The World Cup, Trad Wives, and the Wedding of the Century

Sometimes about really big things, but most times, the little mysteries are the best.

“Our lost and found is currently filled with pants. I don't know what I've never seen this happen.”

This is true. This is true. Mysteries, have every size each week, this American life, wherever you get your podcasts. From MNPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me." The NPR news quiz. I'm the guy so new here, I'm still looking for the bathroom code. I'm also late, and here's your host at the Student Baker Theater at the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Illinois.

Peter, Sago! Thank you, Alzo! Thank you, everybody! We had a great show for you today. Later on, we're going to be talking to Caro Clare Burke, author of "Yester Year," the book of the summer. That's the one about the "Tradwife Influencer," who's mysteriously transported back into the real olden days of 1855,

where, okay, spoiler alert, everything kind of sucks. But you can take advantage of our modern era by picking up your phone and giving us a call. The number is 1 AAA "Wait, Wait, Wait." That's 1 8 8 8 9 2 4 8 9 2 4.

Now, let's welcome our first listener, Contestant.

Hi, everyone. Wait, wait, don't tell me. Hi, this is Alicia Booker. I'm calling from Cincinnati, Ohio.

“I love Cincinnati. The Queen's City. We've been there only once. I hope to go back. What do you do there?”

I'm a high school social savvy teacher. Oh, my goodness. (applause) That is a noble profession. How are the kids doing these days? They're doing pretty good. I mean, right now they're on summer breaks, so they're fantastic.

That's great. Well, Alicia, welcome to our show. Let me introduce you to our panel this week. First up, it's the writer of the seriously pop culture newsletter for the Washington Post. It's Shane O'Neill. Hello, and let's say, how are you?

(applause) Next, she's a comedian and an eminominated TV writer. It's Karen Chi. (applause)

And finally, on actor and writer, you can see in the two-man improv show two square

at UCB New York and July 1st, it's Peter Gross. (applause) So, Alicia, welcome to the show. You're going to play who's ALSO this time, ALSO Slade is going to perform for you three quotations of this week's news. If you can correctly identify or explain just two of them, you'll win our prize.

Any voice from our show, you might choose for your voice smell. Are you ready to go? You bet. Okay. Your first quote is a visitor from Australia. One of many people currently marveling at America's splendors.

I get free refills as many times as I want, bring it all. That person, like many, had come to the United States for what big sporting event. That would be the world cup? Yes, the world cup. (applause)

Social media is filled with visiting soccer fans fascinated by America. They're posting about our wide grocery store aisles, gas stations, larger than their parliament buildings. It's really, I have to admit, it's kind of refreshing to see America through their eyes. I feel proud now of how giant our trucks are, and how many flavors of caffeinated beef jerky flavors we have.

I'm just thrilled that people come here and like us. Yeah. I thought that they were going to either not come or come and just sort of be really upset but to be fair, they like our snacks. They're not saying they like us.

Yeah, some people are praising ranch dressing. They've never had that before.

You see, they were like, "We got to bring ranch dressing to Italy."

“Have you seen that? I was like, "I think Italy's fine."”

Yeah, don't. No, don't. That sounds like what the olive garden is. The olive lunch like grass dressing in Italy, but to get there. It also sounds like a few bringing a koala to another country, like an invasive species. All the food turns to ranch. Americans are the invasive species of the world.

Exactly. The next time you go to Italy, you're going to order a lasagna, and it's going to be like, "I'm stressing all over the place." Well, they're being impressed with us. The foreign fans are also really impressing Americans, one Boston bar owner, Boston, and they're cheering for the word "bar." And he says, "And remember, this is Boston."

He said the Scottish fans there to see the Scottish National Team play, drink like no one he's ever seen. He said they literally drank all the liquor he had in his bar. It is truly superhuman when a customer at your bar tells you it's last call. And that was just like, "For Scottish guys."

Why was it going like that? All right, very good to listen. Your next quote is about somebody

That was an event producer, commenting about how who could pull off the wedding. She is reportedly planning to stage at Madison Square Garden.

“And be none other than Taylor Swift. Who else, of course, Taylor Swift?”

Ms. Swift has reportedly reserved Madison Square Garden for her upcoming wedding. Of course, when you think about it, how could anyone start their lives together without a 45-person urinal? I wonder if they a lot seating based on how much she likes you. So you're like excited to be invited and then you're up in the nose, please.

I mean, it is a little weird when you think about it. Apparently, she's going to have a thousand guests, right? And if you could afford to have a thousand of your close friends come to your wedding, why would you do it in one of the only places in the world that can host that many people and still look empty? Yeah. Wait, so it's going to be a thousand people in a place

that holds 20,000. Exactly right. And so if you're in the nose, please, she really hates you. Let me think about it. Okay. She's Madison Square Garden. She's going to throw a party in Madison Square Garden. Impressive. But anybody can rent Madison Square Garden if you have the cash. She's Taylor Swift. She could do it anywhere. She could have the first wedding in the straight of her moods.

I hear that's open now. I guess, well, if it's not.

But we know that that costs $300 billion.

A list of your last quote is a text that was sent from a parent to their college-aged kid as the kid was going through a Taco Bell drive through. Are you okay? Why are you in an alley? So that parent is among the many, many parents who are using their phones to do what with their adult children. Oh, tractor location? Yes, exactly right. This week NPR covered a rising trend.

In which parents are still tracking their adult children on their phones. They ask if it was healthy for parents to keep such a close watch when their kids are independent

“adults. Well, the independent adult children asked, hey, Mom, can I have $25?”

I do the reverse, which is I track my parents. But they don't track me. Well, really? Yeah. Wait, so tell me about this. What are you hoping to gain from this? Are you going to prevent them from doing something? I'm preventing, I'm trying to prevent them from partying and doing hard drugs at the time. I will say, I have met at least, I think, your mother. Yes, you are lovely.

So sweet. Even as you said that, I had this image of that scene in the movie "Alien's" where he's looking at the tracker and it's like, oh my god, they're inside the wall. There are a lot of benefits to this for the kid and not even if you're lucky enough to have your drug dealer live right next to the public library. I mean, it's weird for the kid, especially as they get older because not only are you at risk of your mom texting you,

“are you at a strip club? You're also at risk of your dad texting you. Are you at flash dancers?”

Is Rebecca there? Or we're both at flash dancers. Yeah, he's the only phone in waving. Oh, also, how did Alicia do in her quiz? Alicia did fantastically well, three out of three perfect score. That's great, Alicia. Thank you so much for playing and enjoy your summer on. Thank you so much. Thank you. Bye bye. All right, panel now, it's time for you to answer some questions about this week's news.

Shane, a new study has proven scientifically what everybody has always just known.

If you want French fries to taste better, just do what? Eat 'em. No. Add more salt? No. A frium harder. No. Get someone else to pay for that. No, it doesn't. It doesn't involve someone else. Oh, oh, eat 'em off someone else's place. Yes, steal them. Yeah. Stolen french fries taste better.

Subjects in this experiment were served french fries of their own, and then asked to compare the taste of fries that they had taken from somebody else. And they said the stolen fries were crispier, saltier, and overall more enjoyable. And as for the best fries of all, just car jack somebody in the drive for that. Wow, okay, so Seagulls must be so happy. Is that right? Why are you doing it?

That's why they do it.

There's a, there's a gradation, right? This is true. First, your own fries, they taste fine.

without their permission taste better than that. And the tasty it fries, again, proven by science,

are the product of quote, "high risk covert take it." I feel this way,

“that's how I feel about money. Yeah, if you earn it, it's fine. But if you steal it,”

it's great. Yeah, it's especially high-risk, like a nice heist, good bank heist. That's how Europeans felt about Native American land here. Yeah. Oh, wow. Yeah, Spain is fine. Have you seen the Americans? Oh my God, boy. Have they tried this with other foods? Like fries are particularly easily stolen food. Yeah, has like a disc, you know. That's the pick the hardest food. This is like scooping.

Just imagine, if it's imagine, like Tom Cruise being lowered from the ceiling and a cable

with a spoon, I saw. Laughing it up like a calf. No, the best way to steal a disc is with a piece of brain. This is going to be a good way though. If it was good for other foods, it would be a good way to get kids to eat vegetables. It'd be like steal that broccoli off your brother's flavor. That's actually so delicious.

“Coming up, our panelists take on our bluffed listener game and find out why I said it like that”

after the break and call one trip away, wait, wait, wait to play. We'll be back in a minute with more of Whitway, Tom, from NPR. This week on Consider This, the global race to dominate AI has made a handful of people incredibly rich. Senator Bernie Sanders wants to spread that money around. AI is based on human knowledge and human labor. They deserve the benefits of that. Bernie Sanders on his idea for an AI sovereign wealth fund. This week on Consider This,

listen on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts. Every episode of It's been a minute, NPR is what's happening in culture podcast. Starts by asking three questions. Who? How? Why now? If the culture's asking it, we're talking about it. At NPR, we stand for your right to be curious and indulge your cultural curiosity. Follow it's been a minute wherever you get your podcasts and we'll break down the Zeitgeisty

topics that are filling your feed. Hi, it's Terry Gross, host of fresh air. Hey, take a break from the 24-hour news cycle with us and listen to long-form interviews with your favorite authors, actors, filmmakers, comedians and musicians, the people making the art that nourishes us and speaks to our times. So listen to the fresh air podcasts from NPR and WHYY. From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is wait, wait, don't tell me. The NPR news quiz.

I'm Algo Slade. We're playing this week with Peter Gross, Karen Chee, and Shane O'Neill. And here again, is your host at the Student Brigadier Theater in Chicago, Illinois, Peter, Fago. Thank you, Algo. Thank you so much. Right now, it's time for the wait, wait, don't tell me. I'd love to listen to your game, call on Triple 8, wait, wait to play any of our games on the air. Hi, you're on wait, wait, don't tell me. Hi, this is Kevin from Connecticut.

The Plymouth Massage Shoesets. They're at the start of Cape Cod. What do you do there? I've clocked up three dwelling units and people's backyard. Oh, you plot secondary dwelling units in people's backyard. Exactly. I didn't understand. I thought you were saying something else with a thick Boston accent and I couldn't understand. Do you build or do you plan? Oh, but that's really cool. That's really cool. Well, congratulations on that good work. Kevin, it's great

“to have you with us. You're going to play our game, and what you must try to tell truth from”

fiction. Alzo, what's Kevin's topic? Aha. Aha. Not just what Alzo said when he finally

found out where we hide the good snacks. That, of course, was also the name of the 80s band who sang "Take On Me" became a global hit back then. The band made the news this week, though, for a rather surprising reason. Our panelists are each going to tell you about it, pick the real one and get the weight weight of your choice on your voicemail. Are you ready to play? All right. Okay. First up, it's Shane O'Neill. Remember the music video for Aha's biggest hit

take on me? The one where a woman is pulled into a comic book? An animation is somehow like really impressive and really, really bad at the same time. Well, that woman has a name, "Bunty Bailey" and as of last week, "Bunty Bailey" has an only fans. After several recent appearances at ComicBook Conventions where she spent hours signing Aha Kassingles, "Bunty realized that she still had a devoted and very socially awkward fan base."

content?" Well, every time things get a little spicy, she activates an AI filter that renders her

“in the sketchy animated style of the music video. It's a surprise when people subscribe, she said,”

"But most of these super fans love it." I mean, these people are super, super weird. And for the few people who are disappointed, who cares? They'll be gone and Aha-Doh! I'm sorry, we have to stop all the equipment just shattered. Oh, I can do it again!

Oh, no! We got it the first time. That was great. Louder? They're singing in mind.

The model who starred as the heroine of the famous music video now and only fans where she uses that animated effect to keep things modest, your next Aha moment comes from Karen Chi. Earlier this year after her beloved grandmother Peggy passed away, 28-year-old Madeline Michaelson took on the sobering task of cleaning out her grandma's bedroom. Peggy had been a meticulous woman who'd served as treasurer in multiple clubs and kept records of her finances

throughout her life. So when Michaelson came across yet another three-ring binder, she assumed it to be some more boring tax documents. But she was wrong. Inside, she found something else. Pages and pages of obsessive details about her grandma's celebrity crushes. Said Michaelson lovingly, "Oh my God, grandma was a freak!" It's true, the innocuously plain binder was actually a handwritten log about men like George

Clooney and Matthew McConaughey, complete with carefully cut-and-pasted photos and facts including their zodiac signs. But even more surprising, the man featured the most.

80s banned Aha's front-man Morton-Harket. Proving that no matter how old you are, you can always

be a tween girl with questionable taste. We're using a loved one as difficult for so many reasons, including the fact that you wish you'd ask more questions when they were alive. And this is definitely true for Michaelson who'd give anything to turn back time and ask Grandma what the hell. A woman finds her grandma's file of her favorite huddies and the hottest of them, the lead singer of Aha. Your last story of an Aha anecdote comes from Peter Gross.

In the wake of their thrilling NBA championship this week, the New York Mix revealed an

“unlikely secret to success. The Aha song "Hunting High and Low." The brooding track about the”

obsessive search for a lost love was their pre-game hype song. As their star guard Jalen Brunson told the New York Post, most teams go with high energy hip-hop, but my favorite music they get psyched

to is moody Nordic pop. After they lost game three to the first, Brunson knew the team needed a

down tempo kick in the pants. So he lit some aroma therapy candles, dim the lights, and played them the following lyrics. She sound asleep and she's sweeter now than the wildest dreams. There's no end to the lengths I'll go. "Hunting High and Low." I explained the cat OG and the others that it works pretty well if you just replace she with NBA championship, said Brunson. It's a trick that worked really well in the 90s when the Chicago Bulls used to sing the Neil Diamond Song "Sweet"

and "B.A. Championship." All right. So Aha popped up in our feeds this week for one of these reasons. Was it from Shane the model from the video now on OnlyFans showing off her animated self from Karen Chi a woman found that her grandmother's meticulous records of Huddy's praise the lead singer of Aha as the hottest of them all or from Peter Gross turns out the secret to the next championship was adopting the little-known Aha ballad "Hunting High and Low"

“as their fight song. "Goodness gracious indeed!" You know I think that's because Shane's at the note”

so perfectly I might have to go to Shane's story. You've chosen Shane's story to bring in the correct answer we spoke to an expert on the real one. There are points in time when people seek again the celebrity crushes they had in their adolescence. That was Chapman University Professor and crush researcher Dr. Rebecca Tokachinski talking about Grandma's secret binder. And afraid we didn't win our game but you did earn a point for Shane and I think he deserved

I can singing that song. I can be the tone even. I will say we've been talking about the song all week in our office and now here on stage and none of us but Shane had the guts to actually try to sing it. So there you go. Congratulations. Thank you so much for calling and playing with us. So you can work. Bye-bye. And now the game we call not my job. Almost as soon as it was published, Carol Claire Berks

novel "Yesteryear" was declared the book of the summer. The story of a "Tradwife" influencer who has to survive after being transported mysteriously to the 1850s was an instant bestseller. It's already being developed into a movie starring Anne Hathaway. And we're so excited. Carol Claire Berk is joining us here and what is undoubtedly the MPR news quiz of the summer. Carol, Berk, welcome to Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. Thank you. Thank you

for having me. It's a pleasure to talk to you. I devoured your book this week like millions of other people really enjoyed it. It's a thrill to talk to you. I would summarize the book as "Tradwife" gets tratted. That's me. How would you do it? Oh I think that you're one step ahead

“of me. I think that's a really, really nice summary. Mine seems to be much longer. Oh really?”

Because I imagined and I have no idea how it actually happened that when you first came up with the idea, it was so simple. What if you took one of these "Tradwife" influencers who

always praises the old way of living and you actually made her do that against her work? Yeah,

yeah, I mean I'd like to sound smarter but that's exactly what happened. It was that elevator pitch and then it was the title "Yesteryear" and then I was kind of off to the races. Right, and were you as you came up with that? I know you've been immediate and writing about these people. But were you like a fan of these people, the real "Tradwife" influencers? You know, I think that I was kind of obsessed with the videos and I didn't get why because like

I'm, you know, I have a degree, I'm a working woman, I'm secular and I was like obsessed with buying a honeybee oven and I didn't understand why. I was like, what's happening to me? And so I think because of that I really decided to start researching the visuals a little bit more because I kept seeing them on mine. I feel like I should ask this. I hope for other people of like mine. What is

“a honeybee oven? Okay, I don't exactly know. But it's beautiful. It's great. You have to have one.”

Yes, if I can pay an artisanal carpenter to make me one from scratch, I think that my life will probably improve. Right. Now speaking of your life improving, this is an extraordinary story of how your first novel became the subject of a bidding war between publishers and then a bidding war in Hollywood producers, even before it was published, which is pretty cool. I have to admit. But I understand you, you had your share of rejection before that? I did. Yes, I was, I was

rejected for about a decade prior to that. Not this particular book, but by, but other ideas and other book ideas and people like Nianno. Yeah, exactly. I think that it's good to build a healthy, healthy skin when you're a writer, and I certainly did so if I just applying to everything and

always getting told know. Right. And have you had your limo driver take you around to all those

offices? No, but I really enjoyed. I had a few screenshots where I was like, this person's going to know that this was their email. Oh yeah, even, I saw that you were showing on TV some of the rejections you got. Because I imagine, when I was like, we don't watch you here at Harper Collins, where I am the editor. But I mean, it must have been a little weird because this is every writer's dream. You know, you're sitting there, you're working in this novel and you're saying, oh my god,

the Hollywood's going to go nuts for this, there'll be a bidding war. In your case, there was,

“how weird was that? Oh, it's psychotic. I still don't fully believe it. And I think that's probably”

a good thing. I think it's probably been a blessing for me that I don't really, I've been very dissociative. So that's a problem for my future therapist. Yeah, I say it. It's like future therapists. Let's talk about the fact you're not in therapy. That's fascinating.

I wouldn't have written this book about it. I wasn't interested in the book in a second, but

your character, as I've said, the principal character, Natalie, is a Tradwife influencer. The novel has the feel of reality. Like this must be what it's like to be a Tradwife influencer, or an influencer. You're not one. How did you find out what their lives are like? Well, a lot of this book is about misinformation. And so part of the, without giving any spoilers away, I didn't really take much time to try to embody anyone, Tradwife influencer. It was more

just getting into the mind of a woman who doesn't want to be in the world anymore. And that was kind of where I had a jumping off point from. Yeah, I know you had to say that it's not based on anyone for legal reasons, but really who is it? Once we get off this video, just text me and all. Okay,

this person. I think it's like one Tradwife influencer who's got a farm, just like Natalie does,

“and she's like, no, it's not me. It's really not me. Which, which I guess is also flattering”

that like people are like having to deny being your model. Yeah, I don't think anyone would would publicly come out and say, yes, I am Natalie. And so that's kind of a nice defensive reflex for my, for my book and that way. And I say this with all sympathy. And but I'm, and maybe I'm not going to ask you the question, but I'll ask how you're dealing with a question. Someone like you who has an amazingly successful deservedly so debut as a novel, just or anything else.

Always gets asked, well, what are you going to do next? Have you come up with a way of dealing

with that question? Oh, that's not even the top five of the, really? I get asked on this tour. Yeah, I mean, I'm writing. I'll keep writing long after people aren't reading my book. I mean, I've always been a writer. So yeah, I'm working on my next novel. Right. Are you going to, is it also going to be like about another internet subculture like the one? Yeah, the working title is Yesteryear 2, Natalie and space. Yeah. Well, Carol Clarbert, it is a pleasure to talk to you.

And we have asked you here to play a game we're calling, "Yesteryear, meet your book." Your hit novel is called "Yesteryear." So we thought we'd ask you about your books. And so you're

“sure to do a few questions about those wonderful souvenirs of times we would rather not remember”

and you will win a prize for one of our listeners. The voice of anyone they might choose from our show, Alzo, who is author, Carol Clarbert playing for. Katrina Anderson of Manchester,

Massachusetts. All right, you ready to play? All right, Katrina. All right. Here's your first question.

When he was nominated for the Supreme Court some years ago, the high school yearbook of Neil Gorsuch came under some scrutiny. Why? A. He was voted by his class most pompous. B. He had jokingly listed himself as a member of the quote "fascism forever" club, or C. Someone had written in it "Have a great summer and overturn Roe V. Wade." I'm going to go with B. Fascism forever. That's right. And I should say, a boy could dream, as he was making a little joke.

“As far as we know, there was no fascism forever club at Georgetown Prep in those years. All right.”

Here's your next question. Despite the yearbook club's best efforts and we know they work hard,

sometimes errors slip through as in which of these which happened to a Rhode Island school this month,

A. The cover of the yearbook featured a misspelled word, school. B. All of the photos in the yearbook were of the graduating class of 1926, or C. Every single senior was listed as a member of the Model Railway Club. I'm going to go with A. You're going to go with A. They misspelled the word school. You're right. So that's a bad typo, yes. But in future years, the 2026 yearbook from Johnston,

senior high school will be quite valuable. You're doing very well here. Here's your last question. This spring, as well, also this spring, parents at an elementary school in Florida complained, because their yearbook featured what? Was it A? A retiring cafeteria lady, quoted as saying, no more shoveling sloped to tots, or be a joke picture of the teachers, all doing shots in the faculty lounge, or see a picture of a toddler flipping the bird.

This is Florida. It is, yes. So all bets are off. Yeah, this is Florida. So I'm going to go with, I'm going to go with, I'm going to go with B. You're going to go with B. A. Joke picture of the teachers all doing shots in the faculty lounge. I am sure that's happened. But this particular yearbook brought some criticism because it featured a picture of a toddler with her middle finger raised. And here's the best part.

It was part of an ad placed by that child's parents. You know, one of those congratulations, graduates, and they thought it was cute. Also, how did Carol Burke do in our quiz? She did enough to out of three, which is good for me. There you go. Carol Burke's best-selling book is yesterday, Carol Clark Burke. Thank you so much for joining us on Wait Wait Don't Tell. It's a pleasure to talk to you. And thanks for the book.

That's in our listener-limric challenge. Go on, Triple 8, Wait Wait, to join us on the air.

“We'll be back in a minute with more Wait Wait Don't Tell me. From NPR.”

This week on the MPR Politics podcast, new polling shows President Trump is more unpopular than ever. Trump turned 80 this week. One voter who voted for him in 2024 had this message. I would have said I would have bought you a cake, but I can't afford one, but happy birthday. The signals are getting louder for this year's midterms. Voters aren't happy. We'll talk about it on the MPR Politics podcast. Listen on the MPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Each story you hear on Planet Money starts with a question. What happens if we refund tariffs? Why are grocery so expensive? And NPR, we stand for your right to be curious, because the forces shaping our world can be hard to see. Follow NPR's Planet Money wherever you get your podcasts and start seeing how the economy really works. From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. The NPR News Quiz,

I'm Azo Slade. We're playing this week with Peter Gross, Shane O'Neill and Karen Chi. And here again is your host at the Student Baker Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, Peter, Sago. Thank you, Azo. Thank you so much, everybody. In just a minute, it's the game the anti-limric media doesn't want you to know about it. Listener, Limric challenge. If you'd like to play, give us a call,

a one-triple-late, wait, wait. That's 188-8-924-8-924. Right now, panel some of our questions for you from the week's news. Shane, this week, we learned about a new trend in travel, catering to people who want to spend their vacations doing what? Stay inside for their whole vacation. That's almost right. It's usually an inside activity, but it's nice to do it sometimes by the pool if the lights

“good. Well, it's the best time they call the police, so. Wait. By O'Ready?”

Yes, we do. Yeah. Vacation packages for people who just want to read. Right. There are free vacation packages built entirely around, quote, reading and relaxing. And no one's happier about this trend than your introverted niece who's wondering, if she can just read in your office after dinner, if that's okay. These packages are aimed at those people who want to go on vacation, but they don't want to go parasailing. Thank you. They

just want two hours to read by the pool without interruption. For get sandals, we found the perfect resort for you. It's called spotty Wi-Fi. That's called chair. This is actually my friend Eric. He and his husband have been doing this for years, where they go on two vacations a year. The adventure vacation where they like go parasailing or whatever. And then the reading vacation

where they just choose a lot of water and read next to it. That sounds amazing. Do you think they're

looking for a third? Maybe, but I don't think it's you. I'm looking at a more next. Do you have a brother or cousin? This is a true story. I once took a book on vacation. Wow, congratulations. That's it. The files were the same. Was this one of the ones you wrote, Peter? No, sadly nobody reads those. No, so I've been really, really distracted and hadn't really been able to focus in the book.

So I took an vacation. Once I got on vacation, I started, I opened it up to where I

“left off and I said, you know, I've been so spotty about my reading. I can't remember what's going on.”

I'll start again from the beginning. But vacation itself was so distracting that I actually

didn't get as far in the book as I had in the first attempt. So by the end of the vacation,

I had read minus 75 pages of a book, which I thought was impressive. And then I told this story or wife was like, I'm going on my own vacation next there. Boy, yes, that's not something to do. Karen, a home organization expert has found that the reason many people can't declutter their homes is that they believe there is such a thing as nice, desirable, what? Trash. Right. Nice garbage. Nice trash. Nice clutter. Nice garbage is defined for these purposes. As trash that for some

reason you think it's just too nice to throw out even though you have no use for it. Like, you know, really pretty shopping bags from a nice store or like empty glass sauce jars. They'll be useful for something or shoe boxes from a particularly expensive brand. You know, you look at that shoe box, you don't need it. But you think, man, there's going to be a day when we do need that shoe box. That hamster can't live forever. Peter, I'm gently panicking. I've got so many

nice little glass bottles. Yeah. Yeah. And I didn't know what to use them for, but they're too nice to throw away. So I filled the material. You had a pan pro got cereal. Okay. So you have

I think they're like juice bottles, but they're like juice bottles. What kind of cereal are you

fitting in that small little hole? Well, this is the problem is I bought cereal to put in the

ornament. So you were just like cereal like, wait a minute. I've got these bottles. I have no use for them. I don't want to throw out. You know what we look really decorative if I filled them with fruity pebbles. Yeah. Say, listen, you joke, this is my life. Wait a minute, Karen. What do you do with that gorgeous fruity pebbles box? Because you can't throw that away.

“Coming up, it's lightning filled in the blank, but first it's a game where you have to listen”

for the rhyme. If you'd like to play on air, call or leave a message, it won't trip away. Wait, wait. That's 188-9-248-924. You can see it's mostly right here. It's a studio baker theater and beautiful

downtown Chicago. You can also catch us on the road. We'll be at the beautiful riverside theater in

Milwaukee, on July 9th. Thank you Milwaukee and or Riverside theater fans and at the green music center in Sanoma, California on July 30th. Thank you. I like every place has its ambassadors. That's wonderful. For tickets and information about all our live events, just go over to NPR Presents.org. Hi, Roe, wait, wait, don't tell me. Any Peter, this is Andrew calling from Kansas City. Hey, Andrew, how are things in beautiful Kansas City? Place how long? They're in gray. We've got the

world cup here, so really. I didn't realize that. I haven't been noticing the venues. What teams are playing there and have you met any of their fans walking around Kansas City? I haven't met me yet, but I think we have Argentina has stayed here, England stayed here. There's two others that I don't. Oh, Jerry is here. So obviously you're a very invested fan. I really am, yeah. Right, right. Well, welcome to the show, Andrew. Also, it's late right here. It's going to

read you three news related lyrics, but he's going to stop before he finishes. He's going to leave

“out the last word of phrase. You have to fill that in. If you do that two times out of three,”

you will win our prize, the voice of anyone. You might choose from our show for your voicebell.

Are you ready to go? I'm ready. Here's your first lemric. Growing dinosaurs, skin needs no

pretext. And this great leather bag is the keyflex. Our lab grown concoction is now up for auction. It's a purse with the skin from A. A T-Rex. Yes, a T-Rex. This week a purse made from the recreated skin of a Toronto source, Rex went up for auction in Europe. Why a T-Rex? Because nobody can name even one other dinosaur. And by the way, if you're trying and failing, Barney does not count. Now, you might be thinking, wait, they found a living T-Rex and immediately killed it to make

proper purse. That's balls. You know, what happened was they grew synthesized skin in a lab from some protein found in a T-Rex fossil. And then they took that synthesized skin and made a purse. So if you've ever wondered, what was that the gift shop at Jurassic Park? Now, you know, more like Jurassic Park Avenue am I right? Oh my god. I actually read about this story ahead of time. Yeah, have you seen the purse? I have not myself seen the purse. Well, it looks like a bag made of

T-Rex skin. And if I'm right, I think it sold for like a quarter of the asking price. I think they would be priced at like $600,000 and it sold for like $32,000. Wow. A steal. It doesn't work. All right, very good here is your next lemric. Though lost teeth and sharp falls make a shake. They are not what jolt's most folks await. What breaks nightly bliss is a slither and hiss. The world dreams of a poisonous snake. Snake, yes, according to search data,

the thing people all over the world dream about most are snakes. What? And yes, people do Google the meaning of their dreams and it turns out you look at the data. Most often they google, why do the penis is I dream about all the pureest snakes? Turns out that this data is regionally sorted out. Most snake dreams happen in countries with high snake populations. Makes sense, right? You're scared of something. It's a source of tension.

“An anxiety it shows up in your dreams. That's why I'm always dreaming about my biggest fear”

sitting on something wet on the train. So like if you're in a country with a lot of snakes, everyone's dreaming of snakes. Many people most often have bad dreams about snakes. So if you go to the suburbs, everyone's having dreams about golden doodles. You respect, all right? I did move to LA last year and I have had nightmares about traffic. There you are, you know? Yeah. Proving the thing. There you are. Here is your last lemric, Andrew. Our dexterous side is quite

deaf. While the other ones weak and bereft. And yet when we walk, we will counter the clock.

has a natural tendency to turn left to move in a counterclockwise direction. And scientists

“have no idea why. When moving in crowds, people veered at the left, then it's one step to the right.”

And you do the time warp again. So the brits are right when they drive on that side of the street.

They are sort of like more in touch with their feelings, which is the first time anybody has ever

said that about British. Also, how did Andrew do in our quits? Three out of three. Great job, Andrew. Congratulations, Andrew. Well done. Thank you. You've won our prize, the voicemail of your choice, and a T-Rex person. No one else wanted it. Thank you for playing Andrew. Bye-bye. Thanks, Peter. Thank you. For instant clarity on world events in just five minutes, listen to NPR news now.

New episodes drop every hour. With the latest on U.S. politics, international news, the economy,

“health, science, technology, and more, five minutes is all it takes to get fully caught up with NPR news now.”

Listen, on the NPR app, or wherever you get podcasts. Because the more you ask, the more interesting the world gets. Hi, it's Terry Gross, host of fresh air. Hey, take a break from the 24 hour news cycle with us, and listen to long-form interviews with your favorite authors, actors, filmmakers, comedians, and musicians, the people making the art that nourishes us and speaks to our times.

So listen to the fresh air podcast from NPR and WHYY. If our players will have 60 seconds when you answer as many film-labelank questions about the week's news, as they can each correct answer now worth two points.

“I also can give us the scores. Yes. Peter has two Karen and Shane are tied up at three.”

So, Karen and Shane are tied for first Peter, you're in seconds. That means you go first. Here we go.

The clock will start when they begin to first question film in the blank. On Wednesday, Donald Trump signed a peace plan with blank. Right. On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled that the government cannot ban marijuana users from owning blanks. Perfemalia? No guns. This week, tropical storm Arthur became the first name storm at the 2026 Atlantic blank season. Her can't. Right. On Thursday, blanks presidential center opened here in Chicago. Oh gosh. Obama. Right. Obama's a new study

found roommates, roommates sure 26% of their blank with each other. DNA. No, mouth bacteria.

You don't kiss your roommate. Okay. Live that way. In Argentina's first game at this year's

World Cup Soccer Superstar Blank scored a hat trick. Leon Amesie. Messy indeed, on Wednesday, Tom Holland confirmed he'd married Blank in a private ceremony. Misses Holland. No. I don't know who he's day. No, it's she married, he married Zendaya, the actress. This week, a woman in Arizona who was ticketed for going 108 miles per hour in a 65 mile per hour zone explained to police she was only speeding so she could blank. She was only speeding so that she could get to

Tom Holland and Zendaya's wedding. No, she was going that fast so she could make it home in time to watch a love island. The Arizona Highway Patrol clocked this woman driving 108 miles per hour and they managed to pull her over somehow and when they did she said she was only speeding so that she did not miss love island. The police charged her with, quote, "criminal speed." That's a real thing and reminded her the opening credits of love island are like 40 minutes long. You don't need

to rush. Also, how did Peter Gross do in our quiz? He did all right. He got four right for eight more points which for now puts him in the lead with 10. All right, you also for now. I'm an arbitrarily-pick Shane to go next here we go, Shane film the blank. On Tuesday, the UK announced it was banning kids under 16 from using blank. Social media. Right, on Monday, the FBI said it had thwarted an attack on the blank event held at the White House. The UFC. Right, this week,

world leaders met in France for the blank summit. G7. Right, this week. The four-ton elephant brought

keynote speech. Look, a leak all over the conventional floor. That's right. This week, young brands announced the sale of struggling pizza chain blank. Oh, God, this is going to break my heart, little Caesar's? No, pizza hot. Oh, thank God. This week, the tragic ending of a performance of Romeo and Juliet and Turkey was interrupted by blank. Orange cats. Yes, a cat walking on to stage and biting Romeo's hair as he was supposed to be dead. Amazingly, the performer is managed to keep

it together when the tragic ending of Romeo and Juliet was interrupted by a straight cat getting into the stage and playfully biting the punitively dead Romeo's hair. It's not the cats fault, though. This is just what the producers get for casting an open can of tuna to play Romeo. How's it how to chain doing our quiz? You did well. You got five right for ten more points

“which gives him a total of 13 and the lead. All right. How many then does Karen need to win?”

Five to tie six to win. Here we go, Karen. This is for the game filming the blank on Thursday.

A million fans attended the parade celebrating the New York blanks and be a tournament win.

Next. Right for the first time since March, the average price of blank fell below $4 a gallon. Yes. Right this week Kevin Worsh held in his first meeting as the chairman of the blank. The Fed. Pradler Robeser. This week a lawmaker in Connecticut was criticized after he blanked during an event celebrating firefighters. Oh, burped. No, parked in an emergency fire lane on Wednesday. Africa CDC warned that the blank outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo maybe it's worse to

ever write on Monday, New York, wine bar lay was named Best New Restaurant at the blank awards.

“James Beard? Yes, even though it's still ongoing the best headline of this year's”

Pride Month in his blank. Yay, yay pride. Best headline for this year's Pride Month so far is quote, "enemy lesbian nuns quit convent and marry each other." Hallelujah, lesbian nuns. Two nuns apparently hated each other but after deciding cloistered life wasn't in fact for them.

They left the convent, moved in together to save money and they finally confessed their feelings

for each other while watching a rom-com called Love in the Villa and they've been together ever since so delightful but who look forward to getting married some day and walking down the aisle to that classic gay anthem, Ave Maria. Also, did Karen, she do well enough to win? Nope. But, see if I write for Tim more points, which makes her tired with saying so they are coaching. We're just gonna ask our panelists to predict what will be the big surprise that Taylor Swift's wedding.

But first let me tell you that wait, wait don't tell me's a production of NPR and WBEZ Chicago and association with urgent haircut productions, Doug O'Berman, Ben Neville and Overlord Philip Godica writes our lyrics are public address and answer is Paul Friedman. Our ops managers just here at Vardach. Thanks to the staff and crew here at the Student Baker Theater BJ Leaderman composed our theme, our program is produced by Jennifer Mills, Miles Dormboss and Lillian King.

Special thanks this week to Blythe Robertson. Peter Gwen is our transwife. Emma Troy is our Viperator technical direction that's from Lord of Wider. CFO is Colin Miller, our production manager is Robert Newhouse, our senior producer. Is he in Chillog and the executive producer? Wait wait don't tell me his Mr. Mike Danforth. Now, panel what will be the big surprise at Taylor Swift's Madison Square Garden wedding? Shane O'Neill, the chicken dance,

Taylor's first. Karen G. Their first kiss is gonna be on the kiss scale.

Finally, Peter grows. She won't invite her parents but they're gonna show up anyway because they track her there on their phones. And if any of that happens, panel will ask you about it on wait, wait don't tell me. Thank you, I was late. Thanks Austin, this Shane O'Neill, Karen G. Peter grows. Thanks for our fabulous audience here at the Student Baker Theater in downtown Chicago Illinois. Thanks for all of you for listening wherever you might be. Peter's second will be back

with you next week. This is NPR. You know, every day on up first NPR's Golden Globe

“nominated morning news podcast, we bring you three essential stories. At the heart of each story,”

our questions. What really happened? What really mattered? What happens next? At NPR, we stand for your right to be curious and to follow the facts. Follow a first wherever you get your podcasts and start

break from the 24 hour news cycle with us and listen to long-form interviews with your favorite authors, actors, filmmakers, comedians and musicians, the people making the art that nourishes us and speaks to our times. So listen to the fresh air podcast from NPR and W-H-Y-Y.