News Satire Roundup: November 13th-November 17th

Sunday, November 13 – As you can imagine, only one story on the docket tonight:  president-elect Trump.  John began with the series of sinking realizations he and much of the country had throughout the week, from the nuclear codes to the Supreme Court.  He warned against the idea of any of this being normal and pointed out how Trump has already started using the “chance” we’ve been urged to give him (such as tapping a climate-change denier to head the EPA.)  He touched briefly on some of the different elements that contributed to Trump’s victory, looking particularly at the media’s influence (with a special focus on fake news circulated on Facebook.)  Finally, before giving a “fuck you!” farewell video to 2016, he compiled a list of ways people can help in the years to come, such as by donating to one of the organizations he suggested that work with LGBTQ people, Latinos, sustainable energy, refugees, Black people, and more.

Monday, November 14 – Trevor opened with Trump’s 60 Minutes interview, most importantly 1) his seeming surprise at how much work being president would entail, 2) his claim that he’d heard nothing about the harassment and attacks committed in his name over the past week, and 3) his immediate obfuscation on his main campaign promises.  On that last point, Trevor reasoned that, if Trump doesn’t deliver on what he promised, even his supporters will start regretting his election.  Two guests, the first being Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.  Trevor interrogated him on the purpose of polls (especially when they’re wrong,) and while Silver responded, he couldn’t answer to Trevor’s satisfaction.  Actor Adrian Grenier talked, not about his acting, but his activism.  His Lonely Whale Foundation works to combat climate change, and he contemplated the prospect of a much more uphill battle with the new administration.

Tuesday, November 15 – The laughter tends to be mixed with dread/horror now, but at least we still have Ben Carson, with the former presidential candidate turning down a cabinet position because he doesn’t think he’s qualified to lead a department.  Trevor resurrected his “Trump is an African dictator” metaphor again, this time comparing him to South African president Jacob Zuma.  Naturally, in the last year, the parallels have gotten way more disturbing but remain as apt as ever.  Trevor’s point about how Zuma took a rising nation and dragged it down was especially good.  Quick pre-filmed bit on “Corruption, American Style,” with a classroom of African dictators learning the U.S. lingo for socially-acceptable corruption, like “rigging” vs. “gerrymandering.”  Podcast hosts Desus Nice and the Kid Mero were the guests.  Though I’d never heard of them before, I liked them quite a bit – both entertaining and thoughtful.

Wednesday, November 16 – I laughed at Trump “sneaking out” on the press via his motorcade – it was a relatively “nice” bit of humor before getting back to the nitty-gritty.  In this case, it’s about Trump’s transition team, specifically Steve Bannon as his chief strategist.  I’d been waiting for the show to address this, and Trevor’s disgust did not disappoint.  Also, the weaseling-out non-responses of both Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan were gross.  The news team held a memorial service for “facts,” a casualty of the election.  I liked the piece; it was creative, pointed, and in possession of some good wordplay.  The guest, the Washington Post’s Wesley Lowery, discussed his book on police shootings and his personal journey in reporting on it, which began in Ferguson and led to the Washington Post’s police shooting database, the only database on this subject.

Thursday, November 17 – After a couple jokes about Obama’s farewell world tour (needing to spend the next four years at Oktoberfest; walking through the ruins of ancient Greece, once the world’s foremost democratic nation,) the big story was Trump beginning plans for a registry of Muslim immigrants/visitors.  Hey, Trump supporter on Fox News – if you’re trying to justify a discriminatory policy, and you find the words “WWII” and “Japanese” leaving your mouth, that’s not a conscionable policy.  I liked Trevor’s brief talk with Jordan about it and Jordan’s “activism” plans that involved no tangible action.  Another two-guest night – meh.  First was George Packer, a writer for the New Yorker, who talked about the working-class white rural voters who played such a defining role in the election.  He was followed by Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest, who talked about the band’s decision to get political in their newest album.