Richard Lawler

Senior News Editor

Richard Lawler joined The Verge as Senior News Editor in 2021 after several years covering news at Engadget. He’s been a tech blogger since before the word was invented, and will never log off.

Richard LawlerJul 13

Kalshi “Pro” adds a terminal-style interface to make gambling more like trading.

The latest evolution in prediction market technology is Kalshi’s “professional-grade desktop trading workstation,” a web UI now available publicly in a beta test that takes its styling cues from stock trading terminals instead of sportsbooks.

According to the company, Kalshi Pro is part of its “transformation from a retail app for prediction market trading into a full-service financial exchange for all types of investors.”

Image: Kalshi

Richard LawlerJul 13

The LAPD has suspended its use of Flock’s license plate readers, for now.

Over the weekend, the three-year deal for Flock Safety’s 138 pole-mounted surveillance cameras came to an end, as the LA Times reports the LAPD CIO says it ended the arrangement while working on a new contract that has “very clear terms” about who owns the data collected and what happens to it.

An unnamed spokesperson for Flock told media outlets that unspecified “misconceptions” led to the pause.

LAPD suspends use of Flock surveillance cameras over privacy issues

[Los Angeles Times]

Richard LawlerJul 13

LAPD arrested a shirtless man who was beating up a Waymo this weekend.

Both ABC7 and KTLA 5 report that on Saturday afternoon, police arrested this man for vandalism after he was seen smashing up a Waymo at an East Hollywood intersection on Saturday.

They didn’t know if anyone else was inside the vehicle at the time, and Waymo hasn’t issued a statement about the incident.

Richard LawlerJul 13

Microsoft might have more plans for connecting your phone and Windows.

This Windows Central rumor says Windows 11 could add a dedicated flyout menu for the phone companion to show your phone’s status and things like DND status or “find my phone.” Other possible updates could bring a standalone SMS syncing app and sync your clipboard history beyond just the last entry.

Microsoft wants to integrate your smartphone more deeply with Windows 11: Plans major UX enhancements that will make your PC and phone more seamlessly connected

[Windows Central]

Richard LawlerJul 3

Trump’s Great American State Fair temporarily shuts down due to the heat.

The “heat dome” covering the US from the Midwest to the East Coast interrupted the Trump Administration’s Freedom 250 event at the National Mall, which shut down for about four hours, citing the temperatures, and said it would reopen at 5PM ET.

The National Weather Service said more than 110 million people nationwide were under extreme heat risk.

Combination image with notice of the Great American Fair temporary shut down, and the NOAA extreme HeatRisk map of the East Coast.

Image: Freedom 250 / NWS

Richard LawlerJul 3

iFixit goes to the source to explain how iPhone batteries are made.

Instead of revealing more about your iPhones and other devices by tearing them apart, this time iFixit is inside a Chinese battery factory. The video shows how the lithium polymer cells are manufactured and tested, long before they end up in your pocket.

Richard LawlerJul 2

Leaked video shows Microsoft’s work on a lightweight ‘Copilot OS’ built for AI.

Zac Bowden at Windows Central posted this video of Aion, a stripped-down Windows concept made for agentic AI that popped up on the BetaWiki Discord, and says sources have confirmed to him that it is a real video made in 2024.

There’s no indication whether an OS like this would actually ship or if it’s part of something like Project Solara, but it’s very Chrome OS-like, built around the Edge browser and web apps.

Richard LawlerJul 1

BMW’s new X5 goes heavy on the X.

BMW’s Neue Klasse-ified SUV launched this week, including an all-electric iX5 with 800-volt charging that can add 170 miles of range in 10 minutes and go from 10-80 percent in 22 minutes, plus a 17.9-inch in-car display with Alexa, CarPlay and Android Auto.

But we’re really just looking at those familiar-looking headlights. (And that new statue.)

2027 BMW X5 shown driving on a highway with its distinctive X headlights

Design image of BMW X5 “X” headlights close up

1/11Image: BMW

Richard LawlerJul 1

Trump pulled in over $1 billion from crypto ventures last year.

The President’s annual disclosure noted that companies owned by Trump and his family received more than $800 million from the WLFI token and $635 million in royalties from Trump memecoins, report Reuters, WSJ, and CNBC.

CoinDesk points out the more than $50 million in Bitcoin, $25 million in ETH, investments in Coreweave and Coinbase, and $6 million from an NFT licensing agreement.

Trump 2026 Annual OGE disclosure

[DocumentCloud]