The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Vaccine Rollout Chaos | Stanley Nelson

Episode Date: January 27, 2021

America's COVID-19 vaccine rollout is a mess, Trevor examines Donald Trump's breakup with Fox News, and Stanley Nelson talks about his documentary "Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy."Please visit dailyshow.com/FirstRespondersFirst to help provide medical and psychological treatment for first responders on the front lines of fighting COVID 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, starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's going on, everybody? I'm Trevor Noah, and this is the daily social distancing show. Before we begin, I just wanted to share with all of you that I have successfully completed yet another New Year's resolution. Yeah, I got my email inbox down to zero and it feels so good to have no unread emails because

like there's everybody and then the... Oh man, thanks a lot. Bonapills for you. You ruined it! I've got emails. Oh, that's a pretty good deal. I'm going to subscribe. Oh, you, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, th. Oh, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi, tho, tho, tho, tho, I thi, I've thoes, I've thoes, I' thoom. Yeah, I' thi. Yeah, I' thi. Yeah, I' thi, I' thi, I' thi, I' thi, I' th, I' th, I' th, I' th, I' th, I' th. Yeah, I' th. Yeah, I' th. Yeah, I' th. Yeah, I' th. Yeah, I' thi. Yeah, I'm thi. Yeah, I'm tha, I'm tha, tha. Yeah, tha'a'a'e. Yeah, tha'ean, tho. Yeah, tho. Yeah, tha'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a've got emails from... Oh, that's a pretty good deal. I'm gonna subscribe. Oh, you can, can we cut that? We'll edit that out, yeah?

Anyway, on tonight's show, cats are giving us COVID. Monkeys are taking our jobs, and your mom can't get a vaccine. Plus, filmmaker Stanley Nelson is joining us on the show to tell us the real story behind the crack epidemic So let's do this people. Welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show. From Trevor's couch in New York City to your couch somewhere in the world. This is the Daily Social Distancing Show with Trevor Noah. the ears. Let's kick things off with President Joseph Rolex Biden.

He has been in office for less than a week, but man, he's already putting his stamp on the presidency with a series of eye-catching progressive moves. President Biden has ended a band on transgender people in the military. Mr. Biden signed an executive order yesterday reversing a policy ordered by then-President Trump. President Joe Biden plans on making the switch to electric vehicles replacing the government's current vehicle fleet. The White House has added a sign language interpreter to its news briefings. Press Secretary Gen Sockey says an American sign language interpreter will be a regular

part of daily press briefings during the Biden administration. The Treasury Department will resume its efforts to put former slave and abolitionist Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill. The plan to replace Andrew Jackson on the 20 was originally announced during the Obama administration, but President Trump delayed that project. Damn, Joe Biden coming in hot. He's walking into the White House like it's the first day of prison. Yo, who's the wokest mother-fixie in here?

Because I'm about a whop his, her, or their ass. I mean, look at those executive orders. Trans rights, electric cars, sign language. And putting Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill is back, which makes sense. She went underground for a while. But thin' thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, thi thi, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, thi, thu, thi, thu, thu, thu, thu, the thu, the thu. And, thu. And, thu. And, thu. And, thi, thi, thi. And, thi. And, thi's thi. And, thi's thi's thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiaa. she came back once it was safe. You know how she'd do. Although, this might be too little, too late, because no one uses cash anymore. It will be safer to incorporate her into the Venmo logo.

But still, replacing one of the most racist presidents with a black woman who helped slaves escape is amazing progress. I mean, if you went back in time and told Andrew Jackson that Joe Biden was doing this he would be like, wait Joe Biden? That guy who just got elected to the Senate? And let's be honest, the sign language interpreter is way overdue. I mean of course Trump already had a sign language interpreter for some of his briefings, but this is much better. And I'm happy about the electric car thing. But I will say, part of me thinks that it's just so that the government has quiet a car

to sneak up on us, you know? Because now you'll never know when they're drunk. Moving on, do you drink coconut milk? Well, first of all, congratulations on being basic. Moving on, do you drink coconut milk? Well, first of all, congratulations on being basic. And second, you might want to make sure that it's ethically sourced. On the consumer watch this morning, Target is the latest retailer to drop Chauka, coconut milk. A milk company being accused of forcing monkeys to farm the coconuts.

Target says it's taking those claims seriously and removed the product from shelves back in November. The milk company denies all claims of animal labor, saying a recent audit of its farms found no forced monkey labor. Okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, hold up. Forced monkey labor? I didn't even know it was possible to force a monkey to pick coconuts. I mean that's a lot of effort to go through just so that we can drink the

inside of a trees testicle. Now I will state for the record I do agree. Don't be forcing monkeys into labor. You got to do the right thing and pay the monkeys. I mean they don't know what money is anyway so you can just write them a check. How many of them are going to cash it? Like half? You're still coming out on top. And stopping monkey labor is important, not just for the monkeys, but for humankind too, because we're not going to be able to compete against a monkey for a job. I would like a living wage.

I will do it for bananas. Damn you, Bongo! But let's turn now to the coronavirus pandemic. The only thing more infectious than a song by Duolipa. By now, everyone knows that there are a few ways to try and avoid catching this disease. You wear a mask, you observe social distancing, and if all else fails, you roast coronavirus so hard that it doesn't want to come near you. Damn, look at you, Corona! You got so so, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho,. You got so many zits. It looks like you exfoliate with pizza crust.

Ha! No, no, no, don't, don't cry. Ah, I feel bad. Oh, and of course, another big one, do not gather indoors for parties, no matter how important the event is. A small town in Chile is dealing with a COVID outbreak that all began with a celebration for a feline. Health authorities say 15 people came down with the virus after a birthday party for a cat. Ten actually attended the party and five others or friends or family members of the cat's owner. The birthday cat was not infected.

God damn. These people got COVID from a cat birthday party? Yo, that's the most embarrassing thing I've ever heard. I don't want my lost words on my deathbed to be, tell Mr. Whiskers I had a great time. This is such a weird story. First of all, because I can't believe someone who would throw a cat birthday party actually has friends and secondly, cats don't even like parties. When have you ever seen a cat who's like, th?? th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, thi thi, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, tho, 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 the, the, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, throw a cat birthday party actually has friends and secondly cats don't even like parties. When have you ever seen a cat who's like oh a room with loud humans in it I hope one of them strap something onto my head meow. But the truth is people it is incredibly disappointing that we are a full year into

coronavirus and we still cannot socialize normally. And a lot of people thought that the end was inside two months ago you know when the vaccines were approved but if you've 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 the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th. th th th th th th th th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the the the the the the the thro thro thro. throoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. the. the the the a lot of people thought that the end was in sight two months ago, you know, when the vaccines were approved. But if you've been having a hard time getting a coronavirus vaccine, congratulations again on being basic. Because it turns out there are millions of Americans in the same boat. Here in the US, injection plans are entangled in red tape, a confusing patchwork of eligibility rules and poor communications. The country's war against coronavirus waged as 50 separate battles. Each state now with

its own vaccination strategy. Local and state officials say the real problem is supply. Governors angry that reserve doses promised by the federal government are unavailable. They were lying. They don't have any doses held back. Unpredictable allocations are causing delays and confusion across the country. At its current pace, California won't vaccinate even half its residents until Thanksgiving. New York's vaccine supply crisis, that's escalating to the opening sites at Cityfield, at Yankee Stadium, Staten Island's Empire outlets.

That's now all on hold because of the shortage. In West Virginia, 25,000 extra vaccine doses never showed up. If you can buy a VAPE on every corner in Los Angeles, you should be able to get a vaccine, frankly, in every gas station. Yeah, you know what? That doctor is 100% right. Gas stations should offer vaccines, and not just for Corona. They should give you a vaccine for everything you pick up from that bathroom key. But I don't know that this is really a surprise guys, I mean we should have

seen this coming back when Popeyes ran out of chicken. If America can't handle sandwich distribution, what chance do they have with a vaccine? So look, there was no way that the vaccine rollout was going to go smoothly. I thi everything th th th th th th th thi thi thi thi thi thi thi the thi thi th. thi thi thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. tho tho thi. thi. thi. tho tho-a tho tho-a th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi. 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. thi. thi. thi. the the the the te te te to to to to toooo toeeeea. toeeeea. theea. the. the. the. th was no way that the vaccine rollout was going to go smoothly. I mean, everything with COVID has been a horror movie. Why would the end of the horror movie be any different? If a killer spent 90 minutes stabbing people, he's not going to suddenly come out in the final scene like, I just realized something. What I really need to kill are my insecurities. So, the federal government is having trouble getting vaccine doses to the states, and states

are having trouble getting them to health care providers. But even once vaccines are available, people who need them are having way too harder time getting to them. If you have been able to get a COVID vaccine, maybe you should go play the power ball because you are extremely lucky. That's because around the country people are trying to get this shot and are being met with crashing websites, long lines, canceled appointments and shortages.

In Houston, a call center for making vaccine appointments crashed. At one point it received about 250,000 calls for only 750,000 available slots. One big concern that making an appointment depends too much on technology. Research shows only 60% of those 75 an appointment depends too much on technology. Research shows only 60% of those 75 and older use the internet. I feel like I'm in a maze with no open doors. From Texas to Tennessee to Florida, people waiting in lines for hours for a shot.

In Daytona, Florida, some senior citizens spent the night in their cars. This is the most insane thing, no porta-patties, and there are three people working the entire life. We're not teenagers, we're talking about 75 in seniors. No guys. This is unacceptable. The only time a senior citizen should be in a car for nine hours is when they're trying to make a left turn in front of you. And that's it.

And I feel bad for a lot of old people because they can't figure out how to make appointments on these complicated websites, which means it's going to be super awkward for some of them because they're going to have to get back in toubts to accept you for who you are. Yeah, I know. Now bring your gay laptop over here and help me make a vaccine appointment. And what makes all of this even more frustrating?

Is while most vaccination sites don't have enough doses, it tuares. Wasting valuable vaccine doses, it is a problem that understandably has officials concerned. In some places across the country, leftover doses have been thrown out. Doses that could have been given to anyone wishing to get vaccinated, but not yet eligible to get the shot because they don't fit the demographic criteria. Health care workers here in Massachusetts were just forced to throw doses out. That's because people aren't

showing up for their appointments and the vaccine is going bad. Regular guy David McMillan randomly got a Moderna shot at a DC grocery store when first responders missed their appointment. Healthy 26 year old was in a Brooklyn clinic for a coronavirus test and was told there was one vaccine dose left for anyone who wanted it. There was no one there. I mean they were about to close the clinic for the day. It was my arm or the garbage the garbage the garbage the garbage the garbage the garbage the garbage the garbage the garbage the garbage the garbage the garbage. This the garbage. This th. This th. This th. This is th. This is th. This is th. This is th. This is wild. This is wild. th. th. This is wild. th. th. This is wild. th. This is wild. This is wild. This is th. This is th. This is 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. thi. th. thi. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. to close the clinic for the day. It was my arm or the garbage. This is wild, people. You've got 75-year-olds waiting overnight in their cars, and then you've got 26-year-olds stumbling into a vaccine because someone missed their appointment.

Which, by the way people out there who are like, I mean sure, I have a vaccine appointment at 3 p.m. but I also have this cat birthday party I'm supposed to go to, so... And look, I don't mean to be a hater. But could the scientists not make vaccines that don't go bad this fast? I mean, it's the most advanced technology on earth, but then at the same time they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they age. they age. th. th. th. th. thatheatheatheatheatheatheatheatheatheatheatheatheatheatheatheatheat. that. that is that. that is that. that. that. that. that. that. that. I'm that. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that. I that. I the same time they age like avocados? Hey, I just cut open an avocado. Would you like some? You know what? Too late, it's rotten now. Now, it may not surprise you that the problems with the vaccine rollout are not affecting everyone equally.

It's a basic fact of life that people with money can too often jump to the head of the line. And it turns out, COVID vaccines are no different. It's been difficult for a lot of people to get a vaccine because of the shortage in doses. So some are getting desperate, trying to find the vaccine on the black market. Doctors in Los Angeles are being offered up to $25,000 in exchange for early access to the vaccine. This cyber security expert uncovered these ads on the

dark web. COVID vaccines available. This one for $500. This one $1,000. Even offering overnight delivery. Some wealthy and well-connected people are trying to cut the line. In Florida officials are investigating reports at a luxury-assisted living facility offered and vaccinated its board members and wealthy donors out of turn. Since Florida does not require people seeking vaccines to be U.S. citizens or even Florida residents, it's led to some visitors coming from abroad to get vaccinated. Critics call it vaccine tourism.

There is evidence a dozen wealthy Argentinians travel to Miami to get their shots. One Argentine TV personality posted video on Instagram showing her elderly mother getting vaccinated. Oh man, this is not where America wants to be. It's so poorly run that people from other countries are just waltzing in, plundering its resources and leaving. Ha ha! Not so much fun when it happens to you, Signor Beach. But look, I'm not surprised that the wealthy are finding a way to game the system. I will say, I'm not really sure that these people should be trusting a black market vaccine that they found on the dark web.

Thank you so much. Wait, hold on. Is vaccine supposed to be spelt with a K? Hey, do you want vacaquin or not? So, there's no denying that the vaccine distribution is going badly for a whole host of reasons. But it does not have to be this way, because America has a history of mass vaccination programs and it turns out they've been pretty successful in the past. For centuries, the smallpox virus ravaged the globe. So when a new outbreak hit New York in April of 1947, city officials launched an urgent offensive,

vaccinating more than 6 million people in less than a month. Vaccination stations were set up in all municipal hospitals and clinics, every police precinct station house and in private factories and offices. The idea that you could vaccinate 6 million people in that short period of time is stunning. It's an absolute public health triumph that they were able to do this. They saved thousands of lives. At the current time, probably the government doesn't have the kind of public health the health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health health the the the the the the the the the the the the the thiii. thi, their thi, thi, their their their their their thiiii, the police, the police, the police, the police, every the police, every the police, every the police, every the police, every the police, every the police, the police, the police, the police, the police, the police, their their their their their their their their thiiiiiiiiiiiiia, thia, thia, thia, thia, thia, thia, thia, thiiiiiia, thiiiiiiiia, thiiiiiiia.ea.ea. Every police, thiiia. Every police, the police, the police, the police, the police,this. They saved thousands of lives. At the current time, probably the government doesn't have the kind of public health infrastructure

that they would need to be able to do this. Okay, honestly, guys, that is a little embarrassing. America can barely get its vaccination program off the ground, but in 1947, New York managed to vaccinate 6 million people in a month. And sure, it was easier to vaccinate 6 million people back then. There wasn't shit else to do, you know? There was radio and like three TV channels. Getting stabbed with a needle was the most exciting thing you could do with your day.

But the point is that America had the infrastructure and the health care system to handle such a huge task. Although, it was 1947, so that means everything still had cocaine in it. Hey, you want a vaccine? Boom, boom, boom, boom, who needs a vaccine? Everybody got a vaccine? All right, I'm gonna go grab more of those sodas that make me happy. And while it might be depressing to see that things are worse now than they were 70 years ago. It also shows you what America is capable of when it rises to the challenge. So America I say to you now let's learn from the past. In fact you know what I'm gonna travel back in time to the 1940s when things were better with vaccinations and pick

up some pointers. They called me the n-word. were better with vaccinations and pick up some pointers. They called me the N-word. All right, when we come back, President Trump is getting divorced. Yeah, I said it, so don't go away. Hello, I'm attorney Leo Deblin with a special message to Rudolph Julianus. Mr. Julianus, it seems that you have been sued now for $1.3 billion by the Dominican voting system. I can only assume that you will need representation, unless you are crazy enough to represent yourself. I would like to offer my services, Leo Deblah.

I'm the proprietor of many successful businesses such as Leo Deblon Porn Cafe, the Leo Debling Taillight, and of course, Leo Deblon Space College and Institute of Barbering. Do not let the Dominican's voting system intimidate you. Get strong legal representation that will help you make sure that you don't go to jail. My legal fees are only $85 an hour. You can get that from your mama. Be blessed, Rudolph, and I will see you in the courtroom. 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. Welcome back to the daily social distancing show. It's no secret that Donald Trump's transition out of office was a painful one. He caused a major rift in the GOP, but his relationship with the GOP isn't the only one that's been strained. You see, there was another organization that played

an equally important role in Trump's political rise. Fox News. For four years, they treated Trump the way a white lady treats her dog. He was a good boy, and if he peed on you, it was your fault. And the love was mutual. But sometime between Trump's campaign for re-election and his campaign for insurrection, the relationship went south. Today, President Trump is taking on Fox News, as you see right here, retweeting days old replies, bashing the channel and suggesting that Fox is to blame for his defeat. I don't know what the hell happened to Fox? What happened to Fox?

Boy, oh boy. President Trump is blasting Fox News suggesting it has become another quote mainstream media outlet. Now this is, as the president took to Twitter Wednesday to say that watching the channel is almost as bad as watching fake news CNN. We have a lot of support. You'd be CNN. We have a lot of support. You'd be amazed. We have a lot of support.

So many people we have as supporters outside of just, you know, are Fox News, which, you know, I have my own little, I have my own little difficulties with, if you want to know the truth. Now, Fox is very disappointing that Fox puts on this, this would not have happened with Roger Rails, I can tell you that. Now I gotta be honest, it was so weird to see Trump turn on Fox News because they were so loyal to him. They put their necks on the line for him again and again, even when they didn't have much

neck to begin with. But now, it looks like this love affair is over. And even though Trump's been married three times, this might be the biggest breakup of his life. And we can't wait for the courtroom drama that this is going to inspire. They were the perfect match, but the love didn't last.

This year, get ready for the divorce trial of the century. All right. We will now hear the case of Donald J. Trump versus Fox News. I understand both parties are requesting a divorce citing irreconcilable differences. Is that correct? Yes, your honor. Yes, if by irreconcilable differences, you mean backstabbing butheads.

Here we go. Your Honor, my client has suffered too long with the lying racist partner who incites insurrection. They want to find a lying racist partner who doesn't incite insurrection. Your Honor, my client spent four years promoting Fox News shows wherever he went, rallies, international summits, other Fox News shows. And what did Fox News do in return? They refused to call the 2020 election for him just because Joe Biden wanted it. That's a good point.

This betrayal has inflicted emotional, physical, and dietary harm. It made him sad, and he eats junk food when he's sad and when he's happy and when he feels nothing but that's irrelevant to this case. Your honor I object. The tension is high but the stakes are even higher. All right let's get down to business start splitting up these big juicy assets, counselor. He's keeping the Republican Party. Absolutely not. That was Fox's property prior to the relationship. He can have the MAGA base only. I'm talking the Trump tattoo having felony live streaming base, the ones who haven't combed their beard, renovations,

upgrades, spine removal. Who do you think paid for Mitch McConnell's Brazilian butt lift? I knew that thing was fake. A breakup this messy affects the whole family. All right, let's talk custody. I see here there are six children. Wait, I thought Trump only had five kids. Is their secret love child you only telling me about? No, the petition doesn't refer to Mr. Trump's biological children. Rather, we're asking for custody of Steve, Ainsley, Brian, Tucker, Laura, and Sean, the ones he loves. Your Honor, Mr. Trump's lifestyle simply can't give them the stability. They need to thrive, especially little Brian Kilmede. He doesn't thine, thine, thine, thine, thine, thine, thine, thine, thine, thine, thine, thine, thine, thine, thine, thine, thi, thi, thi, thi, thu, thu, thu, thu, thu. thi, thu, tru, tru, tru, tru, tru, tru, tru, tru, tru, tru, tru, tru, tru, tru. tru. tru. tru. tru. tru. tru, tru, tr. tr. tr. tr. tr. tr. tr. tr. tr. tr. tr. true, true, true, true, true, true, true, true, true, true, true, true, true, true, true, true, true, true, true. true. true. true, true, trrive, especially little Brian Kilmeade. He doesn't even understand what's going on.

This verdict will be the most anticipated result in our lifetimes. Before I get to my decision, I'd like to implore both parties to remember what this relationship used to be. This relationship was founded on love, trust, and common interests that Mr. Trump and Fox shared, you know, like wealth and NDAs. But ultimately this case comes down to one thing, whoever gave me the biggest bribe. So this court hereby rules in favor of... of coming soon to a courtroom near you I can't wait to watch. All right when we come back filmmaker Stanley Nelson will join us on the show to talk about the crack epidemic and all the things you didn't know so don't go away.

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. Earlier today, I spoke with award-winning filmmaker Stanley Nelson. His latest documentary examines the crack epidemic of the 1980s and its lasting impact on America. We talked about that and so much more. Stanley Nelson, welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show. Thank you for having me. As one of America's most prolific documentary filmmakers, you've received multiple awards,

everything from Emmys to awards from President Barack Obama himself. You've always been adept at telling the story of the African-American experience and it feels like all stories would be incomplete without the story of the crack epidemic and the lies that surrounded that time during American history. As a filmmaker who's told every kind of story, why did you feel like this was a story that you needed to tell and everybody needed to see? Well, I thought that the crack era was something

that we really hadn't looked back on and hadn't, you know, looked back on through the lens of time, you know, there was a lot of overblown reporting at the time, a lot of hyperbole, a lot of misconceptions, and I thought it was time that we looked at it in a new life. Now, just one of the many things that makes this documentary special is that you are a native of Harlem. You lived in Harlem during the height of the crack epidemic and you lived in Harlem during the height of the war on drugs. Yeah, I mean, I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I the the the the the crack I the crack I the crack, I was the crack, I was th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. that, th. theaugh, theatheaugh, 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. th. th. th. th. th. It, th. It, th. It, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, thea, thea, thea, thea. It's, theaugh, the, thea, thea, thea, the, the during the height of the war on drugs. Yeah, I mean the crack era was crazy, you know, for anybody that doesn't remember it.

You know, it was nuts, you know, from the middle 80s to about the middle 90s. It was crazy, you know, there were crack dealers everywhere. I remember coming home from a party at 3 o'clock at night and driving past the block. And it looked like broad daylight. I mean, literally there are 100 people on this one block. So it was everywhere. You know, people were driving around in cars saying, you know, crack, got that crack, you know, everywhere. You know, you didn't have to be show like homes to find it, you know, to, to, for

law enforcement to see that it was going on and that it was everywhere. see that it was going on and that it was everywhere. You know, people had locks on their cars, people, you know, had to protect their car radios. I remember people also had steering wheels that you could remove. Like you could remove your steering wheel and take it with. So, you know, that make your car almost impossible to steal. So it was just, it was just crazy. You talked to some of the most interesting people in this documentary. You interview, to, to, to, to, to, the, th. th. to, th. th. th. th. the, th. their, th. their, their, th. their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, you, you, you, you, you, 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, to some of the most interesting people in this documentary. You interview subjects that range from the journalists who are covering it, the police who were involved on both sides of it, and we'll talk about that a little bit more. But you also talk to the drug dealers themselves. You talk to the people who are pushing this on the streets. First question, how did you convince them to do this? And secondly, why did you think it was important to have them be part of the telling of the story?

I thought that the lies that were told about crack, in part were the lies that were told about the dealers, the lies that were told about the users. You know, we interview one dealer, Samson Stiles, who was very very very finding people to interview and actually became a consulting producer. But you know, he was working at McDonald's for minimum wage. He had a high school sweetheart who was pregnant with a baby on the way, and somebody offered him crack to sell, you know, and all of a sudden, as he says, in 20 minutes he was sold

out and he had hundreds of dollars in his pocket. And so, you know, he started selling crack. So I think that it was important to cast the dealers in a new light. You know, this wasn't a guy who woke up one day and said, you know, I want to devastate my community, I want to be some evil guy. This was a kid, he was a high school kid who was working at McDonald's. This documentary opens people's eyes not just to how the police were dealing

with the crack epidemic, but how many of the police were involved in the distribution of drugs, the selling of drugs, the maintaining of the drug networks. Talk me through that. I mean, that's a scary narrative to go down. How do you make sure that you know you're getting correct information? How do you make sure that you're talking to the people who don't just have a grudge against the police and in fact are giving information that is pertinent to the story you're tellain?

Yeah, well, one is that the film has no narrator. So, so, you know, the people that we hear their drugs. That, you know, that police, as you arrest somebody on the corner, basically you can take their drugs and their money and let them go, or you can take them to jail. You know, the police themselves give that story. One of the crack dealers tells a great story how the police, you know, the police, you know, the police, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, and their, and their, and, and their, and their, and their, and their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, and, their................ their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their, their. their, you're, you're, you, tell your boss that we did, did you a favor. And he goes to his boss and his boss says, yeah, well, we're paying him off. You know, that's why. So, you know, it's from people's own words. I think one of the things that that really best said in the film is that, you know, there was so much money and it was so crazy, you know, you tha, you thrack, you thrack, you th.... th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the their their their their that, 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 th. th. th. th. th. their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, th. their, their, know, in the crack era, that the whole community was corrupted.

Everybody was somehow corrupted, you know, by this thing. One of the, I would say one of the most powerful indictments in this documentary for me, is looking at the media. Looking at how the media covered this epidemic, looking at how the media framed what was happening, looking at how the media vilified black people as a community. They didn't seem to do any journalism, even though it was the news, they just seemed to parrot the propaganda

that was coming out from the United States government at the time. When you look back on that media, and we see this in the documentary, what do you 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 think think think think think thi thi thi thi thi thi th on that media, and we see this in the documentary, what do you think they were responsible for, or how much of the war on drugs that went wrong, do you think the media was responsible for? The media was definitely part of it. You know, they would latch on to, you know, crack babies and have headlines,

about a hundred thousand crack babies are going to, you know, invade the schools in New York City, but also all over the country had changed the whole education system. You know, the crack mamas, you know, crack holes, you know, that was a thing that we heard over and over again. And it was never an analysis of what was going on. You know, we talked to a woman, a crack user in a film and she talks about being arrested five times for possession, not for toeeeeeeeaaaaauiiiiiia.... thia. thia. thia. thia. thia. thia. thia. thia. thi. thi. thiole. thioliolf. thiol-and, their, their, thiol-and, th. thiol-and, their, their, their, you. their, you. their, you. their, you. their, you. their, you. their, you. And, their, their, their, their. And, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, thr. And, thr. And, tra. And, tra. And, tra'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a'a' about being arrested five times for possession, not for dealing, not for committing any crime, but for having crack in her pocket. And never once is she offered treatment. What's really painful as well in this documentary is you watch the story of how black women bore the brunt oftentimes of this narrative.

You know, as you said, the crack mamas and the crack babies and black women were labeled as unable to raise their children and and not good mothers and they were painted with a broad brush. It's interesting that now as we see the opioid epidemic, those same terms and those same ideas haven't been repeated. Do you think that's because the media has learned from its previous mistakes? I think it's because, you know, the opioid crisis is seen as a white problem, you know, that it's seen as a health problem. You know, the people aren't vilified. They're, you know, they have a health problem. I don't think the media has looked back on the cracker and said, oh, we made a mistake.

I don't think that that's been done, no. As the creator the creator the creator the creator the creator the creator the creator the creator the creator the creator the creator the creator the creator the creator thi thi thi thi thi. I thi. I thinks thinks thinks thinks thinks thinks thinks thinks thinks thinks thinks thinks thinks, thinks thinks 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 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 done, no. As the creator of the film, what do you hope people walk away with? What is the one thing, if there is one story, that you would hope people remember after watching this film? Yeah, I mean, I don't even sound like this, but I don't think there's one story. I think that really the story is how we got to where we are, and what the least steps the least steps the least the least the least the least the least the least the least the least the least is the least is the story the story were that bring us up to the present. You know and I think it's never a bad thing to think about how we got here,

you know, especially now, I mean you know, what's happening in this country, you know, how did we get here? You know, in the film we talk about the war on drugs and the militarization of the police and all of a sudden you see the police with tanks and automatic weapons and body armor and all of that came from the war on drugs which largely came from the war on crack. Well I'll tell you this, few stories are all encompassing like this. I encourage everybody to watch it. I wish people would watch it in schools. I think once again you've done an amazing job. Thank you so much for taking the time and thank you for being here with us today. Thank you so much. Don't forget, you can watch Crack, Cocaine, Corruption and Conspiracy right now on Netflix.

All right, we're going to take a quick break, but we'll be right back after this. When 60. When 60. When th 60. When th 60. When th 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. Well, that's our show for tonight, but before we go, as you know, the coronavirus pandemic

is as bad as it has ever been. But luckily, the one thing that keeps us going is that our first responders are still out on the front lines, saving people's lives. Now, if you want to help them out, then please consider a donation to first responders first, an organization which is offering first class medical and psychological treatment for first responders themselves. Find out more at the link below. Until tomorrow, stay safe out there, wear a mask, and I'll see you at Fluffy's Kinseedra this weekend. The Daily Show with Cover Noa, 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. 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. This has been a Comedy Central Podcast.