RYAN: Pam, that was the fastest, most productive Summer I’ve ever had. I jumped in three different pools, read 5 books, beat seven video games, saw 23 movies, ate 94 donuts, and the GOAT followed me to the studio today…how was your Summer?

PAM: It was great, thanks! I (PAM INSERT SUMMER ACCOMPLISHMENTS) and wait, did you say the GOAT is in the studio today…? IS SIMONE BILES HERE?!

RYAN: Oh goodness, no. My neighbor has an actual goat and we became pretty good friends this Summer. Say hello Mr. Rigatoni. <SFX Goat sound>

PAM: Hello, Mr. Rigatoni. <SFX Goat sound> Yeah, it was a pretty crazy few months. I think we should do a Summer recap to kick off Season 5.

RYAN: I’m in. I’m Ryan Willard.

PAM: And I’m Pamela Kirkland, it’s Thursday August 22nd.

RYAN: This is Ten Things You Need to Know.

PAM: First up, some 2024 Olympic highlights! The 2024 Olympic Games took place in Paris from July 26th - August 11th, showcasing some of the world’s most talented athletes. Here are The Ten News team’s top 3 highlights from this year’s games:

RYAN: Simone Biles is now the most decorated American gymnast of all time with 11 Olympic medals, including seven gold, two silver, and two bronze. She left Paris with three gold medals in the vault, all-around, and team events, and a silver in the floor final. You could say she’s flipping awesome.

PAM: Stephen Nederoscik, aka Pommel Horse Guy, became an overnight hero when he scored a 14.866 on the pommel horse. This is such a big deal because it meant Team USA secured a Bronze Medal, the team’s first medal since 2008. Oh, and he can solve a rubik's cube in 19.15 seconds!

RYAN: I bet I could beat him on the Rubik’s cube, as long as I get a 36 hour head start.

PAM: In men’s basketball, Team USA took home gold after defeating France 98-87 in the championship game! Some highlights include LeBron James with 14 points, 10 assists and six rebounds, and Steph Curry making 8, 3-point shots to score 24 points.

RYAN: Those were the Olympic games, now for…

RYAN: Nintendo had some big announcements in June and while they didn’t mention the Switch predecessor, they did announce their upcoming lineup of games and they did not disappoint. <ding> The Super Mario Brothers are getting their own adventure called Mario & Luigi Brothership. <ding> Nintendo Switch Sports is getting a free update and adding 2v2 basketball. <ding> The Mario Party series is getting a new entry called Super Mario Party Jamboree. <ding> A new Legend of Zelda game is coming this year, called Echoes of Wisdom, where you’ll play as Zelda and rescue link…And last but certainly not least… <ding> Samus will return in 2025, in Metroid Prime 4. Which is a game I’ve been waiting for, since like, before some of you were born.

RYAN: It’s been quite the summer for politics. Starting with the Republican National Convention, or the RNC, that took place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from July 15th - 18. At the RNC, delegates of the United States Republican Party selected former President Trump as their presidential nominee, and he announced JD Vance as his running mate. But, who is JD Vance? He is a United States senator for Ohio, a retired U.S. Marine, and a bestselling author whose book is also a movie on Netflix. Unfortunately, JD does not stand for “Just Dance,” because Just Dance Vance would be an absolutely tremendous name.

PAM: And now, for the Democrats: President Joe Biden made the decision to drop out of the 2024 Presidential Race, and we can’t thank him enough for his hard work over the years. Bringing us to today, August 22nd, the 4th day of the Democratic National Convention, or the DNC, in Chicago, Illinois where Democrats are rallying behind their new presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, and her VP pick, Tim Walz. And, who is Tim Walz? He is Minnesota’s 41st Governor, a former high school teacher and coach, and a retired Command Sergeant Major for the Army National Guard.

RYAN: Pivoting from politics, let’s take a look at…

RYAN: In July, temperature records were shattered in both the East and West coast, leaving over 132 million people under some form of a heat warning due to dangerous conditions and even power outages. That means no air conditioning, even as cities throughout Oregon broke record temperatures by more than 5 degrees, reaching 112 degrees in Medford, Oregon, breaking a previous record of 104 degrees set in 1922. And, it wasn’t much cooler as residents along the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland saw 110 degree temperatures. My mom likes to call this weather, “Ryan, remember your deodorant” weather. Unfortunately, we may see this type of weather again as human-caused climate change continues to fuel longer and more intense heat waves.

PAM: Don’t worry, we have some much cooler weather news (no pun intended)... Did you ever think that you would be able to see the northern lights from your own backyard!?

RYAN: That’s what those colorful lights were?! I thought someone reeeeeeeaaalllly far away was putting up holiday decorations

PAM: This summer, you didn’t need to travel to the north pole to see them! The northern lights, officially called aurora borealis, are colorful light displays that happen in the sky, usually near the North Pole. They're caused by particles from the sun colliding with gasses in the Earth's atmosphere, creating beautiful curtains of light in colors like green, pink, and purple. Residents of the U.S, even as far south as the Florida Keys, got to witness the display due to a series of solar flares from the sun that set off the storm, triggering the famous natural lights.

RYAN: We’re going to take a quick break for the grown ups while I try to figure out how to pronounce aurora borealis. And then we’re gonna go to space…BRB! Are you excited we’re back for Season 5? We are! We’re holding a not so secret Season 5 kick off zoom, where you can meet the Ten News Team creative team, give feedback and hear what’s coming up in the new season! There’s one on Saturday, August 24th, and Wednesday, August 28th. So grab a grown up and check out the link in our show notes, where you can RSVP. It would be really cool to meet you, and also, please don’t bring any butterflies.

PAM: Two NASA Astronauts are stuck in space! They’re on a mission that was supposed to be 8 days, but that mission recently hit its two month mark. Imagine packing a bag for 8 days but having to use it for 2 months! Think of the stink on those socks… Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are stuck aboard the International Space Station. The Boeing Skyliner that brought them them there and was supposed to take them home, is experiencing issues with the its propulsion system, which is a part of the spacecraft that helps it move forward. While there are no exact plans in place yet, the Starliner may return to Earth uncrewed. As for the astronauts, NASA might send a four-seater SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft with two other astronauts onboard to accompany Williams and Wilmore home. But that wouldn’t happen until February 2025. Don’t worry though, the crew of the Starliner is doing okay and has plenty of food, water, space and a great view of Planet Earth.

RYAN: Those astronauts certainly deserve an award for their courage and patience, but back on Earth…

PAM: It’s Tech Time.

RYAN: which is something that CrowdStrike did NOT do. At this year’s Las Vegas Def Con hacking conference, CrowdStrike accepted an award for “Most Epic Fail”. The Pwnie Awards celebrate the ‘achievements (and failures) of security researchers and the security community.’ This past July, CrowdStrike, a security software company, released a software update that caused Windows machines across the world to fail in a truly epic way. This huge crash meant that banks couldn’t fulfill orders - even the big ones like Chase and Wells Fargo. Mobile ordering went haywire, and airlines had to ground or cancel nearly 7,000 flights.

PAM: That kind of catastrophe sounds like something out of a movie. Speaking of movies….

RYAN: Let’s roll out the red carpet for some entertainment news.

RYAN: When it comes to Summer blockbusters, I have to say, we called it. Two of our most anticipated movies this summer hit big at the box office. Wolverine and Deadpool is Marvel’s only film release this year, and it made a huge splash, bringing in more than $1.143 billion in the month since its late July release. This movie is rated R so you may not be able to watch it just yet–

PAM: –But have no fear! Or do, because emotions are a valid and natural part of life, as told by Inside Out 2! Pulling in $1.46 billion at the global box office, the successful sequel became the highest-grossing animated film of all time and no, highest-grossing does not mean the most boogers. Inside Out 2 is now streaming on Premium Video on Demand and will be coming to Disney + at a later date.

ANIMAL INTRO: Okay for 10 points, what animal is this? <SFX giant panda bleating> <SFX three second clock tick>

RYAN: Did you get it? That was a PANDA. After zoos throughout the U.S. were left with almost no giant pandas due to diminishing ties between China and the United States, the China Wildlife Conservation Association signed a cooperation agreement with the San Diego Zoo to bring the beloved mammal back to San Diego. Yun Chaun, a 5-year-old male and Xin Bao, a 4-year-old female traveled roughly 7,000 miles from China arriving at their new habitat at the San Diego Zoo on June 27th. The two recently made their debut to zoo-goers on August 8th and appear happy to be in their new home!

PAM: And, while grizzly bears and wolves are typically the main attraction for wildlife watchers at Yellowstone, another animal stole the show this summer: A rare white buffalo. According to park officials, ‘the birth of a white bison calf in the wild is believed to occur in about one in a million births, or even less frequently’. A white buffalo calf is also considered "the most sacred living thing on Earth" to many Native American tribes. Head to the link in our show notes to see a picture of this cute, yet rare, little fluff!

: And for the last thing you need to know… let’s go to Owen for TRIVIA TIME.

OWEN: Thanks Pam. Olympic athletes have gotten a lot of press these past few weeks, but what about the jobs and workers that help it all happen? It takes a lot to pull off a massive event like the Olympics, including some unexpected tasks. Which of these is NOT a real job at the Olympics? Is it…

A swimming cap catcher
A gymnastics balloon brandisher
A table tennis paddle polisher

OWEN: Alright Ten’ers, did you guess it? The answer is C, a table tennis paddle polisher! Table tennis players generally don’t let anyone mess with their paddles. The other two are real jobs! A swimming cap catcher dives to the bottom of the pool to retrieve lost swimming caps, and a gymnastics balloon brandisher’s job is to walk around with a giant balloon on a long pole to help cameras prep their angles for floor routines.

RYAN: Without these people, we wouldn’t have been able to see Katie Ledecky or Simone Biles make history. Shout out to the unsung Olympic heroes and also, all the volunteers that helped make it happen! Okay, well Ten’ers, I want to know: Real or fake, what would your dream Olympic job be? Leave us a voice message at 877-TEN-NEWS or leave us an apple review and we might shout you out on the show!

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

RYAN: I don’t know about you, Pamela, but Mr. Rigatoni and I are famished! Want to grab a bite?

PAM: Ummm, I do, buuuut…Mr. Rigatoni is currently eating my packed lunch. <SFX Goat chewing> So…

RYAN: so, we should probably go get some pizza. He’ll still be hungry. We should also give Ten News Snaps to one of our listeners!

PAM: But before we do, here’s a quick note for the grownups.

RYAN: Time for Ten News Snaps! <Grand fanfare SFX>

PAM: A Ten’er named Hello Cat said, “I love this podcast it is awesome. Keep making more. You are so funny. Could you please make an episode about Taylor Swift.”

RYAN: Thank you Hello Cat and we might do a Taylor Swift episode, if you Ten’ers want that, you gotta let us know!…And 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 BACK FOR SEASON FIVE LETS GOOOOOO! and includes Tracey Crooks, Adam Boogie Down Bernard, Kyle Murdock and Carson Potter. Big thanks to Owen for contributing to this episode. And a huuuge shoutout to our newest team member, our staff writer: Hebba Gouda. She might have the coolest name ever and might or might not smell like her last name, aka my third favorite cheese.

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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