The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Votegasm 2020: The Awkward Days After | Soledad O'Brien

Episode Date: November 6, 2020

Coronavirus cases soar in the U.S., Michael Kosta learns about potential post-election chaos, and Soledad O'Brien discusses problematic punditry and her podcast "Very Opinionated." Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

you qualified people for it, and you can use zip recruiters pre-written invite to apply message to personally reach out to your favorite candidates and encourage them to apply sooner. Ditch the other hiring sites and let zip recruiter find what you're looking for, the needle in the haystack. Four out of five employers who post on Zip Recruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. Try it for free at this exclusive web address. Zip Recruiter.com slash zip. 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. You're rolling. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look

on Apple podcasts starting September 17th. Hey, what's going on, everybody? Welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show. I'm Trevor Noah. Today is Thursday, the 5th of November. And I know what everyone's thinking right now. It's the 5th of November. And we still to to to 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. thiioun' th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thoe. thoe. thoomomomomomomomomomome. thia. 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. the. the. the. thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. thea.'s thinking right now. It's the 5th of November, and we still don't know when we can start playing Christmas songs. When can we start already?

Mariah Carey, tell us when we can start. Anyway, coming up on tonight's show. Donald Trump isn't going anywhere. Corona virus also isn't going anywhere. And Michael Costa tells us why we all should be very afraid. So let's th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th thus thus thus thus thus thus thus thus thus thoe the the the the the the thoe the the the the the the the the the the the th. the tho. tho. tho. to tho. 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. tf. tf. tf. tf. tf. tf. tf. tf. tf. the. the. the. the. the. 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 No.

Here's addition. We are now on day three of Election Day. And I don't know about you, but this election is starting to feel like that friend who you let crash on your couch for a weekend, but then you quickly realize that you've officially got a new roommate. Well, let's see what's happening with our situation ship in our ongoing segment, Vote Gasm 2020. Let's get to the big news first. President Donald, just a minute Trump, is in more trouble than a guy who kidnapped Liam Niesen's daughter. Because all day, Joe Biden has been slowly chipping away at Trump's lead in Georgia,

while also cleaning up as mail-in ballots are counted in Pennsylvania. Basically by the time you're watching this, it could all be over. So tonight, you're either popping champagne or popping all your stress pimples. But even though things look bad for him, Donald Trump is not a quitter if you don't count his casinos and marriages. And he still has several strategies to win this thing. So let's go through those strategies today. Strategy thragag.

th strategy th strategy th strategy th strategy th strategy th strategy th strategy tr- today. tr-one true true true. true. true. true. true. true. true. true. true. true. th. tho thr-in. thr-o-up. th. th. th. th. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. 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. the. the. the. those strategies today. Strategy number one is Trump's first response to anything, whether it's trying to get out of paying a bill or silencing a porn star. Lawsuits. With his path to re-election appearing to be narrowing, President Trump's relying on relief from the courts that may never come, filing suits in Michigan and Pennsylvania to stop vote counting until the Trump campaign can access the counting locations. The Trump campaign saying it would request a recount in Wisconsin where Joe Biden is the apparent winner. The Trump campaign, filing a lawsuit in Georgia, alleging one of its poll observers, saw late absentee ballots illegally added to a stack of on-time absentee ballots in a heavily democratic county that include Savannah. Quite possibly, we'll do a national lawsuit and really expose the corruption of the Democrat Party.

Ooh, a national lawsuit? So if you're watching this, consider yourself served. And what a difference between 2016 and 2020. When Hillary lost, she disappeared into the woods. But Trump starts losing. He's dragging voters one by one onto the witness stand. Although knowing Trump, he's probably just hustling for a big settlement. I'm suing because I should be president.

That's why I'm here. But for 500 grand, we can forget this whole thing ever happened. 300,000. 250,000, my final offer, 50,000. I'll pay you, but only $20 out of the deal. But what case exactly are they bringing to the courts? Well, Rudy Giuliani, the president's personal lawyer and man who drank from the wrong holy grail, explained his objections to counting votes.

Not a single Republican has been able to look at any one of these mail ballots. They could be from Mars as far as we're concerned. Or they could be from the Democratic National Committee. Joe Biden could have voted 50 times as far as we know, or 5,000 times. You have a reputation for dead people voting? And we're going to go look at just how many dead people voted here. Do you think we're stupid? You think we're fools? Calm down, Count Wacula.

First of all, it depends on who you mean by we. Because if you're talking about you and Trump, then yes. We do think you're fools. But if you're talking about the entire Trump administration, then also yes. Because, I mean, come o'er, dude. Joe Biden isn't voting 5, enough to wait that long. And as for looking into dead people, it's going to be hilarious when Rudy Giuliani is questioning the dead on how they voted.

Did the Democrats get you to vote for them? No, man, I'm a dead guy. Just like you. Oh, then you should get that whole thing checked out. Now, I'm 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'm th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. that. that, that, that thi. that, tho to to to to to tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho thi. thi. thi. thi. than. than. than. than. than. 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 to to to too to toda toda toda to to to the the the thean. thea thea. then you should get that whole thing checked out. That's, oh. Now, I'm not going to front. It's really hard to keep track of all of these lawsuits that are happening, but luckily, we've got Dulce Sloan at the election lawsuit center to help us break it all down. So, Dulce, who is Trump suing right now?

Let's take a look, Trevor. We got a whole bunch of lawsuits coming in fast. We already know that Trump is suing Pennsylvania and Michigan and Georgia, but he's got even more on the way. Arizona? Oh, your ass is getting sued. Nevada, lawyer up, you're getting sued. Utah, your neighbors with Nevada. Trump's going to sue you just because it's convenient to pop by. Pennsylvania, that's right again. You're getting double sued. And Trump isn't just suing states. France, your ass is getting sued. For what? Not sure. See you in court. Also, Eric Trump said he found a box of Trump votes in a volcano on Mars.

So Mars, your red ass is getting sued. Oh, and I almost forgot. Pennsylvania, triple sued. Just for thinking Trump was done suing you. Guess who else Trump is suing? That's right? Donald Trump, he's suing himself. Because if it wasn't for all his bullshit, he wouldn't be losing Pennsylvania, which, by the way, Trump has sued again.

Quadruple sue. Ah That's what we got so far Trevor or should I say? Defendant 32 see you a court bitch Oh man, I've always wanted to be sued by Trump. Thank you so much for that Doolsay. So it's gonna take some time for these lawsuits to be thrown out by a series of lower courts before the Supreme Court does whatever Trump wants. But Trump isn't sitting around waiting. He's also been urging his followers 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 followers to to so. so. so. sov sov sov sov sov sov sov sov sov sov sov t. t. the the the the the the the t. t. t. so. so. so. so. so. so. so. so. so. so. so. so so so so so so so so so so so so so so the the the the the the the the the the the the the try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try t be thrown out by a series of lower courts before the Supreme Court does whatever Trump wants. But Trump isn't sitting around waiting. He's also been urging his followers to take to the streets, and they're showing up like coronavirus at a White House Rose Garden event. President Trump supporters in various states are protesting. Why the Trump campaign wants some states to stop counting votes while other states continue counting.

In Arizona overnight, hundreds of Trump supporters, some armed, gathered outside a Phoenix election center, saying the election was being stolen from the president. Protesters there looking to keep the count going as the race titans. Where are the boats? And in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, voters say the tension there is intense. Tempers flaring from coast to coast. The Biden crime family steals this election. The media is covering up.

The Biden crime family steal this election. The media is covering up. We want our freedom for the world. Give us our freedom to abide it. Okay, two things. First, this ugly behavior undermines the foundations of American democracy. And secondly, I hope they have that barbecue beer freedom shirt in a hoodie version. That is dope. Also, the Biden crime family?

That has got to be the least threatening-sounding, organized crime family ever. You know, you've got a really nice place here. Be a pity if some malarkey happened to it. I don't know. I don't know. I mean, seriously. I can't believe we were all terrified that Trump supporters would coordinate a civil war.

And yet, these guys can't even agree on a slogan to shout in the streets. Because they're chanting to count the votes if Trump is behind in the state, but then if he's ahead, then they're chancing to stop the count. I mean, what happens if the state switches? Count the votes! Well we are counting and it looks like Joe Biden has just taken the lead. Okay, stop counting the votes. We changed our minds. Depends how it goes.

But if Trump can't win the election in the streets, he has one final plan to win the election in the tweets. The president after election day out of sight, but far from quiet, ignoring the ongoing vote count and declaring himself the winner in several crucial battlegrounds. Writing on Twitter in part, we hereby claim the state of Michigan, but that's not a candidate's call to make. No, come on Donald, what are you doing, man? Just because you shout it, it doesn't mean it's yours.

This is the election, not writing shotgun. It's mine! I call, I call, I call White House. And isn't it ironic that Trump spent months warning that rioters were going to loot all the stores, but now he's the one trying to loot the electoral college. It's all mine. It should have been mine. I want it. It's all mine. Also, can we agree that it's adorable how he included the word hereby, just to make it sound smarter and more official? You know, he's like, oh no, I said hereby, so this is real. You can't use that in 2020. That shit only worked back in the day when people were colonizing land. I declare this land property of Her Majesty the Queen. This is our land. We will kill you. Well then I hereby declare this land property of Her Majesty the Queen. Ah guys, he said hereby.

There's nothing we can do now. Stand back and stand by. Oh crafty, huh?? But if none of these plans work, and Donald Trump can't stop Joe Biden from becoming president, well, all is not lost for the GOP, because it turns out that Mitch McConnell, Senate majority leader and world's most powerful ball sack, has got a plan to take care of Biden, even if he wins. Axios has a good piece out today about McConnell, arguing that if he keeps the majority, he will force Biden to keep his cabinet choices centrist. McConnell's already lining up his troops to be ready to make things difficult for the Biden administration, looking to control the type of cabinet that Biden can assemble,

the type of hearings that he can have. Mitch McConnell is going to be a, Republicans in the Senate will be a blocking force. Ah, that's right. It doesn't matter who's president. I'll always be the cock blocker in chief. Blah, blah, blah, blah. So, that's where things stand with the election. Well, I mean, that's where things stand if you're watching the news. Because if you're watching Fox news, it's a lot different. to actually ask Desi-Dexexexexexexexexexexexexexexex. to watch to watch to watch to watch to watch to watch to watch to watch Fox, to watch the to watch, to watch, the their, their, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, their, thi, th. th. th. to, to, to, to, th. th. their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their. And, their. And, their. And, their. And, their. th. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. toe. toea. toea. toea. toea. toea. toe. toe. toe. And, toe. And, toe. And, th. And, th Desilightic to watch Fox for the last 48 hours to try and explain what's really going on, and this is what she found. Well, surprise, surprise, the do-nothing Democrats are trying to steal this election. Ice agents found thousands of Trump votes floating in the Arianna Grande. The states that are still out?

Arizona, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Georgia. What is as panveja? A Ukrainian milk company. Who's the chairman of the board? Hunter-Fii-Biden. Pennsylvania isn't even a state. It's a common wealth. Common plus wealth. Count the votes. Stop to count. Count the stop. Hop on pop. Ilhan Ocasio Omar voted 53 times in Marietta, Georgia. They gave pens to Democrats and made Republicans fill out their ballots with the Sharpey? Smells like dead people voting to me. Breaking news, Rudy Giuliani found 50,000 Trump votes in a goodie back from Adam's shifts Sparmanentz. The more cases, the more counting, the more testing, the more ballots.

Has anyone seen Anthony Bouchy and Nate Silver in the same room? One, two, three four, four, five, tho, 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. 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. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. to, th. th. th. th. th. th. the. the. the. the. th. th. the. th. th. th. the. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. Stop the number! Arizona, rescind the call. Call your mom. My son won't talk to me. Thank you so much, Desi. Stay hydrated. All right, we're gonna take a quick break, but when we come back, we'll take a look at where we are with the coronavirus,

because we may have forgotten about COVID. But COVID, definitely trying to find a needle in a haystack. You might get a lot of resumes, but not enough candidates with the right skills or experience. But not with Zip Recruiter. Zip Recruiter finds amazing candidates for you fast. And right now you can try it for free at Zip Recruiter's smart technology identifies top talent for your roles quickly. Immediately after you post your job, Zip Recruiters' powerful matching technology starts showing you qualified people for it, and you can use Zip Recruiter's pre-written invite to apply message to personally reach out to your favorite candidates and encourage them

to apply sooner. Ditch the other hiring sites and let Zip Recruititer find what you're looking for, the needle in the haystack. Four out of five employers who post on Zip Recruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. Try it for free at this exclusive web address. Zip Recruiter. 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. 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 17. Welcome back to the daily social distancing show. Let's talk about the coronavirus pandemic. It's the reason we're all still working from home,

and also why you're running around looking like a salad bar. Despite the fact that we totally ignored the virus, it looks like it is refusing to go away, which means all over the US, the news looks like this. For the first time ever, US coronavirus infections have reached a record 100,000 new cases in one day. And we're now inching our way toward the 9.5 million mark. In battleground states like Arizona, Wisconsin and Texas, COVID was top of mind for many Americans this election,

but it's front and center every day for doctors like Jason Mitchell. This is the highest volumes that we've seen throughout this pandemic. As many focus on election results, first responders are still struggling to save lives with COVID cases climbing in 43 states. We cannot afford to lose any more lives. Colorado is now accepting patients from outside its borders but like other regions they too were facing a 100% spike in new cases though the mortality rate has improved the volume in cases is accounting for an increase in deaths in 32 states.

That's right, people. A hundred thousand new cases a day and an increase in deaths in 32 states. And don't forget, this is nine months in. Nine months. Coven 19 is like if Godzilla attacked Tokyo, but then signed a long-term lease. I love this city. There's always something happening. And everyone knows my name when I walked on the streets.

Gaia, Gaya Ka, I'm like, how shucks, guys. But as you can see, coronavirus does not give a shit about politics. Even after the election, it carries on. And don't get me wrong. It was honored to meet a sitting president but it's not going to stop just because it's election time. And while the situation in the United States is uniquely bad, the pandemic is also getting worse in countries where the disease was under control. I mean among the countries calling strict new lockdowns today, the United

Kingdom has announced theirs. Although I won't lie. Giving the Britson advanced warning might not have been the smartest idea. Starting today, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is enforcing a second, a national lockdown that will last at least until December 2nd. All non-essential businesses must close, and bars and restaurants can offer only takeout. United Kingdom celebrated a last night of freedom before today's new COVID-19 lockdown took effect. In London, crowds of people filled bars and restaurants for their last chance to enjoy a social outing for a while. No, United Kingdom kingdom kingdom the United kingdom kingdom their their their their their their their the for their last chance to enjoy a social outing for a while. No, United Kingdom, what are you doing?

This is like people who cheat at their bachelor parties. It still counts and you should definitely get tested. I mean, maybe COVID works differently in Britain, that's why they're doing this. Maybe British Corona gives you a head start. All right everybody, get one more point and then I'm coming for you. Now, there is some good news. Doctors are getting better treating COVID-19. Pharmaceutical companies are coming closer to having a vaccine.

And now a computer scientist might have found a faster way to diagnose the sickness. Scientists at MIT have a new way to figure out if someone's cough is a potential symptom of COVID-19. They just listen to it. Researchers say there's actually a difference in sound from a COVID cough versus irregular cough, even if a patient is asymptomatic. It's almost imperceptible to the human ear, but they have artificial intelligence, they can tell the difference. There are actually differences in the strength of your vocal cords, your lung performance, and in something researchers call the sentiment of the the the the the their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their theell the difference. There are actually differences in the strength of your vocal cords, your lung performance, and in something researchers call the sentiment of the cough. Their tests were between 98 and 100% accurate. Researchers are hoping to use this as another screening tool

for schools or other public places. Holy shit, people, this is amazing. We thought we needed a vaccine. When it turns out we just needed Shazam for diseases. ACHI! Oh, Ebola! I knew it was you, baby. And can I just say this is great news for us human beings?

Huh? Using technology to fix our diseases, but I do feel very bad for the artificial intelligence that we designed just for this purpose. I am Nexius. Here to calculate the atoms in the galaxy and of of of of of of of of of of of of of of of this purpose. I am Nexius. Here to calculate the atoms in the galaxy and the origins of life. Oh yeah, that's great. Hey, can you tell me if this cough sounds weird? Ah-ha-a-hocke!

Somebody kill me now. All right, we're going to take a quick break. But when we come back, Michael Costa gives us terrified of the election. And then Soledadot O'Brien joins us to talk about what the media got wrong. So don't go away. Finding great candidates to hire can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. You might get a lot of resumes, but not enough candidates with the right skills or experience. But not with Zip Recruiter finds amazing candidates for you fast. And right now you can try it for free at ziprecruiter.com.

Ziprecruiter's smart technology identifies top talent for your roles quickly. Immediately after you post your job, Zip Recruiter's powerful matching technology starts showing you qualified people for it. And you can use Zip Recruiter's pre-written invite to apply message to personally reach out to your favorite candidates and encourage them to apply sooner. Ditch the other hiring sites and let Zip Recruiter find what you're looking for, the needle in the haystack. Four out of five employers who post on Zip Recruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. Try it for free at this exclusive web address.ziprecruiter.com Slashiprec, that's zip recruiter.com slash zip.

Zip recruiter, the smartest way to hire. Welcome back to the daily social distancing show. So we've all been watching the votes slowly be counted. And who knows? As I'm saying these words to you now, the news networks may have already declared Biden or Trump victorious. But that won't be the end of it. And Michael Costa tells us why. Welcome to the presidential race that will not end.

2020's already been a torturous marathon of an election cycle, so what's one more week? Plus, I'm keeping a close eye on my stress levels. New York Times has their needle from hell, 538 has that sexy cross-eyed cartoon Fox, so I thought I would make my own descent into madness meter. That way I can let you know how stressed out you should be. Right now we can sit back and rest assured the states will count every ballot in a timely fashion, which is why right now I'm in the Zen zone.

The presidential race still undecided. Millions of votes still being counted. Okay, well I'm sure that's not a big deal, but just to put my mind at ease, let's talk to an expert in chaos theory. Close, but more like this. Meet Ned Fully, an expert in US electoral chaos. From a potential disaster standpoint, what happens if we don't know the results of this election? We're fine for a couple of weeks. We don't really have to worry again until we get to December, Monday, December 14. So that's actually the real presidential election.

That's when the Electoral College meets. There's a provision of federal law. It's Title III of the U.S. Code, section 7. It talks about the meeting of the electoral college being the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December. I thought it was the fourth Thursday in November. Isn't that Thanksgiving? Well, then when's my anniversary? You tell me. Okay, it's December 14th and not all the votes. Isn't that Thanksgiving? Well, then when's my anniversary? You tell me. Okay, it's December 14th and not all the votes have been counted.

What happens? Well, that would be bad. That would be very bad. Cool. Ned tells me that if the vote count is not complete by December 14th, which I marked on my calendar, the states get to ignore the popular vote and send their own electors. This is an actual law? That would authorize or at least give a state legislature grounds for stepping in and say, well,

we're going to step in and just appoint electors ourselves. I'm just going to take some notes on a whiteboard to make it simpler for myself. Is that okay? No. Both the Senate and the House. It turns out there are there are there are there are there are there are there are there are there are there are there are there are their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their thoe, tooe, tooes. tooes. tooes. too. too. to to to to to tooe. toe. tooe. tooe. tooe. tooe. tooe. thii. thi. thi. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. thi. toe. toe. toe. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. toe. toe. toe. toe. Wee. This. It. It's. Both the Senate and the House. It turns out there are a lot of nightmare scenarios that the clear winner doesn't emerge. Who do you think it benefits Trump or Biden if this delayed situation continues and we don't know an answer by December 14th? Depending upon who is looking like they're going to win the popular vote, it becomes

strategically advantage to the other candidate to try to mess up the system. It becomes advantageous for team Trump to try to derail the popular vote. And how does Trump derail the popular vote? Well, it's the lawsuits that you're seeing now. All kinds of lawsuits. Offensivio has become the center of multiple 2020 election lawsuits. The 2020 vote has already seen more lawsuits filed than any other race. With Trump's top lawyers, like this guy. Do you think we're stupid? You think we're fools? Which definitely could lead to panicky.

One of the reasons why you might feel panicky is because that's what Donald Trump wants you to feel. Because he knows that if all legal eligible votes are counted here in Pennsylvania, he's quite likely going to lose. Meet the man currently fighting Trump's lawyers in Pennsylvania where this election may actually be decided. Attorney General, Josh Shapiro, AG Shaps. Election Day is over. It's still too close to call. On a level of, oh shit to holy fucking shit, how stressed about this election should I

be? You shouldn't be stressed at all. You voted. You did your part. Now let us count the votes and deal with what may come. My team and I have been preparing for this election. We knew we'd be facing litigation before the election. Do you get a notification on your phone every time someone sues Pennsylvania?

Is it like how I get a text message? Oh, I get notifications. I get text and I get staff calling. Here's the thing about these lawsuits, right? Donald Trump, you know, puts out some crazy tweets. And he says some outrageous things. But in a court of law, we don't deal in twea the the thwea the twea twea twea twea tweets and he says some outrageous things but in a court of law we don't deal in tweets and crazy statements we deal with facts and evidence. You're a composed guy, you're calm, you've got the answers, that's probably how you became Attorney General, but when do you think the legal dust will finally settle for the 2020 election? I think you'll have a certified count here, as required by law within the next, you know, 10 days or so.

And we'll move forward with the process and begin to try and heal this country. All right, AG Shaps is handling it. There's a process for this, a system in place mapped out by the Constitution. It's not madness scribbled on a whiteboard. So everything's gonna be just a the thiiiiiiiiiaaaaaauiaaaaaa thia thia thi. thi. to to thi. to to thi. thi. to to thi. to to to to to to to to to to to to just fine. Okay, nervous Ned. January 20th is, to my mind, the ultimate nightmare. That's what worries me the most. What if we get to January 20th, and there's still competition and still uncertainty, and the generals in the

Pentagon don't know who gets the nuclear codes. You may not know the answer to this, but what does the Constitution say about transfering the the the the the the the to their to to to toe the to gets the nuclear codes. You may not know the answer to this, but what does the Constitution say about transferring nuclear codes? It doesn't say anything because it was written before the nuclear age. Ned, thank you. I feel a lot more at ease. It's clear what's going to happen in the next two months,

and my anxiety is already lowered, so thanks a lot. Jesus Christ, well, I'm gonna fucking die. So the one tiny detail that isn't worked out is the nukes. Well, at least we can stop tracking stress levels. Thank you so much for that, Michael. When we come back, Soledad O'Brien will be joining us on the show to talk about what the media got right and what they got wrong about covering the election. Don't go away. Welcome back to the Daily Social Distancing Show. Earlier today, I spoke with award-winning broadcast journalist Soledad O'Brien. We chatted about the media's coverage of the election, of Donald Trump, and so much more.

Soledad O'Brien, welcome to the daily social distancing show. Thank you. Thanks for having me. You're one of my favorite people to talk to about this topic in particular, because you've worked in TV journalism, TV news for what, three decades now? Everybody from CNN to MSNBC, et cetera. You've also been very critical of how the media

has handled not just the election, but news in general. Let's start with the election and talk about that. What do you think the news and the media have gotten wrong in covering the election? I think it's always a mistake to platform lies. And I think the mistake that's been made is to uncritically quote or tweak, quote, the president, who is lying. We know he's lying. We count, actually, the thousands of lies that he, you know, tweets and says every single day.

And so to just quote the president and give him a platform for something that we all agree, all know is a lie, is a huge mistake. And that continued on during the election and the a past four years. So that's been terrible, but I think post-election today. Let's talk a little bit about that that because America is in a tough place, right? It's an interesting country because there is the idea that it's not a monarchy. Right, they say this is a society, it's a democracy, the president is a civil servant, just like every other one. But then there's also a certain reverence, it's the president, this is the president. And the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president, the president,ence. It's the president. This is the president. And so even though Donald Trump is lying,

the president is speaking. And so you can feel journalists have this thing where they go, the president told me that my mother is responsible for the stolen votes. And I ask my mom and she did not agree, but that's what the president said. Like, how do you 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. thi. thi. thi. thi. the the the, the the the the the the thi... thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. the the the the president is the the the the the the the the the the the the thi. thi. thi. thi. the. the. thean. thean. thean. thean. thean. thean. thean. thean. thean. thean. thean. thean. thean. to figure out how to navigate that relationship? Because I can see a lot of them don't want to seem disrespectful of the president, but at the same time, because he's now the president, he can just lie, and then the media has to say what his lie was.

Yeah, there's been a reverence for the office, right? Even though the person in the office wasn't particularly reverent himself or deservinginginginginging, reverent himself or deserving of the reverence. And I think it's one of the reasons that we saw, oh my gosh, the New York Times beginning to call the president lies, lies, I'm going to take full credit for that. I am going to take credit for that. It took something like three years, but things that were lies were lies and they wouldn't want to say, or things that were racist, just saying tha tha thraces, thraces, thi thi, that thi, that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that thi, that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that thi, I I'm that that that that that that that that that that that that that I'm that I'm that I'm that I I I'm that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that thi, I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I'm thi, I'm thi, I'm thi, I'm thin, I'm thin, I'm thin, I'm thin, I'm thin, I'm thin, I'm thin, I'm thin, I'm thin, I'm thin, I'm thin, I'm thin, I'm th racist, just saying this is racist, this statement is racist, and I do believe it's because of that very thing. There's a sense that whether you like the guy or hate the guy, the office itself deserves a certain reverence.

And so I think that really did slow the media down, plus I would argue when you want to have access, you have a president who's reading everything, you have to be very careful about how.. things or there's a good chance you're not going to get access, frankly. Yeah, that's, but that's something I find strange about American journalism for the most parts. Like I live in a country where you didn't have access. That's just how it worked. You know, I've lived in countries around the world where it's like, it's like, it's like, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, th. th. th. th. thi. thi. It's like, thi. thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, their their their their their their the the the the the the the the the their, their, their, their, their their their their their their their th, th, th, th, th.. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. theean, thean, theananan, thr-a's throan thanks, thean thean thanks, thean thanks, thanks, thanks, thanks, thanks, thanksthe things that are not given to you with access because access in my opinion often comes with misinformation. I mean you know

American journalists they've had access to so many things they had access to the lies about Vietnam. That was the access. So I wonder sometimes like why are American journalists so obsessed with access when that access when that access could be misinformation it should be journalism shouldn't it? Yeah I think there's a quid pro quo that comes with access, right? And that is either you're going to slide something nice about me and your next article or your next column, you're going to quote me, or you're, you know, it's a, I scratch your back, you scratch my back,

I get some interesting breaking news, and. No one wants to hear from the pundits. They're wrong, they're a mess, who cares, failed congressmen on TV, we don't need them. You know what they're doing? TV news organizations are camped out, talking to the head of elections in Marico Patelty, right? Like, that is journalism. That is not access, someone call you up, you scratch my back, I scratch yours. It's just doing the work and I would argue most journalists are not access journalists. They're not going to write a book about their time at the White House. Right. I'm not going to tell you funny stories about hanging out with John Boehner. They go every day and go into communities and try to figure out what the accurate story is and sometimes they get it right, sometimes mistakes

are made. And I think most journalists do a really good job. But when you're going for access, I do think it kind of screws up your perspective. And yeah, you don't need access to do good reporting. You really don't. It's interesting that you bring that up because it feels like when people talk about the media, what we often mean, especially in America is cable news. I mean for the most parts, you know? Because you are completely correct. If you read your news, you find there's amazing journalists

who break most of the stories that inform how we even see the world. But when it comes to cable news, pundits seem to be more important than facts. Like, you know, you just bring on this one person to say why Latinos like Trump. Now you guys fight? Thank bring on another person to say why Latinos don't like Trump. Now you guys fight? Thank you for tuning into the news. That's a great formula for creating conflicts for the screen,

but it doesn't really inform people. It's just people's opinions and pundits, just trying to guess something. And then, by the way, if they get they get they get they get they get they get they get they get they get they get get they get they get they get get they get they get they get they get they get they get they get they get they get they get they get they get they It's not because of me. It's because the information didn't match what I was saying. Yeah, and also I think the important piece you're missing is it's cheap. It's cheap. You pay all those people. They are on every show.

They rotate through. You've seen the nine person set. It doesn't cost any money. You know it's expensive going into the field with a crew for the next three days and shooting and doing interviews and then writing your story and bringing it back and editing your story that costs a lot of money and actually you can hire a guy or two for that same cost right and they'll be on your set for the next year. That contributor contract is for every show that they want to be on over the next year. It's a some cost, it's very easy, and it costs you no money.

And then you also have this built-in sense of urgency and sense of drama that I think everybody feels every story needs that actually takes some work when you're going to do it in a tape spot. So I truly believe a big factor in that is just cost, it's just money. You've been someone who's been critical of the media for a while, especially like, and not broadly. Obviously, you know, you've given props where props are do, but you have pointed out the shortcomings. When you look at the news, especially cable news, we have to acknowledge that there is there is like a certain price to pay for like neutrality, for instance. Like cable news likes to bring people on the the the the the the the the certain price to pay for like neutrality for instance. Like cable news likes to bring people on to go,

like, this person believes that black people are human beings, but this person doesn't agree. Let's talk to them and see why they say that. This neutrality on the surface seems to be about impartiality, but really what it creates as a world where there is no fact, there is nothing we agree on, it's all up for discussion, and again, it's great for ratings, but it's not good for informing people. How do you think news networks can find that balance? Because at the end of the day, they're businesses now, but they're also claiming to inform

people. Is there a balance that can be achieved? Yeah, absolutely. I actually think people really want context. I think it's one of the reasons that podcasts are so successful now. People want to understand. So wait, walk me through the history a little bit and who are these people? And what's their point of view exactly right? They want to hear the well-told story rolled out and explained, versus this guy, Rick Santorum, who's going to make up something because he's not an expert in it a lot except for being a failed congressman, versus pick your other congressman on the other side.

And I think this death of expertise is really problematic. When we started doing our, we do a show about policy called Matter of Fact, we're not live. I was like, oh my god, what are we going to do? The president is tweeting every morning, and we pre-pe our show on a Thursday for Sunday. So we decided we would lean in very hard to context. What is the First Amendment? What is it, what is gerrymandering mean and where did it come from? How is it possible that you can live on an income, a minimum wage income and not be able to afford a two-bedroom apartment? And because of that we actually very rarely talk politics. We talk about policy, we the th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th their th their their th are their their their the the the the the the the the the the, the, the the, theateate, their their their their their their thae. thae. the. the. the. thi thi thi their their their their their their their the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, tha tha tha tha tha twee, twee, twee, twee, twee, tweeateateateateateateateateateateateateateateateateateateateateateate. thae. tha that, we actually very rarely talk politics.

We talk about policy. We talk about people. I have no idea if they're Republicans, if they're Democrats, if they're independents, if they vote, they tell us what's happening in their lives, and we talk about the policy. And because it's not framed. We do better than most of the cable shows. If the election is called and if Joe Biden becomes president,

then at some point he will be taking office. At some point he will move into the White House, which means at some point, Donald Trump will no longer be president of the United States. If that were to happen, what would your advice be to newsrooms? Because I strongly suspect that they're going the the their their their their their their their their their their their thi thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be told, the to be to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be to be, to be to be to be to be to be to be to be thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, the thi, thi, thi, thi. the. thin, toooomoomorrow, tooomorrow, tooomorrow, tooomorrow, tooomorrow, tooomorrow, tooomorrow, too, too, too, too, to newsrooms because I strongly suspect that they're going to try to keep covering Trump despite the fact that he's no longer in office. They're going to be like, what did he say today? Former President Trump said that burritos are part of the problem. What would your advice

be to news networks post Donald Trump and people who are watching the news post Donald Trump? All that will matter is does his comments, do his comments, bring ratings? And I'm going to argue they don't. You can see the poor Fox News anchors, right, when he's been on the phone with them for 30 minutes there. Well, Mr. President, I know you're very busy, Mr. President, I know you've got to go, Mr. President, and then he won't get up the phone. So, you know, I think if they think if they they they they they they they they they they think think they think they th thi think thi thin thin they thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thin the, their their their their the poor the poor don't the poor the poor their their their the poor the poor the poor the poor the poor the poor the poor the poor the poor the poor the poor the poor the poor the poor the poor the poor the poor the poor the poor, he the poor, he the poor, he the poor the poor the poor. the poor the poor the poor the poor th. thin don't thin don't thin don't thin, thin thin, thin, thin, thin, thou won't thou. theateateate, thou. thou. thou thou thou thou thou the tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho think if they think they can get ratings doesn't matter what advice I give them because they will go for the ratings but I think you're going to find that there are not ratings there to be had that actually he's not great ratings gold he was ratings gold he was the ratings gold when he was wow wacky over the top who knows what he's going to do but the song and dance is getting very old everybody under it and it's kind a rambly old grandpa, uncle, who's drunk at the different no things getting to, like it's a kind of person you're like, okay

nice to see you and then you move seven seats away. Yes. You don't want any part of that and I think that he's falling into that category and I can tell you only by watching I feel sorry which I rarely do for the Fox News anchors, but I feel sorry for them as they're trying to get him off the phone and he won't go. Well, I can tell you this, I am glad that you have a show. I am glad that you have a podcast, because as you say, people are enjoying the context and I appreciate the context that you bring. Thank you so much for joining us on the show for tonight, everybody, but before we go, there is going to be a lot of uncertainty in the next few weeks about the vote counts. Luckily, the American Civil Liberties Union has been fighting all year to secure everybody's fundamental right to vote, and now, they're working hard to ensure that every one of those votes are counted.

Until next week, stay safe out there. We're a mosque and I hereby declare coronavirus over. Yeah! Oh man, I guess that doesn't work. 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. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And subscribe to the Daily Show.com. 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.

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