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from npr and wbez chicago this is wait wait don't tell me the npr news quiz forget uncle sam i'm the uncle you actually want to hang out with i'm alzo slade and here's your host at the student breaker theater in the fine arts building in chicago illinois peter sagal thank you alzo thank you all

Great to be with you. We, like apparently everybody is, we are so happy to be celebrating America's 250th birthday with the rest of you. People are having parties, parades, cookouts, even reenactments. Alzo, how are you celebrating?

I like walking up to those reenactors dressed up like the founding fathers and saying,

boo.

So while the nation looks backward, so will we with some of the highlights from the past year or so.

We start with a visit from the actor and devoted Chicago guy, John Cusack, who joined us on stage in March.

Thanks for having me. I have a habit when I'm talking to actors with astonishingly long and varied careers like yours of asking what role they're most recognized for. But since I started this show with a say anything joke, do people ask you to either pretend to hold a boombox up like Lloyd did in the movie, or do they ever do that to you?

No, I haven't had them do it to me, but they have asked me to hold it up, but I tell them I only do that at parties But yeah, but there's been a strong reaction to that character

At times and there but there are no boom boxes anymore. So they just asked you to hold their iPhone up

Yeah, so I I Told my wife that you were gonna be in the show and I saw a look in her face I've never seen before and she's like John Cusack really and she told me that your character Lloyd holding that boom box just absolutely blew her away. It was the most romantic thing she had ever seen, and I polled all the women I know, and they all agreed.

Well, as I said, people like that character in that film a lot, which is pretty cool. Live Nation still does some screenings of the movie, and we do a Q&A afterwards, and people get pretty rowdy, which is fun, and a guy came up to the mic right over there, and he said, my wife left me because she said I wasn't you.

Now, I sort of had the look that your face has. Well, you're thinking about my look and your look. I'm thinking about that look my wife gave me I mentioned earlier.

You got to go home. Got to go, guys. But the gentleman stopped, and then he said, and I want to thank you from the bottom of my head. And he literally dropped the mic, and I thought that kind of covers the whole gamut.

Right. I know this is a very tough question. I was thinking about your movie career. I know I have a favorite movie of yours, which in my case would be Being John Malkovich. Do you have a favorite of all the ones you've done? And I know there are a lot and a lot of great ones.

You know, I sort of think back on them and they're sort of like a little bit of a fever dream. And some of the ones that I wrote and produced... Crows Point Blank? Yeah, that's a great one. That's a fun one. I think just because that kind of black comedy doesn't get done that much.

That's the movie in which you play a hitman who goes back to his, if I'm not mistaken, 10th high school reunion? I think it was his...

Yeah, it was 10th. No, no, it was 10th.

And I'm told that that was inspired by you actually attending your own high school reunion in Evanston?

Yes.

And you were like... So there you're back, and you're, by that time, a very accomplished and well-known actor. And did you really say to yourself and discuss with your collaborators in the film, you know what would be really cool if I was a hitman?

Well, I thought to myself, I wrote the script, and I said, well, if we get funding for this, That's the only way I'll go to my 10-year high school reunion. Really? As research? Yes. Oh, wow. I didn't think we'd get the funding, but then we did, so I had to go.

I thought you were going to say you were inspired after going to your high school reunion, because when you went there, you were like, I can't stand any of these fools. What this place needs is a hitman.

You still live here in Chicago where you grew up, which I think is great. I do, sir. And that is not a choice that a lot of people who get very successful in the entertainment business make. why did you stay here? Or come back, perhaps.

Have you been to L.A.? I have.

Yeah. And yeah, I guess we don't really need to talk about that anymore. And I love this. You get around Chicago by scooter.

It's true.

When you're riding up and down in your scooter, do people ever pull up to you in division and look at you and go, hey, it's John Cusack.

Yeah, every once in a while.

Yeah, in a car. And this is Chicago. They're going to be cool about it, right? Everyone's so cool about it. Yeah.

They're basically, they just go like, oh, hey.

That's the Chicago one. Which I love about Chicago. I heard this. I might get your assistant in trouble because we were talking about, well, when's John getting here? He's coming in his Vespa. And she told me that your Vespa, which is a beautiful old Italian scooter, runs on gasoline, but not very much at a time, right? It's got a small gas tank. And so she told me you have, like, a bottle filled with gasoline.

That might be true, although that might be too much information for Malika to be given out. Really?

So I'm like, okay, so you're riding around your Vespa, and you're like, oh, I'm running out of gas. Reach into the pocket, pull out the bottle. I don't even know if what I'm doing is legal, but yeah. Doesn't sound it. Yeah, Peter, you're a snake. I know, you are. I feel terrible. If any members of the Chicago police are listening, remember, it's John Cusack. You're not going to bother.

Now I'm going to get my Vespa searched.

Sorry, Mr. Cusack, we've got to search your Vespa. It's a flammable country, man. Got to see if you've got two, three bottles of gas in there. You've written a graphic novel. I grew up reading this kind of graphic novel, very big in Europe. In your case, this graphic novel is about 300 pages long, and it features sex, violence, drugs, aliens, Jackie Gleason, and a plot centered around the very real French avant-garde artist and philosopher Antonin Artaud. So, you've sold out and gone mainstream. Yeah.

Well, just think of a metaphysical crime movie mixed with, like kind of a drug mule movie mixed with E.T. So I think French Connection meets E.T., meets My Dinner with Andre, meets Smokey and the Bandit, meets The Mike Douglas Show.

Another of those? Yes. All right. God. Not again. It's a shame to see an actor become so derivative in his career.

Well, the origin of it was I loved this artist, Artaud. And then I thought, well, no one's going to give me money to make that movie yet. But if I write a graphic novel, I always believe in the possibility of possible.

Sure. It's pretty funny and very bizarre, and I recommend it to everybody. Oh, thank you. It's really something. Thank you for reading it. Oh, my pleasure. I know, speaking for myself, I could talk to you all day, but we have business to do. John Cusack, we are thrilled to have you here, and we have invited you here to play a game we're calling... Say Nothing. As we discussed, you started on the iconic movie Say Anything, so we thought we'd ask we'd ask you about people who should have kept their mouths shut. Answer two or the three questions about some unwise statements. You'll win our prize for one of our listeners. Also, who is the legendary John Cusack playing for? Jill Farrell of Beaverton, Oregon. All right. I'm going to do my best for you, Jill. Of Beaverton. Here you go. Here's your first question. Gerald Ratner was the head of Ratner's Great Britain's largest jewelry store chain when he unfortunately called his own company's products, quote, crap. How did he try to undo the damage? Was it A, by trying to convince people that crap was a slang word he learned from his kids that meant really great? B, by having all his company's stores put up a sign in the window saying, what we mean by crap, cheap, reliable, and affordable prices. Or C, by saying, quote, producing crap is a universal part of the human experience.

i'm going to follow the wisdom of the good and great jason benetti yes and the show last week

always pick b and you and jason are right it is his plan was to put up a sign saying crap means cheap reliable and affordable prices it did not work and he had to step down from the company and And to this day, according to at least one source we found in the United Kingdom, saying something really stupid and self-destructive for no reason is still called pulling a ratner. Wow. That was really good. Here's your next question. In 2005, former French president Jacques Chirac caused a diplomatic incident with the UK when he made a comment to Vladimir Putin that was caught on a hot mic. What did he say about the British? A, you can't trust people who cook as badly as that. B, look, they were once conquered by us. How tough can they be? Or C, they think they're all Winston Churchill, but they're really just Benny Hill.

Now, here's a problem. Yeah. Can I say what I want to pick? You may.

Yeah, this is your game.

I want it to be C, but I think it's A.

And you're right. It was A. Of course, he's French. Of course, he's going to have a salto cooking. And of course, he's French, and he's not going to know who Benny Hill is. Exactly. Also true. He also said on the same Hut Mike incident that the only thing the British had contributed to agriculture was mad cow disease. So you're doing really well. Here's your last question. A lot of sports broadcasts, as I know you know, Mike the crowd, as well as the announcers, and sometimes it can backfire as at a lacrosse game between Sacred Heart University and Siena College last year when the mic picked up one Siena fan yelling what that made the ESPN broadcast? Was it A, we wish we were watching football, B, stab them in the Sacred Heart, or C, Sacred Heart has diarrhea? Wow. Wow. Wow, I mean, I want all of them. Different sections doing different chants, you know. I think based on the state of America, it must be C. It is C, yeah. That's what he said.

That's smart.

The chant from a Sienna fan who found the mic and ran up to it and yelled into it was hard to make out, but helpfully, one of the ESPN announcers said, they're chanting, Sacred Heart has diarrhea. I'm sure he got a bonus that week. He did. Alzo, how did John Cusack do in our quiz?

He said something. He got three out of three. He's a winner. Yeah.

John Cusack is an actor, writer, and producer. His new graphic novel, Momo, is available now. He's also a proud Chicago guy. John Cusack, thank you so much for joining us here. Thank you so much for joining us. John Cusack, everybody. When we come back, you got demons? No worries. We have a K-pop demon hunter. That's when we return with more of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me from NPR.

This message comes from NPR sponsor Carvana. Carvana believes selling your car should be easy. Get a real offer down to the penny, picked up from your driveway. You may keep waiting for a catch. There isn't one. Sell today at Carvana.com. Pickup fees may apply. This message comes from BetterHelp. People talk about mental health more openly now, but asking for help can still feel hard. BetterHelp's 2026 State of Stigma report surveyed 2,000 Americans and found that 85% believe getting support is wise, yet 74% say society discourages people from doing so. Don't let stigma stand in the way of support. Start therapy with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com slash NPR. This message comes from Thumbtack. Avoiding your unfinished home projects because you're not sure where to start? Thumbtack knows homes so you don't have to. Don't know the difference between matte paint finish and satin or what that clunking sound from your dryer is? With Thumbtack, you don't have to be a home pro. You just have to hire one. You can hire top rated pros. See price estimates and read reviews all on the app. Download today. As America marks 250

years, remember, we the people make a free press possible. Together, we hold the powerful to account with reporting for the public, funded by the public at plus.npr.org.

from npr and wbez chicago this is wait wait don't tell me the npr news quiz i'm alzo slade and here's your host at the studebaker theater in the fine arts building in chicago peter sagal thank you

thank you everybody it is america's 250th birthday and i have to say america you do not look a day

over 200. Did you notice they Botoxed the coast of Maine? It's as smooth as Florida now.

One way to stay young is to constantly dwell on the past. We're not just saying that as an excuse to take the week off.

Last year, Netflix had its biggest hit ever with the animated musical K-pop Demon Hunters. Arden Cho, who was the voice of Demon Hunter Rumi, joined us in February to talk with guest host Nagin Farsad.

Hi, hello everyone. Thanks so much for having me. Well, so I have to be honest with you. Like, I have a love-hate relationship with Rumi, voiced by you, because I have a seven-year-old daughter. Okay, okay. I see where this is going. And I hear your voice all the time. Our parents...

It's mad at you for making the most popular movie of all time. They are kind of, at this point, a bit sick of it. But on the flip side, I've heard that, you know, at least it's something that has a positive message. And at least their kids are, you know, enjoying it together all ages. And it is very, like, family friendly. Wait, what's your daughter's name? Rika. Okay, Rika. Well, Rumi says you better listen to Mama.

Oh, my God. whatever she says oh my god that i get up on replay for the rest of her life that's what's gonna happen roomie i mean roomie arden wow you really have her i'm so sorry i literally do hear your voice way too much okay so one of the really unexpected things about you is that you know you're not just an actor and you're so many more things and one of those things is a champion poker player like you are internationally ranked how did that happen I was actually a psych major in college

and I always loved the game I've just respected it so much and I really wasn't great I've always been quite shy and I'm not much of like a partier and quite a more of an introvert so I like these quiet settings it's taught me to be confident and take risks learn to say no and to bet on myself I'm often underestimated I think people are just like not expecting anything from me and then

they're like oh she's not that bad or maybe she's okay I love it that you've put such a positive

spin on a degenerate practice well there are degenerate parts of that world for sure But I find that there are a lot of really great parts in that world as well. I've met a lot of really cool players, people who are like, I want to like hang out with my friends, but I don't want to sit in a club. It's kind of like a nice alternative. Yeah.

So, Arden, you actually had some news recently that you got engaged. Congratulations. Thank you. And then something else happened that day right after you got engaged at the TSA pre-check line. Can you tell us what happened?

Oh my goodness, it was so funny. Well, it was actually before we got engaged, my fiance and I were flying to Hawaii. But we always, you know, get in together and, you know, we're flying business and so I didn't have TSA pre-check at the time. He did. And all of a sudden, he's just like, I'm going to go this way into the TSA pre-check line and leave you. And I was just like, wait, what? And you were like, I want to marry that man. Well, no, no, no. We weren't engaged yet. He was sneaking away because he was afraid that they'd take out the ring and that I would see it. Because we were going to Hawaii for our friend's wedding. So I thought all of a sudden he was being ultra competitive and seeing who could go faster. And then, of course, the next day he proposed and I was like, oh, everything makes sense.

Right, like he wasn't just being a jerk. Yeah. Well, you've had a whirlwind year, Arden, and we've asked you here to play a game that we're calling...

K-pop demon hunters meet Kmart bargain hunters. Oh, what?

Okay. That's right. We're going to ask you three questions about the late great discount store Kmart. Answer just two of them correctly, and you'll win our prize for one of our listeners. Bill, who's Arden playing for?

Gina Hoffman of Sacramento, California.

Okay, Gina, I'm going to try my hardest. I'm quite competitive. I shall try.

All right, here's your first question. By the 2010s, Kmart was struggling to keep up with Walmart and Target, so they tried to do anything they could to grab people's attention. Like which of these commercials? Was it A, an ad where a woman stripped from a parka down to her underwear to show all the different kinds of clothing that were on sale? Was it B, an ad promoting free shipping for online orders that used the phrase, I can ship my pants 11 times? Or was it C, an ad with a jingle that went, Kmart, it's KKKmart.

Uh-oh.

Beep! Do you remember? That is correct, Beep! It was ship my pants. They ran another ad for Kmart with gas stations attached talking about their big-ass savings. So they were really doing it, Kmart. All right, here we go. Here's your next question. In 2019, a man named Andrew Lippey was arrested for stealing $300 worth of goods from a Kmart in Florida. This came as a shock to people. Why? Was it A, because he was the manager of the Walmart across the street? B, he was a city councilman who ran on promises to fight shoplifting? Or C, earlier that week, he had bought his own private island for $8 million? B! No, wrong, it is C! Oh, C, really? See, I thought it was C. Wow! Here's your last question. While Kmart is all but gone in the U.S., there are over 300 Kmarts in Australia. But one mom in Melbourne is furious with the company because the toy lion she bought there for her son was what? A, anatomically correct. Was it B, louder than a jackhammer? Or was it C, stuffed with a combination of styrofoam and gunpowder? A. That's right. And it was aired. Wow. Oh, my goodness. I've never been so nervous in my life. I have to pay attention to these ads and news. No, this line was clearly a male, and some toy designer was definitely trying to get fired. Oh, my goodness. Bill, how did Arden do on our quiz?

Arden can stop hunting demons because she got two out of three, which is a win for us.

Yes.

Arden, thank you so much for joining us Arden Cho is the voice of Rumi in Netflix's K-pop Demon Hunters which is nominated for Best Animated Film at this year's Oscars Arden Cho, thanks for joining us Bye Arden

Bye Arden

I first became a fan of Asif Manvi when he was one of the hilarious correspondents in The Daily Show but when he joined us in March, he talked about all the odd jobs as a performer he had before he

made it big. I used to perform in murder mysteries where we would go undercut, like sort of incognito into these parties and then someone would get killed. And one of the most infamous ones that i ever did was at a uh an orthodox jewish um uh meet like they were they were trying to meet people to to get married like like a singles meet up a singles meet up thing right and we go in

there and um i just want to pause and say somebody organized a singles meet up for orthodox jews and said to themselves you know what would make this a really great evening yeah exactly if somebody

were murdered yeah all right you go in there and so i just remember that uh i was uh one of the other actors who i used to work with at the time uh it was connie britain and uh and she was uh sort of chatting up this uh this guy who i just remember was wearing a yellow suit so that'll tell you everything about him yeah um and he thought he and she was really chatting him up And he thought he had hit the jackpot. Right. He was like, this beautiful woman is talking to me. And then about 20 minutes into it, she was killed by that.

I've had dates like that. I'm just sympathetic. pathetic uh you are you are going on broadway in this revival of the uh the noel coward play with the great uh rose byrne among many others the other thing you have coming out is a tv show on peacock a comedy called the miniature wife and i have to say i heard the title and i said to myself oh that must be like a metaphor it's about a wife she's maybe in the shadow of her husband she feels

small that's not what it's about no no no it's about a man who has uh he's a scientist who has designed a uh a sort of a serum that can miniaturize crops uh to combat climate change so you know matthew mcfaden who i love from succession yeah and and elizabeth banks who i worked with many years ago in williamstown is literally uh six inches tall yes and lives in the dollhouse yeah for much but they hate each other and they're constantly trying to kill each other so it's honey i shrunk the kids meets tom and jerry did you did you have to spend any time

on set like crouching down and pretending you're talking to a six inch high elizabeth yes the one

the later in the season i do matthew hides the whole uh storyline of his wife from me for a long time until he finally can't and then there is a moment where he and i are both on the floor uh talking to a small cardboard cutout of Elizabeth Banks. Right.

and they would sort of move her around and sort of pretend like she was walking.

One more question for you. Like I said at the beginning, I first knew you and became a big fan when you were on The Daily Show, but I heard a story, I don't know how this could be true, that you ended up appearing on The Daily Show the same day you auditioned for it?

Yeah. How is that even possible? That is true. A couple of days earlier, I had found out that my ex-girlfriend had gotten engaged, and so I was very upset, and I was writing one of those letters that you write to your ex-girlfriend saying how you f***ed up I can't say that, can I say that? You just did It's alright You'll figure it out I get this call to come and audition for The Daily Show and I was in such a bad place that I said I can't come in today I don't feel like, can I come in tomorrow and they said no, if you don't come in today then it's done So I literally just like put on a suit and I went in and I honestly just had this like attitude of like, I'm never going to get this. This is ridiculous. Like I'm in the wrong frame of mind. And John met me and he said and I was a little bit surly. And I said because he said to me, he said, have you, you know, have you ever performed in front of a live audience? And I remember looking at him and just being like, dude, I've been on Broadway. and I had such but I just did my best Stephen Colbert impression because that's all I needed to do and I was a fan of the show and he hired me right there on the spot and I was on the show that night and I didn't even get a chance to tell anybody and suddenly it was just I was on the show and people were calling me like there's a guy on the daily show tonight and so I didn't even get to tell my family until after it was on

Did it comfort you, maybe, given the circumstances of the day, to know that maybe your ex-girlfriend would see you on this hit, incredibly culturally significant TV show and think to herself, my God, what have I done?

You know, it's so funny. Like, the minute I got The Daily Show, I didn't really care about my ex-girlfriend that much.

There you go. Lesson for you all. Asif Manvi, it's a pleasure to talk to you. We have asked you here today to play a game we're calling Miniature Wife Meet Miniature Groom. So your new series is The Miniature Wife, and we're going to ask you about a place you usually find miniature brides and grooms on top of wedding cakes. Answer two out of three questions correctly, you'll win our prize for one of our listeners. The voice of their choice in their voicemail, Bill, who is Asif Manvi playing for? Linda Evers of Collinsville, Illinois. All right. Ready to play? Sure. Here's your first question. Wedding cakes have been around since at least ancient Roman times, but the tradition back then was a little different. Instead of the bride and groom cutting the cake together, what would happen? A, the bride would throw the cake as far as she could, and the groom would go find it and bring it back. B, they would break the cake over the bride's head, or C, they would put a live squirrel inside it and wait for it to eat its way out, thus cutting the cake. I'm going to go with B. Yes, you're right. They would break the cake over the bride's head. Oh, they lost a lot of good brides back then. All right, here's your next question. Wedding cakes, of course, are a tradition now, but if you were getting married in 17th century Europe, you and your guests would most likely be cutting into what at the wedding celebration? Would it be A, what was known as the bride's pie, a savory pie filled with oysters, lamb testicles, and occasionally live snakes? B, potatoes, basically just dozens and dozens of potatoes? Or C, just the air, or as wedding planners of the time called it, a cake of the mind?

i'm gonna say that they would just cut into potatoes because they just had a lot of potatoes

at the time no it was actually a the bride's pie according to wikipedia in addition to the other tasty things they would occasionally put a live snake there to quote help guests to pass the time in a wedding i guess they did that because at the time they needed entertainment

in and they had no DJs. Right. That's true. That is true. DJs didn't come around until about the

1800s. Exactly true. Yeah. You have one more chance. If you get this right, you win. The one tradition today that every wedding expert tells you, just skip it, don't do it, is when the groom smashes the cake into the...

bride's face, right? Or the bride does it with the groom. One couple went so hard in the cake smashing bit that after they cleaned up, this just happened in January, they did what? A, they did it again, smashing each other in the faces with the entree from dinner and then all the side dishes. B, they handed out cupcakes for their guests to smash on each other to join the fun. Or C, they got divorced. The audience, do you think they got divorced?

Is that what the audience is saying?

The audience thinks they got divorced.

All right, I'll go with the audience. And they're right.

You have to listen to the audience. They're right. Bill, how did Asif Man be doing our quiz? Asif got two right, and that makes him a winner. Congratulations. With a little help We're all here to help each other It's a community Asif Manvi, what a pleasure to talk to you Take care, break legs on Broadway Thank you Bye bye When we come back Our panel proudly displays their refusal To actually pay attention to the news And we visit with Kaylee Reese The only actor who could ever win An E-G-G-O-T, an Emmy, Golden Gloves Oscar and Tony That's when we come back with more, wait, wait, don't tell me, from NPR.

This message comes from NPR sponsor, Carvana. Carvana believes selling your car should be easy. Get a real offer down to the penny, picked up from your driveway. You may keep waiting for a catch. There isn't one. Sell today at Carvana.com. Pickup fees may apply. This message comes from Thumbtack. Some tasks can feel easy, but home projects can bring second guesses. Is that noise normal? Is that water damage? Who should be called? That's where Thumbtack comes in. Just upload a photo or voice note, and it uses AI-powered search to match with the right top-rated local pro. So instead of guessing, there's clarity and confidence when hiring. For your next home project, try Thumbtack. Hire the right pro today.

This week on Shorewave, working from home is popular. No commute, sweatpants. People who do it say it makes them happier.

And the data suggests they're probably wrong about that, on average at least.

We unpack a new study about the social isolation of remote work and what it means for your health. This week on Shortwave, NPR Science Podcast. Listen daily on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz. I'm Alzo Slade, and here's your host at the Studebaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Peter Sagal. Thank you, Alzo.

Thanks, everybody. We are celebrating America's 250th birthday, like most people, by looking back with admiration and pride on its history. Well, not the whole 250 years, and not necessarily the history of the whole country. Basically, just the recent part of its history that involves just us.

Less significant events on the world stage, sure, but also way less to apologize for.

Our panelists strangely never apologize for not knowing the news, even though it's their job to answer questions about it. Here are some of the questions we pose to our panelists that you have never heard before. Josh, this season, Major League Baseball, a lot of changes. Catchers are reporting that there is a huge increase this season in the number of times. What happens?

It's not falling asleep during the games, because they've tightened those up. Yes, they have. It's something that's happening to catchers. To catchers? Yes. More frequently than it used to. Is batters hitting them with the bat? Not with the... No, they're not getting hit with the bat. But, like, catcher interference? No. No. Getting hit... Umpires hitting them. No. Damn you, sir!

Damn you! I know what you're doing. The back of my hand to you, sir. Getting slid into? No, I'll give you a hint. Sometimes after a foul ball, the catcher also ends up with fouled balls. Oh. Catchers getting hit in the groin? Yes, by baseballs, yes. Sure. Catchers are taking baseballs to the junk a lot more than they used to. The players told the New York Times that there's been a huge increase this season in that, you know, getting hit by a baseball right in the peanuts and Cracker Jacks. I mean, it's great, because Major League Baseball has been working so long to make baseball more entertaining, and they've finally done it. Now, the phenomenon is due primarily to this new stance that catchers are using behind the plate. They don't crouch behind the plate anymore. Most catchers are down on one knee with their other legs splayed out straight, which is a lot less fatiguing over the course of the game. But it's basically, when you do that, you're giving the pitch.

or two targets to choose from? If I had two options of how to stand and one of them got me hit in the testicles with a baseball a lot more than the other one, that would make my choice for me. I would go the other direction. When you're doing your list of pros and cons, that would pretty much be the only one on the con list. Less fatigue on one side, hit repeatedly in the testicles with a 90-mile-an-hour fastball.

But then how are you going to win

America's Funniest Home Videos?

Shane, baseball star Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies posted a get ready with me video, right, on Instagram. But he got a lot of heat after he revealed he brushes his teeth by doing what? What, does he use a baseball bat?

No, I don't do it. No. If, all right. I do this, so I think it might be this, because I never thought this was it. I put the toothpaste directly onto my tongue. That's it

And we're both great athletes So this is amazing Because Bryce He's like doing this get ready with me video And he just takes the toothpaste and he squeezes it into his mouth Puts down the toothpaste, grabs the toothbrush And starts scrubbing We're both alphas And everybody was like this is so weird Nobody else in the world does this And we right here Have discovered the other human being Who does this This is amazing

I never thought I'd have something in common with someone who plays for Philly.

So what, Shane, is the advantage of squeezing the toothpaste onto your own tongue rather than placing it on the toothbrush as God intended?

Do you want to know my logic behind it? truly is that this is insane but i take it and i put it on my tongue and by the way i feel your

judgment i i don't think they're trying to hide it yeah uh and then i take my tongue and i press

it to the roof of my mouth because you people brush their tongues they do but people don't talk about brushing the roof of your mouth and i don't understand why you wouldn't because it's

still what's that got to do with you putting it on your tongue i just like it's an even application Oh, I see it. It's like you squeezing two pieces of bread together to get the sandwich all... Yes. This is boy brush your teeth. That is. Because y'all locked in immediately together. I see the vision. Does this seem insane to everyone? Yes, it does.

Because you can brush the roof of your mouth if you wanted to do that by putting your toothpaste on the brush.

But now, Shane, I'm really thinking about this. Seems like we got a con brush. Oh, I don't think so. But if you put it directly on your tongue, you never have to worry about water pressure kicking the toothpaste off the toothbrush before you brush your teeth. Something I never even thought about. See, you can add that to your reasons.

Thank you very much. Bryce Harper and I thank you.

Tom, a well-known mortgage company is expanding their business. They've announced that in addition to home finance loans with competitive terms, they will also offer what?

uh they will also offer cemetery plots how does that figure i'm not much for math it's probably like a four percent i see what you mean no actually that's not it no no no uh like another kind of offering another a completely different kind of product oh totally different kind of totally different kind of product oh man that could be anything is it related to mortgages not in any way that we can see that's why we thought we'd bring it up here oh they're going to um sell tiny um genetically modified

ponies yes of course that'd be fun yeah tom this is where you ask for a hint oh

thank you bill never advised me like no i wanted to talk more about the Tiny little ponies. Me too, kind of.

Sweet.

Nay! Nay! Can I have a hint, please? Yeah, well, I guess in response, Lululemon will start selling mortgages.

Oh, they're going to sell underpants. Athleticwear. Athleticwear, athleisurewear, yes.

This week, the mortgage lender company Rate launched their new spinoff company, RateFit, which sells athleisure clothing they say it's about quote building the world's largest wellness community where your financial physical and mental fitness are in harmony unquote yeah so there's definitely going to be another mortgage crisis okay yeah is the is the ceo of that company.

some crossfit dude on ketamine that's what it sounds like possibly it was his idea apparently there's like something he really wanted to do so he started this uh new uh clothing line they're making sweatpants uh sweatshirts and something called subprime yoga pants and you'll be able to

pay it off by the time you turn 60 that's the plan i wish them well but i just know in about a year and a half they're going to be in a board meeting and that guy's going to have his head in his hands going, we should have done the ponies. Yeah.

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On Consider This, NPR's afternoon news podcast, we cover everything from politics to the economy to the world. But every story starts with a question. At NPR, we stand for your right to be curious, to make sense of the biggest story of the day and what it means for you. Follow Consider This wherever you get your podcasts.

Finally, in January, we talked to an actor with a pretty unusual background. Instead of theater or film school in New York or LA, she trained in a boxing gym in Providence, Rhode Island.

Kaylee Reese was nominated for her role opposite Jodie Foster in True Detective, Night Country, which came very soon after her transition to acting.

It was my third professional acting job, first TV show ever.

Wow. And from a very young age, when did you start boxing?

Around the age of 13 or 14, I found boxing. Prior to that, I played softball, played basketball. I'm one of five kids. I'm the youngest girl. I always tried to do what my big brothers did. But nobody in my family boxed. It was kind of, you know, growing up, I wanted to be the karate kid. I wanted to be Bruce Lee. You know, I was so obsessed with Rocky. So it just kind of happened.

Yeah. Wow. I mean, you were obsessed with Rocky. Wait a minute. I know some elite athletes. It doesn't just kind of happen, right? You must have, like, really been dedicated to it.

Yeah, I was dedicated to it. I mean, you know, I was a little rough kid growing up. You know, I wouldn't start fights, but I'd finish them. Oh, yeah. So, you know, I didn't like to see kids getting bullied. I didn't like getting bullied, so I would always be the one standing up for the bullies. But it wasn't like I wasn't trying to be a fighter. I do come from a very musically inclined family, very artistic family. Fun fact, my father used to actually play with Marky Mark in the Funky Bunch. No.

Really?

He was part of the bunch? He was part of the bunch. She was the keyboard player. So there was good vibrations everywhere.

Wait a minute. You're a descendant of Marky Mark. you truly are New England royalty. That is... I'll take that. I know, that is amazing. And so, again, I stress how amazed I am that with a background not in acting, how good an actor you are. I know you have talked about how the discipline and focus of elite boxing has helped you in the acting world. But isn't there an element of acting in boxing, I mean, like in the weigh-ins when you're like glaring at the opponent you're like fronting a little bit right i mean

did that oh it's an entertainment business at the very at the very core of it i mean we're up on a stage we're performing you know there's a character i'm not going around one shot and hit people on the street that's not who i am as a person but it's also like you know you have to be an artist you have to you know you have to be really calm you have to prepare um so you but there are people who build characters big charismatic um entertainment you know all that build up is really good for it for when people tune in i mean we have some really cool things happen in boxing because of that charismatic type of entertainment value of boxing so absolutely

we are we are performing there right i read that uh in uh true detective night country you play an alaskan native but what i read and you can tell me if it's true or not is that your your your your native or island accent would would come out frequently enough that they figured they'd better write that into your character so that it would be explicable if all of a sudden you're like you're like looking at a corpse or something and you're like oh that's wicked gross

yeah they uh i love isa the director she decided to make my character part of it because i was you know working with the dialect coach to keep my quote-unquote accent at bay i didn't want to sound like peter griffin making you know an investigation you know what i mean so i just i think you just

solved.

Next hit series for HBO, by the way. Hopefully with you in the lead. Go on. It was weird how your character always had a cup of Dunkin' in her hand at all times. So, in everything you've starred in so far, from like True Detective to this new movie, Mercy, you always play people who seem like they could and would kick your ass at any moment. So, do you ever, like, want to get cast in like a different kind of part, like a romantic lead in a Hallmark movie? Presumably a badass.

I would love to. You know, I want to dabble in some comedy. I would love to do some comedy. I love a challenge. I love something that maybe I'm not as strong at yet. I would love to take whatever is meant for me. I don't want to just stick to the... I mean, I can't help that the badassery just shines through. It does. It kind of does.

I'm sorry. How about... Let me pitch something to you. How about a Hallmark movie where you come back to your hometown, leaving the big city, and you find the guy who broke your heart 20 years before, and it turns out he's a jerk and you beat the crap out of me. I'm sorry, I got...

That's happened, it's fine.

That's another show for HBO. We're all lining up projects for you.

Well, that'll be a documentary.

Well, Kaylee Reese, it is a pleasure to talk to you and we have asked you here, as we do with everyone, to play a game. And in your case, we're calling it... The Future is Here. And by here, we mean Las Vegas because that's where every year the Consumer Electronics Show happens. It's the annual convention where tech companies show off their newest innovations, hopefully to the public that will love them. So we're going to ask you three questions about the CES, Consumer Electronics Show, past and present. If you get two right, you'll want to prize one of our listeners. Bill, who is Kaylee Rees playing for? Christopher Wolfe of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. All right.

Hey, go birds!

Here's your first question. At the 2017 CES, Intel made waves when they introduced their newest VR headset, which they handed out to members of the media, along with what? A, a nurse with an IV so they wouldn't have to stop playing and, you know, eat. B, protective gear for when they banged into each other while playing the games. Or C, barf bags. C. You're right. You knew it. And you're right, yeah. if you've uh the demo program that they tried out included jumping off helicopters uh traveling to vietnam flying high with a drone and in some cases apparently projectile vomiting all right good you did that really well now there are always robots being demoed at ces but in 2020 the most exciting new robot had one purpose what was it a to open your car door from the inside if you lock your keys in the car, B, to look up people's names that you have forgotten at a party, or C, to bring you a roll of toilet paper if you run out while you are in the bathroom.

I'm going to go with C because I hope that exists.

It does.

It's your right.

A tech company partnered with Charmin to create a new robot which you operate with your smartphone from the toilet.

I need that.

We all do. But here's the thing. So you have the wherewithal, the foresight to set up the robot in its little niche, wherever it is, with a roll of toilet paper on it, all set to go. Why don't you just put the roll of toilet paper in the bathroom?

Because sometimes stepchildren forget to put it in the bathroom, and then you're stuck there with no toilet paper.

I'm just going to say, I haven't seen all your projects as a performer, but I've never seen you more vulnerable than you were in that moment.

See, I just gave you like an audition of my vulnerability.

I know, and I am ready to cast you in your latest project about a vulnerable, sensitive woman who's caught in a bathroom with no toilet paper.

That's going to be my first short.

Absolutely. We are planning a career here. Okay, last question. You were doing this pretty much about as well as you have done everything else you have ever attempted. At this year's CES, one manufacturer introduced a new device with which you can enjoy music. What is it? A, a large case with two built-in stereo speakers known as an iBoomBox. B, a lollipop that plays music inside your head when you suck on it. Or C, a robot bassist complete with genuine bassist scent.

What was B again?

B was a lollipop that plays music inside your head while you suck on it.

I'm gonna go with B because that sounds kind of cool

You're right again I mean Your competence extends to everything When you put lollipop star That is what it is called in your mouth It vibrates against your teeth Which connects to your face bones Which connects to your ear bones And it comes in three flavors Or rather songs Thank you.

Bill, how did Kaylee Reese do on our quiz? Well, if I don't get it right, she's going to come down and beat the living hell out of me. Fortunately, I don't have to because she is perfect. Three in a row. There you go. I mean, honestly, Kaylee Reese is an Emmy-nominated actress and member of the International Women's Boxing Hall of Fame. You can see her in the new movie Mercy that is out next week. Kaylee Reese, what a pleasure to talk to you. Thank you so much for joining us on White Weight on Tommy. Thank you. We'll be back next week, rested and ready to start our second 250 years. But first, let me tell you that Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me is a production of NPR on WBEZ. Chicago, in association with Urgent Haircut Productions, Doug Berman, Benevolent Overlord. Philip Gotica writes our limericks. Our public address announcer is Paul Friedman. BJ Lederman composed our theme. Our program is produced by Jennifer Mills, Miles Dornbos, and Lillian King. Special thanks to Lillian King. Peter Gwynn still gallantly streaming. Our vibes curator is Emma Choi. technical directions from Lorna White. Our CFO is Colin Miller. Our Ops Manager is Jasira Vardek. Our Production Manager is Robert Newhouse. Our Senior Producer is Ian Chillagin. The Executive Producer of Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me is Mike Danforth. Thanks to everybody you heard on our show this week. All of our panelists. Alzo Slade, our guests, and of course Bill Curtis. And thanks to all of you for listening. I'm Peter Sagal and we'll see you next week. This is NPR.

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