Tag: News

• Millions of kids living in Republican states won't get federal grocery benefits this summer.
• Thirteen states opted out of a new federal summer nutritional assistance program.
• The non-participating states cited everything from technical issues to a dislike for welfare.

Millions of low-income kids across the US won't have access to federal grocery benefits over the summer because they live in states that opted out of the new program.

Last year, the Department of Agriculture introduced SUN Bucks, a permanent summer electronic benefit transfer program. The program gives eligible families $120 per child to buy groceries during the summer months. SUN Bucks is a $2.5 billion effort to keep kids fed and eating healthy while they're out of school.

The program targets low-income families who may struggle to put three healthy meals on the table each day. Tens of millions of children face increased hunger during the summer months without the certainty of free and reduced-price meals provided by schools. The Department of Agriculture estimated earlier this year that nearly 21 million children would benefit from SUN Bucks this summer.

During the pandemic, the federal government covered the entire cost of the Summer EBT program, but starting this summer, states will be on the hook to split administrative costs 50/50.

Thirteen Republican-led states ultimately opted out of the program this summer, citing myriad reasons, including redundancy, insufficient support, and politics.

Alabama

According to the state's Department of Health, one in four children in Alabama faces food insecurity. Those students won't have access to SUN Bucks this year.

Alabama lawmakers had already finalized the state's annual budget when they became aware of the program, according to local outlet WAFF.g

But the state has since budgeted $10 million to support the program next year, the outlet reported.

Alaska

Alaska cited logistical and technical problems as the cause for rejecting SUN Bucks this year.

The state's Department of Education and Early Development passed on participating in the program this year, telling local outlet Alaska News Source that the agency in charge of processing the benefits is already working through a backlog of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP benefits.

The state will reconsider joining the summer program once the backlog is dealt with, the outlet reported.

Florida

Two million eligible Florida children won't receive SUN Bucks this summer after the state's Department of Children and Families insisted that already-existing programs are sufficiently addressing food insecurity.

A spokesperson with the Florida Department of Children and Families told local outlet WFSU that federal programs "always" come with strings attached.

Georgia

More than half of Georgia public school students qualify for free and reduced lunch, but the state chose not to participate in the federal summer food program this year.

A spokesperson for Republican Gov. Brian Kemp told local outlet 11 Alive that the state already has a summer food program in place.

"Therefore, along with our neighboring states, Georgia opted not to participate in the proposed EBT program and instead remains focused on well-established and effective programs that are tailored to address our state's specific needs by providing necessary nutrition and engagement to families and kids," the spokesperson told the outlet.

More than a million Georgia kids would have been eligible, according to USDA estimates.

Idaho

Idaho's state senate rejected proposed funding for the SUN Bucks program earlier this year.

Republican Sen. Cindy Carlson suggested approving the program would be "sending the wrong message to parents and kids," according to Idaho Education News.

"I believe that the message we need to be sending is we all need to work for what we get," she said, per the outlet.

Iowa

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds rejected the SUN Bucks program in December, saying in a Health and Human Services press release that the benefit would do "nothing" to encourage nutrition amid the growing childhood obesity epidemic.

"If the Biden Administration and Congress want to make a real commitment to family well-being, they should invest in already existing programs and infrastructure at the state level and give us the flexibility to tailor them to our state's needs," Reynolds said.

About 240,000 Iowa kids would have been eligible for the benefit.

Mississippi

The Mississippi Department of Human Services ultimately declined to participate because the state government didn't have the resources or personnel to support the program, a spokesperson told the Magnolia Tribune.

More than 300,000 kids in Mississippi would have been eligible for the benefit.

Oklahoma

Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt said SUN Bucks was too new for Oklahoma to participate this year, citing the unvetted nature of the inaugural benefit.

"We gave over $20 million over the last couple of years to different food banks," he told local outlet KJRH. "So, we are satisfied that kids won't be going hungry in the summertime, we just don't know enough about the program; not saying we won't do it next year."

States that chose not to participate this year will have future opportunities to opt in, according to the Department of Agriculture.

Stitt also expressed skepticism about the Biden administration's involvement, the outlet reported.

"Certainly always a concern with certain administrations are pushing certain agenda items on kids," Stitt said.

Several Native American tribes within Oklahoma, however, are participating in SUN Bucks.

South Carolina

Republican Gov. Henry McMaster declined to participate in the Summer EBT program earlier this year, citing the program's pandemic ties and saying South Carolina needed to "get back to doing normal business," according to WCBD.

More than 500,000 kids would have qualified for SUN Bucks in the state.

South Dakota

South Dakota said no to SUN Bucks, citing federal strings attached.

Iran Fury, chief of communications for Republican Gov. Kristi Noem, told Chalkbeat that the state has low unemployment and didn't want the administrative burden of facilitating the program.

"Federal money often comes with strings attached, and more of it is often not a good thing," Fury told the outlet.

Fifty-seven thousand South Dakota kids would have been eligible.

Texas

Texas passed on providing the benefits to 3.8 million kids who are eligible for SUN Bucks throughout the state.

According to The Texas Tribune, the state's Health and Human Services Commission made the final call, saying they didn't have enough time to implement the program successfully.

Wyoming

Wyoming officials opted out of SUN Bucks earlier this year, saying existing food assistance programs throughout the state were sufficient.

The state's Superintendent of Public Instruction, Megan Degenfelder, apparently didn't approve of the Biden admin's involvement, according to local outlet WyoFile.

"I will not let the Biden Administration weaponize summer school lunch programs to justify a new welfare program," Degenfelder told the outlet. "Thanks, but no thanks. We will continue to combat childhood hunger the Wyoming way."

• Tech companies have been racing to implement AI after OpenAI debuted ChatGPT to the public in 2022.
• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said companies should seek feedback from society and build safe technology.
• Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky emphasized that society shouldn't feel left behind as AI develops.

As companies and startups race to implement artificial intelligence into their products, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky and OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman have a word of caution: Don't leave society behind.

"It's really important that we bring society along and that we're not operating in this black box and people think there's only a few people controlling the future," Chesky said in an interview with NBC News's Lester Holt at the Aspen Ideas Festival on Thursday. Altman joined Chesky for the interview at the festival.

After OpenAI's ChatGPT debuted to the public in 2022, artificial intelligence burst into the mainstream as companies raced to implement and profit off advanced large language models while the public and ethicists worried about the societal ramifications of letting the technology run amok unchecked.

Will AI take people's jobs? Will it interfere with elections? Worst of all: Could it destroy humanity?

Both tech leaders, speaking at the Aspen Ideas Festival, emphasized the importance of including larger society in the conversation of AI development to allay some of those fears.

"I think that if everyone here could feel like they could participate and they could have their input into it, then I don't think there's a huge thing to fear," Chesky said. "I think the thing to fear is something we don't understand or [we're] left out of, and something that runs away from us that we can't control. And so that's the future we don't want to live in."

Altman, too, highlighted the need to get "feedback from society."

"We need to learn how to make safe technology," he said. "We need to figure out how to build safe products, and that includes an ongoing dialogue with society."

Just seven months ago, Altman was briefly ousted from his chief executive role at OpenAI before returning to the organization with a new board. A few former board members accused Altman of lying to colleagues and creating a toxic culture through "psychological abuse."

"Sam didn't inform the board that he owned the OpenAI startup fund, even though he constantly was claiming to be an independent board member with no financial interest in the company," Helen Toner, a former OpenAI board member, said in an interview in May.

Several OpenAI executives announced in the past month that they were leaving OpenAI, including Jan Leike, who led the company's now-dissolved safety group. Leike joined a chorus of OpenAI critics who are questioning the company's commitment to safety as it pursues artificial general intelligence, AI that surpasses human capabilities.

An OpenAI spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Airbnb CEO Chesky was optimistic about AI's impact on the future.

While artists raise alarms about AI's potential to diminish creative work, Chesky, who went to the Rhode Island School of Design, sees the technology as "an incredible tool for artists." While researchers fear that AI will exacerbate the loneliness epidemic, Chesky believes the tool will "help bring people together."

"At the end of the day, it's not the technology; it's the people with the technology," Chesky said, referring to those who are building with AI. "It always comes down to the people, their values and, 'Are they good people?'"

• JT Lewis, whose brother Jesse died at Sandy Hook, was "shocked" by a Mar-a-Lago evidence photo.
• It showed that a box containing classified documents also held a letter Trump sent him in 2018.
• "It was nice of him to keep the letter," Lewis said.

In 2018, JT Lewis, whose little brother Jesse died in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, received a signed letter from Donald Trump. He keeps it in a frame above his living room couch, where he sees it every day.

He was "shocked" this week when an image of the letter turned up in a widely publicized prosecution filing in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case.

The image shows an unsigned draft of the letter he cherishes resting inside a box, on top of other presidential mementos, including newspaper articles and notes on White House stationary.

It was one in a series of evidence photos that prosecutors with special counsel Jack Smith say shows Trump mingled presidential "keepsakes" with national secrets.

"It was nice of him to keep the letter," Lewis said Wednesday.

"It's word for word," what Trump sent him in June 2018, he said. "Except Jack Smith blacked out my name, and it's not signed," he added. "My copy is signed, of course."

In the letter, Trump thanks Lewis for coming to the White House "for discussions regarding the safety of our schools."

Trump's letter tells Lewis that the nation will forever remember the 2012 tragedy, in which 20 children and seven adults died, and it thanks Lewis for being "a meaningful example of the healing power of helping others" through his organization, Newtown Helps Rwanda.

Lewis and his mother, Scarlett Lewis, were invited to the White House six years after the Sandy Hook shooting and soon after the Parkland, Florida, high school shooting to speak with Trump about his National School Safety Initiative.

Both mother and son were by then school-safety activists, JT through the now-defunct Rwanda initiative and Scarlett through the still-active ChooseLoveMovement.com, which advocates for life-skills programs for kids to help prevent more shootings.

"That's partially how he healed, by helping other people," Scarlett Lewis told Business Insider Wednesday of JT, who was 12 when his 6-year-old brother died.

"To have a president acknowledge that, and write him a letter and sign it personally was very meaningful to JT," she said. "And then to see that it was something he kept was very, very moving," she said of Trump.

"He was shocked to see Trump kept the letter."

JT Lewis said Wednesday he remains a huge fan of Trump.

"I was actually just with him two days ago in New Orleans at a fundraiser," he said.

"We were able to catch up. I wish it had happened before that," he said of the letter resurfacing. "I would have talked about it with him."

Jesse McCord Lewis died shortly after shouting "Run!" while directing classmates to safety, according to his obituary and multiple news accounts. June 30 would have been his 13th birthday.

Rather than run himself, he stayed behind to help a "beloved teacher," Victoria Soto, as she lay dying, Scarlett Lewis told BI.

"Jesse saved nine classmates, and a lot of the kids are in the news, graduating from high school and giving him credit for saving their lives," the mom said.

• Shotguns found a new niche role in modern warfare as low-tech, effective anti-drone weapons.
• Commercial drones are becoming standard on the battlefield, particularly in the war in Ukraine.
• Countries like France, Belgium, and the US are also looking to adopt shotguns to counter drones.

The shotgun's role in warfare has had an interesting development. During the Revolutionary War, the famed buck-and-ball loadings proved to be remarkably efficient at ensuring the Red Coats stayed red. In the Civil War, the Confederacy often lacked rifles, and mounted troops with muzzle-loaded shotguns wreaked havoc on horseback. World War I made them trench guns and World War II jungle guns. The GWOT had them knocking down doors, and in 2024, shotguns found a new niche role.

The rise of cheap, mass-produced, civilian, and even toy-grade drones has changed the battlefield. In many ways, drones are the new Improvised Explosive Devices. They are a new, extremely dangerous threat that doesn't comply with the tactics we'd been taught for the last two decades. The war in Ukraine has cemented commercial drones as potent weapons.

Much like aircraft in World War I, commercial drones started life as reconnaissance assets, but it wasn't long until they were weaponized. Given the size and price of commercial drones, they are remarkably efficient and extremely deadly.

Several high-tech counter-drone measures have been employed, and more are being developed. While these tools are few and unrefined, the humble shotgun has once more emerged as a potential anti-commercial drone option.

The shotgun as a drone killer

Shotguns function differently than rifles or pistols. They are loaded with sealed shells that hold multiple projectiles inside them called "shot." Therefore, when a shotgun is fired, it fires multiple projectiles all at once. The spread of shot famously makes it easier to hit your target.

One of the most common uses of shotguns is hitting flying targets, this could include birds and clay pigeons — but drones are also flying targets, so shotguns are their natural predators.

The benefit of shotguns is that they are low-tech and easily available. Further, shotguns are fairly lightweight weapons and could be carried by a designated troop alongside a service rifle. Sure, it sucks to carry two guns, but it also sucks to get a grenade dropped on you from a tiny drone.

The best shot option to take out drones would be birdshot, specifically, heavy birdshot made for shooting geese and similar large fowls. The pellets wouldn't even have to completely destroy the drone; instead, just a few pellets hitting the propellers or body could destabilize it enough to render it ineffective.

When it comes to shotgun type, semi-auto would work best as they allow for quick follow-up shots in case of a miss. (Pump-action shotguns could also work: although they require the manual movement of a pump to chamber the next cartridge, they would still offer a fairly fast second shot.)

A proven concept

In 2022, the French Armed Forces chose the Benelli Supernova 12-gauge as their shotgun and adopted tactical models with 18- and 14-inch long barrels. However, they also adopted a 28-inch barreled model to serve as an anti-drone weapon, as the longer barrel offers a longer sight radius and better swing for dealing with flying threats.

The Supernova also offers a 3.5-inch chamber, which allows for some hefty rounds with lots of shot dispersed. (The 3.5-inch rounds are popular with bird hunters because of all the shot they can hold.)

The Supernova is an interesting choice but fairly standard compared to the Ukrainian option.

Ukraine's armed forces purchased several thousand Turkish Hatsan shotguns in a bullpup configuration. This means the magazine and action are behind the trigger, making the weapon shorter, which is nice for armored troops. However, Turkish shotguns have a poor reputation for reliability, and I imagine the battlefield will beat them to hell.

On the other hand, the Belgians adopted the Benelli M4, one of the world's best fighting shotguns, for anti-drone work. The United States is experimenting with both shotguns and electronic countermeasures against drones.

The downside of shotguns

Shotguns have a very limited range, and even with the best birdshot, we are looking at 50 yards at most. Yet, drones can fly higher than that. Specialized munitions could potentially resolve that, and they do exist in the form of various net devices. Still, those create a logistic-chain issue versus standard off-the-shelf options.

Even with their limitations, shotguns prevent drones from getting too close. The closer a drone can get with a droppable munition, the more accurate it tends to be. Also, drone cameras don't always provide the clearest footage, which can force a drone to fly lower to spot targets.

Shotguns won't be the ultimate, end-all option against commercial drones, but they are an infantry and armor organic weapon that could be easily used in this role.

Commercial UAV warfare has carved another niche in which the shotgun can excel. No matter how warfare has changed since the 18th century, shotguns continue to serve on the battlefield.

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• Warner Bros. Television is working on a scripted "Harry Potter" TV show for HBO. 
• The series was announced at a Warner Bros. Discovery press event in Los Angeles in April 2023.
• The show is eyeing a release in 2026 and will remain "faithful" to the book series.

A "Harry Potter" TV show is in the works.

At a press event in LA in April 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery first confirmed it's expanding the wizarding world with an upcoming TV series, originally planned for release on its streaming service, Max. On Tuesday, Variety reported that the series would be branded as an HBO original instead.   

The upcoming untitled "Harry Potter" series will feature a new cast to bring a new generation into the wizarding world franchise created by author J.K. Rowling. 

Here's everything we know so far about the show.

The series will be a 'faithful adaptation of the beloved original Harry Potter books'

"We are delighted to give audiences the opportunity to discover Hogwarts in a whole new way," said Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO of HBO & Max content in a press release shared with Business Insider. "Harry Potter is a cultural phenomenon and it is clear there is such an enduring love and thirst for the Wizarding World." The series will "dive deep into each of the iconic books that fans have continued to enjoy for all of these years."

In the same release, Rowling said: "Max's commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me, and I'm looking forward to being part of this new adaptation which will allow for a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long-form television series."

Francesca Gardiner will be the showrunner and J.K. Rowling will serve as an executive producer 

Gardiner's previous credits include HBO's "Succession" and "His Dark Materials" and BBC America's "Killing Eve."

Mark Mylod, most recently recognized for his work on "Succession," will direct multiple episodes of the show. 

The show's executive producers include Gardiner, Mylod, Rowling, Neil Blair, and Ruth Kenley-Letts. "Harry Potter" franchise producer David Heyman is also in talks to executive produce.

Users on X (formerly known as Twitter) took to the platform to criticize Max for its decision to involve Rowling, who has been accused of making transphobic comments, in the project. 

Max did not respond to a previous request for comment. 

The show is eyeing a release in 2026

Warner Bros.' eight "Harry Potter" films comprise one of the studio's most successful franchises, grossing over $7 billion worldwide at theaters. The TV series will stream on the service in the US and globally. 

WB Discovery CEO David Zaslav shared details about the expected debut during an earnings call in February, per The Hollywood Reporter. Zaslav said that he, Bloys, and WBD TV chief Channing Dungey met with Rowling and her team to discuss the show.

"Both sides are thrilled to be reigniting this franchise," Zaslav said. "Our conversations were great, and we couldn't be more excited about what's ahead. We can't wait to share a decade of new stories with fans around the world."

This story was originally published in April 2023 and has been updated to reflect recent developments. Kirsten Acuna contributed to a previous version of this article.

• Trump-backed candidates lost primary races in Utah, South Carolina, and Colorado.
• These defeats mark a rare trend of Trump endorsements failing in the 2024 election cycle.
• Results suggest some Republican voters are shifting away from Trump's influence in primaries.

An endorsement from Donald Trump usually spells success for congressional candidates. But in this week's primary elections, some Trump picks experienced rare losses.

In Utah, Republican Rep. John Curtis — who has been critical of Trump — beat out Trump's chosen candidate Trent Staggs to take over Mitt Romney's open Senate seat. Staggs lost to Curtis by 20 points, according to projected race calls from the Associated Press, compiled by The New York Times.

In South Carolina, a similar situation occurred: ultra-conservative pastor Mark Burns, who Trump endorsed on Truth Social in April, lost his House runoff race to Republican Sherri Biggs.

And in Colorado, House hopeful and state GOP Chair Dave Williams, who the former president endorsed on Truth Social in March, got smoked by his rival, conservative commentator Jeff Crank — losing by 30 points, according to the Times.

The three losses are just the second, third, and fourth time that a Trump favorite has lost their race for a federal position this election cycle, Politico reported. The first instance happened earlier in June when Trump-endorsed New Jersey Senate candidate Christine Serrano Glassner lost by 7 points to real estate developer Curtis Bashaw, according to the Times.

There's two othr candidates who might get added to Trump's list of failures.

The race for Utah's second congressional district is still too close to call, with Trump-backed incumbent Rep. Celeste Maloy leading by just 3 points. And Virginia's Republican primary is also still too close to call, with Trump pick John McGuire less than one point ahead of his challenger. That race may result in a recount, MSNBC reported.

• South Korea has resumed live-fire drills after seven years.
• South Korea previously paused the drills due to a 2018 military accord, which North Korea is accused of violating 3,600 times.
• The drills follow a flurry of other activity on the peninsula lately.

The South Korean military resumed live-fire drills on border islands Wednesday after a seven-year pause. The exercise follows a failed North Korean missile test and a flurry of other activity and comes as the two countries battle with balloons.

North Korea conducted a suspected hypersonic missile test Wednesday morning, but it is believed to have exploded in midair. The launch came as North Korea expresses frustration with the trilateral drills between the US, South Korea, and Japan, for which a US Navy aircraft carrier is present.

Not long after, South Korea restarted its own firing drills on the border islands of Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong.

The South Korean Marine Corps told Yonhap News Agency the drills were "defensive" and noted that the military will work to enhance "firepower operations capabilities and the completeness of the military readiness posture through regular maritime firing exercises."

The South Korean drills involved multiple rocket launchers, anti-tank missiles, and K9 howitzers.

Earlier this month, South Korea suspended a 2018 inter-Korean military accord it signed with North Korea, which banned drills, among other activities, from occurring in specified areas, including the border islands. North Korea had violated the accord roughly 3,600 times prior to South Korea's suspension.

But now the drills are back. Earlier this month, a US supersonic B-1B Lancer bomber conducted the aircraft's first live-fire bombing run on the peninsula in seven years.

As North and South Korea engage in various military activities, they have also been escalating tensions with balloons.

Hundreds of balloons filled with trash, among other things, have been floating from North Korea toward South Korea since May, and in response, Seoul activists have been flying balloons with leaflets and speakers toward North Korea.

CNN's Mike Valerio, who got ahold of one of the balloons, said that the speakers have been playing an "anti-Kim Jong Un anthem." South Korean activists have a long history of sending anti-Pyongyang balloons into the North that have also carried money, thumb drives, and ChocoPie desserts.

There's also been high-level diplomatic activity lately. After North Korea and Russia signed a new agreement that aligned their strategic interests and established a mutual defense pact, South Korea signaled it was re-evaluating some of its current positions, including on sending weapons to Ukraine.

The North has been fueling Russia's war with its own shipments, while South Korea has offered its support indirectly. South Korea has, however, expressed dissatisfaction with closer ties between Russia and North Korea.

"The government clearly emphasizes that any cooperation that directly or indirectly helps North Korea increase its military power is a violation of UN Security Council resolutions and is subject to monitoring and sanctions by the international community," South Korea's presidential office said in a statement.

• Disney World is replacing its Genie+ service and individual Lightning Lane entry pass.
• Guests can use the Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Lightning Lane Single Pass starting July 24.
• Guests staying at Disney Resort hotels can plan Lightning Lane passes seven days in advance.

Walt Disney World will allow guests to make ride reservations a week in advance — but there's a catch.

The official Disney Parks Blog said the Genie+ service and Lightning Lane entry would be discontinued at the Florida theme parks. Instead, guests can register for two new reservation programs that go into effect on July 24.

"Walt Disney World will introduce new, simpler names to provide more clarity for everyone," a press release published Tuesday read. "Disney Genie+ service will become Lightning Lane Multi Pass, while individual Lightning Lane will now be known as Lightning Lane Single Pass."

The new passes let guests make Lightning Lane reservations ahead of their trip, but the biggest perk is for those who book at Disney Resorts and affiliated hotels.

"Guests staying at a Disney Resort hotel and other select hotels will be able to plan Lightning Lane passes up to 7 days in advance for their entire stay (up to 14 days)," the company said. "All other guests can plan up to 3 days in advance."

The new incentive could encourage some Disney guests to pour even more money into its Florida properties, which could expand under a $17 billion development deal between Disney and the local tourism district.

Some guests have criticized Disney's theme parks for being too expensive. Even CEO Bob Iger was shocked by ticket prices when he returned to the company in November 2022.

The price for Lightning Lane Multi Passes will vary by day and theme park, while the Lightning Lane Single Passes will vary by date and attraction.

Despite the cost, some parents with children under 18 are going into debt to finance their family's Disney vacation. Parents who completed Lending Tree's survey indicated that food, transportation, and accommodation wreaked the most havoc on their budgets.

Representatives for Disney referred to the press release and FAQ when contacted for comment.

Unlike the new Lightning Lane passes, Genie+ didn't permit advanced reservations.

Under Genie+, guests could register for Lightning Lane entrances at select rides and experiences, but they needed to wake up at 7 a.m. each day of their trip to secure their spot. This drew criticism from some Disney guests, who suggested that the Genie+ program is complicated and overwhelming.

The company said guests voiced their desire for a more comprehensive reservation program, which led them to create the Lightning Lane passes.

"We enjoy hearing from guests about all the things they love, as well as how we can make their experience even better the next time," the press release read. "At Walt Disney World, guests have told us they would prefer to have the option to do more of their planning before their theme park day."

• On Thursday and Saturday, two different "potentially hazardous" asteroids will fly by Earth.
• The first is as big as a mountain, and the second will be one of the brightest in recent history.
• Neither of them pose a threat to Earth, and you can watch their fly-bys live.

Two rare asteroids will zoom past Earth at close range this week, within just 42 hours of each other.

Due to their size and trajectory, both of these space rocks are labeled "potentially hazardous." But that doesn't mean they pose an immediate threat to Earth.

In fact, both of them will safely fly by at thousands of miles per hour. There's a zero percent chance that either will collide with our planet, according to the European Space Agency.

Neither of these asteroids will be visible to the naked eye, but you may be able to spot them with a telescope or binoculars, Gianluca Masi, astrophysicist and founder of The Virtual Telescope Project, told Business Insider over email.

Or, you can watch them via livestreams hosted by The Virtual Telescope Project:

• Use this link to watch Asteroid (415029) 2011 UL21 streak past Earth on Thursday, June 27, starting at 4:00 p.m. ET.
• And this link to watch Asteroid 2024 MK fly by on Saturday, June 29, starting at 5:00 p.m. ET.

Mountain-sized Asteroid (415029) 2011 UL21

Asteroid (415029) 2011 UL21 is one of the largest asteroids to have recently passed near Earth, Masi wrote in a press statement.

With an estimated diameter of roughly 1.4 miles, this mountain-sized space rock is larger than 99% of all known near-Earth objects, according to the European Space Agency.

Asteroid 2011 UL21 falls into a class of space rocks known as "planet killers," which are at least 1.2 miles wide. If one crashed into Earth, it would cause damage on a continental scale, and potentially kick up enough dust to trigger significant climactic changes for many years, LiveScience reported.

The Chicxulub asteroid, for example, credited with the dinosaurs' demise was about 6.5 miles across and triggered global warming for an estimated 100,000 years after impact.

Luckily, 2011 UL21 won't be coming close enough to cause any concern on Thursday. It'll sneak by Earth at a safe distance of more than 4 million miles, which is 17 times farther than the distance between Earth and the moon, Masi wrote.

But this fly-by is noteworthy because 2011 UL21 will be among the top 10 largest asteroids to pass by Earth at close range in the last 125 years, he added.

Newly discovered Asteroid 2024 MK

Asteroid 2024 MK was first discovered earlier this month, just 13 days before it will pass by Earth at remarkably close range, according to the European Space Agency.

It's much smaller than 2011 UL21, with an estimated diameter between 390 and 885 feet. That's roughly the length of one to 2.5 football fields.

But what this asteroid lacks in size, it should make up for in brightness. It will come within 184,000 miles of Earth, which is about 77% of the average distance between the Earth and the moon, Masi wrote.

It's close proximity will make it one of the brightest objects of its kind observed in recent history, he added.

• Nvidia's market cap dropped around $500 billion since it became the world's most valuable company.
• Skittish investors had been awaiting its annual meeting for comments that might reverse the trend.
• CEO Jensen Huang discussed the chipmaker's success but didn't offer much new news.

Nvidia briefly dethroned Microsoft to become the world's most valuable company just last week when it hit a valuation of $3.34 trillion.

But since then, it's dropped by around $500 billion. Now, investors are left wondering if the chip-making giant — whose shares have, until now, been on a dizzy upward trajectory thanks to its dominance of the AI semiconductor market — has peaked.

The annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday didn't ease their concerns.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang didn't say anything to sound off alarms during the meeting. But he also didn't say anything particularly reassuring about how it will fend off competitors and maintain its position at the top — or anything game-changing that hadn't already been touched on at the GTC conference in March.

CEOs like Sam Altman and Elon Musk still view the graphics processing unit chips as a key component of the generative AI boom. However, other tech giants have started to develop their own alternatives.

It's worth noting that even if companies do come out with their own versions, it could take a while before they become fully reliable. Still, Google said it's making its own Arm-based CPU processor, Axion, in April, and Microsoft is also attempting to create its own AI chips.

Huang also failed to mention during the meeting when exactly the company's next-generation AI chip, Blackwell will become available, although he said it would be "the most successful product" in Nvidia's history. He unveiled the chip at the GTC conference but hasn't provided information on its price or availability since. The chip is supposed to operate at least two times faster than its predecessor, the H100.

Huang talked positively about the prospects for Nvidia, saying that the company has created a path forward for the future of computing, which took about two decades to reach. Nvidia serves over five million developers and 40,000 companies, including thousands of AI companies.

"Nvidia accelerated computing, has reached a tipping point and achieved a virtuous cycle," Huang said.

That wasn't enough for shareholders, however. The stock stayed down more than 2%.

Nvidia is still one of the world's biggest companies, but time will tell if it can maintain its position as the main provider of computing chips — and if its massive market cap is sustainable.

Nvidia declined a request for comment from Business Insider.