The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Biden Clears a Low Bar | Jelani Cobb

Episode Date: January 22, 2021

President Biden exceeds America's low expectations, Desi Lydic looks back at Melania Trump's defining moments as First Lady, and the New Yorker's Jelani Cobb discusses America post-Trump.Please visit dailyshow.com/FirstRespondersFirst to help provide medical and psychological treatment for first responders on the front lines of fighting COVID Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17th.

Yo, what's going on everybody? Welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show. I'm Trevor Noah and I'm happy to report that I've just completed my first New Year's resolution, which was that I would learn a brand new instrument. I actually wrote a little song for you guys. It's called 2020 into 2021. Anyway, on tonight's show, we paid tribute to Milani as many accomplishments as First Lady. The NBA is taking on Corona V. Anyway, on tonight's show, we pay tribute to Milani as many accomplishments as First Lady. The NBA is taking on coronavirus and everyone has already forgotten about what's his name, you know, the guy with the hair.

Plus, Jelani Cobb is on the show to talk about what's next for the country. So let's do this, people. Welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show. From Trevor's Couch in New York City to your couch somewhere in the world. This is the Daily Social Distancing Show with Trevor Noah. Ears Edition. Let's kick things off with the story that just won't end. The coronavirus pandemic. Because I know America has begun a new era, but Corona doesn't care about who's president.

In fact, it's been exactly one year since we first learned that COVID-19 had reached the United States, and things have only gotten worse. Yesterday, the country set a new record for coronavirus deaths. And the CDC now predicts that half a million deaths will happen by mid-February, which is going to make for a weird Valentine's Day. And Valentine's Day is already pretty weird. I'm supposed to buy an adult woman a teddy bear?

That's creepy as hell. The point is, it's more important than ever to step up on COVID-s, which is exactly what the NBA is doing. Well, after witnessing some opposing players disregarding new league rules against unnecessary contact on game nights, the NBA is now moving team security to mid-court following games to stop the hugging and handshakes that may cause an unwanted spread of COVID-19. High-fives, hugs, and handshakes, along with extended post-game conversations are no longer allowed. Man, this is so harsh, guys. COVID won't even let you shake hands with opponents now. That's a hard habit to break because we've been doing that since we were five years old. You know, you play a game,

then you line up and you high-fired the other team saying, good game. Next, they're going to say that what? Coved won't let you eat orange-oge th you th you ice cream store because your dad says only winners deserve ice cream. But look, I get it. You gotta do what you gotta do to stop COVID. And who knows? This could even create some excitement after the game. And here it is Hardin going up for a high five. And this is it.

Oh no, he's rejected. He's rejected by a security guard named Stanley. At the same time time thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, the, the, to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the, the, the. the the the. the the the. the. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. to to to time, though, will this really make a difference? I mean, I'm all for COVID safety, but these guys have been sweating and breathing on each other for two hours already, and then they can't shake hands? It's like handing out condoms as people are leaving your orgy. Remember to be safe, remember to be safe. Remember to be safe. That was dumb. I'm not going to lie. This just this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this just this just this just this just this just this just th, th, th, th, th, th, safe. Remember to be safe. That was fun, guys. Remember to be safe. That was dumb. I mean, I'm not gonna lie. This just shows how COVID has turned the whole world upside down.

You know, players are now getting into trouble for being nice to each other. Like, yeah, you better hold me back. I'm about to hug this man. Yeah, I respect you assu. I will hug you right now. Ooh, hoo hoo hoo. Anyway, between the pandemic and all the insanity around the presidential election, there have been all sorts of stories that we just haven't had time to talk about. But they've kind of gotten stuck in my brain and I thought, well, maybe I could unstick them by sharing them with you. For instance, here's some big news you might have missed out of Russia, aka Mean Canada. Vladimir Putin's fiercest critic Alexi Navalny, who was nearly poisoned to death, returning to Russia and immediately detained.

A dangerous gamble for one of Vladimir Putin's most vocal critics, and he was arrested minutes after arriving in Moscow, kissing his wife goodbye. Alexi Navalny has now been detained for at least 30 days, prompting outrage around the world. Navalny nearly died last year after being poisoned with the extremely toxic chemical weapon Novichok. He fell ill on an airplane, blaming the Kremlin for the attack, something they deny. Okay, I don't know what's crazy here here, that this dude went back to the same country that try to kill him or that they arrested him when the the the the the the the the the the th. the th. th. th.. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi, thi. thi, back to the same country that try to kill him or that they arrested him when he got there.

Apparently in Russia it's a felony to not die when they poison you? Why did you do that? You make Putin look like he don't know. You make Putin look like he don't know poison, to tell us? Look, either Navalny is grown to love the taste of poison. I mean, I don't know, maybe poison is delicious. It's just that no one ever survives to tell us. You know, maybe it's the most delicious thing in the world. We don't know. Actually, I want to try poison now.

But either way, this guy has to do is delay your Uber right for five minutes and you're done! Meanwhile in tech news, here's a story I really can't stop thinking about involving Bitcoin, the money that lives in space. Over the last few months, the value of the virtual currency has skyrocketed to insane heights, which is great for people who own it. But it'll never catch up to the market value of my Pokemon cards. That's right, people. I've been saving up these bad b-

Mom! Mom, what do you do to my Pokemon? Anyway, one of the big drawers of Bitcoin is how secure it is. Unfortunately, for one investor, it's turning out to be a little too secure. A virtual nightmare for a man with a quarter billion dollars in Bitcoin, yes, billion. He's forgotten his password. Stephen Thomas says he's been locked out of his account since 2012. Back then it wasn't as much of a fortune because each of his 7,000 coins was worth about 10 bucks in cash. Now going, the going rate, you know how much it is? It's 37 grand.

What? The man has the password stored on an old hard drive, but he lost the password to that too, and is only two more tries before he gets locked out. Wow. What a feel-good story, in that I feel good that it's not me. This guy can't access a quarter billion dollars because he can't remember his password. You know, let me tell you something.

For a quarter of a billion dollars, I'm hiring people to beat the shit out of me until I do remember. Don't go easy! Come on guys, I know something. 725! Lower case E, G. dash, dash, dash. I remember. And finally, from Colombia, an exciting setup for a brand new season of narcos.

A notorious drug lord's exotic pets are now posing an environmental disaster. Pablo Escobar's four hippos escaped after he was killed and are now taking over the marshlands in Colombia. Experts say they are breeding so fast there, there could be more than 1,500 in the next couple of years, posing a danger to the people and wildlife. They are now saying the so-called cocaine hippos should be shot. I think that gosh. Yeah, you go shoot the cocaine hippos who are raised by Pablo Escobar. I'm just going to stay out of the water. And I know some people are going to be like,

do you have to shoot those hippos? Why not just round them up and put them in a zoo? No. We're not going to be taking Pablo Escobar's hippos and putting them in a zoo. Because you know, three weeks later, they're going to escape through a tunnel that they built out from under their cage. There's going to be a note left behind from the hippos saying, no zoo keeper alive can hold me.

Yeah, you see, some people would think that the Colombian hippos are going to keep the jokes authentic. I gotta say though man over reproduction is the most badass reason to be exterminated. When was the last time you had so much sex that the government had to step in? The good news is there is an easier solution to this problem. Just release some meth gators to deal with the cocaine hippos. Then to deal with the meth gators you release the molly cobras. Then to take out the molly cobras, you release the straight-edge tigers. They don't do cocaine because the real thrill is being in control. Here's a question I have, though.

I've always wondered this. What's the deal with drug dealers and animals? It's like the higher higher higher higher higher higher higher higher higher higher higher higher higher higher corner has a fish tank, the drug lord has hippos. I bet that family that invented oxy has a teax just chained up in the backyard. Ah! Ma'a! You guys are killers.

You should have gotten more than just a fine. But let's move on now to being sworn in on the book that knows when we're all going to die, Biden became the 46th president of the United States. But he can't run the whole country himself. So immediately after being sworn in, he turned around and administered the oath of office to his new White House staff. And hopefully, all 4,000 people on the Zoom were paying attention. For new members of the Biden administration of virtual swearing in.

And we have to restore the soul of this country, and I'm con on all of you to be part of that. And a stern warning from the new commander-in-chief. If you're ever working with me and I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect, talked down to someone, I promise you I will fire you on the spot. On the spot. No if-ans or buds. Okay, wow. That took a turn. Welcome to a new era of kindness and respect.

And if you're not on board with that, I'll rip your nipples off. But insisting on respect is just one of the ways that President Biden is trying to make a clean break from his predecessor. In fact, he even redecorated his office to be as untrumpy as possible. We're getting new details right now about the inside of President Biden's Oval Office. A bust of Caesar Chavez, for example, sitting behind the Resolute desk, along with statues of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. It is Joe Biden's stamp on the Oval Office, but some of it is familiar. If you see those gold drapes,

you see the blue corporate on the floor, those were in the Oval Office during the Bill Clinton presidency. The decor is certainly different than it was under President Trump. Okay, first question. Is it really an improvement to switch out Trump's carpet for Bill Clinton's. I mean on Trump's carpet, yes, you can catch COVID, but on Clinton's, you could get pregnant. And look, I respect history, but at some point it starts getting suspicious.

This desk was used by President Roosevelt. Wow! And these chairs were sat on by President Kennedy. Wow! And these drapes were hung by President Monroe. Dude, are you broke? Is that what's going on here? But I do think it's cool that no matter what other changes the president makes, the bust of Martin Luther King Jr. stays behind. Because no one wants to be the guy who removes the bust of MLK. Once it enters the room, it's there for good.

If a tornado hit the Oval Office, it would still the K. Who, woo, woo, ha, I'm not racist. I'm not racist. Whoo-n-oh, throwns. Now, of course, redecorating the Oval Office is just a symbolic change. But even after one day, people are already noticing how different Biden's presidency will be from Donald J. Trumps. You just got President Biden's schedule for tomorrow, his first full day in office as president. I imagine it's a little bit busier than what we've been reading is the former president's schedule. This is a return to normalcy.

Also a return to functioning government. The White House press office is now actually sending out press releases that are informative. So instead of having the Trump administration say Trump is making many calls, the Biden team is actually revealing the calls. That's a good sign. That's progress. President Biden is now unveiling a national strategy to tackle COVID. First of all, I just have to say that it's great that we have somebody that comes out

and actually has a plan. Today felt like a tha I mean, the press briefing was boring as hell, and that was refreshing. We didn't have to count how many lies Jen Saki was telling. We didn't have to get up there and hear her talking about the largest crowd size of yelling at the media. Yo guys, Joe Biden is so lucky. All he has to do is have a vaccine plan and not lie for 10 minutes. And he's basically what, the next George Washington? And we all know this is only thanks to Donald Trump for setting the bar so low.

It's like getting hired as a babysitter and your predecessor was a room bar covered in knives. You're gonna be better. And there's a useful life lesson here for all of us. Always follow the worst possible person. Like if you want to date someone, wait until after they've broken up with Army Hammer. Baby, I promise I will never eat your flesh. What a gentleman! In fact, people are so excited to be moving on from Trump that some, that some, at Biden's inauguration celebration, were already pretending that Trump never existed at all. Appearances by three former presidents,

George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama, but not President Trump. Well, I think the fact that the three of us are standing here talking about a peaceful transfer of power speaks to the institutional integrity of our country. We've got a, not just listen to folks we agree with it, but listen the the the the folks we don't the the institutional integrity of our country. We've got to not just listen to folks we agree with, but listen to folks we don't. You think about the three presidents,

the three former presidents that we saw gathered together to speak about this moment of history, to speak about the new president. The former president who just left office could have been among those three. It could have been among those three. It could have been four. And forever more now, one considers when there are gatherings of all the presidents, will the most recent president who just left, will he be in there?

All right, is it just me? Or was Anderson Cooper working overtime to avoid saying the word Trump? Dude, you can't summon him by saying his name, right? The guy's an ex-president, not Beetlejuice. Just say it, Trump. But I will say this. I'm not surprised. And nobody should be surprised.

that Trump doesn't want to be a part of the former president's club. It's kind of like when Don Felder left the Eagles, because he was jealous of Glenn. Fry and Don Henley's success. Okay, I'm going to be honest, guys. I don't actually know what anything in that joke means. I'm just trying to win over some of these white people who don't have a leader anymore. So, uh, yeah. Honestly speaking, I think Trump not being included in this club is for the best. Because, what are these guys going to talk about? You know, everybody can agree. is one of the hardest jobs in the world. Am I right? Tell me about it, dude. Sometimes I would have to work 12 hours a month.

It was excruciating. And while I understand that people want to pretend Trump didn't exist, the truth is he did. Not only did he exist, but his presidency was historic. Like, you may not realize it because we're living in it, but guys, he sent a mob to ransack the Capitol. People are going to be talking about this forever. We're living in a history book right now. In like, a hundred years, they're going to be doing musicals about this Trump era.

We're going to march on the Capitol. Not me, I'm going home, but you guys going to go in all alone and I'm gonna be in my bunker. I will say though, it really was moving to see those former presidents together, you know, two Democrats, one Republican, paying tribute to the new kid. Although there was one moment in there that I really wasn't expecting. I think inaugurations signal a tradition of a peaceful transfer of power that is over two centuries old. So this is an unusual thing. We are both trying to come back to normalcy. Do you, sorry to interrupt you guys, but do you all see any car keys lying around here? It's got a trolls key chain. Well, I think the fact that the three of us are standing here talking about a peaceful transfer of powers...

I don't know if you're too familiar with the trolls movie, but the keychain is of King Pippin, orange, red mustache, butt naked, no dick. If everybody could just check their general area, I'd appreciate it. I'd be right out of your hand. We've got to not just listen to folks, we don't. America's a generous country, people with great hearts. All three of us are lucky to be the president of this country. Uh, check your pockets, Roy. All right, when we come back, we say goodbye to one of President Trump's most vicious critics, his wife.

And Jelani Cobb is still joining us on the show, so stick around. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. You're rolling. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible.

I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17. Welcome back to the Daily Social Distancing Show. Despite what the liberal media tells you, a lot of people were upset that the Trump presidency ended yesterday. There was Trump himself, the Trump kids, coronavirus, probably others. But one person who surprisingly seemed happy

about the end of President Trump was his wife, Melania. And why shouldn't she be? She got a lot done in her time as first lady. And so tonight, we say farewell to Melania as we look back at all her achievements. The First Lady of the United States, she's the partner of the President, hostess of the White House, and back up Snufflepagus. But while hashtag all wives matter, there's one first lady

who matters more than any other. Melania Trump. Wife. Further. Fashion icon. Animal lover. Colonial Explorer. On January 20, 2017, this third wife became America's first lady.

It was a moment she celebrated with great joy and instant regret. And while public life can put a strain on a relationship, it only made Melania and Donald stronger. Since day one, they've been inseparable. If you don't count the six months she stayed in New York while she reportedly renegotiated her pre-nep. But after that, it was a love story for the ages. Those ages being a hot 50 and, I don't know, 97?

During their time in the White House, Malani and Donald were often seen taking long, romantic walks, holding hands, trying to hold hands, and refusing to hold hands. Yes, you could always see the look of fiery passion whenever Melania was at her husband's side. And it's easy to see why. The first lady's husband lived to spoil her. It's Melania's birthday, so happy birthday to Malania. Do you want to tell us what you got her? Well, I better not get into that because I may get in trouble.

Maybe I didn't get her so much. There's nothing more romantic than a man of mystery. But a first lady's job is more than just being a devoted wife. She's also in charge of turning the White House into a white home. And Melania let nothing stand in her way. Melania Trump is defending a twe she sent out about construction on the White House Tennis Pavilion, which some have criticized as tone death amid the coronavirus outbreak. Yes, even in the midst of a global pandemic and with less than six and a half weeks left

in office, Melania had the courage to do something literally no one was asking her to do. Personally renovate the White House Tennis Court in four-inch heels with a golden shovel.. And. And, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and th. And, and the thi. And, and the the thi. And, the thi-pi-pi-pi-pi-pi-pi-a-s, the the the the the the the the the the Wa Personally renovate the White House tennis court in four-inch heels with a golden shovel. And while this renovation was so masterful it made the property brothers look like the Trump brothers, amazingly it came just months after her previous masterpiece, the new White House Rose Garden. The intensely private first lady is facing the glare of the spotlight yet again, criticized for her recent renovation of Jackie Kennedy's famous Rose Garden.

The Rose Garden that she put some pretty dramatic changes to. Good for Melania. Who needs roses when a virus is destroying everyone's sense of smell anyway? Besides, if there's one thing a supermodel knows, it's the importance of removing unpleasant shrubbery. And at no point was Melania's flare for design more apparent than during the holiday season. When every Christmas she chose a fun holiday theme, like Ho Ho Ho Ho the Horror Movie, and the Grinch who murdered Christmas, all while never losing the spirit of the season. So gives a fuck about Christmas stuff.

Yes, thanks to Melania, America's saying who gives a fuck about Christmas again. But perhaps Melania's greatest legacy as First Lady was her celebration of all God's children, whose parents could prove they were citizens. This is a picture of Melania Trump boarding Air Force One to head down to McAllen, Texas to visit some of the children being held in detention center. She's wearing a green jacket. On the back it's written in white. I really don't care, do you? Wow. Only Melania could pull off a sleeveless dress and a heartless jacket. But other than that, Melania overflows with love for children. You see, she's not just the stepmom. She's the nation's stepmom, there for America

every other weekend and on holidays. So when she saw the bullying epidemic that was tormenting the country, she stepped forward with a grammatically courageous initiative. Today, I'm very excited to announce, be best, an awareness campaign dedicated to the most valuable and fragile among us, our children. Melania told children across America to be best and be best they beat. Just look how much this bully learned. Bernie Sanders, Crazy Bernie, greatest loser on earth.

Crazy Bernie, one of the greatest losers of all type, this guy. No, but I meant that in a nice way. So thank you, Melania. You made America's smile. And we hope we made you smile. No? There it is. Wait, false alarm. There we go. Okay, whatever. All right, don't go away, because when we come back, New Yorker writes at Jelani-Cob tells me when we can expect Donald Trump to return. Don't go away. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it.

This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. You're rolling? But that's all about to change. Like, none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17. Welcome back to the Daily Social Distancing Show. My guest tonight is

Jelani Cobb, an award-winning journalist and staff writer at the New Yorker. We talked about the last four years and what it's taught us and where Trumpism goes from here. Jelani Cobb, welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show. Thank you. It's good to see you. It is an interesting time to have you on the show because you are easily one of my favorite just thinkers. You know, there are people who write and there are people who think before they write. And I consider you one of those people.

I really appreciate it. talking about policing or police reform, whether it's talking about politics, was it talking about issues of race in America. I always find that you tackle these ideas from a really interesting place. And so as America begins this new journey under a new president in a new year, my first question to you would be, what do you think about America's future as it stands right now? I think that one of the things things tha tha tha think think think think think think thinininininininininthinthinthinthinthinthinthinthinthinthinthinthin' thin' to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to told.......... to to to told. told. told. told. told. told. told. told. told. told. too. the. to. today, you today, you today, you today, you today, you ta. today, you today, you to to to to that one of the things that came out of 2020, if you can point to the small number of really good things

that did come out of that year, was the fact that we had to think about our history. Because it was reoccurring right in front of us, you know, so much of it, you know, people trying to overrun the capital, that called back to, certainly for black people and people familiar with the history of race in this country, you know, what happened after reconstruction and, you know, Wilmington in 1898, where white supremacist mobs deposed a government, you know, because it was interracial. And all those historical things that were kind of piled up like kind of kind of

kind of piled up like kindling. And then they just, you know, burst into flames. We had to deal with it in 2020. And so I think that, you know, looking forward, I'm hopeful, but I'm cautiously hopeful, you know, that we can actually start thinking about some of the problems that we have and some of the mistakes that we made previously and plotting a way to navigate forward. Do you think that there really is a way to escape some of the mistakes that have been made in the past? And I only ask that because I struggle with America's system being a two-party system. I feel like it's inevitable that you get another Trump.

And the only reason I feel like it's th because if you have one of two choices, I feel like statistically it's more likely that people, it's going to end up 50-50, which means one side may win again. I don't think everyone who votes Republican likes Trump, but they may like a lot of the policies that are in the party, but then that enables we have this conversation, which is that the founders of this country never wanted parties at all. You know, they thought

that parties were going to be destructive, and that would be the quickest way that the Republic would end. And, you know, the two-party system that we have has collapsed before, has collapsed twice in American history. And some of those dynamics were present then. And so one of the things I think we have to bear in mind in order to best hope for avoiding that kind of situation is the reminder of how fragile democracy is. And also the fact that you kind of win big or go home. Republicans took a really big bet on Donald Trump in 2016. And the lesson they could take is that a demagogic figure like him could succeed,

could be elected within particular constraints when against a specific kind of opponent. Or they could take the fact that they lost the Senate, they lost the House, they lost the White House, they lost international regard of virtually all of America's allies. We've seen 400,000 and counting people die because of the mismanagement of a pandemic, and all those things that could be warnings. And you're right, though. We have a disturbingly high possibility that we could find ourselves in this position again. I remember just before Donald Trump's ascendancy,

the Republican Party was having a conversation in and around, we have to expand our tent. Do you think the Republican Party will gravitate towards a world of once again trying to actually appeal to more diverse voters, or do you think that they've now seen that there is enough, you know, excitement and anguish and grievances to maintain a vote and carry on the way they've been going for the last four years? That's the big question.

And the best I can tell you is that they have been confronted by this before. In 1966, you know, it was just two years after the 64 election, where Barry Goldwater was just destroyed. He lost by 430-something electoral college votes. It just, you know, it wasn't, if it was a boxing match, they would have stopped it in the very group. So, one of the report, they did a report then, that came out in 1966 that said we have to expand, we have to bring different kinds of people into the party, we can't go down the road of just appealing to basically angry white people, at that point we're angry about the

civil rights movement. But the other part of it is that they are really getting an increasing share of a decreasing population. About 80% of their voters are white. And white people, every single election since 1996, have been a smaller share of the electorate. And so the math is not on their side. And so one of the things that political scientists think is that they may make themselves into, you know, no pun intended, a minority

party. Right. You've always had your finger on the pulse of law enforcement, for instance. Not just criticizing police, but rather saying, hey, here's a system that's broken, here's how it needs to be fixed and here's why it needs to be fixed. Is there a path to a world where law enforcement becomes equitable, a world with law enforcement no longer maintains its ties to what it was meant to be from the past? Sure. I mean, I think that that's possible. The things that we've seen, you know, two things in particular, George Floyd,

and that excruciating 8-minute 46 second video that we saw last Memorial Day, and the storming of the Capitol grounds and how many off-duty police officers were involved in that. And for people who are just kind of thinking in the knee-jerk fashion or you know kind of accepting the slogans that you know the police of the thin blue line that divides us from anarchy and so on that's shocking. For anyone who's actually looked at the data around policing in the United States, it really is not. The first people who ever talked to me

about defunding the police, and they didn't use that language, but they expressed that idea. The first people who ever talked to me about that were cops themselves, saying that they do in all kinds of actions, that they're fundamentally not trained to handle mental health crises, which is, it makes perfect sense.

If someone's having a mental health crisis, you call the police. Right. I, we wouldn't call the cops if somebody had a heart attack. You know, a heart attack is not illegal. So, you know, they show up and the situations go downhill predictably. And when you're really talking about creating different kinds of structures and infrastructures in cities so that the 911 is not the only thing that you call for every single problem of every shape, size, or orientation.

And so if we have a more kind of broadly based system of how we manage our communities, that goes a long way. to th communities, that goes a long way to reducing the footprint of policing. And in 1968, when the Kerner Commission report came out, they said, and this is 1968, they said that we should think about creating different kinds of ways of providing services to communities besides just police, especially in the communities of color. It's not new. We know some of this stuff.

As somebody who writes about the present and looks at it through the lens of history, what do you make of the future now? Are you hopeful at where America has gotten to now on this day, or are you trepidacious in considering where America still needs to get to? I'm hopeful, but as I describe it, I have the optimism of a boxer going into the late rounds. And what I mean by that is, you know, if you haven't been knocked out yet, if you're still upright, the thing that kept you throwing punches and staying in the fight for this long is the thing that will bring you all the way to the finish line.

And so, you know, as James Baldwin said, I have to be an optimist because I'm alive. That said, I don't think we should underestimate the scale of the problems that we're confronting. The dynamics dynamics thenemics thenemics thinininics thinics that that that that dynamics that dynamics that dynamics that dynamics that dynamics that dynamics that dynamics that dynamics that that that dynamics that that are still very active in the society. The anxiety around immigration, the anxiety around race, the ways in which those compound, you know, the economy that truthfully does not serve many people, you know, a struggling just to get by from day to day, and the way that that has been weaponized and used, you know, to fuel xenophobia and racism and so on, those are very real dynamics and very real problems and they will not be easily defeated.

But I don't think that they are permanent, and I don't think that we have to always presume that we can't surmount those obstacles. Well, it's going to be an exciting an a exciting an a exciting the exciting the exciting to be an exciting to be an exciting to be an exciting to be an exciting to be an exciting to be an exciting to be an exciting to be an exciting to be an exciting to be an exciting the to be the to be to be to be to be to be the to be to be to be to be to be to be tooom.. tooom. tooom. tooom. tooom. tooom. to be to be to be to be the the the to be the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the too. to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be the the the the the tooom. tooom. the thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. too. too. too. too. the the the too. to obstacles. Well, it's going to be an exciting 12th round. Hopefully we get to chat to you again afterwards and we haven't been knocked out. Jalani Cobb, thank you so much for joining me on the show. Thank you. All right, we're going to take a quick break, but we'll be right back after this. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives.

You're rolling? But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 minutes, a second look starting September 17th wherever you get your podcasts. Well that's our show for tonight but before we go as you know the coronavirus pandemic is as bad as it has ever been but luckily our first responders are

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Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and subscribe to the Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and more. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible.

I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look. Starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts. This has been a Comedy Central Podcast.