PETER SAGAL, HOST:
Now 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 he or she can. Each correct answer is now worth two points. Bill, can you give us the scores?
BILL KURTIS: Tara and Mo each have three, and Adam has five.
(APPLAUSE)
MO ROCCA: Now hold on. Hold on. I demand recount, and I want a hand recount.
(LAUGHTER, APPLAUSE)
KURTIS: OK, let's see - three, three, five. I'm sorry.
SAGAL: Yeah, I know.
ROCCA: All right, fine.
ADAM FELBER: I think we have to accept the results of Bill Kurtis' count and move on.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: We have flipped a coin. Mo has decided to go first. The clock will start when I begin your first question. Fill in the blank. On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked a bipartisan bill aimed at protecting blank's investigation.
ROCCA: Mueller's.
SAGAL: Right.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: On Monday, Kyrsten Sinema was declared the winner of Jeff Flake's Senate seat in blank.
ROCCA: Arizona.
SAGAL: Right.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: This week, rescue workers continue to fight the blanks blazing through California.
ROCCA: The wildfires.
SAGAL: Right.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: On Wednesday, Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for blank, was arrested on charges of domestic violence.
ROCCA: Stormy Daniels.
SAGAL: Yes indeed.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: This week, the minister in charge of Japan's cybersecurity team told Parliament that he has never blanked.
ROCCA: That he's probably never used email.
SAGAL: It's even worse - that he's never...
ROCCA: Used a computer.
SAGAL: Yes.
ROCCA: Yes.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: You - at a bankruptcy hearing on Tuesday, a judge approved blank's plan to sell 500 of its stores.
ROCCA: Sears.
SAGAL: Right.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: Thanks to a declining user base, online review site blank lost 30 percent of its value this month.
ROCCA: Yelp.
SAGAL: Yelp, yes.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: This week, an explosion in a small town in Texas that could be felt 15 miles away was traced back to blank.
ROCCA: Oh, I have heard about this. It was an exploding wedding dress.
SAGAL: It was an exploding wedding dress.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: Yes, it was.
(APPLAUSE, LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: Kimberly Santleben-Stiteler let everyone in her life and her town know, I'm fine - OK? - when she threw a divorce party for herself. And the highlight was when she rigged her wedding dress with 20 pounds of explosives.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: She was hoping to get it down to 15 pounds before the big day.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: Bill, how did Mo do on our quiz?
KURTIS: Mo got eight right for 16 more points and a total of 19.
(APPLAUSE)
ROCCA: This is amazing.
FELBER: Under protest.
ROCCA: This is - it's a (laughter).
SAGAL: All right, Tara, you're up next. Fill in the blank. In an effort to reinstate reporter Jim Acosta's press pass, blank sued the White House.
TARA CLANCY: CNN.
SAGAL: Yes.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: On Thursday, the defense minister of blank resigned over a proposed cease-fire in Gaza.
CLANCY: The defense minister in Israel.
SAGAL: Yes.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: This week, The New York Times reported that social media site blank had intentionally ignored Russian hackers.
CLANCY: Facebook.
SAGAL: Right.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: On Wednesday, Republicans named Representative Kevin McCarthy as the incoming blank.
CLANCY: Majority leader.
UNIDENTIFIED AUDIENCE MEMBER: Minority.
SAGAL: Shh.
CLANCY: Minority leader.
SAGAL: Yes.
CLANCY: Yeah, sorry.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
ROCCA: (Groaning).
SAGAL: This week, police in West Virginia...
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: This week, police in West Virginia assured residents that the seemingly rabid raccoons spotted in the neighborhood weren't dangerous, just blank.
CLANCY: Drunk.
SAGAL: Yes, on fermented crab apples.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
CLANCY: Hah.
SAGAL: On Thursday, the FDA launched new rules aimed at curbing underage blanking.
CLANCY: Vaping.
SAGAL: Yes.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: A British store made news this week by selling a new type of holiday wreath you hang on your blank.
CLANCY: Nose.
SAGAL: No, your nipples.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: Good King Wenceslas - that's got to hurt. British company Boohoo is selling tiny nipple wreaths...
CLANCY: Oh, my God.
SAGAL: ...You hang - well, like they say - because nothing says Christmas cheer like your weird aunt who won't stop unbuttoning her shirt to show you her yule boobs.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: Bill, how did Tara do on our quiz?
KURTIS: You know, she did pretty good - six more right - 12 right. Fifteen is your total. Of course, you trail Mo's 19. But good going this week.
SAGAL: All right.
CLANCY: All right.
(APPLAUSE)
SAGAL: So how many then does Mr. Felber need to win?
KURTIS: He could tie it at seven. He could win it at eight.
SAGAL: Oh, my gosh. Here we go, Adam.
FELBER: This is under protest.
SAGAL: This is amazing. Here we go. On Thursday, the U.S. announced sanctions against 17 Saudis for their role in the death of journalist blank.
FELBER: Khashoggi.
SAGAL: Yes.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: Officials said that they've arrested about a dozen members of the blank because they tried to cross the U.S.-Mexico border.
FELBER: Caravan.
SAGAL: Right.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: This week, the Department of Justice released a letter defending the appointment of Matt Whitaker as acting blank.
FELBER: Attorney general.
SAGAL: Right.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: On Wednesday, Baltimore became the first major U.S. city to ban the privatization of blank.
FELBER: To ban the privatization of - what was - what do you think that is?
(LAUGHTER)
FELBER: Water.
SAGAL: Yes.
FELBER: I knew that one.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: This week, a Missouri man was arrested after sneaking into a zoo after it closed and blanking.
FELBER: Cuddling with one of the animals.
SAGAL: No. He was arrested after he went in and commanded the animals to eat the zookeeper.
FELBER: Oh.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: This week, the Pentagon said the number of troops at the blank will likely max out just below 6,000.
FELBER: Border.
SAGAL: Right.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: Best known as the co-creator of Marvel Comics, blank passed away at the age of 95 this week.
FELBER: Stan Lee.
SAGAL: Right.
SAGAL: After a passenger on a flight in Japan complained repeatedly about not having a window seat, the flight attendants responded by blanking.
FELBER: Tossing them out the door.
SAGAL: No, they handed him a napkin with a drawing of a window.
(LAUGHTER, APPLAUSE)
FELBER: Oh, that's nice. That's nice.
SAGAL: After the man complained about his seat during drink service, one of the flight attendants rushed to the front of the plane. After a few minutes, she came back with a napkin that she had drawn a window on, complete with clouds, a beautiful view of the ocean, and she taped it up next to the man. Unfortunately, this wasn't enough to satisfy him, and he continued making a fuss until the flight attendant threatened to tape up the picture of the wing on fire.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: Bill, did Adam do well enough to win?
KURTIS: Well, he came close.
FELBER: Well, count it again.
KURTIS: Six right, 12 more points - total of 17. Mo is our winner this week.
(APPLAUSE) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.