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The week is already off to an extremely hot, and dangerous, start for many in the Eastern half of the U.S., as experts say hundreds of cities could see record-breaking heat.Sunday’s temperatures were above average, but the week beginning Monday June 23, 2025, is set to be even hotter, with a heat-dome encompassing more of the U.S. The forecast has the National Weather Service (NWS) issuing warnings for large portions of the country, mostly in the central and Northeast regions. Meteorologists believe heat records could be smashed in at least 250 cities. On Monday, locations like Boston, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia are under extreme heat warnings, as they are expected to experience 100-degree (or hotter) heata number New York’s Central Park hasn’t reached since the summer of 2012, according to the NWS. Likewise, Philadelphia hasn’t warmed that much since 1994, while Boston hit 100 just three summers ago. As the heat will stretch across the eastern half of the country, heat advisories are also in place for cities like Chicago, Kansas City, St. Louis, Detroit, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh. NWS says the heat risk is level 4the highest level of extreme heatand while in some locations the heat is expected to break by Tuesday, in others, it will be just getting started. Temperatures in the Northeast aren’t set to break until Thursday. And it’s not just the heat making things uncomfortable. It’s the humidity. According to Weather.com, humidity could make the already stifling heat feel even hotter, especially for Midwestern and Northeast cities. The combination of high temperatures and humidity is more dangerous than dry heat, experts say, due to the fact that our bodies aren’t able to cool themselves as effectively when humidity is also high. The heightened heat index will also mean that nighttime will bring little relief. “Hot temperatures, oppressive humidity and very light winds are expected today, leading to dangerous levels of heat,” the National Weather Service in Boston said in a post on X. Tuesday will be “the hottest day of the stretch,” the agency said. Extreme heat isn’t new, but with each passing summer, more heat records are being broken. According to a recent World Weather Attribution report, about half of the world’s population experienced around one month of extreme heat due to human-made climate change over the past year. Although floods and cyclones often dominate headlines, heat is arguably the deadliest extreme event, the report said.
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E-Commerce
On TikTok, an ASMR creator dips a spoon into a bowl of molten-hot lava, brings it to her lips, and eats it like its honey. Another creator crunches down into a seemingly radioactive moon stone, which is glowing so brightly that it’s visible through her cheeks. And a third takes a casual bite out of a cinnamon bun made of glass. Thankfully, none of these women are real: All three clips are an example of AI-generated ASMR. ASMR is an acronym for autonomous sensory meridian response, which describes a physical tingling sensation triggered by certain sounds or visuals. Videos designed to elicit these responses have been popular on YouTube for more than a decade, and have also found massive popularity as short-form clips on TikTok. Over the past few weeks, a subcategory of fantastical, often physically impossible AI-generated ASMR has started to take social media by storm. The key to AI ASMR? Google Veo 3 For anyone who regularly enjoys ASMR, AI-generated content has become unavoidable in recent weeks. The aforementioned lava clip, for example, has 2.8 million views on TikTokand its creator, @asmraiworks, has several other videos boasting similar view counts. Another AI ASMR TikToker, @impossibleais, began posting just 10 days ago on June 10, and has already racked up millions of views and nearly 200,000 followers. On YouTube, compilations of these videos are steadily gaining traction, while creators across platforms are now offering paid courses to teach other users how to make viral AI ASMR. @satisfyingclips50 Crystal eating ASMR #asmr #asmrvideo #asmrsounds #satisfying #satisfyingvideo #mukbangfoodasmr #aiasmr original sound – SatisfyingClips The key to this new genre of content appears to be Googles Veo 3 AI video generator, which debuted this March. Unlike predecessors such as OpenAIs Sora, Veo 3 can create sound and dialogue alongside its photorealistic videomaking it the perfect medium for ASMR content, which relies on satisfying taps, crunches, and slurps to accompany its visuals. Veo 3 with native sound is such a huge unlock here, wrote Olivia Moore, AI partner at the venture capital firm a16z, in an X thread explaining the trend. This is now a one step creation process, versus having to generate and then sync each individual sound with the video. @tacokittyasmr MUKBANG ai asmr #foryoupage #oddlysatisfying #slimeasmr #foryoupag #fouryou #aigenerated #fyppp original sound – Considering that modern ASMR often relies on bright, eye-catching images to attract new viewers, it was only a matter of time before the space became inundated with AI tech that can create content on demand. Now, it seems, the floodgates are officially open. Lava, rocks, and glass fruit, oh my! Currently, there are a few different types of AI ASMR videos that are especially primed to capture the publics attention. On the tamer end of the spectrum are classic ASMR mukbang vdeos, which involve creators eating food on camera. The AI-generated versions tend to follow similar scripts to a typical mukbanglike the creator talking to the camera and taking overly large bites of foodbut with a slight uncanny valley feel and occasional glitches in the actual physics of eating. Next is a somewhat stranger category of mukbangs that are only possible through AI, which feature AI-generated people eating things like rocks, molten lava, diamonds, crystals, and more. @impossibleais Cutting Berries pt. 2! #asmr #asmrsounds #satisfying #berries #fruit green to blue (slowed + reverbed) – daniel.mp3 Most popular by far, though, are videos that include the shaving, slicing, and dicing of objects that would normally be impossible to cut. Glass fruits are a particular favorite among this crowd, with TikToks of a sliced glass blue raspberry, strawberry, and coconut accruing 4.5 million, 26 million, and 67.4 million views, respectively. @wildwhispers_asmr Glass Fruit Slicing ASMR Pt 4 #ai #fruit #asmr #fyp original sound – WildWhispersASMR The most common reaction to this content among regular ASMR enjoyers appears to be a kind of grudging appreciation. This is the only ai I approve, one user wrote in the comments of a lava-eating video. Finally ai used correctly, another commenter supplied under the aforementioned blue raspberry video. @impossibleais Cutting Glass Fruit (berry edition) #asmr #satisfying #asmrsounds #fruit green to blue (slowed + reverbed) – daniel.mp3 Still, while the majority of viewers seem to find themselves enjoying this new wave of ASMR content, its also spawning an undercurrent of existential dread at the technologys increasingly photorealistic capabilities. On nearly every viral AI ASMR video, some iteration of the same comment is among the most-liked responses: I am so getting scammed when I get older.
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E-Commerce
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is rumored to be marrying Lauren Sánchez in a star-studded wedding in Venice, Italy, this week. While the exact details of the celebration are being kept hidden from the public, its anticipated that an estimated 200 guests will attend the multiday event. Many locals are upset that the upcoming event will occur in their city. Activists in Venice are protesting the event due to overtourism concerns. One protest group, No Space for Bezos, has taken to social media to promote a peaceful protest event being held on Saturday, June 28. Social media posts encourage locals to show up to line the streets and block the canals. Social media posts for the @no_space_for_bezos Instagram account highlight concerns around Amazons labor practices and environmental impact, the growing economic struggles in Venice, and the e-commerce giant’s impact on small businesses worldwide. View this post on Instagram A post shared by No space for Bezos! No space for Oligarchs! (@no_space_for_bezos) The groups Instagram account, which is based in Italy and was created this month, has swelled to nearly 5,000 followers. Protest signs have been popping up around the city ahead of the wedding. One sign on the Rialto Bridge read, “No Space for Bezos!” Another banner hung from the steeple of the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore had a big red X over the word Bezos. Despite the outcry, preparations are already well underway for the upcoming wedding. Event planners respond to backlash Fast Company contacted Bezos’s team for comment. We received a copy of a statement that event organizer Lanza & Baucina Limited released last week. “From the outset, instructions from our client and our own guiding principles were abundantly clear: the minimising of any disruption to the city, the respect for its residents and institutions and the overwhelming employment of locals in the crafting of the events,” the statement read. The event planning team noted that they have taken steps to reduce disruptions. The statement continued, “Before the recent news of protests arose, we had worked for there to be minimal negative impact or disruption to the lives of Venetians and the city’s visitors. We have always acknowledged the wider debate and critical issues surrounding the city’s future, and from the outset our client has been honoured to support the city and its all-important lagoon through non-profit organisations and associated projects.” Overtourism continues to be a major concern for Venice Venice’s economy is heavily reliant on tourism. However, overtourism has long been an issue, leading to pollution, infrastructure strain, and economic challenges for locals. The City of Canals welcomed about 5.7 million visitors in 2023, according to its tourism board. Meanwhile, the local population continues to dwindle, with only about 50,000 residents living there now. The rising cost of living and lack of affordable housing have forced many residents to relocate elsewhere. City officials have taken steps to help combat the impact of overtourism. In April 2024, Venice began charging a 5 euro fee to day-trippers who visited the city. This fee applies to non-overnight guests visiting on peak days. The daily fee is now 10 euros for last-minute non-overnight visitors. In August 2024, the city council began limiting the size of tour groups to a maximum of 25 people to reduce crowds. However, these efforts have had mixed reviews, with many critics suggesting that there has been little impact.
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