March Madness & The Masters, Artemis II Update, and Mario's Latest Movie

Episode
Written By Tracy Kaplan

10 Things You Need to Know: Episode 635

1. March Madness Champs 🏀

2. The 2026 Masters Tournament ⛳️

3. Artemis II Update 🚀

4. A Whale of a Wipeout 🐳🏄‍♂️

5. Tiny, but Mighty 💪

6. Trump v. Barbara 👩‍⚖️

7. Storytime with the Second Lady 🎙️

8. Showgirl Showdown 🎵

9. A Reeses Revival 🍫

10. Mario Movie Madness 🍿

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TRANSCRIPT

INT. TEN NEWS STUDIO - BREAK ROOM

<SFX Ryan grunting, lifting weights> 

RYAN: 97…98…9–9–

PAM: Wow, Ryan, that’s a first. I’ve never seen you lifting weights…

RYAN: Yeah, I’m training Pam, no time to waste. 

PAM: But why are you training in the snack room? 

RYAN: To make sure I have snacks as I burn calories of course. There is a 9 year old that is totally showing me up. 

PAM: Okay, you’re gonna need to explain, cause I’m Pamela Kirkland. 

RYAN: And I’m Ryan Willard. It’s Thursday, April 9th. 

PAM: This is Ten Things You Need to Know. 

RYAN: We’re starting off in the Wild World of Sports! <SFX Wild World of Sports> March Madness has officially wrapped after an exciting Final Four match-up on both the men’s and women’s sides this weekend that led into the National Championship games. On the women’s side, Texas fell to UCLA, 51–44, while South Carolina defeated UConn, 62–48. However, South Carolina came up short in its bid for a consecutive title, as UCLA dominated the championship game, 79–51. The Bruins capped off a near-perfect season with a 37-1 record, earning the program’s first-ever NCAA women’s basketball title. 

PAM: On the men’s side, UConn defeated Illinois, 71–62, to advance to the national championship, where they faced Michigan, which beat Arizona, 91–73. This marked UConn’s seventh appearance in the NCAA men’s national championship game, as well as Michigan’s. But only one team came out on top: the Michigan Wolverines, defeating the UConn Huskies, 69-63.

RYAN: From one major championship to another, the 90th Masters Tournament tees off today at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, where the world’s top players will compete for the iconic Green Jacket. 

PAM: Headlining the field are world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and defending champion Rory McIlroy, alongside contenders like Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau. To qualify for the Masters, players must earn an invitation by meeting specific criteria, including past championships, world rankings, and tournament wins. Stay tuned to see who will leave Augusta this Sunday with the prestigious Green Jacket. 

RYAN: Alright I think we gotta get… <SFX Out… Of… This… World!> We have an update from the Artemis II mission! As of Monday, the astronauts arrived at the moon’s cosmic neighborhood, known as the lunar sphere of influence. This is where the moon’s gravitational pull is stronger than Earth’s, and, according to NASA flight director Rick Henfling, it marked a significant milestone in the mission. The lunar sphere of influence is a mathematical boundary indicating that the astronauts are within the moon's vicinity. And, by crossing this threshold, it was the first time that astronauts had entered the lunar sphere of influence since the Apollo 17 mission, over half a century ago! 

PAM: Alright for Ten Points, what animal is this? <SFX Whale sounds><SFX Tick Tick Tick DING!> Eric Kramer was out sailing along Crissy Field Beach like any other day until he suddenly collided with something in the water… and it was a whale! <SFX Whale sounds> The moment was captured on camera as Kramer was thrown off of his board upon impact with the whale causing him to crash into the water. He was seen floating in the water alongside the whale after the animal dove underwater, causing the sail to submerge along with it. This all happened after Kramer had already slowed down, having spotted other whales in the area. But on his final run back, he and the whale unexpectedly crossed paths. Thankfully, neither the sailor nor the whale was injured in the collision.

RYAN: Okay that is wild, but what’s even wilder is this girl’s SUPER STRENGTH. Lucy Milgram is just 9 years old and a fourth grade student out of Long Island, New York. And she’s set three American records with USA Powerlifting! That’s right, Lucy deadlifted 180 pounds at an all-ages competition, which is three times her own body weight! This impressive feat came after she also set the bench press record at 74 pounds and squat record at 131 pounds. She is now considered among the top young powerlifters in the country and has only been in the sport for a year. Aside from her super strength, Lucy’s primary focus is on wrestling, which she trains for about four to five days out of the week. WAIT. Do I need to start training to be a professional wrestler? 

PAM: Oh no, no no no no, Ryan. Maybe just keep exercising. 

RYAN: Good idea, let’s take a quick break so I can get a little bit stronger. 

PAM: Hey Ten’ers, we’re planning a deep dive about baseball and we’re curious… Do you like baseball? If so, what’s your favorite part of the game? Send us an email at hello@thetennews.com or leave us a review on Apple podcasts or a comment on Spotify and we might have you on the show! Speaking of, let’s get back to it. 

RYAN: We’re back with some news from the Supreme Court. <SFX Gavel banging three times> PAM: There is a rule currently being argued in front of the Court about birthright citizenship, which is the idea that a person automatically becomes a citizen of a country by being born there, regardless of their parents’ citizenship. In the U.S., all babies who are born here are automatically U.S. citizens, no matter where their parents are from. This rule has been in place for more than 150 years, in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, until President Trump issued an executive order to end birthright citizenship. The administration was sued for, and the case, Trump vs. Barbara, is looking at whether his executive order complies with the 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause or is unconstitutional. A ruling on the birthright citizenship case is expected in the next few months, potentially impacting the United States immigration policy. 

RYAN: Also out of Washington D.C., the second lady, Usha Vance, is advocating for child literacy. Usha Vance recently launched a new reading series called “Storytime with the Second Lady,” in an effort to tackle the decline in childhood literacy rates across the United States. According to data from “The Nation’s Report Card”, reading skills for about 40% of 4th graders and a third of 8th graders are below grade level. Through her podcast, Vance is reading storybooks and creating conversation with guests like NASCAR driver Danica Patrick and U.S. Paralympian Brent Poppen, that complement what educators and families are already doing for children and encouraging kids to get excited about reading. 

PAM: Meanwhile, out of Las Vegas, Taylor Swift is facing a lawsuit for trademark infringement. Swift’s 2025 album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” is in the hot seat after a Las Vegas performer, Maren Wade, filed a lawsuit claiming that the title and branding is too similar to her own “Confessions of a Showgirl” brand that has been around since 2014. She argues that the names are similar, as well as target similar audiences creating consumer confusion which could damage Wade’s brand through what’s called “reverse confusion”. The lawsuit also alleges that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office warned Swift’s team the title could be confused with an existing trademark, but the album was still marketed under that name. Wade is seeking damages and a court order to prevent further use of the branding.

RYAN: Up next, something a little sweeter for you Hershey fans…Brad Reese, the grandson to the inventor of the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, recently went public saying The Hershey Company has messed with the classic chocolate formula in its products. In response, the Hershey Company has announced that it will go back to using ‘classic milk and dark chocolate recipes’ in all of its Reeses and Hershey’s products by 2027. So, candies inspired by the OGs like mini Reeses cups and other shapes and candies, will be made with real milk chocolate instead of a chocolate compound coating. In addition, Hershey’s chocolate bars will be made with pure milk and dark chocolate, and fan favorite, KitKats will be enhanced for a ‘creamier taste and texture’. 

PAM: Well that’s something I’m definitely looking forward to…and for our last thing you need to know, let’s go to our Trivia Master, Owen. 

OWEN: Thanks Pam! Alright grab your popcorn and whatever snacks you want, because on today’s trivia we’re talking movies, Mario movies, that is…RYAN: I LOVE MARIO LETS A GOOOOO!

OWEN: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is already one of the most watched films of 2026… but do you know how many Super Mario movies have been released? Is it: 

  1. 2

  2. 4

  3. 3, or 

  4. 19?

RYAN: Ooooooh I know this one! And it might not be what you think! 

OWEN: The answer is… C. 3! The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and most recently The Super Mario Galaxy Movie were big hits. Galaxy has already scored the biggest opening of the year for a Hollywood movie! It earned $372 million in its global debut. But did you know that the very FIRST Mario movie came out in 1993? Super Mario Bros was a live action film and was not very faithful to the video games…it was not well received and it took 30 years for Nintendo to put Mario back in the movie business!  

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

PAM: Hey Ry, wanna hit the gym with me now?

RYAN: Yeah, no, thank you. I’ve just accepted that a 9 year old girl is a lot stronger than me. 

PAM: Well you can still exercise, that’s never a bad thing–

RYAN: Very true, how about I walk you to the gym, so I can get my steps in. 

PAM: That’s a good start! We should probably give some Ten News Snaps out first…

RYAN: But before that, here’s a quick note for the grownups!  

<AD BREAK>

RYAN: Time for Ten News Snaps!

PAM: A Ten’er named Greeking Out Rules said, “Butterflies look weird. I love this pod it’s really great when u want 2 know what’s going on. This month is important to me because I have autism. Also I would love to be in Ten News Snaps.” Awww, happy Autism Acceptance month! We think you are awesome and appreciate you listening! 

RYAN: And yes Greeking, I also believe butterflies look weird. They are freaky freaky little nightmares and I don’t like them!

PAM: 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. 

RYAN: 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!

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 still watching the Artemis II updates and loving them and includes Tracey Not a Crooks, Adam the Great Bambino Bernard, Brian Not Ryan Douglas, the Duke of Earl Davis and Carson Not So Harry Potter. And a big thanks to Steven Ain’t Leavin’ for rocking that trivia! 

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

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

Tracy Kaplan
Next

Autism Acceptance Month, the KitKat Heist, and the Latest on Iran