WWDTM: Laufey

This message comes from NPR sponsor Capella University.

Interested in a quality online education?

Capella is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

A different future is closer than you think with Capella University.

Learn more at capella.edu.

From NPR and Don't You Be Easy Chicago?

This is Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz.

If my voice wore wore pants, I'd buy them in the big and tall section.

I'm Bill Curtis, and here is your host at the Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Illinois, Peter Sagal.

Thank you, Bill.

Thanks, everyone.

We are very excited as well for this week's show.

Because later on, we're going to be interviewing Leve, the brilliant Icelandic pop jazz musician.

And yes, Icelandic pop jazz musician is what you get when you ask ChatGPT to create the perfect NPR guest.

But if you want to prove that your intelligence is not artificial, give us a call and play our games.

The number is 188-WAITWAIT.

That's 1-888-924-8924.

Let's welcome our first listener contestant.

How you're on.

Wait, wait, don't tell me.

Hi, this is Shannon.

I'm calling from Flagstaff, Arizona.

Hey, Shannon, how are you?

Oh, Flagstaff is great.

Flagstaff.

Flagstaff.

I'm excited to talk to you guys.

I'm very excited to talk to you.

Flagstaff is a great place to be because you're up and high and away from the brutal heat, right?

Yeah, I just moved here like two weeks ago from Phoenix and I'm not moving back.

Yeah, just in time.

What do you do or will you do there now that you're there?

About 15 minutes ago, I got an offer from a cardiac position as a nurse at the hospital here.

So I'm pretty...

Oh my gosh, this is great.

Flagstaff, get a new job, come on our show.

Yeah, everything's the best day ever.

And I hope you studied to be a nurse.

Well, Shannon, it's great to talk to you and congratulations and all the good things.

But let me introduce you to our panel this week.

First up, a comedian appearing at Hainani in Arlington Heights, Illinois, August 1st.

It's Adam Burke.

Hi.

Oh yeah.

Hello.

Congratulations.

Next, a comedian whose album Yell Joy is available to buy at Blonde Medicine.

It's Joyelle, Nicole, Johnson.

Hatchen.

Shannon.

And Joy.

And an actor and writer who will be appearing at Chicago's Iow Theater in the acclaimed show Two Square this very weekend.

It's Peter Gross.

Hi.

Hey, Peter.

So, Shannon, welcome to the show.

You're going to play Who's Bill this time.

Of course, Bill Curtis is going to start us off by recreating two or three, shall we say, voices from the week's news.

If you can correctly explain just two of them, then you will win our prize.

Any voice from our show you might choose for your voicemail.

You ready to go?

Yes.

All right.

Your first quote then is from ranking House Rules Committee member Congressman Jim McGovern.

They're scared bleepless over those files.

McGovern was explaining the move by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson as he shut down Congress early to avoid having to reveal what?

Is that the Epstein file?

It is the Epstein files.

Speaker Mike Johnson

ended the house session a day early saying he wanted lawmakers to have more vacation time to be with their families or travel to the secret sex islands they love.

Now Johnson was dealing of course as all the Republicans are with hordes of conspiracy theorists in their own party demanding to see these Epsom files so he did the perfect thing to put them at ease shutting down the government to avoid talking about it.

I also do appreciate that like I learned a lot from Trump sometimes.

Like whenever you're in trouble for something, just be like, Obama.

And

yep.

No, it's true the administration is trying so hard to distract from all this they're bringing up Hillary's emails remember that one

they're investigating Obama they're like oh Epstein files hey guys remember Pizzagate

it is it's like it's like a well it's the summer so it's a time that a lot of like old men go on tour and play their greatest hits exactly yeah he's gonna be like William Henry Harrison died in 30 days

this is horrible for Trump because he's so eager to distract attention from this he's for being forced to do his job.

He's being forced to actually talk about government and stuff.

And it's so funny, like, how obvious some of the distractions are.

Like, he's opening up an inquiry into the last season of Game of Thrones.

Now, that I want to know.

Okay, that, all right, that finally unites the nation.

Now, it's the first thing, seemingly, that has stuck to Trump, so the Democrats are now pushing him on it, too, right?

They're all like the Epstein files.

We want to see the Epstein files.

Nothing has united Democrats and Republicans like this since they all went to Jeffrey Epstein's island together.

I know, man.

If you want to trade Bill Clinton for Donald Trump, that is a trade I will make.

Exactly.

All right.

Here, Shannon, is your next quote.

Ideally, I'd have nice natural hair, but if you don't have it, you have to buy it.

That was a man speaking to the New York Times about how these days it is now less and less embarrassing for men to wear a what?

Is that a wig?

Yeah, toupee, yes, very good.

Toupes

are not embarrassing anymore.

The stigma of artificial hair replacement is gone.

It's no longer shameful or embarrassing to be bald.

Those things are all true, not just things my therapist told me to say in the mirror.

The shift in attitude toward toupés is thanks to TikTok, particularly clips from a woman who's called the Toupe Queen.

She shows off her clients getting surprisingly good-looking hair pieces because if you're going to shell out a thousand bucks for a custom-made, natural-looking toupee, you're going to want to make sure there's a video on the internet letting everybody know it's a complete fake.

I also want men to be more confident about it because I know white men, y'all get weird about baldness because you think just black men could be hot and bald, but no.

But they're so hot.

I think,

listen,

my boyfriend is half white, half Asian, so I got a little Keanu.

But he's bald, so he looked like Neil when he came out of the duck star.

Like, get your bald head, baby.

I like to rub it.

Before we go further, did you say duck stars?

I did say duck stars.

This is the thing.

These things cost $1,000.

You can get $1,000 to pay, and you can get someone literally called the Toupe Queen to put it on.

But then you have to trust men to take care of them.

And we won't.

We won't.

Within a week, that thing's going to look like a dog that's been dead for a year.

Yes.

Right.

And then they call her up, like, I don't know what happened.

I just showered in it and put on a football helmet and slept in the helmet, and then I played rugby and stuff, and now it looks like crap.

Yeah, I do like the vision of more men sleeping in do-rags, though.

Go and get y'all some bonnets.

All right, Shannon, here is your last quote.

Somebody, a few years ago, predicting his own obituary.

Born 1948, died whenever.

He bit the head off a bat.

Well, that man died this week, but most obits saved the bat biting for the second paragraph.

Who was it?

The great Ozzy Osborne.

The great Ozzy Osborne

went to his reward this week at the age of 76.

An amazing cultural figure.

He basically invented heavy metal as we know it.

He and his band, Black Sabbath, personally terrified thousands of parents in the 1970s as they corrupted their children.

And then they mortified thousands of children in the 90s who had to watch their parents headbang to Black Sabbath.

But even Ozzy knew the one thing everybody focuses on is that one time he bit the head off a bat on stage, which is so unfair to him, he also bit the head off a dove.

I know, as a gesture of peace.

It does, yes.

Are these doves and bats in like a purse or

a bandy pack?

They're part of the entourage.

This guy had an amazing rock and roll life.

He got banned for years from performing in San Antonio because he urinated on the Alamo.

Which I'm sure plenty of people did when they were surrendered, you know, when they were fighting those four days.

I know, true.

I mean, why hold it against that?

Yeah, there was no bathroom back then, 1840-something.

He was an inspiration to me because I drink a lot.

And then

when I think about Quentin, I would look at him and be like, I'm all right.

Yeah.

Yeah, he's how old was he?

76?

He's 76, which is older than a lot of people, including himself, thought he'd ever get, given his lifestyle.

But this is the crazy thing.

He not only basically invented heavy metal, more or less, he also invented reality TV because the MTV show The Osbornes from the early 2000s was the first show that realized the possibilities of just having cameras follow famous weirdos around all day.

You inspired an entire generation to share with the nation how talentless your kids are.

Yes.

Yes.

And Will Smith, they're

on that train.

Don't be ashamed.

So you got a couple of ducks.

Bill, how did Shannon do in our quiz?

Can't do any better than three in a row.

Shannon, you're great.

Thank you, guys.

Thank you.

All right, panel, time for you to answer some questions about this week's news.

Peter, an intern at an elite Manhattan law firm, made a big impression during her first week on the job when she did what?

She solved an unsolvable case.

No.

She

ate an uneatable burrito.

No, she kind of dreamed an impossible dream.

Exactly.

What's a good hint?

No, I will give you a hint.

When I said she made a big impression, I meant a dental impression.

She bit one of her bosses.

She bit 10 of her colleagues.

What?

Now, it can be a big law firm, big law, it's a big deal.

It can be hard to stand out as a summer intern.

So one woman made sure she will never be forgotten after she bit 10

people before she was finally fired.

She bit 10 people.

How did she get to 10?

Does the company have a nine free bite policy?

I think I've read the courtroom drama.

She's written about this.

It's called You Can't Handle the Tooth.

According to the law business blog that reported it, she bit people, quote, not in an aggressive, weird beefing way, but more of a faux, quirky, manic pixie dream girl crossed with the Donner Party vibe, unquote.

You wouldn't be mad if you were one of the first nine where she didn't get fired.

Right.

Was it the tenth, like the boss or something?

I don't know.

Or maybe it was just a round number.

There was definitely like an 11th person.

It was like, hey, I hear someone's biting people in here.

No, no, man, you missed it.

You missed it.

We just fired her.

Coming up, our Bluff the Listener game is just like riding a bike called 188, WaitWait to Play.

We'll be back in a minute with more.

Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me from NP Hall.

This message comes from Cook Unity.

Enjoy high-quality culinary masterpieces for a fraction of restaurant and takeout prices.

Subscriptions start as low as $11 a meal.

Skip deliveries, pause, or cancel any time.

Get what you're craving.

Try fresh, great-tasting meal delivery made by your favorite favorite celebrity chefs.

Go to cookunity.com/slash tell me or enter code TELL ME before checkout for free premium meals for life.

Terms and conditions apply.

Go to cookunity.com for details.

This message comes from LinkedIn Ads.

One of the hardest parts about B2B marketing is reaching the right audience.

That's why you need LinkedIn ads.

You can target your buyers by job title, company, role, seniority, and skills.

All the professionals you need to reach in one place.

To get a $100 credit on your next campaign so you can try it yourself, just go to linkedin.com slash results.

That's linkedin.com slash results.

Terms and conditions apply only on LinkedIn ads.

This message comes from NPR sponsor, Capella University.

Sometimes it takes a different approach to pursue your goals.

Capella is an online university accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

That means you can earn your degree from wherever you are and be confident your education is relevant, recognized, and respected.

A different future is closer than you think with Capella University.

Learn more about earning a relevant degree at capella.edu.

This message comes from Square.

You probably know Square from your favorite local spots, but you might not know that there's a lot more to Square than meets the eye.

What started as a little white card reader is now being used to rapidly scale, build loyal followings, cover cash flow gaps, and expand to new locations.

Wherever your business is growing, Square meets you there.

Go to square.com slash go slash NPR to learn more.

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 Peter Gross, Adam Burke, and Joyle Nicole Johnson.

And here again as your host at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago, Illinois, Peter Sago.

Thank you, Bill.

Right now.

It's time for the Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me bluff the listener game.

Call 188, Wait, Wait to play our game in the air or check out the pinned post on our Instagram page at WaitWait NPR.

How are you on Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me?

Hi, this is Serenity, and I'm calling from Arlington, Virginia.

Hey, Serenity, what do you do there in Arlington?

So right now, I'm actually working at Salon Monty, and that is a salon from Monty Durham from Say Yes to the Dress.

Oh wow.

You might have heard of that show.

I have heard of that show.

So you're sort of

making people look beautiful.

No, no, no.

I don't do that.

I just check them in and check them out.

Oh I see.

Get them drinks and stuff.

Yeah, okay, that's also good.

Well, welcome to the show, Serenity.

You're going to play the game in which you have to tell truth from fiction.

Bill, what is Serenity's topic?

A Tour de la Tour de France.

The Tour de France, a sport for athletes who don't realize that if you want a yellow jersey, you can just buy one.

But this week we learned something new about that famous and age-old race.

Our panelists are going to tell you about it.

Pick the one who's telling the truth and you'll win our prize, the weight waiter of your choice and your voicemail.

You ready to apply?

I'm ready.

Let's go.

Let's go.

Let's hear first from Adam Burke.

While most people may be familiar with the mélio jeune or the yellow jersey which signifies the winner of each stage of the Tour de France, fewer may know about the Lanton Rouge, the dubious distinction given to that rider which managed to bring up the rear of the pack in the famous bike race.

While many riders over the years have decided that any distinction is better than none and tried to nab that spot, few have been as dedicated as Yves Perrault, who not only has finished dead last in each stage for a record-breaking four times, but has launched both a society and restaurant dedicated to the art of being the worst in your field.

At my Lanton Rouge Bistro in Lyon, Eves explains, you can dine on what is universally regarded as the worst cuisine in the region while listening to truly the most terrible chance and musicians I could find.

Perrault has taken his penchant for failure worldwide, launching the Société Internationale du Lanton Rouge, which invites people from all walks of life around the globe to stake their claim as being the absolute crappiest in their chosen disciplines.

We of course have a competition for the worst of the worst, Perrault explains, and the most poorly written application also wins a prize.

A four-time winner of the L'Anton Rouge for the worst racer is inspired to create an entire culture around being bad at things.

Your next bicycle spiel comes from Jell Nicole Johnson.

If you Google the Tour de France, a few questions pop up.

Has there ever been a black rider?

Once.

Do they pee on themselves while riding?

Yeah.

Do the riders consume alcohol during the race?

Sometimes.

The last question sparked the interest of Jolie Laurent.

Every year they would cheer on the riders of the Toy de France at the finish line.

The French riders would always celebrate with a glass of red wine, which got Jolie to thinking, why should they have to wait till the end of the party?

So Ivre des Engie, or drunk energy, was born.

Ivre des Engie is a red wine-based energy drink.

That's right, they gentrify for a loco.

Every French person knows that the only bad thing about red wine is that it makes you sleepy.

But not ivre des energie.

Two Tour de France teams now swear by the drink.

According to one writer, red wine is good enough for a pregnant woman.

It's good enough for an athlete biking all over France.

In France, a fabulous popular popular new energy drink based on red wine, Your Last Tale from the Tour, comes from Peter Gross.

Patrick Dancroise and Joel Gauthiard have the most unique jobs at the Tour de France.

It's become tradition for Frenchmen who live along the 2,075-mile route to take out time from their busy schedule of surrendering to their mistresses to mark the streets with graffiti.

So tour organizers hired Patrice and Joël to cover up said graffiti.

What specific type of graffiti is the most common?

Well, a French journalist described the scene on the track this way.

As the van begins its descent, the penis in all its myriad forms springs up as far as the eye can see.

Every July, these two men grab their paintbrushes and go about dismembering the course.

Sometimes merely altering the images for expediency.

Explaining their process to a local paper, they said, we are adding feet to hide the genitals, so we have made an owl.

No one knows why they went with owls when they had so many other birds at their disposal.

Cockatiels, cockatoos?

Besides, everyone knows owls are hooters, which is a totally different type of graffiti.

All right, so here are your choices from Adam Burke, one of the preeminent winners of the Lantern Rouge, meaning the worst racer, has opened both a restaurant and now a contest.

from Joel Nicole Johnson, a new energy jank popular with the riders based, of course, on fine French red wine, or from Peter Gross, that there are two men whose real job it is is to travel the course before the racers get there and remove or alter the rude graffiti.

Which of these is the real story from the Tour de France?

I really think it's the third one.

You think it's Peter's story of

covering up the graffiti.

All right.

Yes.

Well, you've chosen Peter's story.

We spoke to a reporter who actually covers the race to bring you the real story.

His job is the Efface de Zizi, which literally translates as the penis eraser.

That was local France editor Emma Pearson

talking about the penis repainter of the Tour de France.

Congratulations, Sir Andre.

You got it right.

You're at a point for Peter Gross.

And you've won our prize.

The voice of your choice from our show on your voicemail.

Congratulations and well done.

Thank you.

My 16-year-old son will be really proud.

I'm sure he will.

Thank you so much for calling and playing Serenity.

Take care.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And now the game we call Not My Job.

Some hip musicians seem to come out of nowhere, but Leve, our guest today, was born to it.

Growing up in Iceland, she soloed on cello with the Icelandic Symphony at the age of 15 and she was the youngest ever competitor on Iceland's Got Talent.

Now she's only 26 years old but she's already won a Grammy and she'll be touring arenas around the country this fall in support of her new album A Matter of Time which drops next month.

Leve, welcome to Wait Wait Don't Tell Me.

I've been listening to your music all week, getting ready for this.

I am entranced and amazed and quite and don't know how to describe it.

And apparently, this is a thing.

People keep saying you're a jazz musician, or you're a pop musician, or you're a classical pop jazz musician.

What do you say?

I'm Leve.

There you go.

That's all you need to know.

She's Leve.

That's it.

That's all.

You grew up, I understand,

as a musician from a very young age.

Your mother plays violin with the Icelandic Symphony.

So

she had you playing violin, cello, piano from an early age, right?

Oh, yeah, I had the whole whole package.

Yeah.

She's from China, so it was kind of you know, inevitable upbringing, but yeah, I learned cello and piano growing up.

Right.

And definitely had to practice every day.

Did you ever rebel at all?

Did you ever like, I don't want to practice and want to go outside?

I think this new album might be my first act of rebellion.

Really?

How so?

How so?

I feel like I just, I don't know.

There are a couple of of swear words in there.

Oh, she literally just covered her mouth because she said swear words.

Is there a song called I Don't Want to Practice Anymore?

I just, I feel like for the first time I refuse to really, truly refuse to be boxed in with

this album.

So I just let my heart.

I broke the rules.

You broke the rules, absolutely.

You're reaching out.

You were not trained, although your voice is astonishing and reminds me of like the great singers of all time, but

you were not trained as a singer.

In fact, I read that you said you did a singing competition as a kid and the judge said you sounded like a divorced 40-year-old.

Yeah.

She did, yeah.

I mean, bless her.

Like, that was definitely meant to be a compliment, but I...

Wasn't.

I mean, they were like, oh, you're so worldly.

You've been around.

I think she was was trying to say that I had, like, I had, I've always had a very deep voice.

Right.

Like, since I was quite young.

I've grown into it now, I think.

Right.

I was odd, and I am odd.

I think it worked out for the better.

Right.

Okay, yeah.

Do you actually, that's kind of interesting.

Do you think yourself as an odd person?

Less and less, or rather, I just own it now.

But yeah, I mean, I was like,

Back then, especially, I was a 13-year-old girl who was only interested in singing songs from the Great American Songbook in Iceland.

Yeah.

Because your music is so redolent of like classic American song, I was delighted to listen to a duet you did with Barbara Streisand.

Yeah.

Our audience is like, whoa, really?

I am also like, whoa, really.

It's shocking.

So I'm assuming, just given your background and your training and your interests, you knew who Barbara Streisand was.

I thought my manager was pranking me.

Really?

Because it just seemed so far-sought.

I thought I was like, huh, this is a funny joke.

Like, you got me.

But it was true.

And

how did you find the great Barbara?

I mean, I feel like I've never not known Barbara.

I have to ask you about your creative director, who is your identical twin sister.

Which is delightful.

You must have been tempted to try the thing that everybody assumes identical twins do all the time, which is swap in for each other.

Like maybe you're tired.

Maybe you've done the concert.

Maybe you don't want to go meet the fans as you're obligated to do.

Can you send out her and she'll do it?

Well, they all know who she is and they all want to meet her too.

It doesn't help.

Doesn't help.

Then it's like, even when I go out on my own, it's like, where's Yumia?

So,

yeah, that hasn't.

We did swap one time.

What happened?

What was the occasion?

It's a secret.

Oh, come on.

Oh, that's a secret.

So, wait a minute.

It's a secret.

You can't tell me.

Does that mean like there's somebody who thought they had a date with you, but it was really Yunya?

Or there's a music video in which we think we're watching you, but it's really Yunya?

No, that's not it.

No to those two, but it is something else really good.

I don't think I can Google you, Ben.

Are we talking to Yunya right now?

I don't have her doing press yet.

No.

That might become necessary when you get to the next level.

I know we could do a U.S.

Europe tour at this point.

Yeah, exactly.

Is there a way, if we were in a situation where we didn't know if we were talking to you or your twin sister Yunya, is there a way to tell you apart?

Like, there's something about her that's very different than you?

Well, I sing.

Well, I guess you could force me to sing.

Really?

You have a Korean international relations, so you could probably ask her about some foreign policy, and she'd be able to answer, and I would kind of stare at you blankly, I think.

You would just start singing.

Well, Leve, we are so delighted to talk to you, and we have asked you here today to play a game, and we're calling it...

Why is it still so light out?

Your new record coming out soon is called A Matter of Time.

So we thought we'd ask you about a controversial matter of time, daylight savings time.

Answer two to three questions correctly.

You will win our prize for one of our listeners.

My daylight savings knowledge is, we don't really do that.

Okay.

All right.

A light out in Iceland during summer because the sun just doesn't set.

It does not.

All right.

Bill, who is Leve playing for?

Brandon Green of Seattle, Washington.

All right, you ready to go?

Here's your first question.

The idea of daylight savings time was first suggested by Benjamin Franklin.

He told the French that they could save money on candles in the evening if they just got up earlier in the morning.

But the idea didn't catch on in France for a few reasons, including what?

A, it was defeated by the French candle lobby.

B, the French wanted it to get dark early for easier sneaking to their mistresses' homes.

Or C, Ben Franklin was just kidding.

I'll put them.

You're gonna go with.

You're gonna go with B.

You're gonna go with B that they wanted to sneak over to see their mistresses.

Yes, I don't, I don't, yes, yes.

Okay.

I'm afraid it was C.

Ben Franklin was just kidding.

It was a joke.

Who would ever do a silly thing like that?

Get up earlier than you had to.

Come on now.

All right, you still have two chances.

This is not a problem.

Here's your next question.

Daylight savings time was introduced in America during World War I, but it wasn't very popular, as is evidenced by what happening after the war.

A, Timex introduced their daylight savings-proof clock, which couldn't be turned back or forward.

B, the state of Connecticut made it a crime to turn your clocks back.

Or C, a bill introduced in Congress that would have imposed a national bedtime of 8 p.m.

I'm going to go with B again.

And this time you're right.

It was.

The state of Connecticut

made made it illegal.

If you were caught in Connecticut with a clock showing anything but Eastern Standard Time, you could spend 10 days in jail.

All right.

You have one last question, and I'm optimistic because it's about your home.

Iceland does not have daylight savings time, as I'm sure you know.

And the reason is, in that 1994, two astronomers from the University of Iceland convinced the government to abolish it.

What was their primary argument?

A, the ancient Vikings who founded the nation believed sleeping late was an affront to Odin.

B, it was bad for Icelandic horses who got agitated when all of their meals suddenly came an hour earlier.

Or C, it is just so annoying.

Between B and C.

Yes.

We take our horses very seriously.

I'm aware of that.

So I could see inconveniencing their food schedules.

I could see that being an issue.

But also, it being just so annoying is also very Icelandic.

So

I'm sad about it.

I want to say, I'm going to say C.

You're right again, Leyve.

That's right.

Bill, how did Leve do in our quiz?

Well, she's a winner, of course.

She's from a long way from here.

Congratulations.

There you go.

Congratulations.

Levi, I got to say, I've been enjoying listening to your music all week.

It was even more fun to talk to you.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Levy is a Grammy Award winner who's about to start touring behind her new album, A Matter of Time.

That drops August 22nd.

Leve, thank you so much for being on WaitWait, Don't Tell Me.

What a pleasure.

Good luck with the tour.

Bye.

Bye-bye.

Bye-bye.

In just a minute, when over-caffeinated still isn't caffeinated enough, that's in our listener limerick challenge called 1888, WaitWait to join us in the air.

We'll be back in a minute with more of WaitWait Don't Tell Me from NPR.

This message comes from Sony Pictures Classics with East of Wall, written and directed by Kate B.

Croft.

An authentic portrait of female cowgirls and their resilience in the New West.

Set in South Dakota's Badlands, it follows a rebellious young rancher who rescues horses and shelters wayward teens while navigating grief, family tensions, and the looming loss of her land.

Only in theaters, August 15th.

This message comes from FX's Alien Earth.

From creator Noah Hawley and executive producer Ridley Scott comes the first television series inspired by the legendary alien film franchise.

A spaceship crash lands on Earth, bringing five unique and deadly species more terrifying than anyone could have ever imagined.

And a technological advancement marks a new dawn in the race for immortality.

FX's Alien Earth.

All new Tuesdays on FX and Hulu.

Support for NPR and the following message come from the Pew Charitable Trusts, sharing about the state of housing in America on the After the Fact podcast.

Available at pewtrusts.org/slash after the fact.

From NPR, WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz.

I'm Bill Curtis.

We're playing this week with Joyelle Nicole Johnson, Peter Gross, and Adam Burke.

And here again is your host at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago, Illinois,

Peter Siegel.

Thank you, Bill.

Thank you, everybody.

In just a minute.

A poetic form beloved by old and really old alike.

It's our listener limerick challenge.

If you'd like to play, give us us a call at 188-WAIT-WAIT.

That's 1-888-924-8924.

Write no panel, though.

Some more questions for you from the week's news.

Adam, a Harvard astronomy professor, says that this fall, what will be arriving near the Earth?

Oh, crap.

Is it going to, listen, I know this isn't my question, but is it an asteroid?

No.

Oh, I was hoping it was.

Okay, good.

That's not what he thinks it is, anyway.

Thank God.

He says it's something else.

He says it's what?

Can I get a clue?

No, we want to see if the passengers are really little and green.

Is it a...

Oh, wait, what?

This Harvard professor says that we are going to be visited by what?

By a spaceship.

An alien spaceship.

That's the answer.

I think the word you're looking for is former Harvard.

Well, no, this isn't what it is.

Yeah.

Harvard's negotiating with the Trump administration.

Like, how about if we just get rid of that guy?

And then Trump's like, he's the only one I like, actually.

I like this guy.

Something about him.

At the beginning of this month, NASA detected an object from outside the solar system entering into the solar system and heading toward the sun.

This is rather rare.

And NASA says it's a comet, but Professor Avi Loeb of Harvard says it's probably a spaceship based on its size and its odd trajectory.

His work is a breakthrough academic discovery that proves maybe tenure is not a good thing.

I love that his answer to most questions.

Hey, what's this?

Ah, probably.

Well, here's the funny thing.

This is the same guy who three years ago insisted another strange object was also a spacecraft, and it wasn't.

But it's good because he can reuse all those welcome to Earth decorations he bought the first time.

Adam, the hot new trend in dating is going on a first date and then doing what?

As quickly as possible.

Getting a divorce.

Close enough.

Breaking up with him.

It's breaking up?

Breaking up, yeah.

It's called speed dumping.

And let me just say, I'm really glad that's what speed dumping means.

According

to the Wall Street Journal, young people today have decided that if you don't enjoy a first date or even a second, you have an ethical obligation to let the other person know immediately.

So you quickly send a text saying, hey, they're not right for you, rather than doing what normal people do, moving to a new neighborhood.

So you never run into them again.

My matchmaker friend,

shout out to matchmaker Maria.

She says, ooh, okay, we got some matchmaker Maria fans in the house.

She says you got to give it three dates.

So yeah, we actually had a matchmaker on the show who said the same thing.

And do you know the logic behind that?

What does Matchmaker Maria say?

She just says the affection and everything can grow.

So if you're not initially attracted, it can grow by the third date.

And if by the third date it doesn't, dump the ass.

Yeah.

And what does Matchmaker Maria, or perhaps you,

think about ghosting, which is the typical thing they're trying to avoid?

I mean, I get it.

Yeah.

I have never ghosted.

No.

But I've been ghosted.

Really?

And

listen.

Have y'all ever ghosted?

Wait, no, y'all aren't.

No.

Wait.

What does that mean?

I mean.

In a position to?

No.

We look like we've haunted people.

Or was the implication that we're so desperate that we would never turn someone down?

No, it was just that y'all old.

Huh?

Yeah, yeah.

In our day, you would always send like a perfumed note to Vina.

Yeah, Viner Welch.

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 1888-WAIT WAIT.

That's 1-888-924-8924.

You can see us most weeks here at the Studio Baker Theater in downtown Chicago, or you can catch us on the road.

We'll be at Tanglewood in Western Massachusetts on August 28th and in St.

Louis on September 18th.

For tickets and information to all of our live shows, just go to nprpresents.org.

And if you want all that information, again, but in a cool newsletter delivered straight to your email, sign up for our new newsletter at waitwait.npr.org/slash newsletter.

Hi, you're on.

Wait, wait, don't tell me.

Hi, this is Maria from Council Bluffs IWA.

Hey, Maria, how are you?

I'm doing well.

How are you guys?

Oh, we're fine.

I'm really just going to indulge in a stereotype and say you sound like a chipper Midwesterner.

Very much so.

Thank you.

Oh, you're from Council Bluffs.

What do you do there?

I am a community and partner support representative for the Food Bake for the Heartland.

Of course you are.

You know what?

Don't even make her guess.

She wins.

Yeah, you win.

Maria, it is a pleasure to talk to you.

You're here to play the game we call the Listener Limerick Challenge.

Bill Curtis is going to read three news-related limericks for you, but he's not going to finish them.

Fill in that last word or phrase two times out of three, and you'll win our prize, the voice of anyone you might like.

Here we go.

Here is your first limerick.

This coffee trends big and then tuck it.

A vat with a straw we can suck it.

We ordered a size that's a little unwise.

Our coffee is served in a

bucket.

Yes, bucket.

Yes, indeed.

Coffee shops around the country are selling iced lattes served in an actual bucket.

It's the first coffee you're supposed to enjoy by dumping it over your own head.

It makes sense with all the artisan cafes out there doing coffee.

You've got to make your drinks stand out.

Why strive for the best coffee when you can just offer the most coffee?

There's nothing worse than having a bucket with your name misspelled on it.

There's nothing worse.

All right, here's your next limerick.

At the office, nobody looks cuddly.

Outside people on Zoom log in smugly.

That recycled hair gives bad skin and gross hair.

At the office, we workers look...

Ugly?

Ugly.

Oh!

Ugly!

You say that with horror, as if you would never think that of anyone.

According to the Guardian, office air makes you ugly.

So remote workers, what's your excuse?

Apparently, office air, that dry, overly conditioned, unventilated air that's in office buildings, causes acne, limp hair, dry skin.

So that's not just the ID badge you got in your first day at work.

It's evidence you weren't always like this.

What if you work in a makeup factory?

Or a place that...

A makeup factory.

Yeah.

Where do they make makeup?

At a magical elf house?

I just thought, like, you're thinking of the Mac store, and it's like, the makeup factory.

I don't know.

I've never been in one.

It's too scary.

It's become a thing online with one influencer saying, Okay, we all know what boyfriend air is, but can we talk about office air?

Sorry, do we all know what boyfriend air is?

I don't.

I do not know.

Have you heard of boyfriend air?

Like the stale air and a boyfriend, that's a messy boyfriend's.

Yeah, that's my guess.

Isn't a boyfriend air just an illegitimate son?

That's two puns, Burke.

You get one more.

All right, Maria, this is your last limerick.

Since I'm working beyond nine to five, Mercedes is helping me strive.

I can still make a deal while helming the wheel.

My car lets me zoom while I...

Drive!

Yes, drive!

If you are driving the latest Mercedes models, you'll be able to use the in-dash screen and camera to have Zoom meetings.

Did they take out the airbag to put in the Zoom?

Probably.

Think of the meetings you'll be able to enjoy now that you don't have that excuse.

And think of the fun your colleagues will have trying to distract you into having a crash during the meeting.

Whoa, boss, thanks for buying lunch for anybody who gets here within 15 minutes.

It's good though, because you can call your boss an a-hole and say, no, no, I just got cut off.

Yeah.

Can you also like watch movies?

Not yet.

Oh, I take that back, actually.

There's now a

completely different story that certain cars will allow you to watch Netflix while you're stopped.

They say.

Oh.

I think you can watch movies while you drive.

It's called Being Every Uber Driver I've Ever.

Yes, everyone, I know.

Bill, how did Maria do in our quiz?

With a perfect score, Maria is better than us all.

Congratulations, you are.

You You absolutely are.

Maria, thank you so much for calling and playing our games.

Thank you bye so much.

Bye-bye.

This message comes from Schwab.

At Schwab, how you invest is your choice, not theirs.

That's why when it comes to managing your wealth, Schwab gives you more choices.

You can invest and trade on your own.

Plus, get advice and more comprehensive wealth solutions to help meet your unique needs.

With award-winning service, low costs, and transparent advice, you can manage your wealth your way at Schwab.

Visit schwab.com to learn more.

Support for this podcast and the following message come from Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.

Raise a glass today, and you'll taste more than just beer.

You'll taste a trailblazing spirit.

You'll taste pure ingredients, sustainable brewing, and a commitment to community.

And you'll taste a world of flavor, from the legendary pale ale to the citrusy and smooth, hazy little thing.

It's flavor that takes its time, so you can make the most of yours.

See for yourself where fine beer is sold.

Sierra Nevada, taste what matters.

Please drink responsibly.

This message comes from DSW.

Where'd you get those shoes?

Easy, they're from DSW.

Because DSW has the exact right shoes for whatever you're into right now.

You know, like the sneakers that make office hours feel like happy hour, the boots that turn grocery aisles into runways, and all the styles that show off the many sides of you.

From daydreamer to multitasker and everything in between, because you do it all in really great shoes.

Find a shoe for every you at your DSW store or dsw.com.

Now it's time for 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?

Adam and Peter each have three, and Joyelle has one.

Yeah!

Okay, Joyelle, that means you are in second place.

So that means you're going to go first.

Yeah.

The clock will start when I begin your first question.

Fill in the blank.

On Wednesday, the Pentagon's Inspector General concluded that Blank did share classified information over Signal.

Oh, the dude who did that.

That is not wrong.

That is not wrong.

That That is technically correct.

Technically correct, but do you have a name, perhaps?

Office, maybe?

I'm sorry to that man.

Pete Hagseth.

According to new data, the U.S.

has five times more blank cases than this time last year.

Security issues.

Measles.

This week, a driver in Ireland was relieved when he discovered the person he thought he had hit with his car was actually blank.

An elk.

No.

A human dummy filled with ketchup.

What?

It was a prank of some kind.

That's what my parents used to call me.

On Wednesday, the U.S.

ended the use of blank shots containing thermerosol.

Vaccine.

I'll give it to you, flu vaccine.

This week, a firefighter in Maryland who parked near a high school baseball field and had his car hit by a stray ball responded by blanking.

Did he punch somebody in the face?

He did not, Joyelle.

What he did was he got out the fire hose and he flooded the entire baseball field.

Yeah!

So the fire department had to issue an apology after their captain's car was hit by a home run, and he responded by opening up the fire hose and flooding the entire field.

Now it's a matter of legends, and from now on, you know, on play-by-play, any home run in that field is going to be, folks, it's back, it's back, it's back.

And this one's a field soaker.

Bill, how did Joyelle do in our quiz?

One right for two more points for a total of three.

She is now tied with Peter and Adam.

All right.

So arbitrarily, let's pick Adam to go.

Good luck.

All right, Adam, here we go.

Fill in the blank.

On Wednesday, a federal appeals court ruled that President Trump's executive order ending blank was unconstitutional.

Oh, uh, birthright citizens.

That's right.

According to a new poll, only 23% of Americans think that Israel's actions in blank are justified.

Gaza.

Right.

This week, General Motors predicted that Trump's blanks could cost them $5 billion by the end of the year.

Tariffs?

Right.

This week, owners of a hotel in Sacramento said they were working with police to discover who stole the blanks from in front of their building.

The letters that say hotel?

No, three dozen live peacocks.

On Wednesday, private space company Blank launched two satellites to study space weather.

SpaceX?

Right, this week Google released a new AI feature that will let you virtually try on Blank.

Um, adultery?

No.

Let you virtually try adultery?

No.

Clothes.

As part of a profile of a nudist resort in West Virginia, the Washington Post interviewed a frequent visitor there named Blank.

Nudie McNude's face.

So close.

His actual name is Dewey Butts III.

You might assume that's a gag, but if it is, it started two generations ago.

Dewey Butts I dad took him aside on his 18th birthday and said, listen, we've got to keep naming our kids Dewey Butts until one of them is a nudist.

Trust me, it's going to be hilarious.

Bill, how did Adam do in our quiz?

All right.

Eight more points.

His 11 puts him in the league.

All right.

So even if you got five points,

he still wouldn't be winning something.

Okay.

But it's just.

Adams keep this going.

All right, how many then does Peter need to win?

Four to ten.

Five to win.

Here we go, Peter.

Fill in the blank.

On Tuesday, Texas lawmakers held a hearing over the state's response to deadly blanks.

They had deadly floods.

They did.

In order to restore their federal funding, Blank University agreed to pay the government $200 million.

Columbia.

Right.

On Tuesday, the Department of Education announced it was resuming interest accumulation for almost all blanks.

Student debt loans.

Right.

This week, a drug dealer in the UK was arrested after he blanked.

He gave drugs away for free.

He accidentally texted a full list of his products with prices to a police officer.

On Wednesday, the man caught on camera having an affair at a blank concert said he was considering suing the band.

Wow, cold play and wow.

Right.

This week, a former teammate of Tom Brady revealed that to make sure the football was dry and ready to throw, Brady would personally blank the center who was snapping the ball.

He would blank the center.

Payoff.

No, he would powder his butt.

Apparently, the player snapping the ball to Brady one day was so sweaty that the football was getting wet, so Brady took him to the sideline, took his pants off, and put baby powder on his butt.

I guess we all just met Dewey Butts IV.

Oh, man, Giselle's really missing out.

It's too bad that they're not in the marriage.

Bill, did Peter do well enough to win?

Peter's like a twin.

He got four right, et more points.

11 makes you tired.

Oh, there you go.

We had him.

In just a minute, we're going to ask our panelists to predict now that toupes are cool, what will be the next beauty trend for men.

But first, let me tell you, Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me is a production of NPR and WBEZ Chicago in association with Urgent Haircraft Productions, Doug Berman, Benevolent Overlord.

Philip Godeka writes our limericks.

Our public address announcer is Paul Friedman.

Our touring manager is Shane Adonald.

Thanks to the staff and crew at the Student Baker Theater.

B.J.

Ledeman composed our theme.

Our program is produced by Jennifer Mills, Miles Dronboss, and Lillian King.

Special thanks to Blythe Robertson and Monica Hickey.

Peter Gwynn is our Toupe Queen.

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 Schullag, and the executive producer of Wait, Wait Down Tell Me.

That's Mike Danforth.

Now, panel, what will be the next hot male beauty trend?

Adam Burke.

It's an inner beauty trend.

It's called going to friggin' therapy.

Joyelle Nicole Johnson.

It's like a mommy makeover, but it's called a daddy do better.

When you become a dad, you have to go to freaking therapy.

All right.

And Peter Gross.

All men will follow in the footsteps of Tom Brady's Center and powder their butts and go to freaking therapy.

And if any of that happens, panel, we all go to freaking therapy.

Thank you, Bill Curtis.

Thanks, Lawson.

Adam Burke, Rayon, Carl Johnson, Peter Gross, thanks to our fabulous audience here at the Studio Baker Theater, and all of you, wherever you might be listening.

I'm Peter Sagal.

We'll see you next week from Salt Lake City.

This

is NPR.

This message comes from NPR sponsor, Capella University.

Sometimes it takes a different approach to pursue your goals.

Capella is an online university accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

That means you can earn your degree from wherever you are and be confident your education is relevant, recognized, and respected.

A different future is closer than you think with Capella University.

Learn more about earning a relevant degree at capella.edu.

This message comes from Jerry.

Many people overpay for car insurance because switching feels like too much hassle.

That's why there's Jerry, your proactive insurance assistant.

Jerry compares rates side by side from over 50 top insurers and helps you switch with ease.

Jerry even tracks market rates and alerts you when it's best to shop.

No spam calls or hidden fees.

Drivers who save with Jerry could save over $1,300 a year.

Switch with confidence.

Download the Jerry app or visit

slash npr today.