PLUS:

• Nevermind Skynet, for a retro-futuristic view of AI, check out Colossus: The Forbin Project
• How the rising price of diesel could drive up the price of nearly everything
• Should I Play It? Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave
• New novel The Rayburn Affair explores generative AI, creativity and the costs of ambition
• Riffed from the Headlines, our weekly musical news quiz.

PLUS:

• How pop stars use name changes to reinvent and rebel
• As Israelis head to the polls, a writer and pollster says the stakes have never been higher
• How the attacks of 9/11 and the war on terror laid the groundwork for Donald Trump
• Despite a far-fetched premise, Whalefall offers a chance to better-understand sperm whales
• Riffed from the Headlines, our weekly musical news quiz

PLUS:

• Why Sony’s push to digital-only video games has sparked a backlash
• Why university students living in residence get better grades than those living off-campus
• Tig Notaro’s Oscar-nominated documentary is a life-affirming portrait of a close friend’s death
• Riffed from the Headlines, our weekly musical news quiz.

PLUS:

• What's Happening with the Neighbours Downstairs?
• Why is Peter Lorre referenced in so many classic cartoons?
• A Palestinian humanitarian worker says Israel is erasing the possibility of a Palestinian state
• Furious has been called a post-Epstein thriller. Should you watch it?
• Author Sarah Smarsh, celebrates Dolly Parton's working-class feminism
• Riffed from the Headlines, our weekly musical news quiz.

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.