2026 NFL Draft, Tough Times for Tech, and Toad-ally Wild Animal News

Episode
Written By Tracy Kaplan

10 Things You Need to Know: Episode 638

1. 2026 NFL Draft 🏈

2. Honored by Heinz 🏈🍅

3. Screen Time at School 📱

4. Back Before the Screens ⏳

5. An Out-of-this-World Ocean 🌊🪐

6. WHCA Dinner Rundown 📰

7. Travel Turbulence ⛽️✈️

8. A Baby Elephant's Big Day 🐘

9. A Toad-al Disaster 🐸

10. A Rare Discovery 🦎

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TRANSCRIPT

INT. TEN NEWS STUDIO

RYAN: Pick me pick me pick me pick meeee!

<SFX with the 57th pick of the NFL draft the Chicago Bears select…> <SFX record scratch>

PAM: Ryan, I love you, but I don’t think your name was in the NFL draft. Didn’t we already figure out that professional football wasn’t the best sport for you to play? 

RYAN: I know but there’s a special prize if I’m the 57th person selected in the NFL draft and I gotta win–

PAM: You know that the draft already happened right? 

RYAN: Oh, so this video isn’t live?

PAM: Nope. 

RYAN: Sooo, since I didn’t know that…we should probably start the show. I’m Ryan Willard. 

PAM: And I’m Pamela Kirkland, it’s Thursday April 30th. 

RYAN: This is Ten Things You Need to Know.  

RYAN: We obviously have to kick things off in the <SFX Wild World of Sports.> 

PAM: The 2026 NFL Draft is officially a wrap, and thankfully, there were no prank calls made to players this year. As expected, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza went No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders, setting the tone for the night. But things took a surprising turn at No. 13, when Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson was selected by the Los Angeles Rams. Simpson struggled in key moments last season, throwing for just 67 yards in the national championship against IU and failing to complete 20 passes in any of his final five games. However, his future looks promising under Rams head coach Sean McVay. To cap off Night 1, Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr., projected by many as a top-10 pick, slid to No. 15, where he was scooped up by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A fun football fact for you: Bain Jr’s arm measures at 30 and ⅞ inches, and no pass rushers with shorter arms than 31 inches have been selected in the first round since 2003. 

RYAN: I don’t know how long my arms are, which might be another reason why I’m not joining the NFL. But you know who is? Pick No. 57, the luckiest player in the NFL. Logan Jones, a center from the University of Iowa, was the 57th pick in the second round, kicking off his NFL career AND receiving a lifetime supply of Heinz ketchup. He is now also a proud member of the Mr. 57 Club, as the condiment company is honoring the player chosen at that spot with special perks, including a custom “Mr. 57” jacket and official recognition as part of their new tradition. It’s all a part of Heinz paying tribute to their iconic ‘57’ on ketchup bottles that have also been around for 157 years and counting! 

PAM: The Los Angeles Unified School District is making a big change and will become the first major American school system to restrict classroom use of laptops and tablets. Shifting toward a more pen-and-paper approach, there will be a screen-time policy in place for each grade and subject. Plus, students in first grade or younger will be prohibited from using any devices. This all comes thanks to a group of parents called ‘Schools Beyond Screens’, who spoke out at board meetings, in private meetings with board members and administrators, and on social media, raising concerns about the problems their children faced when using school-issued Chromebooks and iPads. A more detailed screen time policy will be presented to the school board in June, and then take effect in the 2026-2027 school year. 

RYAN: Modern tech seems to be taking a toll on more than just the kids in school. <SFX Tech Yourself before you Wreck Yourself> A recent study shows that some Gen Zers aren’t very confident about the country's future and modern technology, so much so that they’d like to travel back in time. According to a NBC News Decision Desk Poll, 47% of adults between the ages of 18 and 29 said they’d choose to live in the past if they had the option. A third of that group said they’d pick a time period less than 50 years ago, and another 14% would choose more than 50 years ago. 38% of Gen Zers prefer the present, and about 15% would prefer to go to the future. These results could be  from young adults’ relationship with technology and the overwhelm of always being connected to the internet. And instead, long for the nostalgia of previous eras built on community and comfort, without constant screens. 

PAM: And, in another new study, a large “bathtub ring” like geological feature on Mars may be evidence of an ancient ocean that once covered about a third of the planet’s surface. Researchers identified a broad, flat “coastal shelf” in Mars’ northern hemisphere, like the bands of land that outline the oceans here on Earth. This feature likely formed over a long period, supporting the idea that Mars may also have had conditions suitable for life at one time. Future missions may be able to investigate this “coastal shelf,” and if there was once life on the Red Planet, sedimentary deposits on the shelf might have preserved evidence of it, according to the researchers.RYAN: I don’t personally want to go to Mars, but I do personally want to take a quick break. 

PAM: Hey Ten’ers, we’re working on a Deep Dive about AI and we’re curious: what do you think of AI? And what do you want to know? 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: What was supposed to be an evening of honoring current and future journalists took a scary turn when an armed suspect tried to get past a security checkpoint and bolted toward the ballroom where the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner was being held, with President Donald Trump, White House officials, and the journalists in attendance. Based on a note to his family just moments before the incident, the suspected gunman, Cole Tomas Allen, was believed to be targeting Trump administration officials. Although shots were fired between Allen and law enforcement, the suspect was tackled to the ground and quickly taken into custody by Secret Service agents, bringing the situation under control and keeping everyone at the event safe. 

PAM: As a result of the ongoing war in Iran, summer travel plans may change for many Americans, especially those traveling overseas on international airlines. The Strait of Hormuz is a route for roughly 20% of global oil transit, plus 25-30% of the world's jet fuel. And, because of the blockades in and around the Strait of Hormuz, jet fuel stocks may soon begin to run out in parts of the world. For instance, at the beginning of this month, the International Energy Agency said that Europe may only have six weeks' worth of jet fuel left. Rising fuel costs and potential shortages have already caused some airlines to cut flight schedules, a trend that could worsen as peak summer travel approaches. 

RYAN: Hey Ten’ers, for 10 points, what animal is this…? <SFX Elephant> <SFX Tick Tick Tick DING!> Earth Day is already one of the best days of the year, but this year it was EXTRA special at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Linh Mai, a 2-month-old Asian elephant, made her debut at the zoo, where visitors got to see the first elephant born at the zoo in almost 25 years. The Asian elephant is an endangered species, with an estimated 50,000, maybe fewer, in the wild. Linh Mai, whose name also means ‘spirit blossom’ in Vietnamese, was born in February to her mother, Nhi Linh, and father Spike. But after birth, Linh Mai’s mom shows signs of aggression toward the calf, and that’s when Swarna, a 52-year-old elephant, stepped in as the ultimate auntie. She’s part of the reason Linh Mai is doing so well today, as she spends her days enjoying milk bottles, exploring the enclosure, and becoming one with her elephant herd. 

PAM: Up next, animal activists are deeply upset by a reservoir's recent actions. Over 1,000 toads have disappeared or are feared dead after the Nant-y-Ffrish reservoir in Wales was drained during their breeding season. Volunteers from the Wrenham Toad Patrols who recently helped about 1,500 toads safely cross a nearby road to reach the water were never warned that the reservoir would be drained. While conservationists argue the timing should have been delayed because toad populations are already declining, the water company says the work was necessary for safety. 

RYAN: And for the last thing you need to know, let’s go to our Trivia Master, Owen. 

OWEN: Thanks, Ry. Today’s trivia is also from Wales AND about another amphibian called the Axolotl. RYAN: Dude. I’m impressed you can pronounce that because I couldn’t. 

OWEN: Keep practicing, my guy. But, first, do you know where axolotls are originally from? Is it:

  1. The Amazon River

  2. Lake Xochimilco in Mexico City

  3. The Great Barrier Reef, or

  4. The Nile River

The answer is… B! Lake Xochimilco in Mexico City, and a 10-year-old named Evie actually discovered the endangered amphibian while playing under a bridge in Bridgend, Wales! Given that these creatures are typically found in Mexico, Evie’s discovery is incredibly rare. So rare that, according to the BBC, this is the first known wild sighting of an axolotl in the United Kingdom, and only 50 to 1,000 are believed to remain globally!

INT. TEN NEWS STUDIO

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

PAM: Ry, since you weren’t the 57th pick of the NFL draft, I got you three bottles of ketchup.

RYAN: WHAT! YES! Thank you Paaaam! I need some hot dogs, burgers and ice cream. 

PAM: WAIT. You put ketchup on ice cream…?

RYAN: No. But, I just…want ice cream. 

PAM: Fair enough. We should 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 Eyebrooks12345 left us a 5 start Apple Podcast review and said, “I love the Savannah Bananas! My brother and I always watch their games and I am actually going to see them on the 26th of April!” Oh cool, Eyebrooks! How was the game? I’m guessing it was AWESOME.

RYAN: And a Ten’er named Forrest left us a comment on Spotify and said, “This podcast is awesome, 10 million out of 10 stars! You guys rock!” YOU rock Forrest, cool name btw. And a Ten’er named Zeek left a Spotify comment and said, “I love this show. What game console does Ryan play on?” Thank you Zeek, also a cool name. And I play on my Nintendo Switch 2, a Playstation 5 and…I have a PC. Can you tell I’m a gamer?

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 barbecuing like it’s already the Summer 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
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