PETER SAGAL, HOST:
Now onto our final game, Lightning Fill In The Blank. Each of our players will have 60 seconds in which to answer as many fill-in-the-blank questions as they can. Each correct answer is now worth two points. Bill, can you give us the scores?
BILL KURTIS: Roy has two. Negin and Adam each have three.
SAGAL: Well, Roy, you are clearly in second place. So you're going to go first. The clock will start when I begin your first question. Fill in the blank. President Trump railed against China and the World Trade Organization during his speech at the blank on Tuesday.
ROY BLOUNT JR: U.N.
SAGAL: Right.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: For the second time, the Senate voted against the White House's request for emergency funds to build the blank.
BLOUNT JR: The wall.
SAGAL: Right.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: On Wednesday, Israel's president asked Prime Minister blank to try to form a new government.
BLOUNT JR: Netanyahu.
SAGAL: Right.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: Under mounting pressure, the CEO of office-sharing startup blank stepped down this week.
BLOUNT JR: Oh, WeWork.
SAGAL: That's the one.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: The creators of the world's tallest humanoid robot were disappointed to discover blank.
BLOUNT JR: It was still kind of short.
SAGAL: No.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: They discovered that it was too tall to get out of the warehouse...
BLOUNT JR: Oh.
SAGAL: ...That they built it in.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: On Thursday, it was announced that Jennifer Lopez and Shakira would co-headline the blank halftime show.
BLOUNT JR: Super Bowl.
SAGAL: Right.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: On Thursday, Impossible Burger rival Beyond Meat announced a partnership with fast-food giant blank.
BLOUNT JR: Oh, God. One of those - not McDonald's but - what? - Big Boy?
SAGAL: No. It was...
(LAUGHTER)
BLOUNT JR: What's the name of that?
SAGAL: It was McDonald's, actually.
BLOUNT JR: Oh, it was McDonald's.
SAGAL: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: A couple in Indiana who adopted a young girl were shocked...
(SOUNDBITE OF GONG)
SAGAL: ...They say, to discover that she was what?
BLOUNT JR: A young boy.
SAGAL: No, that she was actually 22 years old.
BLOUNT JR: Oh.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: When the Barnetts adopted their 9-year-old daughter Natalia, she was a wonderful child - so full of life and always wanting to talk about her latest finger painting or her Roth IRA. Apparently, instead of being an adorable kid, Natalia, they say, was an adult con artist. And if you're wondering, hey, isn't this the plot from that movie "The Orphan," yes, it is. That's how scary this is. There's already a horror movie about it. Bill, how did Roy do on our quiz?
KURTIS: Roy got five right, 10 more points, total of 12 - in the lead.
(APPLAUSE)
SAGAL: Very good. All right, we have flipped a coin. And Adam has elected to go last. That means, Negin, you're up next. Fill in the blank. On Tuesday, Britain's Supreme Court ruled that Boris Johnson's suspension of blank was unlawful.
NEGIN FARSAD: Parliament.
SAGAL: Right.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: A new poll released on Wednesday shows blank now leading the pack of Democratic presidential hopefuls.
FARSAD: Elizabeth Warren.
SAGAL: Yes.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: Amazon announced it will be selling voice-activated earbuds, cameras, glasses and rings equipped with voice assistant blank.
FARSAD: Alexa.
SAGAL: Yes.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: On Thursday, GM announced it would continue to provide blank coverage for striking workers.
FARSAD: Health.
SAGAL: Right.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: This week the creator of blank called it his greatest regret.
FARSAD: "Star Wars."
SAGAL: No.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: Although, that might come. But this week, it was the creator of the labradoodle. Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum will reprise their roles in yet another sequel to dinosaur movie blank.
FARSAD: "Jurassic Park."
SAGAL: Yes.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: "Game Of Thrones," "Fleabag" and "Chernobyl" were the big winners at the 2019 blank award.
FARSAD: Emmys.
SAGAL: Yes.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: This week, a Russian navy boat on a mission...
(SOUNDBITE OF GONG)
SAGAL: ...In the Arctic Ocean was sunk by blank.
FARSAD: A whale.
SAGAL: No...
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: ...An angry walrus.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: The boat was en route to shore when it crossed paths with this mama walrus who was trying to protect her cubs. The 2,000-pound mammal used her tusks to sink the small ship, forcing the crew to evacuate. So the mama walrus has now done more to push back on Russian aggression than the United States.
(LAUGHTER, APPLAUSE)
SAGAL: Bill, how did Negin do on our quiz?
KURTIS: Pretty good. Six right, 12 more points, 15 total. And she's in the lead.
(APPLAUSE)
SAGAL: All right. How many then does Adam need to win?
KURTIS: Six to tie. Seven to win.
SAGAL: Here we go, Adam. This is for the game. Fill in the blank. According to a new poll released on Thursday, 49% of Americans approve of blanking Donald Trump.
ADAM BURKE: Impeaching.
SAGAL: Yes.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: According to a new U.N. report, some of the global impact from melting blanks is now irreversible.
BURKE: Icecaps.
SAGAL: Yes.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: This week, executives of automaker blank were accused of market manipulation in Germany.
BURKE: Volkswagen.
SAGAL: Yes.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: On Thursday, the Senate confirmed Eugene Scalia as Trump's new blank.
BURKE: National security advisor.
SAGAL: No, labor secretary. To prepare for a volunteer beach cleanup day, the mayor of a South Korean town blanked.
BURKE: Got real naked.
SAGAL: No.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: He dumped a bunch of trash on the beach beforehand, so volunteers would feel useful.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: On Wednesday, a new study showed that the cost of family blank plans had reached a record high.
BURKE: Health care.
SAGAL: Right.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: On Thursday, Jacques Chirac, the former president of blank, passed away at 86.
BURKE: Oh, of France.
SAGAL: Yes.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)
SAGAL: After turning himself in to local police, a man in Texas...
(SOUNDBITE OF GONG)
SAGAL: ...Was told blank.
BURKE: The jail was full.
SAGAL: No. They told him that he wasn't wanted for anything, and they didn't know why he was there.
(LAUGHTER_)
SAGAL: Billy Bob Hall - that, of course, would be his name...
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: ...Thought he was wanted for parole violations. He says he drank seven beers to build up the courage to bring himself to the police station. But when he arrived, the officer on duty said he wasn't wanted for anything.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: They did notice that he did smell like a guy who had just drunk seven beers. And they arrested him on the spot for public intoxication.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: Sure, he's going to have a little jail time. But it's always nice to actually be wanted. Bill, did Adam do well enough to win?
KURTIS: Well, he got five right, 10 more points, total of 13, which means Negin...
SAGAL: Negin.
(APPLAUSE)
KURTIS: ...Is the champion this week.
FARSAD: Oh. Eat it.
(LAUGHTER) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
