News Satire Roundup: June 19th-June 23rd

Sunday, June 19 –After opening with Trump’s disgusting, xenophobic reaction to Orlando, the show looked at the NRA and its lethal efficiency in shutting down gun legislation or research.  Many of the points shared here were things I already knew, but John emphasized the real power of the NRA – not its member numbers or even the money it gives to Congress, but their sheer tenacity to speak out loudly against any forward progress.  Until the rest of us put forth the same effort, he argued, nothing will change.  The main story was on the UK’s proposed (now passed) Brexit.  A strong piece, dismantling various PR-friendly reasons to leave the EU (more money staying in Britain, less fastidious trade regulations) as misleading at best, while also examining the less-acceptable motivations shared by many prominent Brexit supporters (a strong nativist bent, with the hopes that cutting ties with the EU will leave the UK free to tighten up its borders.)

Monday, June 20 – A quick bit on Cleveland's win, and then it was straight to a Trump catch-all – highlights included a montage of Republicans in Congress avoiding answering questions about him, his renewed call for a ban on Muslim (Trevor’s abhorrence was quite satisfying,) and his gross “good guy with a gun” remarks about how Orlando could have been prevented.  Another two-guest night (seems they’ve had a lot lately.)  The first was Representative Jim Himes, talking about congressional gridlock over gun legislation despite widespread support across America.  The most affecting moment, for me, was his observation that every two years, America loses as many people to gun violence as it did in the Vietnam War: around 60,000.  Musical guest Jack Garratt was on last.  I loved his voice, but while his multi-instrumentality was impressive, his songs were pretty stripped down, since he can only play one instrument at a time.

Tuesday, June 21 – First up was Trevor’s delight at the Trump campaign’s out-of-control spending, particularly into his own businesses; I liked his speculation that the campaign is an elaborate money-laundering scheme.  The failed gun bills in the Senate got a lot of attention, including a game show segment called “Let’s Do Anything.”  In it, Roy and Jordan – standing in for Senate Democrats and Republicans – played with the aim of making the slightest progress on gun violence and only succeeded in blocking one another in petty power struggles and accepting money from the NRA.  Quick story on media coverage of the heat wave, from “using eggs to measure temperature” to giving lots of air time to women in bikinis – light but amusing.  Tavis Smiley was the guest, discussing icons like Michael Jackson and Prince with the hope of looking at a whole person rather than latching onto salacious tidbits that come out after they pass away.

Wednesday, June 22 – After Trump gave a buzzword-laden speech that echoed one Jordan made on Tuesday’s show, Trevor decided Trump must be a fan; I laughed at Jordan’s reveal that he and Trump are “linked” like Harry Potter and Voldemort.  More on Rio and the disaster that’s shaping up to be the Olympics, with bonus commentary on why a city would want to host the Olympics when the costs seem to far outweigh the revenue.  Roy had a field piece on the Army Corps of Engineers, talking about their wasteful/ill-advised building projects (you’ll never guess – turns out lobbyists are involved.)  Interesting information, but the tone wasn’t quite right for me; it felt a little lacking.  Guests Mark Halperin and Joel Heilemann discussed their show The Circus, which is about this insane election cycle.  They admitted that the title was perhaps rather insulting to circuses and shared a bit about what it’s like on the front lines of the campaigns.

Thursday, June 23 – Excellent piece on the sit-in among the House Democrats.  It joked about and hit on numerous aspects:  the protest/sleepover atmosphere, CPAN playing videos the representatives livestreamed on social media after Paul Ryan had them shut the cameras off, Republicans dismissing the sit-in as “trying to get attention” when that’s the whole point of a protest, and Ryan refusing to “give in” to a “vocal minority” when that’s exactly what the GOP is doing with the NRA.  Michelle had a piece on Second Amendment, which she declared poorly-worded and overly vague, blaming the Founding Fathers’ recent bad breakup with England for the problem.  Rapper Macklemore was the guest.  He talked fatherhood, hip-hop, and the opioid epidemic, and Trevor mused on the pleasant irony of having a white rapper and a Black president meet.