers take a 1-0 lead.

L.A. was without top scorers Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, while Houston missed Kevin Durant (knee contusion) after a practice collision. | Recap
- “For me, I gotta do a little bit of everything,” LeBron said postgame. “That’s what the job requires. So that’s being a triple-threat: being able to rebound, being able to pass, being able to shoot. Also defend.”
- James’ 5th assist – to Kennard – put him at the 2,100 mark for his Playoff career, joining only Magic Johnson as the only players to log that many
- Getting to 8 in that 1st frame, LeBron set a career Playoff high for any quarter, and a Lakers record for most in any Playoff quarter in the play-by-play era
- Finishing with 13, James became the first player age 41 or older with both double-digit assists and a points/assists double-double in a Playoff game
Sean M. Haffey/NBAE via Getty Images

The passing game wasn’t the only area where LeBron made history, as he and Bronny became the NBA’s first father-son duo to win a Playoff game together.
- “That’s probably the craziest thing that’s ever happened to me in my career,” LeBron said of playing in the Playoffs with Bronny. “That’s just insane.”
- Kennard’s Turn: The sharpshooter’s 27 points equal the 2nd-highest total ever for a player in his Lakers postseason debut, trailing Nick Van Exel by a bucket
- Houston filled in for Durant with five 15+ point scorers, including Alperen Sengun (19), Amen Thompson (17), Reed Sheppard (17), Tari Eason (16) and Jabari Smith Jr. (16)
Durant gets an extra day to heal his bruised knee, as the series picks up on Tuesday with Game 2 from L.A. (10:30 ET, NBC/Peacock).

2. NUGGETS WIN GAME 1: 2ND-HALF SHUTDOWN COOLS RIVAL WOLVES

Matthew Stockman/NBAE via Getty Images

Nikola Jokić had 6 points at halftime. He finished with a 25-point triple-double.

Jamal Murray went 0-for-8 from 3. He logged a game-high 30 points.

Denver started 6-for-22 (27.3 FG%) from the field. They won by double-digits.

Showing no panic, the 3-seed Nuggets let their game find its own way in time, and that paid off for a 1-0 First Round lead.

Nuggets 116, Wolves 105: Denver shook off a quiet start to catch the Wolves by halftime and lead the rest of the way, with Joker (25 pts, 13 reb, 11 ast) and Murray guiding the group past Anthony Edwards (22 pts, 9 reb, 7 ast) and their rival Wolves.

Not to be lost in Saturday’s Playoffs excitement, Denver has now won 13 straight games, dating back a full month to its last loss on March 18. | Recap
- Cold Open: The Nuggets’ 6-for-22 start had them facing their largest deficit of the game (12 pts), and still trailing by double-digits going into the 2nd quarter
- Tale Of Two Lines: With 3s not falling, Murray started driving, getting to the foul line eight times in his 14-point, 2nd-quarter rally. He finished 16-for-16 from the stripe
- “We just had to keep shooting,” Murray said. “Myself included. I didn’t make a 3 today. But I didn’t stop shooting. And I was able to find guys and keep the defense on their toes.”
- A Breakthrough: Then early in the 3rd, a 17-2 Denver run built a double-digit lead, with Jokić going on the attack for 12 of his 25 points in that quarter
- Joker credited homecourt advantage: “Whenever we needed a little spark, [the fans] were behind our back, and I love to play in front of our crowds. I think they’re great.”
From there, the Nuggets held the Wolves to just four made 3s and 43 points in the 2nd half. Minnesota had only seven halves all season of 43 points or fewer.
- AE & KG: Edwards passed Kevin Garnett twice with his 237th career Playoff assist, in his 32nd career 20+ point playoff game, taking the franchise lead in both categories
- Murray Joins Jokić: Murray reached his 20th career 30+ point Playoff game, joining Joker (35) as the only Nuggets ever with 20 or more such games
- Jokić Tops MPJ: Joker passed former Nugget Michael Porter Jr. (166) for 2nd-most Playoff triples made in franchise history
Game 2 from Mile High comes our way Monday night (10:30 ET, NBC/Peacock).

3. EAST WINS: BRUNSON OPENS, KAT CLOSES, SPIDA LEADS ALL SCORERS

Elsa/NBAE via Getty Images

Floater in the lane: ✅

Contested wing 3-ball: ✅

Fadeaway bank shot: ✅

Transition triple: ✅

Face-up fadeaway J: ✅

Pull-up from long-range: ✅

Jalen Brunson started Saturday 6-for-6 for 15 points in under 6 minutes.

All that, and the Knicks were up just six, as both New York and Atlanta shot over 85% in the opening 4 minutes of their First Round series opener.

Knicks 113, Hawks 102: Brunson scored 19 of his game-high 28 points in that 1st quarter, and Karl-Anthony Towns (25 pts, 8 reb) took control down the stretch, as New York outlasted CJ McCollum (26 pts, 4 3s) and Atlanta for a 1-0 series lead. | Recap
- 2nd-Half KAT: After a 1-for-6 1st half, Towns took the baton from Brunson, scoring 19 of his 25 points in the 2nd half
- “I was just rusty,” Towns said of his 1st half. “12 days, 13 days without playing… It takes a toll. So just trying to knock the rust off early in the game.”
- It was Towns who sealed the win in the 4th, sinking a triple followed by an and-1 take for back-to-back 3-point plays, capping a 10-0 Knicks run and stretching their lead to 19
- “I knew I was gonna get a chance to show what I could do in a pivotal moment,” said Towns. “I felt good about the 4th quarter and I’m glad I was able to make those shots for my teammates.”
- JB Ties Clyde: Brunson recorded his 29th Playoff game of 25+ points as a Knick, tying Walt Frazier for the 2nd-most in franchise history. Only Patrick Ewing (43) has more
New York and Atlanta tip off Game 2 at The Garden Monday night (8 ET, NBC/Peacock)

Jason Miller/NBAE via Getty Images

With 2:01 remaining, the Cleveland crowd rose to its feet.

The Cavs’ first unit subbed out to a standing ovation, up 16.

Playoff basketball was back in The Land, celebrating a First-Round, Game 1 win for the third consecutive year.

Cavaliers 126, Raptors 113: Donovan Mitchell poured in a game-high 32 points, setting an NBA record with his ninth straight 30+ point performance in a series opener, as the Cavs rolled to a 1-0 lead over RJ Barrett (24 pts), Scottie Barnes (21 pts, 7 ast) and the Raptors. | Recap
- Applause-Worthy: Backing up Mitchell, Max Strus went for a Playoff career-high 24 pts, James Harden (22 pts) dished out 10 assists, and Evan Mobley (17 pts, 7 reb) controlled the paint
- Go Time: In a 4-point game with 1:11 to play before halftime, Cleveland exploded into the 2nd half with a 27-9 carryover run, leading the rest of the way. Strus had 11 points (3 3s) in that decisive stretch
- “Coming out in the 3rd quarter, we upped our intensity defensively,” Mitchell said of the getaway run. “And then obviously, offensively, we did what we do.”
Mitchell’s record-setting nine-game, 30+ point streak in Game 1s has helped him to a 33.1 ppg average across 12 career Game 1s.

This was his 32nd-career 30+ point Playoff game, and 13th for Cleveland, passing Kyrie Irving for 2nd-most in Cavs history.
- “32 is 32, but I’m happy I got a steal…” Mitchell said. “I’m finding ways to get rebounds… Those are the little details that carry over to wins.”
- Harden’s History: The Beard passed Larry Bird (3,897 pts) for 13th place on the NBA’s all-time postseason scoring list
- “It’s tough for defenses to try to figure out which ways to guard both of us,” Mitchell said of his first Playoff pairing with Harden. “We gotta keep it up for the series.”
4. TODAY ON ABC: 76ERS-CELTICS RIVALRY, CHAMPS START TITLE DEFENSE

Isaiah Vazquez/NBAE via Getty Images

The reunited 2024 champs and the Divisional rival who played them closer than anyone this season.

The well-rested defending champions and the red-hot shooting squad who won the West Play-In Finale.

ABC’s Playoff matineé doubleheader delivers on drama and deep storylines. Here’s what to watch for:

(7) Sixers at (2) Celtics (1 ET): NBA Playoff Sunday tips off with the 116th postseason meeting of Philly and Boston, the most in NBA history. The Celtics lead this series all-time, 66-50.

The last time these two franchises met in the Playoffs, the 2023 East Semis went a full seven games, with Jayson Tatum delivering an iconic 50-ball to end it.
- Jay & Jay: Scoring 20+ points in each of his last seven games, Tatum (21.8 ppg in 16 gm) is reunited with Jaylen Brown, who set career-highs (28.7 ppg) while leading the C’s all year
- Before Tatum’s return, these two teams lived up to their thrilling history with three early season matchups, each decided by the final possession (2-1 PHI)
- Philly’s Answer: The Sixers will look to attack with the duo of top-5 scorer Tyrese Maxey (28.3) and two-way talent VJ Edgecombe, the first rookie in 7+ years with 1100 points and 100 steals — not to mention Paul George, who’s averaged 21.2 ppg in his Playoff career
Christian Petersen/NBAE via Getty Images

Following Philly and Boston, OKC takes off on its road to two in a row.

(8) Suns at (1) Thunder (3:30 ET): The reigning champs begin their quest to repeat, taking on Devin Booker, Jalen Green and the hot-shooting Suns.

No NBA team has repeated since the Warriors in 2017-18, with seven straight unique champions since.
- The Thunder are the NBA’s youngest champion in 50 years, and boast the league’s best defensive rating (106.5) since the 2019-20 Bucks, holding opponents 3.5 FG percentage points below the league average
- Phoenix joins OKC with a top-10 defensive rating (112.9, 9th), while both teams rank top-5 in steals per game (9.5+)
- The Reigning MVP: SGA is the first guard in NBA history to average 30+ ppg on 55% shooting. He also ranks 2nd in ppg (31.1), 2nd in iso ppg (8.3), 2nd in 30-pt games (43), and 1st in total clutch points (175)
- Suns all-time leading scorer Devin Booker has the help of a hot hand in Jalen Green, who enters off the 2nd-ever back-to-back 35+ point performances in Play-In history
5. SNB: NO. 1 PISTONS, NO. 8 MAGIC COLLIDE BEFORE WEMBY’S PLAYOFF DEBUT

NBC & Peacock’s Sunday doubleheader features two of this Playoff field’s strongest contenders, in East 1-seed Detroit and West 2-seed San Antonio.

But their respective First Round opponents are uniquely qualified to make this matchup tougher than seedings might suggest.

(8) Magic at (1) Pistons (6:30 ET): Detroit begins its Playoff after its first 60-win season since 2006-07.

The league leader in both steals (10.4) and blocks (6.4) per game, the Pistons operate with the identity of defensive physicality – something Orlando just utilized to overpower the Hornets in its Play-In win to get here.

The Pistons are led by the rising All-Star duo of Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren.
- Cade is back from his collapsed lung, and Detroit’s offensive engine was missed: The Pistons have a 120.4 OffRtg with Cade on-floor, and a 111.1 with him off; a 9.3-point swing
- First-time All-Star Duren dominates the paint with the league’s 3rd-most PITP, while Ausar Thompson logged the most steals in a season (146) by a Piston since Ben Wallace in 06-07
The Magic enter the series coming off a Play-In game statement, making their third straight Playoffs. The team split its four-game series with Detroit this season.
- Paolo Banchero has 336 points through his first 12 career Playoff games (28.0 ppg), and led the way for Orlando in its Play-In win, with 12 first quarter points and a game-high 25 overall
- Acquired last offseason, Desmond Bane has delivered offensively, leading the team in total points (1647) and total 3s (167), and ranking 2nd in assists (338)
Soobum Im/NBAE via Getty Images

After a year of bending physics on the court — and transforming the Spurs into one of the league’s toughest teams — third-year superstar Victor Wembanyama’s about to make his debut on the league’s biggest stage: The Playoffs.

(7) Blazers at (2) Spurs (9 ET): Wemby is set to make his first Playoff appearance against a Portland team that beat San Antonio once in three tries this season.
- The Spurs return to the Playoffs for the first time since 2018–19, with their first 60-win season since 2016–17. They flipped from 60 losses to 60 wins in just two years
- February March: Half those wins came in the final 2.5 months of this season, losing just four games after the start of February (30–4 record)
- With Wemby on the floor, opposing teams shot 5.7% worse – the largest on/off difference of the decade – and the Spurs posted a 103.6 defensive rating, which would rank as the best in the league over a full season
But it’s not just Wemby. He’s backed by a dynamic trio of guards.
- Stephon Castle, the reigning Rookie of the Year, took a leap this season, increasing his points, rebounds, assists, and steals.
- De’Aaron Fox, a two-time All-Star, finished second on the team in scoring and led the team in total clutch points.
- Dylan Harper, the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft, provides a spark off the bench for this Spurs squad.
Portland features the league’s third-best defense since the All-Star break, and an international All-Star on the rise, who’s coming off a huge performance.
- Deni Avdija became the first player to record 40 points and 10 assists in a Play-In game, capping off a breakout year in which he joined Joker and Luka as the only players to average 24/6/6
April 19, 2026
2025-26 NBA Awards: Finalists for league accolades announced tonight
The finalists for seven awards honoring top performers from the 2025-26 NBA regular season will be revealed on NBC tonight starting at 6 p.m. ET ahead of Game 1 of the Orlando Magic vs. Detroit Pistons series.

The following award finalists will be announced during pregame:
- Kia NBA Clutch Player of the Year
- Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year
- Kia NBA Most Improved Player
- Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year
The following award finalists will be announced during halftime of the Magic vs. Pistons game:
- Kia NBA Most Valuable Player
- Kia NBA Rookie of the Year
- NBA Coach of the Year
The finalists for seven awards honoring top performers from the 2025-26 NBA regular season will be revealed on @NBAonNBC tonight starting at 6 PM ET.

Pregame:
▪️Kia NBA Clutch Player of the Year
▪️Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year
▪️Kia NBA Most Improved Player
▪️Kia NBA… pic.twitter.com/d1mHP2WaRR

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 19, 2026
April 19, 2026
Another Hacking Incident: This May Increase the Likelihood of Crypto Platforms Being Hacked in the Coming Period

A serious data security allegation has surfaced regarding Vercel, a cloud-based hosting platform. According to reports, it is claimed that data from the company’s internal systems was offered for sale on hacker forums.

From wallet connectors to decentralized application interfaces, many crypto and Web3 frontends are being published on Vercel.

According to information shared by a user named Ryan on the social media platform X, someone claiming to be connected to ShinyHunters has offered Vercel’s internal database, access keys, and source code for sale on BreachForums for approximately $2 million. The initial bid was stated to be $500,000 in Bitcoin.

Related News Following the RAVE Manipulation, the Crypto Detective Named 6 More Altcoins: These Are the Same

The data allegedly offered for sale contains highly sensitive information such as employee account permissions, API keys, NPM and GitHub tokens. It is stated that this data could be used for “supply chain attacks,” and it is suggested that the shared screenshots may have been taken from Vercel’s internal systems (including Linear and user management panels).

Following these developments, Vercel reportedly contacted the individual via Telegram, requesting that they cease contact with the employees. This indicates that direct communication had taken place between the parties.

In an official statement, the company confirmed that some internal systems had been accessed without authorization. Vercel announced that a crisis response process had been initiated, law enforcement had been informed, and affected customers had been contacted.

*This is not investment advice.

April 19, 2026
Sam Altman’s World Teams With Zoom, Tinder to Better Verify Humans in the AI Age
In brief

World launched a major World ID protocol upgrade featuring account-based architecture for “proof-of-human” verification.

Tinder is expanding verification to U.S. users, Zoom is integrating Deep Face technology, and Docusign is adding identity verification.

Worldcoin (WLD) fell about 10% on the day amid the news, despite a broader crypto market uptick.
World—formerly Worldcoin—unveiled a major World ID upgrade on Friday, introducing account-based architecture for “proof of human” verification alongside new integrations with Tinder, Zoom, and Docusign.

World, which was co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, introduced the World ID app as a dedicated experience for managing and using proof-of-human verification across the internet. The standalone application represents a shift from the company’s previous wallet-integrated approach to identity verification.

The company is arguably best known for its iris-scanning Orb device, which scans and helps verify humans for use across an array of online applications. World incentivized use of the Orb with its Worldcoin (WLD) crypto token—which has fallen about 10% on the day to a recent price of $0.286—but has expanded its proof-of-human suite to include other forms of verification.

The company on Friday also launched Concert Kit, a tool powered by World ID that enables artists to reserve tickets for verified humans. The platform aims to combat bot-driven ticket scalping by requiring human verification for event access. Grammy-winning musician Anderson .Paak appeared at Friday’s event to help reveal the technology.

World and Vercel are teaming to bring human-in-the-loop verification to developers building on Vercel’s new open source Workflow SDK. Okta plans to build Human Principal, a product allowing API builders to verify whether a human stands behind an agent.

Match Group, Tinder’s parent company, is expanding its existing World ID partnership to serve U.S. users, while World announced business-centric agreements with Zoom and Docusign.

Zoom, the video meeting app, will integrate World’s deepfake detection technology to try and spot fakes, with fund manager VanEck among the firms currently trialing the tech. Meanwhile, Docusign will offer World ID support to ensure that whoever is supposed to digitally sign a document is actually the person they claim to be.

The launch comes as Worldcoin’s network has reached 18 million verified humans across 160 countries. The timing reflects growing urgency around human verification as a growing share of internet traffic comes from AI chatbots, agents, and bots.

“Proof of human and verified human identity vaulted to a critical priority for social networks and banking and financial systems as AI and agentic-AI capabilities experienced an exponential step forward in the past few months,” said Tom Lee, Chairman of Ethereum treasury firm BitMine Immersion Technologies and board member of Worldcoin treasury firm Eightco, in a statement. (Disclosure: Lee is an investor in Dastan, the parent company of an editorially independent Decrypt.)

Daily Debrief Newsletter

Start every day with the top news stories right now, plus original features, a podcast, videos and more.
April 19, 2026
Eight children killed in Louisiana shooting, gunman fatally shot by police

Louisiana community in shock as domestic violence incident leaves eight children dead and two others injured.

Published On 19 Apr 2026

|

Updated: an hour ago

Eight children have been killed in a shooting spree in the southern US state of Louisiana, in what police said appears to have been an incident of domestic violence.

The gunman, who was not immediately identified, was fatally shot by police after a car chase early Sunday, officials said.

The incident occurred in Shreveport, northwestern Louisiana.

“This is a rather extensive crime scene spanning between two residences,” Shreveport Police Corporal Chris Bordelon told a press conference, adding that a third residence was also part of the scene being combed by investigators.

The victims ranged in age from one to 14, Bordelon said.

“Some of the children inside were his descendants,” he added.

Two other people were struck by gunfire, but their conditions were not immediately known.

Officials said they were still gathering details about the crime scene, which extended across three locations. Police Chief Wayne Smith said the suspected shooter was fatally shot by police during a vehicle chase.

“This is an extensive scene, unlike anything most of us have ever seen,” Smith added.

Louisiana State Police say their detectives have been asked by Shreveport police to investigate. In a statement, state police say no officers were harmed in the shooting that involved an officer after a police pursuit into Bossier City on Sunday morning.

‘Thoughts and prayers’

“This is a tragic situation, maybe the worst tragic situation we’ve ever had,” Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux said.

US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, a Shreveport native, posted on social media that his team was in touch with local police about the “heartbreaking tragedy”.

“We’re holding the victims, their families and loved ones, and our Shreveport community close in our thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time,” he said.

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry posted to social media that he and his wife “are heartbroken over this horrific situation, and we’re praying for everyone affected”.

Not including this weekend’s incident in Shreveport, the Gun Violence Archive lists at least 119 mass shootings in the United States this year, resulting in 117 deaths, including 79 children, and 458 people injured.

The archive defines a mass shooting as an incident in which at least four people, not including the shooter, are injured or killed by gunfire. The United States had 407 mass shootings last year, according to archive data.

April 19, 2026
Beijing’s robot half-marathon is back for its second year with far less embarassing results

To make up for an incredibly laughable inaugural event, Beijing is running back its humanoid robot half-marathon. Fortunately, the event that pits humanoid robots made by Chinese companies against each other across 13 miles went a lot smoother this year.

This year’s half-marathon hosted more than 100 competitors, with first place going to Honor, better known for its smartphones, and its red-clad robot named Lightning. Living up to the name, the gold medalist finished the race in 50 minutes and 26 seconds. That’s several minutes faster than the human record that was recently set by Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo last month.

Honor swept the other podium spots, with the important caveat that they all navigated the course autonomously, according to the state-sponsored television news agency CCTV. That’s a massive improvement over last year, where the fastest time among 21 robots was achieved by Tiangong Ultra with a record of two hours and 40 minutes. Last year’s event saw many of the bipedal robots receiving assistance from human operators who ran alongside them, as well as some comical mishaps, like falling at the starting line.

However, the BBC reported that around 40 percent of the robots competed autonomously this year, while the rest were remote-controlled. Despite the rapid improvements, this year’s event still had its fair share of crashes, even from Honor’s robots.

April 19, 2026
Indigo Girls Receive Outpouring of Love After Emily Saliers Tearfully Acknowledges Two Incurable Conditions Will Affect Vocals on Tour

The Indigo Girls have been receiving an outpouring of support and love from fans and famous admirers, after the duo released a video statement in which Emily Saliers got exceptionally frank about how two incurable physical conditions she’s experiencing will adversely affect her vocals on their upcoming tour.

In a clip posted to their Instagram account, with Amy Ray sitting beside her, Saliers talked about how she has been diagnosed with cervical dystonia and an essential tremor — both of which have hampered her ability to sing in a clear and constant tone. Nonetheless, they are forging ahead with the tour, but with full advance warning to the audience that they will notice the difference.

“Unfortunately there’s no cure for these, so the honest fact is that my voice will not be what it was,” Saliers said, briefly becoming tearful amid the otherwise matter-of-fact explanation of what she is dealing with. “That’s really hard for me. … I hate that I’m only 62 and it’s happened to me, but we are both aging. People age. We are trying to look at this organically as a process of our own aging. … I just hope that you can have some grace with my struggles for this particular touring year. We’re gonna work hard to make it good, and then whatever the future holds, we’ll see. … We want to bring you the best show that we possibly can.”

Saliers talked about the medical treatment she has been getting to mitigate the effects of these two conditions on her singing. For the upcoming tour, she said they have been working on altering arrangements, boosting the support they already got from background singers like band mainstay Lucy Wainwright Roche, and making use of “all the modern digital tools that front-of-house engineers use to help singers sound better.” (A huge percentage of modern pop artists use live tuning as part of their concert arsenal, though very few have ever owned up to it.)

Reaction to this revelation was as emotional and positive as might be expected. And their fellow performing artists were among the first to chime in in the comments with applause for how boldly and proactively the Indigo Girls were handling this tough situation.

“What you offer the world is beyond bodies,” wrote Sara Bareilles on Instagram. “Thank you for sharing whatever you have to share. It will be received with so much love and gratitude.”

Posted superfan Brandi Carlile: “This is why these two have been my heroes and the only reason I ever picked up a guitar. Being an @indigogirls fan is a life-long privilege. Indigo Girls fans already have an evolved perspective on aging and a deeper understanding of how badass vulnerability really is. This is because of the music they have given us. Wisdom breeds wisdom.

“To say we have Emily’s back is the understatement of the century,” Carlile continued. “If you love to sing, Emily, sing. We will be there singing with you. We are the luckiest fans in the world – we know our verses, and we know the words to every song. Let’s sing them back at the Indigo Girls louder than ever.”

The Indigo Girls’ video begins with Saliers saying:

“We’re coming to you from Atlanta where we’re been practicing and looking forward to our tour dates that we have for 2026, and we needed to make y’all aware of something. To those of you in our community who have supported us all these years, we’re so grateful for you, and I wanted to be completely forthcoming. We both have talked about this and are in support of each other…

“Many of you have noticed that my voice — maybe all of you have noticed, it’s pretty noticeable — that my voice is not what it once was. So I wanted to share with you that I’ve been diagnosed with two movement disorders. One is called cervical dystonia with torticollis, which basically is in the part of my brain that controls movement. And in other people with this condition, the brain sends signals to tighten muscles… So because of the cervical dystonia, my, head twists to the right and is misaligned. It can cause shaking of the head. It’s impossible for me to hold my head centrally without shaking, things like that. So structurally, obviously, that is problematic for this whole throat area.

“But the other diagnosis, which is harder in fact for me, is an essential tremor. And the essential tremor causes involuntary shakes or movement, and it affects all the parts of my singing apparatus, the larynx, the pharyngeal muscles, my jaw and my diaphragm from which I get all the air for singing. So I’m unable to make the connections muscularly and structurally because of the essential tremor. What else the essential tremor does is give me this — I am gonna call it horrible, because it’s horrible to me — vibrato that I never used to have. I am completely physically unable to hold a straight tone the way I used to.

“And this is what you, our community, have come to, I think, appreciate and love about some of our harmonies is the way we can hold long straight tones together. So I want to give you a heads up about that, in full transparency. I’m doing everything that I can know and that the medical community has advised me to mitigate the symptoms of these two disorders. So that includes therapeutic massage, physical therapy, chiropractic, acupuncture…. I get Botox shots in my neck and shoulders every three months. That’s sort of the standard line of treatment for these disorders. And I’m also seeing a vocal coach who is an expert in movement disorders for singers, particularly essential tremor.

“Unfortunately there’s no cure for these, so the honest fact is that my voice will not be what it was. That’s really hard for me. Amy’s been super supportive, and we want you to know that as we get ready for these shows, we are doing everything we can to make the songs sound as good as they can possibly sound or ever sound, which includes all the modern digital tools that front-of-house engineers use to help singers sound better. So we’ll be using those and we’ll be working on harmony parts”. Lucy, Wayne, Wright Roach and Lyric and Jeff Fielder will be joining us. We’ll be singing some harmonies.” with the backup-singing musicians. “There may be some new arrangements…

“We wanted together to let you know that this has been going on. I’ve had this diagnosis for a while, but as I say, the conditions get incrementally worse over time. … I hate that I’m only 62 and it’s happened to me, but we are both aging. People age. We are trying to look at this organically as a process of our own aging.

“There are no words to articulate our gratitude for you, our community, who has been with us through our activism and through all the albums and through even our personal struggles through all the years. I just hope that you can have some grace with my struggles for this particular touring year. We’re gonna work hard to make it good, and then whatever the future holds, we’ll see. … We want to bring you the best show that we possibly can. And unfortunately this is a condition that can’t be reversed or mitigated unless there’s some medical breakthrough that hasn’t happened yet. So that’s where we are.”

At this point, Ray added her thoughts.

“We’re just reviewing all the songs. It’s interesting because there’s a lot of things I need to work on, too, and so we’re picking out the strongest songs… You know,we’re not changing things drastically. Basically, we’re bringing Lucy (Wainwright Roche) in a little bit more and that helps support us. And then we are just practicing together to make sure we’re singing together and blending as much as we can in the best way. So we’re doing the work because we love the music and we love you guys. And we don’t wanna just say, ‘Oh, we’re not gonna do it anymore because of this.’ We just want to keep playing and do our best, and I feel like y’all are the best audience ever. And we’re sort of as a community, you know, all going through things. So, so we’re gonna hang together, you know, and just do our thing. And the central message of love and self-esteem and activism and all that, it’s therem and that’s what we want to share.”

“It’s heavy and it’s life,” said Saliers. “We are just telling you because we’re gonna go through this year touring, and we don’t want it to be this thing that people are talking about, that we’re not talking about. Because we expect you guys to believe in yourself. and we want to believe in ourselves. So if we can’t play all your requests, it’s not because we don’t want to, we’re just picking the songs, as Amy said, that work the best. And we hope we can bring you joy and that we can all enjoy these. I mean, I know we all need the bonding, galvanizing power of music together.”

From the response, it seems clear that few if any fans will hold the alteration of arrangements in these shows against them. The message was met with a torrent of enthusiasm for the Indigo Girls carrying on. And some of their contemporaries led the way in the online onset of praise for their honesty and perseverance.

Wrote singer Chely Wright: “You are the definition of authenticity, courage and grace.”

Said Jennifer Nettles: “Forever in both of your corners! Forever a fan! Forever your friend. Your whole community of fans and friends are with you and I will be in the front row clapping the loudest and singing to the top of my lungs!! Your music sings and grows and evolves right along with life. Ever transforming. Thank you for your hearts and support of each other. You are inspiration to us all. See you on the road!!!”

And, posted Glennon Doyle: “Your audience has been aging too, Emily and Amy. We’re entering our Indigo Crones era with you. So much has changed – around us and on us and in us. But you haven’t. You’ve been with us the whole time- writing us through, leading us forward, singing us home. We’re not home yet, so you can’t stop singing. We won’t either. Lead the way Emily- show us how to sing while we shake. There might not be a more important thing to show us in this moment. We love you, Amy and Emily. See you on stage.”

The tour, announced three weeks ago, begins April 24 in Athens, Ohio, and runs through a Sept. 13 closer in Evanston, Illinois. One of the early dates is a May 14 gig in Los Angeles at the Bellwether. They will be opening for Brandi Carlile at the Gorge in Washington state on May 29 as part of a star-studded bill their famous acolyte has put together.

April 19, 2026
Previewing Consensus’ Policy Summit: State of Crypto
As readers of this newsletter may be aware, Congress has spent the past few months debating market structure legislation, but crypto policy discussions encompass so many more issues than just the one: taxes, decentralized finance regulations, the midterm election, states and so much more. CoinDesk’s Consensus Miami conference next month is going to examine each of these issues in depth.

You’re reading State of Crypto, a CoinDesk newsletter looking at the intersection of cryptocurrency and government. Click here to sign up for future editions.

This newsletter has noted in the past how significant policy changes around digital assets have become. Last year saw U.S. President Donald Trump sign the first significant crypto-specific piece of legislation. Regulators have completely changed their approach to enforcement actions. Congress has spent the past few months debating not the broad contours of what a market structure bill could look like nor whether we’ll even have a bill, but the finer details of issues like the treatment of stablecoin yield.

In other words: Crypto’s made it.

This was true last year, to be fair. The crypto industry, fresh off of its electoral wins in 2024, took a victory lap as bitcoin’s price soared to over $120,000 and legislation seemed imminent. Things have soured a little bit this year; crypto prices have been largely stagnant amid broader economic stresses and time is running out for Congress to pass market structure legislation in its current form. It’s not all bad news: regulators have begun proposing rules for stablecoin companies based on last year’s GENIUS Act, lawmakers are seriously considering reforms to U.S. crypto tax policy and it really does seem that this industry has cemented itself to the point where it cannot be dismissed.

So what’s next? The industry’s still seeking tax reform, with a de minimis exemption for crypto transactions, hoping the market structure bill will become law without overly burdening the industry and — of course — looking ahead to November, when the U.S. will pick the next Congress.

We’ll be picking up these threads next month at Consensus Miami, our annual shindig bringing together basically everyone.

You’ll hear from leading lawmakers like Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Ashley Moody, regulators like CFTC Chairman Mike Selig and the White House point man on crypto Patrick Witt, and Congressional staffers across the three-day conference. Congressman Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), who recently introduced a new version of the Parity Act to address crypto taxations, will participate in a discussion about the bill. We’ll also host a meetup for folks interested in chatting about the election or just generally about the policy landscape.

And we are bringing back the Policy & Regulation Summit: an entire day, and an entire stage, dedicated to exploring key policy and regulatory issues in-depth.

The policy summit is designed to explore some of the biggest questions lawmakers, regulators, compliance officers and/or builders have to answer right now, including whether or how decentralized finance can comply with anti-money laundering rules, how to deal with taxes in the new 1099-DA era, what the deal is with the Clarity Act and how states are approaching this sector.

We’ll have an entire series of sessions focused on the 2026 midterm election, including how the crypto industry is engaging with the election and what we can expect next year when the new Congress takes over.

Along the way, we’ll hear from folks deeply embedded in the policymaking process, such as SEC Crypto Task Force chief Taylor Lindman, former IRS officials Seth Wilks and Raj Mukherjee and the National Futures Association’s Lucy Hynes, among so many others.

We’re going to close the Policy Summit — and all of Consensus really — with a debate on one of the biggest topics in the country right now: prediction markets. Are they just gambling? Or are prediction markets a novel financial instrument? And who should regulate these products?

These questions are likely to wind up before the U.S. Supreme Court, but we’re going to preview the arguments for you on May 7. Come on through (discount code in the link) and say hi.

Tuesday
- 14:00 UTC (10:00 a.m. ET) The Senate Banking Committee will hold the nomination hearing for Kevin Warsh, Donald Trump’s pick to helm the Federal Reserve.
If you’ve got thoughts or questions on what I should discuss next week or any other feedback you’d like to share, feel free to email me at nik@coindesk.com or find me on Bluesky @nikhileshde.bsky.social.

You can also join the group conversation on Telegram.

See ya’ll next week!
April 19, 2026
Following the RAVE Manipulation, the Crypto Detective Named 6 More Altcoins: These Are the Same

As allegations of manipulation in the cryptocurrency market resurface, on-chain analyst ZachXBT made noteworthy statements. ZachXBT stated that the sharp price movements in the $RAVE token, which have recently caused a stir, are not an isolated incident, and that other projects exhibiting similarly suspicious price behavior exist.

According to the analyst, projects like SIREN, MYX, COAI, M, PIPPIN, and RIVER have also recently stood out with “highly suspicious” price movements. ZachXBT stated that the $RAVE example is only one of the most obvious cases, indicating a broader problem of such manipulation.

Related News Justin Sun Makes an Unusual Offer to the Hacker Involved in the $290 Million Hack

ZachXBT also stated that centralized exchanges should respond more quickly to such manipulative actions. While acknowledging that manipulation is difficult to detect, the analyst noted that every delayed intervention leads to significant losses for retail investors. He also pointed out that platforms that profit from trading volume continue to make gains during this process.

On the other hand, ZachXBT announced that it will continue to investigate similar market movements and aims to identify the individuals or groups behind these manipulations.

*This is not investment advice.

April 19, 2026