Today's newsletter curated by Brooks Brunson

🚨 Weather alert 🚨
It's Thursday in New York City, where a historic heat wave is officially underway. Through Sunday, temperatures are expected to exceed 90 degrees, possibly reaching as high as 105 degrees in parts of the city.  

Read this before making moves.👇

• This weekend marks the nation's 250th birthday, but it also could mark the city's hottest July Fourth since 2010. It's going to be a lot. Here's a breakdown of the events that could affect your New York existence even if you aren't attending. 
• You should stay inside with the AC on when you can, but if you can't, find the nearest coolest center here. The city has opened more than 500. 
• Here's a look at the signs of heat-related illness and tips on how to avoid getting sick.

Taylor Swift's NYC wedding is the next chapter in a long Big Apple love story

And here's what else New Yorkers should know about today:

• Within a month, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has defended a plan to hire more police officers and then backed away from it. What happened?
• Modern subway cars will start rolling on the D line, replacing breakdown-prone trains that date back to the 1980s, the MTA announced Wednesday.
• New York City’s Department of Sanitation plans to replace nearly 30,000 parking spaces with “Empire Bin” trash containers over the next six years
• A dozen nurses at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx have received notices saying their positions were being eliminated, and their union’s blaming artificial intelligence.
• An eight-day anti-Big Tech festival called The Summer of Ludd is now underway at various locations around mostly Lower Manhattan.
• In case you haven't checked your social media feeds in the last 24 hours: Two people were arrested after climbing the Empire State Building, waving a banner and proposing marriage.