The Daily Show: Ears Edition - The Coronavirus Spreads Through the White House | Bakari Sellers

Episode Date: May 12, 2020

White House staffers tests positive for COVID-19, Dulce Sloan gets advice on the importance of the U.S. Census, and Bakari Sellers discusses his memoir "My Vanishing Country." 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 17. Hey everybody, what's going on?

Welcome to another episode of the Daily Social Distancing Show. I'm Trevor Noah, and it is now week eight of us stay inside to try and stop the spread of coronavirus. Here's your quarantine tip of the day. Are you feeling bad about not getting enough exercise? I know I am. Well, here's a tip. Baking cookies burns about one-eighth of the calories of eating one.

So, you just have to bake eight times more cookies than you usually would, and you won't gain any weight. Anyway, on tonight's episode, what Disneyland will look like after Corona, Ted Cruz gets a haircut and COVID-19 visits the White House. So let's get into it. 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. Lately, the news has been darker than the inside of Rudy Giuliani's sarcophagus. But every now and then, it's nice to let some brightness in with an ongoing segment we call Ray

Ray of sunshine. Let's kick things off in Germany. One of the first countries to reopen and the place that ruined tiny mustaches for the rest of us. One non-human victim of the coronavirus pandemic has been Germany's famous clubbing scene. But now, there's a new club for Germans who can't wait to get back to the dance floor, but still want to be responsible. Well, the clubs are closed, but the beat goes on for party goers at this drive-in,

rave in Germany. Dijays pumped out the music to the car-bound crowd. Social-distant dancing was allowed with no more than two people per vehicle. Yeah, yeah. Because of Corona, Germans have started attending raves in their cars, which I guess explains the new options at their gas stations. And I can't wait to see all the new club dancers that are going to be inspired by this. Ten and two. Do the ten and two, come on, y'all. But once again, Corona is making people appreciate the things that we used to to to to to to hate to hate to hate to hate to hate to hate to hate to hate to hate to hate to hate to hate to hate to hate to hate to hate to hate to hate to hate to hate to be inspired by this? 10-2, 10-2, do the 10-2, come on y'all. But once again,

Corona is making people appreciate the things that we used to hate, because you realize right now this is a drive-in rave, but before Corona we just call that traffic. Yeah, look at that. You can't tell if it's a rave or just rush hour on the thoo-fove. So. So. So. So. So. So. So, so that. So, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, th. th. th. th. th. th. thi. th. thi. thi. thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. thi. C. C. C. the. the. the. the. thi. thi. to. to. to. to. to. tho. tho. tho. tho. tho. the. the. the scene for adults in Germany. And the good news is, in China, kids can also get back to having fun too. Disneyland in Shanghai just reopened today, and this could pave the way for Disney World in Orlando to reopen. Give you an idea of what it to expect. The park in China is going to be kept at less than 30 percent capacity. Lines and rides are going to be spaced out to meet social distancing guidelines and visitors will be screened for fevers. Characters also are no

longer giving hugs or high-fives but visitors can still take selfies. Yes, this is great news. Disneyland Shanghai is back in business just with a few added safety measures such as no hugging the characters you know like Cinderella, Ariel and Snow White and I know that's really gonna suck for hugging the characters, you know, like Cinderella, Ariel, and Snow White. And I know that's really going to suck for all the kids and their creepy dads. And I think staying away from Disney characters is a great idea, especially Donald Duck. I mean, that dude doesn't wear pants and he spits when he talks. It's like a one-man Corona factory.

Now, if Disneyland wants me to come back, they're got to add even more precautions. I'm not playing with my life. First of all, Disneyland, you've got to get rid of the seven dwarves. Yeah, I'm sorry, but sneezy and sleepy. Those guys are not cute anymore. Those are just coronavirus symptoms. Oh and also, from now on, I say that nobody should be allowed to open their mouth when they're out and have fun. But one province is offering at least some help to families on lockdown. You see, the old rule was that you were only allowed to have contact with people in

your household bubble, as it was called. But now, they're saying that families can choose to double bubble by pairing up with another family. Yeah, so each household will be allowed to hang out with members from another household and you can only choose one family and that decision is final. It's the perfect solution for all those people who are tired of screaming at their own family. Now you have a whole new family to scream at. And let's be honest, there's probably going to never be a better time to bring your first family and your secret family together. Honey, I have to confess something, I have a secret family. What?

So you're telling me that somewhere we could have gotten extra Purell this whole time and you didn't say anything? If I was in Canada, I would choose to live with Drake. Yeah, no one's thought of that. Have you seen the size of his house? It's so big. You could double bubble for months with that mother-fixie and the two of you would never meet. Last side's yours, right side's mine. Okay, that's your ray of sunshine. Let's catch up on today's headlines.

All over the world, every country is grappling with the billion dollar question. the thoo we to grandpa and that one friend with asthma? Or do we stay inside forever and become a race of mold people who only leave the house for more toilet paper? These are the only choices. Well yesterday, Boris Johnson, British Prime Minister and man who looks like he's just been in a pillow fight announced that Britain's lockdowns will continue until at least June. And then he went on to lay out a possible plan for slowly reopening. Now, that went okay. But then Boris also created a lot of confusion when he changed the country's coronavirus slogan

from stay home to stay alert, which nobody really understands. Like, think about it. Stay at home makes sense. We all know what stay at home is. You stay at home. Stay alert. What does that mean? It's too general. Stay alert is something you say

when you're boarding an alien spaceship or when you're searching for a parking spot. It's too broad. So, I understand why British people are confused. In fact, they haven't been this this this this this this this this then thened thened thened thened thened then, then, thiiiased thiased thiased thiased thiased thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thoes, thoes, thoes, thoes, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. toe toe toe toe toe toe toe toe toe toe toe toe toe toe toe toe toe toe toe toe toe the thei. thi since they tasted seasoned food for the first time. Good Lord, what are these strange sensations in my mouth? It's like my tongue can say colors. Now, while Britain is going with the slow and steady approach, some parts of America are choosing a slightly different method known as yippie-caye.

All of Colorado is currently under a safer-at-home order put in place by the governor. And that's not stopping some restaurants from defying that order and welcoming customers inside. This restaurant was packed yesterday. Video from inside shows there was a line out the door. Booths were packed, tables were filled. Very few of these customers were wearing masks. Obviously there was no social distancing. The owner of CNC here has made her feelings clear,

posting these signs all over the front saying, attention, our freedom doesn't end where your fear begins. If you are scared, stay home. God damn. I've been to brunches where I've said this food is to die for, but I've never meant it. Like, when did going to a restaurant become an act of revolution? I miss the days when the only political debate at brunch was who invited Melissa? And I gotta say, revolting against the government because of brunch has got to be one of the whitest things I have ever seen.

This is like a khaki short sale at a hockey game. And it's not just Colorado's business owners who are defying the rules. In Texas, a Dallas beautician was jailed after opening her salon during the lockdowns. And after she was released, Ted Cruz rocked up to show his support. Tech to Senator Ted Cruz traveled from his home here in Houston to Dallas to get a haircut at a salon whose stylist was sent to jail for violating stay-at-home orders. Cruz says he wanted to show support for Shelley Lut... their their their their their their their. their. their. He. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. their. their. their. their. their. their. the. the. theathea. theathea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. Hea. He. He. He. He. He. He. He. He. He. He. He. He. He. He. He. He. He. He. He. He. He. He. He. He. He. He. He. He. He's the. He's the t. He's t. He's t. He's t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. tel. tel. t. t violating stay-at-home orders. Cruz says he wanted to show support for Shelley Luther. She was sentenced to seven days in jail, given a $7,000 fine for keeping her salon open

against the governor's initial orders. The Texas Supreme Court ordered Luther's release on Thursday, Governor Greg Abbott changed his executive order to remove jail time as a penalty for violators. What are we doing when there's a police sting trying to go after beauticians for trying to earn a living? I mean, last I checked, there's some real criminals in the world. What a twist. This salon owner broke the law by keeping her business open. And because of public outcry, she's now a hero being celebrated by Senator Ted Cruz. And you know, it's funny how in America,

if you break the law and you look a certain way, well, then you're a criminal. But if you break the law and you look a different way, well, then the law needs to be changed because you're just a freedom-loving American, exercising your rights. Now, I know some people think this woman deserves to be in jail. But for me the tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho thu thu, I thu, I thu, I thu, I thu, I thu, I thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, thi, thu, thu, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thu, thu-a, thu-a, thu-a, thu. thu. thu. thu. thu. thu. thu. thu. thu. thu. thu. thu. thu. thu. thu. thu. thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thr. thr-s, thr-s, thr-s, thr-s, thr-s, thr-s. thr-s thr-s thr-a. thr-s. th this woman deserves to be in jail, but for me, having to cut Ted Cruz's hair, that's punishment enough. Like, that should actually be everyone's punishment for breaking shutdown laws.

You have to spend an hour with Ted Cruz, guilty, bang. I actually didn't even know that Ted Cruz got haircuts. I just assumed he ate it when it got too long. And that's why I say, mm-hmm. And you that I I I I I I I I I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm not I'm not I'm not I'm not I'm not I'm not I'm not I'm not I'm not I'm not I'm not I'm not I'm not I'm not I'm not I'm not I'm not I'm not I'm not th. th. th. th. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. th. th. th. th. th. th. 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's that's that's that's th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi. thi. that that the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. I find it bizarre that haircuts have become one of the major flashpoints of the debate over lockdowns. Like, this is the one time when people should look to Donald Trump for leadership. He doesn't cut his hair, he just folds it over like a crepe. And finally, for an example of how dangerous it can be to reopen too quickly,

here's a story out of South Korea. This morning, 4,000 clubs and bars in Seoul are closed. At testing sites, long lines, as health workers try to track at least 5,500 people who went clubbing more than a week ago and might be infected. They say a 29-year-old man went to at least three night clubs the night of May 1st, wasn't wearing a mask, and tested positive for COVID-19 last Wednesday. The city's mayor ordering all nightclubs and bars to close indefinitely, saying carelessness can cause the virus to explode. Daily cases are now spiking 35 this morning, the biggest rise since early April. Wow! One man in South Korea closed an entire city's nightlife scene

because he went club hopping without a mask. And I guess that gives a whole new meaning to the term shut it down. He's also a pioneer, because usually you don't catch a disease until you go home from the club, if you know what I mean. I don't know what that means, I just say it. Which, by the way is why bounces have to to to to to be the one the one the one the one the one the one the one the one the one the one the one the one the one the one. thuck what that means. I just say it. Which by the way is why bounces have to step it up in the age of Corona. Yeah, they've got to be the one blocking people like this. Hey, come on, man, come on, no shorts, no cap. Hey, man, what you're doing here with a respiratory

illness. Hey, man, what you're doing here with a respiratory illness try to trying to affect people with pulmonary embolisms and shit. So you can only imagine that everyone in Korea is probably mad at this dude. Although the good news is, I heard Ted Cruz is still down to go clubbing with them. All right, that's it for the headlines. After the break. Remember how Mike Pence and Donald Trump don't like thrown the to-l-likewre-wo--wa. We'll be right back. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it.

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

Our big story today is about the White House. Donald Trump's home and Melanias escape the room. For months, President Trump has been saying the coronavirus pandemic isn't as big a deal as everyone is suggesting. But now the virus is responding by saying, knock knock, knock, biatch. The Trump administration is fighting to contain an outbreak of coronavirus sweeping through the White House this morning. In 48 hours, two members of the White House staff tested positive for the virus. First on Thursday, it was the President's personal valet, a military service member on the team that serves his lunch in the Oval Office.

Then Friday, the Vice President's press secretary, Katie Miller, tested positive. Katie Miller is married to Stephen Miller, President Trump's senior policy advisor. The president is now revealing that his military valet was right there with him the day before the valet tested positive. On Tuesday, he was in the room and very virtually, I don't take any contact, but he was in the room. The valet's duties included serving the president lunch and those diet coax he drinks all day long. Oh snap, the coronavirus is now officially in the White House.

And that's scary. Although if it's like everything else that lands in the White House, it won't last more than a few weeks. And I won't lie. I'm not surprised that this cluster started in Stephen Miller's house. That dude has always given off major, bitten by bat, vibes. But it's not just those two members of the White House staff, because it turns out coronavirus is also spreading to the Secret Service.

At least 11 Secret Service employees are reportedly sick with COVID-19. The assignments of the sick employees are not yet known. This morning, the White House is looking to ramp up up up up up to to to to to the the the the the the the their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their theck. theck. theck. theck. theck. thi. theck. thiolus. thiolus. thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. I, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. toe. I. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. t. t. too. tooe. tooe. tooe. tooe. t. t not yet known. This morning, the White House is looking to ramp up social distancing measures, including having more Secret Service agents wear masks and space six feet apart during meetings. Okay, I know this is bad, but the fact that the Secret Service has coronavirus and the President doesn't just shows you how good they are doing their jobs. Bravo team, we got a close talker on your six. I'm going to intercept. Excuse me. Oh, I got all the particles.

We're good. And I'm not going to lie. I feel bad for Secret Service agents. Because they're some of the only people at the White House who can't work from home. It's not anthere. What are you going to do? Send him a text? Look out, sir. He's begging you. What? Who's begging me? Yo? Hello? Oh, sorry, auto-correct. He's behind you. Ah, behind you. Now while the Secret Service may be stuck with Trump, other officials have been able to get the hell out of there. In fact, Dr. Fauci, the head of the the CDC, and the head of the FDA, 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, thrantea, toe, the, the, toe, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah. Ah, ah. Ah, ah. Ah, ah. Ah, ah. Ah, ah. Ah, ah. Ah, ah. Ah, ah. Ah, ah. Ah. Ah, ah. Ah. Ah. Ah. Ah. Uh, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah. Uh, ah, ah, ah, ahe, the the the the the the the t a t a t a t a t a t a t a t a t a t a t a t ae,a,a,uh, behind, behind, behind, behind, behind, behind, behind, toe, behind, behind, behind, behind, behind, behind, behind, behind, uh, behind, behind. t t t head of the FDA are all now under some form of self-quarantine for the next two weeks.

And I'll be honest, I don't know who's happier about this. Trump or the experts. Yeah, because I mean, they can finally say something scientific without hearing, nah-uh in the background. So Dr. Fauci will be working from home, as opposed to Trump, who will continue not working from home. And because this coronavirus outbreak is a big deal, the White House is taking a number of other safety precautions. For example, they've announced that they will now be starting what they call heightened levels of daily cleaning.

Yeah, which is something they haven't had to do since Bill Clinton lived there. Now, despite coronavirus spreading into Trump's inner circle. Trump himself has not changed his attitude when it comes towards the virus. For example, he's still refusing to wear a mask, even when meeting a group of elderly World War II veterans. There were no masks to be seen as the president and First Lady Milania

attended a ceremony for the 75th anniversary of victory in Europe in World War II. They were careful, though, to keep their social distance from the veterans who are all in their 90s. Mr. President, you were with seven American heroes earlier today, these World War II veterans all in their in their 90s. Did you consider wearing a mask when you were with them given they're in that? No, because I was very far away, I appreciate the question. I was very far away from them as you know. I their, I their, I th, I th, I th, I was th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, th, thi, their, thi, thi, tho, tho, 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, thr, thr, thr, throwne, throwne, throwne, throwne, throwne, throwne, thr-a, throwne, thr-a would have loved to have gone up and hugged them because they're great. I had a conversation with everyone, but we were very far away. You saw them. Plus, the wind was blowing so hard in such a direction that if, if the plague ever reached

them, might be very surprised. It could have reached me too. You didn't worry about them, and that's okay. Because I think they're so pure it will never happen, all right? They've lived a great life. Wow. Is it just me, or did Trump go through all the stages of stupidity in one answer? I was very far from them, and there was no danger. Even if I wasn't far enough, the wind was blowing in such a direction that it was totally safe.

You didn't worry about me. You only worried about them, but that's okay. Look, these guys have lived a great life, so... Look, man, whatever Trump's excuse was, I just hope all those veterans are safe. Because can you imagine surviving Hitler only to be taken out by Trump? That would be so anticlimactic. Can you imagine surviving Hitler only to be taken out by Trump? That would be so anticlimactic. It would be like if Batman beat Bain and then died slipping on a banana peel.

Oh shit. And it's bad enough that Trump doesn't want to wear a mask, but even worse is that he also seems to be learning all the wrong things from this White House outbreak. Mr. President, can you bring us up to speed about a member of the vice president's staff who has now tested positive for coronavirus? This is now the second staffer in the West Wing. Katie, she tested very good for a long period of time and then all of a sudden today she tested positive, so she tested positive out of the blue. This is why the whole concept of tests aren't necessarily great.

Okay, I'm sorry, but this, this is just insane. This dude literally just said that the reason why tests are useless is because they work? Like, does Trump also get mad at the White House metal detectors? These metal detectors make no sense. Every day we scan for the guns, but there's no guns. Then today, we found a gun. So this whole concept of metal detectors is not great to me, folks. And you know, what's most concerning about this whole thing is that you would have hoped,

you would have hoped that Trump seeing the effectiveness of testing first-hand in his own house would have convinced him that testing is the best solution for the rest of America. But somehow Trump came away with the exact opposite lesson. And that's a pretty bad sign for America. But I guess it's good news for Donald Trump's health. Because if he's this immune to common sense, well, then what chance does a virus have? All right, I gotta go take my bread out of the oven. But when we come back, Ducey Sloan is going to school us on the census. So stick around. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been

given access to the treasures in our archives. 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.

We all know that 2020 is an election year. But this year is also the year of the census, something that only happens every 10 years. But why should Americans spend time on the census while the country is dealing with a pandemic? Well, Dose Sloan sat down with a former census official to help us find out why. During quarantine I've been getting two things. DEMs from dudes checking to see if I'm all stocked up and reminders to take the census. And I know just who to call to make it stop. Bob. Hey Dulcy.

Why you sending me all this mail to do something on the internet? Well Dulce, this is the first time the census has been done online and it only takes 10 minutes. Listen, during this quarantine I got so much on my plate, trying to work on these dating profiles, I'm in the middle of two BuzzFeed quizzes, and they got all these new Instagram filters. I mean, they got one wanting to make to make then then then thin thin thin thin thin the thin thin thin thin the thin' thin' thin' their thin' thin' their thin' thin' thin' thus thus thus the their their the the thi thi thi their their their their their their their the first the first the first the first the first the first the first the first the first the first the first the first the first the first the first the first the first their s their s their s their their their their their their their their their their their thin' the the an the an ti ti ti ti. ti. ti. ti. ti. ti. ti. ti. ti. ti. ti. ti. the the. the one in to make you look like Frederick Douglas. Well, that's going to be a problem. Takes 10 minutes. Ten minutes for school lunches, for highways, for schools, for health care. While I hate to admit it, Bob may have a point. Every 10 years, the U.S. census tries to count how many people live in America.

It uses those numbers to decide how to split up federal funding for things like fire stations, schools, and hospitals. These numbers even determine how many representatives each state has, which is why the census has made so many ads to convince you to get off your ass and fill out their little survey. The census really is about money and power. Come on, dog, you said 10 minutes, internet. Show me. So the Census Bureau site is my 2020 census.gov. That's the official census website. Gotcha.

So if I get taken to my census dot, bigger titties tomorrow, that's not an official site. That is not the census bureau. Let's see. All right. What have I split my time between two places? Like, I have a man, friend, and I sometimes say at his place, which is technically a defunct food truck, right?

The census attempts to count everybody in the country. Some of these people live in mobile homes. I told him there's no market for a condiments-only food truck, but he makes his own decisions, you know. Can't help you with that one, Dulce. We want to count everyone just once and only once and in the place where they usually stay because that will be the basis of all the effects of the census. That's easy enough for me to answer. I'm a citizen, but for some, how many people live here is a loaded question. I hear that, you know, there's people that are concerned that they're going to report to ICE or that they're going to report to the cops and it's going to affect people's status or citizenship.

Well, there's no citizenship question on the 2020 census. Because I think people distrust stems from, we don't believe that a government agency cannot communicate information to another government agency. And that's not allowed with this? It's even better than that. It's against the law to reveal your answers identified with you to anybody. Once it's in the Census Bureau is protected. So it's no snitching law. It's so it's a no snitching law.

It's a big time no snitching law. I get it. Count everyone in the government will do right by us. There's just one problem. Not all of us are getting counted. So I've seen a lot of articles about how the census is bad at counting black people. Why is that? The kinds of folks who end up traditionally being undercounted are those who are renters versus owners, for example,

households with multiple families in them. All of these conditions are more common to poor populations, and the unfortunate part is African Americans tend to be poorer than others. I don't know why we're always in act like black people are hard to count when the police are always finding us and they seem to always know where we're at. That's the big issue, Dulce. Those communities who don't trust governments confuse the census request as another way that they might be harmed by government and it's just not true. So if the census traditionally undercounts us and the government has shown us multiple times that we can't trust it, why should we take this? I get it Dulce, but you got to understand

that participating in the census allows your community its fair share of over 800 billion dollars in support for education, health, school lunches, highways. If you don't respond, your community is going to get cheated. So if I don't do this, my community is going to get cheated. That's right, Dulce. And they may get cheated otherwise, but if they don't do this, then they're definitely going to get cheated. You're right. Why don't you say that? We need you on a commercial, Tulsa. th, th, th, Dul, Dul, Dul, th, Dul, th, Dul, to, Dul, to, Dul, th, to, Dul, to, to, to, Dul, to, to, Dul, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, thi, thi, to, to, to, to, to, to, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th, th, th, th, th, th, the the th, the the the the the the the the the their, th. th. th. thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, to do, to to to to toldld, to me, to me, tooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. too. too. the the the the thi, the they're definitely gonna get cheated. You're right. Why don't you say that in the census commercial? We need you on a commercial, Tulsa. Yeah you do.

Hey black people, look, I can't promise great things will happen if you take the census, but if you don't, I can promise these white people are going to use those low numbers to cheat you out of the schools, hospitals and representation that should be yours. So take the damn senses and let them know. Hey, I know you've fucking see me. Thank you so much, Dulse. When we come back, I'll be chatting to Bacari Sellers about his brand new book, and we'll get into the killing of Ahmad Abrey.

Stay tuned, we'll be right back. 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. Earlier today, I spoke with former South Carolina lawmaker, Bacari Sellers, about his new book, My Vanishing Country. Bacari Sellers, welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show. Well, thank you for having me. It's an awesome opportunity. I like how your beard has come in. It's a very majestic, professorial, you've got like a, like the full Corona beard going on. This is Denzel-Ishish. That's what I like to call it.

Let's jump straight into talking about your book, which unfortunately feels more timely than ever. You've written a story that is a memoir of your life, but in many ways it feels like it's also the story of America as well. my vanishing country. Tell me what the title of the book means and if you really feel that way about America. Well, sure, I mean, my life has been booked in by tragedy. I say th with a heavy heart from the Orangeburg massacre and my father being shot in 1968 to the Charleston

massacre. And throughout the book, we talk about different traumas and different heartaches and different systems of oppression that people of color have to live through that I have lived through. And so now with coronavirus and it ripping the band-aid off the health care disparities we have, I'm able to parallel that with growing up in a community where we don't have clean water, where we don't have in hospital, where we live in a food desert. And then you layer that with the sad case of Ahmed Arbori. And you just talk about the perpetual trauma that people of color, particularly black men, have to live through. And so my vanishing country, it means a few things. We give the word country some meaning being a boy from the dirt roads of the south, but

even more importantly, those truths that we hold to be something that all Americans can realize seem to be fleeting, especially for poor people, immigrants and people of color in this country. You would think that people would just go, yes, this is America's history and these are some of the effects, the systemic problems that still affect black people today. And yet it seems like people disagree on it more than ever. If somebody is saying to you in good faith, really, hey, Bacari, I don't understand why black people seem to think things are bad in America when they've gotten so much better.

How do you respond to that person, if indeed genuinely, they don't see it and they're trying to see it? Well, this is a, first of all, this is probably the most difficult conversation that this country has to have. It's a conversation of race. take for example the Amat Arbore case, this is not a Trump-era phenomenon. This is not something that just started to happen with the racism that emanates from the White House. Instead, I think about Megarivers.

I think about Emmett Till, I think about Jimmy Lee Jackson. I think about the four little girls in the Birmingham church. And so when you think about the totality of these circumstances, you realize thiiiii, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, thi, thi, thi, the, the, the, the, the, thi, thi, the, the, the, 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, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, thi, thean, thean, thean, thi, thean, thean, thii, thean, thi, thi, theality of these circumstances, you realize that we've made a lot of progress, but we still haven't, we still haven't reached that quote-unquote mountaintop. We have not made it there. One of the funny things that people like to bring up is, oh my God, we had Barack Obama elected president. You guys have made it. And that's not the ta ta thiii. When's thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi's thi's thi's thi's thi's thi thi tho-a' thi thi's 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. thi. thi. thi. thi. toeeeeea. toea. toea. toea. toea. toea. thea. thea. thiiiiiiiiiiii. I'm not. I'm more concerned about the systemic levels of oppression that people of color live in today. A broken health care system, a broken environmental justice system, a broken criminal justice system, a broken educational justice system, because in this country you're

punished because of the zip code you're born into. And all of these pressures, just, they just rest on you and they build and their and their and their and their and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, their, you're punished because of the zip code you're born into. And all of these pressures just, they just rest on you and they build your anxiety and now we have corona and now we have these never-ending traumas. Seems like you're just trying to breathe sometimes. What do you think it says about America that so many people used the video of Ahmed Aubrey in that empty house, the house that was being constructed as a justification for his death. Oh, he's killing, rather, I should say. Amad Aubrey did something that people do all the time. Hell, me and my wife do it.

He walked into an empty home. He was looking around an empty home. That's not a crime that requires the death penalty. But even more importantly, those two men who were on that good old fashion, South Georgia father-son lynching, they lifted him as less than human. And that's the hard part for me in raising twins, and raising a 14-year-old daughter and I have 16-month-old twins, teaching them that they can be a doctor, that they can be a lawyer, that they can be the host of the Daily Show, but also also also also the thi also thi also thi also 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, th, th, th, th.. 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, thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, thi, thi, thi, the host of the Daily Show, but also telling them one day that, you know, they have to be cautious about the way they interact because there's a segment of this public

that doesn't believe that they're human and doesn't want to give them a dignity. And that's something that I was intrigued to read and understand from your point of view, and say to them, you can be anything you want to be. You do have these opportunities, but at the same time, there are certain things that are gonna hold you back, and they're gonna be certain things to be afraid of. Like, which path do you take as a parent? Do you, do you, you know,

do you say to your kids, hey, tho, theyrown, their, to, to, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, 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, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, their, to, to, toooooooooooof............... ta. ta.. ta. ta. ta. ta you fight for your rights. Others say like, hey, man, now's not the time. Now's not the time to fight about your rights. Which attitude have you taken as a parent? I mean, I come from, and one of the themes that I talk about in the book is I'm a child of the Orangeburg massacre. And so my father always taught us growing up, I think having to do with his interactions with law enforcement, that you should always, you know, you never stop in a dark area. You always drive to the next exit. You always go to a well-lit area.

We'll fight those battles in court. For me, with these twins now, my job is to hopefully make sure they have a better America than the one that I inherited. It's the same dream of my father had. The trouble that I have and the reason that I wrote my vanishing country, I talked about it in one of the last latter chapters, is, you know, five years ago, I was standing in front of a church. Clemente Pinckney was a friend of mine. He actually let Dylan Ruth into his church.

They had a full hour of Bible study and then Dillin Ruth killed nine people because of the color of their skin. I was standing in front of that church about a week later with my father, and tears were rolling down my faces. I was explaining to the country that we were having many of the same same same same same same same, excuse me, I was 30 and he was 70. And so for my twins, what I have to do, what we have to do, what everybody watching has

to do is continue to work to make sure that they inherit a better country than the one that I did. And right now that's tough. Those conversations are tough, because as their eyes sparkle, you do know that racism is real, tha, tha, thi, that, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, too, too, too, too, too, too, too, too, too, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, and, and, and, and I I I I I I I I I I, and I, and I, and I is, and I.. and I is, and I is, and I's, and I's, and I's, I's, and I's, thi. And, thin, thin. And, t thea. And, thea. And, thea. And, thea. And, toe. too. toe. And, toe. real, systems of injustice are real, not getting the benefit of their humanity is real, and I just don't want them to be on the front of a t-shirt, or us to have to wear another hoodie to march for them, or us to have to get Arizona ice tea and skittles, or us to have to jog two miles for them. I'm living for all of those people whose lives lives cut short, so one day my children can be free. How do you feel about the discussion in and around sharing these videos online?

Because there's clearly a rift. Some people think these videos should never be shared because all they do is further the, you know, the almost joy of lynching that white supremacists may engage in and seeing the videos. It furthers that narrative. Others would say, no, without the videos, then oftentimes there is no justice. And it feels like an argument where nobody's wrong, but an argument that people are having nonetheless.

Do you have any thoughts? Yeah, no, I think we have to show those videos. I mean, there are did not see that video, see, they saw the video. It took 73 days for the arrest, not because of the video, but because we saw the video, the American public saw the video. And so I think that that's necessary. I remember the Walter Scott case, the young man in Charleston, South Carolina, who was shot in the back. But for that young man who was at the barbershop filming that incident, there would have been no arrest.

And so we have to make sure we do that. But again, that parallel with the civil rights movement, there's one glaring image that people remember. It's the picture of Emmett Till, who allegedly whistled at a white woman. And I challenge for those individuals who haven't seen that picture to go Google it. His face is beaten and he literally has no bones left in his body in that picture, that image, before images could go viral. It stimulated a whole generation.

And so I think those images are necessary, not necessarily for justice, but just so that we can have transparency and to be completely honest to make white folk uncomfortable, because we have to be uncomfortable to have this discussion. And unless white people literally see these injustices, sometimes there is a connection that they don't really happen, and they do. Bacari, thank you so much for your time. Congratulations on an amazing book, and hopefully we'll have you back on the show

again soon. Thank you so much, my dude. Thank you so much, Bacari Sellers. My Vanishing Country, the book is available for pre-order now. I suggest you go out and get it. Well, that's our show for tonight. But before we go, the COVID pandemic has also taken a serious toll on many people's mental health. And here in the United States, the disaster distress helpline is trying to address this crisis. They've got counselors who are trained to address the mental health needs of this unique situation, and if you are able to help them, then all you need to do is donate whatever you can. And if you'd like to support New Yorkers in this crisis, please donate to NYC Well, which is also providing free, confidential mental health support.

Until tomorrow, stay safe out there, wash your hands. And remember, stay emotionally positive and coronavirus negative. Boom. The Daily Show with Trevranoa, 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. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And subscribe to the Daily Show on YouTube

for 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. 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.