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Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer, on WNYC. Good morning again, everyone. It's membership drive news quiz time. Have you been paying attention in 2023? If so, call right up, and if you get three news quiz questions in a row right, we will send you the new Brian Lehrer Show baseball hat. Who wants to play? 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692. It's membership drive news quiz time. Do you know what's been going on in 2023? Have you been paying attention? 212-433-9692, if you want to play.

While your calls are coming in, let me reset the context for this. We're in our annual spring membership drive, and during the 11:00 AM hour of the show every day, during the drive, we're having a Brian Lehrer Show fundraising party. What happens at this party? Well, we're doing three segments each day, in the 11:00 AM to noon fundraising party hour segment. One is a low-stakes pop quiz. We don't give grades, we do give prizes. That's what we're starting right now, for today, with this low-stakes pop quiz on the news of 2023.

Who wants to try for three in a row, and that Brian Lehrer Show baseball hat? 212-433-WNYC, if you want to play. This is not our pledge line. We're never going to ask you for money while we're throwing quiz questions at you. 212-433-9692. Segment two, later in the hour, we're bringing back our most fun or interesting call-ins of 2023 for a second round of participation. All the good ones wind up with more listeners waiting their turn than we can take. It's our most fun or interesting call-ins of 2023, round two.

Today, it'll be your most searing memory from your time in summer camp. Get those summer camp memories ready to go. What's your unforgettable moment from summer camp, from when you were a kid or a counselor? Maybe it was just last summer, or maybe it was 40 years ago, whatever. That's later in the hour. Right now, for the quiz, 212-433-9692. We'll end each of these hours with things to do this summer around here. There's so much, arts and culture. New York has really reopened now in that respect.

We'll be doing that later in the hour. A three-part, 11:00 AM to noon membership drive party, here on the Brian Lehrer Show, starting right now, with the 2023 news quiz, second edition. Have you been paying attention in 2023? Andrew, you're going to get the first question. Andrew, in Brooklyn, you're on WNYC. Hi, there.

Andrew: Hey, I'm ready.

Brian Lehrer: Okay. We'll see how ready you are. In March, a bank experienced a run on deposits that drove the institution into insolvency. The collapse marked the largest bank failure since the financial crisis of the 2008 era. What's the name of that largest bank failure since 2008 this year?

Andrew: Silicon Valley Bank.

Brian Lehrer: It is Silicon Valley Bank. That's one. Question number two. In January, New York Congressman Hakeem Jeffries made history as the first Black lawmaker to do what?

Andrew: He became the minority leader in the house.

Brian Lehrer: That is correct. He became the first to be elected to lead a majority party in Congress, select by his fellow Democrats. That would've been true if he was elected speaker, but also as minority leader, or leader of his party. One more for the baseball hat. This New York basketball team made news for acquiring not one, not two, but three all-star players to their team. I'll give you a hint. Michael Hill just referred to this team in his newscast.

Andrew: I would've known it anyway, because that is the Liberty. I could name all three superstars if you'd like me to.

Brian Lehrer: Go ahead.

Andrew: No, I shouldn't have said that. Damn it. Breanna Stewart.

Brian Lehrer: Yes. Says the one who scored all these points yesterday. Go ahead.

Andrew: Becky Hammond came to New York, I think. Well, whatever. I don't actually know. I talked too much. I don't want to say the word on the air. I talked [unintelligible 00:04:48] and I didn't [unintelligible 00:04:49].

Brian Lehrer: You talked enough, right answers to win a Brian Lehrer Show baseball cap. Hang on, Andrew. We're going to take your address off the air. The other two are Jonquel Jones and Courtney Vandersloot, by the way. We'll talk more about the Liberty on the show in the coming days. Gabriel, in Georgia, you're on WNYC. Hi, Gabriel. Ready for some quiz questions?

Gabriel: Hit me, Brian.

Brian Lehrer: True or false? Three Democratic Tennessee lawmakers were formally expelled from the legislature after participating in a rally for stricter gun control after a school shooting in Nashville. I'm going to read that question again. True or false? Three Democratic Tennessee lawmakers were formally expelled from the legislature after participating in a rally for stricter gun control after the school shooting in Nashville. True or false?

Gabriel: False.

Brian Lehrer: False is correct. Do you know why?

Gabriel: Trick question. Only two were.

Brian Lehrer: Only two were. The two, Black male ones. The other one was a white woman, and she survived expulsion by a narrow margin. That's one right. True or false? It's been over three months since a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine, igniting a massive fire and setting off fears of other explosions. The answer-- Oh, I see. No, no. You know what? I read this question wrong. I'm just going to acknowledge that I read it wrong and go on to the next one.

This was going to be about the way you pronounce the name of the city. I was going to say Palestine, like the country, but the answer, of course, for that, would've been false. We'll go on to another one. True or false? Since legalizing cannabis, there are now more than 1,400 licensed cannabis shops in New York City alone.

Gabriel: 1,400? I don't know about that. I would say-- That's tough. False.

Brian Lehrer: False. There are four. There are probably 1,400 Black market so-called smoke shops, but just four licensed recreational dispensaries so far. That's two in a row right. One more for the hat. On February 6th, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck which two bordering countries? That huge earthquake this year. Can you name the countries? Tough one.

Gabriel: Turkey and Syria.

Brian Lehrer: That is right. Way to go, Gabriel. We're going to take your address down there in Georgia off the air, and send you a Brian Lehrer Show baseball cap. We're going to go on to Marielle, in Brooklyn. Marielle, you're on WNYC. Hi, there.

Marielle: Hi, there.

Brian Lehrer: Ready for a quiz question?

Marielle: Yes, I am.

Brian Lehrer: True or false? 20 years ago this year, New York City launched 311, allowing New Yorkers to ask questions, submit complaints, and request key services at that phone number. Not 911, but 311, 20 years ago. That's the question. Was it 20 years ago?

Marielle: I'm going to say yes.

Brian Lehrer: That is true. Next question. In March, the CEO of a social media platform was called to testify before Congress about how the user data it collects is probably being used by a foreign government, or could be, and how its algorithm is driving an increase. What's the name of that platform?

Marielle: I believe that was TikTok.

Brian Lehrer: That is TikTok, with the allegations that the Chinese government can access all our data if they so choose, from that company alone. Jamal Bowman, Congressman from the Bronx in Westchester says, "Yes, it's not just TikTok," but that's what the hearing was focused on. That's two in a row right. One more, we'll send you a Brian Lehrer Show baseball cap. In March, Republicans and Democrats-- No, I'm sorry. Next question is this one--

After a two-month absence due to complications from a case of the shingles, this lawmaker returned to Congress last week. What is that lawmaker's name?

Marielle: That is Senator Dianne Feinstein.

Brian Lehrer: That is, and that's three in a row right. Sound the trumpets. We're going to take your address off the air, and we're going to send you a Brian Lehrer Show baseball cap. All right. Let's see. I think we have time for one more. Let's try Laurie, in Atlantic Highlands, you're on WNYC. Hi, Laurie.

Laurie: Hi, Brian. Oh, they've been doing really well.

Brian Lehrer: Yes. The listeners have been doing really well today. Friday's quiz was a hard one and we only gave away one hat. I think we've given away three so far, and you're going to be the last contestant. No pressure, of course. True or False? After getting fired from Fox News, Elon Musk has confirmed that Tucker Carlson has signed a multi-million dollar deal with Twitter to host a new show on its platform. True or False?

Laurie: True.

Brian Lehrer: That is actually false. False for now.

Laurie: I knew it was going to be me. [laughs]

Brian Lehrer: [laughs] Carlson announced plans to launch a new show on Twitter the other day, Musk tweeted later that, "We have not signed a deal of any kind whatsoever." Sorry, Laurie. Thanks for trying, but that happened so quickly that, we're going to get one more person in here. We're going to change the rules since we're going to run out of time here. Mary, in Monmouth County, you're on WNYC. You ready to play, Mary?

Mary: Well, I'll give it a go.

Brian Lehrer: Okay. Because we're running out of time for today's news quiz, the new rule is-- You ready for the new rule?

Mary: Sure.

Brian Lehrer: If you get one in a row right, we're going to send you a Brain Lehrer Show baseball cap. All right.

Mary: Oh, boy. Fingers crossed. Here we go.

Brian Lehrer: True or False? A nationwide shortage of the ADHD medication Adderall was caused by a steep increase in demand for the drug, fueled by a boom of newly diagnosed ADHD adults.

Mary: I believe that is true.

Brian Lehrer: That is true.

Mary: Oh, yay, I get the hat.

Brian Lehrer: The trumpeters were ready. They weren't sitting around waiting for three in a row. You got the hat, Mary. Thank you. Congratulations. We'll take your address off the air. Listeners, that disturbing story from The Washington Post version, prescriptions for Adderall, the stimulant that is approved to treat ADHD, rose more than 30%. The number of prescriptions rose more than 30% over the past five years, and accelerated during the pandemic.

Thanks for all of you, to all of you, for playing the news quiz today. Yay, we gave away four WNYC baseball caps. Awesome.

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