Axios

NaukNauk has raised $20 million to expand its AI video app that turns photos of toys into short animated videos, co-founder Daniel Liu tells Axios.

Why it matters: The company says it's targeting the growing market of "kidults" who want to use technology to indulge their playful side.

Tropical Storm Arthur is expected to form Wednesday and make landfall later that night near the Texas-Louisiana state line, the National Hurricane Center said in its Tuesday forecast.

Why it matters: Arthur will be the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.

Snap on Tuesday unveiled its long-awaited Specs augmented reality glasses, making them available to consumers after several years of private development.

Why it matters: Snap is betting its future on Specs, but the consumer smart glasses race is getting more competitive and investors want the company to focus more on growing its core ads business.

Disney is using custom Adobe Firefly AI models trained on its own characters to help Imagineers design concepts and prototypes for theme parks and hotels.

Why it matters: The partnership shows Disney is willing to deploy generative AI when it can control how its intellectual property is used and protected.

The Trump administration released a sweeping cache of government records and videos Friday that include colorful UFO-like orbs flying across the sky in seemingly impossible ways.

Why it matters: The disclosure is part of a wave of releases aimed at shedding light on the U.S. government's examination of such sightings, which have been the subject of many conspiracy theories.

U.S. health officials are deploying emergency measures against New World screwworm while monitoring other infectious disease risks ahead of the World Cup and America250 celebrations.

Why it matters: Health experts warn existing and proposed federal funding cuts could weaken disease surveillance and outbreak response ahead of major U.S. events.

SpaceX on Thursday raised $75 billion in its IPO, valuing Elon Musk's company at around $1.77 trillion.

Why it matters: This is the largest U.S. IPO ever, at least until Anthropic and OpenAI go public later this year, and makes SpaceX one of the world's most valuable companies.

Most people worry that electric vehicles are going to further strain America's aging power grid, but the opposite is true, says the head of California's largest utility.

Why it matters: A parked EV can be an extension of the grid, a distributed energy storage asset that can send power back when it's needed most.

Prometheus, the industrial AI startup led by Jeff Bezos and former Google exec Vik Bajaj, today will announce that it's raised $12 billion in Series B funding at a $41 billion valuation.

Why it matters: It's a massive bet to rearchitect how physical things are made, from jet engines to medical devices to consumer electronics.

The first U.S. satellite designed for full-time space weather monitoring is now operational, NOAA says.

Why it matters: SOLAR-1 will keep an eye out for solar winds and coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which can wreck havoc on Earth's radio signals, GPS service, power grids, space launches and more.

• CMEs can also trigger impressive aurora displays, like the incredible May 2024 show seen worldwide.

Driving the news: SOLAR-1 passed an eight-month testing process with flying colors after being launched last September.

• It sits at a Lagrange point — an "orbital parking spot" nearly a million miles away between Earth and the Sun, where their gravitational pulls balance out with the centripetal force felt by a spacecraft.
• That spot offers an uninterrupted view of the Sun, perfect for a satellite designed to keep watch on our solar system's nuclear engine.

By the numbers: SOLAR-1 can transmit CME images to forecasters at NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center within 30 minutes, a huge boost compared to the eight hours from existing instruments.

What they're saying: "SOLAR-1 is a cornerstone of the nation's space weather early warning system, providing the observations needed to issue timely watches, warnings, alerts, and decision support before solar storms impact critical infrastructure and missions," NOAA says in a statement.

What's next: Data from SOLAR-1 could also prove invaluable to aurora hunters seeking their next glimpse of one of the world's most captivating natural phenomena.