The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Scandals, Stocks, and Surveillance | Ronan Farrow

Episode Date: November 20, 2024

Desi Lydic dives into explosive new allegations against Matt Gaetz. Michael Kosta offers a guide to profiting during Trump’s second term, from prison stocks to climate-driven investments. Pulitzer P...rize-winning journalist Ronan Farrow joins to discuss his HBO documentary Surveilled, exposing the dangers of spyware technology and its chilling effects on democracy, journalism, and free expression.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Survivor 47 is here, which means we're bringing you a brand new season of the only official Survivor podcast, On Fire. And this season, we are joined by fan favorite and Survivor 46 runner up, Charlie Davis, to bring you even further inside the action. Charlie, I'm excited to do this together. Thanks, Jeff. So excited to be here. And I can't wait to bring you inside the mind of a Survivor player for season 47. Listen to On Fire, the official Survivor podcast, wherever you get your podcast. You're listening to Comedy Central. From the most trusted journalists at Comedy Central, it's America's only source for news. This is The Daily Show with your host Desi Lydic. Welcome to The Daily Show.
Starting point is 00:01:05 I'm Debbie Leidig. We've got so much to talk about tonight. Matt Gaetz makes his Broadway debut. Mike Johnson tries to hide his boner. And the end of democracy is sad. But could it also be profitable? It can. So let's get into another installment of Trump 2.0
Starting point is 00:01:24 coming for the White House. I'm gonna come. Last week, Donald Trump made his insane yet predictable pick for Attorney General Matt Gates, Florida Congressman and if wraparound shades were a person. Critics have been asking does Matt Gaetz know enough about the law to be Attorney General and every day We're learning that he has lots of experience with some laws CBS News has learned that two women told the House Ethics Committee They were paid to have sex with Gaetz and to travel with him on multiple occasions One also says that she saw Gates having sex with a minor.
Starting point is 00:02:07 She observed to a right, representative Gates having sex with her friend who was 17 at the time. Ooh. Your future attorney general, everyone. It's always the people you most expect. And if you're wondering how they found out, it's a case of he said, she said, he has a paper trail.
Starting point is 00:02:29 The committee has Gates's Venmo and PayPal transactions that allegedly show payments for sex and text messages, where he refers to illegal drugs in code words. Representative Gates would use terms like, can you make sure that there are party favors present, or who's in charge of the party favors? Party favors, clever, can't crack that code. And they said he paid for sex with Venmo?
Starting point is 00:02:54 Has this guy ever heard of cash? Come on, at the bare minimum, an attorney general should know how to cover up his own crimes. Now, according to this lawyer, it wasn't all just sex and drugs. There was also theater. The lawyer claims in 2019, then Congressman Gates paid the women to travel to New York to watch his appearance on Fox News,
Starting point is 00:03:18 attend the Broadway show Pretty Woman, and have sex with him. ["Pretty Woman"] ["Pretty Woman"] ["Pretty Woman"] ["Pretty Woman"] ["Pretty Woman"] ["Pretty Woman"] ["Pretty Woman"] ["Pretty Woman"] ["Pretty Woman"] ["Pretty Woman"]
Starting point is 00:03:32 ["Pretty Woman"] Taking two prostitutes to see Pretty Woman? ["Pretty Woman"] ["Pretty Woman"] It's a little on the nose, wasn't it? I guess High School Musical was sold out. ["High School Musical"] ["High School Musical"]
Starting point is 00:03:44 ["High School Musical"] ["High School Musical"] But the worst part is that he apparently took them to watch him on Fox News. God, I hope they charged him extra for that. It's $1,000 for butt stuff and $2,000 if I have to look at Brit Hume. Now, the House Ethics Committee looked into all these allegations, but there's a debate about whether they should still release its report now that Gates has left Congress. Unfortunately for Gates, the Speaker of the House took office with a very, very clear philosophy. My office is going to be known for trust and transparency and accountability.
Starting point is 00:04:22 Transparency! Yes! I love it! Here is a guy who understands how important it is that people hear the truth about their next attorney general. So Mike Johnson, hand over the report. Speaker Mike Johnson says the report should stay sealed. I would be concerned about opening the Pandora's box
Starting point is 00:04:39 and saying that a House Ethics Committee, with its vast resources and unlimited power, effectively, could investigate private citizens and release reports about them. Mike Johnson, seriously? Your argument is that if they can investigate Matt Gaetz for having sex with an underage girl, then they can investigate anyone
Starting point is 00:04:58 for having sex with an underage girl, and is that really what we want as a country? Yes! Yes! We want that! We want that! That is what we want. Also, you're violating your principle of transparency to defend the guy accused of throwing sex parties? You, a man who wears a blindfold during sex so that he doesn't accidentally see his own penis?
Starting point is 00:05:30 What are you so worried about? With regard to the report, there's a very important reason for the tradition and the rule that we always, have almost always followed, and that is that we don't issue investigations and ethics reports on people who are not members of Congress. Okay, is it me or did that almost seem like a tell? What was that about? So he's saying it would be a terrible precedent to release this report. He's warning against it after a member steps down, but keeping him honest, the House Ethics Committee has done this before, most notably in a financial impropriety case for former Tennessee Congressman Bill Boehner, who left the House Ethics Committee has done this before, most notably in a financial impropriety case for former Tennessee Congressman Bill Boehner,
Starting point is 00:06:07 who left the House to become mayor of Nashville. Yeah. Yeah, that is right. There is precedent for releasing an ethics report because of a guy named Bill Boehner. Not to be confused with Boehner Bill, which is what Matt Gaetz Venmo's at the end of a guy named Bill Boner. Not to be confused with Boner Bill, which is what Matt Gaetz Venmo's at the end of a sex party. Oh.
Starting point is 00:06:29 Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh.
Starting point is 00:06:33 Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh.
Starting point is 00:06:37 Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Bill Boner had an ethics scandal in the quaint scandal days when your scandals were financial
Starting point is 00:06:45 and not pubescent. And after finding that out about him, forgive me, but I went down a bit of a boner hole. I discovered some old news clips that after leaving Congress, Bill Boner did some amazing work as the mayor of Nashville. You might not recognize this man who called himself Bob until he removed his disguise. Then you know it's Mayor Bill Boner. And the disguise was worn when he went undercover last April
Starting point is 00:07:13 to buy illegal drugs and to learn just how bad drug trafficking is on Nashville streets. Impressive disguise. Usually you just hide a Boner with a math textbook. But you gotta give boner a hand because it worked. These are pictures of the drug transaction in which Boner bought $40 worth of cocaine in northeast Nashville. One of the guys that we bought from was by the name of Big Daddy. One Big Daddy may be out of the drug selling business in Nashville,
Starting point is 00:07:45 but if these bumper stickers that are going around are any indication, there may be other Big Daddies in town. It's good. It's good. But I think there's one thing that bumper sticker needs. Yeah. There you go. Full proof. But why did I spend two and 1 1⁄2 minutes talking about Bill Boner? Because it's a fun little escape, yes.
Starting point is 00:08:10 But also, this is the precedent Mike Johnson can have to release the House ethics report. So Johnson, listen up. In times of need, look to Boner. For more on this debate on whether to release the House ethics report, let's go to Capitol Hill with Ronnie Chang. Ronnie, Mike Johnson claims that if the ethics committee releases the Gates report, then they could dig up any dirt on any private citizen.
Starting point is 00:08:46 Isn't that a ridiculous argument? No, he's absolutely right. We should leave Matt Gaetz alone. Back to you, Desi. What? No, why would we leave this alone? Gates is a public official accused of going to underage sex parties. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:09:02 Yeah, so what? Yeah, they're gonna investigate every party now? It's a slippery slope, okay? Like, what, so no one's allowed to get together with friends and get a little wasted and have an argument that gets out of hand? What, I barely pushed him. What are you talking about?
Starting point is 00:09:20 I'm talking about precedent, okay? Today's Matt Gaetz and then tomorrow they're gonna go after innocent civilians outside a forest in New Jersey on a Saturday night who are totally innocent. You said innocent twice. New Jersey? You're being weird. No, you're being weird.
Starting point is 00:09:35 Everything's fine. All right, well let's get some additional reporting from Josh Johnson. for Josh Johnson. Yeah! CHEERING Josh, what can you tell us? Huh?
Starting point is 00:09:56 Tell you what, I didn't say anything. I wasn't even whip-riding in that forest. No, Josh, I want to know what the Justice Department officials are thinking. Oh, right, right, right, right, okay. Well, I spoke to multiple people inside the Justice Department, and they have no idea we were even near that forest, so it's all good. No, no, Matt Gaetz. What are they saying about Gaetz? Oh, Department officials are nervous about a sex offender representing them, and that's bad.
Starting point is 00:10:26 And it was a long time ago. Just like Saturday night was also a long time ago. So, best to just leave both things alone. Back to you, Desi. Wait, wait. What is going on with you guys? You were in a forest together in New Jersey last Saturday? No, no, of course not. Absolutely not. We weren't barring anybody in the forest.
Starting point is 00:10:45 I don't even own a shovel. Josh, shut the fuck up. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so scared, I'm gonna throw up. Okay, I'm starting to suspect that something's going on here. Let me just go out to Grace Kuhlenschmidt. Grace. Grace. Grace, where are you?
Starting point is 00:11:00 Grace, why'd you go back to the forest? I'm not gonna lie, I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie.
Starting point is 00:11:12 I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie.
Starting point is 00:11:20 I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. Who's been digging? I didn't say anything about digging. Ronnie did most of the digging. Oh God! What? Grace, shut the f*** off, okay? Guys, guys, guys, we're gonna get to the bottom of this,
Starting point is 00:11:30 but first I'm gonna turn to Jordan Klepper for more on Gates. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, because Jordan, Jordan is, he's, oh, he's been on vacation, baby! To the Bahamas. He said to tell you he was leaving for a few days and to never contact him ever again.
Starting point is 00:11:52 Okay, you know, I am not stupid. I see what's going on here. Saturday night, New Jersey, digging in a forest. You guys were gardening without me. Oh, yeah. Yes. me. Oh, yeah. Yes. Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, you caught us.
Starting point is 00:12:09 We're so sorry. But if you could say that you were with us until like 2.45 a.m. that night, that would be great. Yeah, you got it. Ronnie Chang, Josh Johnson, a great school return. When we come back, we'll find out how to make trunks work for you. So don't worry. Josh Johnson, a great school retainer. When we come back, we'll find out how did you make strumps work for you. So don't worry.
Starting point is 00:12:29 It's time for a brand new season of Survivor. And you know what that means. It means it's also a brand new season of the only official Survivor podcast on fire. Here's our goal with this podcast. We bring you inside the how and the why of what we do on the show. And we do it from three different points of view. You have the producer in me, you have the fan in Jay, who also happens to be our executive producer of this podcast.
Starting point is 00:13:05 And then we bring you the insight from a former player and this season it is Survivor 46 runner up, Charlie Davis. Welcome to the team, Charlie. Well, Jeff, I know firsthand that playing from the couch and playing on the island, completely different. So I hope you tune in every single week. We're gonna dissect the strategy, the misfires and mistakes that change the game.
Starting point is 00:13:26 If you want more Survivor than just 90 minutes, this is where you get it. On Fire, the only official Survivor podcast. Listen to On Fire, the official Survivor podcast wherever you get your podcast. Welcome back to The Daily Show. If you want honest and rigorous financial news, then go eat a dick. But if you want to get rich, then you want Michael Kosta and another installment of Kosta doing business.
Starting point is 00:14:03 Oh, yeah, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, and another installment of Kosta Doing Business. -♪ -♪ Oh, yeah. Hey, hey, everybody. I'm Michael Kosta, and this is Kosta Doing Business, all right? Big shout-out to our sponsor, Cocaine. Cocaine. It's not illegal if you're white. Now...
Starting point is 00:14:22 Now that we know who our next president is, we're tracking a whole lot of movement in the market. So how can you get rich off a Trump presidency? Hit me! Private prison stocks rose overnight after Trump selected immigration hardliner, Tom Homan, as his borders are. Two big private prison companies,
Starting point is 00:14:38 GEO and CoreCivic, both went up by more than 56%. And the chairman of CoreCivic said, this is an unprecedented opportunity for them. They expect to make a lot of money in the coming months. Lot of money. Prison stocks are booming and I'm a buying, all right? If profits off prisons are a crime, well then lock me up. And if being filthy rich is a crime,
Starting point is 00:15:00 then throw away the key. And if vehicular manslaughter is a crime, oh, I guess I'm in a lot of trouble. Uh-oh. Honestly, being in prison seems like fun. I mean, shooting hoops all day, drinking toilet wine all night, and in the friendships, you know?
Starting point is 00:15:18 I mean, what can I say? It's actually hard making male friends as an adult. I mean, shout-out to my only true friend, Rick. You're my ride or die, my man. Oh, moving on. Let's go. What else can we expect from President T. Rump? We all know he got that ass. We also know that he ain't gonna do shit about climate change,
Starting point is 00:15:41 which means it's time to make that climate change. We've seen clean energy companies like solar companies see their stocks relatively lower and it makes many cases absolutely lower compared to oil and gas stocks. Buy solar, hello super storms, alright? And that means a category five cashacana coming and my bank account's about to be flooded, okay? And to capitalize, I'm buying any company that makes raincoats, all right? Rain hats, galoshes, rule of thumb,
Starting point is 00:16:15 if Paddington wears it, I'm buying it, all right? All right? All right? All right? All right? All right? All right? Because let me tell you people, it's gonna rain. It's gonna people, it's gonna rain.
Starting point is 00:16:25 It's gonna rain. It's gonna rain. Look, I'm in the middle of a divorce right now, and I hid a lot of my assets in Chili's gift cards. We're having a serious custody battle, and I'm just hoping I can get my baby back, baby back, baby back. Seriously, though, it's getting really ugly, and it's sad. Of course, the market isn't just reacting to Trump.
Starting point is 00:16:49 It's also reacting to his cabinet picks. Hit me! Shares of dental care supplier Henry Schein rose yesterday up by 7.5%. It's the best day since 2022. Investors are, of course, speculating that RFK Jr., Donald Trump's pick for Health and Human Services Secretary, might push to remove fluoride from the US water supplies.
Starting point is 00:17:11 Open your mouth and say, ah, yeah. Look, if you're not buying dental supplies, you're totally mental, my guys. I'm talking drills, tiny nears, and the third best cane, Nova cane. All right? It goes, it goes cocaine, Michael Caine, and Nova cane. And yeah, yup, yup. And yeah, I've had all three on my gums before, so I know what I'm talking about. What's that?
Starting point is 00:17:41 You want another bump Trump to make your wallet plump? I'm talking woke signage stock. Give me that thing. Because the libs are going to be spending a lot of money on cute little signs in their window because they don't stand for hate. Meanwhile, I'll be standing on a f***ing yacht in Monaco with my buddy Rick. Look, we're not, look, we're not gay, but we do travel well together, all right? Now, last but not least, here's one more stock tip to make that cheddar drip.
Starting point is 00:18:10 I'm talking about something every American is gonna need these next four years, Kleenex. Libs are crying in them because they lost. Trumpsters are jacking off in them because they want. And I need Kleenex because give me them. Because I get a lot of nose bleeds for some reason. It's crazy. Now look, thanks for watching.
Starting point is 00:18:38 And as always, if you lose all your money because of me, hey, that's just the cost of doing business. Hey Rick, come into the line back there. Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo!
Starting point is 00:18:49 Woo! Woo! Hey Rick, who's your buddy? Is this time? When we come back, Ronan Farrow will be joining me on the show, so don't go away. Woo! Woo!
Starting point is 00:18:58 Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! It's time for a brand new season of Survivor. And you know what that means. It means it's also a brand new season of the only official Survivor podcast on fire.
Starting point is 00:19:15 Here's our goal with this podcast. We bring you inside the how and the why of what we do on the show. And we do it from three different points of view. You have the producer in me, you have the fan in Jay, who also happens to be our executive producer in this podcast, and then we bring you the insight from a former player and this season it is Survivor 46 runner-up, Charlie Davis.
Starting point is 00:19:34 Welcome to the team, Charlie. Well, Jeff, I know firsthand that playing from the couch and playing on the island, completely different. So I hope you tune in. Every single week, we're gonna dissect the strategy, the misfires and mistakes that change the game. If you want more Survivor than just 90 minutes, this is where you get it.
Starting point is 00:19:53 On Fire, the only official Survivor podcast. Listen to On Fire, the official Survivor podcast, wherever you get your podcast. wherever you get your podcast. HBO documentary, Surveilled. Please welcome Ronan Farrow. Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
Starting point is 00:20:28 Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!
Starting point is 00:20:35 Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Hello!
Starting point is 00:20:42 Ah, the man right here. How are you holding up? Oh, you know, lots of self-soothing. What, did something happen? Oh, I can't remember anything in the past week. Can you? Something, something. Something.
Starting point is 00:20:57 I could have asked or I could have talked to any number of governments spying on your phone. Oh my God, there's no telling. There's no telling. I'm so happy to have you here. You are incredible. You won a Pulitzer Prize for your reporting on the Me Too movement. And now you're working on this documentary, Surveilled, which is terrifying, mind you. And I don't want to sound paranoid, but...
Starting point is 00:21:22 Who's watching? Do you think we're being recorded right now now this this totally private okay good okay good thank God thank God no it kind of shook me to my core to watch it yeah and in you were actually the target of covert surveillance when you were doing your reporting on Harvey Weinstein. What happened? How did you know about that? I was, and that was a mix of old-fashioned human surveillance, like dudes staking out my apartment,
Starting point is 00:21:55 and some high tech, they're tracking my geolocation data through my phone. And look, that's mild stuff in comparison to the technology in this film. That sounds cartoony almost like they were sitting in a white van eating cheesesteak. Yeah old gum shoes. This is scarier more insidious stuff. Technology like Pegasus is the example we use in the film where I get cameras into where it's coded and I look at the impact on the ground around the world where in one Western democracy
Starting point is 00:22:26 after another, Spain, Poland, Greece, we're seeing this being used against political dissidents, against activists, against journalists. So my own experiences being trailed and fearing my reporting was not going to come out because sources would be intimidated really gave me this little window into this much larger issue where I just know that surveillance means shrinking space for democratic expression.
Starting point is 00:22:53 And we've all got to worry about that. And this is a growing trend. This technology is only it's becoming more and more booming as time goes on. So walk us through the process of how this type of technology works and who's using it. It's a booming multi-billion dollar industry.
Starting point is 00:23:10 And the biggest companies like to claim that they sell this only to governments. So you have governments, whether they're repressive regimes in the developing world or they're Western democracies that just don't have the capacity that, say, a CIA has, that are buying this up. But the interesting thing is also United States government offices are buying this up.
Starting point is 00:23:31 And actually, in recent months, we saw, for instance, ICE, our immigration enforcement agency, buy a really powerful Israeli private spyware made by a private company, a company called Paragon. So they've got that now. We don't know how they're going to use that. Donald Trump is coming in. And privacy law experts and immigration lawyers
Starting point is 00:23:49 I'm talking to are saying there really aren't clearly defined restraints on whether that just turns this country into an Orwellian surveillance state, where any text could be a thing that gets you retaliated against, maybe, if you're someone the government doesn't like, deported if you're someone the government doesn't like, deported if you're someone awaiting an immigration hearing. This is frightening stuff that could really affect lives.
Starting point is 00:24:11 There was a part of your documentary that stuck with me. You were speaking with a U.S. government official for the State Department, and he was saying... He believed very much in the use of Pegasus and was saying it serves great purposes in terms of national security. But in the same breath, he said that you cannot put the technology back in the genie bottle and anything that can be used for nefarious reasons will be.
Starting point is 00:24:38 Look, there are legitimate law enforcement applications for this kind of tech, certainly theoretically. In practice, I've seen cases where I get the argument. But the dangers are so great. It really is a case where we can't put the genie back in. And in that sense, it's like nukes. It's like any kind of weapon of mass destruction. And in fact, people at various companies
Starting point is 00:25:01 that make this kind of spyware would make that comparison over and over again. Well, you know, we're just like a new kind of arms dealer. It's not our fault that there's not a Geneva Convention equivalent for this kind of technology. You guys regulate it. We're just like living by the rules of the game, selling this stuff. But what we see over and over again is when this crops up,
Starting point is 00:25:19 like in the film, I go to Barcelona and I find a big community of politicians and activists, peaceful people who were just expressing themselves, who were spied on by the Spanish government. What we see over and over again is it's linked to violent crackdowns. In that case, there were arrests around this. We've seen more extreme cases.
Starting point is 00:25:36 Like, Pegasus was found on phones around Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist who was murdered in Saudi Arabia. So I think this is something where you might think to yourself, like, it's not gonna affect me. They don't want my nudes, like, what is on my phone? Well, that's true, no one does want my nudes. I've tried to push them on people and no one will take them. Well, we are gonna work on that self-esteem issue, you know?
Starting point is 00:25:57 You're gonna get that validation, probably from a Western government that's been corrupted by surveillance technology. They will want your nudes. I'll take it where I can get it. But the thing is, you could fall into one of these drag nets. In the film, there are just innocent bystanders we talk to who aren't political at all,
Starting point is 00:26:12 and suddenly they're getting hacked, and, like, maybe they're a doctor, and it's their patient-sensitive information, and you don't know how that's going to be weaponized by people with nefarious intent. So the thing that I'm working on a new print piece on this right now for the New Yorker where I write and the thing I've never heard of it. It's a little cute little publication called the New Yorker.
Starting point is 00:26:31 An example, by the way, of the dying art of journalism. Please support journalism, everyone. Please. It's important right now. New Yorker does great work. And I just keep getting told by experts in this technology, if our government doesn't curtail the use of this, and there's a lot of skepticism
Starting point is 00:26:49 that this incoming administration will, you won't know if you're on some target list. You won't know if your phone is being hacked or how that data is being used. So I think it's easy to see this as a distant issue, but what we're seeing around the world is, it can come for anyone, and we should really worry about it because it does shrink the space for democracy. If we can't
Starting point is 00:27:09 express ourselves freely without being watched, if reporters can't guard their sources at a time when Donald Trump is threatening to imprison reporters who protect their sources, if it's much harder for me to do my work, that's a much worse environment for the will of the people being expressed. So I'm hoping people see the movie and they get like, okay, this is actually something we should freak out about a little bit. Yeah, for the love of God, watch the movie, watch the movie. And restart your phone every day.
Starting point is 00:27:36 That's one practical piece of advice because a lot of forms of this kind of spyware will be foiled by a reboot. As, you know, that seems so banal, but it really is like a good step to stay, to keep everything updated is the other thing. It all seems obvious. So things that people can do at home, regular citizens can do at home, turn your phone off every day,
Starting point is 00:27:56 throw your smartphone in the river and use a flip phone. Put it right in the microwave, get that adult flip phone ready. And honestly, if you care about this issue, write to your representative, call in the microwave, get that adult flip phone ready. And honestly, if you care about this issue, write to your representative, call in, and say, hey, legislators, we really do need this to be regulated. There was a part in your documentary where I literally watched a guy wrap his laptop in tin foil.
Starting point is 00:28:19 I thought that was just something that people said, but he was wrapping it like a baked potato and transporting it. Is that where we're at right now? Are we gonna have to start doing that? Truly, that is what activists are doing in some of these places. Now, experts vary on exactly how effective
Starting point is 00:28:35 the whole tin foil approaches. I'm not saying you can really rely on that for security. We need better policies, not just better tin foil. That said, it is supposed to theoretically create a Faraday cage like you get in an elevator when you lose reception. And in that case in the film, there are these investigators racing to find
Starting point is 00:28:54 a live example of an infection so they can reverse engineer this particular kind of spyware. And it did actually work. They were able to get the data off that laptop and engineer a patch to foil that spyware company at least momentarily. Incredible. There is this sort of prevailing attitude in America of you know if I'm not doing anything wrong who cares if I'm being spied on what's misguided about Americans having that attitude. Well like we just talked about this is a set of policies that
Starting point is 00:29:23 affect all of our rights. The moment that journalists can't do their work without their sources in the government being exposed, you wouldn't have the Pentagon Papers, you know, you wouldn't have Watergate. The moment activists can't say, hey, I object to a policy without potentially being spied on like they have been in a lot of these western democracies I look at in my print reporting and in this film, you don't have dissent, and you have authoritarians with a firmer grip on power. So regardless of what side of the aisle you're on,
Starting point is 00:29:53 you should want dissent and the ability to resist freely without interference that's born of surveillance. And we've just seen the story over and over again. When this technology encroaches, it's not fine. It's not just your nudes. It's your safety. People are getting targeted and they're getting hurt. And discourse evaporates really rapidly.
Starting point is 00:30:14 You are doing such important, brave work. I can't even imagine the level of stress that you must experience day in and day out. What do you do to escape, to take care of yourself? Do you binge watch old episodes of West Wing? Or what do you do? Just throw in that phone right in the river like you proposed.
Starting point is 00:30:34 Get that little Anne Hathaway end of Delaware is Prada moment. Just boop in the fountain. I wish sometimes, but I'm really proud to be able to do the work of journalism at a time like this, when we have a leader coming in who has threatened to lock up journalists who don't reveal sources. We need journalists who won't reveal sources.
Starting point is 00:30:52 And we need sources who will continue to be. And I'm very lucky. You know, I write for a place that believes in that, that supports that. You know, HBO is putting out this documentary. So there are still people telling these stories. And I want to be a part of that. And you know, to de-stress,
Starting point is 00:31:09 I'll just have to play a lot of Mario Kart, you know? Well, there you go. That's what we have. Well, we are so incredibly grateful for your work. Thank you for all that you do. We are beyond grateful. Thank you for being here today. It means a lot.
Starting point is 00:31:21 Thank you so much. Thank you, everybody. The HBO original documentary, Surveilled, will be released November 20th on HBO and Mac. Ronan Farrow, everyone! We're going to take a quick break, and we'll be right back after this. That's our show for tonight.
Starting point is 00:31:44 Now here it is, your moment of zen. That's our show for tonight. Now here it is, your moment of bad. Can Trump, what happens if he loses Gates? Does it leave a stink? I don't think so. And I also don't think Gates doesn't get it because of a sex scandal. I think Gates, specifically, doesn't get this because he's an asshole to people and people in the Senate don't like him.
Starting point is 00:32:05 Explore more shows from the Daily Show Podcast universe by searching The Daily Show, wherever you get your podcasts. Watch The Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount Plus. Survivor 47 is here, which means we're bringing you a brand new season of the only official Survivor podcast on fire. And this season we are joined by fan favorite and Survivor 46 runner up, Charlie Davis, to bring you even further inside the action. Charlie, I'm excited to do this together.
Starting point is 00:32:43 Thanks, Jeff. So excited to be here and I can't wait to bring you inside the mind the action. Charlie, I'm excited to do this together. Thanks, Jeff. So excited to be here, and I can't wait to bring you inside the mind of a Survivor player for season 47. Listen to On Fire, the official Survivor podcast, wherever you get your podcasts.

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