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Mythos mess / Anthropic and the US government are at odds over Mythos 5.

Vibe-decoding the White House-Anthropic fight over FableVibe-decoding the White House-Anthropic fight over Fable

There are multiple versions of the Mythos omnishambles. Whose is right?

Tina Nguyen
Anthropic got hit by export rules nobody understands

Governing AI through opaque, ad hoc interventions is unsustainable, experts warn.

Robert Hart
Inside the fight over Claude Mythos 5

The government torpedoed Anthropic’s newest, most powerful model. Sources tell The Verge that the AI lab and other AI boosters spent the weekend trying to explain that Fable 5 wasn’t too powerful.

Hayden Field
Trump’s Anthropic shutdown just made the case for non-American AI

Anthropic may bring Fable and Mythos back online, but the shutdown fired up sovereign AI efforts around the world.

Robert Hart

Father’s Day deals / Grab the best last-minute gifts this weekend.

The Verge’s Father’s Day 2026 gift guideThe Verge’s Father’s Day 2026 gift guide

Our staff contributed a mix of fun and practical ideas to pair you with the right gift for the dads you care about.

Cameron Faulkner
The Complete Calvin and Hobbes is a great last-minute Father’s Day gift

If you want to get dad a deluxe, hardcover book, there are also some deals on J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth classics.

Cameron Faulkner
Amazon’s capable sound system is over $100 off ahead of Prime Day

The wireless kit includes a soundbar, two satellite speakers, and a subwoofer.

Brad Bourque
The best early Amazon Prime Day deals so far

There are already plenty of deals to shop while we wait for Prime Day to arrive on June 23rd.

Cameron Faulkner

Summer Upgrade / Our picks for the best ways to enjoy the season.

My backyard made me a color-changing smart lighting convertMy backyard made me a color-changing smart lighting convert

Testing Govee’s over-the-top RGB lineup convinced me there might actually be room in my garden for a horse-race light show this summer.

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Apple’s weird anti-nausea dots cured my car sickness

Vehicle Motion Cues let me read and write in the passenger seat without wanting to die.

Thomas Ricker
The library rules (and so do library streaming services)

This summer, take advantage of everything you can do indoors with the AC on.

Jay Peters
I went to the woods to drink surprisingly great espresso

Is a $200 portable coffee machine what Thoreau meant by living deliberately?

Thomas Ricker

Testing, testing / Reviews and first impressions of the latest tech.

Honor’s Magic V6 sets three foldable firstsHonor’s Magic V6 sets three foldable firsts

8

Verge Score

But the bigger battery is the only one that matters.

Dominic Preston
Apple’s smart home camera service is starting to impress me

iOS 27 brings AI-powered summaries, natural-language search, and improved reliability to Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video — making it much more competitive.

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
The Rivian R2 is too much fun to let drive itself

A muscular electric SUV that’s off-road capable, with tech that feels leaps and bounds better than anything from legacy automakers.

Lawrence Ulrich
Dell’s new XPS 14 is better in almost every way

Except in price. The prices suck.

Antonio G. Di Benedetto
Hue’s wired wall modules bring non-smart lights into its ecosystemHue’s wired wall modules bring non-smart lights into its ecosystem

But they’re only available in Europe.

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Doom composer Bobby Prince has died at age 81.

In addition to creating the heavy-metal soundtracks for Doom and Doom II, Prince also worked on the music for Wolfenstein 3D, Rise of the Triad, and Duke Nukem 3D.

You can read his obituary here.

Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
Akai quadruples the processing power of its cheapest full-featured MPC.

The $799 MPC One G2 has an 8-core processor with 4GB RAM, and 64GB of internal storage. That means you can run 32 plugin instances and 16 audio tracks simultaneously, up from eight of each in the previous model, and polyphony is now 256 notes, up from 64.

Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
Apple says dropping support for some Watches is about processing power.

Cait Dooley, Apple Watch and Health Product Marketing Manager, was quick to tell TechRadar that older Apple Watch models will still work with newer iPhones and receive security updates. It’s just that Siri AI and some other watchOS 27 features require a bit more horsepower.

“The great new features in watchOS, including the capabilities of Siri AI and the new tap gesture, work best with the processing power that is in Apple Watch Series 9 and later, Ultra 2 and later, and SE 3. Older devices can still be paired with iPhones that are running the latest software and continue to receive security updates, so they can continue to have a great Apple Watch experience.”

The NTS Radio Player brings the best of internet radio to your hi-fiThe NTS Radio Player brings the best of internet radio to your hi-fi

It also supports your streaming service of choice.

Terrence O'Brien
The film about Sam Altman has been dropped by Amazon MGMThe film about Sam Altman has been dropped by Amazon MGM

The film, directed by Luca Guadagnino, covers the week in 2023 that the OpenAI CEO was fired and re-hired.

Hayden Field
Hayden Field
Hayden Field
Google DeepMind announced an “AI Control Roadmap” for improving AI agent security.

“Think of it like a driving instructor with dual controls,” Google’s blog post stated. “The instructor trusts the student but stays ready to take the wheel or hit the brakes if a mistake occurs.” Google DeepMind’s plan itself lays out “internal guardrails designed to catch potential adversarial behaviour by AI agents, even as they become increasingly harder to oversee and contain,” naming methods like chain-of-thought monitoring, asynchronous alerts, real-time access control, and shutdown infrastructure.

GDM AI Control Roadmap

[Google DeepMind]

Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
Is Wordle actually easier on hard mode?

Looking at the data suggests as much. The average number of guesses drops from 4.3 to 4.1, and the failure rate drops from 4.3 percent to just 2.5. It might be because more confident players are choosing hard, but the constraints might also keep players from making bad guesses.

Hayden Field
Hayden Field
Spike Jonze, director of Her, warned of AI systems’ ability to manipulate.

“AIs that pretend to be human are, you know, manipulative,” Jonze said Wednesday at Replit’s Vibecon conference in New York City. “The kids need to grow up knowing these are going to be very, very convincing and very seductive — and very useful and very powerful — but they’re still just a system, an incredible system of pattern recognition.”

T1 Phone PR firm is ‘not assisting Trump Mobile any further’T1 Phone PR firm is ‘not assisting Trump Mobile any further’

Trump Mobile will have to talk to the press itself now.

Dominic Preston
In season 2 of Sugar, Colin Farrell’s quirky detective becomes much more humanIn season 2 of Sugar, Colin Farrell’s quirky detective becomes much more human

The show’s star talks about keeping secrets, helping John Sugar grow, and why wearing jeans can be so odd.

Andrew Webster
Valve is so behind on Steam Controller orders that some won’t ship until 2027Valve is so behind on Steam Controller orders that some won’t ship until 2027

Any reservations made today ‘indicate a 2027 date for shipping.’

Jay Peters
You can now use the Game Boy Camera with your phoneYou can now use the Game Boy Camera with your phone

A new mobile app for the GB Operator lets you snap terrible 2-bit, 128 x112 photos without the need for a Game Boy.

Andrew Liszewski
HBO Max’s annual plans are 28 percent off right nowHBO Max’s annual plans are 28 percent off right now

New and returning subscribers can save up to 40 percent compared to paying monthly, with plans starting at $78.99.

Sheena Vasani
Snap’s Specs look good on nobodySnap’s Specs look good on nobody

On The Vergecast: What to make of Snap’s glasses, Fox’s Roku, and Facebook’s AI Mode.

David Pierce
The best early Amazon Prime Day deals so farThe best early Amazon Prime Day deals so far

There are already plenty of deals to shop while we wait for Prime Day to arrive on June 23rd.

Cameron Faulkner
Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
Now Google Meet works in Android Auto.

When the Google Meet UI for Apple CarPlay launched in April, Google said Android Auto would follow soon, and now it’s here, with the rollout set to finish by June 26th. If you want to take a work call while in the car, you can see your schedule, dial colleagues, or join calls (audio only, both ways) without picking up your phone.

Google Meet screenshot showing previous calls
Screenshot of Google Meet’s Android Auto UI showing scheduled calls
1/2Image: Google
This robotic self-driving toilet comes to youThis robotic self-driving toilet comes to you

The Xiaoban will safely navigate a home, clean up after users, and empty itself all on its own.

Andrew Liszewski
A year of Walmart Plus is half off ahead of Prime DayA year of Walmart Plus is half off ahead of Prime Day

Earn free delivery, home pickups for returns, and up to four Whoppers with the discounted membership.

Brad Bourque
Firefox’s new home page widgets are helping me focusFirefox’s new home page widgets are helping me focus

The browser’s new tabs can have a built-in checklist and customizable focus timer.

Stevie Bonifield
The Onion’s rebooted InfoWars is coming July 2ndThe Onion’s rebooted InfoWars is coming July 2nd

In the midst of a prolonged fight in court, the satire news site is officially relaunching under the creative direction of comedian Tim Heidecker.

Mia Sato
Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Waymo is recalling almost 3,900 robotaxis over risk of driving into highway construction zones.

The recall comes just weeks after Waymo vehicles drove past ramp closure signs in Arizona and entered closed lanes in San Francisco, according to a filing with the NHTSA. The company paused freeway service last month due to the issue, which it’s fixing with a software update.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
You can now add individual captions in Instagram carousels.

Check out how it works in a post from Instagram. However, you’ll only be able to write individual captions to photos and videos in new carousels, not old ones, according to Meta’s Nicole Rechtszaid.

No more lightbulbs, much more sports: Five predictions for Roku’s futureNo more lightbulbs, much more sports: Five predictions for Roku’s future

How getting acquired by Fox will change things for the streaming device maker, from its IoT business to its international expansion.

Janko Roettgers
Jay Peters
Jay Peters
iOS users in Brazil will now be able to install alternative app marketplaces.

We knew this was coming thanks to a settlement Apple made with Brazil’s competition watchdog last year, but now it’s official.

Apple opening up iOS in Brazil follows similar changes made for users in Japan and the EU.

Google Calendar finally has more color options for eventsGoogle Calendar finally has more color options for events

The previous 11-color limit has now been expanded to 200 custom options.

Jess Weatherbed
The midterms are going to be a data security nightmareThe midterms are going to be a data security nightmare

The SAVE Program supposedly catches illegal voting, but it’s a recipe for disenfranchisement and data leaks.

Lauren Feiner
Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Spotify is launching its concert ticket presale program for superfans of certain artists.

The first artist partner for Spotify Reserved is Role Model, who is also announcing a tour today. More tours that are part of the program will be announced this week.

A screenshot of Spotify Reserved’s digital concert ticket reservation.
Image: Spotify
The best robot vacuum deals available ahead of Prime DayThe best robot vacuum deals available ahead of Prime Day

Prime Day is next week, but you can already save on several robot vacuums we’ve tested from Roborock, Dreame, and more.

Sheena Vasani
Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
GTA VI preorders open June 25th.

Rockstar Games says preorders will be available “on digital storefronts and at other select retailers,” and revealed the game’s cover art in a teaser video:

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
You can turn this LED candle on by pretending to light it with an imaginary match.

The creators of the Birdie and Birdie Pro air quality monitors are expanding their offerings to include two new products focused on “healthier indoor climates” expected to launch in November. An emission-free LED candle called the Birdie Flame, and a towering air purifier called the Birdie Podium designed to look like a decorative wooden pedestal.

<em>The Birdie Flame will be available in a small ($49), medium ($59), and large ($69) versions and can be turned off by blowing it out like a real candle.</em>
<em>The Birdie Podium is expected to cost $749 this fall.</em>
<em>The Birdie Podium is designed to hide its internal components that include a fan and filter, while still facilitating air flow through perforated panels.</em>
<em>The Birdie Pro air quality monitor is available through a <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/birdie-scandinavia/birdie-pro-your-fresh-air-pet">Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign</a> ending today.</em>
1/4
The Birdie Flame will be available in a small ($49), medium ($59), and large ($69) versions and can be turned off by blowing it out like a real candle.
Image: Birdie
Amazon’s Kindle Colorsoft bundle is almost half off for Prime DayAmazon’s Kindle Colorsoft bundle is almost half off for Prime Day

It’s the lowest price we’ve seen for this bundle, which includes a leather folio cover and power adapter.

Brad Bourque
Adobe’s redesigned AI studio remembers what your creations look likeAdobe’s redesigned AI studio remembers what your creations look like

The Firefly AI assistant can also now generate a brand logo and assemble video clips into draft cuts.

Jess Weatherbed
Photoshop and Premiere now have AI assistantsPhotoshop and Premiere now have AI assistants

Prompt-based editing capabilities are rolling out to Adobe’s most popular Creative Cloud apps.

Jess Weatherbed
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