RYAN: GOSH I wish that was it! No, but CLOSE. Poptarts have entered the sandwich game and I’m going to eat that dream as soon as the show is over.

PAM: Then we should probably start. I’m Pamela Kirkland.

RYAN: And I’m Ryan Willard, it’s Thursday, May 22nd.

PAM: This is Ten Things You Need to Know.

PAM: The WNBA season is officially underway after an action-packed weekend. This season welcomes top rookies like number 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers of the Dallas Wings, and the Seattle Storm’s Dominique Malonga, a 6-foot-6 forward. And returning for their second season are fan favorites Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky, who went head to head last Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where the Fever dominated the Chicago Sky 93 - 58. Clark recorded a triple-double in the season opener, scoring 20 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, making four blocks, and two steals. Reese recorded a double-double, leading her team with 12 points and 17 rebounds. DeWanna Bonner, a star for the Indiana Fever and the No. 1 pick back in 2009, made history by climbing the WNBA’s all-time scoring list to number 3, hitting 7,489 career points.

RYAN: Basketball is one of my favorite sports and I’m OBVIOUSLY rooting for the New York Liberty in the WNBA and the New York Knicks in the NBA playoffs…but enough about bball, let’s get into some… GGs! <SFX Super Mario 1Up Sound> A couple crazy things happened for Nintendo last week…Nintendo opened its 2nd store in the United States, which was its 5th store world wide, there are 3 more in Japan, in Osaka, Tokyo and Kyoto. The second US Nintendo store is located in San Francisco and has everything from Zelda to Pokemon merch and obviously…games to try out. The Nintendo Switch 2 isn’t on display quite yet, but will be soon as it releases on June 5th. But in other Nintendo related news…NBCUniversal might have accidentally leaked the name of the next Super Mario Bros movie. In a press release, they revealed movies that would be coming to its streaming service, Peacock, right after their theatrical release…Among those movies were Shrek, Minions and “Super Mario World.” Which would make a lot of sense as the sequels title, because if you remember the post credits scene in the Super Mario Bros Movie, it featured an egg with green spots and teased the arrival of <SFX YOSHI!>, the beloved green dinosaur. And Yoshi made his original debut in the 1991 video game, Super Mario World…NBCUniversal has edited and removed the mention of Super Mario World, but what we do know is that it’s still slated to release on April 3rd, 2026.

PAM: For 10 points, what animal is this…? <SFX QUACK QUACK QUACK> <SFX TICK TICK TICK DING!> That was a… super speedy duck! Radar images of a speed offender caught in the Swiss town of Koniz revealed that the lawbreaker was not only a duck, but a repeat offender. Most recently, the mallard duck was caught going 32 miles per hour in an 18-mile-per-hour speed zone. And, the reason to believe that the animal is a repeat offender is because on the exact same date 7 years earlier, a similar-looking duck was captured flying in the same spot, at the exact same speed. How wild is that!? Some are considering if the whole thing might be an April Fool’s joke or just a “fake’ picture, still according to a local police inspectorate, it’s impossible to edit images or manipulate the radar system. As far as we know, the duck is at large, so it looks like the police won’t be quacking down on the law this time around!

RYAN: From the fastest Mighty Duck to an expensive, big metal bird…The Trump administration was recently gifted a Boeing jumbo jet from the Qatari royal family - but is he allowed to accept it? President Trump has expressed interest in accepting the plane, calling it a “great gesture.” But it’s also being labelled as ‘wildly illegal’ by members of the Democratic Party, even attracting criticism from some of his supporters. In response, Democratic Senator Adam Schiff cited a section of the U.S. Constitution stating that “no elected official could accept ‘any present… of any kind from the leader of a foreign state without congressional approval.” And, an American history professor from the University of Edinburgh explained that this clause “was intended to prevent bribery to influence the government.” A Qartari official has stated that it’s being gifted from the Qatari defence ministry to the Pentagon, and it will be modified to meet the safety and security standards of Air Force One - but this would likely take years indicating that the plane may not be ready for use until the end of President Trump’s term.

PAM: More on the tariffs put in place by President Trump - Walmart, the world’s largest retailer is starting to feel the pain of the global trade war. Walmart recently stated that the tariffs are “too high” and that it will raise prices on some items because of the increase in the company’s costs. This even comes after the administration announced reduced tariff amounts, specifically on Chinese imports. While Walmart has applauded the Trump administration for lowering its 145% tariff levels on China, the current levels are just ‘too high’. Tariffs on China are raising costs on electronics and toys, and tariffs on Costa Rica, Peru, and Colombia are increasing the cost of some foods. Shoppers can expect higher prices to kick in later this month. Walmart isn’t the only one raising their prices, many companies are doing the same thing to accommodate cost increases from the 10% universal tariffs on every product that enters the United States.

RYAN: (WHISPERS) Hey Pam, are we allowed to tell them about the special guest we’re gonna have on the show…?

PAM: Ummm, not quite yet…BUT, Ten’ers, if you talked to a member of the US Congress…what would you ask them? We’re might talk to a congressperson and we would love YOUR questions. Send us a voice note or an email with your questions, at either 877-TEN-NEWS or hello@thetennews.com and we might have you on the show! Speaking of, back to it!

PAM: Have you ever heard of an underwater volcano? Believe it or not, they’re real and one may be on the verge of erupting. Scientists have been monitoring an underwater volcano about 300 miles off the coast of Oregon for decades, and there has been a recent increase in activity. Like, an uptick in earthquakes in the area and swelling of the volcano itself, which signals that it’s ready to erupt. The volcano is known as Axial Seamount, and current forecasts indicate that it could erupt anytime between now and the end of 2025, according to a volcanologist (a scientist who studies volcanoes) and research professor at Oregon State University, Bill Chadwick. The good news is that there is no real danger to humans if Axial Seamount does erupt. Between being hundreds of miles offshore and submerged nearly a mile underwater, the volcano is remote enough that even a strong eruption wouldn’t be detected on land.

RYAN: Back here on the East Coast, chaos struck the Brooklyn Bridge last weekend. A Mexican navy ship crashed into the historic Brooklyn Bridge after the ship’s captain lost control due to a mechanical issue, causing its tall masts (a tall, vertical pole that extends upwards from a ship’s deck) to hit the bottom of the 142-year old bridge that connects the cities of Brooklyn and Manhattan. According to Mexican authorities, the naval ship was on a training cruise known as the “Bicentennial of the Consolidation of Independence at Sea”. It was supposed to dock in New York for a few days as part of a cultural exchange before continuing its journey to Iceland. Of the 277 crew members and cadets on board, 22 were injured, and sadly, two lost their lives. The exact cause of the crash is still under investigation by the New York Police Department, the National Transportation Safety Board, and the Mexican Government.

PAM: Now, for some animal news that’s both sad and heartwarming. Pennsylvania resident Hunter Metzger wanted to give his beloved family dog, Iris, a memorable final day, and in return, he received the same act of kindness. Iris, an 8-year-old Great Dane, was first diagnosed with a respiratory infection and prescribed antibiotics, but her condition didn’t improve. After more testing, veterinarians discovered a tumor in her nose that wasn’t responding to treatment. Metzger and his family had to make the tough decision to say goodbye to Iris, but they made sure her final day was filled with love. So, she was spoiled with treats, pats, and cuddles from family and friends, plus a special dinner time meal from a local Texas Roadhouse. Metzger placed an online order for an 8-ounce New York strip steak, french fries, mashed potatoes, and a famous Texas Roadhouse roll, including a special request to the restaurant that read, “Last meal for our dog. Please prepare with love.” The staff went above and beyond, preparing the meal with care, adding heartfelt notes, and even refunding the cost.

RYAN: Oh my gosh, that story makes me feel so sad AND happy at the same time. I’m feeling all the feels! Especially because it’s time for my favorite story of the week… POP-TARTS is making ice cream for breakfast a reality and has officially entered the frozen dessert section with their new… ice cream sandwiches. Now available in the freezer section at your local Walmart, you can snag these treats in three classic flavors like Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon, Frosted Strawberry, and Frosted Chocolate Fudge. But, that’s not all that Pop-Tarts has planned. Later this summer, you’ll also be able to grab your favorite flavors in ice cream pints, including Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon, Frosted Strawberry, and Frosted S’mores. This exciting rollout comes after global snacking company Kellanova released Eggo and Rice Krispies Treats ice cream sandwiches and ice cream pints in January last year. I LOVE MY SNACKYMCYUMYUMS! Gimme gimme gimme! <SFX Footsteps sprinting away>

PAM: And there goes Ry… and for the last thing you need to know, let’s go to our Trivia Master, Owen.

OWEN: Thanks Pam! The top baby names of 2024 have been announced. Can you guess which two were crowned the most popular for boys and girls? Is it:

Pam and Ryan
Olivia and Liam
Naomi and Owen
Or Midnight and Rigby?

RYAN: Pam and Ryan Pam and Ryan Pam and Ryan Pam Ryan.

OWEN: Ummmm, no. The answer is… B! For the sixth year in a row, Olivia and Liam have topped the list of baby names together. If you are a regular listener of The Ten News, that may have been easy for you. Each year, the Social Security Administration tracks the names given to girls and boys in each state, with names dating all the way back to 1880. Liam has actually been number 1 for boys for 8 years in a row, and joining in the top 10 are: Oliver, Theodore, James, Henry, Mateo, Elijah, Lucas, and William. And for girls after the name Olivia, they are Emma, Amelia, Charlotte, Mia, Sophia (with a P-H), Isabella, Evelyn, and Sofia(with a F). Tern’ers, is your name on the list? I’m a big fan of names starting with an O obviously.

RYAN: And that was Ten Things You Need to Know.

PAM: How were those Pop-Tart ice cream sandwiches?

RYAN: Scrumdiddlyumptious, thank you. Though, it gave me an idea. What if I took a cheeseburger, and wrapped it in a cheese pizza?

PAM: That sounds disgusting and delicious, all at the same time. Maybe you should have some vegetables first? I think you could use some veggies.

RYAN: Alriiiight. I could also use some Ten News Snaps!

PAM: But before that, here’s a quick note for the grown ups!

PAM: It’s Time for Ten News Snaps!

RYAN: On Apple Podcasts a Ten’er named “I like turtles.” said, “I love this podcast. It’s more goodr….”(Ry: sidenote: I don’t think gooder is a word, but I hear you…) Then they said, “Yeah…I like turtles. I don’t like butterflies… They scare me.” WOW! You like turtles, and I like YOU because we both don’t like butterflies.

PAM: And a Ten’er named aes319 said, “Very good, if not best. Me and my sister love this podcast!” Thank you so much aes319, btw, if you and your sister have a question for a Congress person, send us an email at hello@thetennews.com!

RYAN: And two extra notes for the grown-ups, you can now get ad-free versions of our episodes when you join the Ten’ers Club on our website.

PAM: And 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!

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

PAM: The Ten News creative team is turning all of their favorite foods into sandwiches and includes Tracey Not a Crooks, Adam the Great Bambino Bernard, Brian Not Ryan Douglas and Carson Not So Harry Potter. Big thanks to Owen, Not Slowin Down for Anybody.

RYAN: Our Production Director is Jeremiah “On Fyaah” Tittle, and our Executive Producers are Donald “Albright Albright Albright” and show creator Tracy “Takes the” Leeds Kaplan. I’m Ryan Willard.

PAM: And I’m Pamela Kirkland, thanks for listening to the Ten News.

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