The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Jon Stewart on Tucker Carlson's Putin Interview | Melissa Murray and Kate Shaw

Episode Date: February 20, 2024

In response to online backlash over his criticism of Joe Biden last week, Jon studies Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin in Russia for a lesson in speaking "of course" to power. Plus, Michael Kosta reports from North Korea to demonstrate how nice life under a dictatorship can be. And constitutional experts and “Strict Scrutiny” podcast co-hosts, Melissa Murray and Kate Shaw, join Jon to discuss Donald Trump’s “platinum due process plan” and the judicial system’s handling of the cases against Trump. The law professors also discuss the threat of Trump’s presidential immunity and whether the former president will ever stand trial for the Jan. 6th insurrection.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Stewart here, unbelievably exciting news. My new podcast, The Weekly Show, we're going to be talking about the election, economics, ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart, wherever you get your podcast. You're listening to Comedy Central. From the most trusted journalists at Comedy Center, it's America's only source for news. This is the Daily Show with your host, John Stewart. Everybody welcome. Hey, everybody, welcome! Thank you. Please, get me. I look... I gotta tell you something.

These folks who work here at the Daily Show are making me look zatty. Sorry. Welcome to the Daily Show. I'm your host John Stewart, captain of this dying medium. Why would you even say that to me? The gentleman tell me tonight. He said, oh, I'm so happy to be here. You know your television is dying. I said, I am aware, and in fact, I'm contributing to it.

You're welcome. I did have such a good time last week doing the program. And then everybody, comedy Comedy, the comedy, the comedy, the comedy, the comedy, the comedy, the comedy, the, the, the, the, the, the, thee thee thee, the, thee the, the, the, wo, wo, wo, wo, wo, wo, the, tho, wo, wo, wo, wo, wo, wo, wo, wo, tho, to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to me, to me, to me to me the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, thean, the the the gentleman the the thean, the the thean, thean, thean, thean, thean, thean, thean, thean, thean, to it. You're welcome. I did have such a good time last week doing the program and then everybody, Comedy Central, was like, oh, what are you going to do this week? And I was like, wait, this week? I did already, I did a Monday, what am I? A cyborg? Come on. But I don't mind because, quite frankly, the response to the first show last Monday was universally glowing. John Stewart is facing massive backlash from Democrats over his comments about Joe Biden. Oberman tweeted, well after nine years, well after nine years. Well after nine years, well after nine years.

Christy Jackson tweeted, sorry but I won't be watching you either. Okay. Maybe not universal. But that was on Twitter. Everything on Twitter gets a back. I've seen Twitter tell Labradoodles to go f-shapper doodles. I just think it's better to deal head on with what's an apparent issue to people. I mean, we're just talking here. And Mary Trump tweeting, not only is Stewart's both sides are the same rhetoric not funny, it's a potential disaster for democracy. It's one fucking show.

There's 20 minutes. I get 20 minutes of one fucking show. But I guess as the famous saying goes, democracy dies in discussion. But look, I have sinned against you. I'm sorry. It was never my intention to say out loud what I saw with my eyes and then brain. I can do better. I can have learning. I can have it.

But I don't even know where to start with that. Where do I go to study the particulars of unquestioning propaganda? I would need mentorship. We're in Moscow tonight. We're here to interview the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin. Saints be praised. For Professor Tucker, Aloysius Mayflower, Kenny Bumpedport, Bacgammonson, the third has arrived. Professor, tell me what is step one in delivering world-class fealty to power. Here's why we're doing it. First, because it's our job. We're in journalism.

Lie about what your job is. We're in journalism. Our duty is to inform people. Lie about what your duty is. Americans have a right to know all they can about a war they're implicated in. Freedom of speech is our birthright. We were born with the right to know all they can about a war they're implicated in. Freedom of speech is our birthright. We were born with the right to say what we believe. Oh shit. Kudos, Sensei, that was deep I have much to learn. Disguise your deception and capitulation to power as noble and moral and based in freedom. Yes, master. Just out of curiosity, as a student, when you're sitting there interviewing Putin and you don't plan to challenge his utter bullshit, but you don't want to really be that obvious, what do you do with your face? Oh I see. Okay so it's

not really a straight face as much as you try to convey a mixture of what appears to be shame, arousal, and I'mto say irregularity. For instance, like you're constipated while jerking off to a Sears catalog. Been there, haven't you? You've been there, haven't you? The guy up there? Well, the lingerie ads were... Now obviously Tucker's strategy is going to work when there's some ambiguity in what Putin says, but what if Putin starts saying shit like, World War II was Poland's fault because they forced Hitler to invade them.

I mean, what do you do with something like that? That's gonna be hard. After World War I, this territory was transferred to Poland, and instead of Danzig, a city of Dansk emerged. Hitler asked them to give it anicably, but they refused. Of course. Of course. Of course. You know, it's so hard to do when your face says, what the fuck? And your mouth says, of course, it's a... So hard to hold...how do you...

How do you... How do you do that? By the way, Poland started World War II. Why would a country whose Navy has submarines with screen doors want to instigate a war? Quick history lesson. Years ago, for reasons nobody is really sure of. A stereotype emerged that Polish people were inept in various ways including obviously submarine manufacturing and even something as simple as the changing of a light bulb.

I don't know actually how many Polish people you think it takes to change a light bulb but it's certainly less than the conventional wisdom at that time would tell you. Now we know that Polish people are as smart as anyone and certainly did not deserve to be invaded by the Germans, who of course accomplished that by marching in backwards, so the Poles thought they were leaving. Well... I like to give you a little bit of dumb.

Well, this has been an incredible primer into the delegate dance of speaking, of course, to power. Tell me, Tucker, does this master class include field trips? How does Russia have a subway station the normal people use to get to work and home every single day that's nicer than anything in our country? There's no graffiti, there's no filth, no foul smells. That's a fucking nice subway. That's a very... That's a very... Although, to be fair to the New York City system, it was constructed in 1904 out of urinal

cakes by the great engineer Giuseppe, pisser everywhere. But point taken, it's a very nice subway. But the subway, that's only one thing. So we thought it would be interesting to take a look at a contemporary, modern-day, 2024 Russian grocery store. Ooh. Go on. All right. There we go. So I guess you put in 10 roubles here and you get it back when you put the card back. So it's free, but there's an incentive to return it and not just bring it to your homeless and camp.

I know I've said this before. You're such a dick. No, I didn't realize. No, I didn't realize, really, truly, like, a dick. I didn't realize America's homeless problem is caused entirely by easy access to grocery garden. I had all myself in my house, but I didn't know, I could you put it on wheels and so much either.

This is the, uh, grocery card escalator. This is designed, I'm figuring this out now, where the grocery cart escalator. This is designed, I'm figuring this out now, where the wheels don't move, they lock on the grocery card escalator. Look Ma, no hands. Oh, oh, okay, Forrest. Okay, Forrest. An escalator for the grocery cart, and the doors open automatically.

Oh, mother, Russia. Russia is famous for its bread. Which is one thing I could assess pretty well. Look at that. It's fresh, too. Look at that. Oh, come on. Mmm. The... The

the the guy really the the the the the

the I hate to think what would have happened if he had found a bagel. But hey, if being a free speech warrior means you have to bang the occasional sourdell told you. But hey, if being a free speech warrior means you have to bang the occasional sourdell. Not strovia. But our time is limited. Could you drive home the purpose of your deception on this trip in the most cynical way possible, please? We didn't pay any attention to costs. We were just putting in the cart where we would actually eat over a week. And we all came in around 400 bucks, about 400 bucks. It was $104 U.S. here.

And coming to a Russian grocery store, the heart of evil, and seeing what things cost and how people live, it will radicalize you against our leaders. That's how I feel anyway, radicalized. Radicalized. Radicalized. And it will radicalize you, unless you understand basic economics. See $104 for groceries sounds like a great bargain unless you realize Russians earn less than $200 a week. But that's the kind of context that a, what did you call yourself earlier, a journalist would have provided. But here's the reality. You fucking know all this.

Because you aren't as dumb as your face would have us believe. Perhaps if your handlers had allowed, you would have seen there is a hidden fee to your cheap groceries and orderly streets. Ask Alexi Navalny or any of his supporters. And Vladimir Putin's Russia, political repression is everywhere. And hundreds have been arrested for daring to honor Navalny so publicly. Right. Because the difference between our urinal, caked, chaotic subways and your candelabred, beautiful subways is the literal price of freedom. But the goal that Carlson and his ilk are pushing is that there's really no difference

between our systems. In fact, there's might be a little bit better. The question is, why? Why is Tucker doing this? Here's why. It's because the old civilizational battle was communism versus capitalism. That what drove the world world world world world world world to to to to to the world. the world. the world. th. the old civilizational battle was communism versus capitalism. That what drove the world since World War II. Russia was the enemy then.

But now they think the battle is woke versus unwoke. And in that fight, Putin is an ally to the right. He's their friend. Unfortunately, he is also a brutal and ruthless dictator. So now, they have to make Americans a little more comfortable with that. I mean, Liberty is nice, but have you seen Russia's shopping carts? And Tucker would have gotten away with it if it weren't for those meddling assassins. In a statement to the New York Times, Carlson said, quote, it is horrifying what happened

to Navalny. The whole thing is barbaric and awful. No decent person would defend it. Correct. No decent person would. For more on... Oh, please enjoy your time. For more on Tucker Carlson's interview with Putin.

We turn to our own Michael Costa. Michael... Michael, let's go. Michael, first of all, what an unbelievably embarrassing display of sycophancy from Tucker Carlson. Yeah, well I'm not sure what that means, John, so I'm gonna assume you loved it as much as I did. It made me think that these dictatorships have gotten a bad rap, which is why I've traveled here to North Korea, and as you can see, it's amazing.

It looks like you're in a candy store. It looks like you're in a candy store. Well, I am, but this is what the entire country looks like, I'm told. It's a paradise of chocolate bars and sugar canes. I mean, John, check this out. This bucket of gummy worms here in Pyongyang, it costs a nickel. Do you don't have any idea how much this would cost me in the so-called United States? I don't like 20 bucks, I guess.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And who can afford that besides capitalistic American pedophiles, okay? And just look at the technology they have here, John. Check out this amazing contraption. You put, okay? You put a quarter. And look what comes out, a gumball! Oh, oh.

Death to America, John. You need to come home, Michael. Well, I'd like to, John. But unfortunately, I renounced my citizenship in exchange for these gummy worms. Now, look, they made them sour on the outside and on the inside, they're sweet. And until America comes up with that, all right, how do we say goodbye in our language? Michael Kasse, everybody.

Michael, when we come back, Melissa Murray and Kate Shaw will be joining me. Don't go away. Hey everybody, John Stewart here. I am here to tell you about my new podcast, The Weekly Show, coming out every Thursday. We're going to be talking about the election, earnings calls. What are they talking about the election earnings calls. What are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. I know you have a lot of options as far as podcasts go, but how many of them come out on Thursday. Listen to the weekly show with John

Stewart wherever you get your podcast. Hi everybody, want to back to the Dairy Show. My guest tonight, oh, I love them so much. They're law professors and constitutional experts, elitist, who co-hosts about the Supreme Court called Strict Scrutiny. Please welcome to the program Melissa Murray and Kate Shaw, please! Hey, thrown! Hey, guys! Hey, guys! Now, let me first, I want to apologize, so you have a third, Leah Littman, who couldn't be here because of the delicate configurations of our desk.

We would have loved to have Leah be here as well, but she's in California, and so I didn't want to let that pass. I want to start with you guys, a simple question. John Oliver has offered Clarence Thomas a Winnebago and a million dollars a year to, and this is his words not mine, get the f*** off the Supreme Court. Will in your your court watchers, your experts on the Supreme Court, will he accept this offer? I think this is a Harlan Crow counter opportunity. You believe that his benefactor is going to have to counter, but what do you counter with?

It's a beautiful Winnebago and a million dollars here. Is there anything else to life? Not if you enjoy spending time in the parking lots of Walmart, as Justice Thomas suggests. He says he does, but apparently he likes to quail hunt in a robe. I want to ask you, there's a strategy that's starting to bubble up, which is getting Americans comfortable with authoritarianism and getting us to not think critically about the differences between a free society and not a free society. And in that regard, they are starting to paint Trump as Navalny,

that the trials that he is facing in America are similar or the same as what Putin did to Navalny, that the trials that he is facing in America are similar or the same to as what Putin did to Navalny. Please explain to me why that's horseshit. Well, we are not experts in Russian criminal procedure, but I think it's safe to say that Donald Trump is likely receiving more procedural protections right now in the four criminal indictments that he's currently subject to than Alexei Navalny had in his time in Russia. So I think this is not the same situation. Would you say that he's Donald Trump was actually received doer process than most people in America? I mean this guy

is clearly on the platinum due process plan like he's the Harlan Crow due process plan. The Harlan Crow due process, like he's getting every, the dewest process. The dewis the process is, so how is this even comparable? It's not at all comparable. And I do think it is interesting as your last segment made clear that Trump is adverting to the situation in Russia right now and invoking Navalny. And I think that it's right to draw comparisons right now, but of course the casting is all wrong. Right now in the arguments

that Trump is making in some of the pending criminal cases against him, he is essentially casting himself as above and beyond the law. And you know we're essentially seeing what ahead of state presidents should have complete and total immunity, because if you can't kill people, then, what fun? Well, this was actually a hypothetical that came up in the lower federal court argument. In this immunity case, Trump's lawyer was asked, so you're saying that a president could order Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival and the criminal law couldn't get

to get him? Sounds familiar. It does. Well, it was, And Trump's lawyer basically said, unless he's been impeached and convicted first, the criminal laws can touch them. By the Senate, in a political process. So you have to go through that. So our criminal laws are suspended for the president. That's a political. Didn't we fight a war about that? Well, we not only fought a war, but our whole constitutional structure is designed to prevent consodations of power within the presidency. Check and balances balances. Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. And the ballot. And the ballot. the the the the the ballot. the th. the th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. So, th. th. th. th. So, so our to th. So, so our to to to to the to to the to to to their to to their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their th. So, so our th. So, so our thi. So, so our the. So, so our the. So, so, so, so our the. So, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so our th. So, so our their their th. So Check the balances. Exactly. And so this whole idea... Yeah. You get an A in our constitutional law classes, John.

But I mean, what Kate is describing is essentially very authoritarian forward. I mean, the person that Donald Trump is, is not Alexei Navalny. It's Vladimir Putin. Right. That's who he wants to be. That's who he admires. But in our judicial systems defense, in my mind, over these past few years, it was one of the few institutions in America that actually held pretty strong and you are frowning at me. You disagree with this. Well, on our podcast, we take different roles. Kate is, I think much more amenable to your position. I think I think... Hold on one second. Okay, you talk to Kay. Yeah. Well, explain. Like, there's something to this. I do think that there is a way in which courts really did stand as a bulwark

against some of Trump's worst instincts and impulses while he was in office. And even since, you know, 60-plus lawsuits he filed around the 2020 election all unsuccessful. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. their is their is their is their is their is their is their is their is their is their is their is their is their is their is their is their is their is their is their is their is. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. toee. toe. theeate. theate. theate. the. their the. their their thi. thi election, all unsuccessful. He argued for different versions of immunity in civil and criminal cases previously. Those have been unsuccessful essentially throughout. But we are in a real test moment of that proposition in that the Supreme Court is right now facing this question of whether he will ever stand trial for the January 6th events. But this is if they grant him blanket immunity. We don't have a republic anymore. We don't have a constitutional republic. If if if if if if it the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th. th. th. thui. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. the, the, the, thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi, thi, thi. thi. thi. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. republic anymore. We don't have a constitutional republic. If the head of it has immunity, the thing I liked about what the courts did is they set a standard of evidence.

Anybody can say whatever they want on a basic cable show. Wherever they go or at a rally or anything else, but when you bring it into a court, as Giuliani famously said, no, we don't have any evidence, but we got lots of theories, and they threw him out. Okay, so that just suggests that the bar is in hell. Right? So, yes, of course, the courts are a bulwark against the most totalitarian impulses in our society, but we forget that the court system we have,

the debates we're having about about the the the the the the the the the, the Supreme Court we have, the debates we're having about the Supreme Court are all right now the product of what Donald Trump did. Like, this is a person who was not elected by the popular vote. You're saying these questions would have been utterly unimaginable in previous times. We are right now debating whether or not in the next presidential term, we are going to see a national ban on abortion. We wouldn't be a national the national. the national. to their. their. their. to their. their. to. their. to see. to see. to see. their. th. thi. thi. thi. th. thi. to. to. to. to. to. to. th. thi. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. toda. th. th.three conservative supermajority had not rolled back, Roll versus Wade. We wouldn't have that discussion at all. Right. So he's actually... Or the immunity discussion or anything else. He's actually... all of this.

He's actually... All their condition. the way we talked about this court. And that's the thing that ultimately is at stake in all of this. I want to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I want thi thi. I want thi. I want th. th. th. th. th. th. thi that thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi the th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. to to to toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. the. the. the. the. the. the.'re fabulous. Check out their podcast, please. Strict scrutiny. New episodes drop on Mondays. It's a fine day to drop them. Melissa Murray and Kach, we'll be right back. John Stewart here. Unbelievably exciting news. My new podcast, the weekly show. We're going to be talking about the election, economics, ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart, wherever you get your podcast. Hey, everybody, that's our show for tonight. Before we go, we want to check in with your host for the rest of this week, Desi Lydec. Desi! Talk a little bit.

Uh, what do you get crooked? What stories is the show going to be covering this week? Well, John, we'll be following the news out of SneakerCon, where Donald Trump has just debuted his snazzy golden sneakers. Nice. Yeah, an American treasure, made in China. And not to be outdone, the Democrats have announced a new line of limited edition, Joe Biden, F. Me Pumps. I gotta tell you. I think he's going to look incredible in those.

Very nice. Thank you so much, Desi. Here it is. We'll see Desi tomorrow. Here's your moment is end. Because I honestly thought he was going to be aggressive and asked these so-called tough questions. So frankly, I did not fully enjoy the interview. This has been a Comedy Central Podcast.

Hey everybody, John Stewart here. I am here to tell you about my new podcast, The Weekly Show, coming out every Thursday. We're going to be talking about the election, earnings calls. What are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about ingredient-to-bread ratio on sandwiches. I know you have a lot of options as far as podcasts go, but how many of them come out on Thursday. Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart, wherever you get your podcast.