PLUS:

• New trial data suggest mRNA vaccines could help transform cancer treatment
• Why are premium vinyl releases from big stars missing finished mixes and whole songs?
• It’s not your imagination; stolen food really does taste better
• Andy Richter says his unexpected run on Dancing with the Stars was a joyful gift
• Riffed from the Headlines, our weekly quiz.

PLUS:

• Why an information officer in BC kept livestreaming even as he fled a wildfire with his family
• The cost of Canada's heavy reliance on U.S. tech, and what it would take to change it
• Where are all the 'bears'? How weight-loss drugs are changing the celebration of big-bodied gay men
• He was tracked on Flock cameras and surrounded by police – but he hadn’t committed any crime
• Riffed from the Headlines, our weekly musical news quiz

PLUS:

• Pro-Israel lobby group poured record-breaking amount of money into Michigan's Democratic primary and lost
• This comedian turned an abandoned New York newsstand into a whimsical pop-up offering puppet shows and rat's foot keychains
• Miss Piggy is a karate-chopping hog and feminist icon. The woman who created her is proud of that legacy
• Riffed from the Headlines, our weekly musical news quiz.

PLUS:

• Has AI improved enough to write a bestselling novel?
• What is the Cockroach Janta Party — the Gen-Z group behind India's mass protest movement?
• This ethical hacker accessed free tickets to almost every U.S. music festival this summer, thanks to A.I.
• Riffed from the Headlines, our weekly musical news quiz.

PLUS:

• Why Trump’s tariffs might stick around even after Trump
• The Trump administration sanctioned ICC judges. A Canadian judge if fighting back
• The rise of competitive speed-puzzling
• Riffed from the Headlines, our weekly musical news quiz.

PLUS:

• Two Canadian freighters have been stuck in the Strait of Hormuz since the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran began
• How much of The Odyssey aligns with real historic events and places?
• After 50 years, Montrealers are ready to feel nostalgic for the 1976 Olympics
• Riffed from the Headlines, our weekly musical news quiz.

Passion or politics? History or heritage? Choosing a World Cup Team to back can be fraught.

PLUS:

• Frenchy’s, the beloved Eastern Canadian thrift shop, is now a musical
• Legally Blonde at 25: How Elle Woods inspired a generation of female lawyers
• How Charlie Watts helped define rock and roll
• Remembering Total Eclipse of The Heart singer Bonnie Tyler
• Riffed from the Headlines, our weekly musical news quiz.

With many parts of Canada under extreme heat warnings this week, it’s hard not to think about what took place in B.C. five years ago when 619 people died from the heat. Those deaths included Melanie Cheng’s cousin, Beverley. Melanie is now calling for more action to better protect communities in the future.

PLUS:

• Snail mail is back! Why people will pay to receive physical letters
• An actor who sold his avatar to TikTok speaks out against "predatory" contracts
• A new musical about the Canadian women who were furniture factory workers by day and championship ball players by night
• Why Canada's loon is the hot new backup singer