Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! - WWDTM: J. Kenji López-Alt

Episode Date: May 25, 2024

This week, we're live in Seattle with food genius J. Kenji López-Alt to talk about food, science, food-science, and the magic of Winnie the Pooh onsies. Plus, panelists Shantira Jackson, Luke Burbank, and Jessi Klein pass the blame around.WWDTM+ listeners! For contractual reasons, there will not be a sponsor-free version of this episode. We apologize. But we will have a sponsor-free program available to you as always next weekend. We appreciate your support! Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What does it mean to be black in America? In NPR's Black Stories, Black Truths, a collection of stories as varied, nuanced, and dynamic as black experiences, you'll hear. It means everything. Search NPR Black Stories, Black Chicago, this is Wait and Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz. Hey Seattle, get ready for me, Adler. I'm Bill Curtis and here is your host at the Paramount Theater in Seattle, Washington. Filling in for Peter Segal, it's Tom Papa. Hi everybody. I'm Tom Papa. And I'm filling in for Peter Segal. And true story, I was not supposed to be here at all today.

But thanks to some very last minute unforeseen circumstances, now I'm hosting. It just goes to show, if you wish hard enough and long enough, a good friend of yours will get COVID and you can take his job. Dreams do come true. Later on, Seattle's own food legend, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt will be stopping in to play our game. But first, it's your turn. Give us a call at 1-888-WAITWAIT. That's 1-888-924-8924.

Now let's welcome our first listener contestant. Hi, you're on WAITWAIT, don't tell me. Hello, my name is Maureen Masters and I am in Lawrence, Kansas. Nice to see you Maureen or hear from you. Oh, what do you do there in Kansas? I'm trying to identify as a retired person. So I'm a garden, I watch birds, I train cats, and I'm trying to get squirrels to eat out of my hands.

Wow. What's easier, training cats or getting squirrels to eat out of your hands? Neck and neck right now. Alright Maureen, let's introduce you to our panel. First up, a writer for Big Mouth, season 7 is on Netflix Now. It's Shantira Jackson. Next, the host of the daily podcast TBTL and the public radio variety show LiveWire, which will be live at the Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland June 6th, Luke Burbank. Hey, Maureen. Hey, Maureen. Hey, Maureen.

Hey, Maureen. Hey, Maureen. Hey, Maureen. And an Emmy-winning writer whose latest book, I'll Show Myself Out, is available in paperback, it's Jesse Klein. Hi, Maureen. Jesse Klein, your work rocks. Welcome to the show show Maureen.

You're going to play Who's Bill this time. Bill Curtis is going to read you three quotes from this week's news. If you can correctly identify or explain two of them, you'll win our prize. Any voice from our show you choose on your voicemail. Are you ready? Absolutely.

All right. Your first quote is from Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito. It was done by Mrs. Alito. Justice Alito there was joining Senator Bob Menendez in what the New York Times this week called a time-honored bipartisan political strategy. Blaming who when you get in trouble? Your wife. Yes, you're right, your wife.

The hot new trend is blaming your wife. Justice Alito, Senator Menendez, that guy in the Bible who was the first person ever, everybody who's anybody is saying it's her fault. The strategy is really very useful. I can't believe my wife gave Peter Segal COVID. I think it wasn't the initial story from Alito, his wife decided to do this to troll their neighbor. So the wife had supposedly had an argument with the neighbor about politics, this was shortly after January 6th, and so then she had done that to sort of be in your face.

But then two days later they found at their beach house, they were also flying a crazy ass flag. From like a whole other different conspiracy theory. Which really torpedoed the idea that this was just kind of an across the fence like argument. I think that they know what they're doing to us all the time. I think that it's like when toddlers like hide and you they think you can't see me if I just say you can't see me that's what's happening I think that's what our entire Supreme

Court justices are like I got on a road but nobody knows. You're behind the curtains we see your feet. Yeah, it was like we see your feet. Brett Kavanaugh does not understand object permanence. Yeah. Ha ha ha ha ha ha. All right, Maureen, here is your next quote. My closest friends couldn't tell the difference.

That was an actress angry that an AI company used her voice after she told them they couldn't. Who was upset a chat bot was imitating her? I want to say Scarlett Johansson. Yeah, Scarlett Johansson. You're right, Maureen. Scarlett Johansson, Scarlett Johansson, Black Widow, you got it. Are you talking to my mouth? I'm talking to all of our mouths.

Open AI, which makes chat GPT, stole her voice for their chat bot. It was such a huge scandal, no one noticed they also updated their terms and conditions to, quote, use all our organs for battery. I offered to let them use my voice free of charge. They described it as limited interest in having Luke Burbank do that. I was listening to a story about this whole, like, supposedly there's been a huge leap forward in these programs in chat GPT and how kind of, like, it is that movie Her, like, the person that you're dealing with. And they said there's a variety of things you can do with the voice, like, you can make

it angrier. Which, like, what is the use case for that? I want to make it so that the AI chatbot is angrier at me. Yes. The answer is a kink. Yeah, 100%. I haven't done my work today, Chappie G. I'm a bad boy. Alright, Maureen, your last quote is from the CEO of a big investment firm. I'll drink water, I'll walk around,

I'll take a little nap. That CEO is part of the latest trend in executives and A-listers, making it through the day without what? Without their cell phone. No. Or something different. Yes.

We've narrowed it down to something different. We're gonna go with something different. We've narrowed it down to something different. We're gonna go with something different. This is terrible news for businesses here in Seattle, especially Starbucks. Coffee, yes, that was my second guess. Coffee, right. Yeah, I don't know how people do it. That was very hesitant applause from Seattle audience. That was very hesitant applause from Seattle audience. Coffee everyone is giving up coffee. Mark Zuckerberg, Gisele Bunshin, Mark Cuban and your friend who everybody now calls Sleepy Dan.

The Wall Street Journal calls skipping coffee the latest humble brag. What a weird brag. Can you imagine walking in line at Starbucks just to get to the front and say, nothing for me, thank you? Well, I think that this is pretty wild because if I had a billion dollars, I wouldn't need any coffee either. I'm like, oh, I know what I can do. I'll look at my billion dollars and that'll wake me up. I do think that if the line is more than five people at the coffee shop your new order is black coffee. Like the sit I'm sorry I have you a sign where like you know at the train station it's going

click click click click click like it just goes down to everyone's ordering black coffee till we get this sorted out. Yes. It's like when someone at a crowded bar is like I'll have the specialty mojito, and the bartender has to take out like 60 tools. Don their leather vest. Get ready for artisanal. Can we have a beer? I support everybody doing stuff black.

So yes. I've never felt like more of an ally. A white man ally. Thank you, white man. You're welcome. You're welcome, America. All right, Bill, how did Maureen do? She's going to be running down the streets of Lawrence, Kansas, saying, I won, I won, I won. Good job, Maureen. Thank you so much. You got a good speech. Thank you, Maureen. Thanks for playing, and good luck with the cat and the squirrel.

Panel, it's time for you to answer some questions about this week's news. Luke, listen to this quote from Bill. Bring ya ass. That is now the official tourism slogan of what state? Oh man. Well, we can rule out Utah. rule out Utah. So I got it down to 49. Would you like a hint? I would love a hint, Tom. Okay. It replaces land of 10,000 lakes, you ass.

It's Minnesota? That's right. Minnesota. When the Minnesota Timberwolves made it to the NBA Western Conference Finals this week, commentator Charles Barkley said, I haven't been to Minnesota in 20 years. And T-Wolves star Anthony Edwards responded, bring your ass. Then, and we fully support this, Minnesota's state tourism agency immediately adopted the slogan and bring your ass dot com. Minnesota's state tourism agency immediately adopted the slogan. And bringyaass.com now redirects you to their website.

I have to say, personally, I really hope this catches on in every state. Just think, Virginia is for ass lovers. I don't know. Or my favorite, my favorite, what happens in Vegas stays in your ass. Medically true. I think it's pretty good. I mean, Minnesota, right? Why not? That's their other slogan. Thousand.

Why not? Minnesota, your girlfriend's family lives there. Coming up, whatever you do, don't look up. We'll tell you why in our Bluff the Listener game. Call 1-888-WAITWAIT to play. We'll be back in a minute with more of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me from NPR. This is my voice. It can tell you a lot about me.

And I'm not changing it for anyone. In NPR's Black Stories, Black Truths, you'll find a collection of NPR episodes centered on Black experiences. Search NPR Black Stories, Black Truths, wherever you get your pockets. All that sitting and swiping, your body is adapting to your technology. Learn how and what you can do about it.

I really felt like the cloud in my brain kind of dissipated. Once I started realizing what a difference these little brakes were making, there's no turning back for me. Take NPR's Body Electric Challenge. Listen to the series wherever you get your podcasts. What does it mean to be Black in America? In NPR's Black Stories, Black Truths, a collection of stories as varied, nuanced, and dynamic as the Black experience, you'll hear it means everything. Search NPR Black Stories, Black Truths, wherever you get your podcasts.

This message comes from the Soul Boom podcast hosted by Rainn Wilson. Every Tuesday, Rainn speaks with guests about topics that tickle the mind, heart, and yes, the soul. Subscribe to Soul Boom wherever you get your podcasts. More at voicingchange.media. Hey, it's Peter Segel in our latest bonus episode. It's another edition of the Wait, Wait, Wayback Machine. That's the game where we ask a listener questions that appeared in our show 20 years ago.

Oh my goodness. This one I know. Is this ****? Oh no. No. You could be a contestant in a future bonus episode by signing up for Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me Plus. Now, if you've already done it, thank you so much. If you haven't, though, now is your chance.

You get bonus content, sponsor-free listening, and you get to support the work of NPR. Just go to plus.npr.org. From NPR in WBEC Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz. I'm Bill Curtis. We are playing this week with Shantira Jackson, Jesse Klein, and Luke Burbank. And here again is your host at the Paramount Theater in Seattle, Washington. Bill again for Peter Segel, it's Tom Papa. Thanks, Bill. Right now it's time for the Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, Bluff the Listener game.

Call 1-888-WAITWAIT to play our game on air or check out the pin post on our Instagram page at WaitWaitNPR. Hi, you're on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. Hi Tom, this is Greg, I'm calling from Cordova-Dera, California. Just a few freeway exits north of the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County. Oh, that is a good part of the country. What do you do there? What do you do there for fun? Well, when I'm not in my hot tub, we enjoy hiking with the dog. I feel like the hot dog was kind of an invitation. Anybody from the panel is welcome to join. Not now, not now. We got a ways to go. All right it's nice to have you with us Greg. You're going to play our game in

which you must try to tell the truth from fiction. What's the topic, Bill? Stain blocking ceiling paint in the news. Much like winning a hot dog eating contest, getting stains on your ceiling is both disgusting and impressive. Stain blocking ceiling paint hit the headlines this week. Our panelists are going to tell you why. Pick the one who's telling the truth and you'll win the weight waiter of your choice on your voicemail. First up is Jessie Klein. Brynn Smith has long been considered a medical

miracle by all who know her in her close-knit community of Montecito, California. Even though she just turned 70 years old, she appears no older than a fresh-faced 21-year-old. Brynn has been famously tight-lipped about it until this week when on the occasion of her 70th birthday she gave an interview to the local paper in which she finally spilled the beans, or rather, the paint. Californians are used to rooting out beauty tricks that you might not expect, says Brynn. We use natural aloe for sunburns, honey and chamomile for face masks, things like that.

So years ago when someone on my anti-vax friendster group told me they heard about using stain protecting sealing paint for skin, I was all ears, like, you've got my attention. The good thing Brynn recounts is that it's affordable and you can find it in bulk anywhere paint is sold. Brynn recalls once asking her local hardware store why they always had so much of it. I asked, doesn't anyone else here buy it? And they said, not really,

just a few old pervs here and there. So that's 70 year old sunscreen ceiling paint from Jesse Klein. Your next paint parable comes from Luke Burbank. What do you get for the person who has everything? An indictment in Arizona, a $153 million judgment for defamation in Georgia, a tenuous relationship with brown hair dye. No, this guy's already got all of that.

Rudy Giuliani is turning 80 years young this month, and he's gonna party like it's his birthday, with celebrations in New York and Palm Beach. And the invite that went out did include an Amazon gift registry with things that he was asking for. A document scanner, a podcasting microphone, and something listed as stain blocking ceiling paint Which someone has purchased for him?

It is unclear what Giuliani's exact plans are for the paint or how his ceilings got so stained But it's safe to assume he'll be blaming it on crooked Hillary or sleepy Joe Which ironically is also the name of a weighted anti-anxiety teddy bear that he's requested, still available on the list $49.99. So that's Rudy Giuliani creepy ceiling paint from Luke Burbank, and your last story of the scare up there comes from Shantira Jackson. Kristen Waithe is a retired nurse from Des Moines, Iowa. She's always been a couponer and even made an appearance on extreme couponing in the 90s. After retiring, Kristen moved on from coupons

and set her sights on winning raffles. After much trial and error and a little bit of luck, Kristen won her first prize, a pack of kosher hot dogs from her local deli. And boy, was she hooked. Kristen got so good at winning, there were new prizes showing up on her front door every morning. Her husband, Dan, began to worry when Kristen started winning raffles for things she didn't really need. Kristen agreed to go to Raffles Anonymous twice a week. And things were going great until an 18-wheeler full

of a lifetime supply of stain-blocking ceiling paint pulled up to the house. Even if they painted every ceiling in Des Moines, there would still be an endless supply. Now, Kristen finally learned her lesson and gave up on big raffles, though she still enters local raffles for donuts and other desserts. She calls it being California sober. Okay, Greg. So you've got the 70-year-old sunscreen ceiling paint from Jesse Klein. You've got the Rudy Giuliani asking for stain blocking ceiling paint for his 80th birthday from Luke and Chantira's story about a raffle addicted woman who hit rock bottom by winning ceiling paint.

Which is the real story from this week's news? I believe New York's former mayor may have put something strange on his birthday list. Alright, so your choice is Luke's story about Rudy Giuliani. To find out the correct answer, we spoke to the reporter who broke the real story. Gifts on Rudy Giuliani's birthday list included a 55 inch TV, Giorgio Armani's phone, and stain blocking ceiling. That was Ian Moore of Page Six talking about Rudy Giuliani's birthday wish list, which for reasons best left unknown, included stain blocking ceiling paint.

Congratulations, Greg, you got it right. You earned a point for Luke Burbank and you've won our prize, the voice of your choice on your voicemail. Thank you for playing with us, Greg. Thanks everybody. See you in the hot tub. And now the game we call Not My Job. Jay Kenji Lopez-Alt is a chef and food writer who first found fame creating the Food Lab blog for Serious

Eats. Since then, he started his own YouTube channel, wrote a kids book, and has been going restaurant by restaurant on a quest to eat all the teriyaki in Seattle. There's a lot of it. Jake Kenji Lopez-Alt, welcome to Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Oh, thank you for having me. J Kenji Lopez all welcome to wait wait don't tell me Really good to see you You had a very interesting first job getting into the restaurant business when you were a youngster What was that job? I was a I was a knight of the round grill

At a Mongolian grill, you, one of those places where you... My first job was actually prep cook. I got promoted to knight of the round grill within a month. Oh, really? Yeah. How did you rise in the ranks so far? I was mostly related to my catching shrimp behind my back skill. Nice.

Did you have that skill when you went in or you just kind of did it? No, no, no. I trained extracurricularly. I went home and practiced with rocks and worms and stuff like that. That's very impressive. Now, you have a really cool bent in your food journey in that you have a real... You're able to be very accessible of like showing people what it is but also backing up with the science behind food and food prep.

How did, what was your first love? Like what was it, were you a science mind or were you a food mind? Science was my first love and I think, well, you know, I think science, you know, my first love was Don Herbert, Mr. Wizard. Mr. Wizard, yeah. I wake up at 6 a.m. every day so I could watch that show when I was a little kid. And so I think science communication has always been sort of my, what I've enjoyed, I've enjoyed watching good science communicators

and I thought, hey, that's a thing I could maybe try and do. And I don't think it necessarily had to be science, but I like science and I like cooking, so I. Wow, so how old were you when you were watching Mr. Wizard? Like six. Like six? Around then, yeah. It was like, I don't know watching Mr. Wizard? Like six. Like six? Around then, yeah. It was like, I don't know, in the mid-80s. Right, right. And your parents were impressed? They were like, oh cool.

They were asleep. Oh, they were asleep. You get up early and you watch Mr. Wizard. In my Winnie the Pooh onesie, yeah. Adorable. And you're a stay at home dad. How many kids do you have? I got two.

You got two. How old are they now? Seven and two and a half. Seven and two and a half. Oh, that's, well, half of that's great. No, they get better. I find that they improve with age. They do improve with age.

I felt the same way. I was like, this kid's cute when they first show up. This is cute. But one day when we can sit in a diner and have a conversation, it's going to be really amazing. Yeah, I find them bearable right now. Yeah. So do you, how do you balance the, and you also got a houseboat where you're going to move your new studio. You're going to be doing stuff there.

Did you get the houseboat because children are in the real house? Yes, the children are in the real house. Yeah, it's balancing working in a, trying to work out of a kitchen where you're also trying to feed a family that includes a seven-year-old and a two-and-a-half-year-old. It got a little difficult. That really shows how difficult children are that you'd rather be on a boat rocking back and forth and say that that's easier to cook there than being home with his children. You have to put your bowl on the right side of the cutting board so that when your carrots

roll off they just get right into you. You do very cool cross-culture stuff. You don't have any boundaries it seems. I grew up an Italian-American. And when I saw your video of putting pasta in a wok and doing a stir-fry, I have to say, I got nervous and called my grandma. Was this to calm yourself down or to reassure her? Just to see, am I allowed to watch this video?

Kenji, how do you like the their television show? Ah, good question. Oh, I saw the first season of it. I thought it was probably, yeah, I think as far as sort of capturing the feel of what a restaurant kitchen is like, it got closer than anything I've seen and it made me not want to watch the second season. It's like PTSD. Yeah, it's such an exciting...

I've heard the second season is great also though. But I think it was wonderful. Especially that episode maybe seven or something. The one that's all one long shot where the tension kind of builds and builds. That feels like the first... It feels like a four hour service compressed into a 20 minute episode of television. Imagine that going for like four hours, but you're also doing it seven days a week and you're doing it on like four hours of sleep. That's like, that's restaurant life.

Wow, that's insane. Explain to me what the Kenji effect is. I don't know. Yes, you do. I don't know, I like to tell people if I find something good to eat. And I like to share that. And then sometimes people go and eat that after.

Eat that thing after. When I got here this morning, I like, very basic of me, Googled good lunch in Seattle and your face popped up. Did you have me? You recommended like a fish and chips place I want to check out, but I just saved it. It was a list of ten. That was probably Emerald City fish and chips. I think to check out. But I just saved it. It was a list of 10. That was probably Emerald City fish and chips. I think it is and it's on the list.

Don't go there, I'm going. And then I saw that you were the guest and I was like, damn, he really knows what he's doing. It's number one before Wikipedia, it's you. Should we play the game? Yeah, let's play the game. Thank you. Jay Kenji Lopez-Alt, we've invited you here to play a game we're calling Serious Eats

Meet Serious Feet. You wrote for Serious Eats, so we thought we'd ask you about three different people with serious feet. Okay. Like, this, like, the kind covered by your bright sneakers. Yeah, the kind in your shoes. Okay. Answer two out of three correctly and you'll win our prize for one of our listeners.

Bill, who is Kenji playing for? Jessica Castillo of Seattle, Washington. Alright. Are you ready? I'm ready, yes. Here's your first question. Football kickers, of course, have very serious feet. And as we now know, really well thought out opinions about women in the workplace.

What did one player for the San Diego Chargers say about their team's kicker when he was miked up on the field? A. I just want to pick that little guy up and give him a piggyback ride. B. Why doesn't he wear his helmet on his foot? Or C, what's the name of our kicker? What's the one you're supposed to go to if you don't know? I'll read the answers again. Yeah, it's very clearly C, but yeah, read them again.

You got it. You got it. I did. Yeah, it's very clearly C, but yeah, read them again. You got it. You got it. Oh, I did. Yeah, C. You're right. You're right. C and when he was told it was Cameron Dicker, aka Dicker the Kicker, he did not believe it. Here's your next question.

Soccer players have serious feet. Lee Todd, a player in the UK, holds the record for getting the fastest red card just two seconds into a match. What did he do to get ejected? A. He forgot to put on his shorts before running on the field. B. After the referee blew the whistle to start the game he said, F me that was loud. Or C. Told a player on the other team as soon as the match starts, I'm going to punch you and then punched him. I'm looking to the person who gave me the right answer last time.

You got a plant out there? I'm going to go with B. You're right. Yeah, there you go. You got it. All right. You're doing great. Yeah, thank you.. You got it. Alright, you're doing great. Yeah, thank you. I knew all these answers. I watched the news. Last question.

Maybe the most serious pair of feet ever belonged to Michael Flatley, Lord of the Dance. Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. But his feet didn't just make him millions as a dancer, he also did what with them? A. Played the drums with Wynton Marsalis' jazz band holding the sticks with his toes. B. Used them as brushes to make paintings on the floor based on the theme of the Irish potato famine? Or C, disassembled and reassembled a Rolex watch while blindfolded? I'm going to go with the painting. That's right. It's the feet paintings. Fun fact, his feet paintings have sold for more than $100,000 each. Bill,

how did Kenji do on our quiz? I know somebody, Michael Flatley is going to be really proud. He got them all right. Jay Kenji Lopez-Alt is author of The Food Lab and he co-hosts the Radio-Topia podcast, The Recipe with Kenji and Deb. J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, thank you so much for joining us on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell. In just a minute, we smell something expensive in our listener limerick challenge. Call 1-888-WAITWAIT to join us on air. We'll be back in a minute with more of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me from NPR.

Last year, over 20,000 people joined the Body Electric study to change their sedentary screen-filled lives. And guess what? We saw amazing effects. Now you can try NPR's Body Electric Challenge yourself. Listen to updated and new episodes wherever you get your podcasts. In this country, some truths aren't self-evident. In NPR's Black Stories, Black Truths, a collection of stories as wide-ranging and real as the people who tell them, we celebrate the Black experience for all its soul and

richness. Search NPR Black Stories, Black Truths wherever you get podcasts. On this week's episode of Wildcard, poet laureate Ada Lamone tells us how to give yourself a little grace. The nice thing about being in my mid to late 40s, yeah, I forgive myself all the time. Join me, Rachel Martin, for NPR's new podcast, Wild Card, the game where cards control the conversation. from NPR and WBEZ Chicago this is wait wait don't tell me the NPR News Quiz I'm Bill Curtis we are playing this week with Luke Burbank, Chantara Jackson and Jesse Klein and here again is your host at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington, Bill Higgin

from Peter Segel. It's Tom Papa. Thanks, Bill. In just a minute, we party like it's 1899. That's right. It's the listener limerick challenge. If you'd like to play, give us a call at 1-888-wait-wait. That's 1-888-924-8924.

But right now, panel, some more questions for you from this week's news. Jessie. Yes. There are home security systems that sound a loud siren and call the police. Well, a new generation of alarms does what to deter robbers? Does it bark like a dog?

No. Well, patenting that idea, yes, I'd like a hint. Would you like a hint? I would love one. OK. It hurts, and you'll have to do laundry. Does it make them moms? Is there one more hint or have I lost this point?

Paintballs them. It shoots paint at them. Yes, it does. It shoots intruders with paintballs. The $2,000 Paint Cam Eve system uses AI to detect if the person at the door is a threat. And if they are, it barrages them with paintballs. How could this go wrong? This will successfully thwart any would-be robber or Girl Scout delivering those cookies you ordered.

Right. Is this company run by Macaulay Culkin? This has powerful home alone vibes. bring those cookies you want. Is this company run by Macaulay Culkin? This has powerful home alone vibes. Jessie. Yes? This week, a woman discovered her husband was having an affair after their dog did what?

The dog threw up underwear? Yes, ate another woman's underwear. But then how was the scene? Come with me, I'm going to take you on a ride. Okay. Bring your ass. There's two options. The woman took the dog to the vet,

who by the way mentioned quote, it was my first day. The vet said once they showed the woman what they had removed from the dog's stomach, she immediately called the husband, yelled at him, and he admitted to the affair. So the dog was in trouble. They took it in, and now someone's in the dog house because the dog is in the ICU. Hey, be cool, Dr. Killjoy. Just say it was a stick.

You've taken the wrong side here, I feel like. Just trying to keep it interesting. The dynamism of this program. The dog is fine, by the way. Plus, while they were there at the vet, they were able to neuter the husband. So sad. Coming up, it's Lightning Fill in 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 or leave a message at 1-888-888-888-924-8924. You can catch us most weeks back at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago or come see us on the road. We'll be returning once again to the Mann Center in Philadelphia on June 27th. I'll be there if Peter gets gout. For tickets and information about all our live shows, go to nprpresents.org. Hi, you're on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Hi, my name is Tiffany. I'm calling from Denver, Colorado. Ah. How is Denver, Colorado? What do you do there? It's good. Weather is kind of crazy out here.

It's still trying to figure out if it's snow season or drought season, I guess. Yeah. What should it be? In olden times, when weather was normal, what would May be like? I haven't lived here long enough to tell you, but I think probably what it is right now, still cold? Is it possible it's the curse of Blucifer? The weather trouble, the fact that you have a 80 foot demonic, anatomically correct blue

horse by the airport named Blucifer. Did the weird stuff start after you erected that idol? She just got there, Lou. Well, welcome to the show, Tiffany. Thank you. Bill Curtis is going to read you three news-related limericks with the last word or phrase missing from each. If you can fill in that last word or phrase correctly on two limericks, you're a winner. Here's your first limerick.

Saying cheers for thanks isn't that odd. Wearing jumpers won't make me a fraud. Give my accent a break. I am not being fake. I've been changed. After living... Abroad! Yes! You got it. That's right. Abroad. You know that dumb little accent your friend has when they come back from study abroad?

Turns out it's real. Linguistics has just validated the worst person at your college who came back from Barcelona. Ibiza. So fun to say. Yeah. Calgary. Oh, that one gets me every time. Luke, you're not getting the game.

All right, here's your next limerick. Leaving picnic trash is a grave sin, but this box is too large to fit in. After lunch on the grass next to cardboard and glass, Mayu's pizza box gets its own... Bin? That's right, bin. Last week, New York's Central Park Conservatory installed a new recycling bin just for pizza boxes. There's never been a trash can so tailored to New Yorkers since the one that rented for

$6,000 a month. The new receptacle is tall and square so you can stack pizza boxes flat instead of having to cram the pizza box into a little round hole the same way you cram the pizza slice into your face hole. All right here's your last limerick. Young men who are not fully grown have a scent that makes most mortals moan. But most body spray keeps their classmates at bay. So they're wearing expensive. Is it cologne?

Yes it is. Cologne. According to the New York Times, luxury cologne is all the rage with middle school boys. Apparently, they've all moved on from low-dex body spray to Tom Ford's $300 tobacco vanilla. And for the little ones, Chanel numbered this many. I feel like this middle school boys have always been on either two ends of the spectrum where it's absolutely never seen deodorant a day in their lives or more cologne than any one human should ever have on. Yeah, I think a lot of teenage boys, like my memory of this was their understanding is that they have to use, that it's like a single use bottle. They really should just back up and encourage these kids to start with the simple things like showering and toothpaste.

Bill, how did Tiffany do? Tiffany was perfect, three in a row. Thank you so much, This was a dream. Thank you so much for being here. Say goodbye to Tiffany everyone. Bye Tiffany. This message comes from campaign managers. Former presidential campaign managers, Kellyanne Conway and David Plouffe offer expert opinions and perspectives in a pivotal presidential campaign. Listen to campaign managers wherever you get your podcasts. More than 8,000 people have been killed in the Philippines since 2016 and the so-called war on drugs.

The country's newest president promised to stop the killing, but hasn't. Meaning one Filipino gets killed a day. Death and injustice in the Philippines on the latest episode of the Sunday Story from NPR's Up First podcast. The Embedded podcast brings you eye-opening reporting. There's something that hasn't been disclosed yet. Immersive journalism. I could smell the smoke.

I could smell the dust. Personal stories. I was scared. Like I can't protect you. We are NPR's home for documentary storytelling. Find Embedded 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 is worth two points. Bill, can you give us the score? Luke has three, Shantara and Jesse each have two. Ooh, so a tie with two. Jesse, we're gonna start with you. Oh boy. The clock will start when I begin your first question. Okay. Fill in the blank. Oy. On Thursday, the Justice Department filed an antit Phil in the blank. On Thursday the Justice Department filed an anti-trust

lawsuit against blank. Ticketmaster. Right. On Wednesday Donald Trump's primary challenger blank said she would vote for him. Nikki Haley. Right. This week dozens of people were injured after several blanks touched down in Iowa. Tornadoes. Right. Following a fatal helicopter crash, funeral services for the president of blank began on Tuesday. Iran. Right. After being told by the city that the boat in his driveway needed to be behind a fence, a man in California built the fence and then blanked.

And then painted it. Right. Painted a photorealistic picture of his boat on it. On Monday, seafood chain Blank officially filed for bankruptcy. Red Lobster. Right. On Wednesday, Mattel announced that nine female athletes would have Blank dolls created of them. Barbie dolls. Right. This week, a woman pulled over at a hundred miles an hour for drag racing a Ford Mustang while driving a blank. A cyber truck. A post office truck.

The police were just about to pull over the Mustang when the postal truck flew by them over the Mustang when the postal truck flew by them at 100 miles an hour. Yes, she shouldn't have been racing on the job, but you know the post office motto, neither snow nor rain nor heat nor some D-bag in a souped up Mustang will stop us. What a world. Bill, how did Jesse do? Seven right, 14 more. Total is 16. You're in the lead. Wow. Nicely done.

All right, Chantira, you're up next. Fill in the blank. On Tuesday, Spain, Norway, and Ireland formally recognized blanks statehood. House done. Right. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced surprise elections in Blank. The UK? Right.

This week, the defense rested in Blank's hush money trial. Trump. Right. According to new data, Blank levels are expected to rise faster than predicted. Sea levels? Right. Canada blank levels are expected to rise faster than predicted. Seed levels? Right. While responding to a call about a car colliding with a moose, an ambulance in Canada blanked.

Hit a moose? Right. According to a new study, taking blank oil supplements may increase risk of stroke. Fish oil? Right. This week, a bill was put before the Taiwanese parliament that one member disagreed with. And then a man ran away with it and it was cool as hell. That's right. Great guess. To make sure it didn't pass, he stole the bill off the podium and tried to run

out of the building. Baller. It was shocking to see, but don't worry, it could never happen in America because no one in Congress has been able to move faster than a brisk walk for at least 20 years. Bill, how did Shantira do? I can't remember this happening, but she got seven right, 14 more points, total of 16, tied with Jessie. So how many does Luke need to win? Seven. Seven.

OK, Luke, this is for the game. Fill in the blank. On Thursday, the Supreme Court sided with the GOP over a redistricting map in blank. South Carolina. Right. On Wednesday, the White House announced a new round of blank debt relief. Student loan.

Right. This week families of students and teachers at Robb Elementary School in blank reached a $2 million settlement with the city. Uvaldee. Right. On Monday the International Criminal Court announced it was seeking an arrest warrant for Israeli President Blank. Benjamin Netanyahu. Right. The world's first criminal court announced it was seeking an arrest warrant for Israeli President Blank.

Benjamin Netanyahu. Right. This week, world champion speed eater, Tachiro Kobayashi, announced he was retiring to focus on Blank. Curing his heartburn. Close. To focus on his gut health. I mean, I'm getting a... Alright, you're making a case. I'm going to go for the judgment to Bill. Let's go for gut health. It's health.

You're in. Right. Citing slower than average sales, Nissan announced it was postponing production on some blank vehicles. EVs. Right. This week, a mariachi band who attacked a fire eater to take his performance space on a street in Mexico regretted their actions after the fire eater blanked. Blue fire on them. Yes. In video captured by security cameras,

you can see the mariachi band try to force the fire eater out of his space, only to be met by a bunch of fireballs. The band quickly fled the scene and decided to try their luck against, oh no, why did they pick the shark juggler? Bill did Luke do well enough to win? Well, he got seven right, 14 more points, and he totaled 17 with a win! In just a minute, we'll ask our panelists to predict who's going to blame their spouse next. But first, let't tell me is a production of NPR and WBEZ Chicago in association with urgent haircut productions, Doug Berman, Benevolent Overlords.

Philip Gotica writes our limericks. Our public address announcer is Paul Friedman. Our tour manager is Shana Donald. BJ Liederman composed our theme. Our program is produced by Jennifer Mills, Miles Dornbos and Lillian King. Special thanks to Monica Hickey. Our chat bot is voiced by Peter Gwynn. Emma Choi is our vibe curator.

Technical direction Lorna White. With special thanks this week to Patrick Murray. Our CFO is Colin Miller. Our production manager is Robert Newhouse. Our senior producer is Ian Chilag. The executive producer of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me is Mike Newhouse. Our senior producer is Ian Chilag. The executive producer of Wait Wait Don't Tell Me is Mike Danforth. Now, panel, who's going to be the next person to blame their spouse? Shantira Jackson. Every suburban mom is going to blame her husband

for making red lobster go bankrupt after he ate too much at English shrimp. Luke Burbank. Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker will blame his wife for letting him think that leaving the house and speaking his mind was an okay thing for a man to do. Jesse Klein. Well Elon Musk isn't married but if he was he would try to blame the Cybertruck design on his wife, but no one would believe it because only a man could make something that looks that stupid. And if any of that happens, panel,

we'll ask you about it on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me. Thank you, Bill Curtis. Thanks also to Shantira Jackson, Luke Burbank, and Jesse Klein. Thank you to the staff and crew at the Paramount Theatre. Special thanks to KNKX and KUOW here in Seattle. And thanks to all of you for listening. I'm Tom Papa in for Peter Sagal and we'll see you next week. This is NPR.

In any great story, there's a moment that sparks your curiosity, tells you there is more to uncover. How did this happen? How did we get here? That's where Embedded comes in. We are NPR's home for documentary journalism, immersive and intimate stories. I was stone cold speechless. Nothing will ever, ever, ever, ever be the same here. Find Embedded wherever you get your podcasts. Do you wish stories could unfold over three hours rather than three minutes?

You tired of doomscrolling? Trying to find humanity? Or maybe a deeper understanding of why the world is the way it is? Listen to Embedded, NPR's original documentary series. Find us wherever you get your podcasts. On the inheriting podcast, one event can change a family for generations. Korean Americans, we call it sa-i-gu. Did you ever realize when you were a child that you became an orphan? Camp was such a hard time. How do you think you got through it?

Listen to Inheriting, our new podcast about Asian American and Pacific Islander families from LAistudios and the NPR Network, wherever you get your podcasts.