March Madness & The Masters, Artemis II Update, and Mario's Latest Movie

Summary

The Ten News: March Madness & The Masters, Artemis II Update, and Mario's Latest Movie

Date: April 9, 2026
Host: Pamela Kirkland & Ryan Willard
Podcast: The Ten News, News For Curious Kids

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Ten News invites young listeners and their families to catch up on an exciting week in news and pop culture. The hosts, Pamela and Ryan, guide listeners through the conclusion of March Madness, the kickoff of The Masters golf tournament, the Artemis II lunar mission update, a surprising whale encounter, powerlifting records set by a 9-year-old, Supreme Court news, a Taylor Swift lawsuit, Hershey’s chocolate change-up, and the blockbuster success of the new Super Mario movie. The episode wraps up with listener shoutouts and trivia.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. March Madness: NCAA Basketball Championships

• Women’s Final Four & Championship

  • Texas lost to UCLA 51-44.
  • South Carolina defeated UConn 62-48 in the semifinals.
  • Championship: UCLA dominated South Carolina 79-51, securing their first NCAA Women’s Basketball title with a 37-1 season.
    • [00:30-01:21]
  • “The Bruins capped off a near perfect season…” — Ryan [01:15]

• Men’s Final Four & Championship

  • UConn beat Illinois 71-62; Michigan defeated Arizona 91-73 in semifinals.
  • Championship: Michigan Wolverines overcame UConn Huskies 69-63.
    • [01:21-01:49]

2. Major Sporting Events: The Masters

• The 90th Masters begins in Augusta, Georgia.
• Top contenders include Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, and Bryson DeChambeau.
  • To qualify, players meet criteria like past championships, world rankings, or tournament wins.
  • “Stay tuned to see who will leave Augusta this Sunday with the prestigious green jacket.” — Pamela [01:59]
    • [01:49-02:25]

3. Science Update: Artemis II Mission

• Astronauts entered the lunar “sphere of influence,” where the moon’s gravity is stronger than Earth’s.
• First time astronauts have entered this zone since Apollo 17 over 50 years ago.
  • “...it was the first time that astronauts had entered the lunar sphere of influence since the Apollo 17 mission over a half century ago.” — Ryan [02:57]
    • [02:25-03:11]

4. Wild News: Whale Encounter

• Eric Kramer collided with a whale while sailing at Crissy Field Beach.
• The moment was caught on camera; neither Eric nor the whale was hurt.
  • [03:11-04:06]
  • “Thankfully, neither the sailor nor the whale was injured in the collision.” — Pamela [04:01]

5. Super Strength Spotlight: Lucy Milgram

• 9-year-old Lucy Milgram from Long Island, NY, set three American records for USA Powerlifting:
  • Deadlift: 180 lbs (3x her body weight)
  • Bench press: 74 lbs
  • Squat: 131 lbs
  • Only a year in the sport, she trains mostly for wrestling 4–5 days a week.
  • “There’s a nine year old that is totally showing me up.” — Ryan [00:18]
  • [04:06-05:00]

6. Civics: Supreme Court & Birthright Citizenship

• The Supreme Court is debating if the president’s executive order ending birthright citizenship is constitutional (case: Trump v. Barbara).
• The 14th Amendment has guaranteed citizenship to all babies born in the US for over 150 years.
  • “…potentially impacting the United States immigration policy.” — Ryan [06:32]
  • [05:34-06:32]

7. Child Literacy Advocacy: Usha Vance

• Usha Vance, the “Second Lady,” launched “Storytime with the Second Lady” podcast to encourage childhood literacy.
• Features conversations with guests like NASCAR’s Danica Patrick and Paralympian Brett Poppin.
  • [06:32-07:13]
  • 40% of 4th graders and one-third of 8th graders are below grade level in reading.

8. Legal News: Taylor Swift Lawsuit

• Taylor Swift’s 2025 album, The Life of a Showgirl, faces trademark action from Marin Wade (Confessions of a Showgirl brand).
• Wade alleges brand confusion and that the USPTO warned Swift’s team.
  • “Now we got bad blood.” — Pamela [08:02]
  • [07:13-08:06]

9. Pop Culture: Hershey’s Returns to “Classic” Chocolate

• Brad Reese, grandson of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups inventor, criticized Hershey’s for changing the chocolate recipe.
• Hershey’s will restore original milk and dark chocolate recipes in products by 2027, including Reese’s and Kit Kats.
  • “So candies inspired by the OGs... will be made with real milk chocolate instead of a chocolate compound coating.” — Ryan [08:41]
  • [08:06-08:56]

10. Movie News & Trivia: Super Mario

• Movie Trivia: How many Mario movies have there been?
  • Answer: Three (C)
  • The latest, Super Mario Galaxy, scored the biggest Hollywood opening of 2026 ($372 million).
  • The first live-action Mario film (1993) wasn’t faithful to the games and was disliked.
  • “It took Nintendo 30 years to give Mario a second chance in the movie business.” — Owen [10:27]
  • [09:05-10:41]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I’ve never seen you lifting weights… To make sure I have snacks as I burn calories.” — Pamela & Ryan joke about training and snacks [00:05–00:15]
• “She is now considered among the top young powerlifters in the country and has only been in the sport for a year.” — Ryan [04:46]
• “How about I walk you to the gym so I can get my steps in?” — Ryan signals fun, active encouragement [10:56]
• Special shout-out in 10 New Snaps: “Happy Autism Acceptance Month. We think you are awesome and appreciate you listening.” — Pamela [13:22]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:30–01:49] — March Madness (NCAA Basketball Championships)
• [01:49–02:25] — The Masters Golf Tournament
• [02:25–03:11] — Artemis II Lunar Mission Update
• [03:11–04:06] — Whale and Sailor Encounter
• [04:06–05:00] — Lucy Milgram’s Powerlifting Records
• [05:34–06:32] — Supreme Court Case: Birthright Citizenship
• [06:32–07:13] — Usha Vance’s Literacy Podcast
• [07:13–08:06] — Taylor Swift Trademark Lawsuit
• [08:06–08:56] — Hershey’s Returns to Classic Chocolate
• [09:05–10:41] — Mario Movie Trivia

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Listener Interaction

• Listeners are invited to share their thoughts on baseball by emailing or commenting for future features [05:10].
• A “10 New Snaps” section highlights a listener’s comment about butterflies and Autism Acceptance Month [13:07–13:37].

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Tone & Format

The Ten News is upbeat, conversational, and inclusive, with educational information delivered in a kid-friendly and engaging way. Pamela and Ryan use light humor, relatable stories, and encourage listener participation, while providing credible and accessible explanations of current events.

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Transcript

[A]

97, 98, 99.

[B]

Wow, Ryan, that's a first. I've never seen you lifting weights.

[A]

Yeah, I'm training, Pam. No time to waste.

[B]

But why are you training in the snack room?

[A]

To make sure I have snacks as I burn calories. Of course. There's a nine year old that is totally showing me up.

[B]

Okay, you're gonna need to explain. Cause I'm Pamela Kirkland.

[A]

And I'm Ryan Willard. It's Thursday, April 9th.

[B]

November. This is 10 things you need to know.

[A]

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. We're starting off in the wild world of sports. March Madness has officially wrapped after an exciting final Four matchup on both the men's and women's sides this past weekend that led into the national championship games. On the women's side, Texas fell to UCLA 51 44, while South Carolina defeated UConn 62 48. However, South Carolina came up short in its bid for a consecutive title as UCLA dominated the championship game 79:51. The Bruins capped off a near perfect season with a 371 record, earning the program's first ever NCAA women's basketball title.

[B]

On the men's side, UConn defeated Illinois 7162 to advance to the national championship, where they faced Michigan, who beat Arizona 91 73. This marked UConn's seventh appearance in the NCAA men's national championship game as well as Michigan's. But only one team came out on top. The Michigan Wolverines defeated the Yukon Huskies 69 63.

[A]

From one major championship to another, the 90th Masters tournament tees off today in Augusta, Georgia, where the world's top players will compete for the iconic green jacket.

[B]

Headlining the field are world number one golfer Scottie Scheffler and defending champion Rory McIlroy. Aside contenders like Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau, to qualify for the Masters, players must earn an invitation by meeting specific criteria, including past championships or world rankings and tournament wins. Stay tuned to see who will leave Augusta this Sunday with the prestigious green jacket.

[A]

All right, I think we gotta get out of this world. We have an update from the Artemis 2 mission. As of Monday, the astronauts arrived at the moon's cosmic neighborhood known as the lunar sphere of influence. This is where the moon's gravitational pull is stronger than Earth's. And according to NASA flight director Rick Henflett, it marked a significant milestone in the mission. The lunar sphere of influence is a mathematical boundary indicating that the astronauts are within the moon's vicinity. And by crossing this threshold, it was the first time that astronauts had entered the lunar sphere of influence since the Apollo 17 mission over a half a century ago.

[B]

Alright, for 10 points, what animal is this? Eric Kramer was out sailing along Crissy Field beach like any other day until he suddenly collided with something in the water and it was a whale. The moment was captured on camera as Kramer was thrown off his board upon with the whale, causing him to crash into the water. He was seen floating in the water alongside the whale after the animal dove underwater, causing the sail to submerge along with it. This all happened after Kramer had already slowed down, having spotted other whales in the area. But on his final run back, he and the whale unexpectedly crossed paths. Thankfully, neither the sailor nor the whale was injured in the collision.

[A]

Okay, that is wild. But what's even wilder is this girl's super strength. Lucy Milgram is just nine years old and a fourth grader out of Long Island, New York and she has set three American records with USA Powerlifting. That's right. Lucy deadlifted 180 pounds at an all ages competition which is three times her own body weight. This impressive feat came after she also set the bench press record at 74 pounds and a squat record at 131 pounds. She is now considered among the top young powerlifters in the country and has only been in the sport for a year. Aside from her super strength, Lucy's primary focus is on wrestling, which she trains for about four to five days out of the week. Wait, do I need to start training to be a professional wrestler?

[B]

Oh no, no, no no no, Ryan. Maybe just keep exercising.

[A]

Good idea. Let's just take a quick break so I can get a little bit stronger.

[B]

Hey tenors. We're planning a deep dive about baseball and we're curious, do you like baseball? If so, what's your favorite part of the game? Send us an email@helloten news.com or leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or a comment on Spotify. Spotify. And we might have you on the show. Speaking of, let's get back to it.

[A]

We are back with some news from the Supreme Court.

[B]

There is a case currently being argued in front of the court about birthright citizenship, which is the idea that a person automatically becomes a citizen of a country by being born there, regardless of their parent citizenship. In the US all babies who are born here are automatically US citizens no matter where their parents are from. This rule has been in place for more than 150 years in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. That's until President Trump issued an executive order to end birthright citizenship the administration was sued for, and the case, Trump v. Barbara, is looking at whether his executive order complies with the 14th Amendment citizenship clause or is unconstitutional. A ruling on the birthright citizenship case is expected in the next few months, potentially impacting the United States immigration policy.

[A]

Also out of Washington, D.C. the second lady, Usha Vance, is advocating for child literacy. Usha Vance recently launched a new reading series called Storytime with the Second lady in an effort to tackle the decline in childhood literacy rates across the United States. According to data from the nation's report card, reading skills for about 40% of fourth graders and a third of eighth graders are below grade level. Through her podcast, Vance is reading storybooks and creating conversation with guests like NASCAR driver Danica Patrick and US Paralympian Brett Poppin that complement what educators and families are already doing for children and encouraging kids to get excited about reading.

[B]

Meanwhile, out of Las Vegas, Taylor Swift is facing a lawsuit for trademark infringement. Swift's 2025 album the Life of a Showgirl is in the hot seat after a Las Vegas performer, Marin Wade, filed a lawsuit claiming that the title and branding is too similar to her own Confessions of a Showgirl brand that's been around since 2014. She argues the names are similar as well as target similar audiences, creating consumer confusion which could damage Wade's brand through what's called reverse confusion. The lawsuit also alleges that the US Patent and Trademark Office warned Swift's team the title could be confused with an existing trademark, but the album was still marketed under that name. Wade is seeking damages and a court order to prevent further use of the branding. Now we got bad blood.

[A]

Up next, something a little sweeter for you Hershey fans. Brad Reese, the grandson to the inventor of the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, recently went public saying the Hershey Company has messed with the classic chocolate formula in its products. In response, the Hershey Company has announced that it will go back to using classic milk and dark chocolate recipes in all of its Reese's and herShey's products by 2027. So candies inspired by the OGs like Minnie, Reese's Cups and other shapes and candies will be made with real milk chocolate instead of a chocolate compound coating. In addition, Hershey's chocolate bars will be made with pure milk and dark chocolate, and fan favorite Kit Kats will be enhanced for a creamier taste and texture.

[B]

Well, that's something I'm definitely looking forward to. And for our last thing you need to know, let's go to our trivia master, Owen.

[A]

What is going on here?

[C]

Trivia on the 10. Thanks, Pam. All right, grab your popcorn and whatever snacks you want because on today's trivia, we're talking movies. Mario movies, that is.

[A]

I love Mario. Let's a go.

[C]

The Super Mario Galaxy movie is already one of the most watched films of 2026. But do you know how many super Mario movies have been released? Is it A, two movies, B, four movies, C, three movies, or D, 19 different Mario movies?

[A]

Oh, I know there's one. And it might not be what you think.

[C]

The answer is C3 movies. The super Mario Bros. Movie and its most recent, the Super Mario Galaxy movie were big hits. Galaxy has already scored the biggest opening of the year for a Hollywood movie. It earned a whopping 372 million in its global debut. But do you know that the very first Mario movie came out in 1993. Super Mario Bros. Was a live action film and it was not very faithful to the video games and people did not like it. And it took Nintendo 30 years to give Mario a second chance in the movie business.

[A]

And that was 10 things you need to know.

[B]

Hey Rye, want to hit the gym with me now?

[A]

Yeah, no thank you. I've just accepted that a nine year old girl is a lot stronger than me.

[B]

Well, you can still exercise. That's never a bad thing.

[A]

Very true. How about I walk you to the gym so I can get my steps in?

[B]

That's a good start. We should probably give some 10 new snaps first.

[A]

But before that, here's a quick note for the grownups.

[D]

Hey parents, quick question. Have you hit that point in the school year where you're juggling a lot and just trying to help your kids stay motivated through the end of the year? One thing that's made that easier for me lately is ixl. IXL is an all in one online learning platform with practice in math, language arts, science and social studies. From Pre K through 12th grade. Everything's in one place and it's really easy to jump in whether you've got 10 minutes or a full lesson block. And with spring schedules getting busy, that flexibility really matters. What I also love is how it keeps kids motivated. There are little celebrations, awards and progress markers built in so kids can actually see how they're improving, which makes a big difference this time of year. IXL is used by millions of students and it's backed by research showing real results, which as a parent, just gives you extra confidence. So make an impact on your child's learning, get IXL now and 10News listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IEXCEL membership when you sign up [e-mail] 10 visit iexcel.com 10 to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price.

[E]

Grown Ups if there's a child in your life who is interested in, curious about or fascinated by people and places from history, then my podcast the Past and the Curious might just be a hit in your home. From the invention of microscopes to world traveling dogs to fashions of the 1890s, Gold Rush, Ghost towns and audiences going wild for walking competitions, we've got a little bit of it all. Hosted by children's author and museum educator Mick Sullivan. That's me. The show is fun, funny, engaging, honest and beloved by kids and parents alike. Find the past and the curious at all the usual podcast places.

[A]

It's time for 10 new snaps.

[B]

A tenner named Greeking Out Rules said Butterflies look weird. I love this pod. It's really great when you want to know what's going on. This month is important to me because I have autism. Also, I would love to be in 10 new snaps.

[A]

Aww.

[B]

Happy Autism Acceptance Month. We think you are awesome and appreciate you listening.

[A]

And yes, greeking I also believe look weird. They are freaky, freaky little nightmares and I don't like them.

[B]

And two extra notes for the grownups. You can now get ad free versions of our episodes when you join the Tenors Club on our website.

[A]

And if you want to Help support the 10News, you can make a tax deductible donation at the link in our show notes. The whole team thanks you for your support.

[B]

The 10News is a co production of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts and part of the airwave podcast network.

[A]

The 10News creative team is still watching the Artemis 2 updates and and loving them and includes Tracy Nada Crooks, Adam the Great Bambino, Bernard Brian Not Ryan Douglas the Duke of Earl, Davis and Carson not so Harry Potter. Big thanks to Owen. Not slowing down for anybody.

[B]

Our production director is Jeremiah Tittle and our executive producers are Donald Albright. Albright Albright. And show creator Tracey takes the leads. Kaplan. I'm Pamela Kirkland.

[A]

And I'm Ryan Willard. Thanks for listening to the 10 news.