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Welcome back! This week (and the past two months).... The Chicago Rat Hole. (wait, what?) Tucker Carlson had a fawning interview with Vladimir Putin. Israel continued its horrific assault on Gaza. Courts have hit Trump with gigantic fines, but he keeps on Trumping, saying (amidst the word salad) all the horrifying things he's now been saying for over eight years, including telling Russia to "do whatever the hell they want." And Now: Chuck Grassley Celebrates His Favorite Holiday (Groundhog Day). Main Story: The Supreme Court, which has been losing respect among many, has been rocked by news of gross financial impropriety by Justices, which is dangerous for an institution with no enforcement power. Thomas, in particular, has accepted millions of dollars of trips and other gifts from conservative billionaires, including some who frequently are involved in matters before the court, and almost never recuses himself from their cases, and in recognition of its status as the highest court, the law explicitly carves out exceptions for Supreme Court justices. Last Week Tonight offers to resolve the appearance of impropriety with its characteristic bluntness: if seats on the highest court of the land are so invulnerable to appearances of influence without consequence, then John Oliver himself will offer Justice Clarence Thomas a $2.4 million-dollar motor coach and a million dollars a year for the rest of his life, if he will just step down from his office. In Oliver's words: "How is this legal?" [more inside]
posted by JHarris on Feb 19, 2024 - 7 comments

This week.... Matthew McConaughey's had a five-and-a-half-hour-long "The Art of Livin'" Virtual Live Event that was bonkers. In the UK, they prepare for Charles' coronation despite facing serious economic problems. And Now: Is Matthew McConaughey OK? Main story: Biden, and the ways in which he's failed to live up to his campaign rhetoric regarding immigration, like the continued abuse of Title 42, a public health law, which began under Trump as a way to prevent access to immigrants and asylum seekers was began under Trump policy golem Stephen Miller, and which Biden has notably failed to stamp out." And Now: Wait, Did Tucker Carlson Know This Was Coming? (Statements Carlson has said on Fox News that could be seen to refer to his recent resignation-probable-firing.) On Youtube. (20 minutes) Finally, an update over the ads fo Radiant Plumbing and Air Conditioning, who makes strange and wonderful toilet-themed parodies of big movies for commercials. Last month LWT challenged them to make a toilet-themed commercial parody based on a movie of their choosing. They accepted in brilliant fashion, and the movie choice was, of all things, Magnolia. What they produced, awesomely, was... Magtoiletolia.
posted by JHarris on May 1, 2023 - 2 comments

This week.... France experiences unrest after Macron submits a plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. And Now: The Last Remaining Sliver of Morality in Tucker Carlson's Head Tries To Give Him Some Advice. Main Story: the massive inhumanity of solitary confinement in prisons, a practice that the Supreme Court in 1890 ruled made prisoners "violently insane," and the reliance placed upon it by the U.S. prison system now, no matter what euphamism is used for it. On Youtube (20 minutes) And Now: Nobody Reports The News Like FOX 26's Isiah Carey. Finally, Last Week Tonight presents their newest character (a year early): Mickey Mouse! [more inside]
posted by JHarris on Apr 3, 2023 - 3 comments

This week... News on Dominion Voting System's defamation case against Fox News indicating that neither Fox's hosts nor Rupert Murdoch believed Trump's claims of election fraud, with Tucker Carlson being captured in a text as saying, "I hate him passionately." Tennessee passes a drag show ban, because that's the biggest problem facing the state? The anti-LGBT bills come by way of Lt. Governor Randy McNally, who as it turns out has been commenting on social media about racy photos from a gay male influencer. And Now: Happy International Women's Day, From The Men Of Local News. It's as awkward as you think it is. Main story: TANF (on Youtube, 23 minutes), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. A lot of athletic (for some reason) celebrities are involved, but that obscures the fact hat the $77 million dollars that were misspent in Mississippi caused real harm. But Mississippi is far from alone in abusing the federal TANF program, with states ranging from using it for scolarships to well-to-do families to crisis pregnancy centers to literally nothing at all. Ugh. And Now: The Humble Beginnings of Rachael Ray. [more inside]
posted by JHarris on Mar 14, 2023 - 6 comments

This week (for another day or so at least)... Sensitive documents found at Mar-A-Lago. Midterm elections and the legacy of deceased Alaskan Representive Don Young, and the possibility that they could step down from him to Sarah Palin. And Now: Sixty Seconds Of Tucker Carlson Being Right About Stuff. Main story: carbon offsets, corporations idea to fix the environment that seems unlikely to work. The companies in charge of ensuring that offset deals are followed have such hugely lax regulation that John Oliver and LWT started their own offset company, Oliver's Offsets, simply because it's possible and easy. On YouTube (24 minutes) [more inside]
posted by JHarris on Aug 28, 2022 - 3 comments

The passing of the Coronavirus stimulus bill was met with a weird celebratory tweet from the DNC, but Republican responses ranging from anger and dismay to people who voted no trying to take credit for it. And Now: Local News Bothers 100-Year-Old Women On Their Birthdays. Main story (25m): Tucker Carlson, his career, and how he gives white supremacist talking points a veneer of respectability. And Now: A Look Back At One Year Of TV News With Pandemic Precautions.
posted by JHarris on Mar 18, 2021 - 5 comments

This week: another installment from the white void. Protests over the death of George Floyd, and the terrible take on it from Tucker Carlson. This week's main story is about mail-in voting which Trump incorrectly says is "corrupt," and its dire importance during the pandemic. To help encourage people to vote by mail and be safe, Last Week Tonight reminds us that their stamps are still available at stamps.com/laststamptonight, and they have also made available some "I voted!" stickers with a mail-in ballot theme, which you can get from ivotedbymail.com. And Now: TV Hosts Want to Know: What's That Behind You? On YouTube (19m) Finally, on the UFC, who had been planning on holding fights on what they had called "Fight Island." Two weeks ago John Oliver had suggested a much better name would be UF-SEA. It looks like UFC agreed; they filed a trademark on that name two days after it aired, and in a Sportscenter interview the head of UFC admitted he got the idea from John. You can also buy a baby onsie with the expired UFC trademark phrase "You Will Submit," at tugslabmeatsbabypalace.com. [more inside]
posted by JHarris on Jun 1, 2020 - 4 comments