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I Read the News Today, Oh Boy: From the Desert of Khartoum to the Shores of Tripoli

Last week, we gave the hint "we'll say that this theme certainly wasn't our first choice." We thought those italics would be a pretty dead giveaway, but we were wrong. So, we added this on Saturday: "We really wanted to work the words 'supper,' 'resort' and 'rites' into headlines, but couldn't do it." And now, courtesy of reader M.L. in Iowa City, IA, here is the solution:

They're all last or final in some way.

The First Head Rolls: Waltz to U.N; Rubio to Replace Him—Last Waltz

In Congress: Republicans Show They Don't Care about National Security, the Economy—Last Show

Legal News, Part I: Trump Shot Down on Use of Alien Enemies Act—Last Shot

Legal News, Part II: North Carolina's Bad Judgment—Last Judgement

Um, What?: Trump Wants to Call Veterans Day "Victory Day for World War I"—Last Call

O, Canada: Poilievre Blew His Chance—Last Chance

I Read the News Today, Oh Boy: Curtain Time—Last Time

This Week in Schadenfreude: This Administration Is a Laugh a Minute—Last Laugh

This Week in Freudenfreude: Hope Springs Eternal—Last Hope

Because in the immortal words of the great American philosopher Ricky Bobby: "If you're not first, you're last..."

From the headline for this item, "The Last Desert" is a place name in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit.

Here are the first 50 readers to get it right:

I.H. in Washington, DC
M.W. in Altea, Spain
E.V. in Derry, NH
C.W. in Atlantic Beach, FL
M.M. in Dunellen, NJ
A.D. in Vass, NC
D.S. in Layton, UT
E.S. in Cincinnati, OH
M.T. in Simpsonville, SC
S.W. in Winter Garden, FL
K.L. in Sterling, VA
M.L. in Iowa City
S.K. in Ardmore, PA
G.K. in Blue Island, IL
K.R. in Austin, TX
H.B. in Toronto, ON, Canada
R.L.D. in Sundance, WY
M.S. in Canton, NY
S.B. in Los Altos Hills, CA
T.K. in Half Moon Bay, St. Kitts
P.H. in Fort Lauderdale, FL
M.C. in Newton, MA
R.R. in Pasadena, CA
D.L. in Springfield, IL
K.F. in Berea, KY

N.H. in London, England, UK
J.T. in Philadelphia, PA
R.O. in Nordland, Norway
M.N. in Lake Ann, MI
T.B. in Wiscasset, ME
M.G., D.K. and P.K. in Marseille, France
N.T. in Paris, France
B.U. in St. Louis, MO
S.S. in Lucerne, Switzerland
R.A. in Chesterfield, MO
R.S. in Milan, OH
J.M. in Nashville, TN
B.F. in Nashville, TN
K.S. in Harrisburg, PA
D.D. in Carversville, PA
M.M. in Dunellen, NJ
E.W. in Skaneateles, NY
J.N. in Zionsville, IN
J.E. in San Jose, CA
A.P. in Kitchener, ON, Canada
S.R. in Sammamish, WA
M.T. in Wheat Ridge, CO
A.O'N. in Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany
R.H. in West Grove, PA
P.F. in Las Vegas, NV

The 50th correct response was received at 6:41 a.m. PT on Saturday.

As to this week's headline theme, it relies on one word in some headlines, multiple words in others. It's in the category Wild Card, we suppose—any other option would give the wrong impression. As to a hint, we suspect that when many readers get it, they will say: "Of course, of course."

If you have a guess, send it to comments@electoral-vote.com with subject "May 9 Headlines." (Z)

This item appeared on www.electoral-vote.com. Read it Monday through Friday for political and election news, Saturday for answers to reader's questions, and Sunday for letters from readers.

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