Fox wants to take over your TV — and the tech inside it
Fox is about to take over the TVs in more than 100 million homes worldwide. On Monday, Fox announced that it's acquiring Roku, the streaming middleman that serves as a portal for viewers to hop into services like Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, and more. The $22 billion deal may not change Roku's familiar purple interface, but it could put Fox in control of your data behind the screen.
During a call with investors, Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch said the plan is to keep the two companies separate. Fox aims to grow its business by adding Fox Sports, news content, and local stations to Roku - one of the most popular streaming device and smart TV platfor …
Amazon’s Smart Thermostat is on sale for just $58
If your electricity bill climbs every summer, a smart thermostat could help keep cooling costs in check. The Amazon Smart Thermostat is an excellent option for its price, especially today. It’s down to just $57.99 at Amazon as a part of Amazon’s early Prime Day sale, which is the best price we’ve seen since Black Friday.
Amazon Smart Thermostat
Where to Buy:
For a smart thermostat that costs under $100, the Amazon thermostat offers a lot of helpful features. One of its most useful is its ability to learn and adapt to your routines, reducing the need to constantly tweak the temperature yourself. It’s also compatible with most 24-volt HVAC systems, and adjusts itself accordingly depending upon whether or not you’re asleep or at home. The app lets you create schedules and monitor energy usage as well, giving you a sense of how much AC you’re using so you can make adjustments before your next utility bill arrives.
Plus, it’s a particularly good buy if you’re embedded in Amazon’s ecosystem. It’s compatible with Amazon’s Alexa, allowing you to adjust the temperature using voice commands or the mobile app. You can also create Alexa Routines so it can work alongside other compatible smart home devices like Amazon’s $44.99 ($25 off) Smart Air Quality Monitor, setting up automations that adjust your home’s temperature when certain indoor air quality conditions are detected. So long as you’re fine going without native temperature sensors, this smart thermostat is an excellent value for the price.
Read our Amazon Smart Thermostat review.
All the news about Anthropic’s new AI fight with the White House
Anthropic was already navigating one dispute with the government in its standoff with the Pentagon, and then came an order on June 12th to block off foreign access to its most recently released AI models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5. When they launched on June 9th, Anthropic said “Fable 5’s capabilities exceed those of any model we’ve ever made generally available,” and that Claude Mythos 5 had the same underlying model, “but with the safeguards lifted in some areas.”
According to reports, the order came after conversations between Amazon and the White House about researchers saying they found ways to get Fable 5 to serve information that could be used in cyberattacks.
Anthropic responded by shutting access to both models for all customers, saying, “We are complying with the government’s legal directive and are removing access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5 for all users. However, we disagree that the finding of a narrow potential jailbreak should be cause for recalling a commercial model deployed to hundreds of millions of people.”
Read along below for all of the latest updates
- Trump’s Anthropic shutdown just made the case for non-American AI
- China may have accessed Mythos
- Amazon security research reportedly led to the White House’s Anthropic Fable ban
- Anthropic cuts off Fable 5 and Mythos 5 access following government order
- Anthropic releases its first Mythos-class model Claude Fable
The best early Amazon Prime Day deals so far
Amazon’s earlier-than-usual Prime Day doesn’t begin until June 23rd, but there are several even earlier deals on must-have products that you can check out right now. To name some examples, Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 are selling at their cheapest-ever price. Also, you can grab Ring’s latest battery-powered doorbell for $60 off and it includes a free Indoor Cam Plus with purchase.
While the pre-Prime Day deals are looking good so far, you may not see the brands or products you’re looking for — hopefully, those deals will come later in June. Still, we’ve only included early deals that meet the criteria we hold for all our commerce coverage: they’re good products sold at attractive prices.
We’ll update this post frequently ahead of Prime Day.
Logitech MX Master 3S
The MX Master 3S is a favorite among many Verge staff members because of its comfort and customization. It can connect via Bluetooth, via its included 2.4GHz receiver, or wired with its USB-C cable.
Where to Buy:
- The Baseus AM52 10,000mAh power bank that can deliver Qi2.2 25W wireless charging speeds is cheaper than ever for Verge readers. Through June 30th, you can head over to Amazon and use the code THEVERGECODE to nab one for $42.99 — considerably cheaper than the $63.99 price that Prime members have access to. Read about the AM52’s performance here.
Eero Pro 6E tri-band router
Eero’s Pro 6E mesh router is the Amazon-owned company’s last-gen model. It supports the 6GHz Wi-Fi band with speeds of up to 1.3Gbps and covers up to 2,000 square feet with one unit. Wired speeds can go up to 2.5Gbps. Read our review.
Where to Buy:
- Amazon’s Fire 7 Kids tablet is steeply discounted ahead of Prime Day. The 32GB tablet that includes a bumper case, one year of access to a suite of kid-friendly content, and a two-year hardware warranty is down to $64.99 at Amazon (originally $129.99). There’s nothing spectacular about the specs, but it’s a good-enough tablet to withstand whatever your kiddo does to it. The two-year warranty is “worry-free,” which Amazon defines as “if it breaks, we will replace it.” The 16GB version is $54.99.
- Amazon’s Fire TV Soundbar Plus that also includes a wireless subwoofer and two satellite speakers is down to $379.99 (originally $489.99), it’s best price to date. It’s a solid sound system if you don’t want to spend a bunch of money. The soundbar supports HDMI eARC and optical audio for inputs, and it can connect to devices via Bluetooth. My interest in this model has been piqued ever since RTINGS named it one of its favorite budget-friendly soundbars.
Govee Outdoor Lamp Post
A 8-foot-tall, 2,000-lumen RGBIC smart outdoor lamp. The model has six color zones and dedicated white lighting. It features built-in motion and light sensors, works with Matter, is IP66 rated, and includes a long power cord for easy installation.
Where to Buy:
- The 8-piece and 14-piece Ring Alarm Pro home security systems have gotten big discounts ahead of Prime Day. The smaller kit of the two is $209.99 ($90 off) and includes a base station (it doubles as a eero 6 Wi-Fi router), a keypad, four contact sensors for doors or windows, a motion detector, and a range extender for the alarm. The 14-piece set doubles the keypads, contact sensors, and motion detectors. Both include a 30-day trial to Ring Protect plan, which will cost $19.99 per month after the trial.
Ring Battery Doorbell Plus (second-gen)
The 2026 doorbell offers 2K video and 6x zoom, plus a removable battery. It supports Ring’s Retinal Vision, which uses AI to improve footage quality.
Where to Buy:
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select
The 4K Select isn’t Amazon’s most feature-rich nor its zippiest streaming stick. However, it’s one of the best 4K-ready options that you can get for under $20 while it’s on sale.
Where to Buy:
- Apple’s AirPods Pro 3 have been available at their lowest price to date for the past week or so. Originally $249, the noise-canceling, wireless earbuds are $179 at Amazon and Best Buy — no membership required. Walmart has a product page that lists $169 as a sale price, though it’s out of stock at the time of publication. The AirPods Pro 3 are the latest earbuds from Apple, packing better bass and active noise cancellation than their predecessor, plus the ability to do some light fitness tracking, among other niceties. Read our review.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones (second-gen)
The latest over-ear, noise-canceling headphones from Bose offer longer battery life over ANC, plus lossless audio support via USB-C.
Where to Buy:
- Through June 19th (or until supplies last), Woot is offering new customers a small, but welcome $15 discount on the Nintendo Switch 2 console. The $449.99 device drops to $434 with the code NEW15 used at checkout. I know, I know — it’s not much. It may not even cover sales tax associated with the purchase, but a deal’s a deal.
Govee Table Lamp Classic
Sometimes, you don’t need a bright light. You just need a capable, portable light source. Govee’s Table Lamp has adjustable color temperature, not to mention customizable colors and brightness levels.
Where to Buy:
Apple Watch Series 11
Although the Apple Watch Series 11 is the same size as its predecessor, it features a 5G cellular modem, a display that Apple claims is twice as durable, and slightly improved battery life. Read our review.
Where to Buy:
- Marshall has knocked down prices for some of its home audio products, including its amp-inspired Acton III plug-in speaker. Originally $299.99 (though frequently $200 or so), it’s down to $179.99 in all colorways at Amazon. The Stanmore III that’s bigger and even more powerful, with RCA inputs for plugging in a record player, is $249.99 at Amazon. It’s a much bigger price drop for this one, considering it typically sells for around $300.
Gigabyte Gaming OC – Radeon RX 9070 XT graphics card
A good graphics card was about the last thing I expected to find a deal on, but Gigabyte’s 9070 XT is selling at its lowest-ever price ahead of Prime Day. AMD’s midrange GPU slightly outperforms Nvidia’s similarly-priced RTX 5070.
Where to Buy:
Trump’s Anthropic shutdown just made the case for non-American AI
At Washington's request, Anthropic suddenly took its newest and most powerful AI models offline over the weekend. The American company said it had little choice after the White House demanded it block access for all foreign nationals, including its own employees. Abroad, the incident offered a sobering reminder that the US not only dominates frontier AI - its government also wields power over who gets to use it.
The Trump administration's action was swift, sweeping, and imposed with little warning or explanation. The unprecedented shutdown of the Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models - which were already subject to safeguards limiting their use in " …
Google Chrome is closing the loopholes that let old ad blockers keep working
Google Chrome version 150 and 151, expected in late June and July, respectively, will cut off support for the last remaining workarounds for running older ad blockers, 9to5Google reports. Google phased out support for ad-blocking extensions built for Manifest V2, like uBlock Origin, in 2024. At that point, most Chrome users either switched to newer Manifest V3 ad blockers like uBlock Origin Lite or switched to a different browser.
Google is now removing the final bits of code referencing its previous Manifest V2 extensions platform, so only ad blockers that work on the Manifest V3 platform will work in Chrome version 151 onward.
Google d …
Big Tech’s desperate last push at AI regulation
For months, Big Tech's Washington lobbyists have chased after the holy grail of pro-AI legislation: preemption. This would be a comprehensive federal law, passed in Congress and signed by the president, applying one set of AI rules across the entire country and overriding the legally messy state-by-state approach to regulation. For months, lobbyists have run into roadblocks and incurred nationwide political blowback, and they now face the possibility that after the midterms, Congress will flip to hostile Democrats unwilling to work with them.
But their final, most desperate attempt at preemption is coming with new baggage, related to an ent …
Xbox turmoil continues with a studio closure and executive departures
Last week, Xbox boss Asha Sharma sent a memo warning of an Xbox "reset" ahead of expected layoffs, and today, Kotaku reported that Xbox plans to shut down Compulsion Games, the studio behind South of Midnight.
Since taking over in February, Sharma has made some big decisions, including cutting the price of Xbox Game Pass and making Gears of War: E-Day and Clockwork Revolution Xbox console exclusives. But in their "reset" memo, Sharma and chief content officer Matt Booty discussed many challenges facing the Xbox business, including that it has "over extended" with its studio system:
We are the fortunate stewards of industry-defining franch …
Roblox exec says ticking a box for age verification is ‘not enough anymore’
Roblox's vice president of safety product policy, Eliza Jacobs, told NBC News that Roblox is "optimistic" that its new facial age estimation tech will "continue to get better," saying, "Ticking a box to say you're 13 or older, it's not enough anymore." NBC invited a group of kids to try out Roblox's new video selfie age check process, but they weren't able to get around it with a fake mustache. Jacobs claims Roblox's facial age estimates can typically land "within 1.4 years of a child's exact age."
Roblox announced plans in April to begin using its video selfie age estimation tech to sort players into age brackets. Users under 16 and unde …
My favorite Qi2 power bank is cheaper than ever for Verge readers
I recently published a buying guide on the best Qi2 power banks. Out of seven feature-packed batteries, I really dug the Baseus AM52 10,000mAh power bank that has a built-in USB-C cable. It’s fast at Qi2.2 wireless charging for iPhones, and it’s quick with wired charging, too. And now, it’s an unbeatable value thanks to a new exclusive deal. Verge readers can use the offer code THEVERGECODE at Amazon to get one for $42.99 (usually $20 more for Prime members, or $80 outside of a deal).
Baseus AM52 power bank (with built-in cable)
The discount will last until June 30th.
Where to Buy:
The AM52 is far from the only choice that iPhone users have when it comes to a MagSafe-compatible power bank. In addition to its charging merits, the Baseus model is easy to recommend for those who don’t use a case. It’s the only model I tried that has a soft-touch material where it connects magnetically, nixing the possibility of scratching your iPhone.
As you’ll see if you read through the buying guide, other power banks with similar specs are just as fast at charging gadgets. Some are faster, particularly when it comes to wired charging (I used a USB-C power meter to verify speeds). However, what the AM52 lacks that some of its competitors have — a cooling fan, a kickstand, a display for charging remaining — isn’t as much of an issue with a big discount.
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