The Daily Show: Ears Edition - The 2020 Republican National Convention: Day One | Stuart Stevens, Radhika Jones, Ta-Nehisi Coates

Episode Date: August 25, 2020

Trevor examines the QAnon conspiracy theory, Stuart Stevens discusses The Lincoln Project and "It Was All a Lie," and Radhika Jones and Ta-Nehisi Coates talk about co-editing Vanity Fair. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

listen to 60 Minutes, a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17th. Hey, what's going on, everybody? Welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show. I'm Trevor Noah. It is Monday, August 24th, and here's your quarantine tip of the day. If you're worried about riding in an elevator with other people, here's all you have to do.

Just carry a mannequin around with you. And then if someone tries to get in the elevator with you, you just put your arm around the mannequin and go, sorry, me and my love, I need a little privacy. Anyway, tonight, we strap in for night one of the Republican National Convention. We also look at how Q&N is taking over the GOP, and we're going to be joined by the ever-prolific Tanahisi Coats. So let's do this, people. Welcome to the Daily Social Distance Show. From Shorter's Couch in New York City to your couch somewhere in the world. The Daily Social Distance Ceion, the to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the the the the to the the the the the the the the the the Daily Social Distancing Show presents. The Republican National Convention,

celebrating February's record economy. Tonight was the start of the Republican National Convention, a week of speeches, celebration, and white people walking up to Ben Carson saying, wait, aren't you the one that died? And if the DNC was all about the people, while the RNC seems to be about one person, Donald Jucieness Trump. The stage is set and now Republicans

will have their chance to make their pitch to Americans. And we've learned President Trump is expected to make an appearance every night. You can expect a lot of President Trump, as you mentioned, and also a lot of people who have the same last name as him. There's someone with the last name of Trump speaking on every single night of this Republican National Convention, including the President himself, who you mentioned, will appear in some form or fashion in the 10 p.m. hour, every single night of the convention. It's slated to appear all of the president's children, except for his youngest son, Baron. There's also a little nugget that a couple of the producers of the apprentice are actually part of putting this production together as well.

So maybe a little bit added TV value. Oh man, this is so exciting! The producers of the apprentice are working on the RNC? So does this mean Trump's planning on firing people? Because I mean, he doesn't really have any stuff left to fire. His whole team is like Mike Pence, Steve Manuchin, and then just 30 Jared clones. But hey, maybe if we're lucky, this week will end with Trump firing one of his kids. I'm sorry, Eric, but you're fired. But Dad, I won the challenge.

The real challenge is me having to see your face. You're fired. And you know, Trump making a speech every single night may seem unusual in terms of convention traditions, but if you think about it, it makes sense. The Democratic Party had to give everyone a speaking slot because they're trying to appease a bunch of different groups. Black people, Latinos, progressives, disaffected Republicans, fans of ABC shows. The Republican Party, on the other hand, they only care about appeasing Trump,

because it's his party now. And if you don't like it, you can shut the fuck up or join John Kaysick in that field. Now, you might remember, one of the highlights of the Democratic convention was the roll call of all the delegates who announced their votes from beautiful locations around the country. Well, 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, th. th. that, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, their, their, their, their, thi, their, their, the, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, th. th. th. th. th. the, th. thi. thi. And, thi. And, thi. It's thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thean, thean, thean. thean, thean. thean. thean. thean. thean. thean. thean. thean. th country. Well, this morning, the Republicans had their roll call, and it was beautiful in a different kind of way. Today, as a proud and independent nutmegger,

I proudly cast 28 spicy votes for President Donald J. Trump. We put forth common sense policies to help everyday Rhode Islanders, who love coffee, milk, and doughboys, dip their clam cakes in Chowda, and yes, we eat a lot of Kalamari, Rhode Island style. Maryland is home of the Underground Railroad and two of our greatest segregation, abolitionists. I come from the great state of Montana. It's often been called the big sky country, the treasure state, and the last best place. But currently we are affectionately calling it Trump-Tana.

We fish, we hunt, we boat, and we have at least five guns in every home. Honestly, if you need at least five guns in your home, it's probably because you misplaced things a lot. You don't need to buy extra guns. You really just need to buy a notebook, to write down where you left your gun and to start journaling, because your ass is crazy. Either way, the RNC roll call was depressing. I mean, the DNC at least had a ninja chef posing on the beautiful beach. You know, the most interesting person here looks like he's getting his mug shot taken after being arrested for sweating too much. And also, why is the camera so close to their faces?

Huh? That's how you zoom into a work meeting when you don't want people to know you're still in bed. Yeah, guys, I look through the proposal and everything seems good. Now as you heard, practically every member of Trump's family will be giving a speech this week. But one person who won't be speaking is President Trump's older sister, Mary Ann, who's a retired federal judge. In fact, she almost never says anything publicly about her brother at all. But now, we're learning what she's been keeping to herself.

President Trump's sister, Mary Ann Trump Barry, blasting her brother in a batch of secret audio recordings first reported in the Washington Post. He has no principles of none. None. The leaked conversations between the president's sister and their niece, Mary Trump, were secretly recorded by Mary, who says she taped 15 hours of their face-to-face talks between 2018 and 2019. The retired federal judge labeling her brother cruel and phony. Is God-fixie and the lying? Oh my God, I'm talking to really, but you know,

it is the change of stories, the lack of preparation, the lying, the holy f- the tellip. No, man, come on. Are we living in the 12th season of a soap opera now? When in real life does a sister come out of nowhere to start a feud with the main character? Who is she? Where did she come from? I hate my brother.

You know things are bad for Trump, when he's having a hard time wrangling the Trump vote. It's going to be hard to win independence and swing states when you're polling poorly with people you share parents with. And I've got to say, this made me a fan of Trump's sister. Not because she dislikes her brother, but because she's 83 years old and she apparently loves cussing. I just want to go out to dinner with her. I'll have the fucking soup. And hey, if I got wings, would you assholes help me eat the shit out of them?

Okay, we'll have some of those fucking wings. Now, as he goes into the convention week, Trump finds himself down big in the polls to Joe Biden, in large part because of his handling of the coronavirus. It has been an absolute disaster. So now, Trump is trying to change that perception with some fresh blood. President Trump has announced an emergency authorization for a coronavirus treatment that his administration hails as a quote, major advance. President Trump making that dramatic announcement late Sunday that the FDA has authorized the use of convalescent plasma for emergencies.

But now some Democrats aren't demanding answers asking if the FDA is being pressured by a president locked in a tough re-election battle. The decision for emergency use comes after an internal debate at the FDA over whether the agency had enough data to authorize such a move. It also comes a day after the president, without any evidence, accused the FDA of impeding clinical trials for political reasons. Tweeting Saturday, the Deep State or whoever over at the FDA

is making it very difficult for drug companies to get people in order to test the vaccines and therapeutics. God damn. Trump hasn't bullied nerds this hard since he forced one to take his SATs for him. I mean, we all want a cure for COVID. But new medicines shouldn't be rushed out to the public like their Taco Bell menu items. And I mean, of course Trump has a problem with the FDA. They're the same ones who told him how many calories are in his burgers.

If these things are 800 calories a piece, then how come I can eat 10 of them? Still, let's try to be positive here. Even if these treatments aren't proven safe or effective, maybe they'll work and coronavirus will be gone. And then, the only reason we'll need to wear masks is to hide our brand new mutant faces. All right, we have to take a quick break, but when we come back, we'll tell you why Q&NON is the future of the Republican Party. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television.

Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17. Welcome back to the daily social distancing show. For the last few weeks, you might have been hearing about something called Q&N. The biggest thing on the internet since that time Kim Kardashian's butt was thirsty. It has been all over the news, social media, and this weekend, Q&N supporters even held

demonstrations in cities across America. But what is Q&O? Well, let's find out in another installment of our ongoing segment, if you don't know, now you know anything about Q&N, you've probably heard that it's a conspiracy theory. But the truth is, it's more like a political cult built around a conspiracy theory and then crossed with a big book of word search puzzles. And if that sounds complicated, well, wait till you hear what they believe in. For believers, Q is an anonymous government official who posts classified information about

a covert battle between the president and a malicious ring of celebrities, political elites, and the so-called deep state. This anonymous poster, Q, was giving secret clues about becoming, quote, great awakening. The central theme here is that Hillary Clinton and many of the world's other politicians and celebrities are members of a murderous child sex ring. Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Hanks, and others. Eat children in order to extract a life-extending chemical from their blood group. They believe that a group of military generals recruited President Trump to break up this

conspiracy and end their control of the government and the media. Donald Trump in the Qa'un on view is going to save us from us in a moment called the storm. His tweets are misspelled for a reason. When he does Kave and the Smoking gun, it's all cold for what he's telling us. Okay, I want whatever these people are smocking. Because Trump's typos are a secret message? Man, I wish people were this forgiving when I did stupid shit.

No, you guys don't get it. When Trevor threw up at that party, he was showing us. It's what's on the inside that counts. But look, this guy's 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 thus thus thus thus thus thus threw up at that party, he was showing us. It's what's on the inside that counts. But look, this guy's also not wrong. President Trump's tweets are misspelled for a reason. And that reason is, he can't read. Now look, if Hillary and Oprah were eating children to live longer, I would be horrified. Because that is such a waste of magic blood. You feed those kids to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, people priorities. But there's no ways this conspiracy theory is actually true.

And look, I believe a lot of crazy shit, okay? I believe the TSA confiscates all our lotion in order to secretly sell it back to us at Walgreens. I believe possums are just dogs. I believe no one has actually broken up with then up up up up up up up up up up up up up thian up thian up thian up thuicicicicicicic-I the their their their is their is their is their their their is their their th. I is thus. I is th-I is the. I is their the. I is the. I is no one is no the. I is no the. I is the. I is the. I is this this this this. I is this this. I is this. I is this. I is this. I is this. I is this. I is th. I is th. I is th. I is thus. I is thus. I is thus. I is thus. I is thus. I is thus. I is thi thi thi. I thi. I the theo theoo theoeo theooeoeo their theoeoeo their their their their their. But this conspiracy theory is crazy even for conspiracy theories. I mean, set aside everything else. You're telling me, Trump is doing something heroic, but instead of taking credit for it, he's keeping it a secret? That is the most unbelievable thing I have ever heard.

Plus, if you're wondering how it's possible that Trump can be leading the fight against the pedophile ring when he was friends with Jeffrey Epstein for years, well, according to Q, Trump has been undercover since the 90s, which I believe. I mean, if there's one thing Trump is known for, it's his famously long attention span. So how did this insane theory take off? Well, partly it l it latched onto fears about the real phenomenon of human trafficking. Partly, it fed off ancient anti-Semitic troops about elitists who drink the blood of children, but mostly, it was just the good old internet. Q&ON first emerged in the months after President Trump took office, starting on fringe internet before spreading to social media. The pandemic has only made things worse. And so these people are just thoe thoe thoe thoe thoe thoe thoe thoe thoe thoe the thoe the the the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, th. the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, th. the, th. the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, ta, ta, ta, ta. ta. ta. ta. thauuu. thau. thau. thau. ts worse. And so these people are just there all day. Facebook groups have grown exponentially with Q&ON.

In just four months, membership of the biggest public Q&O groups rose by 700%. We saw a lot of groups who were wellness communities, people who were interested in alternative health. People would, the algorithm would sort these people together with the Q&O people. They would say, oh, oh, the, the, their their, they were, they were, they're, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, th. Facebook, th. Facebook, th. Facebook, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, th. Facebook, th. Facebook, th. Facebook, th. Facebook, th. Facebook, th. Facebook, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, their, thi, their, thi, thi. We. Wea, thri. Wea. thr. Wea. Wea. Wea. thr. Wea. Facebook, thr-i. Facebook, thro. Facebook, thr. Facebook, thi. Facebook, the algorithm would sort these people together with the Q&O people. They would say, oh, alternative health, maybe they're into anti-vacs. If they're anti-vacs, maybe they're into Donald Trump. And within one or two clicks, people would go down these very bad paths. Yep. That's how this shit always goes on the internet.

Feels like at this point, the entire purpose of Facebook is to funnel everyone towards the craziest conspiracy theories possible. Because people will join a group about cycling, and then five hours later, they're like, Hillary Clinton is a mountain goat people. She's an actual goat! And it's not surprising that the pandemic turned out to create the perfect conditions for people to get radicalized. Some people join Q-Non. Some of them will shut up about

it. This also shows you how much the internet is ruining our brains. When Shakespeare was quarantined during the plague, he was like, maybe I should write King Lear. Now people are sitting around during coronavirus going, I wonder if I could prove that Tom Hanks has sex with the devil. Either way. Starting from the swampiest parts of the internet, Q&on

gradually picked up followers and eventually grew into a major online movement. And it hasn't seemed to matter that many of the things it predicted over the years just never came true. Early on, they were claiming that Robert Moller was secretly investigating, and to indict the cabal of Democratic leaders and that President Trump was secretly working with Mueller's team. President Trump has secretly created a police force, by the way, to arrest them and force them to wear ankle bracelets. The belief is that somehow the late JFK Jr. is alive and helping Trump clean up the deep state.

Nearly all of these clues, including that Hillary Clinton was arrested turn out to be wrong, but the batting average doesn't seem to matter. You can present them with evidence, you can demonstrate how the predictions have gone wrong, and they don't seem to care. It's just again and again that Q is bigger than anything that they can be presented with to the contrary. That's right. It doesn't matter how many of Q's outlandish predictions fail to pan out. It never seems to have an impact on the movement. And that, my friends, is the classic sign of cult behavior.

Once you're invested enough in something, you will make any excuse for its failures. So please, don't be looking for logic here. That's not how cults work, okay? Cults don't follow logic. They follow whatever the cult tells them. That's why you the the the their their thuuuuuuuuuuu, th th th th thi thi th thi thi thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thiol, thi, thi, thiol-a, thiol, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, thu. thu. th. thu. thu. thu. thu. thu. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. the. the. the. thea. t t t t t togu. t t te. togu. the. the. thea. thea. the the cult tells them. That's why you always see cult leaders go so quickly from, The Sacred Aliens have chosen us to, weird news, guys. The Sacred Aliens told me I should bang all of your wives. I guess it must be for our redemption or something to go some way.

I pick her. So, thanks to this religious fervour, Qunon, took over the internet, to this religious fervour, Q&O took over the internet. And it would have been fairly harmless if it had just stayed on the internet, you know, like Momo. That thing was a joke. That was weird. But the scary thing about Q&Own is what happened when it jumped from the screen to the streets.

This is not just a bunch of online crazy talk. It's dangerous in real life. The FBI says Q&O-inininininininininininininininininininininininininininininininininin, to to to th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. tho thus, thi, this this tho- this this this tho this tho this tho this, this, tho this, this, this, this, this, th. this, this, th. th. th. this, th. And, th. So, th. So, this, th. So, this, this, this, th. So, this, th. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. I-I. I'm just just just just just just just tho. tho. tho. tho. tho. tho. tho. tho. th says Q&O and their many conspiracy theories are a potential domestic terrorism threat. The North Carolina man who shot up this DC pizza restaurant looking for non-existent pedophiles believed in similar theories. On more than one occasion, people believed to be followers of Q&O-Non have shown up, sometimes with weapons in places that the character told them were somehow connected to anti-Trump conspiracies. In June, a man armed with a rifle and a handgun drove an armored vehicle to the Hoover Dam on what he said was a mission from Q&O. Q&O followers have allegedly been involved in a foiled presidential assassination plot,

the devastating California wildfire and armed standoff with local law enforcement officers in Arizona. In July, a 24-year-old manned th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and a th. thiol-upi, and a thi, and a thi, and a thi, and a thoom, and a th. th. thi, and a thui, and a, and a, and a, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and thiiiiiiiiiiiiii-a-s, thi-s, thi-s-s, th-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s, thr-s, thr-s, the-suredeaui.eaui.eaui.eaui.eaui.eauiauiaui.a-a-year-old man was charged in the shooting death of a reputed mob boss. His attorneys argued he was motivated by Qanonan. Written on his hand in the courtroom were Qanonon symbols. You cannot be serious. Can you imagine being a mob boss and you get whacked by a kid from a message board? Not a rival, just some random kid. You'd almost want them to lie in your obituary and say you were a snitch. But this is insane. Q&on people are out in the world doing real things, shootings, shootings, hijackings, kidnappings.

Of all the bad advice I've gotten on the internet, nothing ever came close to making me murder a mob boss. The worst advice I ever got was toothpaste, to their, thia, 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, thi, thi, thi, thi, th. And, th, th, th, th, th, th. And, thi, thi, th. So, th. So, th. So, th, th, th, th. So, th. So, th, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thr-a, thr-nipeanananan, thr-auiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. And, thin, thi, thiaste to get rid of pimples. But I ate the entire tube of toothpaste and all I got was a tummy ate. Pimples didn't go anywhere. And even with sporadic real-world violence, it might be tempting to dismiss Q-and-on as just another lunatic fringe. But it's actually becoming pretty close to mainstream. In fact, there are roughly 50 Q supporters who ran for office in the Republican Party this year. And it's almost certain that one of them is actually going to be in Congress next year. Although maybe that's a good thing. Nothing will prevent them from getting anything done better than being in Congress.

Congress, the only people with a lower approval rating than Q&N. And then of course, there's President Trump. He's the big hero in all these Q&N. And then of course, there's President Trump. He's the big hero in all these Q&N stories. So he could just shut this down quickly by saying, guys, none of this is true. Q isn't a real person. And besides, if there was a sex group with all the most important people in the world, you know I'll try to be in it. Yeah, that's what he could do. But instead, he has come out and declared that Q&O are some very fine people. At President Trump's rally in Tampa, the image was hard to miss, the letter Q, on signs and t-shirts. We are finally putting America first. The Trump campaign even included Q&O's signs and an ad.

President Trump has used his own social media accounts to promote Q&O followers and content, nearly 200 times. President Trump praising supporters of the bizarre Q&on conspiracy theory. He told reporters he heard that Q&on followers are people who love the country and him. Well, I don't know much about the movement other than I understand they like me very much, which I appreciate, but I don't know much about the movement. I have heard that it is gaining in popularity. These are people that love our country, and they just don't like seeing it.

Well, at the cross of the theory, it is this belief that you are secretly saving the world from this satanic cult of pedophiles and cannibals. If I can help save the world from problems, I'm willing to do it. I'm willing to put myself out there. Yeah, you see, it doesn't matter that Q&N is a dangerous cult and all of their beliefs are complete fiction. President Trump is on board. Trump's approach to Qanon is basically the same as that Backstreet Boy's song. He doesn't care who you are, where you're from, what you did as long as you love him. And honestly people, nobody should be surprised that Donald Trump is

embracing Q&ON. Donald Trump was always going to embrace Q&ON. The surprise is that he's president. So that's Q&N in a nutshell. It's a violent delusion that spread from the internet to pray on vulnerable people and infect an entire political party. Or maybe, I'm just saying that to throw you off the real story. And if you don't know, now you know. Don't go away, because when we come back, we'll be talking to a Republican. Yeah, that's right, a real-life Republican who doesn't like Trump.

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

Welcome back to the Daily Social Distancing Show. So today I spoke with former Republican strategist Stuart Stevens. We talked about his work with the Lincoln Project and his latest book, It Was All a Lie, how the Republican Party became Donald Trump. Check it out. Stuart Stevens, welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show. Thanks, it's great to be here. Thank you. You are part of the Lincoln Project, which is a group of Republican never-trumpers who have gained a lot of notoriety online for putting out slick memes and anti-Trump pictures

or gifts or whatever it may be, that have really targeted the president from a Republican point of view. Tell me what that means from your perspective, because I mean, for some people they might think that's a paradox. How can you be a Republican who is never Trump? It's a group of us who worked in a lot of Republican campaigns. And we really feel that Donald Trump is not only a threat to the Republican Party, it's a threat to the country and democracy itself. He represents everything that we thought we were working against. We thought we had joined up a party where character counts, personal responsibility mattered,

strong on Russia, the debt was important, free trade. Donald Trump was against all those things. So we kind of had three choices, we did beat Trump, well that wasn't going to happen, or we'd sit it out, we sort of sucked, or use the skills that we have to try to beat Trump. So we're going with door number three and trying to beat him. To say that you have helped many Republicans get into office, but then turn around and say that you are against Donald Trump might be confusing because people would say that, well, Donald Trump is the natural evolution of the Republicans that we've seen come into office. The party has aligned around him, everyone, the, the, the the, the, thiiiiiiiiii, 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, 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, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi. We's, thi. We's, thooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. th has aligned around him, everyone from Marco Rubio to Mitch McConnell.

So the question then is, is Donald Trump not just a crass version of what the Republicans wanted, but a Republican nonetheless? Well, look, you know, I asked that question, let me write this book, it was all a lie. I think you're right, it is what the Republican Party wants. I think the Republican Party became Donald Trump. I don't think that Donald Trump is an aberration, a black swan who hijacked the party.

In this book, I try to trace the history of the party, and I think there's always been two elements. You go back to the 50s, there was Joe McCarthy and Dr. Eisenhower, kind of a crazy wing, and a th one thine thine thine th an th an thine thine th an thine th an thine th and I thian th and I th and I thian th and I thian thian thian thian thian thi thi, and I thian thian thian thian thi, I thi, I thi, I th. I th. I th. I th. I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, in thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thin, I thin, I thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thi thi th wing. And I think that's continued. I was involved in Governor Bush's campaign in 99 and President Bush, and we tried to create a new model of compassion to conservatism, as he called it. And we thought we were the dominant gene of the party, that it was inevitable that the direction we wanted the party to go into with triumphs. I think now we have to conclude, I to conclude, I to conclude, I have to conclude, I have to conclude, I have to conclude, I have to conclude, I have to conclude, I have to conclude, I have to conclude, I have to conclude, I to conclude, to conclude, to conclude, to conclude, to conclude, to conclude, to conclude, to conclude, to conclude, the the the thoom, to conclude, thoom-a, thoom-a, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, go into with triumph. I think now we have to conclude, I have to conclude anyway personally, that that was wrong. We were the recessive gene. And that darker side of the party really was the heart and soul of the party, at least as it's constructed now.

When you release a book with the title, it was all a lie. It's a fantastic title in my opinion because it's a tasknipteaa question I have for you though is, were you fooled by the lie or because you were helping these politicians get into power, were you part of the lie? Yeah, that's a great question and the answer is both. And I've tried to be as honest as I can. And this is a book that isn't blame them. I mean, I start out by saying blame me. I can't in good faith say I believe in personal responsibility and was drawn to the party because of that without taking personal responsibility.

I was part of this. I think that I felt that we were building towards something that was greater and better and bigger than ourselves. I think I looked too much the other way when we saw this dark side. But the essence of it that we now had that, to th th th th th th th th th th th thi that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, the, the, the, the, them the, thi, them them them them them them them, them them them them them them them them them them them, because the, because thi, because thi, thi, thi, thi, th th th th th th th th I look too much the other way when we saw this dark side. But the essence of it, that we now have embraced the Republican Party as a white nationalist party, I never in my wildest dreams, perhaps naively, thought that was possible. So what do you actually hope to achieve, seeing how Trump has just completely owned and controlled this political party? Which we see more every day. I think that it's important to just go out there and fight to over. And the end result of that fight is never clear in any of these battles. You have to believe in what you're doing at that moment. And look, one of the things that shouldn't be overlooked here is, while Donald Trump says

he has 95% popularity in the party, that's probably an exaggeration, but it's 89% or 88% probably, but the party's getting smaller. So as he keeps that intensity because a lot of people who are independents, who are self-identifying as Republicans, no longer identify as Republicans. So he has shrunk the party. Since 1964, Republicans have not attracted African-Americans in any number, which is a huge, huge failure of the party. But we admitted it was a failure, and we tried to aspire to something better.

Now Trump is just comfortable with this. So the party is getting smaller. And there's really not a future for that party in a tha, thiiiiiia, thia, thia, thia, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thrui, thi, thi, thi, thi, to to to to to to to to to the party, the party, the party, the party, the party, the party, the party, the party, the party, the party, the party, to to to to to to thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thruuuuuui, thrui, toooooooooooooomuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuui, thi, thi, thi, thi, this. So the party is getting smaller. And there's really not a future for that party in a changing America as it is now. Where do you go back to? Is it about defeating Donald Trump and then going back to the Republican Party and then continuing many of the policies that have helped create Donald Trump? Or is there another way? Because that's the one thing that I'm left with is what do you go to and where and where and where to to to to to the to the the to the the to their their their their their their their their their their there another way? Because that's the one thing that I'm left with, is what do you go to and where do many of your fellow never-Trumpers go back to if in many ways the poison is still within the

party even if Trump is not in the White House? Well, we're going to fight Trump-ismism in all its forms, which I think is really fighting for American democracy. I think there's really three parties in America now. There's a Republican Party, which is basically a party that says no to everything. And then there's two parties inside the Democratic Party. Call it an AOC, Sanders wing and a Biden wing. And the future of America is going to be decided within that debate.

I mean, take national health insurance. In 20 years, will America be the only only thapapapapapapapapapapapapapapapapapape. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. T, thi. There is th. There is th. There is th. There is th. There is th. There is th. There is th. There is th. There is th. There is th. There is th. There is th. It is th. It is th. It is th. It is th. It is th. It is thi. It is thi. It is thi. It is thi. It is thi. It is thi. It is thi. It is thi. It is a theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. There's theee. There's the. There's thi. There's thi. There's years, will America be the only country that doesn't have national health insurance or Western democracy? Of course we're not. But what's that going to be is going to be decided in the Democratic Party, not the Republican Party. So I want to be part of what's going to matter. And I think the Republican Party, as it has in California,

where it's now in the national debate about the future of the country. You have written a book that people are talking about, so congratulations on that, and thank you so much for joining us on the show. Thank you, Charter. Enjoyed it. Thank you again for joining us, Stewart. All right, we have to take a quick break, but when we come back, we'll be talking to the Tanahesi Coats and Vanity Fares, Ed, Ed, Ed, Ed, Ed, Ed, Ed, Ed, Ed, Ed, E, E, the E, and Ed, and Ed, and Ed, the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th-S, and Ed. And, and Ed. And, and Ed. And, th-S, th-S. And, the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th. And, and th. And, th. And, th. th. th. th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, t. And, t. And, t. And, tttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttoday, to. toe. And, toe. 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.

So earlier today, I spoke with Radica Jones, the editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair, and Tanahesey Coates, who guest edited a special September issue with Brianna Taylor on the cover. We talked about that and more. Roneka Jones, Tanahesi Coates, welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show. Thank you, Trevor. Let us talk about something that is making news everywhere online, and I know you've sent me

a special copy of it. It is Vanity Fair. Wow, I don't have that. I don't think anybody has it. You've got to be somebody to get this. You've got to be somebody to get this. But thank you very much. I literally just got my hands on this copy now and you sent it to us. But what makes this cover so powerful is's Brianna Taylor on the cover of Vanity Fair. We also know that Tenehesey Coates is part of this.

Let's start on your side, Radica. You've released a cover and an issue that's really gonna be making some news. What is the purpose of this issue? Because I wanna read this part to you here, and it's really powerful where you talk about the great fire. What is it all about? Yeah, I became editor of Vanity Fair about two and a half years ago.

And I, you know, in a way, it's a magazine that's about aspiration. It's about power and personality. And I think that aspiration can be inclusive. It should be inclusive. So for this issue, you know, 2020 has been a year of historic import. It was that in March when the pandemic reached American shores. And it became it again in late May when George Floyd was murdered in broad daylight and demonstrations and protests began.

And they weren't just happening in Minneapolis, they were happening around the world. And so we felt we wanted to capture the spirit of these months that have revealed real problems in the American system. If you didn't believe in systemic racism before now, if you didn't believe that our health care needed reforming, if you look around now, you probably do believe it. And we wanted to, and we wanted to, to, um, and we wanted to to to to to to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to to, to, to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to capture to to to to to to 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 to capture to capture to capture to capture to capture to capture to capture to capture to capture to capture to capture to capture to to to to to to to to to to the the their their their their their their their their their their toluuuu, their their their their their their their their their their the look around now you probably do believe it. And we wanted to draw on the most vibrant collection of artists and writers that we could to kind of shed light on this extended moment. So that was the, that was the plan. And who better to help us do that than Tanahase Coates who was the person I most wanted to hear from at

this time. Let's let's talk a little bit about that. Everybody wants to hear from you. To come on board for a project like this is no small undertaking because you know that everybody is waiting to see what you're going to write, how you're going to write it, how you're going to tell a story that we already know in a way that we don't know. And what you've done is really interesting in this issue is you've talked about the life of Brianna Taylor and what has happened to a throwns through a lens that many of us haven't seen it through firstly why you came on board and secondly what you hope to have achieved by telling the story the way you have. First of all you as you just

what you just articulated like that is the problem I mean it may sound somewhat goulish to say this but that is the actual creative problem in the sense of how do you tell somebody a story that they already know in in some sort of different way. A think you know what would it allow? the the th th you th you you you th you you th you you th th you th th you you th you th th th you you th th you you th you th you th you that you you you you you you you thi thi tho you you you to to to to to to to th. th. th. thi thi thi. thi thi thi thi th. First th. First th. First th. First th. First th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi thi thi thi tho to to tooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. First th. t do you tell somebody a story that they already know in some sort of different way. A, I think, you know, what it allowed, what it allowed me to do in partnership with Radica was assemble all of these artists and writers. And so to bring all of these sort of different perspectives, you know, on to the issue.

So that guaranteed that we got, you know, something a little different. And then, you know, I just fell back on my old journalism bones, which is, you know, don't sit on your butt and try to, you know, come up with something. Go see something. You know, so I went down to Louisville and spent a few days down there, and while I was there, I had the distinct honor of interviewing Tamika Palmer, Brianna's mother. And the first part of the story where she talks about finding out what happened to Brianna and how agonizing it was, she told me that story in the first interview. And I thought at that moment, there really is nothing that I am going to say, that it's going to be more eloquent, that is going to be more expressive, thi it's thii it's thii, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, that moment, there really is nothing that I am going to say, that it's going to be more eloquent, that is going to be more expressive, that's going to be more illuminating

or enlightening, than the mother of this woman who just got killed. And really what I need to do is find some way to hand her to Mike and, you know, I mean, be more of a vessel to let her talk than thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, thin, thin, thin, tho, tho, tho, tho, thi, thi, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, th..... thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thi.a, thin, thi. And, thin, thii. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi, talk than thinking that somehow I'm going to have some sort of interpretive analysis, you know, it's going to be superior to that. There's something to be said about how much black art you've showcased in the magazine as well. You know, I don't want people to look at this magazine and think that this is only a story of pain. In a strange way and in a paradoxical way, it's also a story of triumph. It's a story of beauty. It's a story of a journey. It does take you through the complex paradigm of blackness. Why was that important?

I mean, I think we wanted a whole product. My favorite part, in terms of what I was directly involved in, is listening to Riana Taylor, Taulloto, to to to to to to to to their their, to their, to their, their, their, tel, their, tel, their, tel, 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, th............. ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, taugh, ta, ta, te.e.e.e.e.e.e.e.e. today, today, today, today, today, is listening to Brianna Taylor's mother, Tamika, talk about how she ended up in a motorcycle club and how she then went and taught her daughter how to ride, you know, motorcycles. Because if you just say, focus on what the police did or what happened to this person, you actually become a participant in the dehumanization. It is very, very, very important that people be reminded that the police thiiiiiiiiiiiiiii th. thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi tel tel tel tel tel tel tel tel tel tel tel tel. tel. tel. I tel tel talking talking talking talking talking talking talking talk. Talk about talk. Talk about talk. Talk about talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk talk tel tel tel tel tel tel tel tel tel tel tel tel tel tel tel. tel. I tel. I tel. I tel. I to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to tell tell tel. tel. I tel. You actually become a participant in the dehumanization. It is very, very, very important that people be reminded that there was an actual life that was taken. Pop didn't kick in Brianna Taylor's door and shoot a slogan.

They didn't shoot a piece of legislation. They shot a human being, you know, with a mother and a little sister and a man that she, you know, have been with relations in the community.... th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, the community, the community, the community, the community, the community, the community, the community, the community, th, the, thi thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, that, that, thi, th. th. th, th, th, th, th, th. th. th. And, 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, the, the, that, that, to to to to that to that, that, that, that, that, that, that, thi. th sister and, you know, a man that she, you know, have been with for some time, you know, with relations in the community, they shot a person. And so if you're going to have actual people, you know, you really do need that range, you know what I mean? And so that was within that piece, but I think across the magazine, it's very, very effective. We asked Eva Duverne, the great director,

to interview Dr. Angela Davis for the issue. Dr. Davis has something that really has stuck with me. She says that art is the thing that makes you feel what you might not yet fully understand. And we thought in that, in that vein when we thought about photographing actors alongside activists and directors like Ava and writers like Isabel Wilkerson and Colson Whitehead. You know, people who have been moving the needle on the culture for a long time. And their work is so important and it does lay the ground for change. And so we want it, you know, the needle on the culture for a long time and their work is

so important and it does lay the ground for change. And so we wanted, you know, that is something to celebrate to answer your question. And we didn't want to overlook that in putting the whole issue together. What do you hope people take away from this issue? Well, first of all, I hope they will keep it and sit with it, because it's not this month and gone. As you said, Trevor, these stories aren't going away. And we created it that way so that it could feel like a keepsake. I want people to feel provoked by some of the arguments in this issue.

I want them to feel challenged. I want them to feel like. I want them to feel like maybe it's time to reexamine some old positions or some old prejudices and think about them and consider them. Because that's what we've been doing and that really is, I think, the goal of all this writing and all of this art is to make people think. Radika, Tanahisi, thank you so much for joining me on the show the show the show to the show to to the show to to to the show to the show to to the show to to to to the show to the to to to to to to the to to to to to to to to to to to to to the their their to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. the. the. theauu. Wee. today. today. today. toe. toe. toe. Wea. Wea. I. I. I thea. I. I th the goal of all this writing and all of this art is to make people think. Radika, Tanahisi, thank you so much for joining me on the show again and congratulations on creating what, as you said, I hope is a keepsake for many people for a long time to come. Thank you so much. Thank you guys. Thank you all. Well, that's our show for tonight. But before we go, there are less than three months until the election the election. Te the election. Te the election. Te the. Te. Te. Te, 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, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, thean, thean, thean, thean, thin, thean, thean, thean, thean, thean, thean, thean, thean, ththree months until the election. And America is facing a nationwide poll worker shortage. And it's because most poll workers are over 60,

and coronavirus is still in the air. So they're not showing up because they can't. But fewer poll workers means fewer polling stations are open, and it also means longer lines that not everyone can afford to wait in, especially in poorer communities. The good news is, most poll working is paid, and in some states, you can be as young as 16 to do it. So please, if you're interested and you have the time, this is your chance to save your

granny, protect democracy, and get paid too. Until tomorrow, stay safe out there, wear a mask, and remember, check your microphones before you roast Trump. The Daily Show with Covenoughnix Check your microphones before you roast Trump. more exclusive content and more. This has been a Comedy Central podcast. 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. But the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17.