"Better a fallen rocket than never a burst of light."
~ Tom Stoppard, The Invention of Love

Saturday, February 8, 2020

News Satire Roundup: February 3rd-February 5th


Monday, February 3 – I laughed at the clip of the the guy sleeping at the Super Bowl (“how crazy is your home life that you go, ‘I’m gonna go to the Super Bowl, where it’s quiet and I can sleep’??”) We also touched on the Iowa caucuses and got Trevor’s annual Groundhog Day jokes. The latest on impeachment looked at Republican senators who went from “Trump did nothing wrong!!!” to “Trump did wrong, but ehh,” and we also looked at Trump being interviewed on Hannity. Great piece from Jordan, talking impeachment with folks at a Trump rally; these stories are always gobsmacking. Here, the one that really one me was the woman who claimed we know Trump’s innocent because he’s not trying to hide anything, then, when Jordan pointed out that Trump’s been hiding evidence and blocking witnesses, said, “I don’t care.” Racecar driver Daniel Ricciardo was the guest, talking about Formula One’s rise in popularity.

Tuesday, February 4State of the Union time. We of course covered Trump giving his own “performance review” while his impeachment trial was ongoing, along with his praise for his accomplishments, his continued preoccupation with bashing Obama, the lies he told, and the surprises he kept trotting out (I loved the joke about announcing he’d finally locked up Hillary Clinton – “Bring out the cage, boys!”) We also had to touch on Nancy Pelosi tearing up the speech pages when it was over. Next up was the tumult at the Iowa caucuses. I especially liked the jokes on cable news hosts’ dedication to filling time when there’s nothing to report. Roy gave his “State of Black Shit” address, covering the highs (Meghan Markle) and lows (Jussie Smollett) of the year in blackness. The guest, commentator Margaret Hoover, broke down the speech with Trevor. I liked their remarks on Trump making it more about him than the country.

Wednesday, February 5 – Quick blurbs on the Democratic candidates hitting New Hampshire with Iowa still up in the air, an artist who made fake traffic show up on Google Maps by pulling 100 smartphones around in a wagon, and California ending fitness tests in schools. The Senate trial ended with Trump’s acquittal, predictable but still depressing. Next came the handwringing over Nancy Pelosi ripping up a copy of the State of the Union speech. As Trevor pointed out, the same people decrying her lack of “decorum” applauded Trump giving the Medal of Freedom to Rush Limbaugh. Roy did a CP Time on Black explorers, from the first Black man at the North Pole to a Malian emperor who abdicated his throne to sail the ocean. Nikole Hannah-Jones of the 1619 Project was the guest. I loved her comment that marginalized people fight to realize the dream of America that the Founders conceived but never truly believed in themselves.

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