The Daily Show: Ears Edition - This Week's Top Stories - Trump Is Acquitted & the Texas Energy Crisis Deepens

Episode Date: February 20, 2021

Donald Trump is acquitted in his impeachment trial, conservatives blame liberals as a winter storm leaves Texans without power, and Ted Cruz gets backlash for vacationing in Cancun, Mexico.To help fight food insecurity in Texas resulting from recent snowstorms, go to dailyshow.com/HoustonFoodBank. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. You're rolling. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17th. It's the most presidential thing Donald Trump has ever done. And after a full week of arguments in Trump's second Senate trial, it all came down to this. Former President Donald Trump tonight declared not guilty of the impeachment charge he incited insurrection at the Capitol on January 6th.

And he is hereby acquitted of the charge in said article. Seven Republican Republican senators voting with Democrats to convict, 57 to 43. The most bipartisan Senate impeachment vote in history, but far short of the two-thirds majority needed to convict. Yes, the bad news for Donald Trump is that seven members of his own party said that he was guilty, which is unprecedented. The good news for him is it wasn't enough. So Trump is free to go, baby.

2024, here we come. Pim! Ooh, and we're getting the whole crew back together. Steve Bannon, Jared Kushner, that dude with the horns, Mike Pence, sorry about trying to get you killed, but that's in the past now, let's do this. And true to his form, Trump got acquitted 43 to 57. This dude just loves losing the popular vote. And I get that as disappointing for a lot of people, but we should know this by now. This is what Trump does. He wiggles his way out of accountability. Trying to hold Trump responsible for his crimes is like trying to kill a fruitfly. It's just like, ha! I got it this time. Then you open you their their their their 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. thi. thi. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the the the the the th. the th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. tho. the. tho. the. the the. the trying to kill a fruit fly. It's just like, ha!

I got it this time. Then you open your hands. He's not even there. He's already halfway across the room sitting on your girlfriend's boob. And this was actually a bit of a tricky situation for Republicans. Because polls show that most Americans don't like Trump and think he should have been convicted. But the GOP base base base base base base base base base base base base base base base base base base base base base base base base base. th. th. th. tr. tr. tr. tr. tr. tr. tr. tr. tr. tr. true. true. true. true. true. true. th. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, th. And, tr, tr, tr, tr, tru, true. And, true. And, true. And, true. true. true. true. true. to, to, th. to. the th. the th. thi. the the th. the the the the th. And, the P base still loves Trump and would turn against anyone who votes against him faster than Buffy fans turned on Josh Weedon.

So to make everybody happy, Senators came up with a really amazing and bullshit excuse that even if Trump was guilty, they couldn't do anything about it because he's already out of office. And nobody rolled around in that bullshit more than my man, Mitch McConnell. There's no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day. We have no power to convict and disqualify a former officeholder who is now a private citizen, as an ordinary citizen, unless the statute of

limitations is run still liable for everything he did while he's in office. Didn't get away with anything yet. Yeah. We have a criminal justice system in this country. We have civil litigation. And former presidents are not immune from being accountable by either one. Wow. Yet another profile in courage from Mitch McConnell. Basically what he's saying is Trump caused the riots. Trump is super guilty and Mitch just hopes that someday someone else will do something about it. I mean look nobody's actually buying this explanation. Out of anyone Mitch McConnell is the one person who always finds a way to get

things done if he wants to get it done. This dude is so effective he has federal judges on the French Supreme Court. I don't know how he got here, but the law is the law, so electric cars are illegal. But now, all of a sudden, Mitch is coming up with excuses just so that he doesn't have to take a stand. And I just have one question, Senator McConnell. How can you even look at yourself? I never have, Trevor. Every time I look in the mirror, it kills itself.

Oh, okay. But thanks to Mitch and 42 other Republicans, Donald Trump managed to beat off the charges against him. And now his friends and family are beating off in general. This was a big win for team Trump. The former president's taking a victory lap, not showing any signs of remorse or regret. After yesterday's verdict, Trump attorney,

Michael Vanderveen, was seen fist bumping another member of the defense saying, we're going to Disney World, as if they had just won the Super Bowl. Mr. Trump's son, Eric, posting this on Twitter, nothing. Now, to th. Now, th. Now, th. Now, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, the their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their. And, their, their. And, their, their. And, their, their. And, th. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thean. th. thii. thi. thi. thi. theean Twitter to nothing. Now that's what I'm talking about. Two and oh! Obama never even won a single impeachment. Shit's embarrassing. I mean say what you want but Trump is the acquittal goat. Sorry OJ you had a good run but Trump got acquitted twice and he's responsible for more deaths.

And you might think 2 and 0 is as good as it gets. But I think Trump might even is as good as it gets. But I think Trump might even have a third impeachment in him. Eight months from now, Congress could just be like, Ah, damn it! We just found out that Trump sold the Declaration of Independence on eBay! Oh, I hope someone does something about it, but I vote to acquit. Damn it, Mitch! But for now, if you're celebrating alongside team Trump, and you want to remember this day forever,

well, here's an offer you won't want to miss. It's official, President Trump has won his second impeachment trial on technical grounds. And now you can celebrate with the president, with the new Trump Acquittal Collection, including the official Aquiddle T-shirt, the official acquittal blanket, and the official acquittal t-shirt, the official acquittal blanket, and the official acquittal coffee muggler. Order now and you'll get real copies of the Trump defense's used trial notes. All

purchases come with a baseball bat and flex cuffs for the next time we march on the Capitol peacefully. Weak. Let's save some time this spring. Be there. We'll be wild. Finding great candidates to hire can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. You might get a lot of resumes, but not enough candidates with the right skills or experience.

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Four out of five employers who post on Zip Recruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. Try it for free at this exclusive web address, zip recruiter.Zip Recruiter. The smartest way to hire. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change.

Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look, starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts. A freak winter storm slammed into Texas, causing blackouts for millions of people. And usually when there are blackouts in America, things go back to normal in a couple of hours. And it's not a big deal.

You light some candles, you grab some flashlights, and then you tell a scary story about the woman who married the ghost of a little boy. But in Texas, many people are still waiting for the heat to come back on three days later. And things stopped being fun a long time ago. This morning, a deadly winter blast, tearing across the country from Mississippi to Maine for a third straight day. In Texas, the freezing temperature is knocking out power to more than 4 million customers. Powers out, water's out. There's no firewood anywhere, no stores open. Residents using blow dryers and heaters to thaw their frozen pipes.

No water. And during freezing temperatures, any way they can. Some dangerously using cars or grills for heat. For the millions bundled up with no electricity, this has been life for days. In this room in our house, it is 33 degrees. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. to th. to th. th. to to th. to th. toa. toa. toa, toa, toa, toa, toa, toa, toa, toe. to, tooom. toa, tooom. tooom. tooom. tooom. tooom. to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, 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 thea. the the the the the the the the the the the the thea'a'a'ero.e. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe been life for days. In this room in our house, it is 33 degrees. In Austin, Andrew Leahy and his wife finding ways to keep warm. You'll see a blanket here and flu scotch tape. We're doing anything possible to keep the heat in. All right, people, this, no matter what anybody says, is awful.

I know people were praying for Texas to go blue, but not like this. I mean, is it too much to ask for just one apocalypse at a time? You know, COVID is bad enough. But now Texans have to deal with their homes turning into meat lockers? This shit is unfair. The pipes are frozen. Temperatures are below zero. Ice is everywhere. Forget Texans. This would be too much for Elsa. Let it go. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the. the. the. the. thoe. tha. tha. thoe. toe. toe. thae. toe. toe. thae. tha. tha. tha. tha. tha. to. to. to. Cove. Cove. Cove. Cove. Cove. Ca. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. C. tso. C. tsoe. tsoe. tsoe. tsova. tsova. tsova. tsova. tsova. tsova. tsova. tsova. tsova. tsova. tsov too much for Elsa. Let it go, hell no, this is bullshit, I'm going to Aruba.

I mean, you saw that news clip. Some people are putting up scotch tape and blankets. That's not how people should keep heat. That's how you hide the weed smell from your RA. Now, what's been so devastating about this blackout, is that when the electricity went out, it affected everything. People people people people people people people people people people people. People people. People people. People. People. People. People the people. the. the. the. the, the, the, the, the, their, the, the, the, the, the, the, tho, the, their, the, the, the, the, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, th. their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, the, the. the. thean, thean. thean. togean, thau. thau. thau. thau. thau. thean. thean. thean. thean out, it affected everything. People were struggling to get heat, they're still struggling to get food, and they're struggling to get water.

Now, luckily for them, their leaders have stepped up in their time of need to tell them to stop bitching. Now, a story making headlines nationwide. The mayor of Colorado City, Tim Boyd has resigned after getting backlash over a Facebook post yesterday. In that post, he wrote, it is, quote, not the local government's responsibility to support you during trying times like this, end quote. He said those without power or water should, quote, step up and come up with a game plan to say safe, in quote.

He says, the city, county, along with power providers, owe you nothing. And only the strong will survive, the week will perish. Damn, okay. I mean, that's one way to be a leader, just telling your people to fend for themselves during a disaster. That's some next level. You know, even Immorton Joe sprayed his people with water once in a while. He's like, I've got a heart, come on. Like, here's a question. Why did this guy even want to be a mayor if he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he he want to help people. You don't become a doctor and then tell people, transplant your own liver, bitches!

Why do I got to do everything, huh? I'm a doctor! Now, the good news is the backlash was so fierce that this mayor immediately resigned. And honestly, it's probably safer for him now that he's gone. Because if you think frostbite is bad on your nose, you should see what it does to an exposed asshole. Now after the people of Texas are done DIYing their own power plants, they'll probably want to know why this catastrophe happened in the first place. And while freak storms can't be prevented, it looks like Texas could have done a lot more

to prepare for this eventuality. Officials with the council that manages most of Texas's grid, says that outages are due to the state's natural gas suppliers not being able to tolerate such low temperatures. Power plants are not performing as expected, especially natural gas fired power plants in Texas right now. Many of the thermal power plants, like natural gas fired power plants, coal fired power plants, and at least one nuclear unit are not producing energy. They're suffering outages.

Some people would point to the fact that Texas had its power supply deregulated back in the 90s, and you would say critics say that because of these businesses were focusing on profits, they were not necessarily concerned with maintenance and or winterizing the equipment to prepare for worst-case scenarios like we're experiencing right now. Texas is the only state to use its own independent power grid. That means it does not have federal regulations that might have better prepared Texas for an event like this. That's right. The main reason Texas has plunged into darkness is that its natural gas industry has been crippled by the storm.

And that might, might have been preventable, except that Texas deregulated its power supply in the 90s, which was clearly not the wisest decision. I mean, trust me. As a man who lived through the 90s, you should probably rethink most of the decisions you made in that decade. But you see, this deregulation led to a lack of oversight that could have helped to keep the infrastructure maintained. But instead, for some reason, there are more people keeping tabs on Britney Spears than the Texas Power Grid. And this just goes to show you, you can't put profits over quality and safety. Money's not worth a whole lot if you have to burn it to keep warm. Look, the fact of the matter is,

this situation is kind of embarrassing for Texas's leaders. I mean, this is the state that prides itself on its oil and gas industry, and now that industry has failed spectacularly. This would be like Jason Mamoa needing help opening a pickle jar, which is probably why state officials and their allies on cable 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, 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 the.....eck. Andeck.eck.eck.eck.eck.eck.eck.e.eck. Wea.eck. And, th.a.a. And, the fact, their their is probably why state officials and their allies on cable news are working so hard to blame someone else. The blackouts that are in Texas are being made worse by the failure of wind turbines, many freezing in the icy weather, cutting output in half, and it's raising questions about the lone star states increasing reliance on renewable energy.

Energy producing wind turbines are freezing, not working. The windmills failed like the silly fashion accessories they are and people in Texas died. Think about if we were in the AOC world, fast forward 10 years and everything is wind. If you don't have power to keep you warm, you're gonna, you're gonna, you're gonna die. A preview of what could happen if the AOC vision were reified throughout the United States. And this shows how the Green New Deal would be a deadly deal for the United States of America. Okay, this, this is fucking insane. These guys are so desperate to just let fossil fuels off the hook that they're blaming AOC and the Green New Deal, which by the way hasn't even

happened yet for something that's happening in Texas right now. But this just goes to show you no matter what happens, no matter how far removed she is from the problem, Conservatives can and will always find a way to blame the boogie man AOC. Rick Perry could have broken his arm as a kid and he and he that that that th. And he th. And he th. And he th. And he th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. they they they they they th. they're th. they're the they're th. they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they're they they they they they they they they they they they they they they th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the. thea. thea. theeeeeean. thean. thea' thean. thea' thea' thea' thea' they're blaming they're they're they're they blame the boogie man AOC. Rick Perry could have broken his arm as a kid, and he would have blamed it on AOC. Ah, my arm! Damn you, AOC! Oh, who's AOC, kid? She just hasn't been bored yet, but you wait, you'll see.

Now, look, we can have an honest conversation about this and acknowledge that it is true that many wind turbines in the state did freeze during the storm. But it's also fair to acknowledge that these wind turbines only account for 12% of the lost power in the state. Placing all the blame on wind power here is like blaming the jets record on the water boy. I mean I guess he could have handed out water better, but I don't, 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, thi, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, th. th. th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th. th, th. th, th, th, th, th. thi, th. th. thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, the thr-a, throooooooooooooooooooooooooooooaauuuuuuuuuua, thr- don't think that's why they lost. And even though these wind turbines failed in cold weather, that doesn't mean that wind power is a bad idea. It just means that Texas didn't have turbines made for cold weather, the same way, it

didn't have oil and gas plants made for cold weather. I mean, there are cars tires. But I don't hear the governor saying, wheels are unreliable, so we need to go back to Flintstone cars. Texas, where half a million residents were still without power today. And more than 200,000 were without clean water because treatment plants are failing and pipes are bursting. Texans have been lining up for clean water from public spigots, boiling their own, or even 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 to to to to to to go back back back back back back back back back back back back. 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 to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the th...... th. th. the. the. the. thrown. thrown thrown. the the, thrown the thrown thrown thrown then. then. then. tof. tof. pipes are bursting. Texans have been lining up for clean water from public spigots, boiling their own, or even trying to melt snow.

Yeah, melting snow for clean water. I mean, you know that the infrastructure is screwed when your best option for water is to mug a snowman. But the saddest part is that these people are the lucky ones. Because it turns out one poor Texan had to travel 800 miles just to get heat, water, and electricity. Senator Ted Cruz, he is now facing a whole lot of questions after he was spotted on a plane traveling to Cancun Mexico in the midst of this unfolding crisis in his home state of Texas. If you go on social media, you will see social media users posting multiple pictures of

the Senator and his family in the Houston airport waiting to board their flight. Dead crews. No, man, you gotta be shitting me, dude. Your people are literally eating snow right now, and you're jetting off to Cancun? I'm not even mad that you were selfish. I'm mad that you were so stupid. How can you be in politics for 10 years and still have no idea how bad this would make you look? What were you thinking?

I know my people are freezing and hungry right now. So what they need is a photo of my beach barred. Because if they see me in a speedo, their eyes will burst into flames and the whole family can warm their hands over those flames. I mean look, I get that Ted Cruz is tired. You know, the man deserves a break off the trying so hard to overthrow the government, but this is not the time, Ted, when your constituents said they need clean water, they didn't mean go find a wet t-shirt contest in Cancun. I mean, seeing Cruz skip town for the beach has been very frustrating for the people in Texas. But on the other hand it has been really

exciting for all the people in Cancun who got to meet him on the street. Wow bro I didn't know that Senior Frog was a real guy that was awesome and what's even worse is that when he got caught instead of owning up to it and apologizing, he acted like a total Ted Cruz. Breaking right now, an update on the reports that Texas Senator Ted Cruz took a trip to Cancun as the state was dealing with massive power outages, something that had many of you upset online.

The statement from Cruz saying, in part, with school canceled for the week. Our girls asked to take a trip with friends wanting to be a good dad. I flew down with them last night and I'm flying back this afternoon. Oh, I see. We all got this thing wrong. Ted Cruz wasn't going on vacation, people.

He was just chaperoning his girls on the flight to Cancun. So in some way, this was like a reverse taken. I want you to know that I'm a man with absolutely no skills whatsoever and I'm going to safely accompany my daughters on this trip. Seriously, Ted Cruz blaming his daughters for this is just gross. Being a good father means putting them on a bus, not throwing them under one. Although to be fair, maybe Ted Cruz just doesn't know what a good dad is. I mean his dad killed JFK. Poof. Before we go. Before th. Please th. Please th. Please th. Before th. Please th. Please th. Please th. Please th. Please th. Please th. Please th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the. the. the. the. t. te. tod. te. tod tod tod today. today. th. th. we go, please, people, you know this. And if you don't, I'm going to say it again. Texas needs all the help they can get right now. The blackout isn't just causing power and heating failures. It's literally causing food insecurity all over the state.

Now one organization is on the ground in Houston, and they're called the Houston Food Bank. They're leading hunger relief in 18 Southeast Texas counties. So if you can help them out, please donate whatever you can at the link below. The Daily Show with Trevnoa, Ears Edition. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central and the Comedy Central app. Watch full episodes and videos at the Daily Show.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and subscribe to the Daily Show on YouTube

for exclusive content and more. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. Really? 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. This has been a Comedy Central Podcast.