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Brian Lehrer: It's The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC. Good morning again, everyone. Now, we'll do about a 10-minute quiz called The Truth or a Lie? Who wants to play? 212-433-WNYC, special for this one-day spring fundraiser membership drive experiment. It's a 10-minute quiz called The Truth or a Lie? Who wants to play? 212-433-9692. We're going to give away some of those tote bags. These will all be true or false questions, get three in a row right and you'll win one of the spring and summer WNYC tote bags that we've been talking about that we're offering as thank you gifts for the one-day-only membership drive. 212-433-9692.

These are all going to be based on the news, or some are based on history and civics. Get three in a row right and we'll give you one of those spring and summer WNYC tote bags that we're offering as thank you gifts for the one-day membership drive. 212-433-9692. We'll have some fun and hopefully learn a few things with this quiz we're calling The Truth or a Lie? For just the next 10 minutes. Who wants to play and take a shot at winning a spring and summer so tote bag? 212-433-WNYC. By the way, thanks for all your support so far. I can report after the news break here that we have 127 of you who have asked for the New Yorker Magazine subscription, and 114 of you, almost as many, who have asked for that spring and summer tote bag as a thank you gift, for what it's worth.

Keep those one-time donations or your full-on memberships coming between now and noon as we try to reduce our usual nine-day spring membership drive to just one day. We still have that match dollar for dollar in effect, which is only during the show from our board of trustees. Help us take their money, help us make this one day instead of nine day spring membership drive experiment a success. Thank you so much for doing that at wnyc.org or 888-376-WNYC, 888-376-9692. For the quiz we're not asking for money, we're giving away those spring and summer tote bags to anyone who can get three true or false questions in a row right.

Who wants to play? Of course, this is on-air call-in line not the membership drive line at 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692. Eileen in Long Beach, you're on WNYC. Hi, Eileen.

Eileen: Good morning.

Brian Lehrer: The truth or a lie. Joe Biden is President of the United States?

Eileen: True.

Brian Lehrer: Yes. That was just a test if you're alive, Eileen. Like when you bump your head and they ask, "Do you know your own name?" The truth or a lie. Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election?

Eileen: True.

Brian Lehrer: True. That was just a test if you know the difference between what's true and what's false for a true-false quiz. That's two in a row right. Those were, you might call them a head start. Now, the truth or a lie. Someone fired a gun in a Washington, DC pizza place because of a lie that Hillary Clinton was running a satanic child sex ring there, is that the truth or a lie?

Eileen: That's the truth.

Brian Lehrer: That is the truth.

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Brian Lehrer: It was the truth about a lie. It happened at the Comet Ping Pong pizzeria place in DC. The weapon, you won't be surprised, was an AR-15. Eileen, hang on because we're going to take your address and we're going to send you a WNYC spring and summer tote bag. Greg in Brooklyn. You're ready to play? Greg?

Greg: Yes, I am. Hi Brian.

Brian Lehrer: Hi, there. Thanks for calling in. You're ready? We're going to go we're going to go pretty fast. Not a lot of chitchat on these now that we've established how it works by establishing that yes, Joe Biden was elected President of the United States in 2020. The truth or a lie. However, Biden won the electoral college vote in 2020 but lost the popular vote. The truth or a lie?

Greg: False. A lie.

Brian Lehrer: That is a lie. The truth or a lie, Donald Trump won the electoral college vote in 2016 but lost the popular vote?

Greg: Truth.

Brian Lehrer: That is the truth. That's two. The truth or a lie, George W. Bush was elected president in 2000 that same way, he won the electoral college but lost the popular vote to Al Gore?

Greg: True.

Brian Lehrer: That is the truth.

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Brian Lehrer: Our last two Republican presidents got into office without the popular vote. Greg, you did it. Hang on, we're going to take your address for a tote bag. We'll go from Brooklyn to Queens to John in Sunnyside. Hi, John. Ready to play?

John: Yes. Hi Brian.

Brian Lehrer: We're going to change direction here. The truth or lie, before Washington DC was the capital of the United States, New York City was the capital? Is that the truth or is that a lie?

John: That's true.

Brian Lehrer: That is true. The first President, George Washington, was sworn in here in New York. The truth or lie, you can run for Congress in a district you don't live in?

John: That's not true.

Brian Lehrer: Sorry, John. Thanks for trying. That is true. We are learning that recently in New York, with all this redistricting and all this musical chairs roulette, somebody's going to be left without a District and people are starting to declare their candidacy for election or re-election to Congress from New York, but in districts that they actually don't live in, in a number of cases. Let's see. We've done Brooklyn, we've done Queens, we've done Long Beach, Nassau County. Eliot and Manhattanville in Manhattan, you're on WNYC. Hi, Eliot.

Eliot: Good morning, Brian.

Brian Lehrer: We just established you can run for Congress in the district you don't live in.

Eliot: That is true.

Brian Lehrer: That was the previous question. Your first question is this. The truth or a lie, you can be chosen as Speaker of the House if you're not a member of Congress?

Eliot: You don't even have to be old enough to be a member of Congress. The answer is true.

Brian Lehrer: That is the truth. Yes, you can be chosen as Speaker of the House if you're not a member of Congress and the reason that's relevant to bring up is that some Republicans have talked about installing Donald Trump as speaker if they win the House majority in November. That's one. The truth or a lie, Memorial Day, which we celebrated this week, was first established as a holiday to honour those Americans who died in World War I?

Eliot: Was it the Civil War? I'm going with true.

Brian Lehrer: Sorry, your other impulse was right. It was the Civil War that gave rise to Memorial Day. Lydia in Brooklyn, you're ready to play?

Lydia: Yes, sir.

Brian Lehrer: The truth or a lie, now we've established what memorial day this week was for, the country will observe its next Federal holiday later this month, on Monday, June 20th. Is that the truth or a lie?

Lydia: That's correct. It's a federal holiday, but it's Juneteenth, June 19th is the actual date.

Brian Lehrer: Very good. The reason it's Monday, June 20th Is because June 18th, June 19th happens to fall on a Sunday this year. That's one. The truth or a lie, Manhattan is also known as New York County?

Lydia: This is correct. True.

Brian Lehrer: This is true. The truth or a lie, The Bronx, and you only need one more to win a tote bag. The truth or a lie, The Bronx is also known as Kings County?

Lydia: No, that's not true.

Brian Lehrer: That is correct. That is a lie. It is Brooklyn, as maybe you know as a Brooklynite, that's actually called Kings County. The Bronx is called Bronx County. Lydia, thank you very much. Hang on. We'll take your address for a WNYC spring and summer tote bag. Let's go up to Jasper in Westport. Hi Jasper. Ready to play?

Jasper: Yes. Hi, Brian.

Brian Lehrer: Wait. Actually, Jasper, hang on, we're going to get to you next. Let me try Tom in Monroe, New Jersey for this little set here because I've got some New Jersey questions lined up. Hi, Tom, you're ready to play?

Tom: Good morning, Brian. Yes, I am ready.

Brian Lehrer: The truth or a lie, New Jersey has 21 counties, that's a true fact. Now the truth or a lie, in those 21 counties there are more than 600 school districts?

Tom: That's the truth.

Brian Lehrer: That is the truth, 686 school districts in just 21 counties. According to the state's website, nj.gov. Some people say it's a main cause of new Jersey's high property taxes. All those school system bureaucracies to fund, not just the teachers. That's one. The truth or a lie, New Jersey does not allow drivers to pump their own gasoline gas stations?

Tom: That is the truth.

Brian Lehrer: That is the truth. I'm surprised you even had to hesitate on that one as a Jerseyite. For the tote bag, the truth or a lie? Exactly half the states, 25 states, have the same law. The other half, including New York, do allow self-serve.

Tom: That's a lie.

Brian Lehrer: That is a lie because New Jersey is the only state in the country that does not allow people to pump their own gas. So Tom, that's three in a row right.

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Brian Lehrer: About your home state of New Jersey. Congratulations. You win a tote bag. Hang on. We'll take your address off the air. Now we're going to go to Jasper in Westport. Hey Jasper.

Jasper: Hello.

Brian Lehrer: The truth or a lie.

Jasper: How are you doing?

Brian Lehrer: Doing pretty well. Hope you're doing well too. Hope you walk away in a minute with a tote bag. The truth or lie, Corey Booker and Chris Murphy are the two senators from New Jersey?

Jasper: Chris Murphy? I hope that's not my Senator. I think that is true.

Brian Lehrer: Oh, Jasper, Chris Murphy is your Senator in Connecticut. That's why it's a lie. Sorry. Thanks for trying. Arnold in Manhattan. Arnold, you're on WNYC. You ready to play?

Arnold: Yes, I am.

Brian Lehrer: All right. The truth or lie, Baruch college in Manhattan is part of the CUNY system?

Arnold: True.

Brian Lehrer: True. Truth or lie, Nassau Community College is part of the CUNY system?

Arnold: False.

Brian Lehrer: False, that's in Nassau county. CUNY stands for City University of New York. One more for the tote bag. Fordham University in the Bronx is part of the CUNY system?

Arnold: False.

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Brian Lehrer: False is right. Fordham is a private university, not part of CUNY. You win a tote bag. We've got one more set. Judith in Queens. You ready to take a shot here?

Judith: Yes. Hi, good morning.

Brian Lehrer: Governor Mario Cuomo of New York lost the 1988 democratic primary race for president to Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis?

Judith: False.

Brian Lehrer: That is false. Do you know why it's false?

Judith: I can't remember.

Brian Lehrer: Dukakis was the nominee and was false because Cuomo didn't run for president in 1988. He considered it, he came very close. He got the nickname Hamlet on the Hudson for being so indecisive, but he didn't get it. The Triborough Bridge got its name because it connects three boroughs, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. Truth or a lie? False.

Judith: Lie.

Brian Lehrer: It's it's a lie. That's right. It's Manhattan and Queens and the Bronx, not Brooklyn. Last question of the entire quiz and, since you got two right, for the tote bag. The Interborough Parkway between Brooklyn and Queens got renamed for a New York baseball player?

Judith: Woohoo. Yes. It's true. Jackie Robinson.

Brian Lehrer: That is true.

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Brian Lehrer: As a Queensite, I'm glad you knew that. The Westport guy didn't know who his Senator was, but you living in Queens know that the inter part of Parkway, between Brooklyn and Queens got renamed The Jackie Robinson Parkway, Judith, hang on. We're going to take your address off the air to send you a WNYC spring and summer tote bag. There you go, folks. Many truths, many lies. Hope that was fun. Brian Lehrer on WNYC.

 

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