Trade wars, what are they good for?

0:00As the political landscape shifts beneath our feet, we're all vulnerable to a well-funded distraction economy determined to take our eye off the bomb. Our weekly politics series, if you can keep it, is here to help, where our focus is not the horse race, but the state. We tackle the big political stories of the day and why they matter for our democracy. Join me Todd Zwilland and me Jen White on the 1A Podcast from WAMU and NPR. NPR and WB Easy Chicago. This is Weight, Weight, Don't Tell Me. The NPR News Quiz. I'm the number one pick in your fantasy NPR dress. How's Oslaid? And here's your host at the Studebricker Theatre at the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Illinois. Peter Sego. Thank you, How's Osla. Thank you everybody. Thank you to be back with you. Great to see you. Thank you so much. Hey, but before we get started, we just want to pay tribute to the great Dolly Parton, who we lost this week, all week.

1:01Yeah, and feel the same. And as I'm sure you've seen, all week people have been coming forward with stories. We didn't know about her incredible generosity. She gave to disaster relief. She started literacy campaigns. In fact, when you put on your winner coat for the first time in a month or so and find $20 in the pocket. She's out, she put that there. Later on, we're going to be talking to Magician Carissa Hendrix, better known as her alter ego Lucy Darling. But right now it's your turn to call in and play our games. The number is one AAA wait wait. That's one 888-8924. 892-4. Let's welcome our first listener contestant. Hi, my wait wait. Don't tell me. Hello Peter. My name is Francis and I am from Chalkdale, Oregon. Chalkdale, Oregon? Yeah. We have people who presume to know Chalkdale. I myself don't believe them. What do you do in Chalkdale? Right now I help take care of people that meet help.

2:03Basically, as my manager describes it, I take a bunch of old men on bad dates just to make sure I think it out of the house. Oh, wow. So you like you pick up old men in there. Wait a minute. No, no. All right. You pick them up in your car and you transport them. That's what I'm trying to say. Well, welcome to the show, Francis. Let me introduce you to our panel this week. First up, it's a comedian whose album, Yellow Joy, is available on blonde medicine. It's Joyel Nicole Johnson. Hello. Oh, hello. Next, an actor and writer who could be seen in the acclaimed improv show, Two Square at UCB, New York, in September 23rd, is Peter Gross. Hi. Hi, Peter. And her podcast is Handsome. And you can see her perform in Rochester, New York on August 29th and up in Calgary, Canada on August 30th. It's TIG, Nataro. Hello, Xay. Hello, sir. So, Francis, welcome to the show.

3:06You're going to play Who's Alzo this time? Alzo Slade is going to read you three quotations from this week's news. If you can correctly identify or explain two of them, you will win our prize. Any voice from the show? You might choose for your voice smell. You ready to go? I am ready. All right. But it's Canadian politician Doug Ford reacting to someone who put a 50% tariff on everything his country exports. He can kiss my ass. Who started a trade war with Canada this week? I believe it's Donald Trump. Yes, Donald Trump. President Trump did that. After the U.S. launched massive tariffs against Canada last week, Canada fought back with massive tariffs of their own. It looks to be a prolonged fight. But it was a nice moment of diplomacy when Trump repeated all his dumb threats in French for the Kebacquois community. Are you going to rally to the cause, guys, and get domestic maple syrup? If that's what it takes. Yeah.

4:06You're only going to make any sacrifice. Absolutely. It might be a nice time for bootlegging again, though. Really? It would be nice to see that come back, right? That was really fun during prohibition. Yeah. No offense to people in Vermont or other places with those maple syrup. But I'm just in it for the smuggling. I don't really care what I'm saying. You're going to get angry emails for sure. Definitely. No, I mean, we joke, but Americans are about to find out how much stuff is made in Canada when the price skyrockets, cars, dishwashers, toilet paper. Mmm. What? And that's bad because without toilet paper, my backup plan was the dishwasher. It's almost the NHL season, too. Are they like hockey players? Not allowed to come down to the next day? It's terrible. They had to leave them at the border. I don't know. I mean, and it doesn't make any sense because Trump first said the tariffs were about Canada's discriminatory trade practices, and then it was about their unfair labor laws. Now he says it's about stopping Canada from getting a nuclear weapon.

5:09It's weird because I can't imagine maple syrup being any more expensive. Has anybody purchased fresh maple syrup? It costs as much as a car. It's true. What kind of car are you buying? She buys expensive syrup and cheap cars. He's right in the middle. Now, Canada, as you heard, that was dug forward the premiere of Ontario. And as you heard, they're being rather defiant. So Trump got mad and this week issued an executive order to rename Lake Ontario Lake America. Oh, yeah. No, wait a minute. No, guys, to be honest, to be fair, Lake America sounds like a great place to get on your pontoon boat. Drink about 50 beers. It also sounds like place you go to die. Lake America. Because there's a lake. What's that lake also in Georgia that everybody keep dying in? Lake America.

6:09Lake America. Lake right here. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Every year, a bunch of white people go to Lake Lear. You never hear from them again. And black people keep telling y'all to stop going to Lake Lear. So I'm not going to Lake Lear or Lake America. I mean, it was a little bit of a low blow and Canada decided to get back at us by calling that thing that poops all over your local park on America goose. All right, your next quote is a customer watching her Amazon package get delivered. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh, no. She was watching as the package was dropped into a swimming pool by a what? I think I'm going to need a head. Well, if it's dropped from a height, it has to be being delivered by something in the air. What would that be? Oh, a drone. A drone. Yes, Amazon announced. Give it up for Francis. Amazon announced that it is expanding its drone aerial delivery service to 500 American

7:13cities. And America's new favorite pastime is watching videos of the drones completely screwing it up. They're dropping packages and pools and ponds in the middle of the street. No far, nobody has been hurt, but you can always order a bowling ball for your enemy and hope for the best. Yeah, what about all the delivery people who are people who usually deliver the packages? They're going to do what? No, just job wise. What are they going to do now? Imagine they'll probably the way these things work is have to follow the drones around and pick up the packages from the street pool and the gutter. Well, you know somebody is going to jailbreak one of the drones and it's like, I got three drones for sale. They're going to be going to the barber shop and the beauty shop. Is that an Amazon? No, no, no, no, no, no. No, this is a Amazon drone. Can you buy a drone from Amazon? That would be funny if a drone brought a drone. That's what I was just thinking. Yeah, it'd be impossible, I guess.

8:15Yeah. Why not? And then while it's flying, it's like saying to the other drone, this is so weird. All right, Francis, here is your last quote. It's good for the planet if I skip the Sabbath. That was a commenter in the Washington Post talking about their opinion that what common food might not actually be good for us. Oh, I mean, Earth, I want to go for lettuce. Yes, it's lettuce, yes. We've been talking about lettuce and why we shouldn't eat it apparently. Even when it's not diseased, we shouldn't eat it. The Washington Post says it's time for us to stop eating lettuce because it's wasteful and actually has no nutritional value. Experts claim that most of the time lettuce is just a delivery method for dressing. That's obviously not true. Sometimes there's bacon. And the nutritionist says the problem with lettuce is that it's mostly water. Meanwhile, Taylor Farms is like, yeah, water. That's the problem with lettuce.

9:15It's mostly water and the rest is poop. But a lot of things are mostly water. Celery is mostly water. Right. Like a cucumber is mostly water. Humans are mostly water. And I eat humans all the time. Is there going to be another way that people can ingest ranch dressing? Just chuck it from the bottle. I mean, the nutritionist is making this case. It's a solution is simple. Just swap lettuce, which has no nutritional value, for lentils. What? Lentils. It's not the same thing. Nobody wants a BLT where the L is a lentil. Was he just doing this alphabetically? Pretty much. Lentils are apparently good for you. They have a lot of fiber, so you'll still spend an hour in the toilet. But for a good reason. Hi, protein. Hi, protein. Yeah. You like your lentils? I love my lentils. You're a vegan, right? I am, but I didn't want to announce it publicly. I like to choose when I corner people and tell them all about it.

10:16Also, how did Francis do in our quiz? Perfect score, three out of three. Well done, Francis. Thank you. Thanks for calling, and thanks for that good work you do. Right now, a panel that is time for you to answer some questions about this week's news. Joel, when Universal Studios in Southern California built a new state-of-the-art roller coaster, they promised all the people who lived nearby that it was engineered to be nearly silent. And it is. But the neighbors say the park did not account for what specific noise. People scream at you? Exactly right. The engineers. The engineers who built the new Fast and Furious coaster at Universal Studios eliminated the clatter of the world. And the whining of the motor, but they forgot about the, AAAAAAAAHHHHH of the customers. So now every 30 seconds neighbors say the air is filled with people screaming in terror.

11:21With no context. Yeah, with no roller coaster sound to make it make sense. Yeah. And Universal Studios is getting nowhere with the sign they put up saying, keep your hands inside the car and your emotions inside your body. They're going to need other solutions like gag the passengers or every car comes equipped with a stern librarian. Shhh. Shhh. Now all I hear is shushing. It's the neighborhood sucks. First it was screaming now it's shushing. Shhh. That's even worse. Shhh. Coming up power corrupts but power also needs a friend. And our Blastal is in your game called 1-888-8-8-2-0-0-0-0-0. We'll be back in a minute with more of Weight Weight Don't Tell Me from NPO. This message comes from the Center for US Voters Abroad Foundation. US citizens live, travel and serve all over the world.

12:21But wherever they are, they can stay connected to home through voting. All US citizens abroad may request an absentee ballot to vote in the 2026 election and requesting yours is easy. Keep your connection strong no matter how far away you are. Visit registerabroad.com to get started. Shhh. Hey, you know that nagging voice in your head? The one telling you to put the phone down and stop doom scrolling? Well, it's time. Look up. Take a daily curiosity break with Shorewave and pair a science podcast. Let your mind wander to the edges of outer space or wonder about what's lurking in the depths of the sea floor. All in under 15 minutes. Shorewave. Your daily mental reset. Listen on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. This week on Newsmakers, after more than a decade in comedy, I wasn't sure that we would get here. Robbie Hoffman is fearless. I had a small feeling I wasn't sure. Oh, and fully herself. My line, Lord. Hello. You can go out and flash. Well, I'm not home now. I'm doing something.

13:21We plunge into comedy and success with Robbie Hoffman on NPR's Newsmakers. The NPR app cuts through the noise, bringing you local, national and global coverage. No paywalls, no profits, no nonsense. Download it in your app store today. From NPR and WB Easy Chicago, this is Weight, Weight, Don't Tell Me, the NPR news quiz. I'm Alzo Slade. We're playing this week with TIGNATARO, Peter Gross, and Joy Elnico Johnson. And here again is your host at the Studebricker Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. Peter Sego. Thank you, Alzo. Thank you so much. Right now it's time for the Weight, Weight, Don't Tell Me, Bluff the listener game call. One AAA, Weight, Weight to Play, our game in the air. How you around, Weight, Weight, Don't Tell Me. Hi, this is Casey from Pittsburgh. Hey, I love Pittsburgh. What do you do there? I work in the arts and my staffs and I are trying to raise the four-year-old.

14:24Okay, I recommend watering them twice a day. We're trying, we're trying. We did all of us give first to him at the Philly 2021 show that you guys did. Oh wow, when we were in Philadelphia, oh yeah, that was one of the first shows we did out of the pandemic. And you were there, like, very pregnant? Yeah, yeah, and then I had to leave early and try to get back to the car, which was like five miles away. Oh my God. Did you give birth on the way? I did not, luckily. Well, it's a nice day to have you with us, Casey. You're going to play our game in which you have to tell truth from fiction. Alzo, what is Casey's topic? Everybody needs somebody. This week, someone in power revealed a secret relationship, but thankfully this one makes you say, huh, rather than, ew. Our panelists are going to tell you about a pick the one who's telling the truth and you'll win our prize. The voice of your choice on your voice, Meli. Ready to play? Yeah. All right, first let's hear from Joyelle Nicole Johnson. The town of Banterian County, Corke Island is beautifully benign.

15:24It's a sleepy seaside village without enough gays for Grindr. The police don't even carry guns. Oh, gasps in American. Consequently, the police superintendent Cornelius Crowley is bored. He walks the entirety of the tiny town daily in search of crime, but it wasn't until his herring sandwich went missing one afternoon that he had a thief in his midst. When he identified the culprit as a local seagull, he became obsessed with investigating seagull crimes. One particular seagull has drawn the most of his eye or a sturdy lad. His name is Carl. Cornelius claims Carl is a menace to society, but his family ain't sure. I'm pretty sure he loves that bird, commented his wife who has listened to hours of Cornelius complaining about Carl. His co-workers claim that his relationship with Carl has given him a quote, new lease on life, and a sparkle in his eye. One shop owner who watched Cornelius track Carl for an entire day commented, it's just like Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones and the future did. At a certain point, it's like, guys, y'all should kids.

16:27Cornelius and Carl will continue to be Bancher's odd couple, which truly gives a new meaning to the phrase, no harm, no foul. The superintendent of a small town in Ireland becomes obsessed with his nemesis. Carl, the seagull, your next story of a covert connection comes from Peter Gross. Famous Dutch boarding school, Rotterdam Preparatory Academy, was rocked by scandal this week when the headmaster, Jan Van Omen, revealed that his trusted advisor Sophie is actually a chalkboard erasure. 20 years ago, Van Omen was a math teacher. He was working on a complex math problem on a massive chalkboard, think a beautiful mind or someone trying to count all of Elon Musk's children. His erasure slipped and erased part of his calculations. He was horrified until he realized that what got erased was actually a mistake that was preventing him from solving the problem. And from that point on, the erasure, who he named Sophie, after an ex-girlfriend who never believed in him, never left his side.

17:28When Jan was promoted to headmaster, he asked if he could have his advisor Sophie on the payroll. They wanted to keep me happy, so they said, yes, Van Omen told the website Holland today. It's not like I lied, no one specifically asked me if Sophie was a person. His secret was discovered this week when a student asked to meet the famous Sophie, and Van Omen opened a desk drawer to reveal an eraser with googly eyes and a tiny blonde wig saying, here you are, the first person to meet my beautiful Sophie, and now that I'm doing this, I'm realizing this is quite insane and I'm going to be fired. A Dutch headmaster reveals an intense relationship with a chalkboard erasure. The last story of a furtive friend comes from Tignitarra. Sunae Takaiichi, the prime minister of Japan, is known for working on weekends and only sleeping three hours a night. So sounds like a very diligent bummer. She admitted this week that while the long hours have gotten a little lonely, she's recently made a new friend, the cockroach living in her house.

18:36In a story that makes you think, maybe three hours of sleep isn't enough. The prime minister took to social media to explain how she came across her tiny, disgusting friend and screamed at first. The start of any good relationship. I mean, I get it, who doesn't want a friend who skitters around and eats all your garbage and secretly has hundreds of more friends hiding nearby. Her staffers had the cockroach removed because it was a cockroach. She says, quote, I felt relieved, but also a little lonely or maybe sad. I wish her well and recommend maybe getting a dog and a life. Alright, so one of these people in authority, sure enough to have an interesting relationship that we had not known about, was it from Jayonakul Johnson, a police superintendent in Ireland who has an obsession with the seal named Carl from Peter Gross, the headmaster of a school in Holland who revealed that their closest advisor was a chalkboard, a racer or from Tignitarra,

19:51the prime minister of Japan had a beautiful, if brief relationship with a cockroach in her official residence, which of these was the real story we found in the news. I am going to go with take story about the cockroach. You're going to go with take story about the Japanese prime minister and their tiny little now dead pet. Alright, well, to bring you the real story we spoke to an expert. That does not make sense to an exterminator's mind. Cockroaches like the notice spread these days. That was Tony Hernandez, exterminator and manager at pest control Chicago, who he called to get an opinion about the Japanese prime minister and her late roach. Congratulations, Casey, you got it right. You're into point for take something for telling the truth. You're going to have a prize. The voice of your choice and your voice mail. Thank you so much for playing with us today. Thank you. Thank you, thank you. And now the game will not my job.

20:55Kareesa Hendrix has done about everything one can do as a circus artist and as a performer, including, and this is true, setting the world record for holding a lit torch in their mouth. But it was when they put on a beehive wig and a cocktail dress and became magician Lucy Darling, that they took the internet and now the world by storm, Kareesa Hendrix, welcome to Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Kareesa, I feel we need to start with a question that's on everybody's mind right now. How long did you have to hold a flaming torch in your mouth to set the record? So I set the new record at two minutes and one second, which is embarrassing because the old record was only one minute and 32 seconds. So I hurt myself longer than was necessary. Marco Fregati, who was the official from Minnes, he was supposed to be counting down my time. So that I wouldn't do more than I absolutely needed to. But at about 50 seconds, he stopped counting.

21:56So I just kept going and was able to push through the record. Although I watched it, it was done on an Italian TV show called Las Show de Record. And I watched about six months later, I had spent six months just being so mad at him for not giving me this anchor point. And I watched the episode and he had counted the whole time. But it was so painful, my brain had blocked out all the noise. So I had been carrying around this absolutely unreasonable rage for this poor Italian man for six months. That seems I understand. But he could have said something that a minute, 33, I don't know. Yeah, he could have waved his arms. Congratulations. Congratulations. What's the international symbol for take the fire out of your mouth? Does it hurt? It hurts a lot. Oh, it hurts a lot. Here's the thing. If you're doing basic fire eating tricks, there's a lot of science to it. The fire triangle, all you have to do is remove the spark, the oxygen or the fuel. And if you're your mouth, you can close it around a torch and you basically snuff the fire out.

22:58And if you're doing it correctly, you can do without injuring yourself. Except if you're trying to beat a world record, then there's basically no way to do that without injuring yourself. My teeth heated up so much that the bone inside was hot enough to burn the space between my teeth and my gums. And my whole mouth slowed up. But they gave me a medal. So it wasn't there. You were okay. I was, I was, I was. I'm still a middle, a middle meaning, a metal bone to replace. So you don't get paid anything to break the world record? No, no, it's just about the glory. Yeah. Has your record been broken? Has anybody else like risen up to challenge you? I have not had the desire to Google it. I don't want to know, but also if somebody beats it, they can have it. I know that you studied circus and all kinds of other things.

23:59Do you have any other amazing skills that we may not know about? I was knackered about for a while. My favorite weird thing I ever did was I did an act years and years ago, where I would hold on, like I'd be suspended by an aerial rig and be hula hooping a fire hoop. So it would be like fire on a hoop while I was clenching fire torches in my toes. I only did that one summer because not only was it painful, but people didn't get it because of how it didn't make any sense. That's the problem with being a great artist like yourself. People just don't understand what you're trying to say. You had a message and the message was, I am on fire. I'm nobody understood. They didn't get it. All right, magic, however, do you can do all these things, but the thing that you have become extraordinarily well known for, or at least your dear friend, Lucy Darling, has become remarkably well known for, is magic. And it's my understanding that you were performing in a variety of different guises or personas until Lucy arrived.

25:05And can you tell me where Lucy came from? Absolutely. So I've been a huge fan of old Hollywood movies for a long time. You know, bring up baby. What a way to go, like watching old Jessica Boer movies and Maywest, I love these things. And I always had wanted to do something in that style. And right before this, the winter right before I started working on it was when Jessica Boer passed away. And it made me realize, oh, you know, this is the last of those women, those like effortless, clever, stunning women. Like, bon vivant style women from that era. And I just felt this, you know, I was compelled, you know, like this call to action. I refused to let that energy be gone from the world, even if it meant that I had to carry a tiny piece of it with me. I'm carrying it too. No! You're not that kicky, she slapped you. So for anyone who hasn't seen Lucy Darling perform, can you describe her?

26:08I can try. Lucy is sort of like a 1940s, like almost a Loki-style character. She is a little evil. She is going to, what my favorite thing about doing Lucy is it's drag. But it is, it is all the parts of drag that I love most, which are like the silly, like almost mean things, where you sort of push the audience a little bit. And I really tried to create a character that was like right on the line before you know it's drag. So it's deliberately a little bit ambiguous, where if you know it's drag, you're like, oh, that's drag. But if not, I can kind of trick people into not going to see it who don't know that they like drag yet. Wow! You're like, you're like an entry level, you're like the first puff of a drug. Exactly! You know what I like to think of myself as the Neil deGrasse Tyson of drag, you know? Yeah. Alright. Well, this administration doesn't like you at all.

27:11No, no, no. And I'm Canadian, so it's even worse, so no. Yeah, by the way, there's an extra 50% fee on any of my shows all of a sudden. So, um, because Hendrix said it's a pleasure to talk to you. We've invited you here to play a game we're calling, try eating this fire. Oh, no. So you're a world record fire eater, so we thought we'd ask you about Flamen Hot Cheetos and other spicy snacks. Get two or three right, you're one of our prizeful and our listeners, Alzo, who is Carissa Hendrix playing for? Ryan and Don Himmel of Windsor, California. Alright, ready to play? Here's your first question. Ready. In 2025, a Flamen Hot Cheeto that was shaped like the Pokemon character Charizard sold on eBay for almost $88,000, but that story actually isn't as impressive as it might sound. Why? Is it because A, real Pokemon fans know it looks much more like a Bulbasaur.

28:11B, eBay took a commission of $45,000 over 50% of the sale price or C, that wasn't the highest price someone paid for a Flamen Hot Cheeto. Oh, my gosh. Okay, as somebody who is dealing a lot with ticketing fees right now, I want to say the fee one, but I also know people are terrible with money, so I'm going to say it's that somebody paid more for a Cheeto. That's right. In 2017, a Cheeto that looked like Harambe sold for just under $100,000, proving your point, Carissa. Alright, here's your next question. Once you get used to Flamen Hot, you might want to up the ante, and Doritos is here for you with which of these? A, Doritos Roulette, a snack pack where one in six chips was painfully spicy. B, Doritos Lime and Lime Disease flavor. Or C, Doritos Sherpend Corners Edition.

29:17You know what, based on the Doritos, I've eaten all three of those are correct. I'm going to go with the roulette one. You're right again, Carissa. You know what people want. They want a little danger when they're snacking. And no lime disease. No, long disease. It was so much fun apparently, a school in the UK had to ban Doritos Roulette after it sent one kid to the hospital. Oh, you don't find that amusing. Alright, well. No, they're just shocked that's in the UK and not in America. Exactly, right. Alright, here's your last question. We wouldn't have the Flamen Hot flavor if the Cheeto had never been invented. What happy accident led to the creation of the Cheeto? Was it A, in the 1930s, a farmer was cleaning out a clogged animal feed grinder and somehow the first ever Cheeto popped out. Be a police station in Boston was using orange dust to do finger printing and when they couldn't get it off inspiration struck. Or see, in the 1970s, the CIA created it while attempting to develop something more addictive than heroin.

30:21I'm going to say trying to create something more addictive. No, it was actually the animal feed grinder. Presumably, the guy was trying to clean out the grinder by feeding some grains or something through it and these little things popped out and he said, huh? And he ate it. And you know what? They still make it the old fashioned way too. So just thinking about that kids when you're a mom and a Cheeto in your mouth. I also had a charisma doing our quiz. They did enough. Two out of three is good for me. Good for me as well. Karissa Hendrix is the award-winning magician behind the amazing and sophisticated Lucy Darling. You can see Karissa and Lucy on tour starting in September. Karissa Hendrix, thank you so much for joining us and wait wait wait don't tell me. Say hello to Lucy and I'll see her once she's here. Bye bye. Bye bye. You lift me so high and I know the reason why and it's magic.

31:27Injustive and adjustment you thought it was safe to go back to your hotel room. That's in our listener Limerick Challenge called 1-triple-8. Wait wait to join us on air. We'll be back in a minute with more of Wait wait don't tell me. From NPR. This message comes from the Center for US Voters Abroad Foundation. US citizens live, travel and serve all over the world but wherever they are they can stay connected to home through voting. All US citizens abroad may request an absentee ballot to vote in the 2026 election and requesting yours is easy. Keep your connection strong no matter how far away you are. Visit registerabroad.com to get started. You count on sunscreen to protect your skin but that SPF rating on the bottle might not be exactly as advertised. So you can measure an SPF 50 at one lab and an SPF 30 at another. On the Sunday story is it time to update sunscreen guidance. Listen now to the Sunday story from the up first podcast on the NPR app.

32:32From NPR. NWP Easy Chicago. This is Wait wait don't tell me the NPR news quiz. I'm Alzo Slay. We're playing this week with Take Notaro. Joyel Nicole Johnson and Peter Gross. And here again is your host at the Studebricker Theatre in Chicago Illinois. Peter Segal. Thank you so much Alzo. Thank you everybody. Thank you so much. In just a minute play the game. Limbrick fans everywhere call the only thing we have left. It's the listener Limbrick challenge. If you'd like to play give us a call at 1-888-888-8248-824. Right now panel some more questions for you from the week's news. Take parents at a Kentucky middle school. Suspect that a map of the United States that was given to the students there might have been AI generated after they noticed that what was incorrect. The shape. I'm going to give it to you because everything was incorrect.

33:32Kentucky the state where the school is was labeled Veneki. Louisiana was LuKong. South Carolina was source Quanto. Why do you need to AI generate a map? Aren't there places that just make maps that are not wrong? Or can't you just Google map of the United States? Yeah. Look at it make sure it's spelled right and print it. But no that's that's how it goes. I'm part of a packet of materials given out to students which also included an apparently AI generated periodic table full of completely botched elements. Boy stories like this are worth their weight in gourd world. Peter finally there's something to take the stress out of getting you to know someone a new app that will do what before a first date. Like do a background check on somebody. A new website will run a full background check on your date before you meet them. It's a great way to answer the question.

34:32Is he just being charmingly mysterious about his past or does he have a bunch of DUIs? This site uses publicly available information to compile a comprehensive background check which is what female friends have literally been doing for years. I mean don't even try this unless you can send me a screenshot of his homecoming date from 20 years ago. There should be something that's like do you look like one of this person's exes. I feel like I've known a bunch of people recently where like you see their new person and you're like you look like one of their exes. Like this person has a type like same height hair whatever it is. I would like to know if I was dating somebody like am I just like a carbon copy of somebody that you dated before? Would it bother you? I would feel like I was like they weren't taking it seriously. That they're just they're just looking at they're like you look like an ultimately or I'll go back to like my dad. They're trying to perfect what they started. Come to the basement and get measured against the other specimens. I love it when they say to you oh honey you're the best in the series.

35:34My prom dates father did that to me. Really? I went to go pick her up and she was getting ready upstairs and he said son I need to see your driver's license for a background check. And I just went down in a giggle and tried to come up thinking that he was joking. He wasn't joking at all. Not at all. Did you give him the driver's license? Absolutely. Yeah. But I was clean. Yeah. How do you do a background check? Yeah, see a long face. Like, yeah. He had homies in the department. He was one of those guys that new guys. I was picturing just like a little machine. Like a tournament. Like at the airport? Yeah. When your daughter turns 15, he'd run IDs. Here, look at him. Just look at my phone. It'll scan your iris. Okay. Coming up, it's lightning fell on the blank. But first it's the game where you have to listen for the rhyme. If you'd like to play on air, call her, leave a message. At 1-888-8-8-924-8-924.

36:34You can come see us most weeks right here at the Studebaker Theater. And Catch us in the Road. We'll be at the Rose Music Center in Hubert Heights, Ohio next week. On September 3rd, you can check out our back-to-school special discounted tickets and then in Omaha, Nebraska on September 24th for tickets and information to all our live events. Go to nprpresents.org. Hi, everyone. Wait, wait, don't tell me. Hi, Peter. My name is Tomi, calling from Aurora, Colorado. I know Aurora. Near Denver. Oh, we got an Aurora fan here. And do you do all those Colorado things that everybody in Colorado does? You know, I don't, actually, because I'm a dad of two kids, so I don't have time. Really? So you're not out like hiking and adventuring? You're just home being a dad? Yes, exactly. I like to cook for my family. But hopefully when they're grown up, I will definitely do all that stuff with them. That would be cool. Well, call me. Welcome to the show. Alzo Slade is going to read you three news-related limits with a last word of phrase missing from me. If you can fill in that last word of phrase correctly, and two of the limits, you'll be a winner. Ready to play?

37:34Ready to play. Here is your first lemuric. With this tissue, we might be rubbed raw. I think that's the plan's only flaw. Thank God it's not sticks, or even worse bricks. They're making TP from... Straw? Yes! Straw! They're making toilet paper from straw. Great news. Toilet paper just became ouchi. It's made from rice straw, which is a byproduct of growing rice. And this person knew that this stuff was just being burned. He's like, what can I do with it? And his mind went right to toilet paper. Which tells you something about rice straw. And that guy. Was it white or brown rice? Would it make a difference to you? Yeah, brown rice is tougher. Yeah, it's true. And it's brown. Yeah. Anyway. Here is your next lemuric.

38:36Because floors hold more sludge than a tarpet wall to wall shouldn't be on the market. When I walk in hotels, I will guard my feet well. Because Iki germs the well in the... Carpet. Yes! Look, we all love hotel carpets. They're suspiciously sticky, rough, and the perfect shade of blue-green navy black brown beige. But according to a hotel inspector for Triple A, they're also, quote, germ traps bringing them into the same category as the hotel TV remote, the light switches, the bed spreads, the door knobs, the coffee maker, the toilet seats, the guy at the front desk, and that laminated card listing the TV channels do not ask where that thing has been. You just named all the places that I eat off of the hotel room. The expert says that even after housekeeping his clean the room, the carpets contain so many mites or mold that you should never walk on them barefoot. I haven't walked barefoot in 30 years.

39:36Really? Anywhere? No. Just now. I even wear flip flops in the shower. Anyway. At home? Is your own shower? Guys, I don't need to be shamed again. Alright, here is your last lemuric. I ride up in a cart to tee off. Then I light a cigar with a cough. To the greens I won't walk because my joints start to bulk. It's not exercise. It is just golf. Yes, golf, the age-old debate of whether or not golf is exercise. Resurface this week with experts declaring it's less beneficial if you use a cart. If you don't use a cart golf, can you be good for you? You're walking a bit, you're outside, you're swinging a stick. That has to have some value. But if you use a golf cart, golf has the same exercise value as, quote, darts or cherry yoga, which is to say none. Wait, that means that miniature golf is better.

40:39Yes, an intro golf is better suited to golf. It's processing. You're walking around. Yeah. You're avoiding windmills. That's a lot of activity. Yeah, you have to hit the ball hard to get it up the windmill. 12, yeah. Also, how did Comey do in our quiz? He did great. He got three out of three. Perfect score. Well done, Comey. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. This message comes from the Center for U.S. Voters Abroad Foundation. U.S. citizens live, travel and serve all over the world. So wherever they are, they can stay connected to home through voting. All U.S. citizens abroad may request an absentee ballot to vote in the 2026 election, and requesting yours is easy. Keep your connection strong no matter how far away you are. Visit registerabroad.com to get started. Hi there. I'm Brittany Loose and not to brag, but I host a really fabulous podcast.

41:40It's called It's Been a Minute. I love making it, and I think you'll love listening to it. Over the last year, hundreds of thousands of listeners have been tuning in, and I got to say, if you haven't yet, you're missing out. Listen to The It's Been a Minute Podcast from NPR today. Now onto our final game, Lightning Fill in the Blank. Each of our players will have 60 seconds in which to answer as many fill in the blank questions as they can. Each correct answer now worth two points. Also, can you give us the scores? Of course. Joy O'Lantig, our tide at three, and Peter has two. Okay. Peter, you are in second place. Why did I say last place? That's fine. Okay. Peter, you're losing. Yeah. So you're going to be up first. The clock will start when I begin your first question, fill in the blank. On Wednesday, Metta agreed to an $18 billion settlement over accusations that blank is harmful to kids. Everything they do. Yeah, I'll give it to you. Social media. On Monday, climate scientists reported that the world's blanks had hit their highest

42:41temperatures on record. The motions? Yes. This week, the sister, a former Senator Lindsey Graham, won the GOP runoff election in blank. South Carolina. This week, a teacher in Atlanta went viral after revealing she had created a corner of her classroom where students can go and blank. Be dirty. Yeah. Almost. Farth. On Wednesday, medical officials warned that the blank outbreak in Congo may soon become the worst in history. Ebola. Right. One month before the start of fall, Starbucks announced the return of blank. Is it pumpkin? Yes. Pumpkin spice. After a woman had a heart attack and they're parking a lot of ghost restore in Australia, blanked while she was recovering. They built a part of the grocery store around her. They did something on the road. Yeah. Nice of her. No, they ticketed her car from being parked in their lot overnight. The woman was shocked after she got out of the hospital to find an $80 ticket on her car. Fortunately, when she reached out to explain to the grocery store that the reason her car had been parked there overnight was because she'd had a heart attack, they said. And this is totally true, quote, dude, of the circumstances.

43:43We were able to reduce the ticket to $30. Oh my God. I also had to Peter do in our quiz. So you got five right for 10 more points, total of 12 and the lead. The lead. The lead. I'm going to pick you, take to go next, so fill in the blank. Six years after leaving the country for the US, blank and blank have moved back to the UK. Harry and Megan. That's right. Now for Holly Shake, Muhammad, one of the architects of blank was scheduled for 2028. The architects for blank. Architects of blank. Architects of blank. It was bad. That's a clue. There's so many bad lightning. We move quickly. I don't. 9-11. Yes. This week, rescue workers are searching for survivors after a massive blank at the border of China and Nepal. Flood. Right. On Tuesday, health officials confirmed the US had surpassed 2700 cases of blank in 2026.

44:47Maisal. This week, a small airport in India, which has zero flights in or out of it, was named the country's blank. Airport? No, it was named the country's best airport for customer satisfaction. On Monday, United announced they would leave blank open in the economy plus section of their new jet. The middle scene. Exactly right. In Italian man who led well-reviewed tours of an ancient Greek ruins has been sent to jail when it was discovered that he had blanked. When they realized he had... Yes. ...crimeed. Not close enough. That he had built the ancient ruins himself. Man charged. Man charged. Man charged. Man charged around 60 bucks a person to tour this ancient Greek amphitheater that was behind his property. People on the tour started noticing some inconsistencies like his claim that the site had been visited by both Cleopatra and Juliet Capulet from Romeo and Juliet. But he was just operating under the correct assumption that no one ever listens to a single

45:48word spoken during a walking tour. Also, how did TIG do in our quiz? Lord have mercy. Oh. Listen, I am always stunned that I'm invited back. TIG got five right for ten more points, total of 13 and the lead. So how many then does Joyelle need to win? Five to tie six to win. Yeah. Four to... Lose. Lose. Got it. I'm ready. Here we go, Joyelle. This is for the game. On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that the White House could move forward with an executive order targeting mail-in blanking. Right. On Thursday, US officials said that hackers from blank broke into Justice Department servers. The Internet. Specifically from China, this week Bill Gates said that blank was much more dangerous than tech CEOs are willing to admit. Microsoft Word.

46:48Hi, one. Hey, I, on Monday, Space Company blank announced plans to build a $100 billion launch pad in Louisiana. I was goofy SpaceX. Yeah. On Monday, auctioneer said that a jersey worn by blank at the 1998 NBA Finals could sell for over $10 million. Michael Jordan. Right. Known for his roles in the Rocky Harbor picture show and clue actor blank passed away. To the 80s. Yeah, I know. This week a last-consensorter Dan Sullivan is running for re-election against another man named Dan Sullivan was officially endorsed by blank. Uh, Donald Trump? No, he was endorsed by the former mayor of Anchorage. His name is Dan Sullivan. Sitting at last-consensor, Dan Sullivan thought he'd have an easy time getting re-elected, but he needs this endorsement because now he's running against another guy named Dan Sullivan. And as if worries about splitting the vote between the Sullivan weren't bad enough, the Democratic challenger and the race just legally changed their name to check this box for a chance to win

47:50$1 million. And then, he also did, Joel, do well enough to win. Nope. Now. But he enjoyed herself and that's what's important. He got four right for eight more points, total of 11 with me, Tegwin. Oh my gosh. Slow and steady. Slow and steady. In just a minute, we're going to ask our panelists to predict now that Amazon drones are in the air. What'll be the next big innovation in deliveries? But first, let me tell you all, wait, wait, don't tell me. Is the production of NPR and WBZ Chicago an association with urgent haircut productions, Doug Burman, Ben Neville and Overlord, to fill up go-to-care rights on Limericks. Our public address announcer is Paul Friedman, our ops manager is Jussi Ravardak. Thanks to the staff and crew at the student-backer theater, BJ leaderman composed our theme, our program is produced by Jennifer Mills, Miles Wirmbas and Lily and King. Special thanks to Blithe Robertson. Peter Gwynn was assisted this week by Dan Sullivan and Dan Sullivan. Emma Choi is our vibe curator, technical direction, some more in a white or CFO's Colin Miller

48:52Reproduction Manager is Robert Newells. Our senior producer is Ian Chilag and the executive producer of Weight Weight, don't tell me is Mr. Mike Danforth. Now a panel one will be the next innovation in package delivery. Joy Eln Nicole Johnson. Delivery through cans. Cans of whoop-ass. Peter Gross. When it's revealed that Amazon's drones are made in Canada, they'll be forced to switch to the most American method of delivery T-shirt canons. And TIG Nataro. Well, I've heard they are currently in the process of working on this new state of the art system. Where humans manually pilot their very own vehicle to a local retail store execute a real-time physical transaction with another humanoid and then get this. Self-deliver the package to their very own private residence. Early testing with advanced robotics confirms this zero-drone manual

49:53carry model is so far 100% viable. And if any of that happens, we'll ask you about it on the weight and weight, don't tell me. Thank you, Alzo Slade. Thanks, Also, to the Joy Eln Nicole Johnson. Peter Gross and TIG Nataro. Thanks to all our fabulous audience here at the Steedabaker Theater. Everyone who's listening wherever you might be. Peter Sagal will see you next week outside Dayton, Ohio. This is NPR. Billionaire Mark Cuban has stared into the belly of the beast of America's health care system. I mean, it's so bad you can go through a long list of really quality hospitals and they don't

50:55know their costs. So, can Medicare for all be a solution? We take a hard look at the cost of the program along with US health care itself. Find this and hear more stories from the indicator from Planet Money on the NPR app. This is Terry Gross, host of Fresh Air. I interviewed feminist icon Glorious Steinem several times over the years and we've compiled a special episode to celebrate her life and legacy. Women become ourselves after 50. We drop a lot of baggage and really become much more of a true self. Find it on the NPR app or wherever you listen to Fresh Air.