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Lightning Fill In The Blank

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.