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

PLUS:

• Former U.S. soccer player charts a history of sportswashing, from Mussolini to Trump
• A Manitoba Pride group turned a vandalized billboard into a successful protest campaign
• Cory Doctorow's new book challenges us to think about AI before it's too late
• Palestinian architect curates an exhibit based on what his family lost in the Nakba
• Riffed from the Headlines, our weekly musical news quiz.