Pop Culture & Music: Jay-Z is back for three Yankee Stadium shows (July 10–12), with Grandmaster Caz teasing “surprises” as the rapper marks 30 years of The Blueprint and honors Reasonable Doubt and The Blueprint. Film & Gender Representation: Lupita Nyong’o says she’d “scold Homer” over the lack of female voices after landing the role of Helen of Troy in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey adaptation. Art as Healing: China’s Zhou Sicong found comfort in painting lotus flowers after rheumatoid arthritis derailed her hands—now her transformation is spotlighted in a Beijing exhibition through July 19. Heritage & Craft: A Liaoning museum show displays Ming and Qing “bian’e” plaque artifacts—calligraphy carved into architecture—running through July 29. Tech, Faith & Ethics: A new report asks what happens when AI shifts from assisting religion to replacing it, citing AI monks and chatbot spiritual advisers. Policy Watch: Illinois becomes the first state to require independent safety audits for large AI developers under a new law signed by Gov. JB Pritzker. Community Arts & Local Impact: Somerville artists just gained stability after a nonprofit purchase kept Central Street Studios affordable, while Glendive’s inaugural Beats & Brushstrokes Art Walk brings downtown together for music and visual art. Global Cultural Diplomacy: Pakistan’s President Zardari visited Kyrgyzstan’s Rukh Ordo Cultural Center, where folk music and dance performances underscored cultural exchange between the two countries.