Jordan Klepper Reports On Racist Oklahoma Officials Caught on Tape | Michael Shannon

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From New York City, the only city in America. It's the Shows and Intended News. This is the Daily Show with your host today, Clepper.

Welcome to the name of Job, Jordan Clipper.

It is my third night hosting the show, and I'm finally starting to get some respect. This morning, the show security guy called me mister Clepper instead of slender Man. So really making progress. We got a great show for you tonight. My guest tonight is Michael Shannon.

So let's get in the headline.

Let's beget with Fox News, which yesterday agreed to pay seven eighty seven point five million dollars for saying Dominion voting machines help Joe Biden steal the election. Although now that more details of the settlement have come out, it turns out it's not all bad news for Fox.

The deal sparing Fox from what would have been a very high profile trial with some of the network's own stars likely testifying.

Dominion's legal team says there will be no on air apologies or retractions on Fox News.

In a statement, the network is saying this settlement reflects Fox's continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards.

That's Ryan Hi, journalistic standards like this.

The Green M and M.

Dunn boots back but apparently is now lesbian.

Maybe yeah.

Look, I'm happy for dominion, but dominion was not the only injured party here. What about you know, our faith and democracy. There are people who will not trust elections for the rest of their lives, and I have to talk to those people.

I'm going to.

Argue with them at Trump rallies every four years for the rest of my life.

And you know what, I'm not naive.

I didn't expect this lawsuit to restore our country's faith and elections, or even for me to get a little cashola. No, but I was at least hoping to get a couple weeks of joy out of seeing Sean Hannity up there on the stand, sweating through his shirt like a beach manatee. For that have saved democracy, I don't know, but it would have been nice to see. We're not going to get any of that. They don't even have to apologize

We are admitting that we lied to you.

For saying the wrong things about the twenty twenty election. Now why is that, Well, the truth is Donald Trump lost the election. I no, we didn't tell you because we don't care what you think. Now we have to pay hundreds of millions of dollars.

We were wrong.

We are completely irresponsible, and we're sorry America. I'm sorry for repeating something that was untrue.

I'm sorry.

I just got to take a quick break and go cry in a closet while squeezing a stuffed animal.

Thank you, docker.

Well, let's move on, because luckily there are people out there doing the hard work of real investigative journalism, people like Bruce Willingham. He runs the McCurtain Gazette News out of middle of nowhere, Oklahoma. Now, Bruce suspected that the local sheriff and other officials we're doing county business after meetings ended, so he secretly recorded them, and when he played the tape back, he heard them talking about him and his son, who was also a reporter, and it was not flattering.

Hoardings captured the group talking about hiring hitmen to kill the reporters and where the bodies could be hidden, because are hitmen.

And person I don't want two big pulls over here, La Preno.

Oh holy shit, you can't threaten to kill journalists in a council meeting. Keep that shit on Twitter like a normal person. Although you can tell that some people were a little more integral to this plot than others, because one guy was like, I know two hitmen, and another guy like.

And I know two holes.

Thanks for the contribution, Larry, Well, let you know if we need to use your connection with the holes. And by the way, how strapped for time are people in this town that they have to predig murder holes? Are you so freaking busy that you can't do the hole after you do the murder? Or maybe it's like carried an umbrella, like the day you don't have the hole.

Is when you end up killing someone.

Now, look, it would be bad enough if plotting to throw local journalists into holes pre doug or otherwise was all that the county sheriff and his friends were caught doing on these tapes, But guess what they moved on to something.

Else on that same audio recording.

The people talking shared their dismay that lynching black people is no longer acceptable.

They take a damn whooped, asked Tolman.

The sale out run.

Looked like a mud creek hung him up with the Damron't it?

I got more rocks than you got.

Wow, Someone tell these cops that they have the right to remain silent. And you could tell this thing was going to go badly as soon as they said back in the day, no sentence in the South ever goes well after the phrase back in the day.

It's never like back in.

The day, we lived in a rich, multicultural tapestry. What's crazy is these reporters weren't even looking for racism and assassination plots. They were hoping to catch improper meeting procedures. It's like if you put a security camera up in the office to see which employee was stealing your yogurts, and you caught them doing a human sacrifice, you'd be like, oh my god, I've stumbled upon the most unholy rituals

Royan.

This this is an astounding scoop shady sheriffs caught talking about murder hitman being racist.

What a story mm hmm, And thank you for sending me exactly to where it happened. Jud thing. If you put a recorder next to any sheriff, any shehriff for just a few minutes, you gonna hear some racism. That's why I don't trust. I don't trust Notheny Sriffs. I don't trust Andy Griffiths. I don't trust Woody from toy story. And I damn sure don't trust nothing in Paul Patrol dogs.

They should Oh are they all cops? I don't know.

But either way, I don't trust them. And if from being honest, I'm kind of surprised that this recording wasn't more racist really.

I mean, they were saying it's too bad they couldn't kill black people like back in the day.

Yeah, back in the day. So we canceling people for reminiscing OUs. Well, they can't take a walk down memory lane. That's all they did. Either way, they know they can't do it anymore. That's why when they was on tape, they were talking about killing white people. That's progress. That's what Martin Luther Kingan was talking about. No, no, that's what Martin Luther.

King was talking talking about a poster of his speech at my college dorm room.

Roy.

And they're not just talking about killing white people, Roy, they're talking about killing white journalists. We need to protect these lion hearted, ivory skinned Michigan born reporters, whoever they may be.

What you're so scared of. Man, I'm not saying that they should kill white I'm not saying that they that they should kill white people. I'm saying, we can agree that it's better than killing black people.

Roy, we cannot agree on that.

Oh so you're saying it's better to kill black people.

No, no, Roy, I'm not saying that's what I'm saying.

That's what you just said.

Roy.

I want I want them to kill us both equally.

All right, Okay, okay, these gods shouldn't be talking about killing anybody anyway.

Yep. But can you blame them? Look at a small ass JJSS building. Man, they work in this building every day. If I had to spend my whole day in the space that's small, i'd be racist too. Oh tiny ass no ventilation having ass placed. Look, man, if you're a white man, and your life has led you to a job in this building. You gotta blame somebody might as well be us for like the third house from the Three Little Pigs.

Yeah, enough about the building. Let's talk more about the audio recording.

Yea, let's let's talk about the audio recording. Let's talk about the audio recording and how they weren't able to see a tape recorder in this small ass building. The tape recorder probably took up half the room. You know, they felt the heat from the batteries. They was probably in the room just looking over. Oh I'm sorry, what did you say about Lynchon? I can't hear you over this tape recording?

Okay, what do you think should happen to these officers?

Right?

I think what should happen to the officers is very simple, Jordan. They plotted a murder, which last I checked, is a crime. So for the good of society, we cannot entrust these types of people with protecting the citizens of Oklahoma. They have to be locked up. They have to be placed in solitary confinement because then they'd have more breathing room.

Than they had in this damn tiny ass building.

And it's small man, you can't even I'm sorry.

Joy.

Joy went all right, all right, well we'll come back. I'm going home. Don't go away, Welcome back to the Daily Show.

Florida gets a lot of attention because of how Florida it is, but it's not the only state out there. That's why I travel to Michigan, my home state, to interview it's governor of Gretchen Whitmer, about how she's making

Why SNAr Wow, Okay, you passed.

That's great.

Governor. Is this sort of like an opposite AOC, you know, a successful politician becomes an art tender.

Yeah, I mean, I'm going to have to have some skills after this is done.

So I just want to remind you that Governor cannot accept any cash tips, but I can. So whatever you want to.

Leave, that'd be great.

And remember things cost three times as much in New York, so typically.

He should move back to Michigan. Am I right?

Cheers, Governor, thank you, Thank you for meeting me.

Glad to be here with you.

It's happy to be here in a Michigan health food store, a micro brewery.

It doesn't get better. It's Michigan agriculture, Michigan beer.

Right.

This is specially one to me because I'm from Kalamazoo and my little son took his first steps in the back of Bell's Brewery.

Well, then did you put that in the baby book?

Yeah, I mean in Michigan, that's statistically likely it's either going to be a micro brewery or a Myers parking lot. So Michigan goes Trump in twenty sixteen, Biden in twenty twenty. It goes you overwhelmingly in twenty twenty two. What's happening in Michigan.

We are the most diverse swing state in the country, and I think that's what makes it so great. It's also why you got to listen to people. You gotta talk to people when you got to try to solve problems instead of just feed frenzies and anger.

Yeah, here in Michigan, the head of the GOP internally elected que it On sympathizer election denier, calling Democrats demonic.

Well, head of the GOP, to your point, said that both Beyond and yoga are satanic.

You have to walk the line on satanic Beyonce.

No, I'm always going to make it a sea at the table where someone who actually wants to solve problems regardless of what their political meant is. But I don't have time for people who want to call Beyonce satanic.

Yeah, it's a big hunting culture through Michigan and you're about to pass some big gun control measures here. What do you say to the gun owners here who still really really want to kill deer.

You don't need fancy words, you don't need any gimmicks. You can still hunt and enjoy there can still be a lawful gun owner. Most gun owners believe that there should be background checks and safe storage. I mean Indiana has done this. Virginia has done this. I mean these are not wild you know. Changes is just simply trying to make people safer.

I like how you said that. I mean, if Indiana can do it, we can do it.

I mean right.

Abortune is usually a topic Democrats run from, or at least making a centerpiece of their campaigns. You did, and you've taken bold action on that. Is that a recipe for national elections?

The Midwest is a great place to see that you can win. On abortion. People expect to have these rights. We've had them for fifty years. We expect our chads to be able to make your own decisions about their bodies and their futures.

Now you were keeled in nineteen thirty one abortion law. Are there any other laws on the books from back then that are worth looking back into?

Yeah, we got a lot of zombies that are there in there. Zombie killer.

Yes, death penalty for swing dancing is that in there? Spring in Michigan means potholes are everywhere, and the governor has invested billions on infrastructure as part of her promise to fix the damn roads. As someone who blew a few tires here in my high school days, I knew it was my duty to.

Help all working men and women wearing hurt.

And so does Jordan. Okay, all right, governor, right, ready to do some work.

So hey, you got kind of pretty shoes.

That's for the job you want.

And for me, I'd like to be foreman or whatever corporate person is in the air conditioning office.

Wellwis, let me pull out my watch.

What time is it?

Time fix road?

You know what they say is right here. This is a specula right, This is what we call work around here. So we're handing you a little work. And I know you got nights paying so on, so try not to get too much work on.

Yeah, if this is actually an impediment, I could actually stand and I could watch the work and see how it goes.

Don't do that.

Okay.

We picked some potholes, break some oberons, and perhaps most importantly, established that my home state is definitely not Florida.

Other states are waging kind of wars against different, you know, parts of their population. I think a lot of politicians just want to pick fights and get headlines. And whether it's picking a fight with Mickey Mouse or moving backwards to the early nineteen hundreds, it's so much easier to show up and to listen to people and know what

You're progressive on guns, on abortion rights. It feels like the Michigan hand. It's a welcoming hand. It is.

It's a freedom.

It's freedom. If Michigan has a hand, what is Florida? It looks like a what I mean, it looks like Okay, I'm not going there.

I'm just saying. And it's one peninsula.

It's one peninsula that's urinating on our democracy at times.

Your words, my words bears thank you.

When we come back, Michael Shannon will be joining me on the show Don't Go Away.

With The Only Show.

My guest Tonight is an Academy Award nominated actor who can currently be seen in the Showtime series Waco The Aftermath. Please Welcome Michael Shannon. Wow, excite Michael, Welcome to the show.

Thanks for having me.

Now the series.

Today's the thirtieth anniversary of the Waco Siege. Yeah, and I know this series. You did a series that looked at the Waco Siege and now this is revisiting it. It's the aftermath. What is it about Waco that made you want to return to the story.

Well, yeah, I mean a lot of people when I told them I was making a sequel to Waco, they said, didn't you do it all? I mean, that was the whole thing, right, And you know, granted that was the event, yes, but obviously an event like that is like like a meteor crashing into the earth. You know, it's going to have seismic consequences. And I really think it's worth exploring.

And that's what was so worthwhile to explore.

Yeah, I mean, you look at Waco and Waco it's sort of in many ways, if not the birth of the modern militia movement, definitely part of the trajectory.

For it, right, Yeah, and just swing you know, this distrust in the government. You know, a lot of times when I think about anarchy, I think, what is it that really frightens people about anarchy? What is the thing that you would lose in a state of anarchy that is so significant? And the answer that I keep coming up with is, well, the government keeps you safe. Like the government exists in order to keep the population safe

Being all the time. Like that's as far as I can tell why it's there.

I think in an ideal sense, yes, right now. I spent a lot of time out in the road. I talk to a lot of folks who have this inherent distrust in the government right that don't see it as something that serves a role to support and to protect. Something you should be distrustful of. I think Waco is an experience that was complicating for a lot of folks. It was the government didn't handle it perhaps the way

Well, jeez, I mean it just makes me wonder, like.

Because things keep happening that you think there's no way this could ever happen, and then it happens, and.

So I'm like, what's the next.

What's the next thing after January sixth? And what's fascinating is is if the fellow I'm playing, Gary Nessner, who's an actual real person.

It has an incredible book.

I highly recommend everybody reading Quotes for Time, But Waco is one chapter in his book, as like I said, as cataclysmic an event as it was, it's only he's got all these incidents that he's dealt with over the years on micro and macro levels, and.

He is very reluctant.

He's not.

He's not looking to vilify anybody or say, oh, you know, and he would agree that that situation in Waco was an incredibly complicated situation.

And.

He has doubts himself about how he handled it. He certainly has doubts about how other people handled it. But he doesn't think there's like a big bad wolf or anything like that.

But I think it's just.

It's extraordinarily compelling. I think this story and I think it's extraordinarily valuable to realize that, no matter how outlandish an event is, that there is something even more outlandish just around the corner. And I think that that's I think that's why the story is worth keeping in the forefront of our minds.

I also think it's.

Worth telling that because you're a storyteller and you're like next seed, like you on, you made, you got, You've gotten two things as already. You're like, and you think you've seen this so far the after after after are we pitching it?

Now?

Well, there are actually I I, you know, Gary and I because Gary and I have actually become a very good friends.

You bought the IP I say, yeah, okay, yeah, well Gary.

I think it's important to point out too that I'm absolutely nothing like Gary, Like, I don't look like Gary, I don't sound like.

Gary like the second, third, fourth choice.

Yeah, yeah it was.

It was Danny DeVito, Fisher Stevens and then me.

Yeah, they're always grabbing your good look.

Yeah yeah, yeah.

Well I'm like a catch base you. I get what nobody else wants. But He's like, yeah, we've got to make all the chapters in the in the there's there. There is a great potential for season three, but I'm not going to ruin it and tell you if you read.

The book you'll figure it out.

But anyway, and the only other point I wanted to make is and I've heard other people friends of mine say this, particularly the Dowbtles, the Doubdle brothers you made the show, who are just John Andrew, who are just beautiful, beautiful people, and they really really care, Like it's not easy to make a show like this. There's going to be a lot of resistance. It's like, really, this kind of a drag you want us to And I'm like, yeah, we need to.

Do this and resistance because it's inherently a political story.

Yeah, that's part of it.

It's also unpleasant, you know, it's it's pretty pretty darn unpleasant.

Texas. But I think one of the things is valuable also about it is that it.

Proves that no matter what side of it of this debate or issue that you're on, everyone is capable of having a flawed perspective.

Everyone is, and that that's also an important thing to remember. And a lot of people pay lip service to that.

It's like, well, it's not until we reach across the aisle or whatever find a common ground. But I think it's really interesting in this, in this situation, in the story to see how that really.

Is not.

Easy to do for either side, and how complicated that truly can be in practice, not just as like a catchy slogan, that's something that you actually do.

Yeah, well, it's vulnerable to succeed any kind of ground, right, So yeah, the admitting that your point of view might be flawed could put you in a position where you suddenly now lose ground to this other side. And I feel like we're constantly fighting those battles today.

Well, and particularly when there are actually lives on the line, Like it's not just Thanksgiving and you're not threatening to throw sweet potatoes at your uncle.

You know.

It's like there are people in very life and death situation and decisions have to get made very quickly.

Now switching gears a little bit here, I'm from Chicago. I I know your reputation. I saw you in Chicago perform Uh not only are you wonderful on the big screen, but also live in theater. And I know not only do you do live theater, I know you also perform music. You cover historic bands and there are their historic albums. I know you also do improv. Is there is there

I Ride the Passive Fire. It's just funny to see a grown man with a passion.

Are you drawn to that type of things? I feel like you're known for more for your your heavy, heavier, more dramatic performances. Do you sort of have to indulge the other side?

Oh?

Gee, I don't know.

I feel like I don't do enough, Like there's things like I should try other things, uh, and keep diversifying my portfolio as it were. But then I think, well, you hear a lot of times just stay in your lane, you know, whether that's with your work or your opinions or whatever. You know, just stay in your lane. So I'm kind of conscious of that too. Like the music stuff, people are always like, what happened to your band or what's going on with that?

And I was like, uh, it just.

Started to feel well, it just started to feel like like cause, I mean, who wants to actor? Bands are like I'm embarrassed by them, and I'm an actor, so I don't.

I don't want to participate in that.

Like I remember when I and I freaking love Kevin Bacon so much.

But I remember I don't want to like the Bacon brothers. On Jay Lenno, I was like, I know you hear like I hear.

Joe Scarborough talk about his band and you're like, God, bless go go with God there, Joe, go with God.

Are certain people that I won't mention who come into the makeup trailer in the morning and they say, hey, have you heard my album and then they put it on while everybody's getting their hair done and make you listen to the record.

You haven't done that, but I've said I wasn't gonna mention.

I didn't want to incriminate mysell with this.

Michael said, tell me there has been a moment where you have walked up very seriously and asked somebody to come to your improv show.

Well, you, I never know. I don't know. I didn't know.

Well, I'm usually writing someone else's coat tails, though, as you know, I'm performing oftentimes with two of the legendary improvisers of all time, Dave Pesquas and TJ.

Jagadowska. Yeah, so the grandest of all time.

Yes, so, I mean you can basically just stand on stage next to him, drool on your shoes, and it'll be like Bravo, you know, because nobody's watching you anyway.

I think, though, you're not truly an improviser until you beg somebody to come to one of your shows.

Yeah, yeah, that's true.

Yeah.

Well and you because you did the io Yeah yeah, they would have like five hundred shows a day.

Yeah, it was like one after the other after the other.

Did you ever come and see any of my shows.

No, not in one. Not interested.

And I was in the Second City, which was literally two blocks from your theater. I'm sure you came to see some of that too.

Well that's just a little corporate, isn't it. It's got a little oh am, I in trouble enough.

It's not corporate. It's just owned by venture capitalists. Now, so if that's important corporate, then yeah, maybe it's corporate. U.

Yeah.

Well, I'm glad you can come on here and helped me burn down any bridges I have in Chicago. O.

God, my god, everyone's favorite arcionist.

You really come in the anniversary of a seage. You came here and you took it to the ground. Michael Sheannon.

Everyone, you're episodes of Waco.

The Aftermath stream Fridays and every Sundays on showtime.

We're gonna take you away, breakful. We'll be right back after that. That's our show for tonight.

But before we go, please consider donating to Huntington Disease Society of America. A terrible disease that hits close to home for me. But there's great people making great strides. So if you can, please donate at the link below.

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