Sunday, September 8 – Excellent episode
today on the policing system. Hasan looked, not at individual racist cops, but
at laws and policies that protect them when they hurt people. Some of these
provisions were staggeringly unfair, like officers involved in shootings
getting to review any evidence/recordings before making a statement, or the
many states in which officers’ records of past conduct are confidential. Re:
the latter, when California ordered those records unsealed, LA destroyed many
of theirs, saying some were from the early ‘90s and just gathering dust. “Right,”
Hasan said, “because it’s not like there were racist cops in LA in 1991.” Also horrible was the outrageous
imbalance in police officer training between de-escalation techniques (8 hours)
and weapons/fighting (129 hours) in a system that teaches them to suspect
everyone and act before threats
present themselves.
Sunday, September 8 – First up was Trump
drawing on a map in an attempt to “prove” his erroneous claim that Hurricane
Dorian was heading for Alabama. I enjoyed John following this to its natural
conclusion, Trump standing in front of a blue electoral map with the word “RED”
written across it and trying to claim victory. We also looked at Brexit – loved
the description of Boris Johnson as what happens when you “boil a clown,” and
John’s suggested hashtags for Johnson’s brother stepping down as an MP were
great. Good main story on the filibuster. Interesting to learn about its
history, both common misnomers about it (it wasn’t devised by the founding
fathers) and ways it goes against its original intention (it’s very much not being used to increase debate and
encourage bipartisanship.) The whole thing about the founders envisioning the
Senate as a “cooling saucer,” with John leaning into that imagery, was really
well done.
Monday, September 9 – Opening blurbs on
the college admissions scandal, Andrew Yang crowd-surfing at a rally (loved the
bit about what a consent minefield that would be,) and literal tons of
marijuana found in a shipment of jalapeños. We got the latest installment on
Trump’s “beefs,” with him still harping on Alabama, insulting Chrissy Teigen on
Twitter, and apparently scuttling peace talks with the Taliban over his
insistence on getting all the praise for it (that man, I tell you.) Michael
partnered with Jaboukie for a new sports piece. My favorite part was Antonio
Brown’s exuberant reaction to getting dropped by his team – loved Jaboukie
imagining that it’s what the end of slavery would have looked like if social
media existed back then. The guest, Queer
Eye’s Antoni Porowski, did what he does best: talked
passionately/emotionally about food, giving us a snapshot of the stories behind
the recipes in his new cookbook.
Tuesday, September 10 – Of course there’s all kinds of drama over
Trump firing John Bolton/Bolton resigning; great joke about Bolton’s mustache
flying at half mast. We also covered Apple’s latest launch. I enjoyed the bit
about how the inconsistent numbering system will confuse kids learning to
count. “6, 7, 8, 10, 10R, 11 Pro…” Next was a story on trophy hunting, with
Trevor looking at and refuting various claims about the practice (it doesn’t
“aid” in evolution, most of the revenue doesn’t go to local villages, and
Africans are capable of obtaining meat without white men killing lions and
cheetahs.) Dulce did a report on a company that’s implanting microchips in
their staff (Because Reasons?) She got behind the idea of having a chip in her
hand to “swipe right in real life.” Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president, was the
guest, and he did little to assuage Trevor’s nervousness about the dangers of
AI.
Wednesday, September 11 – We opened on Trump
proposing a ban on flavored e-cigarettes (I liked Trevor’s point that you know
companies target youth because adult drug users don’t ask for “butterscotch
cocaine,”) followed by Tim Ryan dropping a sick “policy album” on Spotify and
new software to take McDonald’s drive-through orders. Good piece on the opioid crisis. I appreciated Trevor comparing drug companies’ fines with the jail time
given to drug dealers like El Chapo; his disgust at the overwhelming lack of
accountability was palpable. Lewis did a story on screen time, bristling with
rage (of course) at Silicon Valley workers limiting their kids’ access to the
phones/tablets they push on everyone else. The guest was young climate activist
Greta Thunberg. She spoke eloquently and passionately about protecting the
environment, and she was surprisingly-polite in describing how New York smells.
Thursday, September 12 – Third debate. I
liked the jokes about some candidates just skipping ahead, Kamala Harris to
focus on Trump and Andrew Yang to implement his “freedom dividend” for ten families.
We also covered Julián Castro’s dust-up with Joe Biden, Kamala Harris defending
her past record as a prosecutor, and Beto O’Rourke clarifying that, yes, he is coming for your AR-15s. I also liked
the bit about the candidates wanting the good will Obama’s name carries while
side-stepping some of his administration’s faults (especially Biden.) Fun
sketch about the correspondents running a rehab center for former presidential candidates “reintegrating” into society. “See, just because I have a baby doesn’t
mean you have to kiss it!” Journalist
Jamelle Bouie was the guest. I really liked his remark that everyone has their
own notion of “electability,” but the fact that Trump is president means that anyone can be electable.
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