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Lightning Fill In The Blank

PETER SAGAL, HOST:

Now on to 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 now worth two points. Glynn, you've done a great job so far, but now we need you to give us the scores.

GLYNN WASHINGTON: The score right now - Mo and Peter both have two points, Faith has three.

SAGAL: All right.

(APPLAUSE)

SAGAL: We have flipped a coin. Mo has elected to go second, so Peter, you're up first. The clock will start when I begin your first question. Fill in the blank. On Tuesday, Mike Pence cast a tie-breaking vote to confirm blank as secretary of education.

PETER GROSZ: Betsy DeVos.

SAGAL: Right.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

SAGAL: Following the first ever overtime in that game's history, the blanks won the Super Bowl 34-28.

GROSZ: Patriots.

SAGAL: Yeah.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL, BOOING)

SAGAL: This week, computer giant blank announced plans to build a $7 billion factory in Arizona.

GROSZ: Dell.

SAGAL: No, Intel. This week, Neil Gorsuch, Trump's pick for the blank, questioned the president's tweet condemning the judiciary branch.

GROSZ: Supreme Court.

SAGAL: Yes.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

SAGAL: This week, blank became the longest reigning monarch in British history.

GROSZ: The - Queen Elizabeth.

SAGAL: Yes, indeed.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

SAGAL: On Thursday, famed soul singer blank announced she was retiring from the stage.

GROSZ: Aretha.

SAGAL: Aretha Franklin.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

SAGAL: This week, the Seattle Aquarium canceled a planned viewing of octopus mating because blank.

GROSZ: It's disgusting.

SAGAL: No.

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: Clearly you are not an octopus.

GROSZ: (Laughter) No, I'm not.

SAGAL: Because...

GROSZ: I've been outed.

SAGAL: ...For an octopus it's a very tender and beautiful thing...

GROSZ: Yes.

SAGAL: ...Which sometimes ends with the male eating the female, which is why they decided to cancel the viewing.

GROSZ: Is this - did they not know that before they scheduled the viewing?

SAGAL: Well, this is what happened. The Seattle Aquarium has a tradition. On Valentine's Day, they invite people to watch certain animals mating. It's very romantic.

GROSZ: And is it?

SAGAL: And this year they were going to go with the octopus pair, but some octopus experts said, well, you have a 70-pound male octopus and a 30-pound female. And with that kind of size discrepancy, the male might be interested in eating the female rather than mating. And there was another hint in which they observed the male and it was with one of its arms hiding a little dish of dipping sauce. So...

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: Glynn, how did Peter do on our quiz?

WASHINGTON: Peter did fantastic as well. He got five of those right for a grand total of 12 points, and he is our current leader.

GROSZ: Thank you.

SAGAL: All right, there you go. So Mo - you're up next, Mo. Fill in the blank. On Tuesday, the Army Corps of Engineers said they would grant an easement to complete the blank.

MO ROCCA: The North Dakota Access pipeline.

SAGAL: That's the one.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

SAGAL: This week, a federal appeals court ruled against lifting the temporary stay on Donald Trump's blank.

ROCCA: Travel ban.

SAGAL: Right.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

SAGAL: On Thursday, it was reported that Russian friendly fire killed three Turkish soldiers in blank.

ROCCA: In Syria.

SAGAL: Right.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

SAGAL: This week, Marine Le Pen, the leader of blank's National Front Party, launched her campaign for president.

ROCCA: Of France.

SAGAL: Right.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

SAGAL: A Florida man is facing charges for shooting a B.B. gun at his neighbor's cat after it blanked.

ROCCA: After it shot a fur ball at him.

SAGAL: No, after it pooped in his yard and then, quote, "looked at him like it owned the place."

(LAUGHTER)

WASHINGTON: Florida?

SAGAL: No jury will ever convict him. Stand your ground. This week, lawmakers in Illinois proposed making blank's birthday a state holiday.

ROCCA: Barack Obama.

SAGAL: Right.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

SAGAL: This week, social media giant blank launched a new fake news filter.

ROCCA: It's going to be Facebook.

SAGAL: It is.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

SAGAL: A British taxi driver pulled over for speeding explained to police that he was only doing so because blank.

ROCCA: He was pulled over for speed - the British taxi driver was only speeding...

SAGAL: Because...

ROCCA: He was trying to make a quick Brexit.

SAGAL: No, although that's a fine reference.

(LAUGHTER)

GROSZ: I think Glynn might give you a point.

WASHINGTON: Yeah, I think I might have to.

ROCCA: Yes, give me a point. Give me a point.

WASHINGTON: He gets his point back.

SAGAL: All right, but I'll tell you the real answer, which is that he explains the only reason he was speeding was his passengers were farting and he needed to finish the trip and get out of the cab...

(LAUGHTER)

ROCCA: We've all been there.

SAGAL: As soon as possible. Glynn, how did Mo do on our quiz?

WASHINGTON: Mo got six right. He now has a total of 14 correct.

FAITH SALIE: Wow.

WASHINGTON: Pulls him into the lead. Congratulations, Mo.

SAGAL: All right.

(APPLAUSE)

SAGAL: So here's the toughest question we ask our judge and scorekeeper every week - how many, then, does Faith need to win?

WASHINGTON: It is a tough question. But the answer is Faith, you need six points to win.

SAGAL: All right, that's a lot. Here we go, Faith. This is for the game. On Wednesday, Senator Jeff Sessions was confirmed as blank.

SALIE: Attorney general.

SAGAL: Right. On Monday, the Kremlin demanded an apology after Fox News' Bill O'Reilly called Vladimir Putin a blank.

SALIE: An EZD (ph).

SAGAL: No, a killer. This week, President Trump attacked John McCain for questioning the success of his military raid in blank.

SALIE: Yemen.

SAGAL: Right. Over 50 people were injured and dozens of homes were damaged after seven blanks tore through New Orleans.

SALIE: Tornadoes.

SAGAL: Right.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

SAGAL: This week, police in Minnesota threatened to punish drunk drivers by forcing them to blank.

SALIE: Watch Justin Bieber's performance.

SAGAL: Or his Super Bowl ad. That's right.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

SAGAL: On Thursday, blank announced he was ending his 24-year run as the NBC Olympics host.

SALIE: Oh, the guy with the hair dye, Bob Costas?

SAGAL: That's it.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

SAGAL: This week, online encyclopedia blank banned users from using the Daily Mail newspaper as a source.

SALIE: Wikipedia.

SAGAL: Right.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

SAGAL: After spending a week taking care of her husband's dog, a woman in Florida was excited when he sent her flowers until she discovered blank.

SALIE: Oh, that the flowers were sent by her husband's other wife.

SAGAL: No, that the flowers were sent for the dog.

SALIE: Oh.

SAGAL: Just in time for Valentine's Day. When Vincent Cardone's dog Sebastian went in for knee surgery, his wife Debbie was quick to offer support. She even went so far as to make the dog a little doggie wheelchair so he could get around the yard. So naturally, she assumed the flowers that her husband sent to the house were for her until she read the card that said, Sebastian, feel better. You'll be back in the game very soon. Love, Daddy.

ROCCA: Why would he send poinsettias?

SALIE: I hope that she eats him after they have sex.

SAGAL: There you are.

(LAUGHTER, APPLAUSE)

SAGAL: Glynn, did Faith do well enough to win?

WASHINGTON: Well, Faith needed six. She persisted and she got it done.

SAGAL: Yeah.

SALIE: For sisterhood. Thank you.

SAGAL: We warned her.

GROSZ: For sisterhood.

SAGAL: We warned her.

SALIE: You gave me an explanation.

SAGAL: We explained. And she persisted. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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