This week’s headlines moved fast, loud and in every direction, from pop culture shakeups to political flashpoints and science stories with global consequences.
Here are five major stories worth catching up on.
Jay-Z’s Freestyle
Late last week, Jay-Z performed a new freestyle at Roots Picnic, debuting a new verse listeners are saying contained digs at a number of artists such as Nicki Minaj, Drake and Dame Dash. Onstage, the Grammy-winning rapper responded to a new diss from Drake off his latest drop, “ICEMAN,” aimed at Dash, who was his former business partner, and addressed Minaj’s latest accusations.
In a social media post, Minaj alleged that he owed her millions of dollars because she owns a part of Tidal. She also posted AI-generated images of Jay-Z as a “Barb.” The freestyle also addressed Ye and Tory Lanez. Ye previously went online and made derogatory remarks towards Jay-Z’s and Beyonce’s youngest two children while Tory Lanez has previously publicly accused Roc Nation of sabotaging him.
Serena Williams Confirms Comeback
In a statement released by the HSBC Championship, the tennis icon announced her comeback in London. Williams officially announced her retirement four years ago. Her comeback will be made under a wild card entry in the doubles bracket of the London competition. The announcement was called “generational” by The Tennis Channel, as they will also livestream her return. It is unknown whether Williams will return to tennis full-time, but generally, the HSBC Championship has been viewed as a warm-up for the famed Wimbledon competition. The 23 Grand Slam singles titles winner’s announcement was viewed as a surprise after months of speculation. Williams previously entered her name into the tennis’ anti-doping system earlier this year, but maintained she would not return.
Two People Died, and Others Were Injured During a Protest in Central Kenya
On Monday, hundreds took to the streets of Nanyuki to protest a quarantine facility where the U.S. is treating citizens who have been potentially exposed to Ebola. Although the Kenyan government agreed to allow the U.S. to use the military base, citizens expressed concerns that the facility would bring Ebola to the town. Protestors argued that the country lacks the health infrastructure to handle Ebola cases, potentially opening the door to an epidemic. While drawing attention to the issue, police opened fire on the people. Two men were fatally shot, and three others were injured.
A New Fighting Arena is Up on the White House South Lawn, and it Could Be There Forever
The administration debuted a new UFC fighting arena on the South Lawn earlier this week. It is set to be the stage for the “UFC Freedom Fights 250” event, which will take place next week and will feature a bout between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje. The fights are scheduled to coincide with President Trump’s birthday and Flag Day. In a TikTok, he floated the idea of making the arena permanent, comparing it to the Eiffel Tower. The new addition to the South Lawn is part of a $10 billion project to renovate the White House. In a Twitter post, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom reacted to the structure with “Mr. President, we just want lower gas prices.” Newson’s tweet drew attention to the rapidly rising gas prices that are hurting Americans’ pockets across the nation. Across the U.S., the average price of gas has increased to $4.29 per gallon.
El Niño Could Further Disrupt the Food Industry
Although it generally is a part of weather cycles, the World Meteorological Organization warns that this year’s El Niño could potentially turn into a super El Niño. Given the unusually warm ocean waters, this year’s phenomenon has a 90% probability of reaching record-breaking intensity. Every two years, El Niño affects weather patterns, causing increased rainfall in areas such as South America and the southern U.S. area while creating drier conditions in the Caribbean and northern Africa. With the change, El Niño could disrupt the food industry by causing correlated crop issues worldwide. Heat stress is also expected to stunt plant growth and affect animal health. This, in turn, is expected to increase food prices at supermarkets.
