RYAN: Okay, hippopotamus’ are often considered to be the most dangerous land mammals in the WORLD. So yeah, I’m usually a little scared of them, but Moo Deng is a 2-month-old pygmy hippo living at a Thailand Zoo, and she’s become kind of a big deal online since her caretakers have been uploading videos of her doing things like napping, walking, and chewing. I know it doesn’t sound like the most exciting-sounding stuff, but it’s SO cute that she’s become the star of fan art, internet memes, and TikTok videos. There’s a 29 second video of Moo Deng eating veggies that has more than 15 million views! See, Ten’ners, influencers like Moo Deng love their vegetables! Sephora is even promoting blush products in Thailand that’ll help achieve the same “pink and peachy” tone of Moo Deng’s cheeks! But all this fame means that zoo officials have implemented some rules limiting visitation to weekends and capping viewing rounds to 5 minutes, to keep all the animals safe and comfortable.

PAM: Although Moo Deng is dang wholesome, that’s not the case for everything on social media. Instagram is taking action, and Meta platforms are increasing privacy and parental controls for users under 18. These updates will mean a few things: accounts of these users will be automatically private, and users under 16 can only change this with a parent’s permission. Parents will also be able to monitor who their kids are engaging with and limit their use of the app. Young users will be notified to close the app after 60 minutes each day, and there will be a default sleep mode that silences notifications overnight.

RYAN: Hey Pam, what do driving and scrolling Instagram have in common?

PAM: Um, they both have age restrictions to keep people safe?

RYAN: Oh, I was going to say I sing really loud showtunes when I do both, but your answer is better. You have to be a certain age to drive, and for good reason. Our next story is about an eight-year-old girl from Ohio, who took her mother’s car and drove 25 minutes to a Target! Thankfully, she made it home safely, but finding her was a real team effort. Neighbors gave the family and officers doorbell camera footage that showed the girl getting into the car and driving herself off around 7AM, and dashcam footage from another driver shows the car weaving as the little girl drove. Officers found the girl inside of the Target about 11 miles away from her house, where her family came to pick her and the car up. I have so many questions - How did she even see over the wheel while hitting the gas pedal? What was she trying to buy at Target? Or was she trying to find and meet Bullseye, the Target mascot?

PAM: All great questions, but we have to move on to our next story, in the wide world of sports <SFX Soccer Ball Kick, then Baseball Bat Crack, then Basketball Net Swish and a Stadium Crowd Roar> With the NFL season underway, there’s no shortage of exciting plays, but that also means close calls. Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has had more than his fair share of tumbles and tackles, and was forced off the field during the Dolphins/Bills game after taking a pretty serious hit from Bills safety Damar Hamlin, and sustaining the latest of several concussions. Despite this, Tua announced that he doesn’t plan on retiring soon, even after he considered stepping away from the sport in 2023. He’s begun the process of seeing a concussion specialist, and his goal is to get back on the field when he’s ready. Be safe, Tua!

RYAN: Bringing the news from the field to the stands, Citi Field has unveiled a special new seat for fans: The Grimace seat! The purple McDonald’s character appeared at Citi Field last week when the New York Mets unveiled a commemorative purple seat to honor his connection to Mets fans. During the summer, Grimace threw the first pitch for a Mets vs. Miami Marlin’s game- it may have looked a little awkward because of his short arms and big belly, but the Mets took the victory that day. This was the first of a seven game winning streak that suggested Grimace may just be a good luck charm. Since that June 12th game, NY is 53-31, the best record in the majors for that span. Thanks Grimace!

PAM: I love baseball games. The crack of a bat, the roar of a crowd!

RYAN: The feeling of camaraderie! The smell of hot dogs! The taste of hot dogs! The taste of a second hot dog! Man, now I’m hungry.

PAM: Well, have I got the story for you! But first, let’s take a quick break.

RYAN: Pssssst, hey Ten’ers… FYI we’re dropping a deep dive episode tomorrow and we’re going to look into AI, voice actors and we will hang out with the biggest celebrity I’ve EVER met. Not gonna lie, I freaked out a little. So make you sure you download it and share it, especially if you know any fans of the Simpsons… ok back to you Pam!

PAM: Ryan, what’s your favorite holiday?

RYAN: Easy! All of them.

PAM: Top 3?

RYAN: Christmas, my birthday, and Taco Tuesday.

PAM: You’re in luck, because -

RYAN: It’s my birthday?! Oh, wait, no it’s not. Is it?!

PAM: No, but we can look forward to a few more Taco Tuesdays from here on out! Earlier this month, Taco Bell and the team at National Day Calendar announced a joint decision to move National Taco Day from October 4th to the first Tuesday in October, every year! Now, National Taco Day will always be on a Tuesday, instead of a set date that happened to fall on a Tuesday every five or six years. In honor of the celebration, Taco Bell will have deals every Tuesday throughout October.

RYAN: And while I’m eating tacos, I’m also going to be reading a bunch of books this week. This week is “Banned Books Week,” a week-long event focused on celebrating the freedom to read. You may have heard us talking about places that have banned books, meaning that schools or other places have blocked certain books from being read, and Banned Books Week was started in 1982 to bring awareness to the challenges to reading. This year’s week runs from September 22 to the 28th and its theme is Freed Between The Lines. If you are looking for a few great books to read this week, check out our show notes for ideas!

PAM: Moving on to some space news, let’s get…Out. Of. This. World. <SFX NASA 3-2-1 Blastoff> OR <SFX lightspeed jump>. Kind of. We’re staying on Earth, but celebrating a group of Black women crucial to NASA’s success during the space race. These women were Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn, Mary Jackson, and Christine Darden, and they’ve come to be known as the “Hidden Figures.” They were honored last week in a ceremony on Capitol Hill. Working for NASA is impressive enough, but these women did so at a time when America was divided by color and gender. Still, they stepped up into the challenging and often unwelcoming fields of mathematics and engineering to make a difference, contributing to NASA from 1930 to 1970. They helped calculate rocket trajectories and earth orbits, and put men on the moon!

RYAN: Amazing! Speaking of incredible women, Billie Jean King made history as the first female athlete with a congressional gold medal, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

Not only is the 80-year-old tennis legend considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time, with 39 Grand Slam titles, and a record 20 titles at Wimbledon, but she’s also spent her life fighting for Title IX, and women’s and LGBTQ+ equality. Billie Jean King formed the Women’s Tennis Association and, as a result of her advocacy, the U.S. Open became the first major tournament to offer equal prize money to both sexes.

RYAN: Speaking of prizes, let’s go to Owen for trivia!

<SFX Trivia Theme song>

OWEN: That’s right Ten’ners, winners of trivia get the best prize of all -

<RYAN and OWEN speak at the same time>

RYAN: Bragging rights.
OWEN: The joy of learning.
RYAN: Right, what Owen said.

OWEN: Okay, Ten’ners, what animal-centric holiday falls on September 23rd? Is it…

International Stroke a Cat Day - A purr-fect way to relax with feline friends
National Dogs in Politics Day - A celebration of diplomatic dogs
National “Don’t Have a Cow” Day - A day dedicated to the possibilities and benefits of vegetarian diets

<SFX 5 second clock tick>

OWEN: Did ya guess it? The answer is B, National Dogs in Politics Day! On September 23rd, we celebrated the FDOTUS, which stands for “First Dog of The United States.”

RYAN: The first dog?! Ever?! They must be SO old in HUMAN years, forget about DOG years!

OWEN: No, Ryan! “First dog” as in the dog of the president! National Dogs in Politics Day started in 1952 with Richard Nixon, when he gave a speech featuring his cocker spaniel, Checkers, who may have had a paw in helping him gain the trust of the nation.

RYAN: Since then, most presidents have had a dog as part of the family. The Biden family has had three: Champ, Major, and Commander. Oval Office? More like Oval Paw-ffice!

PAM: And that was Ten Things You Need to Know!

RYAN: That was so fun, I almost forgot about Moo Deng. Almost.

PAM: Hold your hippos there, Ryan, aren’t you forgetting something?

RYAN: Probably! But I’m 99% sure I’m wearing pants today…okay yup, I am.

PAM: Oh Ryan, I’m talking about Ten News Snaps! But before we do, here’s a quick note for the grownups.

[Ad Break]

RYAN:

Time for Ten News Snaps! <Grand fanfare SFX>

PAM: A Ten’er named Chi-chi Kid 1923 said, “I listen to you for the first time and I love your podcast” followed by four smiley emojis. Thank you Chichi Kid 1923, we are so excited to have you as our newest Ten’er!

RYAN: And thank you Chichi Kid 1923 for leaving a nice little review, and not one filled with those emojis that I might or might not be scared of. I won’t tell you which kind, because you don’t need to know. FYI, Ten Things You Need to Know drops on Thursdays, and our deep dive episodes drop once a month. If you want some bonus content, you could join the Ten’ers Club on our website. And to our grownups, if you want to help support the Ten News, you can make a tax-deductible donation at the link in our show notes. The whole team thanks you for your support!

PAM: “The Ten News” is a co-production of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts, and part of the Airwave Podcast Network.

RYAN: The Ten News creative team is busy doing rock, paper, scissors over who gets to sit in the Grimace seat and includes Tracey Crooks, Adam The Great Bambino Bernard, Kyle Murdock, Hebba Gouda and Carson Potter. Big thanks to Owen for contributing to this episode..

PAM:

Our Production Director is Jeremiah Tittle, and our Executive Producers are Donald Albright and show creator Tracy Leeds Kaplan. I’m Pamela Kirkland.

RYAN: And I’m Ryan Willard, thanks for listening to the Ten News

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