Oh hey can you breathe

Oh hey can you breathe We’ll be off tomorrow for the Fourth of July, and we’ll see you on Monday! Federal models show President Trump’s planned record-breaking fireworks show on the Fourth of July will cause dangerous air pollution, and people should “expect irritation symptoms.” / The Washington Post [$] Watch: That time in 2012 when an entire fireworks display went off all at once. / YouTube “Is this what Parisians felt when the Eiffel Tower’s 10,000 gas lights lit up in 1889?” The future of fireworks is drones. / WIRED [$] While Wall Street has always priced in disaster risks, prediction markets are causing fire-prone areas to fear arson. / High Country News Amid dangerous heat waves, authorities abruptly removed water fountains from a popular trail near Hattiesburg, Miss., then stoked fears of homeless activity to justify the decision. / Mississippi Free Press The White House is reviving the Presidential Fitness Test, but while promoting more exercise is good, the test is only a measurement, and many associate it with public humiliation. / ABC News In a poll of which politicians Americans find the most likable, the winners are all Democrats, as long as they’re not Hakeem Jeffries or Chuck Schumer. / The New Republic Once Trump is gone, federal institutions may one day need to erase his name from prominence—14th-century Venice did it by making a disgraced leader’s erasure a lasting reminder. / Minnesota Star-Tribune If you enjoy these headlines, please join us as a Sustaining Member to support what we do and unlock access to paywalled links. “It’s a scavenger and fish robber, but we aren’t perfect ourselves.” What is the most American animal? / CNN [$] Unrelated: Previously, scientists estimated there were around six million insect species on Earth, but a new study shows it may be as much as five times that. / BBC News Scientists have created a synthetic cell that can grow, replicate its genome, and divide—though one journal reviewer rejected the work, saying it’s not actual biology. / Science Even as companies pressure their employees to use AI, some are throttling their workers’ access because the tokens are too expensive. / 404 Media A viral story claiming dozens of Alabama newspapers had shuttered in fact appears to be AI slop from a site whose “politics” section is packed with pro-China posts. / Nieman Lab Michael Erard on the history of scratching messages on ammunition—e.g., Ancient Greek sling bullets with messages such as “eat this,” “seize this,” and “ouch.” / ARC True-crime fans are going to love this: The botched train robbery that changed forensic science. / Alta McLaren’s new supercar has geolocked features that only unlock when the car is off public roads. / Financial Times