🐤 It's a rap

💉 Monkeypox Vaccines: Amid mounting concern about the spread of monkeypox in America and across the world, the Biden administration announced on Friday that a sufficient supply of vaccines is now available. Of course, some skeptics say the doses don’t seem to be going where they are most needed. Specifically, only 1 in 10 of the shots distributed thus far have gone to the Black community, which has made up about 33 percent of all confirmed cases in the United States.

👨‍🔬 Easier Access: The Biden administration announced a move this week that would provide free public access to taxpayer-funded research conducted by federal agencies. A newly minted entity — the Office of Science and Technology Policy — will be spearheading the change, which is set to go into effect in 2025. As it stands, journalists can and do access these publicly funded reports and make individual consumers pay to access the information through subscriptions or online paywalls.

💪 Broken Silence: It’s been six years since fans and well-wishers have heard from OG cardio influencer Richard Simmons. This week, however, he broke his silence with a message released by spokesman Tom Estey. After a new documentary highlighted Simmons’ sudden disappearance, Estey confirmed: “Richard is eternally grateful for the continuous outpouring of love and gratitude he has received from across the Globe. He is happy, healthy and living the life he has chosen to live.” Simmons even updated his own Facebook page with this message: “Thank you, everyone, for your kindness and love. Love, Richard.”

⚔️ More Dragons: Following the recent premiere of HBO’s “House of the Dragons,” insiders say the “Game of Thrones” prequel is sure to be a mainstay on the streaming network. It’s already been renewed for a second season, according to HBO Vice President Francesca Orsi, who confirmed: “Our phenomenal cast and crew undertook a massive challenge and exceeded all expectations, delivering a show that has already established itself as must-see TV.”

A pair of Atlanta-area rappers are facing serious gang-related criminal charges and the cases are opening up some deeper conversations regarding whether artists should be held accountable in real life for the things they say in their songs.

Young Thug and Gunna are accused of leading a criminal organization — and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis indicated that her office could use their lyrics against them when the trial begins.

Timothy Welbeck, a rapper-turned-attorney, has spent a lot of time thinking about the broader issue of using rap lyrics to paint artists as criminals.

These recent cases are nothing new. Here are a few notable examples from the early days of hip-hop:

• Schoolly D’s track “P.S.K What Does It Mean?”
• Ice T’s track “6 ‘N The Mornin”
• Almost anything N.W.A. recorded in its prime

Older readers might remember when former second lady Tipper Gore made it her mission to take on violent and misogynistic lyrics, particularly those recorded by rappers of the era. Now, the trend has progressed to the point that prosecutors are considering using lyrics as evidence against artists in court.

Whatever you think about whether this is a good idea or not, here’s what Welbeck had to say: “I particularly take issue with it because at its core, rap lyrics are a form of artistic experience, and it’s a medium in which people not only communicate their lived experience, but also delve deeply into imagination.”

Amid constant concern about global warming and climate change, many experts have warned that hurricane season could grow longer and more destructive in the future. This year, however, the opposite appears to be true.

This season is the first in 40 years to make it this far without having even one named storm develop in the Atlantic Ocean. Matthew Rosencrans of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration admitted that he is “a little surprised at the lack of activity to this point.”

Before you get too comfortable, however, there’s a good chance that this could merely be the calm before the storm — quite literally.

Here’s why meteorologists believe we’re probably still in for a harsher-than-average hurricane season:

• Most major storms occur between late August and October.
• There’s a La Nina in the Pacific Ocean, which often translates to bigger storms on the opposite coast.
• Dry air seems to be the cause of the silence thus far, but that is likely to go away in the near future.

Miami-based hurricane specialist Michael Lowry, however, says those living in hurricane danger zones might be lucky this year despite the odds.

He explained: “With each passing day, the silence in the Atlantic grows louder.”

With all the focus on SpaceX, Blue Origin, and other private sector space exploration programs, it seems that NASA has been taking a backseat in recent years. That all is about to change with the long-awaited deployment of the agency’s Space Launch System.

The first mission, dubbed Artemis I, is set to take off on Monday. It will be carrying the Orion space capsule with it, which it will release into space before circling the moon and landing (hopefully) back on this planet.

There won’t be any astronauts abroad this powerful rocket and a successful mission could mean a lot for NASA after years of decreased funding and internal confusion.

Here are a few reasons that all eyes are on Artemis I this week:

• It was supposed to take off way back in 2017
• A series of mishaps and failures caused a series of delays
• The mission is seriously over budget and a lot is riding on this launch
• It could pave the way for huge leaps forward in space travel

The rocket itself cost $11 billion to create and the price tag for every launch is an eye-popping $4.1 billion. Nevertheless, experts say that the rocket could be the key to allowing manned missions to explore deeper into space than ever before.