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TechCrunch Mobility: The state of EV sales and Rivian secures the next $1B from VW | TechCrunch

TechCrunch Mobility: The state of EV sales and Rivian secures the next B from VW | TechCrunch

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility!

This week I’m publishing an abbreviated version of the newsletter because of the 4th of July holiday. If you’re driving, flying, or taking the train for the U.S. holiday — which AAA projects 72.2 million people will travel at least 50 miles or more — stay safe out there. The complete newsletter returns next week.

I have one important announcement before I sprinkle in a bit of news. TechCrunch Mobility is moving to the Beehiiv publishing platform in a few weeks. Beehiiv provides lots of cool features — like polls! — to help me better engage with you, the reader. It’s a win for you and me.

The newsletter emails will continue to come from newsletters@techcrunch.com. To ensure you don’t miss a single one, please add the above address to your contacts and move it to your primary inbox. This tells your internet service provider that you love TechCrunch and want to see this newsletter. 

A little bird

Image Credits:Bryce Durbin

You may recall last week, a New York Times article reported that Uber co-founder and former CEO Travis Kalanick is working with investors to buy the U.S. arm of Chinese autonomous vehicle company Pony AI, and Uber might even help make it happen.

Several little birds tell me Kalanick ally and Uber ATG veteran Eric Meyhofer is involved. We’re poking around to learn more. In the meantime, here is a little history lesson. Meyhofer was with the National Robotics Engineering Center at Carnegie Mellon University before officially moving over to Uber in 2015. He eventually became CEO of Uber ATG, the self-driving unit that was later sold off to Aurora. Meyhofer has been connected to Kalanick’s CloudKitchens enterprise via a restaurant automation and robotics business called Lab37, which was initially reported by the Spoon back in 2023.

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Notable reads and other tidbits

TechCrunch Mobility: The state of EV sales and Rivian secures the next B from VW | TechCrunch
Image Credits:Bryce Durbin

Autonomous vehicles

A catchy new term was coined during a recent recording of the Autonocast, the podcast I co-host with Alex Roy and Ed Niedermeyer (full credit goes to Roy). The term is MVAT, or minimum viable autonomy theater — when companies deploy the minimum viable autonomy product sufficient to perpetuate a narrative of progress. 

One possible example: Tesla let a Model Y SUV drive roughly 15 miles from its factory to the apartment complex where the car’s new owner lives, completing what CEO Elon Musk called the first “autonomous delivery” of a customer car. If this is a one-off, aka a demonstration, then it’s an MVAT. 

This isn’t just to pick on Tesla, by the way. Many other companies have posted flashy videos to showcase the capabilities of their respective automated driving technology. But it was a far more common practice in 2015 — as AVs were shooting up to the top of the hype cycle. 

Electric vehicles, batteries, & charging

The second quarter has ended and that means sales and production numbers! While many automakers issue monthly reports, some of the EV companies we monitor only provide quarterly numbers. 

The electric Hummer is almost outselling the F-150 Lightning

Lucid sales inch forward as EV maker pushes to ramp Gravity production

Rivian receives the next $1B from Volkswagen as sales struggles continue

Tesla faces second straight year of falling sales after another bad quarter

Meanwhile, Republican legislators passed a reconciliation act that, among other things, unwinds much of the Inflation Reduction Act, including that solar, wind, and clean hydrogen will all lose incentives under the new bill. EV tax credits are also eliminated for new and used electric vehicles and the installation of home EV-charging equipment.

The end of the EV tax credit is already rippling through the industry, including companies that don’t even have an EV yet to sell. Slate Auto, the Jeff Bezos-backed EV startup, was planning to sell a pickup truck for less than $20,000 with the EV tax credit applied. But the language on its website has changed to reflect the bill’s passage.

Also a bit of news from the world of electric RVs and vans … Pebble, the California-based startup we’ve written about before, has started customer deliveries of its flagship all-electric travel trailer. And Grounded, the startup founded by former SpaceX engineers and based in Detroit, delivered its new electric van, called the G3, to its first customer. 

Security

The FBI and cybersecurity firms are warning that the prolific hacking group known as Scattered Spider is now targeting airlines and the transportation sector.

Qantas, the Australian airline giant, said it experienced a data breach that compromised the personal information of at least 6 million passengers.

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Dallas community mourning death of cookie shop owner killed in deadly shooting

Dallas community mourning death of cookie shop owner killed in deadly shooting

Friends of Jaime Rokkett say he loved his community and was more than just a business owner.

DALLAS, Texas — A Dallas community is mourning the loss of a beloved business owner and mentor after a deadly shooting inside The Shops at RedBird.

Jaime Alejandro Rokkett, the owner of Cookies ‘N Smoothies, was shot and killed Tuesday inside his shop. The suspect, 43-year-old Rashonda Lowe, later turned herself in to Arlington police and is now facing a murder charge.

The violence has left those who knew Rokkett struggling to process the loss.

“I was shocked,” said Brandon Denson, a close friend and mentee. “You wouldn’t expect anything crazy or tragic to happen to Jay.”

Denson said Rokkett wasn’t just a businessman, he was a mentor and a father figure.

“I never had a father,” Denson shared. “For him to teach me things like that meant a lot.”

According to an arrest affidavit, surveillance footage shows Lowe speaking with Rokkett for nearly an hour before she pulls out a handgun and shoots him.

Lowe then reportedly jumped over the counter and fired several more times at close range, left the gun behind and ran from the mall.

Court records show Rokkett had previously filed for a restraining order against Lowe, though the motive in the case remains unclear.

Community members said Rokkett wasn’t just operating a business; he was actively involved in uplifting the area.

“He gave to the kids. He gave to the community,” said community activist Jeanette Berry. “He just didn’t work at RedBird, he was part of RedBird.”

Berry and Allison Williams said Rokkett regularly helped with fundraisers, back-to-school drives and other outreach efforts.

“We should band together more so in his honor,” Williams said. “To continue the fight, to continue the work in the community, because that’s something he’d want to do.”

“We’re gonna keep moving how J would move,” said Denson. “With love and positivity.”

Rokkett’s death has shaken those who knew him, but the community he helped build is determined to keep his legacy alive.

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A$AP Rocky Enlists KayCyy for New Song ‘pray4dagang’ – Our Culture

A$AP Rocky Enlists KayCyy for New Song ‘pray4dagang’ – Our Culture

A$AP Rocky is back with a new single, ‘pray4dagang’, which features Kenyan-American rapper KayCyy. Premiered at his brand AWGE’s Paris Fashion Week show last week, the cinematic, downcast track is available exclusively on Apple Music for 24 hours beginning July 4 before going up on all streaming services.

A$AP Rocky is starring in Spike Lee’s upcoming movie Highest 2 Lowest, which arrives in theaters August 22 and on Apple TV+ September 5. Earlier this year, the rapper was found not guilty of felony assault charges.

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Friday Music Guide: New Music From Zach Bryan, Kesha, A$AP Rocky and More

Friday Music Guide: New Music From Zach Bryan, Kesha, A$AP Rocky and More

Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond. 

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

This week, Zach Bryan delivers more fan treats, Kesha begins her Independence period, and A$AP Rocky comes back in fashion. Check out all of this week’s picks below:

Zach Bryan, Streets of London

After debuting “Streets of London” during his BST Hyde Park concert last month, Zach Bryan has offered fans a studio version of the track, as well as a pair of additional songs, “River Washed Hair” and “A Song for You”; he noted in an Instagram post that the tracks “didn’t belong on the record, and they didn’t fit on an EP either,” but the prolific superstar’s ability to constantly supply his fan base with rock-solid songwriting is one of the reasons why Bryan has ascended to stadium status.

Kesha, Period 

For longtime fans of Kesha, Period contains the type of club-friendly bangers that made her a pop supernova 15 years ago — but every song on her first release as an independent artist carries an undercurrent of growth and personal fulfillment, as if the party that comprises the fast-moving 11-song project is even more thrilling because of the effort it took to coordinate.

A$AP Rocky feat. Kaycyy, “Pray4DaGang” 

Released on Independence Day as a 24-hour exclusive on Apple Music after being unveiled at Paris Fashion Week, “Pray4DaGang,” A$AP Rocky’s new collaboration with Kaycyy, impressively re-centers the veteran rapper’s musical approach during a busy moment for his brand: his flow is nimble and his lyricism sharp, once again building hype for his long-awaited next full-length. 

Brent Faiyaz, “Peter Pan.” / “Tony Soprano.” 

The duality of Brent Faiyaz’s appeal is on display with the double single release of “Peter Pan.” and “Tony Soprano.”: whereas the former puts a modern twist on buttery soul music and places Faiyaz’s croon up high in the mix, the latter is cold, laser-focused rhythmic rap, with Faiyaz declaring over a trap beat, “These days, I’m numb to it all” and demonstrating his range.

Of Monsters and Men, “Television Love” 

Of Monsters and Men conquered different parts of the globe with their heartfelt sing-alongs a decade ago, and on their first new track in five years, the Icelandic indie-folk band returns with a viscous, slow-building amendment of their winning formula: “Television Love” may take longer to get going than “Little Talks” and “Mountain Sound,” but when it hits its stride, the song becomes another enveloping festival anthem.

Editor’s Pick: Sydney Rose, “Before & After You” 

Nashville-based singer-songwriter Sydney Rose scored a viral hit recently with her track “We Hug Now,” and may have another one with “Before & After You,” which was inspired by the hit HBO video game adaptation The Last of Us — but even if the names Joel and Ellie don’t mean anything to you, it’s not hard to get wrapped up in Rose’s elegant vocals and knack for conjuring simple, emotionally resonant lyrics in confined spaces.

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Joey Chestnut hopes for comeback victory in Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest

Joey Chestnut hopes for comeback victory in Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest

NEW YORK — The Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest is back, and famed competitive eater Joey “Jaws” Chestnut is hoping for a comeback 17th win on Friday.

The 41-year-old, from Westfield, Indiana, was not in last year’s event due to a contract dispute involving a deal he struck with a competing brand, the plant-based meat company Impossible Foods. But now he’s back, saying things have been ironed out.

Patrick Bertoletti, of Chicago, won the title in Chestnut’s absence and is the defending men’s champion.

Defending champion Miki Sudo, 39, of Tampa, Florida, won the women’s competition and her 11th title on Friday, downing 33 dogs and buns. Last year, she consumed a record 51 dogs.

“I feel like I let the fans down a little bit. I heard people in the crowd saying, ‘Go for 52,’” Sudo told ESPN. “Obviously, I’m always setting my goals high, but the hot dogs weren’t cooperating. For some reason, the buns felt larger today.”

The annual gastronomic battle, which dates back to 1972, is held in front of the original Nathan’s Famous’ restaurant at New York’s Coney Island and draws large crowds of fans, many in foam hot dog hats.

Competitors in the men’s and women’s categories chow down as many hot dogs as possible in 10 minutes. They are allowed to dunk the dogs in cups of water to soften them up, creating a stomach-churning spectacle.

The 15 men in the competition hail from across the U.S. and internationally, including Australia, Czech Republic, Canada, England and Brazil.

The 13 women competitors are all Americans.

Chestnut set the world record of eating 76 wieners and buns in 10 minutes on July 4, 2021. He has won a record 16 Mustard Belts. Instead of appearing in New York last year, Chestnut ate 57 dogs — in only five minutes — in an exhibition with soldiers, in El Paso, Texas.

Chestnut told The Associated Press last month that while he was happy to compete at that event, he was “really happy to be back at Coney Island.”

Chestnut said he had never appeared in any commercials for Impossible Foods’ vegan hot dogs and that Nathan’s is the only hot dog company he has worked with. But he acknowledged he “should have made that more clear with Nathan’s.”

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Ford recalls over 200,000 cars over major crash concerns

Ford recalls over 200,000 cars over major crash concerns

Getting your driver’s permit is one of the most freeing feelings for many young adults. 

It marked the first time in many of our lives that we got to step out into the world and be somewhat independent, since we no longer needed to beg our parents for a ride. 

The most memorable part was getting our first car, and for many who grew up in the U.S., Ford was likely the make. 

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Ford is one of the oldest and most iconic American automakers, with a legacy spanning over 12 decades. Unlike its competitors, it’s one of the few that has remained an American-made car brand.

This company is known for producing well-equipped vehicles at competitive prices, delivering value to consumers. This is highly appealing amid an uncertain economic climate that has caused consumers to become more conscious of their spending.

Related: Tesla unveils an unusual innovation to win back customers

And with the looming tariffs, Ford is among those better positioned, since around 80% of its vehicles are manufactured in the U.S.

However, even advanced technology isn’t immune to human error, and Ford has faced a huge mishap. 

Ford issues a major recall over safety concerns.

Image source: Olson/Getty Images

Ford announces a major recall over safety concerns

Ford  (F)  is recalling over 200,000 vehicles due to a software failure that causes the back camera of its cars to malfunction. 

The defective cameras will either display a blank screen, preventing the driver from getting complete rearview visibility, or continue to show the image even after the driver has finished using it, creating significant confusion. 

More Retail News:

This defect is highly concerning because it increases the chances of a crash, putting the lives of thousands of car owners at risk. 

To solve the problem, Ford dealerships will update the rearview camera software at no cost to the owners.

In the meantime, Ford will notify all vehicle owners who might have been affected by July 28. 

How to find out if your Ford vehicle has a recall

If you acquired a Ford or Lincoln vehicle between 2019 and 2024, here is a list of all the makes and models that are being recalled.

Ford:

  • Bronco Sport, model years 2021-2024
  • EcoSport, model years 2020-2021
  • Edge, model years 2019-2020
  • Escape, model years 2020-2022
  • Expedition, model years 2020-2021
  • Explorer, model years 2020-2024
  • F-150, model years 2019-2020
  • F-250 SD, model years 2020-2022
  • Fusion, model years 2019-2020
  • Maverick, model years 2022-2024
  • Mustang, model years 2019-2023
  • Ranger, model years 2019-2023
  • Transit, model years 2020-2023
  • Transit Connect, model years 2018-2022

Related: Rivian sends hard-nosed message to employees

Lincoln:

  • Aviator, model years 2020-2023
  • Continental, model years 2019-2020
  • Corsair, model years 2020-2022
  • MK2, model years 2019-2020
  • Nautilus, model years 2019-2020
  • Navigator, model years 2020-2021

If your vehicle is among the ones mentioned in the list above, you may call Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 using the recall number 25S72.

You can also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration vehicle safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-888-275-9171) or visit the official website at www.nhtsa.gov.

Related: Veteran fund manager unveils eye-popping S&P 500 forecast

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Another seed leaves Wimbledon when Madison Keys is surprised by Laura Siegemund

Another seed leaves Wimbledon when Madison Keys is surprised by Laura Siegemund

LONDON – This most unpredictable of Wimbledons delivered yet another surprise Friday when reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys, the No. 6 seed, was a lopsided loser in the third round, eliminated 6-3, 6-3 by 104th-ranked Laura Siegemund of Germany.

Keys’ exit left just one of the top six women in the bracket before the end of Week 1: No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who was scheduled to face 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu later in the day.

No. 2 Coco Gauff, No. 3 Jessica Pegula, No. 4 Jasmine Paolini and No. 5 Zheng Qinwen already were out. The men’s field also has seen its share of surprises, including a Wimbledon-record 13 seeds gone in the first round.

“At times, it wasn’t the best quality, let’s say. But I managed, and in the end, it’s just important to find solutions and I did that well. Kept my nerves in the end,” Siegemund said, then added with a laugh: “There are always nerves. If you don’t have nerves in this moment, you’re probably dead.”

Wimbledon might be the only Grand Slam event where Keys hasn’t reached at least the semifinals, but she has participated in the quarterfinals there twice and is enjoying a breakthrough 2025, including her title at Melbourne Park in January.

Keys’ power vs. Siegemund’s spins and slices offered quite a contrast in styles, and this outcome was surprisingly one-way traffic on a windy afternoon at No. 2 Court. The key statistic, undoubtedly, was this: Keys made 31 unforced errors, 20 more than Siegemund.

When it ended with one last backhand return from Keys that sailed wide, Siegemund smiled broadly, raised her arms and jumped up and down repeatedly.

“You can’t not be happy when you beat a great player like Madison,” Siegemund said.

How unexpected is this for Siegemund? Before this year, her career record at the All England Club was 2-5, and she’d never made it past the second round. Taking into account all four Grand Slam tournaments, she had reached the third round only once in 28 previous appearances, getting to the quarterfinals at the 2020 French Open.

“There is technically no pressure for me,” said Siegemund, at 37 the oldest woman remaining in the tournament. “I try to remember that I only play for myself. I don’t feel like I need to prove anything anymore. My boyfriend often tells me that.”

On Sunday, the German faces another unexpected participant at this stage of the grass-court major: 101st-ranked Solana Sierra of Argentina, who lost in qualifying and made it into the main draw when another player withdrew.

What else happened at Wimbledon on Friday?

Ben Shelton played for all of four points and about a minute, wrapping up his second-round match against Rinky Hijikata that was suspended Thursday night. Four-time major title winner Naomi Osaka’s Wimbledon ended in the third round for the third time, eliminated by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. And No. 13 Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. advanced to the fourth round.

Who is scheduled to play at the All England Club on Saturday?

Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek will take on Danielle Collins at Centre Court — who could forget their testy exchange at the Paris Olympics? — while No. 1 Jannik Sinner and 24-time major champ Novak Djokovic also are involved in matches at the main stadium. Two American women will be in action at No. 1 Court: Hailey Baptiste faces No. 7 Mirra Andreeva of Russia, and No. 10 Emma Navarro plays defending champion Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic.

___

Howard Fendrich has been the AP’s tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich. More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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‘I’m About to… You Up’: Georgia Cop Who Body Slammed Black Woman and Placed a Knee on Her Face Over Speeding Violation Joins Unemployment Line

‘I’m About to… You Up’: Georgia Cop Who Body Slammed Black Woman and Placed a Knee on Her Face Over Speeding Violation Joins Unemployment Line

It was only after Jasmine Taylor told the Georgia cops who had violently arrested her that her partner had recorded the arrest that they decided to release her from jail with no charges.

But that was only after she spent two nights in jail on a misdemeanor charge of reckless driving.

Then, once the 26-year-old Black woman was released from jail, she uploaded the videos to TikTok, where they have gone viral, exposing the Woodstock police officers for lying in their police reports, accusing her of “fighting” the cops.

‘I’m About to… You Up’: Georgia Cop Who Body Slammed Black Woman and Placed a Knee on Her Face Over Speeding Violation Joins Unemployment Line
Jasmine Taylor, right, was brutally slammed to the ground by a Georgia cop named Justin Davis, who then placed his knee on her face during a routine traffic stop for speeding. (Photo: Jasmine Taylor)

But the video shows she was the one who was attacked and slammed to the ground by Woodstock police officer Justin Davis, who tells her, “I’m about to f-ck you up” for simply asking the officers why they had ordered her out of her car over a speeding violation.

That question annoyed the cops, so they took a speeding infraction, usually punishable by a citation, and elevated it to a reckless driving charge, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail.

But in their reports, they accused her of being “annoyed” and “indifferent” after being informed she had been speeding when the video shows she acknowledged the speeding but was merely asking why she had to step out of the car rather than being handed a citation and being allowed to leave.

Now, Taylor, a U.S. Navy veteran, has retained an attorney and plans to sue the Woodstock Police Department, which patrols a city about 30 miles north of Atlanta.

“He body slammed me and used his knee to push my head into the ground, and that’s how I ended up with a chipped tooth,” Taylor said in an exclusive interview with Atlanta Black Star. 

“I was screaming, telling him that I could not breathe, and the female cop and the other cop came out of nowhere and moved him off me,” Taylor said.

“And they lied in their report and said that I was fighting him, but nowhere was I fighting him.”

Watch the video below, which confirms she was not fighting Davis, who was named Woodstock Rookie Officer of the Year for 2023.

Aggressive Arrest

The incident took place on June 29 as Taylor was working for Instacart, delivering a food order to a customer. Her partner was in the back seat when she was pulled over for speeding, accused of driving 51 mph in a 25 mph speed zone.

“I explained to them that I understood that I had been speeding and I was just trying to get the order taken care of so I could go get some gas because I was low,” Taylor described.

She said she handed the cops her information, and they walked back to the patrol car for a few minutes before the female cop returned and ordered her out of the car without explaining why.

“So I was confused and I asked her why, and told her ‘I’ve never been arrested. Why do I have to get out of the car? ‘What’s going on?’”

But the cop kept demanding that she step out of the car.

“I drive barefoot and I told her, ‘OK, I’m just trying to put my shoes on,’ but before I could say anything else, the third officer [Davis] reached inside the car and opened the door and told me, ‘I’m not asking you to get out of the car,’” she recounted.

“So I said, ‘Why are you being aggressive? I just said, I’m putting on my shoes. Like, what’s going on? Why are you being so aggressive?’ He ignored me. That’s when I told my partner in the back seat to start recording.”

Once out of the car, she was told to walk to the back of the car, where she continued conversing with the female cop, asking why they were escalating a routine traffic stop for speeding.

“I was asking her, ‘Why is he being so aggressive? I’ve never been pulled over. I’m a military veteran. I have a clean background. You’ll see that. It’s on my ID. It’s on my license,” Taylor said.

“I understand if I was speeding, so I’m not making any excuses for that. I don’t have a problem with that. I’m just trying to figure out why it’s going this extreme.”

“And before I could say anything else to her, he interrupted me and said, ‘You’re under arrest,’ and he slammed me to the ground and said, ‘I’m about to f-ck you up.’”

His vulgar threat was caught on video and even documented in the arrest reports, but they claim it was only a response to her fighting the cop, which she was not doing.

“I said, ‘if I was white, he would have never did this. And she said, No, that’s not the case. It’s not a race thing,” she said.

But there’s an entire Reddit thread discussing how racist and aggressive the cops are in Woodstock.

The Coverup

Once she was sitting in the back of the patrol car with her hands cuffed behind her back, she said she heard the cops speaking through an open window.

“I heard every single thing that they were saying about the situation of how he handled it and saying that they were not going to put in their report, so they ended up calling over the radio and saying that I fought the cop, so additional officers arrived on the scene,” she recalled.

She was jailed on a $1,000 bond, she says, but two days later, a cop told her she was being released with no bond because the charges had been dismissed. And this happened only after she had informed them that her partner had recorded the arrest on video, Taylor recalled.

“They told me I could go home, and I asked if my bond was made, and they said no, ‘They dropped the charges, you should be happy,’” she said. “But I told them that I’m still going to sue.”

One of the first things she did in her fight for justice was upload the videos to her TikTok channel, where they have been viewed and shared thousands of times.

The Instacart customer she was delivering to that night never received their food, but Taylor said she explained the situation to the company, and they allowed her to continue working.

“They understood and apologized for what happened,” she said.

But she never received an apology from the cops who violently arrested her.

“They were treating it as if it was no big deal,” said Taylor.

The Woodstock Police Department said Thursday it has fired Officer Davis after a use-of-force investigation determined he violated the department’s use-of-force policy.

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2025 NFL Predictions, Best Bet: Panthers To Win NFC South

2025 NFL Predictions, Best Bet: Panthers To Win NFC South

It is July, and that means, believe it or not, there will be football this month.

The Lions and Chargers square off at the end of the month, in the annual Hall of Fame Game. 

Granted, for some, preseason football is the equivalent of cracking a non-alcoholic beer, but if nothing else, it’s an indication that the real thing is just around the corner. 

For this week, let’s take a look at the NFC South from a betting perspective.

The Buccaneers have quietly dominated this division for nearly half of a decade now, as they go for their fifth straight division title. Ironically, the last time they didn’t win this division was 2020, the COVID year, when they settled for a wild-card spot. 

However, they went on to win the Super Bowl in their own stadium, in Tom Brady’s first season with the team. 

The Buccaneers are odds-on -110 favorites to once again win the South. The Falcons are +250 (a $10 bet returns $25), and nearly captured this division in 2024 under rookie quarterback Michael Penix, who was inserted into the starting role late in the season. But a couple of overtime losses to end the season derailed any chance for the Falcons, who narrowly missed the playoffs. 

The Saints are +1200 long shots, and rightfully so, as the surprise retirement of quarterback Derek Carr leaves the team in a rebuilding position, with rookie Tyler Shough likely to start the season opener.

None of those three options are worth a bet to me at their respective numbers, which leaves the Carolina Panthers at +400, which I think is the best value of the bunch. 

Can Bryce Young finally break through and lead the Panthers to a winning season?

This time last year, most fans thought of Panthers quarterback Bryce Young as an epic bust. Early in the season, Panthers brass seemed to agree, benching Young in favor of veteran Andy Dalton after an ugly 0-2 start. 

In the second half of the season, after Young was reinstated as starting quarterback, the Panthers looked like a different team. They scored 44 in Atlanta in the final game of the season, against a Falcons team that still had a chance to win the division. The Panthers also scored 38 points in a win against the Cardinals, and played coin-flip games against the Bucs, Chiefs and Eagles

In the offseason, the Panthers attempted to beef up what was a porous run defense, highlighted by the addition of former Raiders safety Tre’von Moehrig. On offense, standout wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan was drafted eighth overall, with the hopes of giving the resurgent Young an elite go-to target. 

While the division favorite Buccaneers are tasked with a first-place schedule, the Panthers can build on the improvement they showed at the end of 2024 and compete for the top spot in the NFC South. 

If Young can sustain the level of play he flashed late last season, coupled with what should be an improved defense, the Panthers can push the Bucs and Falcons, and make this a three-team race, with the Saints being a team bettors can comfortably dismiss. 

At +400 odds, look for the sneaky Panthers to end the Bucs’ run of consecutive division titles.

PICK: Panthers (+400) To Win NFC South

Will Hill, a contributor on the Bears Bets Podcast, has been betting on sports for over a decade. He is a betting analyst who has been a host on VSiN, as well as the Goldboys Network.

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Swiss Military Mortley QUA Speaker Review: A Party-Ready Bluetooth Bar

Swiss Military Mortley QUA Speaker Review: A Party-Ready Bluetooth Bar

At first glance, the Swiss Military Mortley Qua looks like the kind of Bluetooth speaker designed more for show than substance — five glowing RGB drivers lined up in an LED-lit soundbar chassis. But spend a few hours with it, and it becomes clear: this is a speaker built for people who want loud, reliable audio, functional features, and a little flair on the side — all without busting their ₹7,000 budget.

This 30W Bluetooth speaker is part soundbar, part party companion. It comes with quad passive radiators to push out solid low-end, Bluetooth 5.3 for stable wireless streaming, and support for USB, AUX, and TF cards, which means it’s as versatile as you need it to be. It’s not chasing minimalism or Apple-style chic — it’s going for utility with confidence, and in most places, it lands.

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Let’s talk about sound. The Mortley Qua’s 30W output is loud enough to fill a medium-sized room, or even a modest outdoor gathering. It won’t blow away audiophiles, but for casual listening, movie nights, or background beats during a party, it gets the job done with clarity and decent punch. The highs are sharp, the mids reasonably balanced, and the bass — thanks to those passive radiators — has a surprising amount of presence for a speaker this size and price. Just don’t expect deep sub-bass or room-shaking rumble.

The RGB lights are a love-it-or-leave-it feature. They’re bright, vibrant, and clearly there for vibe-setting. If you’re hosting friends or just want your speaker to do more than sit still and play music, the lighting can actually make things feel more dynamic. But there’s no app control, no custom light modes, and no real sync with music — it’s aesthetic, not interactive.

Battery life is advertised as up to 10 hours, though real-world use on mid-to-high volume tends to bring that closer to 6–8 hours. Still, with Type-C charging, it’s easy to top up when needed. A digital display on the front provides a quick readout for input source or FM frequency — yes, there’s FM radio packed in too — another nod to Swiss Military’s all-features-included philosophy.

Build quality is plasticky but sturdy. It’s not premium, but it doesn’t feel cheap either. The physical buttons on the top are tactile and intuitive, and it holds its own when placed on a table or desk. You won’t get HDMI ARC or optical input, but at ₹6,999, that’s forgivable.

Verdict

The Mortley Qua isn’t a premium soundbar. It’s not trying to be. It’s a well-priced, fully-loaded, RGB-equipped Bluetooth speaker that punches confidently in its weight class. With 30 watts of output, multiple input options, a built-in radio, and battery that lasts a full evening, it’s a great pick for someone who wants both sound and show — without the splurge.

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Great Job Priya Singh & the Team @ Mashable India tech Source link for sharing this story.

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