News Satire Roundup: July 24th-July 27th

Okay, so close now – Last Week Tonight is starting up again this coming Sunday, and not a minute too soon.  In the meantime, I’ll mention one of the show’s recurring topics:  the criminal justice system.  I like when shows like this have particular subjects that they come at time and again from new angles – not too long ago, I talked about The Daily Show’s stories on police brutality, and they also do an excellent job addressing gun laws – and for Last Week Tonight, I think prison reform is one of their strongest subjects.  John has discussed numerous aspects of the system, from parole to public defenders to mandatory minimums to reintegration, and his information/commentary is always sharply on point.  I particularly appreciate his reiteration that having committed a crime doesn’t erase someone’s worth as a human being (sad that that needs to be said, but thanks to him for doing it.)

Monday, July 24 – Trevor opened with the lameness of Michael Phelps “racing” a CGI shark, then moved on to the night’s theme of White House communications.  First was new director of communications Anthony Scaramucci – Trevor covered his much-vaunted “love” for Trump, deleting old anti-Trump tweets in the name of “transparency,” his goodbye-kiss blown to the press, and, my favorite, how sad/lonely he made Trump sound in his descriptions of him.  Next was a farewell to Sean Spicer.  The accompanying “memorial” montage was the same as the one they posted on their website last Friday, but it was hilarious enough to warrant a second viewing.  Rapper French Montana was the guest – he and Trevor bonded over listening to American hip-hop in Africa (Montana is from Morocco,) and discussed the (hopefully) new trend of rappers proving their cred through charity work in Africa.

Tuesday, July 25 – I thought they could’ve done more with the youth-rally vibe of Trump’s Boy Scout speech.  Trevor mostly focused on Trump saying inappropriate things to kids, although I liked his bit about Trump doing the stand-up comedian walk-away technique.  The latest story on the healthcare bill, with the Senate voting to advance debate, was excellent.  I loved Trevor’s incredulousness at the new plan to “spitball” a new healthcare system in three days, and the ending joke about Mitch McConnell and John McCain was the perfect capper.  Short bit on the new Democrat agenda, featuring Trevor riffing on franchise slogans that liberal organizations could coopt and his impression of a congresswoman trying to figure out what “these hillfolk” (people who don’t vote Democrat) like.  The guest, Dr. Rola Hallam, talked about humanitarian efforts in Syria and trying to combat the targeted campaign of destroying healthcare facilities.

Wednesday, July 26 – Trevor brought up the controversy over Madame Tussauds' Beyoncé statue before moving on to the healthcare bill.  This time, he was looking at John McCain voting to advance the bill, then vowing he wouldn’t vote to pass it, then voting to pass it – ah, our elected representatives.  The big story, of course, was Trump’s Twitter announcement that he was banning transgender soldiers from serving in the military.  Trevor broke down the BS and grossness of the tweets, and I liked his comment (re:  Trump ending with “thank you”) about how “politely” Trump strips away civil rights.  Two trans veterans, Jennifer Marie Long and Joey Whimple, were brought in to speak about the ban as well.  Meanwhile, the preplanned guest was Charlize Theron, promoting Atomic Blonde.  She and Trevor mutually admired one another as South Africans, and she shared stories about the stunts she performed on the film.

Thursday, July 27 – We opened on discord in the Trump camp.  First up was Anthony Scaramucci dragging Reince Priebus and Steve Bannon, followed by Trump’s continuing anger with Jeff Sessions.  I liked Trevor’s points about Sessions’s duty to serve the people, not just the president, as well as his observation that Trump didn’t start getting outspoken about Sessions’s recusal until the Russia investigation moved to Trump’s business holdings.  Lewis did a Back in Black on the poor state of America’s infrastructure.  Bonus points for use of the term “hobo fuck palace” to describe a derailed train, and I liked his rant against the people who stood outside filming people stuck inside a stalled subway car instead of helping them.  Journalist Masha Gessen, the guest, talked about authoritarian similarities between Trump and Putin and discussed the current political situation in Russia.