This is Ira Glass, the host of This American Life. So much is changing so rapidly right now with President Trump in office. It feels good to pause for a moment sometimes and look around at what's what. This is American Life, wherever you get your podcasts. comes in chunky and smooth. I'm Bill Curtis. And here's your host at the Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Illinois, Peter.
Thank you so much, Bill. Thank you, everybody. Good to see you again. We do have a great show for you today. Later on, we're going to be talking to one of the stars of The White Lotus, Natasha Rothwell, who plays Belinda. Now to refresh your memory. She's not the one who committed murder or...
the other murder or money laundering or adultery. She just does a little blackmail, which on that show makes her a saint. We want to know what you've been up to behind the scenes. So give us a call. The number is 1-888-WAIT-WAIT. That's 1-888-924-8924. Now let's welcome our first listener contestant this week. Hi, you're on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Hi, I'm Chris Schoen, and I live on a farm near Cedar Rapids, Iowa. That's fabulous. So you're actually in an Iowa farm.
You know, I remember vividly the first time I ever went to Iowa many, many years ago and seeing a farm and thinking, oh my gosh, every time I saw a farm when I was a kid looking at a picture book, I was looking at that. So you live in like... The perfect farm, right? It is. It is. It's like Grant Wood country here. Very picturesque. Right. And you just stand in front of it all day holding a pitchfork. Me and my pitchfork and my wife. Okay. Very good. Very good.
Well, Chris, welcome to the show. Let me introduce you to our panel this week. First, she's a comedian headlining at the DC Improv July 11th through the 13th. Hello. Howdy. Howdy. Ooh. That's what we say. Okay, I've heard. I've been there before. Next, he's a comedian who'll be headlining The Gramercy in New York City on May 29th. And the Houston Punchline on May 30th and 31st is Hari Kondabolu.
Howdy, sir. Howdy. Hi. And he's an actor and comedian you can see Saturday, May 3rd at Joe's Pub in New York City. It's Peter Grote. Hey, Chris. Hello, Peter. So, Chris, welcome to the show. You're going to play Who's Bill this time. Bill Curtis is now going to perform for you three quotations from the week's news, doing it better than the original people.
If you can correctly identify or explain just two of them, you'll win our prize. Any voice from our show that you might choose for your voicemail. Are you ready to get a start? I am. All right. Your first quote is from the president of these United States. Maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls. He was comforting us because Christmas toy sales may be severely impacted by what?
By Trump's tariffs. Exactly. By his trade war, his tariffs. Man, I don't know. Is it just me, or does ruining Christmas seem to start earlier and earlier each year? 80% of all toys and 90% of all the rest of the stuff you get for Christmas sold in America coming from China. Experts say that the Trump tariffs could create huge toy shortages for this holiday season. Thanks to President Trump, we no longer have to say happy holidays. Now we can say Merry Christmas.
you're not getting a present. You could say saddy holidays. Exactly. You know, all you have to do is just put that green suit on. And he's going to look a lot like that Grinch. Right. Yeah. He's got the same kind of body type and face. How do you explain to a child that they're not getting that many presents this year? Like, what do you say? Like, sorry, kids, the North Pole got hit with tariffs. Yeah.
All the elves got deported. Yeah, all the children's books at Christmas are going to be like, there's something called a supply chain. I've never been happier to be the only person on this stage without kids. All right, Chris, here is your next quote. Go, evil girl boss, go. That was somebody quoted in Vulture, one of many, many people commenting. This week about the 24 year old girlfriend of what 73 year old football coach.
That would be Bill Belichick. It would be. I think we can say that all America is captivated by this May, December, but it's December 1932 romance. of famously grumpy football coach Bill Belichick and his much, much younger girlfriend, Jordan Hudson. It's so sad for her. She's just 24. She's wasting her DiCaprio years.
You know, for a guy who's like a professional football coach and has won, what, six Super Bowls? Yes. It's pretty ironic that he's getting played so hard. So hard. I think it's love. Do you really? I do because what 24 year old isn't attracted to a dad bod and jowl? He wishes he had a dad bod. He's got a grandpa bod. Oh, I love it. I'm obsessed with this situation. I don't know if anyone has ever looked into her eyes.
You shouldn't because she looks really evil. She looks like if Ursula and Maleficent had a baby. I don't know. Everybody's so cynical about this relationship. Oh, she's too controlling. She just wants him for his money. What has happened to us? Is it so hard to believe someone might want to be with Bill Belichick for the sex? Their story blew up this week after she kept trying to control a CBS Sunday morning interview.
She is his boss, which maybe she is. She now calls herself the COO of Belichick Productions. And she's applied for trademarks on phrases like the Belichick way. And she says this new company will experience... rapid growth next year when she can finally legally rent a car. Can't she just be an influencer like every other 24-year-old? Why does she have to glom on to grandpa?
Well, she is an influencer. She is. She's just influencing one very special person. Remember, he's 73. She's 24. To put that in perspective, their age gap itself. is AARP eligible. She also isn't a good COO because... He asked the question of like, you know, where'd you guys meet? And she was like, we're not answering that question. And I was like, okay, it's giving high class hooker.
But for me, you need to have a stock answer because I met my boyfriend at a funeral and I tell anyone that will listen. So I would think she would actually have a stock answer for that. She may have met him at a funeral. Pretty much. It was probably a dating app, like Tinder or Grindr or Grandfather. All right. Here, Chris, is your last quote.
It's the only block of time that's deep focus time. That was a man talking to the Wall Street Journal about why he is part of a trend of alpha male go-getters who these days are all bragging about waking up when. I don't know. I don't know this. Yeah, well, it's when the alpha worm gets the worm, I guess. Yes! What just happened? All right, so this is what happened. I just wanted you all to know this. I said worm. And of course, these days, everybody thinks of RFK Jr. But instead we got JFK Jr.
who as far as we know has never had a worm. I'll just give it a, these are the newest trend among guys who are trying to show how competitive and with it and world beating they are is they're all getting up at 4 a.m. All the real entrepreneur types are bragging about getting up at four. They're doing it thanks to viral videos, testosterone-fueled competition with each other, and mountains of cocaine. I just love that I found out I have something in common with an Iowa farmer.
Really? We're not on TikTok. Yeah, you have no idea. Yeah. If alpha males are doing that, if I was a man, I would be a beta cup. Yes. Me too. They're claiming they're alphas, but here's the thing. If they're waking up at 4 a.m., that means they're probably going to bed at 8 p.m. Oh, who's a baby now? Oh, you go to sleep at 8 p.m.? Well, actually, that's true because one of the things that started this trend was this viral TikTok.
that went around with this influencer, posted his routine for 4 a.m. He says, quote, sin lives late at night. So he goes to bed early, right? There's no one to tempt you at 4 a.m. because no one's awake except, well. Damn, when did garbage men get so sexy? Except all the people who have been doing cocaine all night long are awake at 40. And most stand-up comedians.
three was so much better than ours. Let's declare him a winner with 3-0. There you are. Very good. Now get back to your front yard with your pitchfork. Thank you so much for calling, Chris. Take care. Thank you. Bye-bye. Right now panel, time for you to answer some questions about this week's news.
Joyelle, scientists at Germany's Max Planck Institute for Physics are behind some of the most important findings of our time, quantum theory, gene editing. But now they've developed what they say is the perfect scientifically proven formula for what? Um, coffee. Close. Well, it being a foodstuff, I'll give you a hint. They finally proved the Bucatini theorem. Pasta? Yes. The perfect pasta recipe.
Fresh off from proving that atmospheric diffraction spikes cause the moon to hit your eye like a big pizza pie. The Max Planck scientists have just completed extensive experiments into how to create the perfect plate of cacio e pepe pasta. While the actual science is difficult to communicate to you lay people Suffice it to say that this is the first research project to ever make somebody say, hey, who put meatballs in the particle collider?
Wait, this is in Germany, though? Well, the Institute is based in Germany, but it was a collaboration of scientists from all over the world. Yeah, when the Germans and Italians collaborate with the Japanese there also? I'm on board. Sounds like a party. The physicist's pasta technique involves using heat to supersaturate starch into water, then entering a black hole, but leaving the Parmesan cheese behind on Earth. So it ages while we remain young.
You know, the people at the Velveeta Institute have been doing wonderful, wonderful work with pasta for years. I recommend giving them a try. Okay. Well, you know. No, I'm glad this got done, because if there's one person I trust to make great Italian food, it is a German physicist. Right. You will enjoy this! Bon appetito! When you're here, you are family!
Coming up, our panelists rewrite history in our bluff listener game called 1-888-Wait-Wait-to-Play. We'll be back in a minute with more of Wait-Wait-to-Play. This message comes from WISE, the app for doing things and other currencies. With WISE, you can send, spend, or receive money across borders, all at a fair exchange rate. No markups or hidden fees. Join millions of customers and visit wise.com. T's and C's apply. plug for a recent bonus episode. A former contestant fesses up
cheating. I got scared. I got nervous about looking foolish on national radio. So we gave him a Bluff the Listener do-over. I had no real idea. Wow. Really? To hear it, sign up for NPR+. You get other perks, too, like sponsor-free listening and discounts at the NPR shop. Just head over to plus.npr.org. Tariffs, recessions, how Colombian drug cartels gave us blueberries all year long. That's the kind of thing the Planet Money podcast explains.
I'm Sarah Gonzalez, and on Planet Money, we help you understand the economy and how things all around you came to be the way they are. Para que sepas, so you know. Listen to the Planet Money podcast from NPR. The scary new movie Sinners from the director of Black Panther finds Michael B. Jordan playing twin brothers.
It's got vampires, it's got great music, and it's a fun one to see with a big crowd. This is the most excited I've been about a movie in a very long time. We'll tell you why you should see Sinners on the biggest... Listen to the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast from NPR. NPR and WBEZ Chicago. This is, wait, wait, don't tell me, the NPR News Quiz. I'm Bill Curtis. We're playing this week with Hari Kondabolu, Peter Gross, and Joyelle Nicole Judson.
And here again is your host at the Studebaker Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, Peter. Say go. Thank you so much, Bill. Right now, it's time for the Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me Bluff, the listener game. Call 1-888-WAIT-WAIT to play our game on the air. or you can check out the pinned post on our Instagram page at WaitWaitNPR for all the information you might need. Hi, you're on Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me.
Hi, this is Dave Bevinger calling in from Union, Kentucky. Union, Kentucky. Now, I don't know. What do you do there in Union, Kentucky? I'm an environmental consultant. An environmental consultant. Like you show up and go, that's an environment. Yes, indeed. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Here's an environment. There's an environment. Dave, welcome to the show. It's great to have you with us. You're going to play our game in which you must try to tell truth from fiction.
Bill, what's Dave's topic? A historic, oopsie, history or herstory. I'm an ally. isn't set in stone. And this week we read about something once thought was an absolute historical fact, but it's been recently proven wrong. Our panel is going to tell you about it. Pick the one who's telling the truth. You'll win the wait waiter of your choice on your voicemail. Are you ready to play? I am ready. All right. First, let's hear from Peter Gross.
Forget everything you thought you knew about Dracula, or at least the guy they based Dracula on. This week, historians from the University of Brasov in Transylvania, Romania, unearthed a trove of documents that revealed that Vlad the Impaler, the 15th century lord who historians had believed impaled his enemies on wooden spikes, didn't actually do that.
In fact, the title The Impaler was actually a misreported version of his true nickname. A journal entry dated June 17, 1462, written by a Magyar duke, tells the real story. Dear Diary, conquered by Vlad today. He's been so nice. Total sweetheart. But can I be honest with you, diary? Every time he takes a breath, there's an annoying rattling sound, like a sword being dragged across a stone floor. It's the worst.
I think he has a deviated septum, or maybe there's a giant booger stuck in there. Either way, it's super irritating. Behind his back, we all call him Vlad the Inhaler. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Gotta go, diary. Also, I think I have a crush on Kathy, one of the kitchen maids. But don't tell anyone. So the historic villain, Vlad the Impaler, actually the much less threatening Vlad the Inhaler, your next Back in Time Take Backsy comes from Joyal Nicole Johnson.
China is home to many tourist attractions, the Forbidden City, the Terracotta Army, and perhaps its greatest achievement of all. This week, portions of the Ming Dynasty extension eroded, and historians were excited to find a time capsule. To their delight, the peasant-turned-emperor, Tai Tzu, had a sense of humor. Among the items were locks of hair from each of his concubines, holiday ornaments for the Chinese New Year, and a letter on papyrus from the emperor himself.
The report detailed his true reason for extending and fortifying the wall. The emperor loved his dog. While the massive project began as a way to keep out the Mongol hordes, Emperor Taitsu realized it could serve another purpose. to keep his precious shih tzus in. The final line in the note says, sure, the emperor hated Mongolians. But he loved his dogs more, so the response to the age-old question...
Who let the dogs out? Not Emperor Tatsu. Turns out the Great Wall was built not so much to keep the Mongol hordes out. but to keep the emperor's dog in, your last blast from the past comes from Harikunda Bol. There are few certainties about the distant past, but what we knew for sure was that Henry VIII had six wives. Gaul was divided into three parts, and the Bayeux Tapestry, the famous medieval work of art that depicts the Norman conquest of Britain, had 93 penises embroidered into it.
Now there is a claim of a phallus fallacy that the tapestry, in fact, has 94 penises on it. The bizarre number of flailing tools makes you wonder if this art was found in a medieval frat house. The dong drama began on the Medieval Extra podcast. When historian and medieval Wang enthusiast, Dr. Christopher Monk claimed he found a 94th shaft. Under the tunic of a soldier, which would surpass the total number of Willy Wonkas.
Found by bulge scholar George Garnett. It should be emphasized that both these historians are men because obviously. That was so difficult. Artfully done. Artfully done. All right, so here are your choices, Dave. We just found out an amazing thing about the past that we didn't know that rocked our world. Was it? From Peter Gross, Vlad the Impaler, the terrible monster of medieval womania, turned out to be just Vlad the Inhaler.
From Joelle Nicole Johnson, the Great Wall of China was built at least in part to keep the emperor's beloved dogs from running away. Or... from Harikandabolu. It turns out there's one more member of the club. in the Bayeux Tapestry. Which of these is the real story of historical revisionism? I'm going to go with C. You're going to go with C. Hari's story of an additional... element being found in the Bayeux Tapestry.
To bring in the correct answer, here is one of the scholars involved in that discovery. One of the striking things about the tapestry is the number of penises in it. That was Professor George Garnett from the University of Oxford. on the History Extra podcast discussing the correct penis count.
of the tapestry in question. Congratulations, Dave, you got it right. Hari was telling the truth in his own way. You're in a point for Hari and you've won our prize, the voice of your choice in your voicemail. Thank you so much for playing with us today. Thank you all so much. This has been a bucket list item. Thank you all. I'm so glad. Take care. And now the game where we ask famous people about obscure things. We call it Not My Job.
Natasha Rothwell was one of those performers who became successful in part because people just love having her around. She was a writer on Issa Rae's show Insecure, and Issa loved her so much, she put her in the cast. And after she was nominated for an Emmy for season one of The White Lotus, creator Mike White brought her to Thailand for season three because... What fun could it be without her? Natasha Rothwell, welcome to Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me.
Thank you for having me. So before we go any further, Let me ask you, just to fact check me, is that right? You were a writer for Insecure, and Issa Rae, the creator of the show, was like, this character you've written, you have to play her. Come be in the cast. Yeah, I was hired to write. I think I was one of the first people hired to write. And a few months into the writer's room, the character Kelly was created.
I was called into their office and I thought it was because I made one too many naughty jokes. That's pretty awesome. Would you consider that your big break? Because you had been a working actor for a long time. Yeah, I mean, I wrote for Saturday Night Live right before, so that kind of was the passport. stamp I needed to sort of open a lot of doors. But I feel like, you know, insecure was the wind at my back for sure. Yeah. You're one of those people I admire because you were in the trenches.
For a long time before you made it big you actually you were doing comedy in Tokyo for a while Yeah, at the Crocodile Club in downtown Tokyo for a lot of expats. Um, yeah, I found my committed voice there for sure, because you have to. The humor has to translate, you know, regardless of what language was being spoken by the people in the audience. And so it tapped into that idea of universal humor. And what kind of jokes killed in Tokyo?
Oh, status jokes. Oh, if the secretary was mean to the boss, watch out. Really? The business guys just lapped that up? Oh, man. Yeah. Anytime you subverted expectations in that way, it was really it hit home. And what did you learn from your four years of teaching high school in New York City? I don't want children. yeah I'm child free and I'm so so love you know I love children I love
teaching. I just like other people's children. Right, exactly. Now that you're a well-known performer on TV and elsewhere, do you ever hear from your former students and going, yeah, we knew that was happening? I do, I do. They used to actually try to find when I was performing at UCB in New York because it was kind of like this weird superhero where... I was a high school theater teacher by day and doing UCB comedy at night. And they would just be like, yo, miss, you swore we heard you cuss.
So that means I can cuss, and I had to let them know that that wasn't the case. Right, right. And have you ever used your influence, position, and fame to finally tell some of those kids what you really thought of them? When they see that I blocked them, I think they get the message. I found out something really interesting about The White Lotus. This is the huge hit show on HBO each season. If people don't know, it takes place at a different luxury resort around the world.
And one of the things I found out about it is that part of its conception was something that they could do during COVID. They started shooting it in 2020. And so all you members of the cast... were brought to the Four Seasons Hotel in Maui and kept there for months, right? It was like a bubble. And are you ready to tell us that that really wasn't as wonderful as we might think it is?
Here's the thing. It was a beautiful five-star prison. Hear me out. You don't have to go home with your coworkers most days. So you and the other cast members of season one of White Lotus. are wandering around this big luxury hotel entirely by yourselves. So it's kind of like... Yeah, just imagine, yeah, just going to go get ice and Jennifer Coolidge is there. You know, it's like, it messes with your mind a little bit. Yeah, so it's kind of like the White Lotus.
the TV show, but when the cameras stopped rolling, it was like The Shining. Absolutely. It was lovely, and I think that, you know, that's what makes season three such a shock to my system, because... It was a larger cast, you know, and we could obviously be wherever we needed to be. And so Mike has really figured out the formula for the show, to be sure.
which is to cram you all into a luxurious place for months and not let you leave. Yes. I heard from an interview with a castmate of yours that it was actually quite hard to be in Thailand for that long because it was incredibly hot. And on the most miserable hot days, you all had to pretend that you were having the best time ever in this wonderful resort. And so are you willing right now to a national audience to complain about this gig?
I won't complain, but I will say we all got very adept at putting ice packs in places you would have never dreamed. Really? Yeah. Ice packs can go a long way. But, you know, they say once is the root of all suffering. And so after the first couple of weeks, I had to... stop wanting it to be cold and like cool. So I had to accept it. And yeah, just put ice packs in a lot of places.
Well, Natasha, it is absolutely great to talk to you. We have invited you here to play a game that this time we're calling... Sure, you wroth well, but do you froth well? Who froths well, Natasha? Baristas, that's who. So we're going to ask you three questions about coffee professionals.
Answer just two of them correctly, and you'll win our prize for one of our listeners. Bill, who is Natasha playing for? Joanna Lee of Tucson, Arizona. All right. You know the rules here. You get two right, you win our prize. Ready to go? All right. I just took a big breath. Is this like a stressful thing for you? Are you the kind of person who, even when it's utterly meaningless and dumb, takes tests seriously?
My therapist is very well paid. Right, okay. Yes. Well, let's find out how much good they've done for you. Here we go. Here's your first question. Some baristas develop personal relationships with some of their customers. For example... After a customer's second visit of the day to a coffee shop, one barista told Reddit that... He did what for the customer? A walked a third and fourth cup of coffee over to his job to save him the trip.
B, held up the line for 20 minutes talking to him about his recent breakup. Or C, Googled how much caffeine consumption will kill you. I'm going to say Google how much caffeine consumption can kill you, baby. That's right, Natasha, because what happened was the customer who was apparently a chef came in and ordered a drink with... And then came back just a couple hours later and asked for another one, at which point the baristas started Googling.
His personal safety. Okay, very good. Here's your next question. In the annual World Barista Championships, competitors serve the judges' drinks in three different categories, but competitors are warned. They will receive a score of zero in the milk beverage category if they do what? A, draw an obscene picture in their latte art. B, use human milk in the drink. Or C, make frothing noises with their mouth while frothing the milk.
Oh, okay. I'm going to say the eggplant art. No, actually, it's they're not allowed to use human milk. And we don't know why they came up with this rule, nor do we want to know. One guy. One guy. One pregnant woman. All right, this is fine, Natasha, because you've got one right with one to go. Here we go. There are Starbucks in unexpected places. some with unique rules, such as A, the Vatican, where they deliver but only to priests taking particularly boring confessions.
B, the CIA headquarters, but baristas are forbidden from writing names on the cup. Or C, the base camp of Mount Everest, but you have to pack in your own cup, coffee, grounds, and grinder. Base camp of Mount Everest feels too specific not to be true, so C? So the theory would be that there's a Starbucks just there at the base camp. Or like you would have to deliver it, right? You'd have to bring up your own coffee.
Your own cusp. Oh, no. I misheard. I misheard. My ADHD is on fire. So I will say... Boring confessions? Is it the Vatican? Yeah. There's one answer you haven't said. I don't know what you heard before this very moment, but I have been saying the CIA. You have been, yes. The other things. I blame Zoom. I blame Zoom.
Can't write the names on the cups because they don't want people shouting out the names of the CIA agents at the CIA. Bill, how did Natasha do in our quiz? Well, 3-0 for the White Lotus. Natasha Rothwell is an Emmy-nominated actor and writer. You can see her in season three of The White Lotus, streaming on Mac now. Natasha, thank you so much for joining us on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Thank you so much. Take care. Bye-bye. It's time for those of you who really have to.
In just a minute, Bill raises a toast to your good health and maybe saves your life. It's our Listener Lumber Challenge. Call 1-888-WAIT-WAIT to join us on the air. We'll be back in a minute with more of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me from NPR. These days, there's a lot of news. It can be hard to keep up with what it means for you, your family, and your community. Consider this from NPR as a podcast that helps you make sense of the news.
Six days a week, we bring you a deep dive on a story and provide the context, backstory, and analysis you need to understand our rapidly changing world. Listen to the Consider This podcast from NPR. We're here to help you make sense of the economic news. from Trump's tariffs. It's called, in game theory, a trigger strategy, or sometimes called grim trigger, which sort of has a cowboy-esque ring to it. To what exactly a sovereign wealth fund is.
For insight every weekday, listen to NPR's The Indicator from Planet Money. Starting in the 1950s, there was a push to get meat onto Americans' plates at every meal. So you would have breakfast with maybe perhaps sausage offered. You'd have lunch where it would be deli meat sandwiches. And you'd have dinner that would center over a large cut of meat. The hidden forces behind our everyday decisions. That's on the TED Radio Hour from NPR.
From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz. I'm Bill Curtis. We're playing this week with Peter Gross, Hari Kondabolu, and Joyelle Nicole Johnson. And here again is your host at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago, Illinois, Peter. Thank you, Bill. In just a minute, Bill likes big limericks, and he cannot lie. If you'd like to play our Listener Limerick Challenge, give us a call at 1-888-WAIT-WAIT. That's 1-888-924-8924. Right now, panel, though.
Some more questions for you from the week's news. Peter a group of scientists believe it or not say that they have in fact cloned DNA from a Tyrannosaurus Rex, but they're not going to reenact Jurassic Park. They have isolated this DNA and they're going to use it to make what? Some tech bro is going to inject it into himself. Tyrannosaurus Rick!
Final answer. I have no more guesses. I have no more guesses. I'll take a hint. The T-Rex will from now on be known as the, like, I don't know, Birkinosaurus. Oh! Birkinosaurus? They're going to make shoes out of it? Like Birkinstocks? Not shoes, not Birkinstocks, but the Birkin... No, Birkin... Merkin? Birkin Merkin. No. Dinosaur Merkin. You are so straight. Because I don't know what a Birkin something is. You don't know what a... Yeah, Birkin is probably the most famous kind of...
to Joelle, who seems to know the answer. Yes, that's a pocketbook, baby. Yeah, it's a bag. They're going to make handbags out of Tyrannosaurus Rex leather. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. That's so elitist. Well, it makes sense. When you think of the T-Rex, you think of it. its towering size, its terrifying teeth, its supple, buttery coat. Who hasn't looked upon the fearsome visage of the tyrant lizard?
I feel like Lauren Sanchez is going to get this bag and take it to space with it. Yes, exactly for her. And also, this is going to go wrong. They're not going to be like, we're just going to make part of the side. Just that part. Jurassic Park is happening. Everything in science fiction is happening. This really, I really thought it was going to be a nuclear disaster that did this in, but this whole...
dinosaurs coming back thing is really throwing a wrench into the odds. It's going to be like somebody's going to be walking around and all at once all the bags are going to become alive and start eating people up their arms. Ooh, but they'll eat the rich first. Oh, that's true. Oh, I love this plan. I'm behind this plan. Joyelle, this week we learned about a new place to meet someone. Apparently, more and more people, according to the New York Times. Are seeking love where?
Cracker Barrel. No. I'll give you a hint. If you want love, all you need is platinum status and three hours before your flight. The Delta Lounge? Yes. airport lounges. That's the new, you know, meat market. People are sharing their meet cute stories at airport lounges like the United Club, Delta Sky Club, and the JetBlue Kissing Booth.
The Southwest Airlines cardboard box. No, they say it's the best place to meet, you know, attractive strangers. It's perfect if your type is man on business trip drinking cocktails. It's 7 a.m. According to one MX Centurion lounge lover, airport lounges provide a, quote, targeted location to meet like-minded people. Because the thing I look for in a partner is Also willing to pay $700 a year for three-hour-old oatmeal. It's like a money in class thing.
That's what it is. It's like, we belong here. That person also belongs. Yeah. Yeah. They don't want to meet someone at the Hudson News. Yeah. Someone who's buying a Whatchamacallit. Yeah. That could be anybody. They want somebody. No one's getting a Whatchamacallit.
Excuse me, I might watch McCall. It's about the news. I don't know. Why don't you just go to the gate and look for love there? It's perfect if what you're looking for in a life partner is somebody wearing pajama pants who lines up 90 minutes. before boarding. Yes. Oh, I love the way you're wearing your neck pillow as you walk around the airport.
Coming up, it's lightning fill in the blank, but first is the game where you have to listen for the rhyme. If you'd like to play on air, call or leave a message at 1-888-wait-wait. That's 1-888-924-8924. Come see us most weeks right here at the Studio Baker Theater in Chicago or catch us on the road this week. Summer will be in Des Moines, Iowa on July 10th. And at Tanglewood in western Massachusetts on August 28th. For tickets and information about all of our live shows, go to nprpresents.org.
Hi, Yoram. Wait, wait, don't tell me. Hi, my name is Caleb Popson-Garcia. I'm from Tallahassee, Florida. Hey, Tallahassee, the state capital, what do you do there? I work in the environmental science field. Wow. We've been getting a lot of that today on this week's show. It's really wonderful to hear. It's kind of like a farewell tour, but it's still great to hear.
Welcome to the show. Bill Curtis is going to read you three news-related limericks with a last word or phrase missing from each. If you can fill in that last word or phrase correctly in two of them, you'll be a winner. Ready to go? Sure thing. Here's your first limerick. Sparkling wine will relieve my crammed brain. And my heart will relax its damned strain. My pulse feels no trouble while I sip these bubbles. My doctor says, drink more. It is a form of wine. It rhymes with crammed brain.
damned strain, bubbles are mentioned. Champagne. Champagne, yes. Yes, indeed. New medical research says you might be able to reduce your risk of a certain heart attack by drinking champagne, which is great news because what's worse than somebody holding up a glass of champagne?
and saying, I'd like to propose a toast, and then dropping dead so you never find out to whom. According to the study, in addition to drinking champagne, it also helps if you eat a lot of fruit and have a, quote, positive outlook on life. So shocking. I can't believe being a thin, rich optimist.
is good for you. Yeah, are they sure it's the champagne that's making a difference? Yeah, it's the ability to buy champagne and treat every day like it's New Year's Eve. Exactly. All right, here is your next limit. When I go to the beach or the chip shop with gross toenails, I can't make the quips stop. But lazy day fashion is my greatest passion. I spent 600 bucks on some...
Flip-flops. Flip-flops, yes. Celebrities, influencers, they're all obsessed this summer with the humble rubber flip-flop because nothing says fashion like here is my whole foot. Flip-flops may make you look carefree and whimsical, but they make you sound like slap, slap, slap, slap, slap. Is there another article of clothing that is named after what it sounds like?
That is a really good question. I don't have an answer. I'm posing this. Is that onomatopoeia? I'm just thinking. The shirts go shirt, shirt, shirt. No. Do pants pant? No. I'd like to slow the show down and talk about every article of clothing. No, but it is true. I mean, it turns out high fashion is now, you know, flip-flops. You have to love it when something goes straight from a really sketchy gym shower to the runway. I don't like flip flops. You don't? No, I don't like feet.
And my boyfriend doesn't wear them. That makes me so happy. Really? What do you have against feet? Look at him. Bill, show Peter your feet. All right, here is your last limerick. As he sits by the aisle, he's not shedding. And his bark you won't need to be dreading. There won't be any doo-doo when you exchange I do's. I'll be watching your dog at your... Wedding. Yes! The latest must-have assistant for your wedding is a dog chaperone.
At least according to one in Northern Ireland who went viral this week. She says she has booked 50 weddings so far this year at $400 a day. And for that fee, she'll look after the dog, train it to pay attention during the ceremony, stand still during photos. and not to start yowling when the minister says, if anyone has objections to this union.
For an extra fee, she will train the dog to carry the ring down the aisle, so adorable, and help you choose the perfect song for the traditional doggy daughter dance. And have the dog look away on the wedding night. Very awkward when the dog is in the room when people are trying to express their love to each other. But I feel like if your dog is at your wedding, it also sleeps on the bed.
Oh, yeah. Yeah, pretty much. Yes, and your partner has already had a conversation where you're like, so when we get married, the dog's not going to do that anymore, right? And they're like, no, no, it is. Yeah. Bill, how did Caleb do in our quiz? He was perfect. He got them all right. Congratulations. Really well done. Congratulations, and thank you for calling. Thank you. Bye-bye.
When Malcolm Gladwell presented NPR's ThruLine podcast with a Peabody Award, he praised it for its historical and moral clarity. On ThruLine, we take you back in time to the origins of what's in the news, like presidential power. Thank you. On the next through line from NPR. For the presidency, I'm indebted to almighty God. I'm in charge of the country and I need to serve all the American people and not just the political machine.
The origins of the modern civil service. Listen to Thuline wherever you get your podcasts. Now on to 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. Bill, can you give us the scores? Joyelle and Hari each have three. Peter has two. All right.
So, Peter, you are in second place. That means that you are going to go first. Here we go. Fill in the blank. In response to the Signal texting scandal, Trump announced he was reassigning National Security Advisor blank. Whoever that guy is. Yes. His name is Mike Waltz, and he is going to be UN ambassador. At the end of April, both the S&P 500 and the blank closed in the red. The other one, the Dow Jones. Yes, the Dow Jones. This week, Canada and Mexico reported outbreaks of blank.
Oh, are we exporting measles to them? Yes, we are exporting things. Trade continues. On Tuesday, lawmakers in Florida signed a bill to ban blank in the state's drinking water. Fluoride. Fluoride, yes. This week, a highway in Texas was shut down for 12 hours after a truck spilled $800,000 worth of blank. Oh, I heard about this. Dimes. Yes, dimes. Not dime bags. Dimes. On Wednesday, it was revealed that Martin Scorsese filmed one of The Blank's final interviews.
One of the blanks? Yes. That is a clue. Oh, a Pope. The Pope, yes. On Monday, Blank kicked off her Cowboy Carter World Tour in Los Angeles. The Pope for black women, Beyonce. Yes! This week, a priest in Pennsylvania was sentenced to community service after he stole $40,000 from his parish. and spent it on blank. Cowboy Carter tickets. No. One ticket. Exactly what I was saying. Power up.
in Mario Kart. $40,000? $40,000. The 52-year-old priest used the parish credit card to buy thousands of dollars in video game power-ups for Mario Kart. Oh, my God. God, can you imagine going to the confession booth saying, bless me, Father, for I have sinned in hearing, it's a me. Bill, how did Peter do in our quiz? Very well. Six right, 12 more points.
14 is his total. All right. Joy-El. Yes. I am arbitrarily choosing you to go next. Here we go. Fill in the blank on Tuesday to commemorate his first 100 days in office. blank held a rally in Michigan. Trump. On Monday, Spain and Portugal were hit with a massive 12-hour blank. Blackout? Yeah, power outage. This week, severe blanks tore through 12 states. Tornado. And storms, yes. On Wednesday, a judge suggested opening a criminal case against Blank for their app store policy.
Oh, Apple? Right. After the Lakers lost their spot in the postseason, Blank hinted he may retire from the NBA. LeBron? LeBron James on Thursday. George Clooney, Bob Odenkirk, and Sarah Snook were all nominated for blank awards. Tony! Yes, this week the U.S. Navy lost a $60 million F-18 fighter jet after the aircraft carrier. It was on blank.
No, the aircraft carrier turned too quickly and the jet slid off and into the water. The Navy confirmed that a quick turn caused the plane to slide off the ship and into the ocean, which is a real, you know... You had one job, aircraft carrier. Also, they are famously the slowest things. to turn. Yes, I know. It's a cliche, right? Well, you know, getting the government to change is like turning an aircraft carrier. Turns out, turning an aircraft carrier just jerk the wheel really hard.
Bill, how did Joyelle do on our quiz? Six rights, 12 more points. Slipping by Peter with a 15. There you are. You didn't even need it. You didn't even need it. So Hari is left to play. How many does he need to win? Well, six to tie and seven to win. All right. Here we go, Hari. This is for the game. Fill in the blank.
After tense negotiations began, the U.S. signed a rare minerals deal with blank. Ukraine. Right. On Monday, the White House fired all the scientists working on a massive study of blank's effect on the United States. What are fruity pebbles? Climate change. In her first major speech since leaving office, blank, sharply criticized Trump's policy. Kamala Harris. Right. During an interview this week, Ben Affleck said he thought that blank was the best work of his career.
No. You think this is Jeopardy? Let me have dreams, Pierre. No, no. He said the best work of his career was the DVD commentary track for Armageddon. On Thursday, department store Blank fired their CEO for funneling business to his romantic partner. Macy's? No, Kohl's. On Wednesday, officials in Nepal drafted a law requiring anyone who wants to climb Blank to be an experienced climber.
Mount Everest. Right. Last week a woman in South Carolina sued a local restaurant after she took a bite of her sandwich and cracked her tooth on blank. What is a gold nugget? She cracked her tooth on another person's tooth. Apparently, the woman bit into her sandwich, cracked her molar on something hard, and then discovered it was... A tooth. She's understandably traumatized, as I believe you are now. But this is why you have to be specific.
everything on it. Bill, did Harry do well enough to win? How dare you? We've got to read him anyway. Three right, six more points. Nine means Joyelle is the camp. Well done. Oh, perfect. I love that camp. Your audience is thrilled. Yes. Coming up, after the Bill Belichick and Jordan Hudson story broke there, what would be the next hot celebrity gossip we get?
Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me is a production of NPR and WBEZ Chicago in association with Urgent Haircut Productions, Doug Berman, Benevolent Overlord. Philip Godica writes our limericks. Our public address announcer is Paul Friedman. Our tour manager is Shana Dommel. Thanks to the staff and crew.
At the Studebaker Theatre, B.J. Lederman composed our theme. Our program is produced by Jennifer Mills, Miles Dornbos, and Lillian King. Special thanks this week to Blythe Robertson and Monica Hickey. Our jolly good fellow is Hannah Anderson. Peter Baby Tooth Gwyn has no verb. Emma Choi is our vibe curator. Technical direction is from Lorna White. Our CFO is Colin Miller.
Our production manager is Robert Newhouse. Our senior producer is Ian Chillog. The executive producer of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me is Mr. Michael Danforth. Now, panel, what would be the next hot... Gossip we learn from CBS Sunday Morning. I'm dating a weighted blanket. It's always down for a snuggle, and it always wants to be on top. Peter Gross. Bill Belichick and Jordan Hudson are going to announce they are in a throuple. It's CBS Sunday Morning and Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me's Mo Rocca.
And Joelle Nicole Johnson. Hey, if any of that happens, we're going to ask you about it here on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Thank you, Bill Curtis. Thanks also to Peter Gross, Hari Kondabolu, and Joyelle Nicole Johnson. Thanks for our fabulous audience here. And to all of you out there in Radioland, wherever you might be, I'm Peter Saga. We'll see you next week. This is NPR. Look, we get it. When it comes to new music, there is a lot of it. And it all comes really fast.
But on All Songs Considered, NPR's Music Recommendation Podcast, we'll handpick what we think's the greatest music happening right now and give you your next great listen. So kick back, settle in, get those eardrums wide open. and get your dose of new music from all songs considered, only from NPR. Does the idea of listening to political news freak you out? Well, don't sweat it. The NPR Politics Podcast.
Politics a breeze. Every episode will break down the day's headlines into totally normal language and make sure that you walk away understanding what the day's news might mean for you. Take a deep breath and give politics another chance with the NPR Politics Podcast.