Sports Takeover, Artemis II Returns, and BTS is Back!

Episode
Written By Tracy Kaplan

10 Things You Need to Know: Episode 636

1. 2026 Masters Champion ⛳️

2. WNBA On Air 🏀

3. Welcome Back, Artemis II Crew 🚀

4. BTS is Back 🎸

5. Nature's Classroom 🐦‍⬛

6. Celebrating Queen Elizabeth II 👑

7. A Denny's Legacy 🍳

8. Homeless to Helper 🏠

9. Climate Change Chaos 🥵

10. White Sox Super Fan ⚾️

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TRANSCRIPT

INT. TEN NEWS STUDIO - DAYRYAN: They are BACK. They are BACK BABY!

PAM: The Artemis II crew? I know! That mission was so exciting!

RYAN: Yes, it definitely was…. But I was actually talking about…B T S. <SFX BTS song blast>

PAM: Wait, they’re done with their military service…?RYAN: UH HUH. PAM: So it’s tour time?!

RYAN: YUP!

PAM: LETS GOOO!!! 

RYAN: So we should probably start the show…

PAM:  I’m Pamela Kirkland.

RYAN: And I’m Ryan Willard, it’s Thursday, April 16th.

PAM: This is Ten Things You Need to Know.

RYAN: We’re swinging right into the <SFX Wild World of Sports.> It was yet another exciting Sunday at the Augusta National golf club as the defending champion, Rory McIlroy, won the tournament known as the Masters. The winner is awarded with a special green jacket and McIIroy won his second green jacket of his career. McIlroy is now just one of four greats in Masters history to win back-to-back, among Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods, who was the last to do it in 2001 and 2002. He’s also now tied for second with Faldo for the most major wins by a European player, trailing only Harry Vardon. McIlroy has said he hopes to one day be considered the greatest European golfer of all time.

PAM: Over in the WNBA, two new voices are joining the studio team this season. With a new media deal comes new talent, and among them is Sophie Cunningham. A standout for the Indiana Fever, Cunningham, who recently re-signed with the team, will become the only active player commenting on the WNBA. She’ll be part of USA Sports’ WNBA coverage whenever she’s off the court, and will also be a voice across the network’s digital and social platforms. And then there’s WNBA legend and Hall of Famer Sue Bird. Bird will join NBC Sports as a studio analyst next month and will host a series of feature stories throughout the season, airing on TV and streaming on Peacock and other digital platforms.

RYAN: Alright we gotta get, <SFX OUT. OF. THIS. WORLD> We gotta give a BIG welcome back to the Artemis II crew! The four astronauts, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, returned to Earth at approximately 8:07 p.m. E.T. on Friday, April 10th, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California. Following the safe landing, the four crew members were helped out of the capsule and flown to the USS John P. Murtha, a U.S. Navy transport dock ship for post-mission medical evaluations. In addition to a safe return, the mission itself was a historic success, as the four astronauts became the first humans to see the entire lunar far side with their own eyes. They’re also the first to launch aboard NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion Capsule. 

RYAN: Ummm, Pam, do you wanna do the next one?PAM: Yeah let me think about that OF COURSE I DO. 

BTS is officially back. Last Thursday, the global superstar K-pop group kicked off their long-awaited world tour in South Korea after four years away. All seven members stepped back from the spotlight to complete South Korea’s mandatory military service, which requires all able-bodied men between 18 and 28 to serve for up to 21 months. More than 40,000 fans, from countries like Russia, the United States, and Brazil, gathered in the pouring rain to hear both old favorites and new tracks from their latest album. And even fans without tickets showed up, lining up outside the stadium under umbrellas just to listen. This was just the first of the band's many stops on the tour, with more shows across the United States, Europe, and Asia still to come. 

RYAN: Alright while BTS is busy topping the charts, we’ve got birds teaching the next generation how to sing. With help from scientists, an endangered species known as the regent honeyeater is helping younger birds relearn their traditional song in an effort to aid the species' survival. Scientists believe there are only about 250 regent honeyeaters left in the wild due to deforestation. This has caused the birds to become more widely dispersed, leading to young male honeyeaters being unable to learn their mating song to attract mates or defend their territory. To fix this, scientists paired younger birds in captivity with older birds who already knew the song. After listening over time, the young birds learned the correct mating call in about three months. Researchers are now releasing some of these birds back into the wild in hopes of helping restore the species through song.

PAM: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, music makes the world go round. (OR FEEL FREE TO ADLIB!) 

RYAN: Maybe I should practice my karaoke songs…

PAM: Thennn maybe we should take a quick break!

RYAN: Alright Ten’ers, believe it or not the school year is coming to an end soon, so we want to know…what topics do you want to hear most about before the Summer? Shoot us an email, hello@thetennews.com or leave us an apple review or a spotify comment and we might have you on the show! Speaking of, back to it!

PAM: We’re back with news out of Britain! We’re coming up on what would have been the icon… Queen Elizabeth’s 100th birthday on Tuesday, April 21st. To celebrate the monarch’s life on her centenary, more than 300 of her garments and fashion artifacts are on display at the King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace. The show showcases the Queen’s style choices, telling the story of her reign and influence on British fashion. One of the most famous fashion statements Queen Elizabeth made was when she wore a clear plastic raincoat so that a black umbrella wouldn’t detract from her public appearance. 

RYAN: Up next, another special celebration. Last week, Barney Mullen celebrated his birthday, and he also celebrated 48 years of working at Denny’s, a popular breakfast chain here in the United States. Mullen has worked as a busser since 1978, after connecting with Lura Turner Homes, a local nonprofit that supports adults with developmental disabilities, and they helped him find the job. And, to honor Barney on his birthday, the Phoenix Denny’s where he works donated 20% of all sales to Lura Turner Homes. It was the perfect way to celebrate Barney, who has become a pillar of the restaurant as coworkers and customers recognize him for his work ethic, attendance, and welcoming personality. 

PAM: Also, out West, a homeless man is making the most out of what he has while giving back to others just like him. In Los Angeles, Osvlado Medrano has built himself a home out of pieces of wood and sheet metal for the roof. Because of tough times, Medrano’s life forced him to live on the street, but instead of seeing it as a setback, he decided to build a small home as a place to wash up, watch TV, and sleep in a bed. He does have a job cleaning warehouses, but since building his small abode, he’s started his own side hustle. Medrano now builds tiny homes for other homeless people and sells them for $150 each. So far, he’s built and sold 6 homes, providing others with an alternative to living under their own roof rather than in city shelters.

RYAN: If you didn’t feel it, March 2026 was the hottest March ever recorded across the U.S., with temperatures exceeding historical averages and shattering daily and monthly heat records. April 2025 to March 2026 also marked the warmest 12 months on record. This phenomenon is largely driven by human-caused climate change, to the point that some heat events that have happened are considered nearly impossible without it. With that said, the European climate and weather service Copernicus and NOAA are forecasting a ‘super’ strong El Niño. And meteorologists expect this to further increase already-hot temperatures worldwide, likely surpassing 2024 as the hottest year on record. I will say though, after the cold winter we had, I didn’t mind the March heat! 

PAM: And for the last thing you need to know, let’s go to our trivia master, Owen. 

OWEN: Alright Ten’ers, here’s a question that mixes sports, history, and…a pretty surprising superfan! Which baseball team is giving away special Pope-themed hats to celebrate a famous fan who became the first American pope? Is it:

A. The New York Yankees

B. The Chicago White Sox

C. The Los Angeles Dodgers, OR

D. The Boston Red Sox

Ten’ers, did you guess it? The answer is…B! The Chicago White Sox! The new pope, Pope Leo XIV, grew up near Chicago and is such a big White Sox fan that he even went to a World Series game—and now the team is honoring him with special pope hats at a game this August! What a cool superfan.

RYAN: And that was Ten Things You Need to Know. Not gonna lie, those pope themed hats sound pretty cool. 

PAM: They do, but I’m saving my money for a BTS Army hoodie. RYAN: Wanna do some BTS karaoke while we’re waiting for them to hit the US? 

PAM: I’ve already been practicing so yes, yes I do. After we give Ten News snaps out to some of our listeners.

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

<AD BREAK>

RYAN: It’s time for Ten News Snaps!

PAM: A Ten’er named Fire Country Fan left us a five star Apple review and said, “Ok first of all this show is amazing. You have the perfect combination of humor and seriousness. Before finding this podcast I had no way of finding out what was going on around me in the world. I love how you explain news at a kid friendly level. Love the show.” Thank you so much Fire Country Fan, we’re so honored that you love the show and appreciate your kind words!

RYAN: And a Ten’er named Bugaboo2U also left us a five star Apple podcast review and said, “I love the Ten News and I love cats and I love the band KATSEYE.” Thank you Bugaboo2U, I also love the Ten News, and I really love cats but I’ve never heard of the band Katseye. Thanks for the suggestion!

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 geeking out over the Artemis II mission aaaand searching for BTS tickets 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. Big thanks to Owen Not Slowin Down for Anybody.  

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

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