Today’s Big Story

8.8M Quake Triggers Alerts

Powerful waves strike from Japan to Hawaii as U.S. issues tsunami warnings

It was the sixth largest earthquake on record. The 8.8-magnitude quake’s epicenter was just off the coast of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It quickly triggered widespread tsunami warnings and evacuations in Japan, along with Hawaii, Alaska and California—leaving millions anxiously awaiting waves that forecasters said could approach 10 feet in places.

Authorities in a number of small island nations in the South Pacific Ocean urged people to stay away from coastlines. Some tiny and low-lying Pacific island chains are among the world’s most imperiled by tsunamis and rising seas. Cautions to stay away from beaches until any wave surges passed late Wednesday were issued by officials in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Federated States of Micronesia and Solomon Islands.

In Hawaii, where the first tsunami waves arrived at about 7:30 p.m. local time, mountain roads were choked with traffic as residents sought higher ground. Flights to the islands were rerouted and the Coast Guard captain of Port Honolulu has ordered the evacuation of all commercial vessels from all harbors in the Hawaiian islands, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement. In Japan, workers fled low-lying parts of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which was wrecked by a tsunami in 2011. Footage that appeared to be from Russia, near the quake’s epicenter, showed violently shaking buildings and swamped coastal areas.

Hawaii’s governor, Josh Green, declared an emergency, urging residents to “please take this situation seriously.” He said the waves could drown people, threaten the electric grid, move cars, throw fences around, damage houses and dislodge trees. Homes might also lose power or water pressure, he said. In parts of California, the authorities closed some beaches, docks and harbors, warning of strong and dangerous currents. Forecasters issued a warning for one region near the state line with Oregon where they said waves could reach up to five feet. That stretch of coastline has had frequent experiences with tsunamis over the last century. It includes Crescent City, which has been hit by 32 tsunamis since 1933.

Jennifer Eccles, a senior lecturer at the University of Auckland's School of Environment in New Zealand, noted that the quake struck in a region that’s part of the "Pacific Ring of Fire," a 25,000-miles-long tectonic belt known for frequent earthquakes and active volcanoes, that encircles most of the Pacific Ocean. Officials have been monitoring this area, concerned about strengthening quakes. She also explained to Axios that “tsunami waves travel at speeds comparable to commercial aircraft.”

Famine Unfolding Across Gaza

A U.N.-backed report warns that this is the ‘worst-case scenario’

Famine is “playing out” across Gaza, the world’s leading hunger monitor said Tuesday, in its strongest warning yet on the rapidly growing starvation crisis, as images of emaciated children shock the world and there is growing international criticism of Israel’s war tactics. The enclave, which has long been reliant on aid since years of an Israeli and Egyptian blockade took its toll, has been teetering on the edge of famine over the two years of conflict, the report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification said.

The situation has “worsened dramatically” in recent months, with food at its lowest level since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the U.S. will partner with Israel to run new food centers in Gaza to address the worsening humanitarian crisis there, but the Associated Press reports that U.S. officials have, so far, offered few additional details about the plan or how it would differ from existing food distribution center.

In recent days, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly denied that there is any starvation in Gaza, describing it as a “bold-faced lie.” But images, verified data, countless warnings by the U.N. and aid agencies, and hundreds of interviews with Palestinian civilians and doctors, show otherwise. The report said that more than 20,000 children have been admitted for acute malnutrition treatment between April and mid-July. Hospitals have also reported a surge in hunger-related deaths among children under five years of age.

What Superhero Fatigue?

Turns out, fans weren’t exhausted by these films. They were just tired of watching bad ones.

Superheroes are flying high again at the movies. Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” and rival DC’s “Superman” ruled the box office over the weekend, giving the genre a much-needed jolt for audiences and corporate executives alike.

Industry observers had closely been watching the weekend tallies as not only a box-office battle royale, but as a bellwether of theatrical moviegoing’s overall health. Judging from both films’ nine-figure hauls, though, Vulture says the prognosis is good. “To have these back-to-back $100 million-plus openings for these two superhero movies is just good for the superhero genre in general,” says Paul Dergarabedian, senior analyst for Comscore. “I think DC and Marvel are actually bolstering one another. This definitely puts to bed the whole idea of superhero fatigue.”

Of course, it’s easy to see why. Everyone from Martin Scorsese and Tom Hanks started talking about how audiences were tired of those spandex-clad superhumans. Marvel didn’t make it easy; serving us a near-constant stream of the stuff in theaters and on Disney+. As box-office analyst David A. Gross notes in his FranchiseRE newsletter, since COVID times, only a select group of superheroes— Spider-Man, Black Panther, Deadpool, and Wolverine—have managed to crossover into blockbuster territory. But as Esquire says, it turns out that fans weren’t exhausted by superhero films. They were just tired of watching bad ones. And it’s good for Hollywood’s bottom line, too. Since many moviegoers are also paying more money to see major releases on the biggest, most cutting-edge screens, such as IMAX's.

xAI Teases Grok Video Generator

And it will have a ‘spicy’ mode, according to an employee

xAI is gearing up to introduce several major updates to its Grok app, aiming to broaden its appeal to creative users and those interested in more personalized AI companions. A new male virtual character with interactive progression is in the works but most people are talking about the “Imagine” feature with image and video generation.

Elon Musk announced this week that Grok users will soon be able to generate full, richly detailed artificial intelligence videos complete with sound on its app. Currently, access appears to be limited to some employees and select influencers, and the @Grok X account wrote Monday evening: “Video generation is coming to Grok via our Imagine feature, powered by Aurora. Create instant videos with sound from text prompts. Musk urged users to subscribe to one of Grok’s paid tiers to join a waitlist for early access in October.

On X, Musk recently teased “bringing back Vine, but in AI form,” referring to the popular social media platform that Twitter shut down in 2017. An xAI employee said in a reply that Grok Imagine videos can be up to six seconds, the length Vine videos were famously known for. NBC News reports that the new feature promises some lewd possibilities, with one employee saying Imagine will have “a spicy mode that can do nudity.” But several users quickly expressed concern that the new features could allow users to create explicit and troubling deepfakes.

The Long Read

Extreme weather is keeping more people stuck inside

Do what you need to survive.