Crossword No. 686:

With Whom Am I Speaking?

ACROSS

1 With 70-Across: EU stateswoman recently prank-called by radio DJs posing as former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko

7 Quartet member, maybe

11 2023 Best Picture nominee

14 Observe a situation

15 Actor Estrada 16 Mary Todd’s husband

17 Latin American leader who had a four-minute conversation with “Hugo Chavez” in 2003; he was actually being pranked by Florida radio personalities

19 Egypt’s “Boy King”

20 Not in class today

21 Run-down

23 Like grass at sunrise, often

25 Animated explorer

28 Gunk

29 Clumsy type

30 Where President Trump took a three-minute call from “Sen. Bob Menendez” of New Jersey in 2018; it was really a local podcaster

33 Columbus megacampus (abbr.)

34 Grammy winner Yoko

35 Neighbor of Yemen

36 Exasperated cry

38 Misbehaves

42 Sch. on the U.S.Mexico border

44 Explosive material

45 Org. that responded to the Feb. 3 train derailment in Ohio

46 U.K. leader who in 1995 had a 17-minute chat with “Jean Chrétien”— but it was a Canadian radio personality, not the prime minister

50 “Little ol’ me?”

51 Maker of small blocks

52 Rival of Gain

53 Melon exterior

54 Poetry’s counterpart

56 Updated one’s Substack

59 Crumb carrier

60 U.S. pol hung up on twice in 2008 when he called U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who blamed her suspicion on Florida radio stations known for such pranks

65 Volleyball tactic

66 Cry of self-pity

67 Successively

68 Pop singer Rita

69 Rambles on and on

70 See 1-Across

DOWN

1 TV creature also known as Gordon Shumway

2 “___ didn’t!” (phrase of denial)

3 Horrifically bad

4 Just barely make it

5 Reacts to a funny text

6 Suffix with govern or perform

7 Greatest-hits album

8 It may be fine or visual

9 Knight’s address

10 Toffee bar

11 Drawing on your arm, say

12 Share a border with

13 Key in again

18 Greek prefix for “man”

22 Delegate

23 Annihilation

24 A piece of cake

26 Animal that hops, for short

27 Chic jacket

30 Main artery

31 Owing money

32 Desert bloomers

37 Greek liqueurs

39 Twilit

40 Second word of fairy tales

41 Taken care of, as a bill

43 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame architect

44 2000s TV drama named for a Southern California region

46 Part of

42-Across

47 Loewe’s musical partner

48 “Can’t avoid it”

49 Success for a QB

53 Steel used to stabilize

55 ___ Motors (place to buy a used car)

57 Milk option

58 Manner of speaking

61 In the style of

62 Lupe Fiasco’s music

63 Springfield suds pourer

64 Hole-punching tool