Sunday, April 17 – I loved the story on Putin’s annual televised Q & A – so bizarre, so funny. What do you say to a president who blames drowning victims for being too determined to drown? The high farce in Parliament was excellent too, with one stuffy British politician scolding another for his flagrant use of the insult “Dodgy Dave.” Turkish president Erdoğan got in on the fun as well; with the announcement that Erdoğan is attempting to prosecute a German comedian for making fun of him, John supplied numerous reasons why he’s so mockable. The main story was on lead, going far beyond Flint to the millions of homes whose lead-based paint puts people in danger. The sheer refusal of Congress to give the agencies that address this issue anywhere near the funding they need is just disgusting. At least Elmo is on the side of not poisoning children!
Monday, April 18 – A “smart” mattress that texts you if it’s used when you’re not home is so ridiculous; Trevor had some great jokes on it. Less funny was a story on a man removed from a planeafter speaking Arabic, but the commentary was good and biting. I like that Trevor tied it to anti-Muslim statements made by Cruz, Trump, and the like. This hate isn’t spoken in a vacuum – it screws with people’s lives. Hasan had a fun follow-up piece, a satirical preflight instructional video for Muslim passengers. I was lukewarm on Desi’s field piece riffing on Cruz’s derisive comment about “New York values.” I liked her outrageous questions to tourists (asking if “all the abortions and everything” kept them from getting Hamilton tickets,) but it felt like something was lacking. Guest Ellie Kemper was her usual ray of sunshine. I don’t know how she remained adorable talking about laughing until she wet herself, but she pulled it off.
Tuesday, April 19 – Trump saying “7-Eleven” when he meant “9/11” was low-hanging fruit, but the show had to go there. I loved the crack about no one confusing the Boston Massacre with Boston Market. Good story on the current scandal(s) inBrazil. My favorite bits: a Brazilian politician expressing himself with confetti and Trevor wondering what it’ll be like in the future when Big Renewable Energy has everyone in its pockets. Guest Ben Carson got two segments. The interview was weird, not just because of Carson’s pacing issues. I think Trevor could’ve gone much harder than he did, and my eyes nearly rolled out of my head when Carson talked about compassion and America benefitting its people being from “every nation” as part of his argument for why Trump is the man for the job. The third segment, a debatebetween Carson and his “twin brother” Dr. Ken Carson (Trevor doing his dynamite Carson impression,) was fun.
Wednesday, April 20 – I feel dumb that it never occurred to me that Black men would celebrate Harriet Tubman being put on the $20, but of course it makes perfect sense. I liked Trevor’s prediction that Black people will only use $20s for years to come. The coverage of the New York primary was good, from CNN’s bizarre color-coding to the media’s extremely low bar on Trump acting “presidential.” The fake movie ad jumping on the ‘90s nostalgia bandwagon (a la Confirmation and The People vs. OJ Simpson) was goofy but fun; once they started tossing in every notorious ‘90s personality possible, it took off. (Side note: I like that the show has no qualms about casting the correspondents in racebent roles. In this sketch, I noticed Ronny dressed up as both Dr. Kevorkian and Monica Lewinsky.) Musical guest this time, Sturgill Simpson. No real opinion here – he didn’t hold my interest at all.
Thursday, April 21 – More on the changes to the $20. I do not get people who are so beholden to Andrew “Indian Removal Act” Jackson. What exactly is worth commemorating about him? If they’re just trying to explain their opposition in a way that doesn’t sound racist and/or sexist, they should probably try again. I liked Roy’s apprehension about it all, particularly his worries that the anti-counterfeit measures on the new $20s will be endless. In light of the Panama Papers, we got another stock-tips segment from Hasan, this time talking about shell companies in the U.S. Hasan does a great job with this bit – the weird energy is perfect, and I love how he delivers such outrageous lines with total sincerity. The guest, Howard Dean, was pretty good. He and Trevor compared his compaign in 2004 to the current election in a “what’s happening to the world” sort of way. The Moment of Zen was a tribute to Prince – lovely and apropos.
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