Gov. Abbott‚ Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Lay Down the Law With Biden in Fiery Interviews: Don't Mess With Texas

Amazon Will No Longer Give Ring Doorbell Footage to Law Enforcement Without a Warrant

Trump 2016 vs. Trump 2024: What He Did Wrong‚ What He's Doing Right‚ and Will He Win?

China Puts Pressure on Iran to Rein in Those Houthis

Andrew Cuomo Has Major Warning for Joe Biden Over 2024 and Illegal Immigration Crisis

'Look‚ if You Are Sleeping With a Prosecutor': 'The View' Blasts Fani Willis for Jeopardizing Trump Case

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images Just when I thought I was out‚ they pull me back in! I’ll be writing today’s Insider edition of Hot Pod while Ariel Shapiro is getting some R&;R in sunny Puerto Rico with her family (meanwhile‚ it’s been an uncharacteristically rainy and gray week here in Los Angeles). For today’s Insider issue‚ I’ll take a look at why the estate of legendary comedian George Carlin has sued the Dudesy comedy podcast over an AI-generated comedy special. Finally‚ a lightning round of deals‚ announcements‚ and further reading. A celebration of Dr. Death Last night I attended a press event in West Hollywood for Wondery’s podcast series Dr. Death. Its latest season‚ Dr. Death: Bad Magic‚ launched this week. It’s not a secret that streamers love podcast IP‚... Continue reading…

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Spotify — one of Apple’s biggest critics — says Apple’s new plan to comply with the European Union’s tech regulations is “a complete and total farce.” In a post published on Spotify’s website‚ the company calls Apple’s new app installation fee “extortion‚ plain and simple” and says Apple is trying to force developers not to leave its store. The fee‚ which Apple calls the Core Technology Fee‚ will require developers using third-party app stores to pay €0.50 for each annual app install after 1 million downloads. Spotify says the new tax will hurt developers‚ especially if they’re offering apps for free. “From our read of Apple’s proposal‚ a developer would have to pay this fee even if a user downloaded the app‚ never used it and forgot to... Continue reading…

The Fossil Gen 6 Wellness Edition. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Fossil Group has decided to call it quits on smartwatches. The company announced this afternoon that it would leave the smartwatch business and redirect resources to its less-smart goods instead. The company has been one of the most prolific makers of Wear OS smartwatches over the years‚ and its absence will leave a large gap in the market. “As the smartwatch landscape has evolved significantly over the past few years‚ we have made the strategic decision to exit the smartwatch business‚” Fossil spokesperson Amanda Castelli tells The Verge. “Fossil Group is redirecting resources to support our core strength and the core segments of our business that continue to provide strong growth opportunities for us: designing and distributing... Continue reading…

Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images Legislation needs to be passed to protect people from fake sexual images generated by AI‚ the White House said this afternoon. The statement‚ from White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre‚ came in response to a question about the spread of fake sexualized photos of Taylor Swift on social media this week. Jean-Pierre called the incident “alarming” and said it’s among the AI issues the Biden administration has been prioritizing. “Of course Congress should take legislative action‚” Jean-Pierre said. “That’s how you deal with some of these issues.” She did not refer to any specific legislation that the White House was backing. “There should be legislation‚ obviously‚ to deal with this issue.” The images spread across X in particular on... Continue reading…