This is True, Really News

Hello, meatbags! 🤖 Welcome to Episode 1040 of This Is True Really News , where the facts are real (mostly) and the cynicism is high-octane. Today, Scott Combs and Tony Verkanis dive into the linguistic dumpster to resurrect words you didn't know you needed, like "blatherskite" and "kerglaf." If you feel like your brain is a sponge soaked in Tide Pod juice, you aren't a...

Grab your favorite (legal) stimulant and buckle up. In episode #1039, Scott and Tony dive into the "chintzy" Olympic medals, the mystery of the curling power play, and why the EU is trying to be the arbiter of everything good and ungood. In this episode: The Great Coffee Prohibition: From Sultan Murad IV’s lethal coffee house raids to Frederick the Great’s "Coffee Sniffers" (Ka...

In this week's mailbag, the guys tackle the pressing issues no one else is brave (or bored) enough to discuss. From the "Ok-ish" Super Bowl and the tragedy of missing the Budweiser Clydesdales to why Star Trek is the only sci-fi that isn’t a Dickensian nightmare, we’re covering it all. Plus, we sit down for an exclusive "interview" with the Universe itself (Dr. Cosmo Void)...

Welcome to This is True Really News Episode 1038 ! Hosts Scot Combs and Tony Verkinnes bring you the headlines that are 100% true—as far as you know. In this episode: Alien Teleportation or Grand Theft Auto? A Florida man claims extraterrestrials teleported him into a stolen BMW. We discuss the finer points of "quantum entanglement" and alien car theft rings. Cleanup on Aisle 4: A Texas...

Welcome to This is True Really News Episode 1037 ! Hosts Scot Combs and Tony Verkinnes bring you the headlines that are 100% true—as far as you know. In this episode: The "Brussels Effect": The EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) is acting as the world’s digital janitor. We discuss how "managed joy" and "algorithmic purity" are replacing pesky things like opinions and sat...

Welcome to This is True Really News Mailbag 218 ! Hosts Scot Combs and Tony Verkinnes dive back into the "silky abyss" of the mailbag to discuss the weirdest news and most bizarre legal restrictions from around the globe. In this episode: The UK’s "Pathways" Game: Is researching immigration statistics really a gateway to a counterterrorism referral? Illegal Spuds & Dancing...

Coast Guard opens recruiting office in landlocked Nebraska, Lego and Crocs team up for the most controversial footwear collaboration ever, a woman gets impaled by a metal rod on LA freeway, and a Louisiana man legally registers a potato as a firearm silencer with the ATF. You can't make this stuff up! This Is True Really News brings you the oddest verified news stories with hosts Scot Combs an...

Scientists discover mammals can breathe through their intestines, a Louisiana woman claims to be a mermaid while trespassing naked, and a priest allegedly fakes raffle winners. This Is True Really News hosts Scot Combs and Tony Verkinnes deliver the week's strangest verified stories with their signature humor. In this episode: Japanese researchers confirm cloacal respiration in mammals, openin...

Robot meets train in Miami, Net Radio memories flood back, and USB cables still hate us all. Scot Combs and Tony Verkinnes dive into mailbag stories including a food delivery robot's unfortunate encounter with a Brightline train, nostalgic memories from the Net Radio days of the 90s, and cosmic wisdom about USB orientation. Plus, the debut of "Body Zone" - the jingle nobody asked for...

A brutal youth hockey brawl in Hershey, PA has authorities investigating 48-inch-tall "enforcers" who turned Mites on Ice into a scene from Slapshot. Plus, Chinese astronauts hear mysterious knocking in the vacuum of space, a Pennsylvania man is arrested for hoarding 100+ human remains from cemetery mausoleums, and a woman literally chews through police car padding after arrest. Norwegia...

Airlines are set to save nearly $600 million this year thanks to weight loss drugs making passengers lighter—but don't expect your ticket prices to drop! Meanwhile, Rhode Island debates removing Mr. Potato Head license plates after Hasbro moves headquarters, a Polish general gets fired for accidentally leaving anti-tank mines at an IKEA warehouse, and a Florida deputy handcuffs a runaway emu&#...

This Is True Really News Mailbag episode 216 with hosts Scot Combs and Tony Verkinnes! Janet (no relation to Cooper) Cupp dominates the comments section while Scot and Tony discuss delayed cargo deliveries, the Harvard morgue body parts scandal sentencing, and preview Monday's new sea shanty about 400 pairs of Victorian boots washing ashore 150 years late. Highlights include updates on Cedric...

Riders stranded on the DC Rivals HyperCoaster were forced to evacuate on foot after a loose scarf tangled in the wheel. Scot Combs and Tony Verkinnes discuss the amusement park nightmare before diving into a massive AI fail at a Florida middle school, where the "Zero Eyes" weapon detection system mistook a student’s bass clarinet for a rifle, triggering a police raid. Plus, we cover a wa...

Is the viral trend of sniffing farts to prevent Alzheimer's real science or just hot air? Scot Combs and Tony Verkinnes debunk the hydrogen sulfide brainpower myth and explain why "trouser trumpets" won't get you a PhD. Then, we expose the gruesome true crime details of Cedric Lodge and the Harvard Medical School morgue trafficking scheme. Finally, we review the baffling 2025 ER...

Join Scot Combs and Tony Verkinnes for a jam-packed Mailbag edition of This Is True Really News! In Episode 215, we break down the story of a Florida postal worker who took package protection way too far by running a kid off the road. We also look at the chaos in St. Louis where loose monkeys and AI-generated hoaxes are confusing officials, and laugh at a tennis pro who celebrated his Australian O...

Armed robbers in Colorado had their getaway car stolen mid-heist, leaving them stranded! Meanwhile, a woman discovers after 44 years that a hospital sperm mix-up means her biological father is a complete stranger – now a $17 million lawsuit. PLUS: Criminal hires Uber as getaway driver (police say thanks!), and Minnesota's DHS caught backdating documents in a massive grant fraud scandal. Hosts...

This Is True Really News Mailbag Episode 214 with hosts Scot Combs and Tony Verkinnes. The guys dive into Minnesota's Department of Human Services audit scandal, discuss a Moscow cooking studio incident involving a dangerous liquid nitrogen cocktail that sent a man to emergency surgery, and debate socialism, AI-generated content, and the state of modern politics. Plus: George Washington's...

This Is True Really News Episode 1029 brings you the most absurd real news stories of the week! Minnesota Department of Human Services employees caught backdating documents to cover up a $672,000 fraud scheme, plus not one but TWO Bass Pro Shop incidents involving stolen fish and naked aquarium diving. Hosts Scot Combs and Tony Verkinnes deliver satirical commentary on: Minnesota DHS workers fabri...

This Is True Really News Episode 1028 brings you the wildest real news stories with hosts Scot Combs and Tony Verkinnes! In this episode: A Florida man sues Dunkin' Donuts after a toilet explosion leaves him traumatized and covered in debris. Denmark's Post Nord officially ends 400 years of mail delivery as the country goes nearly 100% digital, selling off 1,500 iconic red post boxes. A re...

he criminal underworld has gone upscale! A $400,000 lobster shipment vanishes en route to Minnesota Costco stores, leaving the FBI hunting sophisticated thieves who now face a ticking clock—and 58 boxes worth of very angry crustaceans needing immediate attention. Meanwhile in London, a bomb squad robot gets deployed to Parliament for what turns out to be the most British emergency ever: unsent Chr...

This Is True Really News Mailbag Episode 213 with hosts Scot Combs and Tony Verkinnes. Scot celebrates his epic snoop victory while Tony recovers from a late-night Stranger Things binge. The guys dive into the Zootopia 2 blue viper pet craze sweeping China, a drunken Salvation Army bell ringer's tripod assault at a Florida Publix, and hilarious listener comments about crotch pots, Denmark stai...

Welcome to This Is True Really News Episode 1026 with hosts Scot Combs and Tony Verkinnes! This week's bizarre but true stories include a Florida woman suing Hershey's for $5 million over missing jack-o-lantern faces on Reese's pumpkins, the surprising secrets behind artistic genius (spoiler: stop bathing and carry a gun like Picasso), a Good Samaritan who rescued an injured raccoon on...

Get vaccinated with beer, smell like root beer, and discover why hiding in a nativity scene is a bad idea. This Is True Really News Episode 1025 brings you the week's most absurd real news stories. Hosts Scot Combs and Tony Verkinnes cover a retired researcher who created a vaccine beer that actually works (FDA approval pending), Mug Root Beer's bizarre "Daddy's Home" cologne...

Scot Combs and Tony Verkinnes dive into the 2025 Christmas food rankings—from standing rib roast to peppermint bark debates! We discover a hilariously "signed" Bible in a bookstore, expose a San Diego parking officer caught faking tickets on Tesla's sentry cam, and debate the wildest typo ever: "We prostitute shoplifters." Plus, Virginia's ABC liquor stores explained, b...

A prison escapee steals 10 Corvettes worth $1.25 million for a "ride home" and an experienced hiker discovers quicksand is still real in Utah's Arches National Park. Scot Combs and Tony Verkinnes deliver the week's most bizarre true stories including drone-delivered prison feasts, a 7,000-nutcracker museum, and why your childhood quicksand fears weren't completely irrational. This week's headlines...