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I Read the News Today, Oh Boy: Happy Birthday, John Rock

John Rock is one of the many historical figures who should probably be better known, but... people's brains can only hold so much information. He was an abolitionist and one of the most accomplished Black men of his day—among the first Black Americans to earn a medical degree, and the very first Black American to be admitted to practice law before the Supreme Court (a fact that is noted on his tombstone). Though he did not use the phrase himself, Rock's speeches inspired people to start saying "Black is beautiful." And he did all of this despite dying at the age of 41, having lived just long enough to witness the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment and the end of slavery. This upcoming Tuesday is his 201st birthday, so a tip of the cap to him, whatever plane of existence he may currently be occupying.

There were two hints last week. The first was: "the profile of Mark Cuban, as a potential presidential candidate, was supposed to run today, but we ran out of time and space. Too bad, because it was that item that inspired the theme." The second was: "Donald Trump would be unable to solve [the theme] because it relies on a particular book, and he most certainly has not read the necessary book. Admittedly, he probably hasn't read any book. But definitely not this one."

And here is the solution, courtesy of reader R.P.E.H. in London, England, UK:

Today's theme is books of the Bible:

New Revelation Makes Clear This Thing Isn't Going to End Anytime Soon

Trump's Poll Numbers Continue to Be Very Poor

The Hill Judges the Presidential Fields

Can You Get a Job with a B.F.A. in Puppet Arts?

Cue Up Your Favorite Proverbs about Pride

California Acts to Legalize Balcony Solar Panels

Not bad for a communist, heathen Brit!

No, not bad at all. Mark, from the clue, is also a book of the Bible as is John from the headline of this item. And surely we can agree that Donald Trump would have no idea that both of those are gospels, and that he would be unable to name or identify the other books of the Bible. If only there was a gospel according to Donald.

Here are the first 60 readers to get it right:

M.W. in Altea, Spain
J.P. in Fredericksburg, VA
M.S. in Canton, NY
D.C. in Teaneck, NJ
F.W. in Nijmegen, The Netherlands
T.J.M. in New York City, NY
T.K. in Manchester, MO
J.N. in Zionsville, IN
A.D. in Gaithersburg, MD
R.S. in Landing, NJ
K.R. in Austin, TX
W.L. in Springfield, MO
W.M. in Livonia, MI
T.K. in Half Moon Bay, St. Kitts
M.T. in Simpsonville, SC
G.M. in Tunis, Tunisia
T.T. in Conway, AR
D.L. in Springfield, IL
T.M.M. in Odessa, MO
J.U. Chicago, IL
C.W. in Atlantic Beach, FL
B.U. in St. Louis, MO
N.K. in Cleveland Heights, OH
A.F. in Minneapolis, MN
J.W. in Ellicott City, MD
N.C. in Columbus, MS
D.P. in Minneapolis, MN
P.H. in Bozeman, MT
M.T. in Wheat Ridge, CO
S.J.S. in Mt. Holly, NJ

P.A. in Redwood City, CA
M.H. in Ottawa, ON, Canada
D.S. in Fort Collins, CO
S.P. in Harrisburg, PA
A.A. in Branchport, NY
B.A. in Edmond, OK
M.V. in Aurora, CO
J.R. in Austin, TX
J.T. in Philadelphia, PA
C.G. in Pflugerville, TX
D.E. in Ann Arbor, MI
P.J. in Quakertown, PA
R.P. in Brooklyn, NY
D.D. in Bucks County, PA
M.B. in Albany, NY
D.T.P. in Short Hills, NJ
C.D.K. in Yorkshire, England, UK
S.I. in Minneapolis, MN
J.S. in Chevy Chase, MD
W.V. in Hemet, CA
D.W. in Gurnee, IL
S.K. in Ardmore, PA
E.B. in North Liberty, IA
H.M. in Paris, France
J.P. in Pine Grove Mills, PA
M.S. in Royal Oak, MI
D.M. in Crystal Lake, IL
G.M.K. in Mishawaka, IN
P.S. in Atlanta, GA
M.K. in Long Branch, NJ

The 60th correct response was received at 6:21 a.m. PT on Friday.

For this week's theme, it relies on one word per headline, and it's in the category Arts and Literature. For a hint, we'll say the theme should strike a chord with readers. And the first headline is not part of the game.

If you have a guess, send it to comments@electoral-vote.com with subject line October 9 Headlines.

And, incidentally, this is always the last item we do on Fridays. If we are running late—and we usually are—then we sort the inbox by subject line to look for all the responses. So, if you have the subject line "October 9 Headlines," then we will certainly see the message in time. If it's "Headlines" or "Oct. 9 Headlines" or "This Week's Theme," that alphabetizes WAY differently, and we might not see it. (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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