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Reality TV star Savannah Chrisley speaks on stage on the second day of the Republican National Convention on Tuesday in Milwaukee, Wis.

Reality TV star Savannah Chrisley speaks on stage on the second day of the Republican National Convention on Tuesday in Milwaukee, Wis. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Politics

Reality star Savannah Chrisley says her parents were victims of political persecution

Reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley were found guilty of conspiring to defraud community banks. Speaking at the Republican National Convention, their daughter, Savannah, blamed "rogue prosecutors."

'Exploding Kittens' turns a simple card game into a wild cartoon

Tom Ellis as Godcat and Ally Maki as Greta in Netflix's Exploding Kittens. Netflix hide caption

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Netflix

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Exploding Kittens' turns a simple card game into a wild cartoon

The best-selling card game Exploding Kittens has been adapted into a new Netflix animated series. It does plenty of its own world-building: God (Tom Ellis) and the devil (Sasheer Zamata) are sent to earth, where they take the form of talking cats — and meddle in the lives of a struggling family.

'Exploding Kittens' turns a simple card game into a wild cartoon

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Simmering over summer books
Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images

Review

It's Been a Minute

Simmering over summer books

We're at the peak of summer, which means sunny days on the grass with a good book! Bestselling authors Tia Williams and Jean Chen Ho join host Brittany Luse to give their recommendations for great summer reads. They also offer some armchair theories on why we love a gossipy summer novel.

Simmering over summer books

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'Longlegs' is a (satanic) panic

Maika Monroe in a scene from Longlegs. Neon hide caption

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Neon

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Longlegs' is a (satanic) panic

They're calling it the scariest movie of the year. The new horror film Longlegs follows FBI special agent Lee Harker (Mika Monroe) tracking a serial killer in the 1990s. If that sounds like familiar ground, consider this – the clues she follows hint at the involvement of the occult in general and Satanism in particular. And the killer in question: Nicolas Cage, uncaged.

'Longlegs' is a (satanic) panic

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Richard Simmons made it his life's work to make exercise fun — for everybody. He's pictured above in 1984.

Richard Simmons made it his life's work to make exercise fun — for everybody. He's pictured above in 1984. American Broadcasting Companies/Getty Images hide caption

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American Broadcasting Companies/Getty Images

Obituaries

Richard Simmons, who believed fitness is for everyone, dies at 76

With his short shorts, sparkly tank tops, frizzy hair and flamboyant personality, Simmons created a fitness empire. He preached positivity, portion control, moving your body — and having fun.

'Hawk tuah,' the Zynternet, & the bro-vote; plus, cowboys are having a moment

Hailey Welch, also known as the "hawk tuah girl" who some argue is meme from the "zynternet" via Tim and Dee TV/YouTube hide caption

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via Tim and Dee TV/YouTube

It's Been a Minute

'Hawk tuah,' the Zynternet, & the bro-vote; plus, cowboys are having a moment

What did the raunchy joke say to the podcast host? That we might need to pay attention to the "zynternet." Host Brittany Luse is joined by Slate's Luke Winkie and sex and culture writer Magdalene Taylor to understand why the "hawk tuah" phenomenon is emblematic of a corner of the internet that's both culturally and politically powerful.

'Hawk tuah,' the Zynternet, & the bro-vote; plus, cowboys are having a moment

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We recommend three great sports documentaries

Lance Armstrong celebrates during the Tour de France in 2004. He is the subject of the documentary The Armstrong Lie. Doug Pensinger/Getty Images hide caption

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Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

We recommend three great sports documentaries

Sports aren't just games. They're intertwined with epic stories about struggle, human behavior, historic greatness and grand emotions. In other words, sports make for great documentaries. And if you're looking for some good ones, we've got recommendations: Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks, The Armstrong Lie, and Athlete A.

We recommend three great sports documentaries

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Corky (Gina Gershon) and Violet (Jennifer Tilly) in Bound.

Corky (Gina Gershon) and Violet (Jennifer Tilly) in Bound. AJ Pics/Alamy Stock Photo hide caption

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AJ Pics/Alamy Stock Photo

Movies

Before Hollywood handled sex with care, this lesbian neo-noir focused on authenticity

Before making The Matrix, the Wachowskis enlisted a sex educator to help with their 1996 thriller. Bound's place in the queer canon has been redefined, and is now part of the Criterion Collection.

Years before intimacy coordinators on Hollywood sets, there was the 1996 film Bound

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'Despicable Me 4' serves up 90 minutes of bankable mayhem

Steve Carell voices Gru in Despicable Me 4. Universal Pictures hide caption

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Universal Pictures

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'Despicable Me 4' serves up 90 minutes of bankable mayhem

Despicable Me 4 is the latest film in an animation franchise that made household names of reformed supervillain Gru (Steve Carrell) and his army of nattering Minions. The franchise has grossed billions of dollars, and the latest movie topped the weekend box office. But are these films growing up with their audience, or continuing to cater to young kids? And does that matter?

'Despicable Me 4' serves up 90 minutes of bankable mayhem

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Mavis Staples on Prince, MLK and a life onstage

Grammy award-winning soul singer Mavis Staples Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images hide caption

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Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images

It's Been a Minute

Mavis Staples on Prince, MLK and a life onstage

This week, the legendary singer and civil rights figure Mavis Staples is turning 85 and there's no sign of her slowing down: She released a new song, "Worthy," and a children's book, Bridges Instead of Walls: The Story of Mavis Staples.

Mavis Staples on Prince, MLK and a life onstage

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How we entertain and amuse ourselves on a road trip
Kiran Ridley/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

How we entertain and amuse ourselves on a road trip

It's summer, so we're talking all about road trips. Should you blast music that's familiar or unfamiliar? What makes for a good road trip audiobook? What are some road trip games we hate? Pop Culture Happy Hour talked all about how to entertain and amuse ourselves in the car way back in 2012. Today, in this encore episode, we're revisiting that conversation.

How we entertain and amuse ourselves on a road trip

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Jennifer Privett takes her Himalayan cat Jean Claude out for a stroll in San Francisco on June 28, 2024.

Jennifer Privett takes her Himalayan cat Jean Claude out for a stroll in San Francisco on June 28. Chloe Veltman/NPR hide caption

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Chloe Veltman/NPR

Culture

Cats on leashes ... yes, it's a thing

For some cats, leashed walks "can certainly create environmental enrichment, get them some more exercise," says veterinarian Grace Cater. Other cats? Not so much.

CAT WALKING

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Defining 2024 so far; plus, why brands 'de-woked'
Dia Dipasupil; Neilson Barnard; Antony Jones; Arnold Jerocki; Emma McIntyre; Saul Loeb / AFP; Brandon Bell; Kevin Winter/Getty Images

It's Been a Minute

Defining 2024 so far; plus, why brands 'de-woked'

It is the first week of July, which means we are officially halfway through the year. And what a year it's been! Brittany sat down with NPR Politics reporter Elena Moore and co-host of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour Stephen Thompson, to take stock of what's happened so far in 2024.

Defining 2024 so far; plus, why brands 'de-woked'

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'MaXXXine' closes a grisly trilogy in style

Mia Goth and Halsey in MaXXXine. Justin Lubin/A24 hide caption

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Justin Lubin/A24

Review

Pop Culture Happy Hour

'MaXXXine' closes a grisly trilogy in style

The new movie MaXXXine stars Mia Goth as an adult-film actress who gets her big break in Hollywood, only to be revisited by horrors from her past. Set in 1985 Los Angeles, it's the final film in director Ti West's beloved horror trilogy that began with the movie X. MaXXXine also features performances from Kevin Bacon, Elizabeth Debicki, and Giancarlo Esposito.

'MaXXXine' closes a grisly trilogy in style

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