No
lie, I almost posted this with the
title “March 27th-March 30th” because time has lost all
meaning. Caught it just before I put it up.
Monday, April 27
·
Ray of Sunshine – 24-hour “clapping” fundraiser, prom in the age of social
distancing
o
I
liked the speculation on the fundraiser guys varying his 24 hours of clapping,
include such claps as “the Nancy Pelosi clap” and “the inspirational clap at
the end of a movie”
o
Maybe
I’m just sentimental in quarantine, but my heart is always warmed by people’s
ingenuity in finding ways to connect, like schools hosting virtual proms
·
Headlines
– Kids in Spain allowed outside to play, Japanese mayor says women “take too
long” for socially-distanced grocery shopping, South Africa’s president fails
to put on a mask
o
Trevor
had some good points on why women
“take too long” at the store opposed to men – women “waste time” getting
carts/baskets while men only bring home what they can carry, women look for the
items on their lists while men says, “I couldn’t find soy milk, so I just got
soy sauce and regular milk, we’ll mix them together!”
o
South
Africa’s president failing to put on a mask was hilarious! I liked Trevor’s
crack that it looked like he wasn’t sure which part of his face was the mouth
o
But
seriously, I appreciated that point that he owned up to his dumb mistake and
moved on from it in good humor, unlike some world leaders who are the focus of
the next story
·
Main Story – Trump’s “disinfectant” comments
o
I
loved Trevor’s description of Trump as “the dumbest person in the room thinking
he’s the smartest. He’s like Neville Longbottom with Hermione’s confidence!”
o
I
also liked the note that much of the uptick in calls about drinking
disinfectants was (thankfully) people asking
if they should do so – “Even people who are dumb enough to drink bleach are
smart enough not to trust what Trump says”
·
Correspondent Piece (Roy) – Haircuts and Quarantine
o
It
was nice that actual hair-cutting was secondary to Roy’s real aim – getting “the full Black barbershop experience,” like
debating Lebron vs. Kobe
o
The
barber had a great response, telling Roy that the best way to help barbers is
for everyone to do their part and stay home, because shops won’t be able to
open again until we have this thing more under control
·
Interview
– Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms
o
Good
point about the perfect storm for some devastating coronavirus conditions in
southern states, looking at the combination of underlying health conditions and
widespread poverty
o
I
liked her observation that Governor Kemp’s steps to reopening ignore
metropolitan areas like Atlanta, painting all of Georgia as a rural expanse
where social distancing isn’t an issue
Tuesday, April 28
·
Ray of Sunshine – progress on a vaccine, a remote reporter not wearing pants,
official videos of UFOs
o
So
relatable – “As soon as there’s a vaccine, the first thing I’m going to do is
make plans with all my friends that I have no intention of keeping!”
o
Trevor
has too much going on to worry about aliens on top of everything else
(“Apparently I’m expected to wash both
hands now? And thumbs?!”)
·
Headlines
– Sweden may be approaching herd immunity, more past warnings Trump ignored,
Mike Pence clarifies past promises on testing and goes maskless on a hospital
visit
o
Good
riff on Trevor’s discomfort with referring to people as “herds” – “Nothing good
ever happens to a herd!”
o
So
when Mike Pence said six weeks ago that we’d soon have 4 million tests, he
never meant that we’d have the capability to actually run them? Loved Trevor’s
comparison to a dad telling his kids, “I told you I’d take you to Disneyland, not inside it!”
o
Great
impression of Mike Pence not wearing a mask at Mayo Clinic – “It’s okay, I
don’t believe in science”
·
Main Story – Many big corporations took advantage of Paycheck Protection Program
loans meant for small businesses
o
Good
point that what these corporations did wasn’t actually illegal. They just
exploited an opportunity because of course they did – I loved, “Companies gon’
company, y’all”
o
I
also appreciated Trevor’s note that many small businesses are owned by women
and/or Black people, who can have difficulty getting loans under normal circumstances
·
Correspondent piece (Michael) – Travel-show-style “tour” of Michael’s apartment
o
My favorite
part was when Michael looked at the window, got mad about kids playing outside,
and sank into an existential crisis (highlights included, “Is there such a
thing as time?” and, “Should I give myself to the sea?”)
·
Interview
– Senator Tammy Duckworth
o
Great
question from Trevor about Congress passing legislation with “blinders” on,
acting as though problems and solutions are one-size-fits-all when Black
communities are disproportionately affected
o
Duckworth’s
description of the “taskforce meetings” she’s sat in on about reopening the
economy was depressing, especially the administration’s inability to state how
many tests we even have, let alone
how many we’ll realistically need to reopen
Wednesday, April 29
·
Ray of Sunshine – A real-life Tupac Shakur in Kentucky, New Zealanders flocking to
McDonald’s as lockdown eases, recreating Met Gala looks at home, an asteroid
narrowly misses Earth, the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels fly over New York
o
Great
jokes on the coronavirus making people reevaluate their lives, as seen in the
McDonald’s stuff – “Get me a Big Mac and some cocaine, I’m just living my
life!!”
o
I
also liked the crack that some New Zealanders rushed to the drivethrough purely
for the social interaction
o
So
true: “If you put any household object on your head, chances are, someone wore
it at the Met Gala”
o
Counterproductive
that everyone crowded outside to see the Blue Angels – I loved Trevor’s
comparison to sending a shirtless Channing Tatum into the streets telling
people to stay inside
·
Headlines
– U.S. cases pass 1 million, children may fall behind on other vaccines to due
the pandemic, the Oscars temporarily lift rule requiring movies to screen in
theaters
o
Shaking
my head at Trump squaring his old “We have 15 cases, soon it’ll be down to
zero” comment with the current numbers by saying, “It will be down to zero eventually.” Yeah, guy, ‘cause that’s
definitely what you meant at the time
o
I
also liked Trevor questioning Trump’s assurance that we’ll be down to zero “at
the appropriate time,” as if he’s just been waiting for the right moment to
spring into action
o
With
the interrupted vaccine schedules, good analogy with COVID-19 as “that one
friend who distracts the bouncer while everybody else sneaks in”
o
Re:
the new Oscar rules, I never pass up a good #OscarsSoWhite joke – “They still
have to be white, though. Come on, this is corona, not the end of the world!”
·
Main story – Impact of the pandemic on the food supply chain
o
I
laughed at “Trump really shows you where his priorities are,” showing how
quickly he invoked the Defense Production Act to keep meatpacking plants in
operation compared to how slow he was to do the same for ventilators and PPE
o
After
a brewery had to dump 100s of gallons of no-longer-in-demand craft beer down
the drain, “the hipster rats are having the time of their lives!”
·
Correspondent piece (Ronny, Jaboukie, Desi & Roy) – What they miss during the pandemic
o
As
amusing as some of their off-the-wall answers were (Roy: “Going to the zoo and
telling the seals I’m disappointed in them,”) the real answers were almost more
bizarre in how mundane/true they were (Desi: “Eating anything outside my home”)
·
Interview
– Maryland governor Larry Hogan
o
He
had some nice remarks about cooperation between governors, working together in
the absence of the federal government
o
I
appreciated Trevor’s questions about synchronicity on reopening plans. He’s
right – to a large extent, we’ll all sink of swim together, and with interstate
travel, one state with insufficient procedures can cripple those around it (the
news that planes are packed again made my skin crawl)
Thursday, April 30
·
Ray of Sunshine – COVID-19 Heroes action figures, a Spanish news anchor’s mistress
caught on camera during remote broadcast, e-sports under consideration for the
Olympics
o
“You
don’t need superpowers to be a superhero! You could be a doctor, or a delivery
person, or Hawkeye!” – I’m always down for a Daily Show Hawkeye joke
o
I
also liked the comment that Fisher-Price should make COVID-19 villains too,
like the senator who doesn’t want people getting unemployment
o
Trevor
lectured the philandering Spanish news anchor on the importance of a neutral
background when working from home – “The only things people should see behind
you are some books you’ve never read and a couple trophies you got for coming
in last place in a marathon”
·
Headlines
– Unlocking iPhones when it can’t recognize you with a face mask on, Elon Musk
rants about stay-at-home orders, a bogus ventilator contract created when
someone tweeted at President Trump, strange dreams during the pandemic
o
Elon
Musk, yeesh. Trevor’s impression was great, railing against all the places you
“can’t” go to but-not-really anymore (grocery stores, outside for a walk,
beaches in some states) and ending on, “But you definitely can’t go to H&M,
and that is the definition of
fascism!”
o
Another
good crack at Musk, a proponent of simulation theory – “Yo, yo, the universe
might be fake, but my stock prices are real!”
·
Main story – Connecting with neighbors
o
I
love these kinds of stories – two girls playing tennis from separate building
rooftops, neighbors gathering for a socially-distanced “happy hour” when they
take out their trash, a balcony DJ turning his building into a nightclub
o
But
man, that guy seeing his neighbor through binoculars and then sending a drone to
ask her out? COVID-19 or not, that sounds, as Trevor said, like “the first
half-hour of a Dateline episode
·
Correspondent piece (Roy & Michael) – Sports catch-up: The
Last Dance documentary, baseball in Asia, former Patriots becoming
Buccaneers
o
Easy
joke, but I laughed at Roy and Michael’s worries over prolonged delays to
football season – “Tom Brady doesn’t have much time left! He’s already 68 years
old!”, “Careful, Tom, you’re in the most
vulnerable age group!”
·
Interview
– Shake Shack founder Danny Meyer
o
Good
points about the dilemma of social distancing needs vs. the viability of
sustaining a restaurant, which can’t feasibly run at 25% capacity – makes me
wonder what the situation in restaurants will look like as we move forward
o
Trevor
of course asked about the small-business loan Shake Shack took and then gave
back, and while I think Meyer was quasi-successful in making the restaurant
come across well there, he also avoided quite a few salient points
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