The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Texas Storm Fallout Continues | Sharon McMahon

Episode Date: February 23, 2021

Trevor covers the ongoing Texas storm crisis, Michael Kosta investigates avian election fraud, and Sharon McMahon talks about fighting misinformation via her Instagram account SharonSaysSo.To help fight food insecurity in Texas resulting from recent snowstorms, go to dailyshow.com/HoustonFoodBank. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. Finding great candidates to hire can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. You might get a lot of resumes, but not enough candidates with the right skills or experience. But not with Zip Recruiter. Zip Recruiter finds amazing candidates for you fast. And right now you can try it for free at Zip Recruiter. Zip Recruits smart technology identifies top talent for your roles quickly. Immediately after you post your job, zip recruiters powerful matching technology starts showing

you qualified people for it, and you can use zip recruiters pre-written invite to apply message to personally reach out to your favorite candidates and encourage them to apply sooner. Ditch the other hiring sites and let zip recruiter find what you're looking for, the needle in the haystack. Four out of five employers who post on Zip Recruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. Try it for free at this exclusive web address. Zip Recruiter.com slash zip recruiter. Zip Recruiter the smartest way to hire. Hey what's going on everybody? I'm Trevor Noah andruiter, the smartest way to hire. Hey, what's going on, everybody? I'm Trevor Noah, and this is the daily social distancing show.

Today is February 22nd, which means it's the last week of Black History Month, which is why I've decided now is the perfect time to make some new Black History, by being the first Black Man to ski down Mount Everest. I tripped getting into my Uber. Anyway, on tonight's show, it's raining plain parts in Colorado. Michael Costa proves that election fraud is real and why everything is bigger in Texas, including the electricity bills. 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 some travel news. If you're one of those people who can't wait to fly on an airplane again, well, first of all, congratulations on being basic. And second, you may be willing to wait just a little longer after seeing this. This morning, the FAA and Japan's civil aviation bureau, grounding all Boeing Triple Sevens with a specific Pratt & Whitney engine.

As the NTSB investigates how this triple seven engine fell apart in midair just after takeoff. 231 passengers aboard United 328 from Denver to Honolulu Saturday, that terrifying sight right outside their windows. Overnight, the NTSB saying two fan blades on the engine were fractured. You can see a broken fan blade in this image. On the ground, massive pieces of metal falling on the ne. the ne. the engine were fractured. You can see a broken fan blade in this image. On the ground, massive pieces of metal falling onto neighborhoods, some running away trying to avoid getting hit by pieces falling out of the sky. It almost landed on my head. This giant piece falling on Kirby Clemens lawn, crushing his truck. When I stood up and went off the window,

I go, oh no, that's the front end of an airplane. God damn! A giant piece of an airplane landing in your front yard? That's terrifying. I mean on the other hand, how great is it to get something complementary from an airline for once? Customer services back, baby! And as terrifying as this moment was, what's really impressive is that someone was on a plane, saw the engine was on fire, and their first impulse was to take out their phone and record it.

That's how addictive it is to go viral. Every single one of us will spend our lost moments alive chasing retweets. I'm going down, but all my likes are going up. But at the same time, you're also on a plane. So, I I I I there's, I there's, there's, there's, there's, there's, there's, there's, there's, there there's, there there's, there there's, there their, there their, there's, there's, there's th. There's th. There's th. There's th. th. thi. thi, theat. the. the. th. the. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. It. It's, th. It's, th. It's the. It's thean. thean. thean. thean. thean. thean. thean. thean. thean. thean. thean. th. at the same time, you're also on a plane. So I mean, there's really no other good way to spend your last few minutes on earth. Oh God, the plane is going down. The plane is going down. Let me just load cruiots too. Seriously though, it is hard to overstate how terrible this was. I mean, yeah, nobody got hurt. But the plane was headed to Honolulu. And instead, it had to to to to to to to to to the the the the the the the the the the the the 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 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 their their their their their. their. their. their. their. There. There. There is their th. There is th. There is really the. There's the. There's the. There's thea. There's thea. There's thea. There's thea. There's really. There's really. There's really. There's really. There's really their their this was. I mean yeah, nobody got hurt, but the plane was headed to Honolulu and instead it had to land in Denver. Tell me that that's not a tragedy.

Oh, and just by the way, it turns out that this wasn't even the only Boeing accident this week. Yeah. At this point, Boeing has such a terrible record that people won't even wait for something to go wrong before they say goodbye to their loved ones. Hey man, I just want to say that I love you. And I'm grateful that you were my friend. Dude, what happened? Did you find out you have cancer? No. I just booked a flight on a Boeing.

But let's move on now to the coronavirus pandemic. It's the reason all your sex streams are now just about going out bowling. There's no question that things in the US are moving in the right direction. More people are getting the vaccine, fewer people are getting infected, and our mask knee is finally starting to clear up. But at the same time, things are still very bad. And today, the country reached a grim milestone to remind all of us of that. The coronavirus and the pandemic's once unthinkable toll in the US,

more than 500,000 lives lost in less than one year. The first reported fatality came on February 29. Three months later, it was 100,000 dead. And then by mid-September, the death toll climbed to 200,000 and surpassed 300,000 by mid-December. But then came the deadliest period in the pandemic, 400,000 deaths on January 19th. And now, just one month later, here we are, half a million COVID deaths in this country. President Biden will mark the milestone at the White House with a moment of silence and a candlelighting ceremony. That. That. That. That. That. That. That. That. That. That. That. That. That. That. That. That. That. That's. That's. That's. That's. That's. That's. That's. That's. That's. That's. That's that that that that that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's th. That's th. That's th. That's th. That's th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And the. And the. And the. And th. And the. And the. And th. And th. And th. And the White House with a moment of silence and a candlelighting ceremony.

That's right, people. Five hundred thousand COVID deaths, a number that nobody wanted to see. And as painful as that is, you have to admit, you have to admit. It is nice to see America's president actually take a moment, just a moment to recognize the toll that coronavirus has taken. I mean, the only time the previous the the the the the the pre the the the pre the the the the pre the the the the the previous the previous the previous the previous the previous the previous the pre the pre the pre the the the the the the the the the the the thi, 500 thi, 500, 500, 500, the the the the the the the tho, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, the the the the the the the the the, just a moment to recognize the toll that coronavirus has taken. I mean, the only time the previous president showed any sadness was when he accidentally deleted Fox News off of his DVR. What a day for Americans.

What a sad day! My sweetheart is God. The good news is that the number of new infections has plummeted in the last few weeks. But what's interesting is, the number the number the number the number the number the number that the number that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that thuiuiuiuiuiuiuiuiui is thui is thui is thui is that the number of new infections has plummeted in the last few weeks. But what's interesting is, the number that they've plummeted to is where they were last July, which at the time everyone thought was so horrifying that the country immediately started locking down again. And this just goes to show you that your perspective can change based on where you're coming from. That's it. Like, if I got attacked right now by a wolf, th, be like, Ah! This is the worst day of my life! Ah!

But, if I went from being attacked by four wolves to one wolf, I'd probably be like, Ah, what a relaxing way to start the week. So look, this is why it's so important to get people vaccinated as quickly as possible. And don't give me any excuses about how you're too busy or it's not convenient. Last weekend, a 90-year-old Seattle woman walked six miles in the snow to keep her appointment because the roads hadn't been plowed, which is incredible. Although if you believe old people's stories, walking miles in the snow is what they do all

the time. They love that shit. But still, if a 90-year-old woman can do it, you can do it too. And don't tell me, but Trevor, I'm not 90 years old. I'm too young to get the vaccine right now. That's also no excuse. A strange story now showing the length to Florida women were willing to go to to get the vaccine. They are caught dressing as grannies just so they could get the shot. Now here's the thing. It worked for them the first time around. Officials say the women are 34 and 44 years old. So you can see one of the more a bonnet and long cardigan. The other didn't make much of an effort to cover up. A vaccinator thought they looked funny so they were stopped before getting their shots and that's when they found out both women had faked their birth dates.

Now officials want to know how they were able to get away with getting the first shot. The women are not facing any charges, but police did yell at them, calling their actions selfish. Okay, this is outrageous. You call that dressing up as a granny? All that woman did was put a bonnet on, and that other one didn't do anything. Put on a wig, hunch over, or even easier, just download the Facebook app on your phone. I mean, if you got that, you're 75 minimum. If you want to cheat your way to the vaccine, you at least have to put in the work.

No one would have bought the charade. I'm pretty sure Mrs. Doubtfire. I'm your nanny. How did they even think that they could pretend to be old women at that age? I mean, personally, I blame porn. You know, they start putting women in the Milf category at 26. Of course, we have unrealistic ideas of what grannies look like. But what's crazy is, they would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would would? with it if the doctors hadn't gotten suspicious. Hey, wait a minute. If you're a grandma, how come you haven't tried to set me up with one of your grandkids yet? But let's move on now to our main story.

The ongoing crisis in Texas. A week after the state was battered by winter storms that took out the power grid, nearly 9 million people still don't have clean water. But don't worry. Help is on the the the the the the their their their. their. their. their, help their, help their, help. their, help. the, the, the, thoves. thoves, thoct, thoct, thoes, tho, tho, toe, toe, tho, tho, tho, too, too, too, too, too, too, too, too, too, too, too, too, too, toe, toe, toe, toe, toe, toe, toe, toe, toe, toe, t, t, t, t, t, t. We. We. Wea, too. Wea, too. Wea, too. Wea, too. Wea. Wea. Wea. Wea. Wea. Wea. Wea. Wea. Wea. Wea. Wea. Wea. Wea. Wea. Wea. Wea. Wea, help is on the way. After getting blasted for flying to Cancun when his own heat went off, Ted Cruz, Texas Senator and Disney Prince before True Loves Kiss is now back in his home state doing the literal bare minimum for the sake of the cameras.

Ted Cruz, appearing back in front of the cameras, not in Caulton. He spent the weekend helping Houston residents and first responders. He served barbecue to firefighters and police officers also delivered safe drinking water to folks who need it. Sorry, Cruz. This is not going to cut it, my man. See this right here? This is the politician version of coming home with flowers the day after Valentine's Day. It's not nothing, but your ass is still sleeping on the couch. And honestly, I don't know why politicians try to pull off these lame photo-ups. They basically

just turn people who actually need real help into political props. And their photographers probably just make it worse. Yes. Yes, that's fabulous darling. Yes, yes, yes, pout more like you don't have any food or water. Great, use that, use that, yes. Feel it. Now, fortunately, most Texans do have their electricity back on now. So they can finally log on to all those Zoom meetings that really should have just been emails. But even some people who didn't lose their power are finding out that they weren't as lucky as they first thought. The desperation growing in Texas, temperatures are finally rising, but so is outrage over absurdly high electric bills.

Texans like Scott Willoughby, who signed up for gritty energy, not knowing his rate could vary with the market. So when power supply went down from the storm, his typically $200 bill took off. What was the damage? 16,7,798 dollars, something like th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th? 16,798, something like that. And this was not a bill. This was withdrawn.

This was withdrawn, straight from my account. In Fort Worth, the utility company charged Ty Williams $17,000. So we were held hostage really with our rate that we were working with. It was really crazy. I'm trying to get, you know, gas and groceries and make sure that my that my that my thips that my thips thiiiii thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi this bill thi thi th. this bill this bill this bill this bill this bill this bill this bill this bill this bill this bill this bill this bill this bill this bill thi th. And th. th. thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi. thi. the bill the bill the bill the bill thi. thi. thi. thi. thi thi thi thi thi thi too took took took took took took took took took thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi working with. It was really crazy. I'm trying to get, you know, gas and groceries and make sure that my pipes don't explode. The last thing that I'm thinking about

is a $7,000 bill from my utility. Wow, people, $17,000 for electricity? At that point, it's cheaper to literally burn your own money for warmth. There's probably one Amish guy on the street right now all smug as hell seeing this story. He's eating a homemade stick of butter like, I told thou so, bitches. Because seriously people, at 17,000 dollars, it's almost not worth having any electricity. I mean at the very least, you're going to have to make extremely tough choices. Do you charge grandma's oxygen machine or your PlayStation controller?

Because I mean Grandma needs the oxygen to live, but you can't just stop playing Assassin's Creed Valhalla before you've united England? And I think Grandma would have understood that. But the question is, why are some Texans being hit with bills bigger than their belt buckles? Well, unlike every other state, it turns out Texas has very few regulations on its utility companies. And this free market system used to be the pride of Texas. In fact, a couple of years ago, Ted Cruz was bragging that the success of Texas energy was built over many years on free enterprise and low regulation. But now, now that Texans are being charged $20,000 to toast a bagel, Cruz has discovered that regulation might not be so bad.

Sunday, Senator Ted Cruz, tweeeting this is wrong. No power company should get a windfall because of a natural disaster. And Texans should not get hammered by ridiculous rate increases for last week's energy debacle. State and local regulators should act swiftly to prevent this injustice. Oh, you tell him, Ted Cruz. The only Texan that should be getting hammered is me at the hotel bar in Cancun. So yes, Ted Cruz has reversed his stance on regulation

like it was a flight path to Mexico. And I mean, let's be honest. Nobody forced these Texans to choose the world's shady as company for their electricity, but also nobody really talked about the worst-case scenario when they touted the wonders of an unregulated market. When Conservatives talk about freedom from government, they only focus on the good things, but that's not the whole picture. If you are running a zoo, and you told all the the the the their their their their their their their their their their. their. their. their. their. thozy. thozy. thozymea. thiiolomeomeomea. th told, told, told, th thiolomea' told, told, their, their, their, their. their. thauatus. thauatus. thaua, thauat. thae, thae, thae, thae, ttae, ttae, ttau. ttau. ttau. ttau. ttau. ttau. ttau. ttau. ttau. ttau. tttttttttte. te. tttttte. te. ttttte. tte. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. tld all the antelopes, congrats, guys, we're giving you all the freedom to roam around the zoo.

That's good news. But it would be only fair to tell them that the lions are also going to be getting that freedom. Because that shit is not as good for the antelopes as you make it sound. All right, when we come back, Michael Costa shows us how humans are't the only species with election fraud scandals. Stick around. Finding great candidates to hire can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. You might get a lot of resumes, but not enough candidates with the right skills or experience.

But not with Zip Recruiter. Zip Recruiter finds amazing candidates for you fast. And right now you can try it for free at ziprecruter.com. slash zip.ziprecruiter's smart technology identifies top talent for your roles quickly. Immediately after you post your job, zip recruiters powerful matching technology starts showing you qualified people for it. And you can use zip recruiters pre-written invite to apply message to personally reach out to your favorite candidates and encourage them to apply sooner. Ditch the other hiring sites and let Zip Recruiter find what you're looking for, the needle in the haystack. Four out of five employers who post on Zip Recruiter get a quality candidate

within the first day. Try it for free at this exclusive web address, zip recruiter.com slash zip recruder. The smartest way to hire. 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. Welcome back to the Daily Social Distancing Show. For months now, the liberal media has told you that election fraud isn't real. And that's what we thought too, until Michael Costa did some investigative work and uncovered a story that may just rock your faith in democracy. 2020 was one big diarrhea dump of a year.

A whole continent was on fire, the ongoing pandemic. I invested all my money into Quibby. But then came the big election, and just when it started to seem hopeful, people started calling the the election the election the election the election the election the election the election the election the election the election the election the election the election the election the election the election the election the election the election the election the election the election the election the election the election the election the the the the the the the the the the the election a fraud fraud fraud fraud fraud fraud fraud fraud fraud fraud fraud fraud fraud fraud fraud fraud fraud fraud fraud fraud fraud fraud fraud to th fraud fraud fraud fraud the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the election. the the the election. the the the the election. the the the the the the the the the the the the thea thea thea thea theauauauaua thrauaua throauaua throaug. thro thro thro thro thro thro toby. But then came the big election and just when it started to seem hopeful, people started calling the election a fraud. I wasn't surprised that there was election fraud because it isn't the first time it's happened. I couldn't believe it as if 2020 wasn't bad enough. It's shameful. This election rigging has threatened to derail avian democracy. That's avian democracy is in peril. New Zealand's bird- the bird-of-of-of-of-of-of-of-of-of-of-of-of-of-of-of-of-of-of-of-of-of-of-of-of-of-of-of-year-year-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-ne-nelection-nelection-nelection-nelection-nelection-nelection-nelection-nelectionshiiolea-n't thoea-n't thioli-n't thi-n't thi-n't thi-n't thi-n't thii-n. thi-n. thi-n. thi-n. thi-n. thi-n. thi-n. Ie-n. Ie-n. Ie-n. Ie-n. Ielection-nelection-nelection-nelection-nelection-nelection-nelection-nelection-nelection-nelection-election-election-election-earnea-ea-no'-ea-no'-no'-no'-nelectionelectionelectionelection. thelection.to derail avian democracy. That's right, avian democracy is in peril. New Zealand's bird of the year competition

has been rocked with revelations for slew of fraudulent votes streamed in overnight for the little spotted Kiwi, which pushed it into an unexpected and false lead. You know, I expect this type of behavior from America, but not from beautiful, perfect, COVID-free New Zealand. As a fellow bird enthusiast, I felt that not only were they shitting on democracy, but more importantly they were tearing these two majestic creatures apart. We've been running the Bird of the Year competition for 15 years.

Laura Quen, spokesperson for New Zealand's Bird of the Year competition. It started out as a page in the Forest and Bird magazine, where people wrote down their favorite bird and sent it in the mail. But now it's all gone online and it's an absolute cultural phenomenon. I love forest and bird. The centerfold for the crested finch in 98. Let's just, I'm gonna, we'll keep going. What is the significance of this competition for people, Laura?, Laura, the, the the the the th. th. th. th. th. th. th. to their, to to thi, to to their, their, tooe, tooes, tooes, tooes, tooe, tooe, tooes, tooes, tooes, tooes, to to, to, to to to to tooes, to to to tooes, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, tooes, tooes, too, t. We, t. We, t. to, to, together, the the the the the together, the the together, the the te.s. together, together, together, together, together, together, together, together, together, together,'m gonna, we'll keep going. What is the significance of this competition for people, Laura?

Well, bird of the year is our chance to celebrate our amazing native species. 80% of our birds, they're facing extinction. So it's a chance to get motivated to protect the birds that they love. I think we should address the pigeon in the mall food court. Do you believe that there was bird fraud? Yes, there there was there was some there was some there was some the the their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their thaugheeck. thaugheck. thaugheck. thiioleck. thiaugheck. thiaugheck. thiol. thiol. thiol. thi. thi. thi. thi. the the the their thi. their their the. the. their the. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their their their their thi. toe. toe. toe. toea. toea. toea. toea. toea. toea. toea. toea. their their their their their their in the mall food court. Do you believe that there was bird fraud? Yes, there was some irregular voting that was detected. What was it about the election that ruffled your feathers? Yeah, so the votes for the Little Spotted Kiwi just spiked all of a sudden, and it looked really strange.

Little Spotted Kiwi. Oh my god, that's what my ex-girlfriend used to... So who ended up winning the actual election? thoction? tho tho tho tho the election tho tho the election tho tho tho the election tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho the tho tho tho tho tho tho tho thi thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. th. th. thi. th. thi. th. thi. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. the the the toge toge toge toge toge toge the thi thi thi thi thi. thi. thi. th god, that's what my ex-girlfriend used to... So who ended up winning the actual election? The winner was the caccapole. Well, the cacopole is amazing. Bunny Hartfield, campaign manager, team cacapoop. It's this massive green bird, so it doesn't fly. And all they do is sleep all day and eat food and just hang out. They are also very horny birds. They will try and screw anything.

Flightless, sleeps all day, fat and horny. Sounds like me during quarantine. Congratulations, you beautiful bird. But the question remains, who sent in all the illegal votes so the Kakaroach wouldn't win? The Kakapar doesn't deserve to win. Emma Rawson, number one suspect and campaign manager for Kiwi Pukakaku. Close. Kiwi pukukku. Kiwi puku. Kyi pluktu. Kyi puktu. Kiki. Kuii pukku.

Pukukku. Pukku. Okay. Obviously, this is just an accent thing. So let's just get into it. Why did you do it, Kelly and Kiwi? Look, I didn't do it. The little spot of Kiwi embodies the values of truth, democracy, freedom, equality, fairness. Voter fraud is not the Kiwi way. According to who? Me? You can't argue with that. So who was behind this? I needed to speak with someone on the inside.

I needed my very own peep throat. Uh, best, I love birds. Yvonne Richard, data scientist, voting analyst, and lover of birds. Walk me through the day you realize there was an injustice happening inside at this prestigious bird competition. Well, I follow the numbers all the individual votes for each bird and it comes with the email address and the IP address and I'm looking at how they're voting it most over time.

Suddenly you've got one that crosses all the other spaces and theycom is number one. That's when you notice they all come in from one IP address, from an email address. I'm from going to throw, then a contact to Royston Bird. How did you contact Forrest and Bird? You just pick up that red telephone on your desk that triggers the alarm and goes straight to their headquarters? Say yes. Just an email. But we've got 40 look at it. the thirty emails from the email. the email. the email. the email. We've the email. We've the email. We've the email. We've the email. We've the email. We've the email. We've the email. We've the email. We've the email. We've the email. We've got the email. We've got the email the email the email the email. We've got the email the email the email the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone the phone. We've got the the the the the phone. We've got got the the th. We've got. We've got. We've got. We've got. We've got. We've got. We've got. We've got. We've got. th. to restore. That's it? You just noticed a bunch of emails from one IP address and you deleted them? Yes.

That's boring. Still, it's a relief to find a case of voter fraud with actual evidence. Now, the only thing left to decide, the punishment. Laura, what fate lies for these criminals? You take bird seed and spread it on their genitals and let the birds loose, you know? Well we just we just urge people to play by the rules to make sure that we have a fair bird election and you know if they try to cheat be assured we will find them and we'll be very disappointed.

Disappointed. And then you put the bird seat on the genitals and you let the birds loose like Hitchcock style. Bop, bop, bop, bop, ah, bop. So in the end, bird democracy triumphed. The Kiwis fraud was uncovered, the cockalopagus took its rightful office, and us avian fans can get back to the bird watching we love so much. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Thank you so much for that, Michael. All right, when we come back, Sharon McMahon from Sharon Says So

tells me how she separates truth from fiction in politics. You don't want to miss it. Finding great candidates to hire can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. You might get a lot of resumes, but not enough candidates with the right skills or experience. But not with Zip Recruiter. Zip Recruiter finds amazing candidates for you fast. And right now you can try it you can use Zip Recruiter's pre-written invite to apply message to personally reach out to your favorite candidates and

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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. Earlier today, I spoke with Sharon McMahon. She's a former US Government Studies teacher who runs the popular Instagram account, Sharon says so. We talked about her approach to government and politics, fighting misinformation and how she's using her platform to government and politics, fighting misinformation, and how she's using her platform to give back.

Sharon McMahon, welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show. Thank you. You have one of the most interesting Instagram accounts out there because it's not popular because of destinations that are being listed. It's not popular because of thirst traps. It's not popular because of memes. It is popular because you give people facts. That seems ludicrous.

And maybe five years ago, someone would have said, why would anyone have an Instagram account where all they're doing is sharing facts. But that is what you do. And the last time I checked, you have something over half a million subscribers and that number keeps jumping up and jumping up and jumping up. Let's start at the beginning.

Why on earth would you start a fact-based Instagram account? Well, you know, it's not my incredible sweater collection. That is interesting to people. You know, I have been a high school teacher for a long time, and I started noticing an incredible amount. Trevor, maybe you've noticed this, an incredible amount of misinformation circulating on the internet. And it was one of those things where I just was, you know, like, I would, my face would just get closer to the screen and I was like, what is even happening?

Where does this come from? So I just started making some little videos about facts, and apparently facts are missing, and facts are popular right now. What do you think it is about these videos that engages with people so much? I mean, surely people can just get facts out there. Why do you think that they're attracted to your videos and what keeps them engaged? I honestly don't think people believe th facts th facts th the the the the the the the the the the people people people people people people people people people the the the the the the thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi their thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi. thi. the their their their their their their their their their the? their thi... thi. thi. thi. I thi. I thi. I thi. I the the theean thean thean thean thean thean thean thean thean. theananananann'auuiauiaua tha tha th they're attracted to your videos and what keeps them engaged? I honestly don't think people believe they can get facts. That is really the crux of the matter.

Is they don't understand where to get facts. They don't know who to trust. They feel like they're getting played every day. And it's like a game of survivor. Like I don't know what the person's motivation is. I don't know if they're trying to swindle me. You know what I mean? Like there is just they're afraid of getting played and I think when they, you know, maybe saw that I'm not a politician, I don't work for some

company. I literally am just a teacher. That has just resonated with some people. It's resonated with them, but I mean it's interesting that you haven't been dragged into anything because you know facts whether we like to admit it or not can become a contentious conversation started these days. You know like some of the first videos of yours that I saw which were really impressive that people loved were the ones who were about Q&on. And I mean, you were stepping into the fray with Q&on, debunking Q&O myths, and you had people on your page saying, hey, I believed in Q&N, and then I watch these videos now, I don't believe in Qanon. But now, my question to you is, how do you do that without getting dragged into the fra fra fra fra fra fra facts means that you're against somebody at some point.

Yeah, that, you know, that is a question I ask myself every day. You know, like I almost feel like when is the other shoe gonna drop sometimes? Like, when are the throngs going to come for me? That is a thought that I have had, for sure. I think part of it is just that I really that I really that I really that I really the thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, thi, I thi, I thronge, thronge, thronge, thronge, thronge, that's, that's, that I have that I have that is, that is, that is, that is, that is, that is, that is, throng.... thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, th. th. th. th. thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thrown. thrown. thrown. thrown, thrown, that is a that is a that is a that is a that is a that is a that is a that is a throngi. thronge is a that I really work hard to stay respectful. I really work hard to stay respectful, to not make fun of people, to honor the fact that there are a variety of viewpoints, and that, you know, I'm not here to try to convince you my one perfect viewpoint.

Right. That's really, that's the only answer I have. I honestly don't, I'm waiting for the other issue to drop in some ways. So when you're doing the work, you're digging and getting the information and you're putting together the facts, you had to do the same thing for Q&ON, you have to do the research. How do you not get sucked into the Q&ON conspiracies that you've debunked? Because I mean, some of the thii's th of thinin, clearly, clearly, clearly, clearly, clearly, clearly, clearly, clearly, clearly, th, th, th, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, the, thi, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the work, the work, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, the, the, the, the that are non-factual? Yeah, you know, that the Q&N research is, that is some of the most interesting and also disturbing things I have ever been. I can imagine, yeah. Yes. It's like information you don't even really want to know. You know, like, I don't even know if I want to know this. So the way I don't get sucked into it is that I have all of this education and experience about what the Constitution actually says. And I've you know I've been teaching the Constitution and government for so many years that and I've read the Constitution so many times I know what's in it

and what's not and it's very easy for me to see like actually there is no second Constitution. Actually that's not real. The United States is not a to to to to to to to to to the to the to the the to the to the to the the the to the the to the the to the the the thi. thi. thi. th. th. th. th. thoen. the the Constitution. the thoen. th. the Constitution. the Constitution. the Constitution. the Constitution. the Constitution. the Constitution. the Constitution. the Constitution is the Constitution is the Constitution is the Constitution is the the the the Constitution. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th. th. th. thi. thi. thi. the. thoe. thoe. thoeean. thoean. thoecoecoecoection. th. thecoe. the. the. the the the. The United States is not a corporation that was sold to London in the 1800s. It's just very easy for me to tease out what is real and what's not. And I also because of my education and experience on this topic. It feels like we live in an age now where there is a, you know, there's a birth of information, I mean it's everywhere, but figuring out how to sift through the information is something that we lack.

And that is what I've always thought teachers do, is they bring you into this room where they help you sift through information as you are growing up through life. As a teacher, what do you thinkaching people things because people come in with preconceived notions of everything and then you have to teach them which means you have to unteach them. Yes, this is the average American today. My experience has been that they have a very difficult time distinguishing between a lie and bias.

They believe that those two things are the same. Oh. They perceive, let's say they watch one of your videos Trevor where you are, you know, going after Tucker Carlson. Just for example, they, that's obviously a biased point of view and that is a point of view that you are more than free to hold, they're free to hold a different point of view, right? Right. But at the core of, say, a video you may have made on that are actual clips of things he has said, actual facts about where he's gone to school. So you have a biased lens about the facts and so does every human. So this is not a dig on you in any way. We all have our own bias that we are looking through

at a variety of topics. People don't realize that. They see a video let yours if they are conservative and they think, well, he's just a liar. They don't understand that there's a difference between a bias and a lie. Right, right, right. Unable to engage with biased information that doesn't align with their viewpoint. Huh. That makes a lot of sense, yeah. They look at a CNN article, let, let, let, let, let, let, let, let, let, let, let, let, let, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi, let's, let's, let's, th. th. th. th. th. thi, thi, thi, thi, th. thi, th. thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, th. th. th. th. th. th. And, well, well, well, well, well, well, well, well, well, well, well, well, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. That makes a lot of sense, yeah.

Look at a CNN article and it's about, let's say, Trump's tax returns. They see that, well, they just hate Trump, they are just out to get him, and they immediately discount the information. When the information is based on a factual Supreme Court ruling. Right, right. That's what I'm finding is that I need to spend a lot of time e e e e e e e e e e e e e educating the time time time the time time time the time time the time time the time the time tiiiii. the time the time thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. 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. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. that. that's, that's, that's that's that's that's th. to spend a lot of time educating on the difference between bias and lie. It feels like this is a great time to have you and I think that's why you're being so successful. I mean everything from Ted Cruz's trip to, you know, what's happening in Texas, you know, all the way through to, as you say, the Constitution and Q&N on, you you tack tackle tack tackle tack tackle tack tac tac tac tac tac tac, tac, tac, tac, that's easy to digest and people really enjoy.

My question then to you is, where do you get your facts? My goal every day is to read five to ten news sources from across the spectrum. So I am reading everything from, you know, the far right news to like the more extreme liberal news. When a story is of interest, let's say the most recent thing about Ted Cruz going to Mexico, I want to make a point of looking for that specific story from a variety of viewpoints. Always falling back to primary sources.

You know what I mean? Like the journalism 101. I'm not a journalist, but that's, if you can find it in the Constitution, if you can find it in the actual text of the law, if you can find the actual documents, falling back to those is always key as much as much as possible. Before I let you go, you've also used your platform to help people in need, and you've been big in getting group philanthropy going and getting a lot of your viewers or your followers to join in and help worthy efforts. Most recently you went after medical debt something that a lot of people are

struggling through right now especially because of COVID-1c3 toov. Talk me through that and what you've been doing and what you've been able to achieve. I decided to partner with an organization throwne. I'm decided to partner with an. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. to to to to 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 their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, the. You, the. the. the. the. the. their, te. te. toe. te. toe. toe. toe. toe. Soe. the Medical Debt, which is a 501c3 organization, and what they do is they buy medical debt and they forgive it. And because they buy huge chunks of medical debt at a time, they're able to get massive discounts on it. So in five days, my community raised over $560,000 for the organization, which will forgive $56 million of medical debt. Wow.

I mean, that is the definition of social media being used for good. Right. Crowdsourcing, help for people who need it. You're doing an amazing job. I can see why you're so popular, and hopefully it goes from 500,000 follows to a million to 2 million and so on because in a world with facts maybe we can get to a place where we agree on reality and then we just get to fight about what we think about that reality which is the bias. Yes a hundred percent agree.

And then we can fight about real facts. Yes. I love that. Thank you so much for joining me on the show. Yes. Take care. Be sure. to to to to to to to to to to to to to the to the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the their th. their their th. th. th. their their their their their their their their their their their their. their. their fact. their fact. their fact. their fact. their fact. their fact. their fact. And then. And then. And then. And then. And the the the the their. And their. And their. And th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, te. And, tea. And, tea. And, tea. And, tea. And, te. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, that. Thank you so much for joining me on the show. Thank you so much. Take care. Be sure to check out Sharon says so on Instagram and on Facebook. All right, we're going to take a quick break, but we'll be right back after this. Well, that's our show for tonight. But before we go, Texas needs our help. The blackout right now isn't just causing power and heating failures, it's causing massive food insecurity all over the state. Now one organization on the ground is Houston Food Bank. They're leading hunger relief in 18 Southeast Texas counties and if you can help them out in any way then please donate to the

link below. Until tomorrow, stay safe out there, wear a mask, and remember if you're pretending that you're a grandmother, say, Why thank you, young man? Not why thank you, guy who's the same age as me? The Daily Show with Covernoa, Ears Edition. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central and the Comedy Central app. Watch full episodes and videos at the Daily Show.com.

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. 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 Apples starting September 17. This has been a Comedy Central Podcast.