Title: Your Newsy Halloween Costumes

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Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC. All right, nine minutes left in the show on this Halloween. We're going to end with a call-in to shout out your costumes inspired by the news or current pop culture of any kind, your costumes that are political or otherwise inspired by the news, or something else that's contemporary. We don't want the witches and the ghosts and that kind of thing, but how about a 2025 pop culture reference costume or a 2025 politics reference costume or anything else inspired by the news of now? 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692. Call or text.

I mentioned at the start of the show that someone told me this morning off the air that they're going to go with a red beret. Then everybody knows she's going as Curtis Sliwa. How about any other political costume? 212-433-WNYC, 433-9692. Maybe you're going as the actual potato chip bag that briber apparent Winnie Greco offered reporter Katie Honan on behalf of then-candidate Eric Adams. That might be a tough costume to make. Maybe you're going as the government shutdown. We've actually seen an interpretation that's a Statue of Liberty costume with a "Sorry, we're closed" sign around the neck. Do you have another punny interpretation of something political right now? 212-433-WNYC.

On the pop culture side, one of the most popular costumes this year, we think, is going to be the Labubu. If you're not familiar, it's a quirky, crazed-looking doll, people call it, that sparked a worldwide buying frenzy. Think of a creepy Beanie Baby if you're of that generation, or maybe the KPop Demon Hunters characters will be huge this year, probably mostly for kids, or any other character from pop culture in 2025. Who are you or your children going as later today? 212-433-WNYC, call or text. We'll take your politics or pop culture costumes right after this.

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Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC. Okay, we're getting a lot of political Halloween costume call-ins here. We'll start with Harris in Brooklyn. Harris, you're on WNYC. Hi.

Harris: Hey, Brian. How's it going? This is Harris Alterman, longtime listener, first-time caller. My wife, her costume, she is going as Kash "Money" Patel. It's half Kash Patel, half wrapper. She's got a FBI hat, an FBI jacket, and she's got a big chain with a big dollar sign on it, and she's going to have the big patented Kash Patel wide eyes.

Brian Lehrer: Wow. Hilarious. Julia in Ridgewood, I think, has another Curtis Sliwa take costume, huh? Hi, Julia.

Julia: Hi. Yes. My boyfriend and I, it's a couple's costume. He's going to be Curtis Sliwa. We went to the hat store downtown, a very excellent place to get a hat if you need one. It's next to Milanos, and I'm going to be one of Curtis Sliwa's cats dressed in a red blanket, and I also got my nails done to match the occasion. I have Curtis Sliwa's hat and also a little 3D cat wrapped in a red blanket on my nails, as well as a whole '70s New York motif.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you, Julia. Here's kind of a dark one. Listener texts, "My costume is a bag of ICE." Joanna in Sunnyside, you're on WNYC. Hi, Joanna.

Joanna: Hi. I'm sharing my husband's brilliant idea, which is to dress as one of the most frightening things right now, private equity. He is going to do a quarter zip, a puffy vest, jacket, and just a sash that says "private equity."

Brian Lehrer: Thank you very much. Madden in Queens, you're on WNYC. Very much on the news, I see. Hi, Madden.

Madden: Happy Halloween, Brian. I'll be dressing up as a Louvre robber. Making sure I have some French elements with a beret and a baguette, and a bunch of jewels from the 99 Cents Store.

Brian Lehrer: Wow. Don't make the beret red or they'll think you're French Curtis Sliwa.

Madden: Exactly.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you very much. Carrie in Croton-on-Hudson. Hi, Carrie. You're on WNYC.

Carrie: Yes, thank you. Happy Halloween. I'm going as a Statue of Liberty, and I'm carrying the Constitution, but I also have a sign that has a pigeon, a picture of a pigeon, and it's saying "Coup-coup," C-O-U-P. It says, "Even the pigeons know what's going on."

Brian Lehrer: "Coup-coup." Carrie, thank you very much. Linda, in New Orleans, you're on WNYC. Hi, Linda.

Linda: Hi, Brian. Hi. Thank you. Those are all really great. You're making me laugh. They're making me laugh. I'm going as Frida Kahlo with a sign that says, "Oops, I deported myself." I feel a little bad about it because I love Frida Kahlo so much and I don't want to make fun of her, but I also feel like it's important to take a stand. In New Orleans, it's tricky because there are some blue bloods here, and they looked at my sign when I wore it yesterday and said, "Wait, what?" I'm still doing it anyway.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you very much. Now, here's a text. "I was going to be an orca breaking a yacht for Halloween this year. I bought an orca onesie. It was not cheap, but then I found out that my cousin, who was sailing near Portugal, where the whales are prevalent, had his boat attacked by an Orca on October 10th, so I decided not to do the costume, but maybe I will wear my orca onesie as a protest. All right, one more. Brett, in Queens, we have 15 seconds for you. I see you have a long history of political costumes. Do your best. 15 seconds.

Brett: Yes. Thank you for taking my call. In 2016, I went as social media. In 2012, I went as Obamacare, and in 2008, I went as "Binders full of women." That's it. Thank you.

Brian Lehrer: That Mitt Romney-- Anything this year?

Brett: Still social media. Going to stick with that one.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you very much. All right, listeners, thank you for all your Halloween costumes. Maybe you gave some other people some ideas. Whatever you do tonight or this weekend, have fun, eat candy, stay safe, give away stuff. Stay tuned for Alison. Have a great weekend.

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