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Just a few years ago, America's auto industry was on the verge of collapse. When President Obama took office, he had to decide whether to bail out General Motors or let it die. He chose to send them a lifeline, to the tune of $50 billion. In this week's State of the Union speech, President Obama said that decision paid off.

"Today, General Motors is back on top as the world's No. 1 automaker," Obama said.

Transcript

PETER SAGAL, HOST:

Now, panel, what will that bad presidential joke be? Brian Babylon?

BRIAN BABYLON: Next year, the bad joke will actually come from John Boehner when he gooses Obama.

(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: Roxanne Roberts?

ROXANNE ROBERTS: The president will show up wearing this t-shirt: I spent 100 million dollars to get elected and all I got is this stupid Congress.

(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)

(SOUNDBITE OF APPLAUSE)

SAGAL: And Peter Grosz?

More questions for the panel: Mr. or Mrs. Meat, A Cereal Killer, Brides-to-be ... to-be, and Lord Grantham is Not Amused.

All the news we couldn't fit anywhere else.

Carl reads three quotes from the weeks news: The State of the Comedy Is Weak, A Positive Spin, and Privacy Invaded.

Our panelists answer questions about the week's news... Getting To The Point.

Our panelists tell us three stories of an innovation in laziness, only one of which is true.

Transcript

PETER SAGAL, HOST:

Coming up, it's Lightning Fill in the Blank. But first, it's the game where you have to listen for the rhyme. If you'd like to play on air, call or leave a message at 1-888-Wait-Wait, that's 1-888-924-8924. You can click the contact us link on our website, that's waitwait.npr.org.

Fresh Air Weekend highlights some of the best interviews and reviews from past weeks, and new program elements specially paced for weekends. Our weekend show emphasizes interviews with writers, filmmakers, actors, and musicians, and often includes excerpts from live in-studio concerts. This week:

President Obama is back in Washington Saturday after visiting five different states, all of which are likely to be hotly contested in November. He expanded on some of the ideas he outlined in Tuesday's State of the Union address and offered a preview of the argument he'll be making in the general election. NPR's Scott Horsley reports.

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SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

The future of the state of the U.S. housing market was a primary focus for the White House this week. On Tuesday's State of the Union address, President Obama unveiled a new plan to try to correct the housing downturn. It would allow qualifying homeowners the chance to refinance their mortgages at historically low rates.