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I Read the News Today, Oh Boy: The Moon Is Made of Green Cheese

We had two hints for last week's theme: (1) "[W]e'll say that the 'Salt' in the next headline really should be SALT, if we are being completely grammatical" and (2) "If you are still puzzling over the headline theme, we'll admit that the answer is famously Tricky." And here is the solution, courtesy of reader B.P. in Salt Lake City, UT:

Each headline includes a Reference to Richard Nixon. "Only Chess" was a great extra hint.

The Budget: It Would Seem that Republicans are Resigned to Limits on ICE—Nixon Resigned.

Today in Fantasyland: Pardon Me, Mr. President, But It Was MY Turn to Kiss Your A**—Nixon got a pardon after that resignation.

Today in Reality: The Trump Economy Is Nigh Upon Us, and China Has to Be Thrilled—Nixon was the first U.S. president to visit China in the PRC era.

MediaWatch 2026: The Paper That Brought You the Watergate Scandal Is Imploding—The Watergate scandal imploded Nixon's presidency.

Legal News: Maybe the VP Can Sue Over Those Couch Stories—Nixon was VP before he was P.

In Congress: It Sure Looks like Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick Is a Crook—Nixon famously claimed that "I am not a crook."

I Read the News Today, Oh Boy: Chess or Checkers?—Nixon's "Checkers" speech (the name of his dog, in response to an earlier scandal)

This Week in Schadenfreude: Would You Like Some Salt for your PlayStation?—Nixon and Brezhnev signed the SALT treaty for strategic arms reduction.

This Week in Freudenfreude: Americans Turn to Books to Ford the Ocean of Tyranny Being Unleashed—Gerald Ford was Nixon's (second) VP (after Spiro Agnew)) and successor.

Yes, only "Chess" fit with the previous week's theme (which was games), as "Checkers" was a reference to the dog. Meanwhile, SALT is an acronym and is usually capitalized, and of course Nixon was "Tricky Dick." From today's headline, he was president when the U.S. reached the moon.

Here are the first 60 readers to get it right:

J.F. in Fayetteville, NC
R.S. in Landing, NJ
T.F. in Craftsbury Common, VT
M.M. in Dunellen, NJ
D.D. in Highland Park, IL
R.S. in Pittsgrove, NJ
D.L. in Springfield, IL
J.N. in Zionsville, IN
T.K. in Half Moon Bay, St. Kitts
J.J. in Johnstown, PA
B.F. in Baltimore, MD
N.C. in Columbus, MS
A.F. in Minneapolis, MN
A.L. in Washington, DC
S.K. in Ardmore, PA
K.F. in Berea, KY
M.S. in Canton, NY
K.G.W. in Lafayette, IN
C.W. in Atlantic Beach, FL
M.L. in Simpsonville, SC
R.M. in Summerville, SC
K.M. in Jacksonville, FL
A.D. in Gaithersburg, MD
J.S. in Huntington Station, NY
J.T. in Philadelphia, PA
P.Q. in Metuchen, NJ
S.G. in Durham, NC
D.D. in Bucks County, PA
R.H.O. in Portland, ME
E.S. in Providence, RI

M.K. in Long Branch, NJ
R.E. in Birmingham, AL
E.V. in Derry, NH
J.R. in Austin, TX
M.B. in Albany, NY
A.A. in Branchport, NY
T.K. in Manchester, MO
D.C. in Teaneck, NJ
G.M. in Chevy Chase, MD
E.P. in Windham, CT
A.T. in Bloomington, IN
M.C. in Falls Church, VA
T.T. in Conway, AR
J.L. in Ridgewood, NJ
D.K. in Bethesda, MD
N.H. in London, England, UK
M.T. in Wheat Ridge, CO
G.M.K. in Mishawaka, IN
R.E.M. in Brooklyn, NY
N.K. in Cleveland Heights, OH
C.O. in Marion, IA
M.H. in Ottawa, ON, Canada
V.L. in Chester, CT
K.R. in Austin, TX
J.C. in Johns Creek, GA
P.A. in Redwood City, CA
H.B. in Toronto, ON, Canada
J.S. in Columbia, MO
D.W. in Manhattan, MT
J.H. in Flint, MI

The 60th correct response was received at 6:56 a.m. PT on Friday.

For this week's theme, it relies on one word per headline, and it's in the category Language. For a hint, we'll say that a popular TV doctor of the early 2000s would have a big advantage, we think. For a couple of reasons, really.

If you have a guess, send it to comments@electoral-vote.com with subject line February 7 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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