Todd Blanche’s Fiery Confirmation Hearing and Is Skipping Salad Enough To Avoid Getting Cyclosporiasis?

Summary

Here's the Scoop – Episode Summary

NBC News | July 15, 2026
Host: Yasmin Vossoughian

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Episode Theme

This episode explores two major topics:

1. The contentious Senate confirmation hearing for Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, focusing on concerns from both sides of the aisle about his role in the DOJ and the release of the Epstein files.
2. The surge in cyclospiriasis, a foodborne illness linked to produce, with advice for listeners about avoiding infection and understanding CDC surveillance gaps.
   The show closes with an inside look at the international tradition of Panini sticker collecting during the World Cup.

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1. Todd Blanche’s Fiery Confirmation Hearing

Key Moments and Discussion Points

Opening

• Yasmin Vossoughian introduces the controversy surrounding Blanche, noting bipartisan tension during his Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
  "He faced tough questions from both Democrats and Republicans." (00:30)

Epstein Files and Victims

• Julie Serkin (NBC correspondent) gives an in-room perspective:

  • Chuck Grassley (Republican) starts with Epstein-related questions, focusing on mistakes with DOJ file redactions.
  • Epstein survivors present in the room voice feeling neglected by DOJ's process.

• Quote:

  • Blanche admits errors:
    "There were mistakes that were made. Approximately 1% of the redactions had to be fixed after we released the Epstein files." – Todd Blanche (01:58)

  • On meeting survivors:
    "They have lawyers. As you know, I'm prohibited from meeting directly with them. I have met with counsel for survivors, as has many people in the Department of Justice." – Todd Blanche (02:48)

  • Julie Serkin notes Blanche appeared evasive, with survivors visibly frustrated.

DOJ Independence & Presidential Allegiance

• The issue of DOJ independence is central, with Senators asking if Blanche will serve the people, not the President.

• Quote:

  • John Kennedy (Republican):
    "Are you and President Trump friends?"
    Blanche: "I'm his lawyer. Was his lawyer, and now I'm the Deputy Attorney General. So I met him as his criminal defense attorney. I'm not sure there's very many people who have ever had a criminal defense attorney who calls that person their friend." (04:12)

• Further probing:

  • Kennedy: "Are you enemies?"
    Blanche: "No, we're not enemies at all." (04:28)

"Weaponization Fund"

• The so-called anti-weaponization fund, a divisive political issue, was discussed.

  • Blanche: "Yes, it is a moot issue. Meaning there is no weaponization fund. The weaponization fund is dead. It's not moving forward." (05:02)

Uncertain Confirmation Prospects

• Some Republicans, notably Thom Tillis and John Cornyn, are undecided.

  • Tillis seems to be "a lean yes"; Cornyn is still considering, possibly influenced by personal grievances with the President.

  • Julie Serkin:
    "For those reasons, Yasmin, if I was a betting woman, I'd say Tillis is probably going to vote yes in committee. But John Cornyn... could be a wild card." (06:38)

The Future DOJ Under Blanche

• Blanche as acting AG has already overseen the department, following Pam Bondi’s firing.

  • Notably, more than 16,000 DOJ employees have left or been dismissed since his arrival.

• Quote:

  • Senator Booker: "This isn't a confirmation hearing. This is a performance review because he's already technically been in the job in an acting capacity." (07:37)

• Blanche is described as more mild-mannered than his predecessor, but concerns persist about a potential change in demeanor if confirmed.

  • Julie Serkin:
    "Once he's confirmed, he has nothing to lose. He can just do what he wants at the top of DOJ. That is certainly concern. And Democrats brought that up over and over again today..." (08:28)

• On balancing presidential loyalty versus duty to the law:

  • Cornyn (as cited by Julie):
    "You not only have loyalty to the president who could fire you, but your loyalty is to be the chief law enforcement officer of this country. And that is a really hard balance for you." (09:20)

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2. Cyclospiriasis: Skipping Salad Is Not Enough

Key Moments and Discussion Points

Cyclospiriasis Outbreak Basics

• CDC has identified more than 7,000 potential cases nationwide; over 100 hospitalizations, no deaths. Half of U.S. cases are in Michigan.

• Erica Edwards (NBC Health Reporter) explains:

  • Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite spread through human feces, often via contaminated groundwater that affects produce.

  • Memorable exchange:

    • Yasmin: "So poo causing poo is what you're telling us."
      Erica: "Well said, Yasmin. Very succinct." (14:09)

Why Lettuce and Leafy Greens?

• Michigan officials see strong links to leafy greens (lettuce, salad kits) in interviews, but not all outbreaks nationally are traced to the same items.

  • Erica: "A lot of different kinds of produce are susceptible... We could be having multiple outbreaks going on at the same time. This is prime cyclospiriasis season between May and August." (15:20)

CDC Surveillance and Outbreak Tracking Gaps

• CDC cut back a key foodborne illness surveillance program (FoodNet) in July 2025.

• Lack of comprehensive surveillance complicates tracing outbreaks nation-wide.

  • Erica: "Anytime you reduce surveillance, you lose eyes on potential outbreaks. ...We don't have this national look to see, okay, I'm going to compare what's going on in North Carolina to what's going on in Michigan. How can we connect those, if possible?" (16:50)

Preventive Measures and What You Can Do

• Experts are not advising people to avoid all produce, but recommend:

  • "Lay off the bagged salads"
  • Buy whole heads of lettuce, peel off the outer layers, wash inner leaves carefully.
  • For green onions: Cut off the root end and outer layers.
  • Raspberries: Difficult to clean – remove parasites as best you can; produce washes and vinegar are not proven effective.

• Quote:

  • Erica: "None of the experts, even the food safety experts, are saying that they're not really going to change what they eat... Maybe lay off the bagged salads. If you want a salad, choose a whole head of lettuce. ...Peel off those outer layers. ...Wash all the internal leaves." (17:22–18:12)

If You Get Sick

• Seek testing, as antibiotics like Bactrim can quickly treat cyclospora infection.

  • Hydrate to combat severe dehydration.

• Quote:

  • Erica: "People generally feel better within a few days of starting that antibiotic. It's a seven-day course. Otherwise, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate." (18:47)

• Incubation period: Symptoms can appear two weeks after ingestion. (19:23)

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3. The World Cup Panini Sticker Craze

Key Moments and Discussion Points

The Tradition

• The Italian company Panini has produced World Cup sticker albums for over 50 years.

  • Each album features hundreds of stickers—each player, team, and other tournament icons—collected in randomly assorted packs.

• "Kids, adults, teenagers, my kids. I've had to spend so much money on these sticker books." – Yasmin Vossoughian (21:41)

Collector Scenes and Community

• The episode visits a trading event:
  • Longtime collectors reminisce about their childhoods.
    • Quote:
      "I've been collecting stickers since 1994... Growing up in Brazil... the country stops and everybody collects stickers." (22:48)
  • For families, it's a bonding activity, also fostering pride and social interaction.
    • Quote:
      "It's a great bonding experience for us. He kind of takes pride in collecting certain teams and trading with other people. And it's been very social." (23:09)
  • Organizing and trading duplicates is a creative challenge.
    • "It's very, like, entertaining to see people, like, get the dopamine rush of their favorite player and get what they want... meet new people from all over." (23:34)
  • Some collectors aim for the "holy grail" stickers (e.g., Vini Jr., the black Messi).
    • "The sticker I want more than any other is probably the black Messi." (24:28)
  • Saving completed books as memorabilia is part of the appeal.
    • "We definitely have been saving our books... I want to show my future kids or something about the things that their mom did." (24:32)

The End of an Era Draws Near

• FIFA and Panini are ending their partnership after the 2030 tournament, marking the 100th anniversary of the World Cup.

• Memorable close:

  • Yasmin: "To that kid who wants the black Messi sticker? Me and you and everybody else..." (25:18)
  • She jokes she won't be spending thousands of dollars to finish her kids' books.

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Episode Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• Blanche on Epstein files:
  "There were mistakes that were made. Approximately 1% of the redactions had to be fixed after we released the Epstein files." (01:58)

• Blanche on meeting with survivors:
  "They have lawyers. As you know, I'm prohibited from meeting directly with them. I have met with counsel for survivors, as has many people in the Department of Justice." (02:48)

• Kennedy on Trump friendship:
  "Are you and President Trump friends?"
  Blanche: "I'm his lawyer. Was his lawyer, and now I'm the Deputy Attorney General..." (04:12)

• Erica Edwards on parasite origins:
  "This is a parasite... spreads through human feces... there's contaminated water in groundwater where folks are growing produce...it just gloms onto produce. It doesn't want to let go." (13:09)

• Yasmin: "So poo causing poo is what you're telling us." – Erica: "Well said, Yasmin. Very succinct." (14:09)

• Erica on prevention:
  "Maybe lay off the bagged salads. If you want a salad, choose a whole head of lettuce... Peel off those outer layers... Wash all internal leaves." (17:22–18:12)

• On sticker collecting:
  "You just learn since you're a little kid that the country stops and everybody collects stickers, you know, to pass the time between the games." (22:48)

  "It's very, like, entertaining to see people, like, get the dopamine rush of their favorite player and get what they want and being able to trade and talk to people and meet new people from all over." (23:34)

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Segment Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |-------------------------------------------------|-------------| | Todd Blanche Confirmation Hearing (Main) | 00:10–09:38 | | Cyclospiriasis Outbreak + Food Safety | 12:06–19:46 | | Panini Sticker Collecting/World Cup | 21:24–25:18 |

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Overall Tone

Conversational, clear, and direct—balancing serious political scrutiny, public health information, and lighthearted human-interest segments.

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This episode provides a thorough dive into the day's headlines—addressing complex issues in American politics and personal health, all delivered in the concise, accessible style "Here's the Scoop" is known for. To get every detail, check out the full podcast on NBC News platforms.

Transcript

[A]

You just learned since you were a little kid that the country stops and everybody collects stickers, you know, to pass the time between the games.

[B]

Hey, everybody, and welcome to here's the scoop from NBC News. I'm Yasmem Dasugian. So today on the show, they may be new to US fans, but collecting panini stickers has been a tradition for World cup fans for over half a century. So how are people actually going to be able to finish their collections with. With just a couple of days left? Plus, you have probably heard about this foodborne illness. More than 100 people have been hospitalized and thousands have gotten really sick. So do you have to stop eating salad up first, though? Acting Attorney General Todd Blanch is hoping to be the actual attorney general. But a lot of people, including former DOJ employees, legal groups, and lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee, are concerned about him leading the justice. And that was incredibly clear at Blanche's confirmation hearing on Wednesday. He faced tough questions from both Democrats and Republicans. So I wanna bring in NBC News correspondent Julie Serkin to talk more about what we saw today. Hi, Julie.

[C]

Hi, Yaz.

[B]

Okay, kind of take me into the room if we can, just to start things off, because I know there were Epstein survivors in the room as well. What was the feeling like?

[C]

Yeah, as when Chuck Grassley, who's the top Republican on this committee, opened the door on the Epstein issue for Todd Blanche. He was the first questioner in that room. He started off with that issue for a reason. He set it up for him, and he said, is there anything you regret as the tip of the spear on the Epstein files? You'll remember that the law that Congress passed compelled the DOJ to release them, but not all the files were released in a timely manner. There were also issues with redaction. Some of the victims in that room say that the DOJ didn't care enough to redact their personal information. And so Blanche said, yes, mistakes were made.

[D]

There were mistakes that were made. And so approximately 1% of the redactions had to be fixed after we released the Epstein files.

[C]

And that issue drove a large part of the hearing, at least in the beginning, because those survivors are facing Todd Blanche not only as potentially the future attorney general, but somebody who's kind of been in this job already. And even under Pam Bondi, the former Attorney General, Yasmin, he was tasked with the Epstein issue. He was the tip of the spear. He interviewed Ghislaine Maxwell. He, in cases, in many minds, is responsible for her transfer, which he answered today as well. And I thought a poignant moment came in the beginning when Senator Dick Durbin, who's the top Democrat on the committee, asked Todd Blanche point blank, will you meet with the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein?

[B]

Will you meet with these 10 survivors? I'm asking you on the record.

[D]

They have lawyers. As you know, I'm prohibited from meeting directly with them. I have met with counsel for survivors, as has many people in the Department of Justice.

[C]

And he danced around it, in the words of Dick Durbin. But you know what Durbin told me afterwards? That in closed doors, behind closed doors, Blanche told him he would, and yet today he said he can't because it's a matter of an active investigation. And those survivors behind him had to hear that.

[B]

Amidst all this, you had 1200 former DOJ employees from 14 administrations. 14 administrations. They sent in letters protesting Todd Blanche's confirmation. Right. And it came up. A lot of the contention came up not only with Epstein, but also with the anti weaponization fund and whether or not Blanche is going to serve at the behest of the President, that is be the President's personal attorney versus the Attorney General for the people in this country. Walk me through some of those major moments for you.

[C]

I'll start with the last thing you brought up, because actually, beyond Epstein, I thought that was the most salient moment of this hearing when John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, not a Democratic senator, asked Todd Blanche point blank, are you and President Trump friends?

[D]

I'm his lawyer. Was his lawyer, and now I'm the Deputy Attorney General. So I met him as his criminal defense attorney. I'm not sure there's very many people who have ever had a criminal defense attorney who calls that person their friend. I now have a.

[B]

Well, let me put it this way. Are you enemies?

[D]

No, we're not enemies at all.

[C]

And then there was another moment. You brought up the anti weaponization fund. You know, this was a huge issue, Yaz, not only for Democrats, but for Republicans. I mean, Thom Tillis on the committee, he was one of those Republicans who, when I talked to him, I wasn't sure how he would vote for Blanche. And that was a large portion of his questioning to Blanche. Today, another senator, a Republican, again asked Blanche about the anti weaponization fund. And he said it's a moot point.

[D]

I believe you have said that the

[B]

weaponization fund is a moot issue.

[D]

Is that your position? Yes, it is a moot issue. Meaning there is no weaponization fund. The weaponization fund is dead. It's not moving forward.

[C]

So it seems like there are A couple of these moments happening in this hearing where Republicans are actually trying to set up the perfect environment for him to answer these questions that they know Democrats would bring up. And it seems like that's been the strategy of this hearing.

[B]

Blanche has no wiggle room here. He has got to get all Republican votes in order to get confirmed. And you mentioned one name in particular just now, Thom Tillis, who has been on the fence in voting in favor of confirming Todd Blanche. John Cornyn from the state of Texas, also on the fence in voting in favor of confirming Todd Blanche. Do we know where these folks stand now, the likelihood that Blanche will actually get confirmed?

[C]

Well, Tillis last line to Blanche in the hearing was something like, thought you did really well. And then afterwards when we talked to him, he said he's a lean. Yes. I also thought it was interesting that perhaps for the first time, and I've covered Tillis very closely, especially over the last half a year, he didn't blame bad advice the President was getting. He actually looked at Todd Blanche and said, I'm not mad at you. You work for someone trying to essentially say that it was the President who instructed all these things that, you know, the anti weaponization fund and other things that J6 pardons that Tillis had a huge issue with, and it wasn't Blanche. And so for those reasons, Yasmin, if I was a betting woman, I'd say Tillis is probably going to vote yes in committee. But John Cornyn, man, he still told us he's undecided and he could be a wild card because he is angry at the President for essentially supporting endorsing Ken Paxton. Yeah, exactly. And I think Cornyn has a lot more gears to grind than Tillis does.

[B]

So let's talk about what a potential DOJ would look like with Todd Blanche at the helm. The President fired his predecessor, Pam Bondi, in part because she failed to prosecute the President's perceived political enemies as strongly as the President may have liked. According to an advocacy group, Julie, made up of former DOJ employees, 16,000 employees, including more than a quarter of the DOJ attorneys, have been fired or left the department under Blanche's watch. So when you consider what we have heard today during this hearing and some of what I just laid out for folks, what would a DOJ under Blanche potentially look like?

[C]

Yes, it will look very similar to what it has looked like for the last several months since Pam Bondi's ouster. I'll point you to a quote from Senator Booker in the hearing where he looked at Todd Blanche. And he said, this isn't a confirmation hearing. This is a performance review because he's already technically been in the job in an acting capacity. So the senators in that room already know what to expect from an Attorney General. Todd Blanche, because they've had an acting Attorney General.

[B]

Yes, but can I push back on you on this? Because he is the acting Attorney General and he knew if he wanted to get confirmed, he may have had to be more tepid in what he was doing in this lead up to a potential confirmation. Right. So if he is in fact confirmed, could we perceivably see a different Todd Blanche at the helm because he then actually has the job versus auditioning for the job?

[C]

That's a good point. And I was thinking about that in the hearing today because I remember how forcefully Pam Bondi would push back against these senators. It was like a show every time she testified in an oversight capacity. But today, Blanche was pretty well behaved. I mean, he is more mild mannered, I think, than Bondi was just to begin with in conversations with these senators. I do think you're right though, in a sense that, okay, once he's confirmed, he has nothing to lose. He can just do what he wants at the top of doj. That is certainly concern. And Democrats brought that up over and over again today. When it comes to ice, when it comes to even Kash Patel, who's technically gonna be under him now as the head of FBI, you name it. I mean, the question of whether Blanche will have loyalty to the president or loyalty to the department he serves is a big one. In fact, one senator looked at him today. I believe it was John Cornyn. Yes, it was. I'm checking my notes. And he said you have the hardest job out of anyone in D.C. who's confirmed to the Cabinet because you not only have loyalty to the president who could fire you, but your loyalty is to be the chief law enforcement officer of this country. And that is a really hard balance for you. I mean, I think that's the perfect way to frame this entire situation. And maybe Yaz, that's why Cornyn's on the fence.

[B]

Julie Sorkin, thank you.

[C]

Thank you.

[B]

All right, coming up, thousands of Americans are getting sick from a foodborne illness. What you need to know and how to avoid it, that's next. And also, you probably want to keep your friends safe as well, right? I mean, you wouldn't be a good friend if you didn't. So why not forward them this episode so they can stay healthy? Great idea. Added bonus, that would help us grow as well. All right, I'll see you on the other side.

[E]

Hi, it's Kate Snow, NBC News anchor and host of the NBC News podcast the Drink. And this month I'm having mojitos with comedian Eric Andrew. Was I a little bit worried he might prank me? Absolutely. But he promised he'd behave. Mostly did. Here at the Drink, we are all about the journey, and Eric's journey to success is anything but typical. We talk about his childhood, his brief run in music, and the decade he spent hustling in New York City before his hit TV show changed everything. It's a conversation peppered with humor, but also a real look at the path behind his larger than life Persona. We hope you'll join us for the Drink. Listen and follow wherever you get your podcasts.

[D]

How does a banana trigger a CIA backed coup? Do AirPods herald the arrival of a new global order? What do LED lights say about the future of humanity? I'm Ed Conway, and in each episode of my new podcast, Stuff Matters, I take an object, crack it open and reveal the world shaping forces hidden inside.

[B]

This is economics told through the things

[D]

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[C]

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[B]

And we are back with here's the scoop from NBC News. So you might have heard of this word cyclospiriasis, right? It is not Latin for skipping salad or getting a lot of diarrhea. It is actually, though unfortunately tied to both of these words. So the CDC has identified more than 7,000 potential cases of cyclospirisis, this foodborne illness nationwide, and more than half the cases are actually in the state of Michigan and people are feeling it with diarrhea, with bloating and with nausea. So far there are no deaths that have been reported from the illness, but the CDC says that in the past few months, more than 100 people have, in fact, been hospitalized. So what is causing it, and how do you not get it? I want to bring in Erica Edwards, health and medical reporter for NBC News. Hi, Erica.

[F]

Hey, how are you?

[B]

I'm good, thankfully for now, although I do eat a lot of salads, so I'm a little concerned. I want to start with the basics here. Cyclospirasis. What is it and how does it spread?

[C]

All great questions.

[F]

You guys give me the best assignments, I'm telling you. So this is a parasite. It's a tiny, microscopic parasite called Cyclospora. And sorry, we're going to get a little. Have to get into the nitty gritty here. It spreads through human feces, okay? Usually what happens is there's contaminated water in groundwater where folks are growing produce, and somewhere along the way, the food gets contaminated. So this parasite is very sticky. It just gloms onto produce. It doesn't want to let go. When a person eats that parasite, it sets up shock in your intestines and it multiplies, and that's what causes, I mean, up to several weeks of just really awful diarrhea. And it's really difficult to get rid of unless you are tested and get proper treatment. In this case, it's antibiotics that you have to go on usually to really get this out of your system.

[B]

So poo causing poo is what you're telling us.

[F]

Okay, well, well said, Yasmin.

[G]

Well said.

[F]

Very succinct.

[B]

In all seriousness, though, they are flagging that it's lettuce and salad greens as a potential source. Is there any potential for it to be something other than lettuce or leafy greens?

[F]

Yes. So the lettuce and salad greens comes from Michigan health officials, where, as you said, they have the bulk of the cases, and they've done interviews with more than a thousand people who've been infected with this parasite over and over. Lettuce and salad greens keeps coming up. It's not been confirmed that that's the source of the outbreak, but they're getting those early signals. Here's the issue, though. A lot of different kinds of produce are susceptible to this kind of parasite. And just because something is causing an outbreak in Michigan doesn't mean it's the same thing that's causing outbreaks in New York, North Carolina, Colorado and other parts of the country. We could be having multiple outbreaks going on at the same time. This is prime cyclospirasis season between May and August. That's when cases really pop up and there could be a lot of things going on all at the same time.

[B]

So I think one of the issues that folks are concerned about is, and I think you're kind of alluding to it, which is so much that we don't know about the spread of this thing. Right. How large it's actually become and where it is and why it's popping up. I'm wondering if this has anything to do with the cdc, because I know the CDC scaled back a program that tracked foodborne illnesses, including cyclospiriasis. The agency also has not had a permanent director for most of the President Trump's second term. How much is this scaling back of the CDC and the lack of leadership contributing to us not knowing as much as we likely should about this illness?

[F]

Yeah. What you just said is what a lot of food safety experts have talked about over the past year. Here's what happened. Last July, the CDC stopped making it mandatory for states to report to a very certain program called FoodNet about cases of cyclosporiasis. Obviously raised a lot of concerns. Anytime you reduce surveillance, you lose eyes on potential outbreaks. Right. We talked with the CDC yesterday. We asked them about this and they said, well, you know what, FoodNet was actually kind of a smallish program. Only 10 sites nationwide that were actually tracking these cases. So there's really no difference between what we're seeing, the information that we're getting now, versus we have in years past. So they sort of dismissed the issues surrounding FoodNet. It goes back to the states, the state health departments really, who have historically borne the brunt of monitoring for these outbreaks. And they're the ones doing boots on the ground reporting, talking to these people, doing the testing. But we don't have is this national look to see. Okay, I'm going to compare what's going on in North Carolina to what's going on in Michigan. How can we connect those, if possible?

[B]

Should people stop eating fresh produce? Like, how do you avoid getting this thing?

[F]

So we're in the middle of summer, we're in prime produce season.

[C]

Right.

[F]

And none of the experts, even the food safety experts are saying that they're not really going to change what they eat just because there is an outbreak going on. But there are certainly ways to reduce your risk. Right. For now, health officials are saying maybe lay off the bagged salads. If you want a salad, choose a whole head of lettuce. Right.

[B]

Why? Why is that better?

[F]

Here's why. The parasite gloms onto the outer layers of fruits and vegetables.

[B]

Right.

[F]

So what you do is you buy a whole head, you peel off those outer layers. Okay. Get rid of everything that's surrounding it. That'll certainly reduce your risk. And then carefully wash all the internal leaves. So if you have green onions, for example, cut off the end, the root end, where those little parasites might like to dig in, cut that off, remove the outer layer and then clean the inner layers.

[B]

What about fruits?

[F]

Raspberries are problematic because of those little hairs on the raspberries. Soaking them won't help. There's no evidence that commercial veggie washes, vinegar would help. You gotta knock em off the fruit or cut away or cut them out. So wash fruit as thoroughly as you possibly can.

[B]

Yeah. I have to tell you, I hate gardening, but I'm feeling as if I need to reignite my garden and my lettuce growing so I can avo any sort of parasite that I might buy in the grocery store. What should folks do if they are experiencing symptoms?

[F]

Erica, the most important thing right now is to get tested. Because if you test positive for this parasite, there are antibiotics available. Bactrim is a pretty common antibiotic that's known to get in your body and kill those parasites. People generally feel better within a few days of starting that antibiotic. It's a seven day course. Otherwise, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. The people I talked with said that this bug has left them just severely dehydrated, lightheaded. So, you know, electrolytes, as much water as you can, anything bland just to get you through this illness.

[B]

And again, for folks that don't necessarily know if maybe they're experiencing symptoms, there is an incubation period, Right. You could eat kind of a lettuce that has been infected by one of these parasites and your symptoms may not show up for two weeks or so.

[F]

That's correct. So if you get sick today, what made you sick, you probably consumed two weeks ago.

[B]

Got it. Erica Edwards, thank you, thank you.

[F]

Thanks for having me.

[B]

All right, we are going to take a very quick break. Up next, soccer fans are racing to finish their panini sticker books before the end of the World Cup.

[G]

The amount of cards I have left to collect is I think 137 cards. So I'm almost there, I'm almost there.

[B]

So what makes the tradition so special? That's next.

[D]

This is Telemundo de Portes, Luiso Martabia

[B]

wondering who you should root for at

[D]

FIFA World Cup 2026. Listen to my new favorite footballista. Wherever you listen to podcast hey guys, Willie Geist here reminding you to check out the Sunday Sit down podcast. On this week's episode, I get together with one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, Matt Damon, as he leads the highly anticipated and truly epic Christopher Nolan movie the Odyssey. You can get my conversation with Matt for free wherever you download your podcasts.

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They care about how I feel.

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It's the staff on the app. It's the connections you make.

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[B]

And we are back with here's the scoop from NBC News.

[G]

I'm actually looking for Ecuador 14. We're still looking for France and Mbappe.

[C]

The sticker that I'm looking most for is Michael Olise.

[G]

France.

[F]

Actually, today was the day we finished the sticker book.

[B]

So we're just days away from the World cup finals. It's coming on Sunday. Everyone's getting hyped for it. Meanwhile, you have soccer fans that are also trying to race to the finish. What is that about? They want to collect the final stickers in their World Cup Panini sticker books. If you have not heard of these things, it is the Italian company Panini that has been making these sticker books as a World cup tradition for over 50 years now. Collectors, they buy totally random packs of stickers. Each player and team has a sticker and there's some for other icons of this tournament. Now, this year, by the way, there are nearly a thousand stickers to collect in total, and they each have a dedicated spot in the book. But collectors always end up with doubles with duplicates. And then there are meetups where people trade their duplicates. And people of all ages, by the way, are into it. Kids, adults, teenagers, my kids. I've had to spend so much money on these sticker books. So we thought, okay, let's go to a meetup to hear why they love it so much and their strategies for finishing this book.

[A]

I've been collecting stickers since 1994, since the World Cup, 1994 in the U.S. you know, growing up in Brazil, like you are. So everybody's into the World cup so much that, like, you just learn since you're a little kid that the country stops and everybody collects stickers you know, to pass the time between the games.

[G]

We've been collecting the panini stickers since the World cup of 2018. I think collecting for my son and I have been. It's a great bonding experience for us. And also, he kind of takes pride in collecting certain teams and trading with other people. And it's been very social.

[A]

You know, it's kind of a networking event if you think about it as well, so.

[G]

Oh, I have quite a few to trade.

[A]

Which one do you like? Everyone is very creative with how they organize their stickers. They, like, there's different types of boxes. There's different types of, like, labels. So we came here, like, a week ago. I was very disorganized. The cards fell apart in my bag because of the rubber band. They snapped in half. But I figured I put the cards in different by sorting by countries, and then if someone needs it, the number and whatnot, we trade it that way. It's very, like, entertaining to see people, like, get the dopamine rush of their favorite player and get what they want and being able to trade and talk to people and meet new people from all over. Just overall, some of the pages needed to be finished. I wanted to. And I think that's the best part about it.

[G]

The amount of cards I have left to collect is, I think, 137 cards.

[A]

Oh, we still got a lot, right to collect. I think the holy grail for me, of the stickers. We already got it. It will be Vinnie Jr. This year.

[F]

The sticker that I want more than any other is probably the black messy.

[G]

My strategy would be to get these final cards would be to maybe come two more times to the event, because I've already been here. It's my third time. Might just come two more times and call it quits afterwards. We definitely have been saving our books. We have. I think this is our third World cup book that we have. So it's definitely been something that we go through every now and again to look at all the different ones we have. Once I have them in my collection, am I looking back to who was playing in the teams before? And honestly, I want to show, like, my future kids or something about the things that their mom did.

[A]

I guess, you know, this is crazy within itself, like, this amount of people that are coming to this event just to trade cards. We do this in unison. We come together for one event. That's the beauty of it.

[B]

So, by the way, to that kid who wants the black Messi sticker? Me and you and everybody else, including my kids, who said to me yesterday, mommy, how am I going to finish this book? And I have no idea. Unless I have to spend thousands of dollars to get them the rest of their stickers, which I am not doing. Our thanks to Jennifer, to Bridget, to Jack, to Tiago, to Giancarlo, to Caron, and to Donovan. By the way, if you want to get in on this Panini action, you don't have a lot of time left for this World cup or in general. FIFA and Panini are ending their partnership after the 2030 tournament, which will also be the 100th anniversary of the World Cup. Okay, that is gonna do it for us at here's the Scoop from NBC News. I'm Yasmin Vesugin. We'll be back tomorrow with whatever the day may bring. And if you like what you heard, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. And you can also subscribe to our daily newsletter, the Inside Scoop. It is a deeper dive on the main stories of the day that comes out every weeknight straight to your inbox. You can sign up for the Inside Scoop as part of our paid [e-mail] we'll see you tomorrow.

[D]

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