Latest news with #YouTube
NDTV
37 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- NDTV
MrBeast Removes AI Thumbnail Tool After Backlash: "I Thought People Were..."
YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, more popularly known as MrBeast, has removed a YouTube thumbnail generator that used artificial intelligence (AI) after receiving intense backlash from creators and fans alike. The world's most-subscribed YouTuber admitted that he had "missed the mark" after his contemporaries pointed out that the tool was stealing work from human creators. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), MrBeast said he had removed the tool from his YouTube analytics platform, Viewstats and that he would replace it with links to human artists available for commission. "Hey! Thanks for all your feedback on the ViewStats AI thumbnail tool, we pulled it and added a funnel for creators to find real thumbnail artists to commission," wrote MrBeast. MrBeast acknowledged the feedback, stating he previously thought that the tool would be well-received within the community. "I thought people were going to be pretty excited about it, but I definitely missed the mark. If you opened up Twitter, you know what I'm talking about. I read all your feedback and going forward there is no AI thumbnail tool, we pulled it down, said MrBeast. "On top of that, I wanted to go one step further to really show artists out there that I care... on under our 'More Tools' section, it will say hire a thumbnail artist." He said his goal with Viewstats had been to build tools to help creators, "but if creators don't want the tools, no worries". "I care more than any of you could ever imagine about the YouTube community. Obviously I'm the biggest YouTuber in the world and I don't take that responsibility lightly and so it deeply makes me sad when I do something that people in the community are upset by." MrBeast released the AI tool last week that allowed users to create eye-catching thumbnails instantly by "taking the guesswork out" for $80 per month subscription fee. Hey! Thanks for all your feedback on the ViewStats AI thumbnail tool, we pulled it and added a funnel for creators to find real thumbnail artists to commission — MrBeast (@MrBeast) June 27, 2025 Social media reacts After the pullback, social media users lauded MrBeast for listening to their grievances and taking action. "Hey Jimmy. I appreciate you looking at this objectively and realising how with you being the biggest creator on the platform, you can unintentionally set a precedent that can affect the industry as a whole," said one user while another added: "Big respect for taking it down despite whatever it cost to develop. I do hope you'll consider looking at the issue more closely." A third commented: "Thank you for reaching down to help smaller creators, Jimmy." The US YouTuber has more than 385 million subscribers on the site and is thought to be its highest-paid creator.
Indianapolis Star
2 hours ago
- General
- Indianapolis Star
Did anyone win Mega Millions drawing last night? Winning numbers in June 27, 2025 lottery results
The Mega Millions jackpot continues to grow after no one matched all six numbers to win Tuesday's Mega Millions jackpot. Here are the numbers for the Friday, June 27, lottery drawing jackpot worth $348 million with a cash option of $155.5 million. Grab your tickets and see if you're the game's newest millionaire. Mega Millions, Powerball: What to do if you win the Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot Friday night's drawing will take place at 10 p.m. CT. Tuesday night's winning numbers were 10, 11, 18, 24, 60, and the Mega Ball was 20. Results are pending. Powerball numbers: Anyone win Wednesday night's drawing? You only need to match one number in Mega Millions to win a prize. However, that number must be the Mega Ball, worth either $10, $15, $20, $25 or $50. Matching two numbers won't win anything in Mega Millions unless one of the numbers is the Mega Ball. A ticket matching one of the five numbers and the Mega Ball is worth either $14, $21, $28, $35 or $70. Visit for a complete list of payout information. Mega Millions numbers you need to know: Most commonly drawn numbers The Mega Millions jackpot for Tuesday's drawing grew to an estimated $348 million with a cash option of $155.5 million, according to Drawings are held two times per week at approximately 10 p.m. CT every Tuesday and Friday. You can watch drawings via YouTube. A Mega Millions ticket costs $5 per play. The Multiplier is included in the price of a single $5 wager, according to Here's how to play Mega Millions: Mega Millions, Powerball numbers: Want to win the lottery? Here are luckiest numbers, places to play The winning numbers for Wednesday night's drawing were 2, 12, 37, 51, 61, and the Powerball is 22. The Power Play was 3X. The current Powerball jackpot continues to grow to an estimated $155 million with a cash option of $71.0 million, after no one matched all six numbers from Wednesday night's drawing. Here is the list of 2025 Mega Millions jackpot wins, according to Mega Millions numbers: Anyone win Tuesday night's drawing? Here are the all-time top 10 Mega Millions jackpots, according to Here are the nation's all-time top 10 Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots, according to
Politico
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Politico
Biden pays respects as former Minnesota House Speaker Hortman, killed in shooting, lies in state
ST. PAUL, Minnesota — Former President Joe Biden joined thousands of mourners Friday as former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman lay in state in the Minnesota Capitol rotunda while the man charged with killing her and her husband, and wounding a state senator and his wife, made a brief court appearance in a suicide prevention suit. Hortman, a Democrat, is the first woman and one of fewer than 20 Minnesotans accorded the honor. She lay in state with her husband, Mark, and their golden retriever, Gilbert. Her husband was also killed in the June 14 attack, and Gilbert was seriously wounded and had to be euthanized. It was the first time a couple has lain in state at the Capitol, and the first time for a dog. The Hortmans' caskets and the dog's urn were arranged in the center of the rotunda, under the Capitol dome, with law enforcement officers keeping watch on either side as thousands of people who lined up filed by. Many fought back tears as they left. Among the first to pay their respects were Gov. Tim Walz, who has called Hortman his closest political ally, and his wife, Gwen. Biden, a Catholic, visited later in the afternoon, walking up to the velvet rope in front of the caskets, making the sign of the cross, and spending a few moments by himself in silence. He then took a knee briefly, got up, made the sign of the cross again, and walked off to greet people waiting in the wings of the rotunda. The Capitol was open for the public from noon to 5 p.m. Friday, but officials said anyone waiting in line at 5 would be let in. House TV livestreamed the viewing. A private funeral is set for 10:30 a.m. Saturday and will be livestreamed on the Department of Public Safety's YouTube channel. Biden will attend the funeral, a spokesperson said. So will former Vice President Kamala Harris, though neither is expected to speak. Harris expressed her condolences earlier this week to Hortman's adult children, and spoke with Walz, her running mate on the 2024 Democratic presidential ticket, who extended an invitation on behalf of the Hortman family, her office said. Lisa Greene, who lives in Brooklyn Park like Hortman did, but in a different House district, said she came to the Capitol because she had so much respect for the former speaker. 'She was just amazing. Amazing woman. 'And I was just so proud that she represented the city that I lived in,' Greene said in a voice choked with emotion. 'She was such a leader. She could bring people together. She was so accessible. I mean, she was friendly, you could talk to her.' But, she went on to say admiringly, Hortman was also 'a boss. She just knew what she was doing and she could just make things happen.' A hearing takes a twist: The man accused of killing the Hortmans and wounding another Democratic lawmaker and his wife made a short court appearance Friday to face charges for what the chief federal prosecutor for Minnesota has called 'a political assassination.' Vance Boelter, 57, of Green Isle, surrendered near his home the night of June 15 after what authorities have called the largest search in Minnesota history. An unshaven Boelter was brought in wearing just a green padded suicide prevention suit and orange slippers. Federal defender Manny Atwal asked Magistrate Judge Douglas Micko to continue the hearing until Thursday. She said Boelter has been sleep deprived while on suicide watch in the Sherburne County Jail, and that it has been difficult to communicate with him as a result. 'Your honor, I haven't really slept in about 12 to 14 days,' Boelter told the judge. And he denied being suicidal. 'I've never been suicidal and I am not suicidal now.' Atwal told the court that Boelter had been in what's known as a 'Gumby suit,' without undergarments, ever since his transfer to the jail after his first court appearance on June 16. She said the lights are on in his area 24 hours a day, doors slam frequently, the inmate in the next cell spreads feces on the walls, and the smell drifts to Boelter's cell. The attorney said transferring him to segregation instead, and giving him a normal jail uniform, would let him get some sleep, restore some dignity, and let him communicate better. The judge agreed. Prosecutors did not object to the delay and said they also had concerns about the jail conditions. The acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota, Joseph Thompson, told reporters afterward that he did not think Boelter had attempted to kill himself. The case continues: Boelter did not enter a plea. Prosecutors need to secure a grand jury indictment first, before his arraignment, which is when a plea is normally entered. According to the federal complaint, police video shows Boelter outside the Hortmans' home and captures the sound of gunfire. And it says security video shows Boelter approaching the front doors of two other lawmakers' homes dressed as a police officer. His lawyers have declined to comment on the charges, which could carry the federal death penalty. Thompson said last week that no decision has been made. Minnesota abolished its death penalty in 1911. The Death Penalty Information Center says a federal death penalty case hasn't been prosecuted in Minnesota in the modern era, as best as it can tell. Boelter also faces separate murder and attempted murder charges in state court that could carry life without parole, assuming that county prosecutors get their own indictment for first-degree murder. But federal authorities intend to use their power to try Boelter first. Other victims and alleged targets: Authorities say Boelter shot and wounded Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette, at their home in Champlin before shooting and killing the Hortmans in their home in the northern Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park, a few miles away. Federal prosecutors allege Boelter also stopped at the homes of two other Democratic lawmakers. Prosecutors also say he listed dozens of other Democrats as potential targets, including officials in other states. Friends described Boelter as an evangelical Christian with politically conservative views. But prosecutors have declined so far to speculate on a motive.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Will northern lights be visible from the U.S. this weekend? See aurora borealis livestreams
The northern lights have been visible in some northern U.S. states this week, and will continue to be visible in Alaska through the weekend. It might sound crazy, but they have been visible from Florida before as well. The most recent sighting of the aurora borealis in Florida was actually last summer. But based on this weekend's aurora borealis prediction, Floridians will have to access a northern lights livestream on YouTube to get a glimpse of the phenomenon. Here's where the northern lights are predicted to be visible this weekend, tips for viewing them, the last time aurora borealis were seen in Florida and how to find northern lights livestreams. During the week, the northern lights could be seen from as many as 14 U.S. states near Canada. There could still be chances to spot the lights from the U.S. this weekend, but the probability of seeing the aurora borealis from any U.S. state outside of Alaska is still low. 'Fast solar wind from a coronal hole is currently sweeping past Earth, bringing a continued chance of possible G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storm conditions through Friday night (June 27). That means auroras could make a brief appearance at high latitudes,' Friday forecast says. 'If you're in the right place tonight and have clear, dark skies, it's worth keeping an eye on the horizon — the auroras might still make a fleeting appearance.' So, where is the right place? NOAA's weekend forecast map shows Alaska well within the range of viewing this weekend and the northernmost parts of some states reaching slightly into the view line on the night of Friday, June 27. The three states that appear to have the best chance of catching a glimpse, based on NOAA's prediction map for Friday, are Montana, North Dakota, and Minnesota. If you're visiting or flying over one of these states this weekend, it's worth trying to find the aurora borealis in the night sky. If you're anywhere else in the U.S., your best shot is to pull up a livestream of the northern lights. NOAA tracks the northern lights and indicates how visible they are predicted to be by using the Kp-index, a global measure of auroral activity. The index is a 0-9 scale and measures changes in the Earth's magnetic field, to predict geomagnetic storms on the sun's surface, which can cause a disturbance in the Earth's atmosphere. NOAA predicts that the Kp index will peak at 3.67 this weekend, the weekend of Friday, June 27. Earlier this week, when more than a dozen states had a chance to see the aurora borealis, the Kp was predicted to peak at around 5. More on northern lights in the U.S.: See which states saw the aurora borealis this week If do you find yourself in the northernmost portions of a state that borders Canada, or in Alaska this weekend, there are ways to increase your chances of spotting auroras. Here are some tips for spotting northern lights, : Be aware of geomagnetic activity: If the geomagnetic field is active, then the aurora will be brighter and further from the poles. Geomagnetic activity is driven by solar activity and solar coronal holes and thus it waxes and wanes with time. For Kp in the range of 3 to 5: the aurora will move further from the poles, it will become brighter and there will be more auroral activity (motion and formations). If you are in the right place, these aurora can be quite pleasing to look at. Location: Find a place where you can see to the north. Given the right vantage point, say for example on top of a hill in the northern hemisphere with an unobstructed view toward the north, a person can see aurora even when it is 1000 km (600 miles) further north. Note: If you are in the right place under the aurora, you can see very nice auroral displays even with low geomagnetic activity (Kp = 3 or 4). It must be dark: Go out at night. Get away from city lights. The full moon will also diminish the apparent brightness of the aurora (not the actual brightness). One caveat that people often neglect to think of is that the high latitudes where aurora occur are also latitudes where it doesn't get dark in the summer. So combining a summer vacation to the arctic with aurora watching usually doesn't work. The aurora may still be there, but it is only visible when it is dark. Timing: Best aurora is usually within an hour or two of midnight (between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. local time). These hours of active aurora expand towards evening and morning as the level of geomagnetic activity increases. There may be aurora in the evening and morning but it is usually not as active and therefore, not as visually appealing. Best seasons for aurora watching: The best times of year to see the northern lights are around the spring and fall equinoxes. Due to subtleties in the way the solar wind interacts with Earth's magnetosphere, there is a tendency towards larger geomagnetic storms and better auroras to occur near the equinoxes. Yes! Northern lights, or aurora borealis, have been visible as far south as Florida, most recently in May 2024. 'A spectacular and rare sight was visible across Florida on May 10, 2024,' The Florida Times-Union reported. 'The aurora borealis, or northern lights, left many watchers in awe as pink and purple hues painted the night sky.' There are three other significant recordings of northern lights being visible in Florida, two in the '80s and once in the 1850s. In March of 1989, the aurora borealis was visible from Jacksonville, painting the sky with a red glow and streaks of green and white, according to the Florida Times-Union. A few years earlier, in 1981, there were reports of much less impressive northern lights visible as far as south Florida. And according to NOAA, the Carrington Event of 1859 tinted the sky bright red and green, which may have been the most powerful solar flare on record. If you have northern lights FOMO (fear of missing out), you don't have to catch a last-minute flight to Alaska to get your fix this weekend. There are several webcams across the world that livestream the aurora borealis. Links to cameras set up in Sweden, Finland, Norway, Canada and Alaska can all be found on aurora borealis webcam landing page. You can watch the view of the aurora borealis from the University of Alaska Fairbanks on the YouTube channel — a network of nature cameras from all over the world. This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Northern lights watching from Florida: See aurora borealis livestreams
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Here's why Gen Z finds comfort in podcasts
If you have been keeping tabs on what Gen Z is up to, beyond their current obsession with matcha lattes and Labubu dolls, one trend that does not seem to be going anywhere is their love for podcasts. Unlike the fleeting social media fads, podcasting seems to have entrenched itself into Gen Z's daily routine. It is no longer just a flex to listen to podcasts, but a tool shaping their personality altogether! These days, India's top celebrities and even politicians are hopping onto the podcast train, sitting across content creators and chatting about everything, from their nostalgic childhood memories to fintech and beyond. And for Gen Zers, it is definitely not background noise while doomscrolling. 'Podcasting gives you a whole personality, it gives you conversation points among your peers,' says 24-year-old Darshit S., practising law in Chennai. 'Most importantly, what makes it special is how it breaks the wall between the listener and the speaker. It is not like an interview, but more laidback and real,' adds Darshit. The younger crowd is tuning in to podcasts on entertainment, lifestyle, global affairs, and crime, among other topics. What once started as a niche interest has turned into an everyday ritual among the listeners. And it is not just about listening anymore, Gen Zers from Chennai are making their own podcasts — especially college students looking for an outlet. Safa Salsabeel Z., a 22-year-old English literature student from Chennai, has already produced seven podcasts, covering everything from procrastination to how AI is reshaping literature, and even quirky historical topics like the origin of fans in pre-electricity times. For Safa, podcasting isn't just a post-lecture hobby but calls it the loudest form of creative expression. So, what makes podcasts the 'thing' for this generation, you ask. The podcaster breaks it down: 'As Gen Z, we usually gravitate towards podcasts that feel real, relatable, and authentic. We don't always look for perfectly polished interviews, professionally edited shows. What we love are conversations that sound like we are part of them,' says Safa. She further adds topics on mental health, productivity hacks, relationships, identity, personal growth, and even random 'shower thoughts' are what really clicks with her generation. Platforms such as Spotify and YouTube are the go-tos for most Gen Z podcast listeners, including Darshit. 'Honestly, it is not about the video, nothing much usually happens visually. It is all about what they are talking about. Podcasts let you get to know someone, especially celebrities, in a more authentic way. In a podcast, you end up listening your favourite cricketer speak about things you would never get from a well scripted interview in the 90s or 2000s,' he says. Another big draw is that you can learn about any new topic from a well-researched podcast in just a couple of hours. But for many Gen Zers from the city, it is about the comfort of hearing personal stories they can relate to, anecdotes that are a little more human, and banter that makes them feel seen and heard!
