May03

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I Read the News Today, Oh Boy: Butterfly

Last week, there was only one hint as to the headline theme, because we didn't have a proper Saturday posting. It was actually a double hint, though:

The campus protests story is not part of the contest; beyond the fact that we don't make a game of violence and strife, this particular theme would be very inappropriate for that particular item. That's actually something of a clue, though not a very helpful one; we'll explain the problem next week. As to a real clue, how about this: The answer is very colorful.

And now, the solution, courtesy of reader T.K. in Half Moon Bay, St. Kitts:

All of the headlines this week contain the title of a Pink Floyd song:

• Trump Legal News, Part I: Trump Bought Himself Some Time, Courtesy of SCOTUS
• Trump Legal News, Part II: The Trial (Day 7)
• Trump Legal News, Part III: Green Is the Colour
• Angry Republicans: No More Money for Ukraine
• I Read the News Today, Oh Boy: The Dogs of War
• This Week in Schadenfreude: Goodbye Cruel World
• This Week in Freudenfreude: It's Never Too Late

Thanks, T.K.! And the reason it would have been in poor taste to make an Israel item part of the game is that Pink Floyd founder/leader Roger Waters is rather well known as an anti-Israel zealot whose zealotry has sometimes descended into outright antisemitism.

Incidentally, Butterfly, from the headline of this item, is also a Pink Floyd song, albeit a deep cut from the very earliest years of the band, when Syd Barrett was still a member.

The fact that we did not have a Saturday hint didn't matter too much, as this one was a bit easier than the previous headline theme. Here are the first 30 readers to get it:

1. T.K. in Half Moon Bay
2. J.B. in Sewell, NJ
3. M.B. in Albany, NY
4. B.O.S. in Dublin, Ireland
5. I.H. in Washington, DC
6. K.P. in Tampa, FL
7. E.B. in Bloomington, IL
8. K.R. in Austin, TX
9. D.L. in Uslar, Germany
10. D.E. in High Springs, FL
11. B.R. in Arlington, MA
12. G.L. in St. Louis, MO
13. S.K. in Drexel Hill, PA
14. A.J. in Baltimore, MD
15. J.D. in Indianapolis, IN
16. R.W. in Decatur, GA
17. T.M.M. in Odessa, MO
18. D.S. in Chantilly VA
19. K.G.W. in Lafayette, IN
20. M.G. in DuBois, PA
21. W.A. in Red Lion, PA
22. R.F. in Washington, DC
23. A.M. in Brookhaven, PA, who adds "Still waiting for you to somehow fit in 'Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict'"
24. M.T. in Wheat Ridge, CO
25. E.K. in Arlington, MA
26. D.M. in Austin, TX
27. G.W. in Avon, CT
28. D.S. in Layton, UT
29. D.W. in Oxnard, CA
30. J.W. in Mount Kisco, NY

We're not too surprised that there are (apparently) a lot of fans of the band out there among the readership. After all, tha band is just fantastic, that's really what we think, even if we aren't quite sure which one is Pink.

For this week, well, we're somewhat constrained by the fact that we have to make use of "The Trial" every week. That said, this week's theme is again in the area of Arts & Entertainment, and relies on some but not all of the words to the right of the colon. As to a hint, we will tell you there's a touch of evil in the theme. And no, we don't mean Kristi Noem.

If you have a guess, send it along to comments@electoral-vote.com, preferably with subject line "May 3 Headlines." (Z)