David Pierce

We promised ourselves a while back that, if and when the Trump Phone ever arrived, we would immediately go live and talk about it. I’m still not entirely sure why. But we are people of our word, and Dominic Preston and I now have Trump Phones! Update: Thanks to everyone who watched and commented! You can catch up on the stream below, or wherever you get podcasts.

For many of us in the US, it’s the beginning of a holiday weekend. So we figured we’d try and help you out. We grabbed a bunch of Verge staffers, and asked them all a simple question: How do you disconnect? We have ideas about Wi-Fi, about phone hygiene, about smartwatches, and much more. We’re certainly not here to tell you to ditch screens entirely, but… screen responsibly, you know? Send us your tips, and have a great summer vacation!

For years, Rivian has looked like one of the most compelling electric vehicle companies in America — and maybe the car maker most equipped to take on Tesla. All that potential comes down to this: the R2, the long-awaited and more affordable car that Rivian hopes can make it truly mainstream. After a journey to the R2’s factory earlier this year, The Verge’s Andrew Hawkins explains what the R2 is, why it matters, and what happens to Rivian if it’s a hit — or a flop.

It’s time for a new series on The Vergecast! (It still needs a name. Please help.) We’re going to give Verge staffers a challenge, and regroup a few weeks later to see who did it best. We’re starting with some vibe coding. The Verge’s Jake Kastrenakes and Hayden Field share what they’ve made with AI that has actually stuck in their lives, before David gives the challenge: build a website to solve a problem in your life. We’ll be back with the results soon, and in the meantime, send us ideas for more challenges! (Also, names for the series. PLEASE.)

Training data is the raw material of the AI industry. Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, and the rest are built on top of oceans of stuff. What is that stuff? Books. Blog posts. YouTube videos. News articles. All of it and more, in virtually incomprehensible quantities. Alex Reisner, a staff writer at The Atlantic who has been investigating training data, explains how AI companies get all this data, why they’d really prefer you not know what’s in it, and whether training data could ever be a fair trade.