At least 55 people have now died in the Maui wildfires, and more than 1,700 buildings have been destroyed. / The Honolulu Star-Advertiser

How a changing environment—with less precipitation and more invasive species—dried out Hawaii's landscape and increased its susceptibility to wildfires. / The New York Times

Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Pérez surprised pundits by winning her red, rural Washington district; now she's surprising constituents by siding with Republicans more than her own party. / Slate

See also: After running on abortion rights—and winning her district—North Carolina Democrat Tricia Cotham switched parties and delivered a Republican supermajority. / The New York Times

What an 1864 map of "our country as traitors and tyrants would have it" tells us about the deep-seated divisions of Civil War-era America. / Atlas Obscura

"They're not necessarily cute, but they're real predators." Photos of Bangkok's stray cats. / VICE

Since the 1970s, AI has been heralded as the future of medicine. Now that it's finally (maybe) here, hospitals and physicians are at odds as to what it means for care. / The Washington Post

From requiring editing histories to switching to paper-only exams—and to just not caring—how educators are looking to combat cheating with AI. / AP

See also: Part one in a series on digital photography, generative AI, and the struggle over authenticity. / NEWART

"Right now, in early August, each morning I'm greeted by innumerable, intensely blue Asiatic dayflower." A Q&A with an artist who grows her own pigments. / Hyperallergic

Studios don't need to court critics when they have influencers. / The Guardian

An appreciation of Bug and The Hunted—"a western-paranoiac double bill"—by director William Friedkin, who died this week at 87. / Read Max

"A martial artist from India recaptured a Guinness World Record from his longtime rival by smashing 273 walnuts with his forehead in one minute." / UPI