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Because reality can’t be all furries and games, Last Week Tonight also got serious this week with John Oliver’s response to the Ulvade mass school shooting. Given that Oliver was on mini-hiatus in the immediate aftermath of that shooting, however, he ended up delivering a response to the GOP response, which didn’t seem too productive (given that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wants to send fake school-invaders out to freak everyone out), and as Oliver (who has been nailing this subject for over a decade) points out, it’s actually quite counterproductive.

The GOP also wants to beef up law enforcement’s presence inside of schools, and (via Hollywood Reporter), Oliver detailed how most of the recently 54,000 officers ended up filling their time by citing kids who threw paper airplanes or candy, which led the host to declare (of one unfortunate incident), “[C]learly the only thing [they] were guilty of was being a f*cking 5-year-old.”

From there, Oliver showed that he clearly has no patience for the door obsession of the GOP, so the host brought it home:

“When we throw more cops into schools as an easy way out of that difficult and necessary conversation, we not only fail to keep our kids safe from gun violence, we condemn them to a system that criminalizes the very essence of childhood. Kids deserve to be annoying without being arrested, to be sad and angry without being body-slammed. They deserve to have tantrums, throw carrots, do science experiments, talk shite and carve their names into stuff without risking ending up in the back of a police car. They deserve to be curious, to make mistakes, to go a little too car, to be a little too loud, to basically be a f*cking kid. And they definitely deserve better than the fundamental lie the only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy who can arrest a 5-year-old.”

Watch the full segment above.

(Via Hollywood Reporter)

In a world where negativity grows at an exponential rate in various areas, it is always refreshing to revel in life’s most tender moments, especially the celebration of new life. Cardi B and Offset had their second child Wave Set Cephus nine months ago, and yesterday (June 5) the Bronx rapper shared some cute photos of her son. The pictures show Wave smiling while sporting a beanie with some heavy bling around his neck and in his ears, revealing his lush curls to the world, and simply staring innocently into the camera.

Wave, born in September, is the younger sibling to now three-year-old Kulture. Cardi first shared Wave’s name and a picture of his face back in April with an Instagram post before Offset took it a step further and revealed their Essence cover featuring all of his children, as the “Straightenin” rapper had three others prior to marrying and conceiving with Cardi B. Though they have had their marital troubles over the years, it is nice to see the couple happy and flourishing alongside their lovely family.

Check out Cardi B’s Instagram post of young Wave Set Cephus and the Essence magazine cover above.

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Solange Knowles is one talented lady. Completely aside from being Beyonce’s sister — something that likely both benefitted and hindered her own music career over the years — Solange has been a groundbreaking musician, film director, and even art curator over the past few years. Her work is a lightning rod of empowerment and representation for Black women, and she’s always looked super cool doing it. Rumor has it that she’s also nice with her hands when people disrespect her big sis.

However, while talent might be genetic and/or generational, it’s not always a given no matter how gifted your family is. Solange’s son, Danieal Julez J. Smith Jr., seemingly proved as much recently when he posted a video to social media showing off his own music. Let’s just say… It didn’t go well. On Sunday, the 17-year-old, who goes by the stage name Julez, posted a snippet to TikTok in which he raps along to one of his songs in his studio. Here it is:

There are a few issues here, mainly that the beat seems to be a loose guideline for young Julez. The mix is something that can probably be addressed at a later date, but between Julez’s listless delivery and generic bars, fans on Twitter had plenty to say about how much work the young aspiring rapper will need to put into becoming a commercially viable artist in his own right. Maybe he can tap Uncle Jay-Z for help? (Considering the relationship between Jay and Solange, let’s drop that pin somewhere between “unlikely” and “impossible.”)

Fortunately for him, these are all correctable mistakes, and he’s only 17 — he’s got plenty of time (and now, plenty of … ahem… “constructive” criticism) to get started on fixing them. Besides, I used to work at a Boys & Girls Club recording studio and I’ve heard way worse from kids his age. Still, it’s probably going to be awkward when his little cousin Blue flexes her Grammy Award at the family reunion while giving him that signature side-eye of hers.

As Elon Musk’s Twitter deal continues to go badly for the Tesla CEO, his social media activity has becoming an increasingly erratic state of affairs. Granted, Musk has always had a strong trolling presence on Twitter, hence his desire to purchase the social media platform, but he seems to be furiously flinging anything and everything at the wall as of late. However, one thing Musk has not been tweeting about is the aforementioned Twitter deal. He’s seriously all over the map as you can see from his tweeting over the weekend. Just check out these topics:

Jeffrey Epstein:

Colonizing space:

Shakespeare:

And in a smart move for a guy selling electric cars, his thoughts on how environmentalists are annoying and wrongly focused on conservation:

As for why Musk isn’t tweeting about the Twitter purchase, his lawyers have made the first official move in backing out of the deal by sending a letter to the social media company threatening to terminate the deal over Musk’s dubious claims that Twitter inaccurately represented the number of bots on the platform. Via The Hollywood Reporter:

The letter says that the company sent over information to Musk in a June 1 correspondence, but Musk responded that he wants to conduct his own analysis. “At this point, Mr. Musk believes Twitter is transparently refusing to comply with its obligations under the merger agreement, which is causing further suspicion that the company is withholding the requested data due to concern for what Mr. Musk’s own analysis of that data will uncover,” the Monday letter reads.

Musk’s Monday letter to Twitter leaders ends on an ominous note, effectively threatening to terminate the deal if he is not given the requested data.

As legal experts have noted since Musk first showing signs of waffling on the deal, Twitter can still force Musk to go through with the purchase as the board is eager to unload the company. However, there is a chance that Musk could be attempting to renegotiate the price as THR reports that behind-the-scenes talks have been ongoing. What is clear is that Musk’s power grab has tanked the share price of both Twitter and Tesla, which has rightly angered investors in the electric car company. (Saying environmentalists are “annoying” probably isn’t going to help either.)

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)

Recently, I went with my family to Target, one of our favorite stores. We were only going for a couple of things, but our plans were derailed as soon as we walked in (which is often how it goes at that store). What caught our eyes this time? Target had already put up its Pride display. My partner and I excitedly searched through accessories like sunglasses and mini flags, looking specifically for items featuring the lesbian pride flag. I successfully grabbed an accessory bag plus a pair of rainbow sunglasses for my kiddo before eagerly heading over to the main display.

In recent years, the Target display for Pride has become one of my favorite parts about the month of June. As a queer woman, I like the ease of being able to get something to show my queerness while I’m also picking up household items. It’s nice to be able to buy rainbow kitchen towels that I know I will proudly use all year round. At the same time, I still feel weird about it. Because it goes beyond a T-shirt or a flag. You can’t walk down an aisle without seeing a rainbow adorn something it normally doesn’t—wine, deodorant, even hot sauce.

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While it’s nice to see brands acknowledge that June is Pride month, it still feels like overkill. But a friend shared a Twitter thread with me that reminded me of something very important. While rainbow capitalism still leaves a lot to be desired, there was a time in the not so distant past that brands wouldn’t even acknowledge the LGBTQIA+ community. And while we still have a long way to go, we have to give space to that past.

Sigrid Ellis, whose Twitter bio lists her as an “editor, air traffic controller, parent, feminist, writer, queer,” tweeted:

“As an Elder Queer I want everyone during on corporate gayness to just know a smidge of history. Companies used to refuse our money. Car dealerships would turn us away. Banks would refuse us mortgages. Restaurants and grocery stores would ask us to leave.”

It’s easy to forget the time before the LGBTQIA+ community was as accepted as we are now. However, our history is a lot more recent than people remember, and there are still many queer elders who remember how different things were in the ’80s and ’90s, which was only 30-something years ago. Ellis is talking more specifically of that time, when Pride was far more radical and significantly less corporate. But also, a time when vocally supporting gay people would do a lot more forward-facing damage to a company than it does now.

As an Elder Queer I want everyone during on corporate gayness to just know a smidge of history.

Companies used to refuse our money.

Car dealerships would turn us away. Banks would refuse us mortgages. Restaurants and grocery stores would ask us to leave.

— Sigrid Ellis (@sigridellis) June 2, 2022

Ellis explains that when brands sponsored Pride, it meant that they were safe. And for those who were out at a time where it was significantly less safe to be visible, that meant something. It doesn’t mean they’re perfect allies to the community—but their vocal support in spite of knowing it could affect their bottom line says a lot.

“When Subaru sponsored a float at Pride, it meant we could buy cars there with dignity.

“When Target marched at Pride, it meant my gf and I could go shopping together.

“My first mortgage was from Wells Fargo bank because they would accept gay money,” Ellis wrote.

There’s a reason for the jokey stereotype about lesbians who drive Subarus. It’s because the company wasn’t afraid to stand with the LGBTQIA+ community when no other car companies would. That makes a difference when you’re making such a large purchase. And like I said, Target has been there for a while. I’ve watched the Pride section grow exponentially over the last few years, going from a few vague shirts with rainbows to having items for asexual, nonbinary and aromantic folks. They have family Pride outfits that feature same sex parents (though it would be awesome if they made shirts for the kids of those parents).

It was only 10 years ago, in June 2012, that the internet melted down when Oreo posted a photo in support of Pride. The image of the iconic cookie, posted on Facebook a year and a day after gay marriage was legalized in New York, featured six rainbow-colored layers of creme. The words over the image read “June 25 Pride.” The post was captioned “Proudly support love!” according to an article from Time. “Many commenters have denounced the company for supporting gay rights and for taking on political positions unrelated to its cookie-production mission,” the article stated. In a testament to how time moves things forward, Oreo has special Pride packaging this year.

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Do we still have a long way to go before corporate Pride won’t feel like a moral dilemma? Absolutely. But if we keep pushing the needle forward with the understanding of the past, we just might get there.

Save the bees! Even if you have to call them fish to do so. Will they be rainbow trout, red snapper or puffer fish? Maybe they’ll get their own name and be known forever as bumble fish. It’s likely none of those things, but where’s the fun in knowing that a bee will still be called a bee even when it’s classified as a fish?

People have been concerned about bees and their declining numbers for a while. While it’s customary to run screaming in the opposite direction while waving your arms about any time you encounter one in real life, we kind of need those little buggers. Bees and their fuzzy little limbs and torsos help pollinate plants and crops. Bee pollination is extremely important to commercial farmers and keeps our planet looking the way we’re used to seeing it: full of diverse plants and trees. They’re actually pretty cute, too.

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As much good as bees do for the environment, sadly they have become endangered. The American bumble bee population declined by nearly 90% due to climate change, habitat loss, pesticides and disease. Rapid decline of the bee population is why three judges in California decided to do what they could to protect the bees from extinction by classifying them as fish. In their ruling, the judges wrote, “The issue presented here is whether the bumble bee, a terrestrial invertebrate, falls within the definition of fish.”

In 2018, California classified four species of bees as endangered, but the problem is that the law didn’t explicitly protect land invertebrates under the California Endangered Species Act. The law specifies that it protects endangered “native species or subspecies of a bird, mammal, fish, amphibian, reptile, or plant.” Because bees are obviously devoid of gills, fins and the ability to survive their entire lives submerged in water, the argument to classify bees as fish was ruled against in 2020. The argument being that the other animals who bear the fish label but aren’t actually fish are invertebrates like sea urchins and anemones.

These three judges decided that the lower courts were wrong about excluding bees from the classification. Taking a liberal interpretation of the Endangered Species Act is what has allowed the judges to give bees the new classification, as the law isn’t specific about which invertebrates it’s referring to. The judges wrote in their ruling that “although the term fish is colloquially and commonly understood to refer to aquatic species,” the legal jargon could be used to justify the inclusion of bees … and frogs. While the judges were at it they decided to throw in frogs as they are protected under the amphibian category.

So there you have it folks. From here on out we shall refer to the bees in California as “bumble fish” and the people who have been fighting for this kind of heightened protection for bees can rejoice. This is a big win for bees and the environment! Now go outside and welcome them with the required greeting as you plant new flowers for them to pollinate.

Keeping up with new music can be exhausting, even impossible. From the weekly album releases to standalone singles dropping on a daily basis, the amount of music is so vast it’s easy for something to slip through the cracks. Even following along with the Uproxx recommendations on a daily basis can be a lot to ask, so every Monday we’re offering up this rundown of the best new music this week.

This week saw Post Malone’s new album drop and the return of Polo G. Yeah, it was a great week for new music. Check out the highlights below.

For more music recommendations, check out our Listen To This section, as well as our Indie Mixtape and Pop Life newsletters. Also find our Uproxx HQ Spotify playlist, which is updated weekly with the best new music, at the end of this post.

Post Malone — “Love/Hate Letter To Alcohol” Feat. Fleet Foxes

Post Malone is well known for his musical interests outside of his rap/pop lane, like when he and Travis Barker played a full set of Nirvana covers and when he and Billy Strings covered Johnny Cash. He worked a bit of that into his new album Twelve Carat Toothache, too, by getting Fleet Foxes involved. Robin Pecknold’s distinct vocals carry the track throughout, playing nicely with Malone’s own singing and the brooding instrumental.

Polo G — “Distraction”

Polo G had a massive summer last year when Hall Of Fame was a No. 1 album for him. Whether or not Summer 2022 goes the same remains to be seen, but Polo did drop off “Distraction,” which arrived alongside a creative video that sees Polo in the arcade, beating up a streamer, boxing on top of a birthday cake, and other visually interesting goings-on.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs — “Spitting Off The Edge Of The World” Feat. Perfume Genius

In early 2020, Karen O, in reference to Yeah Yeah Yeahs, declared, “It feels like time to have something new out there.” Now, over two years later, the band has made good on that tease: Last week, they announced Cool It Down, the group’s comeback album. They also shared “Spitting Off The Edge Of The World,” a grandiose and atmospheric track on which they get a perfect assist from Perfume Genius.

Lakeyah — “Mind Yo Business” Feat. Latto

Lakeyah and Latto are two of rap’s finest up-and-comers, so naturally, them linking up on “Mind Yo Business” went well. Uproxx’s Aaron Williams notes that on the song, the rappers “display some aggressive chemistry on the fast-paced track, which finds them boasting their big-money moves while warning haters not to stick their noses where they don’t belong.”

070 Shake — “Medicine”

Modus Vivendi was a big album for 070 Shake, as the 2020 LP was her debut and it was well-received critically. It is also a tough act to follow but Shake did so this week with her sophomore album, You Can’t Kill Me. When the album finally dropped last week, Shake shared a video for “Medicine,” an synth-driven and aggressive-but-measured single.

Angel Olsen — “Ghost On”

In her review of Olsen’s new album Big Time, Uproxx’s Carolyn Droke notes, “Pairing Olsen’s mourning with her infatuation with her partner, it’s no wonder Big Time leans into the alt-country genre. Her slight country drawl and twangy steel guitar makes sense within the context of Olsen’s musical trajectory, especially since she now resides on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains. The album walks listeners through her personal torment, something Olsen has never shied away from in the past.”

Gucci Mane — “Mrs. Davis”

A lot of songs are about counting notches in your bedpost, but that’s not Gucci Mane, who met now-wife Keyshia Ka’Oir Davis back in 2010. She’s the subject of Mane’s new single “Mrs. Davis,” on which he lovingly pays tribute to how she has continually stuck by him, through good and bad: “I was at my worst, so you deserve my best / I treat you like a queen ’cause you deserve the best / Said I’d get twenty years, she didn’t break a sweat / Went from kissin’ in the jail to kissin’ on a jet.”

Swae Lee and Diplo — “Tupelo Shuffle” Feat. Gary Clark Jr. and Austin Butler

The new Elvis Presley biopic is interesting from a musical perspective in that its soundtrack is giving modern artists, often ones whose styles don’t really align with that of The King, a chance to offer their take on Presley’s style. Swae Lee and Diplo take a crack at it with “Tupelo Shuffle,” which is built on an interpolation of “That’s All Right Mama” and features Gary Clark Jr., who plays Arthur Crudup (the original artist of the song) in the movie.

Niki — “Before”

23-year-old up-and-comer Niki has herself a new album, Nicole, on the way, which she previewed last week with “Before.” The tune is extremely Bridgers-esque and it sees Niki finding closure for an old love story.

Tim Heidecker — “Sirens Of Titan” Feat. Kurt Vile

Over the course of his past two albums, Tim & Eric star Tim Heidecker has recruited some serious indie firepower to help bring his musical visions to life. Just last week, he released “Sirens Of Titan,” a tune Heidecker says he wrote with Kurt Vile in mind (which is evident listening to it) and got Vile himself to join on the track.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Amazon Prime Video’s unprecedentedly expensive The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power doesn’t premiere for another three months, but the showrunners are already thinking about the series finale. They must have learned from Game of Thrones.

“We even know what our final shot of the last episode is going to be,” J.D. Payne told Empire. “The rights that Amazon bought were for a 50-hour show. They knew from the beginning that was the size of the canvas – this was a big story with a clear beginning, middle, and end. There are things in the first season that don’t pay off until season five.”

Those five seasons take place thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. But don’t worry, there’s still plenty of little guys. The Rings of Power doesn’t feature hobbits, but it does have the equally hairy harfoots, “who [appear] in the original Tolkien lore as the hobbits’ predecessors,” according to Empire.

“We’re the traditional Tolkien little guy,” [actor Lenny Henry said]. “Traditionally, the little people in this world provide comedy but also get to be incredibly brave. You’re going to see us run the full gamut of emotions and actions in this adventure.”

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power premieres on September 2.

(Via Empire)

In recent years, there have been more stories about artists selling the rights to their music catalogues for some nice paydays. It’s mostly older artists with large discographies that have aged like wine and continue to resonate with modern audiences, but some younger folks have decided to cash out, too. OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder, for example, was one of 2021’s highest-paid musicians after selling his storied song catalogue — he co-wrote songs like Beyonce’s “Halo” and Leona Lewis’ “Bleeding Love” — for $276 million.

Now, Julian Casablancas has decided that he too would like to get paid: Rolling Stone reports he has sold his stake in The Strokes’ catalog to Primary Wave for an undisclosed amount. The deal only includes Casablancas’ material with The Strokes, not his solo material or work with The Voidz.

While The Strokes haven’t been a huge chart success when it comes to singles — their sole song to make the Billboard Hot 100 is “Juicebox,” which peaked at No. 98 — they do have a number of tunes with staying power: “Last Nite,” “Reptilia,” and “Someday” have all been certified Platinum by the RIAA and they each have have over a quarter of a million streams on Spotify, with “Last Nite” currently sitting at a hair under 425 million plays. The band’s albums from the 2000s are also among the most revered of their era.

The Los Angeles Lakers figure to look a lot different next year. They have a new head coach in Darvin Ham, who joins them from Mike Budenholzer’s staff in Milwaukee, and a roster that figures to see some significant changes to the rotation pieces at the least, given most everyone beyond their top stars is a free agent this summer.

How they fill out the roster of minimum deals will play a big role in determining how successful they will be, but we won’t see how they attack roster building until July 1. For now, Ham is in the process of filling out his coaching staff and he’s apparently bringing an old friend back to the Association in Rasheed Wallace, who Ham played with in Detroit from 2003-2005, winning an NBA championship in the process. Wallace hasn’t been an assistant in the league since his one season with the Pistons in 2013-14, but has spent time coaching high school ball and most recently was an assistant for Penny Hardaway at Memphis.

Hardaway was asked about Wallace’s status for next season on Monday, and divulged that he is likely on his way to L.A. to join Ham’s staff.

Ham has been fond of Wallace’s coaching potential for a long time, so it’s not a surprise that he’d bring Rasheed back to the assistant coaching ranks of the NBA. Where Wallace’s presence figures to be an immediate help is with Anthony Davis and continuing to get the most out of him on both ends of the floor, with Wallace being able to relate to Davis about as well as any coach could given his skillset as a player.

It’s also part of why it’s important for people like Ham to get head coaching jobs, because they open up opportunities for an entirely different group of people to get on an NBA bench and show their value as coaches that might otherwise not get that chance.