This Week’s Top Stories

will the Academy Awards punish Will Smith? Will now we're finding out it was the slap heard around the world, and after slapping Chris Rock during the Oscars, actor Will Smith has been banned from attending any Academy events for the next decade. The Academy issued a statement yesterday saying this in part, the Oscars were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did

incredible work this past here. However, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior we saw Mr Smith exhibit on stage. The boards move will keep Smith from attending, presenting, or performing at the Oscars, It won't bar him from being nominated or even winning an Academy Award in the future, and he gets to keep the one he has now. Damn. Will Smith has been banned from the Oscars for ten years. Ten years. Realized by then I am legend it is

going to be real life. Although I will say this, I will say this. When I first read the headline, I thought this was the worst punishment, and I was like, ten years the Oscars, You're ridiculous. But then I want, I want to go into the details, and I realized he gets to keep his Oscar and he can still win Oscars even though he's banned or in many ways, this isn't the punishment. Yeah, this is a favor. Will Smith doesn't have to go to the ceremony. He doesn't

have to get dressed up. He doesn't have to stick through a bunch of boring awards that he doesn't care about. Full best punctuation in the digital recycled film Kill Me. He doesn't have to pretend to be happy when he loses. I wish I could get banned from the Emmy's. I wish every year I have to go and act like I might beat John Oliver. It's a nightmare. Put on my hopeful face. Who it could beat me. It's not gonna be me. It's not gonna be like he's gonna be.

I also think they should have at least consulted Chris Rock before choosing the punishment, you know, because if Will We're still going to the Oscars, that's at least four hours where Chris Rock knows where he is now, he could be anywhere. Honestly, I don't think they should have banned Will Smith at all, I'll be honest. Yeah, I actually think they should have hired Will Smith to replace the wrap it up music that they played award shows. Yeah.

Do you know how quickly winners will finished their speeches when they see Will Smith watching them from the side of the stage. And I just want to thank my agents and my publicists and my agents publicist, and I just want to Okay, I'm done. I'm done. I'm done. I'm done. I'm not I'm not, no, nonna done. The Supreme Courts the only place where wearing a rope makes you more powerful. The Supreme Courts is one of the oldest institutions in American society, and after two hundred and

thirty years, it's finally getting a fresh new face. Jedgka Tangi Brown Jackson cementing her place in history, becoming the first black woman to be confirmed to the Supreme Court. On this vote, the a's A fifty three, the Nasty seven, and this nomination is confirmed. Cheers erupting in the chamber. Over at the White House, President Biden watching that final tally come in with the judge by his side and oay, oh wow, he didn't know it's all row. Oh, this

is exciting people. Finally a black woman will be on Why Why and this is happening just in time for the courts to eliminated all rights for black people and women. What a moment. No, this is really incredible, man. Think about it. She will now be the most powerful black woman in the country to have her opinions entirely dismissed by two thirds of her coworkers. Wow. This is huge. And by the way, for anyone who wondered how much of an impact Catanji Brown Jackson would have, well, she

made history from the moment she was confirmed. As Democrats rose to their feet with the bland Republicans headed for the door. Nick Romney of Utah, one of three Republicans to vote yes standing alone, the only GOP senator clapping really, really, you know what, first of all, could us to m Romney? Oh man, he's like just decorum, you know, all those

other assholes think about it. The first black woman since this country was founded gets confirmed to the Supreme Court and you can't find it in you to stay and clap, just just clap even like a like a yeah, I'm not saying you're gonna throw your panties on the stage or anything. Just show some respect, just just some respect. Those Republicans ran out of the room like someone was handing out free N word passes in the lobby. Oh boy, oh boy, I've always wanted to say that word, oh

boy in public. Why would you leave? No one ever leaves, doesn't matter whether they like the person or not. Why would you leave the first black woman? And that's when you're gonna leave? I mean, lucky, luckily the Republican Histford couldn't spoil this historic moment, you know, because it's not every day that a black person in America gets sent

to a court they actually deserved to be in. And on Friday, KBJ she took her victory lap at the White House tonight celebrating history on the High Court Judge Katangi Brown Jackson and a moment centuries in the making. It has taken two hundred and thirty two years and one hundred and fifteen prior appointments for a black woman to be selected to serve on the screen Court in

the United States, but we've made it. Jackson a history maker and a barrier breaker, reciting the poetic words of Maya Angelou I am the dream and the hope of the slave and casting this as a moment in which all Americans can take great pride. We have come a long way towards perfecting our union. In my family, took just one generation to go from segregation to the Supreme Court. From segregation to the Supreme Court. WHOA, that was a line.

I must feel like, if you're a black person who succeeds, you've got double the pressure on you, you know, yeah, because you you don't just have to perform, You've also got to come up with dope lines when you get the job. From segregation to the Supreme Court. What that was powerful and that quote from Maya Angelo, all of it was fired, especially when you consider Bret Kavanaugh celebration where he just quoted the words of Captain Morgan. And by the way, by the way, props to President Biden

for rocking those aviators during that speech. Yeah, way to make a historic moment look like a deleted scene from Top Gun. Mr President. You know, Biden only breaks those out when he's feeling his swagger. He's just like, oh, yeah, all when his eyes are bleeding again. You never know which one it is. You never know anyway, I didn't make his I bleed inflation. The reason your grandfather is always bragging about I paid seven cents for a movie

ticket in nineties seventy two and there was a porno movie. Yeah, back in my day. You have to see them in the theaters. Yeah. You couldn't just pull them up on pub hub like you kids do. You have to remember the seat and go home and try and recreate the feeling. Sometimes you see a friend on the way home and you'd have to be like, shut up, Jerry, stopped talking. I'm trying to remember the boobs. And then I'd finally get home and your grandmother would say, were you at

one of those movies again? And I'll say, shut up, Cheryl, I'm trying to remember those boobs and then finally I got to yank my crank and it will be boobs and Jerry and your grandmother in my head. And the point is things cost a lot less back Dad. So yes, inflation, it's getting worse and it's affecting everything. The Brake News this morning. The US Labor Department out with new inflation numbers this morning. They're high, the highest inflation in fact

rate in the US in more than forty years. When you look at the sectors, it is gas, it is shelter, it is food, it is used cars. These are numbers that year over year have had big, big increases in prices. This is a situation where just about everything is going up. Eight and a half percent inflation increased year over year. That's a strong, strong number, the highest since December one, when Raiders of the Lost Arc was number one at the box office, Ronald Reagan was president and unemployment was

pushing ten. Seriously, this inflation is taking us back to one. I don't want to go back to First of all, there's no WiFi. Secondly, I could never pull off a jerrycho people. Actually, actually I take that back, I take that back. Yeah, maybe I can. It doesn't look bad. It look sonic, you call me baby. Yeah, we're doing this. But yeah, people, because the economy opened up suddenly and

the government gave everyone money, everyone is spending again. But the supply chain issues, so there's not enough products for the people to buy, and that drives the prices up. And then on top of that, Vladimir Putin decided that, oh no, that would be a nice time to airbnb Eastern Ukraine by force raising oil prices, which makes everything more expensive. And that's what's happening. It's gonna happen to

all of us. And so because of all of that, inflation is rising faster or higher than the price of bitcoin, you know, which is sorry, wait, no, no, bitcoins down again? Sorry my bad, Ignore that igno that so bait. Wait, oh it's up again. It's up again. It's the future, all right, it's the future. So the point is it wait it's down again, which which is it? A scam? Boys of the future, guys. The point is everything has gotten expensive, so bensive, but even bed buffing beyond coupons

are starting to get old cocky with us. Wow, wow, wow, who's the junk mail? Now? Ye? Used to throw me away. I guess my off isn't clogging up your mailbox anymore, is it, mother? Yeah, here's the thing, man, Inflation is bad for everybody, all right. It doesn't just hurt your wallets. It makes life harder for people, and it makes you feel crazy, you know, because you'll be in the store and you'll be like, yesterday, this avocado was three dollars,

Now it's six. Are you gaslighting me? Avocado? The only thing that gets better because of inflation is small talk. That's the only thing that improves in life. Yeah, because at least now you can talk about something else other than the weather. Yeah. Price of cheese is up again. Huh man, it's getting crazy. Cheese, cheese, cheese. All right, but let's move on. You know, it's funny. You guys have been in that elevator and you've been that person.

You've been that person. You know what I'm talking about. All Right, Let's move on to someone who is definitely not affected by inflation. Elon Musk, billionaire businessman and proud African American. One of Musk's favorite things to do is get high and post truly memes on Twitter, but recently he transformed himself into the most powerful Twitter troll of all time. You see, Musk recently bought enough stock to

make him the company's largest shareholder. Yeah, and apparently he was supposed to join the board of directors as well. But now for some reason, there's in a change of plans Elon Musk deciding not to join Twitter's board of directors. That's according to Twitter CEO. But even as an outsider, Musk may still be able to influence the company. His decision means he's no longer limited to owning just about fift of Twitter. That would have been a condition if

he had joined the board. Now some manalist suggesting he could bolster his steak and eventually established control of the company. Yeah, that's right. Elon Musk has his sights set on Twitter and whether or not he decides to take it over. You do realize he is still the largest sharehold of which means Twitter has his baby now. Yeah, it means any minutes he's gonna rename its t w amper. And look, I know a lot of people don't like Elon Musk.

They think his controversial all these things. I will say this man, one thing you have to admit is that he makes being a billionaire look fun. You know, No, it has its perks. Elon was annoyed Twitter, and so what do you do? He bought it? Yeah, tell me. We all wish we didn't have that power. Huh. Imagine if when the airline told you that you were bumped from your flight, you can said buy the airline, as opposed to now where we just act like there's anything

we can do. Oh oh really the flight's overbooked. Well, you know what, I'm just gonna buy another seat on a less convenient flight. Yeah, you're gonna know my name? Can I get my money back? First? I needed moving over to the fourteen days? I can't wait for you? Yeah yeah. Now, apparently one of the things Elon wants to change about Twitter is he wants to stop the censorship of conservative voices, and there's even speculation that he

could force Twitter to let Donald Trump back onto the platform. Yeah. Oh, you guys don't like Donald Trump. I didn't make a note of that, all right, And you have to admit getting Trump back on Twitter would be weird, guys. I mean, he thinks about he's so behind, He's got like a whole year of heart takes that he saved, that he's gonna come back on the planet with. Apparently there's a big ship stuck in the Suez Canal. What a loser.

I like ships that don't get stuck fresh take all right, but let's move on to another global problem, COVID nineteen. Here in America, life is pretty much returned to normal as cases have fallen drastically around the country. You know, you don't even have to cancel plans as a safety precaution anymore. You can just go back to canceling plans

because you don't actually like any of your friends. But in parts of China right now, COVID is actually infecting more people than ever before, and in Shanghai, one of the most populous cities in the country, Chinese authorities are taking some of the most extreme measures you've ever seen

to try and keep COVID under control. China's biggest city, Shanghai, remains eerily empty, twenty six million people under a massive COVID lockdown, relying on government deliveries and anger is sorry social media showing videos of protests so their food and medicine. A supermarket ransacked at a building where residents have been locked down for two weeks. They shout, we only want supplies.

Why are you beating people? Some citizens in the authoritarian nation are losing it to fine the lockdown by screaming from their apartment windows into the nights. It's straight out of a dystopian sci fi movie. Some people are yelling out, we're starving at night between the high rises, and drone tells people to follow COVID rules and bizarrely not to sing on their balconies. Wow. You know, every time you think you know what oppression is, China takes things to

It's for a whole new level. They really do. Yeah, because like everyone in the U s Is like, how dare you tell me to wear a mask when I go to Walmart? And people in China like, you're allowed to go to Walmart? I mean they even have a drone flying around telling people it's against COVID rules to sing on their balcony. That's terrifying. And also why didn't we have that drone when they were making that Imagine video? Huh?

I mean, at least at least the drone is telling everyone not to sing though you know, yeah, it would be it would be way worse if it was just like targeting one guy like Mr Wong, Please you can't hit those high notes. Shut up, because I don't care what anyone says. This is insane. Yes, COVID is a serious disease. Yes we need to be careful. But if people are locked in their apartments starving, surely that's worse. Right.

The solution cannot be worse than the problem. You know, it's like a pilot crashing a plane because the in flight movie was terrible. Oh no worry, folks, and morbus can't hurt you in the afterlife. Thank you so much for flying and people. I don't want to make anyone and panic. I really don't, really don't. But have you ever wondered why China has the most extreme reactions to COVID in the world. Like I just found myself wondering this. Every country in the world, every other country is now like,

it's time to move on. Let's say we're done, COVID has finished, and China's like, no, it is not time to move on. And that has me wondering what do they know that we don't. That's probably nothing for those who don't know. The Daily Show is based in New York City, which is easily America's most famous pigeon toilets. Now.

On a normal day in New York City, millions of people take the subway to work, but yesterday must fall from a normal day, the morning rush hour quickly turning to chaos when police say a gunman put on a gas mask and open fire. At about eight thirty a m. Tuesday, Plantic passengers on a Manhattan bound train fled for their lives after a gunman set off the smoke bomb, then fired more than thirty rounds into the crowd. In another car, video shows riders trapped in a big cloud of smoke

waiting for the train to pull into the station. Passengers were seen dragging each other in safety or performing first day while others fled to the street of bund Because some good news is that none of the injuries appear to be life threatening. I get off the train and the first thing I smell, the smoke that hit me in the face was not normal training smoke. This is like something's burning, it's thick, it's heavy. Okay, First of all, thank god nobody died in this attack. That's the main thing,

all right, It's honestly a miracle. In fact, and kudos to all the people who stepped up to how up each other in a crazy moment like this, you know, because you saw the people helping and they did like assisting each other. You know. People always say that New Yorkers are selfish and rude and won't lift a finger for other people, and and that's true on a normal day. On a normal day, New Yorkers, I'm not trying to help anybody like I actually remember. I actually remember when

I first moved to New York. I was walking one day behind an old lady and her shopping bag broke and all her fruits and vegetables rolled out right. And then instead of helping her, everyone just like bounced around the vegetables like everyone's just like dance dance revolution ng over the vegetables. No one helped, no one, And as in South African, I was like, this is crazy, what are you doing. Everyone just carried on with their day.

I was like, yo, what a bunch of assholes. So then I bent down to like pick up some of her stuff, and she was like, hey, don't touch my ship. I was like, okay, wow, welcome to New York. But one thing I'll say about New York City, as someone who's been lucky enough to live here now for seven years, is that when ship hits the fan, New York has come together man always, always, Because in that train station, people weren't just trampling other people. They were carrying the injured,

they were performing first aid. Others were even looking for the shooter, looking for that She was one of the bravest things you could do, you know. And that's one thing I'll say about the city. You know, I don't know how to explain this energy. People ask me, what is New York like? New York is the best worst city in the world. There it is. I don't know how it fits. Means the greatest city I've ever lived in.

I look, don't get a trusted This was a scary day for New York, you know, because compared to other big cities, New York is actually a very safe place, and a mass shooting is not a regular occurrency here that they just don't happen, you know. So when something like this happens on the subway, it affects all New Yorkers because the subway is the lifeblood of New York, you know, it connects everyone when it works don't don't

take it on the weekend. It's don't even try. Damn in the subway is like one of the few places in the world where you'll find you'll find a homeless person sitting next to a Wall Street banker, you know, whose deals probably helped make that person homeless. Like, it's no, it's one of the few cities in the world where you can't ignore the fact that there are other human beings living a completely different experience to yours but in the same place. That's what I think makes it special,

you know. So the good news is today they arrested the suspected shooter who apparently here. They arrested the suspected shooter who apparently drove here from Philadelphia, And like, can I just say, don't bring your ship into New York. Okay, I don't care who you are, where you from, don't bring your ship into New York. We don't need people bringing in more problems from the outside. We've already got enough going. We don't even have a place to put

out garbage. Okay, we're dealing with things. You deal with that before we deal with mass shootings. Like if you're thinking, oh, I'm gonna go to New York and shake things up. Trust me, they're already shaken up. You're not helping, especially in the subway. I don't know if you've ever been on the subway, but the subway is one place where, even on a normal day, you never know what's gonna happen. Yeah, maybe you just listen to your podcast and everything is normal.

Or maybe a rat masturbates on your shoe. Could be an uneventful ride. Well, you could get pulled in as a fourth member of a mariachi band, you don't know, or or this could be the day that that liquid on the floor finally touches your shoe. You don't know. Yeah, you know the liquid you see you know the liquid. You know exactly what I'm talking about. You never know, never know. Man, there's a baby selling Twizzlers that the subways is happening and speaking and speaking off of the

problems we have in New York City. They probably could have found this guy even sooner if New York had its together. Because first of all, the train conductor tried to tell the cops which way the shoots are ran, but nobody can understand because like fireback fack. And then when they tried to check the security cameras this happened. None of the security cameras inside the thirty six Street station were transmitting pictures as the train bearing the suspect

entered the station. Sources tell CBS to the cameras at the two stops on either side of the thirty six Street station, for Street and twenty five Street also had the same connection problems. The MTA has approximately ten thousand cameras that it's four hundred and seventy two stations. All were operational except those three. Sources say, really, really, out of ten thousand cameras in the subway system, the only three that weren't working are the ones that could have helped. Really, Oh,

that's a crazy stroke of bad luck if it were true. Look, man, if you live in New York, you know the truth. The subway cameras never worked, none of them ever. Yeah, that's why every station has those signs that say if you see something, say something. They don't see anything. They know the camera votes a ship. We don't even know if those are real cameras. I bet if you cracked them open, it's just like chocolate inside. We don't know were sue. It's the camera. But let's not get hung

up on the details here. The important thing is that those cameras cost New York taxpayers dollars each. Don't forget that. That's all that matters. So you might be asking, if the cameras weren't working, how did they catch the guy. Well, I'll tell you how New Yorker is. We our own cameras. Z that Tahn. It was installing surveillance cameras on a business.

Initially saw James. He knew that phase that had been circling on social media, and he went with his gut flagging down police officers on the street on First Avenue near Saint Mark's Place. And I was working and I guessed him good, thank god, and he I want to see im back and he was working at Sweet. I thought,

I see the callbody's come from Sweet. That's the guy that's the pole from Double clun We to got him today with the way I got Tom kill him because this is the guy like he tells him and people, how was gonna be like this? And then we got him? Thank god, you guys. That's what I'm talking about. What that's what I'm talking about, Zach. I don't watching a charity named Zack Zack Zack Zack, Zack Zack za Za Zack Zack. Yeah, whatever, you don't check his old tweets.

We don't care, we don't know. He's our hero. We're keeping him. And how amazing is it? How amazing is this for the story that Zach is a security camera install it, that's what he does. We're living. Yes, he was installing a security camera when this happened. Huh. So if the city had hired Zach to fix their busted as subway cameras, that maybe Zack wouldn't have had to

get them out of this mess in the first place. Yeah, And so I say, now that Zach Tahan is a New York City hero, it's time to honor him the New York City way by naming an absolutely disgusting sandwich at a daily after him. It's gonna be like, oh, want you want you want him and egg and marrin narrow sauce on buttered rye. Yeah, all right, one, Zack Tohan coming off. Let's get it right off paper. It's coming,

it's coming. So thank you, Thank you to Zach, Thank you to all the New Yorkers who stepped up on the subway yesterday because this event turned out a whole lot better than it could of. And you know, whatever this guy intended to do to New York, it didn't work. Yeah, because let me tell you, man, New York is a tough place. After nine eleven, New York bounce back off the Hurricane Sandy, New York bounce back after COVID. People were like, Oh, new Yorker, come back, get out where

you can treble. It's come back. Yeah. People are like, oh, all the places are gonna be empty, or people have moved back in. Rents are higher than ever before. Yeah. I don't know why I said that, like it's a good thing. But still the point is this city keeps coming back and that's what makes it the greatest city in the world. Every year Seepack brings together all the brightest minds and sales people in the conservative world and

with the world carnean from crisis to crisis. I've come to Orlando to find out where their movement is going, Embrace myself for what's to come. People ask me question, who the future of the Republican Party is Trump? It's Trump. Trump is the Republican Party. See Patties Trump apputter support the greatest president ever, Donald J. Trump, Donald J. Trump, greatest president. If you look at the Trump administration on paper, as in wereport card, it was stellar. It just was numbers.

The economy. The economy I'm talking about before the COVID economic collapse. We don't count the whole term. We can cherry pick numbers that make him look like a fantastic president. Why are you so? I like how he's funny. He's just funny and how funny to debate. He was like lion to little Marco. You're you're fat, You're stupid. I just loved it. I felt like his personality was my personality. He's like, that's a fifteen year old sense of humor exactly,

But that is I love that. You wanted a fifteen year oldest president. You got one. Literally, this was still Trump's party, but this trip wasn't about all at all. Is this what I think it is? It's a Trump sex way or S and M. That's nice, And then you get somebody that it's like, it's about the GOP and their party's planned to tackle the issues that face America. They don't want to destroy the neutral family. Who does the laft the Democratic Party. You can't use the words mother, father.

Am I gonna get in trouble if I use the word mother or father? They'll try to correct you. What do you think of the trans issue right now? That seems to be a big talking point here. I don't think it should be indoctrinated into kids. Indoctrinated in what way? Indoctrinated in what way? Um putting trans flags in elementary kids schools rooms because they're pretty colors. Those flags they

offend you, They don't offend me. I think they cause problems for young people to see a flag like that in their no, to have colors like that and then associating it to something else. What are the colors? Actually, don't even think I know the color, but they're pretty offensive. Uh, they're colorful, and kids like colors. But even though the theme of was the cult your war? What about the war? War? Whose fault is what's happening in Ukraine? Right? But is

Biden's fault? He didn't do anything to to protect that nation, to protect those people. When you look at what happened between Russia and Ukraine, you have to point the finger at the leader of the United States of America, of course you you have to Biden helped make Ukraine so important by all the dealings that they were doing in it. How should a leader handle someone like Vladimir Putin? Piece true strength, piece through strengths. What do you think about

Donald Trump when he called Vladimir Putin a genius? Was that him being tough? I think he has a way of playing with words. Yeah, definitely, like saying the opposite of what a patriot which, and then he gets the media riled up. He disregards his own intelligence community. Instead he kisses the ass of Ladimir Putin. But that's him just being smug, being a wise guy. He's being a wise guy. The market, crowds, obsessions were predictable. Is this

a little much? But there was a new infatuation. I was surprised to hear because for the first time at Sepack people were applauding another country Hungry. It's on the forefront. When you see people like leaders in Hungry talking and speaking the way that Donald Trump did when he was in office, it inspires me. I think Hungry as positive example about how being a confident conservative can really do

wonderful things for our country. That's right, Conservatives here we're looking for inspiration from Hungary, the central European country that's been steadily sliding away from democracy under its right wing leader, Victor Orban. Trump has endorsed Orbon twice, and Tucker Carlsonton has done a week of shows and a special about Hungry. It's so much job to defend Hungary, only to learn from it as an American and try to hold up

the lessons for us to emulate. SPAC is doing a special event from Hungary in May, and they're even conservative speakers from Hungary here in Orlando. God, God, that's America. Got that's hungry and there of course, let's go b So I decided to pack a backpack full of rapid tests and Trevor's m X card to figure the Pulse International style. I arrived beautiful Budapest to find out how similar these two movements really are. What do you think

about what's happening with Ukraine? What's happened there? It's not Putin's fault. If it's not Putin's fault, is it Biden's fault? You can't put this question for Biden's on how much million billion dollars invested in the King this makes me feel at home. I gotta say, Yep, there is a lot here to unpack, and I did in my new half hour special. Yeah yeah, lock her up? I thought I heard lock her up. If you want to quality hit the road, Jack, I think I ask all the

hard hitting questions. What is Hungarian for asking? As we have Shagnallo in America? And I investigate the GOP's obsession with this barely democratic democracy. Only chance it is the band together like suicide Squad? Did you see suicide Squad? Actually? Did? Is it like suicide on ship? So the government knows all your contacts and has access to all my messages? Tune in all them? Okay? I told you hold on one second. You don't happen to know my wife's phone number,

do you? Before we go? Teen Rubicon Mobilizers veterans to help people prepare, respond, and recover from disasters. They're on the ground right now supporting internally displaced persons inside Ukraine, So if you can, please donate at the link below to support them in their work. What's the Daily Show weeknights eleven Central on Comedy Central, in stream full episodes anytime on Paramount Plus. This has been a Comedy Central podcast