Hey! What's going on, everybody?
Welcome to The Daily Social Distancing Show.
I'm Trevor Noah. Today is Thursday,
the 10th of December, which means Christmas
is now only 15 days away!
Yeah! And if you haven't done your Christmas shopping yet,
just do what I do: wait until your loved one
is opening someone else's gift and then say,
"Oh, that's from me, too! We both went in on that.
We went halfsies. Merry Christmas!"
Anyway, coming up on tonight's show--
Facebook and Instagram might be getting a divorce,
we look back on why you were in the streets this year,
and we've got Bryan Cranston and Rachel Maddow
joining us on the show.
So, let's do this people.
Welcome to The Daily Social Distancing Show.
? ?
ANNOUNCER: 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.
? ?
Let's kick it off with a holiday story.
If you've been listening to the music in the background
of any store over the past week, you know that this is
the most wonderful time of the year.
But it's still 2020.
Which means even the holidays
are a little less jolly than usual.
Online shopping instead of going to the mall.
Zoom parties instead of real ones.
And now this.
NEWSMAN: Say it ain't so.
The makers of Pepperidge Farm cookies say
there may be a shortage of cookies this holiday season.
-NEWSMAN 2: No. -And they blame it on increased demand
and a labor shortage,
both results of the pandemic, of course.
A recent survey shows cookie consumption has increased
by 25% since the start of the pandemic,
with one in five Americans
eating three or more cookies a day.
Okay, you know what? That's not cool.
Like, I don't know why the news is now reporting
on the number of cookies I eat.
Yeah, I eat more than three. Why is that news?
What am I supposed to do? It's a pandemic.
Do you just want me to cry every day?
Now, apparently, this crisis is not just being caused
by increased demand.
It's also a labor shortage.
Which I assume means that the Keebler Elves are on strike
to protest their dangerous working conditions.
If you've ever had a crunchy cookie, that's elf bones.
So look, I understand why there's a shortage,
but still, man, this is so messed up.
Christmas is the cookie season.
This is like Trojan announcing that they have a condom shortage
on Valentine's Day-- if I can't buy condoms,
how am I supposed to impress the guy at 7/Eleven
before I go home and play video games by myself?
And I know, I know some of you people are saying,
"But, Trevor, you don't need to buy cookies.
You can just bake your own cookies at home."
No! No, no, no.
That was the first three months of quarantine.
I'm done with that baking shit now.
And... this is gonna be real bad news for Santa Claus.
You think he's gonna travel around the world for a pear?
I wouldn't even walk across the room for a pear.
This man needs cookies to keep up his energy
so that he can give presents to all the kids
and then have Christmas sex with all our moms. (laughs)
Let's move on to some news out of Great Britain.
It's the country with the non-Beyoncé queen.
During the coronavirus lockdowns,
many Brits have gotten so desperate for entertainment
that they have taken up gardening.
And some of them are being rewarded for their efforts
with more than a new flower bed.
Now proof that gardening can be beneficial
in more ways than you might think.
A family from the New Forest discovered this hoard
of gold coins while doing a spot of weeding.
The British Museum says it's one of a string of finds
reported during the first lockdown in the spring.
It's thought the coins would have been worth-- wait for it--
the equivalent of 14,000 pounds in today's money.
How good would that be to discover that in your garden?
Whoo!
Imagine finding a hoard of gold coins while you're gardening.
I'll tell you what, that's the end of gardening.
Man, forget these rhubarbs. I'm rich!
But, you know, this is just one of the benefits
of living in the UK.
Because anytime I dig for treasure in New York,
I just end up in my downstairs neighbor's apartment.
Sorry, Jerry. Looks like I did it again.
Also, there's just so much more buried treasure in Britain,
because it's an old country
with thousands of years of civilization.
Gardeners in America would be like, "Wow!
"A can of New Coke from 1985!
The history books speak of such things.'
So, congratulations to that British gardening family
for their find-- although they should be careful.
The original owner might be coming back
for that money, you never know.
Next week, the dad'll open the door
and see an ancient knight standing there.
Whither is my treasure?
You're looking at it. I got myself a butt lift.
Damn!
I hate to lose my coins,
but I love to watch them leave.
Meanwhile. Back in the United States.
Do you guys remember the, um, 2020 presidential election?
You know, it was the day when you voted for a president,
and a bunch of local races
that you had to google from inside the voting booth.
Well, one of the stories
we thought we'd never have to hear about again
once the election was over
just came roaring back to life.
Hunter Biden, the President-elect's son,
says the U.S. Attorney in Delaware
is investigating his tax records.
Sources tell CBS News the FBI Has been looking into
Hunter Biden's taxes since 2018.
Under Justice Department policy,
law enforcement didn't actively pursue the case
during the weeks before the presidential election
to avoid politicizing the investigation.
That's right, people, apparently, Hunter Biden
is under investigation for his taxes.
And Donald Trump must be furious right now.
Did you guys see that Hunter Biden is being investigated
for tax fraud?
I'm so angry!
Sir, are you angry because you wanted to use it
against his dad for the election?
No! I'm angry 'cause tax fraud is my thing.
How's he stealing my thing? Criminals.
And I'm not gonna lie, Hunger Biden announcing
his own investigation-- whew!-- that is a pretty gangsta move.
I mean, usually you see pictures of people covering their faces
when they run into court.
You know, they're trying to hide that there's an investigation.
But Hunter's like a guy coming home late at night like,
"Uh, babe, you're gonna want to go through my phone."
Honestly, I think that in the end,
this kind of scandal will be good for America.
Because we just spent four years with scandals 24/7.
We can't just go down to zero scandals cold turkey.
And Biden's family is gonna help us taper it down.
Like, right now, Hunter has a tax thing, you know?
But this is just a tax scandal. Maybe next year,
Joe Biden asks the Ukrainian president
for something inappropriate,
but it's just the answers to a crossword puzzle.
Just ease us off, ease us off.
Right now we're addicted to scandals.
Now, look, we don't really know what, if anything,
this Hunter Biden story will lead to,
but if he has done anything wrong,
my advice would be to ask President Trump
for a pardon before he leaves.
And I know that may seem unlikely,
but based on how Trump has been making it rain,
anything is possible.
The clock is winding down now on this Trump presidency
with growing signs he's planning
what many see as a potential pardon avalanche.
Axios, which often reports directly
leaks out of the White House, says Trump telling an advisor
he's gonna pardon: "Every person who ever talked to me."
They're saying Trump isn't just accepting pardon requests,
but blindly discussing them like Christmas gifts
to people who haven't even asked.
One source felt awkward because the president
was clearly trying to be helpful,
but the advisor didn't believe they had committed any crimes.
(laughs) I'm sorry, guys, I'm sorry.
I just love this story.
Because the way the story's reported, it makes it sound
like Trump is just whistling down the hallway like...
(whistling) I pardon you. I pardon you.
Morning, Steven. You're pardoned.
Hello, break room doughnut.
You're pardoned, but I'm still gonna eat you.
Num, num, num, num.
? Pardoned doughnut in my belly. ?
But yeah, that's right, apparently, Trump is saying
he's gonna pardon every person he's ever spoken to.
Which, first of all, is too bad for Eric.
And second, of course Trump is gonna give out pardons
as Christmas gifts--
he doesn't have to spend any money on them.
But what I do love is that some of his advisors
are trying to avoid getting pardoned.
Because, get this, they know that a pardon
would make them look bad.
And so now they're trying to explain that to Trump.
Uh, Mr. President, I don't really need a pardon,
because, like, I didn't do anything.
I'm not guilty of anything.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down!
What does "not guilty" mean?
And finally, today's big tech news
is about Facebook.
You know, the site that helps you and your high school friends
connect with violent extremists.
It's one of the most powerful companies in the world,
but it might just have met its match.
46 states have joined the government's
groundbreaking legal challenge to Facebook.
Two antitrust lawsuits accuse
the world's biggest social network
of illegally shutting down the competition.
NEWSMAN: The Federal Trade Commission is asking
for a federal court to force Facebook
to sell off assets like Instagram and WhatsApp,
arguing that in acquiring those competitors,
Facebook illegally created a monopoly.
On Wednesday, a bipartisan group of attorneys general
from nearly every U.S. state
filed its own lawsuit against Facebook,
accusing the company of predatory behavior.
NEWSWOMAN: New York's attorney general, Letitia James,
is leading the lawsuit by the states,
alleging if companies...
(reading):
Some people believe that, uh, Facebook is free.
It really isn't free.
The fact is is that they use your personal data,
and they monetize it, and they sell it to advertisers.
And as a result of that,
your data, your privacy--
those protections are compromised.
Okay, guys, this is, like, huge.
46 states and the federal government
are suing to break up Facebook.
That just shows you how widespread the feeling is
that Big Tech has gotten out of hand,
because it didn't used to be that way.
Remember how back in the day, we all had that cousin?
You know, that cousin home from college who was like,
"I'm not giving the corporations my private photos."
And most of us were like, "Man, we get what you're saying,
but you're also a vegan."
But now, more and more, the rest of us are like,
"Huh, maybe I shouldn't have given Big Tech
"a perfect scan of my face so that they can recognize me
wherever I go on the planet."
Although, personally, I'm not too worried
that Facebook knows everything about me
and can manipulate me into buying stuff I don't need.
I mean, some people might fall for that, but...
Oh, snap. Wow.
I don't have a hoodie in that color.
Yeah, I'll buy one.
Wow, that's amazing.
Oh, sorry.
Uh, yeah, that doesn't work on me,
those ads and things.
And can I just say, I am very impressed
that so many government officials
are willing to come out against Facebook,
especially when you consider
how much Facebook knows about them.
I mean, at the next hearing, some judge could be like,
"Give me one good reason
why we shouldn't break up Facebook and Instagram."
"Well, we've given everybody so much joy, Your Honor.
"In fact, let's just look at all of the messages
that you've sent all of these Instagram thots."
"Ok-Okay, okay, case dismissed.
Let's move on."
What's amazing to me is that even though America
is so divided right now, almost every state agrees
that something needs to be done about Big Tech.
And look, whatever the merits of this particular lawsuit,
the fact that it was brought at all
should be a warning for Facebook,
because if what you're doing is so egregious
that you're bringing California and Mississippi together,
you done (bleep) up.
All right, we're gonna take a quick break,
but when we come back,
Dulcé Sloan looks back at all the protests of 2020,
and Rachel Maddow is joining me on the show.
Stick around.
DAILY SOCIAL DISTANCING SHOW."
2020 IS ALMOST OVER, AND I THINK
WE CAN ALL AGREE IT HAS BEEN THE
DOPEST YEAR EVER.
EVERYTHING WAS GREAT!
AND FOR THE REST OF THE MONTH,
WE’LL BE REMEMBERING ALL OF THE
YEAR’S TOP MOMENTS.
TODAY, DULCE SLOAN LOOKS BACK AT
ALL THE PROTESTS OF 2020. ♪ ♪ ♪
DURING 2020, WE WERE EITHER
STUCK INDOORS QUARANTINED OR WE
WERE OUTSIDE PROTESTING.
THERE WAS NO IN BETWEEN.
IN FACT, SOMETIMES, I COULDN’T
SEPARATE THE TWO.
I’D BE HOME GOING, "WHAT DO I
WANT?
BREAKFAST!
WHEN DO I WANT IT?
NOW!"
IT SEEMED LIKE THE YEAR OF
EVERYONE SAYING ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
AND TAKING IT TO THE STREETS.
LET’S START WITH THE BIGGEST
MOVEMENT OF THEM ALL, BLACK
LIVES MATTER.
IN THE WAKE OF GEORGE FLOYD’S
MURDER, AMERICANS TOOK TO THE
STREETS TO TELL COPS, "HEY, WHAT
IF YOU STOP KILLING THE PEOPLE
YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT?"
BUT IN RESPONSE THE PEOPLE
ASKING COPS NOTO THE BEAT THEIR
ASSES, A LOT OF COPS STARTED
BEATING ASSES.
HE KEPT HITTING ME AND HE
EVENTUALLY HIT MY HAND AND BROKE
IT.
I NEEDED TO STAY AS CALM AS
POSSIBLE.
I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT THESE GUYS
WERE CAPABLE OF.
THESE COPS ARE SO STUPID, NOT
BECAUSE THEY’RE TRYING TO BEAT
UP AN UNARMED MAN BUT IF A HIT A
MAN THAT HARD WITH A BATON AND
HE JUST STOOD THERE, I WOULDN’T
KEEP HITTING HIM.
I WOULD BE LIKE, THIS MAN IS A
TERMINATOR, RUN!
SOME PROTESTERS SHOWED US THEIR
WHOLE ASS.
SHE CAPTURED THE IMAGINATION
OF AMERICANS WHEN SHE STAGED A
FULL-FRONTAL PROTEST.
I SAID, "I WANT TO BE NAKED."
SOCIAL MEDIA IS CALLING THIS
GOOFY BITCH NAKED ATHENA.
WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?
THESE 2020 PROTESTS RAN THE FULL
SPECTRUM FROM BLACK LIVES MATTER
WHERE PEOPLE WERE FIGHTING FOR
THEIR RIGHT TO LIVE, TO THE
PROTEST AGAINST LOCKDOWN AND
FACE MASK WHERE PEOPLE WERE
FIGHTING FOR THEIR RIGHT TO DIE.
AND WE’VE ALL SEEN THE CLIPS OF
COVID KARENS LOSING THEIR SHIT
IN TARGETTOR WHOLE FOODS FOR
HAVING TO WEAR A MASK.
ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOMENTS
PROVED NOT EVERY KAREN WAS A
WOMAN.
THE MASK WARS RAGE ON.
A DAD LOSES IT IN A STORE AFTER
BEING TOLD TO COVER UP.
THE MAN’S SON LITERALLY PICKS
HIM UP AND CARRIES HIM RIGHT OUT
OF THE STORE.
I’LL BEAT THAT ( BLEEP ) MASK
OFF YOUR FACE AND ( BLEEP ).
( BLEEP )!
YOU’RE ALL A BUNCH OF PUSSIES
WEARING MASKS!
YOUR OWN SON CARRIED YOU OUT.
YOU CAN’T CALL SOMEONE ELSE A
PUSSY WHEN YOU’RE BEING CARRIED
OUT BY THE PERSON WHO CAME OUT
OF YOUR BALLS.
EVEN NAKED BITCH KEPT THER MASK
ON.
LOOK, I CAN UNDERSTAND NOT
WANTING TO COVER A BUL,
SYMMETRIC FACE.
I MEAN, LOOK AT YOUR GIRL.
BUT THERE’S A DEADLY GLOBAL
PANDEMIC RAVAGING THE COUNTRY.
PLUS IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO DO A
BEAUTY ROUTINE UNDER A
VENTILATOR.
SO EVEN IF I SURVIVE, I’D LIKE
ASHY AS ( BLEEP ).
IN WHICH CASE, WHAT WAS POINT?
PROTESTS HAVE BEEN SUCH A HUGE
PART OF 2020, THAT AFTER THE
ELECTION, AMERICANS STARTED
PROTESTING STUFF THAT DIDN’T
EVEN HAPPEN.
SO THE TRUMP STANDS TOOK TO THE
STREET DEMANDING THEY STOP THE
COUNT.
STOP THE COUNT!
OR COUNT ALL THE VOTES.
COUNT THE VOTES!
OR COUNT SOME OF ALL THE
VOTES THEN STOP THE COUNT-- YOU
KNOW IT REALLY DEPENDED ON WHO
YOU ASKED.
IT WOULD BE LIKE BLACK LIVES
MATTER GOING, "STOP KILLING US,
EXCEPT FOR DESEAN, HE AIN’T SHIT
ANYWAY."
BY FAR MY FAVORITE ELECTION
PROTESTER WAS THIS DUDE.
THE MEDIA IS COVERING UP.
THE BIDEN FAMILY STEALS THIS
ELECTION!
THE MEDIA IS COVERING IT!
THE BIDEN CRIME FAMILY IS
STEALING THE ELECTION!
ALL RIGHT, THAT GUY NEEDS A
CHILL PILL AND SOME SLEEVES
BECAUSE RIGHT NOW THE ONLY
RESULTS HE LOOKS FIT TO DISPUTE
ARE A WET T-SHIRT CONTEST.
IF YOU WANT ME TO BELIEVE YOU
WHILE YOU’RE INTERRUPTING A
PRESS CONFERENCE I HAVE TO
BELIEVE YOU CAME TO INTERRUPT
THE PRESS CONFERENCE NOT THAT IT
WAS A SIDE ERRAND ON YOUR WAY TO
PICK UP CHEWING TOBACCO.
IT WASN’T ALL BAD AS A PROTEST
IN 2020.
THERE WAS THAT ONE SATURDAY WHEN
TRUMP OFFICIALLY LOST, AND FOR
ONCE THIS YEAR, WE SAW PROTESTS
INSPIRED BY HAPPINESS.
PEOPLE TOOK TO THE STREETS FOR
SOMETHING GOOD, AND I WASN’T
READY.
I HAD A BRICK IN ONE HAND AND A
MOLOTOV COCKTAIL IN THE OTHER.
SO I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO.
SO I JUST MADE A KISS.
AND ONE GUY GOT SO EXCITED, HE
EVEN CELEBRATED IN TWO
LANGUAGES.
AND I THINK FRANCE IS
BEAUTIFUL!
ESCAR GO?
I LOVE A CROISSANT.
WE’VE COME FULL CIRCLE
BECAUSE THIS FEELS RACIST
AGAINST WHITE PEOPLE.
ALMOST.
FRENCH PEOPLE ARE WAY MORE THAN
JUST ESCAR GO AND CROISSANTS.
THEY ALSO LOVE BAGUETTES.
SO YEAH THIS DUDE WAS BEING
MILDLY RACIST, BUT HE’S GOT A
NICE TORSO AND HE’S HAPPY ABOUT
BIDEN WINNING.
SO IF YOU’LL EXCUSE ME, I’M
GOING TO SHOW HIM MY ANGER WITH
A NAKED PROTEST OF MY OWN.
Trevor: thank you so much,
Dulce.
GO GED YOU SOME, GIRL.
WHEN WE COME BACK, RACHEL MADDOW
IS JOINING ME ON THE SHOW AND
WE’RE TALKING ABOUT POLITICS AND
BRYAN CRANSTON IS JOINING ME ON
DAILY SOCIAL DISTANCING SHOW."
EARLIER TODAY, I SPOKE WITH EMMY
AWARD-WINNING MSNBC HOST, RACHEL
MADDOW.
WE TALKED ABOUT HER NEW BOOK ON
A NIXON ADMINISTRATION SCANDAL
THAT YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE HEARD
ABOUT.
CHECK IT OUT.
RACHEL MADDOW, WELCOME TOED "THE
DAILY SOCIAL DISTANCING SHOW."
TREVOR, IT’S GREAT TO SEE
YOU.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
IT’S NICE TO JOIN YOU IN YOUR
HIVE AND FRY HIVE.
Trevor: this has been an
an interesting experience for
everybody in this world because
we’re doing a thing we do in a
way away don’t do it.
TODAY WE’RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT
YOUR BOOK, IF I TOLD PEOPLE
RACHEL MADDOW IS ON WITH A BOOK
ABOUT A CORRUPT PRESIDENT, IS
EXTREMELY DIVISIVE AND USED HIS
WHITE HOUSE FOR HIS OWN ENDS.
PEOPLE WOULD BE LIKE DONALD
TRUMP.
AND YOU WOULD BE LIKE, IT’S
RICHARD NIXON.
NO, YOU’RE STILL WRONG.
IT’S SPIRO AGNEW.
LET ME ASK YOU THIS: IS IT GOOD
OR BAD THAT AMERICA HAS SEEN
SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THIS
BEFORE?
I THINK THERE IS A BIG PIECE
OF IT THAT CAN HELP, WHICH NOT
THAT AGNEW WAS A CORRUPT,
UNBELIEVABLY CORRUPT SORT OF
MONSTER IN THE WHITE HOUSE,
LIKE, WE’VE SEEN THAT.
WE KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS.
THAT’S KIND OF DOG BITES MAN AT
THIS POINT.
THE PART THAT NEEDS TO BE TOLD
IS THE GOOD GUYS IN THE STORY.
WE NEED TO TELL EACH OTHER
HEROIC STORIES ABOUT PUBLIC
SERVICE AND CITIZENSHIP AND
CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY THAT MODEL
GOOD BEHAVIOR.
AND IN THIS CASE, THE
PROSECUTORS AND THE REPUBLICAN
NIXON-APPOINTED U.S. ATTORNEY
AND THE REPUBLICAN
NIXON-APPOINTED ATTORNEY GENERAL
WERE ALL, LIKE, PARAGONS OF
NONPARTISAN RESPONSIBILITY.
AND THEY’RE THE REASON THAT
AGNEW NEVER BECAME PRESIDENT,
WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN A
CATASTROPHE FOR THIS COUNTRY.
IN THE ABSTRACT, AND ESPECIALLY
RIGHT IN THE WAKE OF WATERGATE,
WHICH IS WHEN IT WOULD HAVE
HAPPENED.
IT’S THE GOOD GUYS I FEEL LIKE,
AH, THAT’S THE PART.
THOSE ARE THE GUYS WHO NEED TO
BE FAMOUS.
THAT’S THE PART THAT COULD HELP
US NOW.
Trevor: one of the lessons
I’m learning right now that is
different, even reading your
book, it feels in previous time
the politics was more in the the
political world.
EVEN WITH NIXON, IT DIDN’T FEEL
IT WAS IN THE STREETS LIKE IT IS
NOW.
GRANTED, I WAS JUAN AROUND FOR
IT SO I DON’T KNOW IF THAT’S HOW
I’M READING IT.
BUT THIS FEELS LIKE IT GOES DOWN
TO THE GROUND.
THE MAN ON THE STREET IS
INVOLVED IN THIS LEVEL, IF THAT
MAKES SENSE.
IT IS NOT A POLITICAL THING, IT
IS JUST A THING NOW.
AND I SOMETIMES WONDER, I GO,
COYOU THINK WE’VE GOTTEN TO THE
POINT NOW WHERE YOUR REALITY IS
ONLY BASED ON YOUR POLITICAL
AFFILIATION?
AND THAT’S WHAT I STRUGGLE WITH
IN AMERICA.
YOU GUYS JUST HAVE TWO POLITICAL
PARTIES.
I’M NOT USED TO THAT.
HERE YOU JUST HAVE IT’S BLUE OR
IT’S RED.
I’M LIKE WHAT ABOUT PURPLE?
WHAT ABOUT GREEN.
AND THEY’RE LIKE IT’S BLUE OR
RED.
YOU’RE ONE WHO THINKS ABOUT THIS
AND YOU CONVEY STORIES AND
PEOPLE RESPECT YOU.
I WONDER IF YOU GRAPPLE WITH
THAT PARADOX THAT AMERICA IS
RIGHT NOW, WHERE IT’S THE UNITED
STATES THAT IS NO LONGER UNITED
BECAUSE IT’S LITERALLY SPLIT
DOWNTOWN MIDDLE.
YEAH, AND WHERE WE DON’T HAVE
AN AGREED-UPON SET OF FACTS OR
WHERE--
Trevor: yes, definitely.
ONE SIDE BELIEVES WHATEVER
THE FACTS ARE, WE DON’T CARE.
WE HAVE ALTERNATIVE FACTS.
WE WOULD RATHER LOOK AT THINGS
THROUGH OUR OWN LENS.
THOSE ARE THE ONLY LESSONS WE
LISTEN TO.
THE THING ABOUT HISTORY IN THAT
POINT, IN THE CASE OF AGNEW IN
"BAG MAN," THERE’S THIS MOMENT
WHERE AGNEW GOES TO A REPUBLICAN
WOMEN’S CONFERENCE IN SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA, AND NIXON HAS TOLD
HIM TO RESIGN.
AND THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HAS
TOLD HIM YOU’RE GOING TO BE
INDICTED.
AND HE KNOWS HE IS ON HIS WAY
OUT.
AND HE GOES UP BEFORE THIS
AUDIENCE OF KIND OF RABID
REPUBLICAN WOMEN, AND HE SAYS,
"I WILL NOT RESIGN IF INDICTED!
I WILL NOT RESIGN IF INDICTED."
AND HE STARTS SCREAMING ABOUT
THE TERRIBLE-- THE MEDIA AND HOW
THE MEDIA CAN’T BE TRUSTED.
AND THE WOMEN IN THE AUDIENCE,
SOME OF THEM START SCREAMING AT
THE REPORTERS.
I DON’T THINK THEY CALLED THEM
"THE ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE" BUT IT
WAS THE EXACT SAME THING YOU GET
WITH TRUMP TELLING HIS
SUPPORTERS TO SCREAM AT THE
MEDIA.
AND THIS IS 1973.
SOME OF THOSE WOMEN AT THAT
EVENT BROUGHT THEIR OWN TAPE
RECORDERS TO THE EVENT SO THEY
COULD RECORD AGNEW, BECAUSE THEY
KNOW THE LAME-STREAM MEDIA WOULD
TAKE IT ALL OUT OF CONTEXT.
Trevor: wow.
SO THERE’S BEEN A THREAD OF
THIS THROUGH AMERICAN POLITICS
THAT ISN’T NEW.
AND THAT PEOPLE I THINK WHO ARE
THE MOST SORT OF DEMAGOGIC HAVE
EXPLOITED FOR A LONG TIME.
Trevor: your show is not
just the most successful it’s
been, but it’s the most
successful show eye don’t even
know how it’s measured
sometimes.
THEY GO, LIKE, WEEKLY FOR THESE
PEOPLE-- LONG STORY SHORT,
RACHEL MADDOW IS NUMBER ONE.
THAT’S ALL I KNOW.
CONGRATULATIONS.
THANK YOU.
Trevor: what I would
thereof know from your
perspective, as somebody who is
truly a giant in broadcasting is
as Rachel Maddow, what do you
think some of the tips and
tricks are that liberals don’t
have that conservatives do have
that they use really well?
BECAUSE THERE’S NO DENYING THAT
FOX NEWS ARE REALLY ENGAGING AND
REALLY GOOD AT CONVINCING PEOPLE
OF THINGS.
AND NOW, NEWSMACK AND O.A.N. ARE
OUTFLANKING THEM ON THAT SIDE
AND GOING, "YOU GUYS ARE LIBERAL
IN THAT WAY."
NO, THEY’RE NOT LIBERAL.
IS THIS SOMETHING THAT LIBERALS
AND DEMOCRATS ARE MISSING IN
AMERICA IN LEARNING HOW TO
COMMUNICATE WITH PEOPLE AND
CONVINCING THEM OF IDEAS?
IT’S A REALLY, REALLY GOOD
QUESTION, AND ONE THAT I HAVE
THOUGHT ABOUT A LOT.
I WAS ALSO PART OF THIS
EXPERIMENT WHERE LIBERALS TRIED
TO DO A.M. TALK RADIO WITH AIR
AMERICA RADIO FOR A LONG TIME.
AT THAT POINT, A.M. TALK RADIO
WAS BASICALLY IN A FOREIGN
LANGUAGE OR SPORTS OR CHURCH OR
RUSH LIMBAUGH.
THAT WAS IT.
THE IDEA THAT YOU’D, LIKE, YOU
KNOW, TUNE IN TO HEAR SOMEBODY
WAX POETIC ABOUT THE VOTING
RIGHTS ACT, AND IT DIDN’T WORK.
WE TRIED, AND IT DIDN’T WORK.
SO I HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS A
LOT.
I DO THINK THAT THERE IS
SOMETHING THAT IS A LITTLE BIT
MAGIC ABOUT THE RIGHT-WING
MEDIA, THAT THE LEFT-WING MEDIA
WILL NEVER DO, AND I THINK
LIBERALS AND CENTRISTS WILL
NEVER DO, WHICH IS THAT THEY
TELL THEIR AUDIENCE, "YOU CAN
TRUST NO ONE OTHER THAN ME.
THERE ARE NO FACTS OTHER THAN
THOSE I AM GIVING TO YOU."
Trevor: ahh!
YOU ACTUALLY SEE THAT RIGHT
NOW WITH THE PRESIDENT TRYING TO
DISCIPLINE FOX NEWS, SAYING FOX
NEWS IS NOW GIVING YOU FAX NEWS,
TOO.
YOU HAVE TO GO TO THESE MORE
PURE-- LIKE THAT WILLINGNESS TO
HIVE OFF WHAT YOU’RE OFFERING
FROM EVERYBODY ELSE, THAT’S-- I
WILL NEVER DEVELOP THAT MUSCLE.
YOU KNOW, MY SHOW WILL ALWAYS BE
OF "THE WASHINGTON POST" JUST
REPORTED THIS, AND THE
ASSOCIATED PRESS JUST REPORTED
THIS AND FOX NEWS JUST REPORTED
THIS.
Trevor: right, I trust
other source other than myself.
YES.
I BELIEVE IN JOURNALISM.
I BELIEVE IN THE FACT-BASED
WORLD.
SO, THEREFORE, I’LL NEVER TELL
YOU TO SHUT IT OFF AND ONLY
LISTEN TO ME.
THE RIGHT HAS THE OPPOSITE VIEW
OF THAT.
AND THAT EXPLAINS WHY THEY’VE
LOCKED UP SO MUCH OF THEIR OWN
MARKET.
BUT I THINK IT ALSO EXPLAINS WHY
THEY DON’T SPEAK TO THE WHOLE
COUNTRY.
THEY ONLY SPEAK TO PEOPLE WHO
THEY’VE ALREADY CONVINCED TO
TURN OFF EVERYTHING ELSE.
Trevor: if there was a way
to go, like, what are those
shows called in America?
"WIFE SWAP," "SPOUSE SWAP" TYPE
OF THING.
WOULD YOU EVER DO A WEEK ON FOX
AND TALK TO THEIR VIEWERS.
DO YOU THINK YOU COULD EVER
CONVINCE ANY OF THEIR VIEWERS OF
A DIFFERENT REALITY?
I-- TREVOR.
( LAUGHTER )
UHM, COULD I, LIKE, WEAR A LATEX
FACE OF ANOTHER PERSON?
Trevor: no!
THAT’S WHAT I WANT TO KNOW.
AS RACHEL MADDOW, DO YOU THINK
YOU COULD TALK TO THEM AND SAY
TO THEM, "HEY, I KNOW YOU DON’T
LIKE ME, BUT LET ME LAY OUT MY
CASE."
DO YOU THINK YOU’D BE ABLE TO DO
THAT.
YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE
ME WHEN I SAY THIS, BUT I SORT
OF FEEL LIKE I DO THAT EVERY
NIGHT IN WHAT I’M DOING ANYWAY.
LIKE I DON’T ASSUME THAT MY
AUDIENCE ALREADY THINKS ALL THE
SAME THINGS THAT I DO OR THAT --
RIGHT, RIGHT.
HAS THE SAME PERSPECTIVE ON
IT.
I FEEL LIKE I’M ALWAYS TRYING TO
CONVINCE PEOPLE WHO DON’T
OTHERWISE COME FROM THE SAME
PERSPECTIVE THAT I COME FROM,
THAT WHAT I’M SAYING IS
SOMETHING TO OFFER.
LIKE, HERE ARE THE FACTS.
HERE’S MY TAKE ON IT.
HERE’S WHY I MIGHT BE WRONG.
HERE’S AN EXPERT WHO CAN TELL ME
IF I’M WRONG.
YOU MAKE OF THIS WHAT YOU WILL.
I FEEL LIKE I’M APPROACHING THAT
ANYWAY.
THE REASON THIS IS HARD TO
IMAGINE IS BECAUSE I’M JUST
TRYING TO-- I’M JUST TRYING TO
IMAGINE, LIKE THE MOMENT OF
WALKING INTO THE FOX STUDIOS,
AND THE FOX EXECUTIVES BEING
LIKE DO-DO-DO-DO.
IS THIS PERSON GOING TO SELL
ERECTILE DISFUNCTION PILLS TO
OUR AUDIENCE TONIGHT?
THIS MIGHT NOT WORK, BUT MAYBE.
ANYTHING’S POSSIBLE.
Trevor: you never know.
AND IF THERE’S ANYONE WHO CAN BE
AS CONVINCING IN THE OPPOSITE
WAY TO THE PEOPLE ON FOX, I
THINK IT COULD BE RACHEL MADDOW.
I KNOW YOU HAVE TO GET READY FOR
YOUR SHOW.
THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME.
THANK YOU FOR WRITING AN AMAZING
BOOK.
MOST OF HISTORY IS BORING TO
READ UNLESS IT’S WRITTEN WELL.
CONGRATULATIONS ON AN AMAZING
STORY.
I HOPE EVERYBODY GOES OUT AND
GETS IT.
AND I HOPE TO SEE YOU AGAIN IN
PERSON SOON.
TREVOR, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
YOU’RE GREAT, MY FRIEND.
Trevor: Rachel Maddow, I
appreciate you.
THE BOOK "BAG MAN" IS AVAILABLE
NOW.
AND DON’T FORGET TO WATCH RACHEL
MADDOW’S SHOW WEEK NIGHTS ON
MSNBC.
ALL RIGHT, WHEN WE COME BACK
I’LL BE CHATTING WITH BRYAN
CRANSTON, NOT JUST ABOUT HIS NEW
SHOW BUT WHAT IT’S BEEN LIKE TO
HAVE COVID-19 AND WHY HE CAN’T
TASTE ANYTHING ANYMORE. YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS.
Welcome back to The Daily Social Distancing Show.
Earlier today, I spoke
with award-winning actor Bryan Cranston.
We talked about his new Showtime series,
his bout with coronavirus and so much more.
-Dad. -Alibis fall apart, Adam.
I see it all the time.
They almost never hold up.
If you want to give yourself a fighting chance,
it has to be very close to true.
Okay, but...
being here, doing this...
Look, from now, if you're ever asked where you were,
what you were doing on October 9,
you'll have the muscle memory of what you did.
You won't have to construct the lie, because you lived it.
Bryan Cranston, welcome to The Daily Social Distancing Show.
(laughs) Thank you, Trevor. It's great to be on with you.
It is wonderful to have you on.
I have always been a big fan of your dimples.
As a fellow dimple-haver myself,
I have followed your career avidly.
I subscribe to Dimple Weekly,
and we are all proud of your achievements.
Um, so, welcome. Welcome to the show.
How have you been holding up, by the way? How are you?
Well, isn't that an interesting question-- how are you?
It used to be where you say, "How are you?"
"Fine, thank you. How are you?" "Very good." And you move on.
-Yes. -Now, 2020, it's like, "Ooh, how am I?"
How am I?
It's kind of this existential question now.
The answer is, good.
I-I mean, you know, we're-we're adaptable beings.
I'm-I'm saddened
that we... we don't have any, uh, current leadership
that is taking what we're dealing with seriously,
and-and, you know, 3,000 people are passing away
at a... on a... on a... on a day now.
And I think back in March,
when I contracted COVID-19, and how lucky I was.
My symptoms were very mild, and I had some aches and achiness,
and a little dry cough and-and...
uh, and just absolute lethargy.
-I couldn't sleep enough. -Right.
It knocked me out that way. Yeah.
And then, I lost my, uh, sense of taste and smell
for months and months.
Well, are you being serious?
Yeah.
What is that experience like?
Well, to this day, I don't have it back 100%.
It's about 75%, maybe, something like that.
If I walked into a kitchen and someone was brewing coffee,
-I can't smell it. -Wow.
So I have to open up the bag of beans, and I go,
"Oh, yeah, that's-that's coffee,"
-or stick my nose in it. -Oh, wow, man.
Yeah.
And do they... do they have an idea of when it comes...?
Or is it just, you just play it by ear, you see?
Well, what's interesting, my wife was reading up on this,
and she said, um, neurologists will tell you
the way to retrain the senses is to do exactly what I do--
open up that bag of coffee beans.
It reconnects the-the senses in-in your brain.
Um, so anything-- pungent cheese.
Right, right, right.
You have to teach your brain to smell again and taste again.
-Yeah. -Wow. Okay.
Well, I'm glad it's you and not me.
And I'm glad that you are healthier now.
I-I do not wish that experience.
I love the taste of things too much.
And I like knowing who smelled it 'cause I know who dealt it.
I mean, these are important things in life.
Um, I would love to talk about your brand-new show.
You're playing a judge in a very sticky situation.
A judge who has a son who's involved in a hit-and-run,
and then he has to make the very tough decision
between following the law and following his family.
As tough as that decision is for any parent,
um, my character, Michael, does the right thing
and says to his son, "You need to turn yourself in,
"uh, and-and be responsible
and accountable for-for your actions."
And I convince him to do the right thing.
We go to the police station.
I'm about to turn him in, When I notice a grieving couple
who are the parents of the boy
that was killed in this car accident
-earlier in the day. -Right.
I don't know who she is, but I know him,
and he is a vicious, violent criminal.
And I know beyond a shadow of a doubt
that if I continued on
and turned my son in to the police department,
and, thereby, into the judicial system,
he would get to him somehow, and he would kill my son.
So, all of a sudden, animal instincts take over.
-Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. -And it's like, that's it.
We're leaving. I-I'm making this impulsive decision.
Uh, and away it goes.
I feel like you have this amazing ability
to play characters where you-you're a good person
who is not doing the right thing,
but we want you to not do the right thing
because we-we... we're in touch with the humanity
of the person that we... we are... we are watching.
When you're playing these characters, like, how...?
I really want to know how you get into doing that.
How do you... how do you learn to love them
so that we can love them and their flaws
and then start supporting them committing crimes?
'Cause you-you let... you make us support people
who commit crimes. That's what you do.
I... That's what I do. That's my stock-in-trade.
Um, yeah, it's true.
You know, I learned early on, uh,
that when... when a... you're going through maturation,
-and you're in middle school or high school... -Mm-hmm.
and someone does something embarrassing or humiliating,
you laugh at them. That was...
Because you-you're glad it wasn't you.
But beyond that, when you mature,
human beings are really lovely at heart.
The foundational sense of a human being.
If they see someone humiliated or embarrassed or vulnerable,
they don't want to laugh at them.
They want to wrap their arms around them.
They want to protect them.
And so that's the beauty of-of portraying someone like this,
or Walter White, or someone who is trying
to do the right thing, but is flawed.
So an audience, knowing that they are imperfect themselves...
-Mm-hmm. ...casts that upon the character, saying,
"My God, I don't think I would have done anything differently.
-I would have done something like that." -Right.
So they instantly relate to you.
And then... I hope that they do.
I take them by the hand, and I say,
"Let me take you for a ride.
Come on. I'll tell you a story."
And you go and you take them on a journey
that sometimes they want to shake loose of,
but they cannot...
They're compelled to continue on that journey.
My-my only criticism of the show, if I may,
is that it's a miniseries.
We're in a pandemic, Bryan Cranston.
Why would you not make a full, long show?
Why do you do this to us, Bryan Cranston?
We're your fans. Why would you do that?
I do it to help you, Trevor.
I don't want you to-to have that instant gratification
seeped into your soul.
I want you to develop a sense of restraint
and an appreciation for things that take time.
Look, would you drink a cheap bottle of wine
that was made last week? No.
You would wait. Let it wait.
Turn it. Let it mature.
And then open that bottle.
In the pandemic, I will finish that...
I have finished that bottle, Bryan Cranston.
I will not wait for anything during the pandemic.
It's 2020. Needless to say, I think it's a fantastic show.
You've done an amazing job again.
Thank you so much for joining me on the show.
Trevor, appreciate it.
Hopefully next time, we can do it in person.
Always, my friend, always. I'll see you around.
-Be well. -Thank you. Bye.
Don't forget, Your Honor airs Sundays
at 10:00 p.m. on Showtime.
All right, we're gonna take a quick break.
But we'll be right back after this.
Well, that's our show for tonight, but before we go,
I wanted to remind you again to please
support your local restaurants if you can.
I know not everybody can afford to, but if you can,
order some food in because these restaurants are struggling
to stay open during the pandemic and all their employees
are gonna be suffering and the restaurant won't be open
for you when the pandemic is over.
If you want to help beyond just getting the food,
then please consider a donation to the James Beard foundation's
Open for Good campaign, which helps independent restaurants
survive this pandemic.
Until next time, stay safe out there,
wear a mask and remember,
if you find gold coins in your garden,
do the right thing-- bury them again,
water them, then you wait for that money tree to grow, baby!
(laughs) Wait, that's not how it...?
Now here it is, Your Moment of Zen.
What do you mean that's not how it works?
? ?
Is it true as I was told by our producers that you, in fact,
have a Red Sox mask that you wore
-to this live shot this morning? -Y-Y-Yes, I do.
-And here it is, see if you can get it. -Um, that is
a fantastic mask, Senator Hassan.
-It is. -I appreciate your fashion choices.
And I appreciate you being with us this morning.
Thank you very much. Go Sox.
Yeah, absolutely. Got to get a pitcher.
All right.