A surprise snow day for the White House press corps

Episode of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! · September 26, 2026 · 47 min

Peter Sagal hosts NPR's news quiz live in Omaha with panelists Josh Gondelman, Faith Salie and Dulcé Sloan, and interviews volleyball coach John Cook.

Summary

This live edition of Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! was recorded at the Orpheum Theater in Omaha, Nebraska, with host Peter Sagal, judge Alzo Slade, and panelists Josh Gondelman, Faith Salie and Dulcé Sloan. News segments covered the White House's week-long ban of CNN, MSNOW and Politico reporters, which a judge reversed because the passes were pulled without explanation; the opening of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles; a New York Times profile of 'cat dads,' which Sloan and Salie criticized as a gendered double standard; and New York City's new public restrooms whose doors open after ten minutes.

In the Bluff the Listener game, Gondelman's true story described two men from Newcastle setting out to finish The Campaign for North Africa, a board game estimated to take 1,500 hours. The Not My Job guest, John Cook, recalled coaching Nebraska in front of a record 92,003 fans in 2023, describing it as surreal and a celebration of women's sports. He discussed learning volleyball from a book, his belief that 'the longer I coach, the less I know,' being told by his captain to sit down on the sideline, and the pressure Nebraska fans place on players. He then answered three 'Bump, Set, Spike' questions correctly.

Later rounds covered a debate over bringing iced coffee to job interviews, Wendy's emo compilation album, butter smuggling from France, pre-wrinkled fashion, and private rail cars on Amtrak. Gondelman won the Lightning Fill in the Blank round, and the panel closed by predicting the next popular museum.

Chapters

  1. 0:04

    Opening in Omaha

    Sagal opens the live show at the Orpheum Theater and introduces the panel and first caller.

  2. 2:38

    Who's Alzo: press ban, Lucas museum, cat dads

    The caller identifies news quotes about the White House press ban, the Lucas Museum opening and the rise of cat dads.

  3. 9:36

    New York's timed public restrooms

    Faith Salie is quizzed on Mayor Mamdani's new restrooms whose doors open after ten minutes.

  4. 13:23

    Bluff the Listener: 20-year plans

    Panelists tell stories of two-decade goals, and the caller correctly picks Gondelman's board game story.

  5. 20:05

    Interview with John Cook

    Former Nebraska volleyball coach John Cook discusses the record crowd, his coaching philosophy and fan pressure.

  6. 26:50

    Not My Job: Bump, Set, Spike

    Cook answers questions about the British birthday bumps, The Godfather set and a Utah road-spike incident.

  7. 32:23

    Iced coffee and Wendy's emo album

    The panel discusses iced coffee at job interviews and Wendy's compilation album.

  8. 36:12

    Listener Limerick Challenge

    A caller completes limericks about French butter smuggling, wrinkled fashion and private train cars.

  9. 43:24

    Lightning Fill in the Blank

    Panelists race through news questions and Josh Gondelman wins.

  10. 48:44

    Predictions and credits

    Panelists predict the next great museum and Sagal reads the credits.

Key points

What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.

  • Peter Sagal

    Sagal reported that the judge ruled the White House had revoked the outlets' passes without adequately explaining why, which it may not do.

    “the judge's decision said that the White House pulled the passes without really explaining why, and you cannot do that”

    Listen from 4:12 · Freedom of the press in the United States

  • Dulcé Sloan

    Sloan objected to calling male cat owners 'cat dads' while female owners are called cat ladies.

    “we're saying cat ladies, and then we're calling them cat dads”

    Listen from 7:43 · Cat dads

  • Linked moment · 7:57Skip to 7:57 using a listen link in the info box.

    Faith Salie

    Salie argued there is a double standard in which women with cats are labeled childless cat ladies while men with cats are cast as parents.

    “when a woman has a cat, she's a childless cat lady. Yes. But when a man has a cat, he instantly becomes a parent, a cat dad”

    Listen from 7:57 · Cat dads

  • John Cook

    Cook described the record-crowd match as an out-of-body experience and a celebration of women's sports.

    “It was just like an out-of-body experience. And it was a magical night and a great celebration for women's sports”

    Listen from 21:51 · Volleyball Day in Nebraska

  • John Cook

    Cook recounted that a current senior said she could not remember the record match because she blacked out, and he believes most players did.

    “she said, I don't remember because I blacked out. And I think most of them blacked out”

    Listen from 22:25 · Volleyball Day in Nebraska

  • John Cook

    Cook said the most common message coaches try to get players to say in between-point huddles is to focus on winning the next point.

    “I know the most common thing we try to get them to say is, hey, next point, let's win the next point”

    Listen from 22:55 · Nebraska Cornhuskers women's volleyball

  • John Cook

    Cook said his coaching philosophy is that the longer he coached the less he knew, requiring constant learning because the game keeps changing.

    “I have a saying, the longer I coach, the less I know. And I kept learning so much later in my career because everything changes all the time”

    Listen from 23:56 · Nebraska Cornhuskers women's volleyball

  • John Cook

    Cook recalled that around 2015 he was urged to become more animated on the sideline, but after consecutive losses his captain told him to sit down.

    “Coaches started getting up in volleyball. It became a thing. And so everybody told me, like, you need to get up and run around on the sideline”

    Listen from 24:37 · Nebraska Cornhuskers women's volleyball

  • Josh Gondelman

    Gondelman said he overheard passengers on his flight to Omaha excitedly discussing the previous night's Nebraska volleyball match.

    “people were talking about last night's match, and I've never heard volleyball in an airplane before”

    Listen from 25:07 · Nebraska Cornhuskers women's volleyball

  • John Cook

    Cook said Nebraska players face intense public pressure and that after losses he felt he had let down the whole state.

    “When we lost, I felt like I let the whole state of Nebraska down. And that's how it feels here. But it's special”

    Listen from 26:01 · Nebraska Cornhuskers women's volleyball

  • Josh Gondelman

    Gondelman argued that a viral TikTok claim is not necessarily true or newsworthy simply because it draws a big response.

    “Just because someone says it on TikTok and gets a lot of response doesn't mean that it's true and doesn't mean that it's”

    Listen from 33:59 · Iced coffee at job interviews

  • Dulcé Sloan

    Sloan said her understanding of interview etiquette is no food, no drinks, and proper pants.

    “I just thought, when you went to a job interview, it's no food, no drinks, and you have real pants on”

    Listen from 34:04 · Iced coffee at job interviews

People

In the conversation

  • Peter SagalHost of NPR's news quiz Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
  • Alzo SladeJournalist serving as the show's judge and scorekeeper
  • Josh GondelmanAmerican comedian and writer, panelist
  • Dulcé SloanAmerican comedian, panelist
  • Faith SalieJournalist, CBS Sunday Morning contributor and podcast co-host, panelist
  • John CookFormer Nebraska Cornhuskers volleyball head coach and general manager of the Omaha Supernovas

Discussed

  • Donald TrumpPresident of the United States whose conduct of the Iran war is the episode's main subject
  • George LucasAmerican filmmaker and creator of Star Wars
  • Zohran MamdaniNew York Democratic politician described by Pape as a left-wing parallel to Trump's rapid rise
  • Marlon BrandoActor who read his lines from cue cards on The Godfather set
  • Kelly HunterFormer Nebraska volleyball captain who told Cook to sit down
  • Benjamin NetanyahuPrime Minister of Israel

Topics

More from Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

From the publisher

This week, we’re live in Omaha with legendary volleyball coach John Cook and panelists Josh Gondelman, Faith Salie, and Dulcé Sloan. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes, the chance to be a contestant in those bonus episodes(!), and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on September 28, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

Categories: Comedy·Volleyball·News Commentary