1 00:00:00,534 --> 00:00:01,602 [theme music] 2 00:00:01,702 --> 00:00:04,171 From New York City, the only city in America. 3 00:00:04,271 --> 00:00:07,140 It's the show that invented news! 4 00:00:07,241 --> 00:00:12,179 This is The Daily Show with your host, Wanda Sykes. 5 00:00:12,279 --> 00:00:14,147 [cheering] 6 00:00:14,248 --> 00:00:21,255 [applause] 7 00:00:30,964 --> 00:00:33,834 Welcome to The Daily Show. 8 00:00:33,934 --> 00:00:37,671 I'm Wanda Sykes. 9 00:00:37,771 --> 00:00:41,675 Yep, tonight is my last night hosting the show. 10 00:00:41,775 --> 00:00:44,011 I don't know what took Jon and Trevor so long, 11 00:00:44,111 --> 00:00:47,347 I solved everything in four days. 12 00:00:47,447 --> 00:00:49,383 Hey, we've got a great show for you tonight. 13 00:00:49,483 --> 00:00:53,053 Sherrilyn Ifill will be joining me, so let's get into it. 14 00:00:53,153 --> 00:00:58,125 [cheering] 15 00:00:58,225 --> 00:01:00,627 Let's start with the big political news. 16 00:01:00,727 --> 00:01:04,198 Facebook and Instagram are ending the two-year ban they 17 00:01:04,298 --> 00:01:07,067 imposed on Donald Trump after January 6, 18 00:01:07,167 --> 00:01:11,104 and allowing the former President back on their sites. 19 00:01:11,205 --> 00:01:14,141 I mean, letting Trump back on Facebook is crazy. 20 00:01:14,241 --> 00:01:15,909 You're just asking for trouble. 21 00:01:16,076 --> 00:01:18,812 It's like letting Hannibal Lecter baby-sit 22 00:01:18,912 --> 00:01:25,786 your most delicious child. 23 00:01:25,886 --> 00:01:28,956 But Facebook is putting him back online anyway, 24 00:01:29,089 --> 00:01:31,625 because they say that quote, "The public 25 00:01:31,725 --> 00:01:34,995 should be able to hear what their politicians are saying." 26 00:01:35,095 --> 00:01:41,201 And to that, let me say, quote, "Phooey!" 27 00:01:41,301 --> 00:01:45,339 Look, we all know Facebook is losing a ton of money 28 00:01:45,439 --> 00:01:48,008 and they want that Trump attention back. 29 00:01:48,108 --> 00:01:49,109 They need a hit. 30 00:01:49,142 --> 00:01:53,680 Trump is their White Lotus. 31 00:01:53,780 --> 00:01:54,948 Right? 32 00:01:55,115 --> 00:01:59,586 I mean, he's the Jennifer Coolidge of the internet. 33 00:01:59,686 --> 00:02:02,723 Yeah, I'm fun. 34 00:02:02,823 --> 00:02:09,830 [applause] 35 00:02:10,964 --> 00:02:13,267 Look, but I think maybe for the first week, 36 00:02:13,367 --> 00:02:16,236 they should just allow him to only post cat photos. 37 00:02:16,336 --> 00:02:18,972 You know, let's see how it goes. 38 00:02:19,072 --> 00:02:22,843 If you see a bunch of cats storming the Capitol, 39 00:02:22,943 --> 00:02:27,314 although adorable, shut it down. 40 00:02:27,414 --> 00:02:34,188 All right, moving on to some tech news. 41 00:02:35,189 --> 00:02:36,990 You ever play that game where you ask, 42 00:02:37,090 --> 00:02:40,594 what if you could have dinner with anyone in history? 43 00:02:40,694 --> 00:02:43,864 Personally, for me, it would be Jesus, 44 00:02:43,964 --> 00:02:47,768 because my mother is watching. 45 00:02:47,868 --> 00:02:52,105 Well, the good news is, AI is making this fantasy happen. 46 00:02:52,206 --> 00:02:56,009 The bad news is, there's one name on the invite list that 47 00:02:56,109 --> 00:02:57,778 probably shouldn't be there. 48 00:02:57,878 --> 00:02:59,713 Meantime today, the new AI app 49 00:02:59,813 --> 00:03:02,049 intended to create interest in history 50 00:03:02,082 --> 00:03:04,218 is instead causing controversy. 51 00:03:04,318 --> 00:03:07,521 Historical Figures Chat was created by an Amazon 52 00:03:07,621 --> 00:03:08,822 software engineer. 53 00:03:08,922 --> 00:03:11,391 It allows users to select historical figures 54 00:03:11,491 --> 00:03:15,395 and have a conversation with an AI pretending to be them. 55 00:03:15,495 --> 00:03:18,565 People have been chatting with figures like Jesus, Babe 56 00:03:18,665 --> 00:03:21,235 Ruth, and now, Adolf Hitler. 57 00:03:21,335 --> 00:03:24,271 Activists worry Hitler's addition will attract 58 00:03:24,371 --> 00:03:26,773 and encourage neo-Nazis. 59 00:03:26,874 --> 00:03:29,910 Why would anyone make an AI Hitler? 60 00:03:30,077 --> 00:03:32,412 That's the last thing we need. 61 00:03:32,513 --> 00:03:34,948 And we already have an app where you can hear 62 00:03:35,082 --> 00:03:36,683 Hitler's uncensored views. 63 00:03:36,783 --> 00:03:38,886 It's called Twitter. 64 00:03:38,986 --> 00:03:44,658 [applause] 65 00:03:44,758 --> 00:03:48,462 And look, parents are already worried about what 66 00:03:48,562 --> 00:03:50,097 their kids are doing online. 67 00:03:50,197 --> 00:03:52,866 Now they'll be knocking on their kid's bedroom door 68 00:03:52,966 --> 00:04:00,040 like, Jeremy, you better not be in there talking to Hitler! 69 00:04:03,043 --> 00:04:05,045 All right, let's move on. 70 00:04:05,078 --> 00:04:07,181 Because if you've ever been to a museum, 71 00:04:07,281 --> 00:04:10,484 you might have thought that the biggest problem is pretending 72 00:04:10,584 --> 00:04:13,820 you know what Baroque is. 73 00:04:13,921 --> 00:04:15,522 $30 for a ticket? 74 00:04:15,622 --> 00:04:18,225 My Baroque ass can't pay that. 75 00:04:18,325 --> 00:04:23,830 [applause] 76 00:04:23,931 --> 00:04:27,167 But it turns out there's even a bigger problem that's 77 00:04:27,267 --> 00:04:28,735 finally being addressed. 78 00:04:28,836 --> 00:04:30,938 The word mummy is being canceled. 79 00:04:31,071 --> 00:04:33,373 Museums are choosing to go with different terms, 80 00:04:33,473 --> 00:04:35,242 largely because of the pop culture 81 00:04:35,342 --> 00:04:38,312 view, which tends to portray mummies as monsters. 82 00:04:38,412 --> 00:04:41,181 So CNN says more museums are choosing 83 00:04:41,281 --> 00:04:43,884 to go with the term, mummified person, 84 00:04:43,984 --> 00:04:47,955 to restore the person's humanity. 85 00:04:48,088 --> 00:04:49,323 Wait a minute. 86 00:04:49,423 --> 00:04:51,325 Let's be clear right off the bat. 87 00:04:51,425 --> 00:04:53,293 Mummies aren't monsters. 88 00:04:53,393 --> 00:05:00,400 It's only a monster when it gets the [bleep] up! 89 00:05:02,436 --> 00:05:04,805 Just a mummy. 90 00:05:04,905 --> 00:05:07,040 Monster. 91 00:05:07,074 --> 00:05:10,544 But yes, they want us to be respectful. 92 00:05:10,644 --> 00:05:14,047 The correct usage is mummified persons. 93 00:05:14,147 --> 00:05:16,917 As in, why the hell do half our senators 94 00:05:17,050 --> 00:05:20,687 look like mummified persons? 95 00:05:20,787 --> 00:05:25,092 [applause] 96 00:05:25,192 --> 00:05:28,061 If you ask me, the museums are making a big mistake here. 97 00:05:28,161 --> 00:05:30,731 Having a monster in the museum is the only thing 98 00:05:30,831 --> 00:05:32,499 that gets kids in the door. 99 00:05:32,599 --> 00:05:36,603 You think kids are coming to see them old ass bowls? 100 00:05:36,703 --> 00:05:37,871 No! 101 00:05:37,971 --> 00:05:41,441 They're coming to see a mummy! 102 00:05:41,542 --> 00:05:44,511 And finally, Missouri is the latest 103 00:05:44,611 --> 00:05:47,147 state to consider a law banning critical race 104 00:05:47,247 --> 00:05:48,549 theory in schools. 105 00:05:48,649 --> 00:05:49,983 But that's not all. 106 00:05:50,083 --> 00:05:54,955 This law also offers teachers $3,000 to take a course 107 00:05:55,088 --> 00:05:57,524 in how to teach patriotism. 108 00:05:57,624 --> 00:06:00,027 Man, if I was a teacher, I'd be pissed. 109 00:06:00,093 --> 00:06:02,663 $3,000 for a patriotism course? 110 00:06:02,763 --> 00:06:07,401 I knew this whole time y'all had money for school supplies. 111 00:06:07,501 --> 00:06:12,372 I been, you got me out here giving 112 00:06:12,472 --> 00:06:19,046 students pens that I ripped off the chain at the bank. 113 00:06:19,079 --> 00:06:21,281 For more on this patriotism course, 114 00:06:21,381 --> 00:06:23,150 let's turn to Roy Wood 115 00:06:23,250 --> 00:06:25,285 Jr. [applause] 116 00:06:25,385 --> 00:06:29,089 [cheering] 117 00:06:29,189 --> 00:06:30,524 Roy. 118 00:06:30,624 --> 00:06:32,125 No, you don't, you don't mess up my count. 119 00:06:32,226 --> 00:06:33,160 Hang on a second. 120 00:06:33,260 --> 00:06:34,628 OK, all right, I got my count straight. 121 00:06:34,728 --> 00:06:35,729 What's going on? - OK. 122 00:06:35,829 --> 00:06:37,497 I just wanted to know, what do you know 123 00:06:37,598 --> 00:06:40,834 about this patriotism course? 124 00:06:40,934 --> 00:06:43,103 You know, what can I tell you about this patriotism course? 125 00:06:43,203 --> 00:06:44,471 I can tell you a lot about the patriotism 126 00:06:44,571 --> 00:06:48,075 course, because I took it. 127 00:06:48,108 --> 00:06:49,910 You took the course? 128 00:06:50,077 --> 00:06:51,078 But it's for teachers. 129 00:06:51,178 --> 00:06:52,779 Why would you take it? 130 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:53,881 For $3,000! 131 00:06:53,981 --> 00:06:54,848 Shit! 132 00:06:54,948 --> 00:06:56,783 Took the course 20 times. 133 00:06:56,884 --> 00:06:58,118 Look at all this damn money. 134 00:06:58,218 --> 00:06:59,820 I took the course as Roy Wood Jr., 135 00:06:59,920 --> 00:07:01,455 and then I went back as Roy Wood Sr. 136 00:07:01,555 --> 00:07:03,357 and went back as Michael Jordan, Michael B. Jordan, 137 00:07:03,457 --> 00:07:04,925 all you got to do with these white people, man, 138 00:07:05,025 --> 00:07:06,193 just tell them you one Black dude, 139 00:07:06,293 --> 00:07:07,327 and then they believe you. 140 00:07:07,427 --> 00:07:10,564 I'm going back next week as Frederick Douglass. 141 00:07:10,664 --> 00:07:13,367 What's wrong with you? 142 00:07:13,467 --> 00:07:14,801 $3,000. 143 00:07:14,902 --> 00:07:16,303 OK, well, did you learn anything? 144 00:07:16,403 --> 00:07:17,538 Yeah. 145 00:07:17,638 --> 00:07:21,074 I mean, honestly, I came out with a real appreciation 146 00:07:21,175 --> 00:07:23,677 for the founding fathers. 147 00:07:23,777 --> 00:07:26,813 Founding fathers, like Ben Franklin. 148 00:07:26,914 --> 00:07:29,082 Founding fathers like Andrew Jackson. 149 00:07:29,183 --> 00:07:30,417 OK, no, no, Roy, I mean-- 150 00:07:30,517 --> 00:07:31,518 I got a Jackson in here. 151 00:07:31,618 --> 00:07:33,654 OK, look, what did the course teach you? 152 00:07:33,754 --> 00:07:36,056 It can't be that good if it's run by a bunch 153 00:07:36,123 --> 00:07:38,058 of Missouri Republicans. 154 00:07:38,091 --> 00:07:40,827 I mean, actually, I learned a lot. 155 00:07:40,928 --> 00:07:42,062 First thing I learned, I learned 156 00:07:42,095 --> 00:07:43,764 that Missouri is one of the most 157 00:07:43,864 --> 00:07:46,066 important states in our Union. 158 00:07:46,166 --> 00:07:52,739 Did you know, without Missouri, Iowa would fall into Arkansas? 159 00:07:53,740 --> 00:07:55,309 And it would just be chaos. 160 00:07:55,409 --> 00:07:57,911 Just a big hole in the middle of the country. 161 00:07:58,078 --> 00:07:59,112 It's structurally important. 162 00:07:59,213 --> 00:08:02,716 Look, all Republican history is very interesting. 163 00:08:02,816 --> 00:08:03,717 It's very interesting. 164 00:08:03,817 --> 00:08:05,085 It's a very interesting course. 165 00:08:05,185 --> 00:08:08,155 I learned that Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by Hillary 166 00:08:08,255 --> 00:08:13,694 Clinton, and, and, hold on, this is, I learned this, 167 00:08:13,794 --> 00:08:14,695 this is in the book. 168 00:08:14,795 --> 00:08:17,431 Now I also learned Harriet Tubman. 169 00:08:17,531 --> 00:08:18,632 You know Harriet Tubman? 170 00:08:18,732 --> 00:08:22,236 It's really a white man. 171 00:08:22,336 --> 00:08:26,206 You can't run from the truth. 172 00:08:26,306 --> 00:08:29,176 You can't run from the truth. 173 00:08:29,276 --> 00:08:30,177 Roy! 174 00:08:30,277 --> 00:08:31,178 Come on, man. 175 00:08:31,278 --> 00:08:33,046 I'm just telling you what I learned. 176 00:08:33,146 --> 00:08:34,648 Harriet Tubman was really a white man. 177 00:08:34,748 --> 00:08:36,583 It sounds like you learned a bunch of nonsense. 178 00:08:36,683 --> 00:08:38,519 Look, look, it wasn't all nonsense. 179 00:08:38,619 --> 00:08:40,120 I tell you one thing I really learned. 180 00:08:40,220 --> 00:08:43,357 We really do need to keep pushing for CRT, 181 00:08:43,457 --> 00:08:45,492 because I think we've finally found 182 00:08:45,592 --> 00:08:50,297 a way for Republicans to start giving more money to teachers. 183 00:08:50,397 --> 00:08:51,865 That's what we got to do. 184 00:08:51,965 --> 00:08:54,401 You keep 'em scared, they'll find 185 00:08:54,501 --> 00:08:55,469 more money for the teachers. 186 00:08:55,569 --> 00:08:56,703 I'll tell you right now, that's why I printed 187 00:08:56,803 --> 00:08:57,971 up these fake textbooks. 188 00:08:58,071 --> 00:08:59,273 I'm going to start leaving these at all the schools. 189 00:08:59,373 --> 00:09:00,607 I'm going to scare the hell out of these Republicans. 190 00:09:00,707 --> 00:09:01,608 They're going to be giving all the money. 191 00:09:01,708 --> 00:09:02,643 Look at some of these subjects. 192 00:09:02,743 --> 00:09:03,644 Look at this one. 193 00:09:03,744 --> 00:09:06,213 AP Reparations. 194 00:09:06,313 --> 00:09:07,314 That's scary. 195 00:09:07,414 --> 00:09:08,315 That's scary. 196 00:09:08,415 --> 00:09:13,086 You got a Drag Queen Philosophy. 197 00:09:13,187 --> 00:09:14,721 That's a good scary book right there. 198 00:09:14,821 --> 00:09:16,089 That's a good scary book right there. 199 00:09:16,190 --> 00:09:20,060 We got AOC's ABCs. 200 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:21,595 Oh, that's a scary textbook. 201 00:09:21,695 --> 00:09:22,796 That's going to get a lot of money. 202 00:09:22,896 --> 00:09:24,498 This is the one right here now, this is the one. 203 00:09:24,598 --> 00:09:26,500 This is the one going to get them all. 204 00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:31,905 George Washington, Our First Non-Binary President. 205 00:09:32,039 --> 00:09:34,575 [cheering] 206 00:09:34,675 --> 00:09:35,642 I'm telling you. 207 00:09:35,742 --> 00:09:38,045 OK, they're really not going like that one. 208 00:09:38,078 --> 00:09:39,079 No, they're not, they're not. 209 00:09:39,179 --> 00:09:40,480 Look, just wait until you read this book. 210 00:09:40,581 --> 00:09:42,482 You read this George Washington book and find out the truth. 211 00:09:42,583 --> 00:09:44,184 He chopped down that cherry tree 212 00:09:44,284 --> 00:09:47,287 and used the wood to make an abortion clinic. 213 00:09:47,387 --> 00:09:49,456 OK, this is ridiculous, this is ridiculous. 214 00:09:49,556 --> 00:09:50,624 I'm tell ya, look, look, look. 215 00:09:50,724 --> 00:09:54,194 In this, this is history. 216 00:09:54,294 --> 00:09:55,429 It's not ridiculous, it's history. 217 00:09:55,529 --> 00:09:56,630 I read it in a book. 218 00:09:56,730 --> 00:09:57,865 You need to learn something about our country's 219 00:09:57,965 --> 00:09:59,333 very history, Wanda. 220 00:09:59,433 --> 00:10:01,268 I'm happy to teach you for $3,000. 221 00:10:01,368 --> 00:10:04,605 Roy Wood Jr., everybody. 222 00:10:04,705 --> 00:10:05,606 No. 223 00:10:05,706 --> 00:10:06,607 You need a little money? 224 00:10:06,707 --> 00:10:07,608 No. 225 00:10:07,708 --> 00:10:09,009 I need a little money. 226 00:10:09,109 --> 00:10:11,512 Need a little money. 227 00:10:11,612 --> 00:10:13,013 [applause] 228 00:10:13,113 --> 00:10:15,849 [cheering] 229 00:10:24,890 --> 00:10:31,330 [applause] 230 00:10:36,368 --> 00:10:38,737 All right, welcome back to The Daily Show. 231 00:10:38,837 --> 00:10:42,007 All right, let me just take a few minutes to tell you 232 00:10:42,107 --> 00:10:43,742 something that happened to me. 233 00:10:43,842 --> 00:10:45,577 So I was on the LIE-- 234 00:10:45,678 --> 00:10:47,613 that's the Long Island Expressway-- 235 00:10:47,713 --> 00:10:49,481 and I got pulled over. 236 00:10:49,581 --> 00:10:54,954 The officer, he was a young Eric Estrada type. 237 00:10:55,054 --> 00:10:59,558 He said I entered the HOV lane illegally, OK? 238 00:10:59,658 --> 00:11:00,926 Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. 239 00:11:01,026 --> 00:11:02,328 I don't know. 240 00:11:02,428 --> 00:11:07,333 So he handed me the ticket, and it was rolled up with a rubber 241 00:11:07,433 --> 00:11:09,468 band, you know, like it was a grade 242 00:11:09,568 --> 00:11:11,570 school diploma or something. 243 00:11:11,670 --> 00:11:12,671 I was like, OK. 244 00:11:12,771 --> 00:11:14,773 So the next day, I was like, yeah, I wasn't 245 00:11:14,873 --> 00:11:16,241 really thinking much about it. I was like, you know what? 246 00:11:16,342 --> 00:11:17,643 Let me check this ticket out. 247 00:11:17,743 --> 00:11:20,346 So I unrolled the scroll. 248 00:11:20,446 --> 00:11:22,848 And it was actually four tickets. 249 00:11:22,948 --> 00:11:23,849 Yeah. 250 00:11:23,949 --> 00:11:24,950 Yeah. 251 00:11:25,050 --> 00:11:27,486 One was for entering the HOV lane illegally. 252 00:11:27,553 --> 00:11:29,989 One was for an obstructed license plate, 253 00:11:30,089 --> 00:11:31,523 which was totally bullshit. 254 00:11:31,624 --> 00:11:34,660 One was for disobeying traffic signals. 255 00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:37,930 And he also gave me a ticket for exiting 256 00:11:38,030 --> 00:11:41,267 the HOV lane illegally. 257 00:11:41,367 --> 00:11:44,803 I was like, you were behind me with your lights on. 258 00:11:44,903 --> 00:11:48,374 You made me exit illegally. 259 00:11:48,507 --> 00:11:50,643 So it added up to about, you know, 260 00:11:50,743 --> 00:11:54,013 hundreds of dollars in fines and a bunch of points. 261 00:11:54,113 --> 00:11:55,748 So I gave it to my business manager 262 00:11:55,848 --> 00:11:57,516 and they gave it to a lawyer. 263 00:11:57,583 --> 00:11:59,318 And he took care of it. 264 00:11:59,418 --> 00:12:01,687 Actually, the lawyer said he ran into the judge 265 00:12:01,787 --> 00:12:03,155 in the hallway, didn't even have 266 00:12:03,255 --> 00:12:04,290 to go to court, all right? 267 00:12:04,390 --> 00:12:06,992 So small fine, no points. 268 00:12:07,092 --> 00:12:10,796 I kept the rubber band, by the way. 269 00:12:10,896 --> 00:12:12,798 Now I was lucky, right? 270 00:12:12,898 --> 00:12:16,001 I have the means to deal with these kind of situations. 271 00:12:16,101 --> 00:12:19,838 OK, more specifically, I have money. 272 00:12:19,939 --> 00:12:22,207 I mean, I don't have murder money. 273 00:12:22,308 --> 00:12:26,478 [laughter] 274 00:12:26,578 --> 00:12:29,548 But I can commit a few infractions. 275 00:12:29,648 --> 00:12:30,783 You know, petty ones. 276 00:12:30,883 --> 00:12:32,584 Running late, don't have quarters for the meter. 277 00:12:32,685 --> 00:12:33,585 Ah, [bleep] it. 278 00:12:33,686 --> 00:12:36,622 Give me the ticket. 279 00:12:36,722 --> 00:12:40,192 But it did make me think, you know, for a lot of people, 280 00:12:40,292 --> 00:12:43,495 just getting a ticket could practically ruin your life. 281 00:12:43,562 --> 00:12:46,165 And that's what I want to talk about in tonight's installment 282 00:12:46,265 --> 00:12:48,968 of Long Story Short. 283 00:12:49,068 --> 00:12:51,804 [music playing] 284 00:12:51,904 --> 00:12:55,074 [applause] 285 00:12:55,174 --> 00:13:00,179 Across America, police are handing out 112,000 286 00:13:00,279 --> 00:13:02,381 speeding tickets every day. 287 00:13:02,514 --> 00:13:04,216 Yeah, that's a lot of tickets. 288 00:13:04,316 --> 00:13:06,518 I'm like, where do they find the time to shoot people? 289 00:13:06,552 --> 00:13:12,124 [laughter] 290 00:13:12,224 --> 00:13:14,793 And those tickets aren't going away 291 00:13:14,893 --> 00:13:16,962 any time soon because these fines 292 00:13:17,062 --> 00:13:18,697 aren't just to punish you. 293 00:13:18,797 --> 00:13:22,101 It turns out local governments need that money 294 00:13:22,201 --> 00:13:23,602 to keep the lights on. 295 00:13:23,702 --> 00:13:24,837 FEMALE REPORTER: Traffic stops aren't 296 00:13:24,937 --> 00:13:28,173 always about safety or hunting contraband or crime. 297 00:13:28,274 --> 00:13:31,844 Some cities use traffic stops to raise money. 298 00:13:31,944 --> 00:13:33,145 The cities and counties that are 299 00:13:33,245 --> 00:13:35,581 trying to use these schemes, trying to use these fines 300 00:13:35,681 --> 00:13:37,750 and fees to balance their budget 301 00:13:37,850 --> 00:13:40,619 are basically charging a back door tax to poor people. 302 00:13:40,719 --> 00:13:42,521 MALE REPORTER: In the South, municipalities strapped 303 00:13:42,621 --> 00:13:44,356 for cash have been targeting the most vulnerable 304 00:13:44,490 --> 00:13:46,525 citizens, who are primarily Black 305 00:13:46,625 --> 00:13:48,694 and living under the poverty line. 306 00:13:48,794 --> 00:13:50,829 In Missouri, some of these municipalities 307 00:13:50,930 --> 00:13:53,799 generate anywhere from 20% to 40% of their total revenue 308 00:13:53,899 --> 00:13:55,501 by fining citizens. 309 00:13:55,567 --> 00:13:56,502 That's right. 310 00:13:56,568 --> 00:13:58,971 These cities are filling their budgets 311 00:13:59,071 --> 00:14:01,073 on the backs of poor people. 312 00:14:01,173 --> 00:14:03,142 Yeah, so the next time a cop asks, 313 00:14:03,242 --> 00:14:05,010 do you know why I pulled you over? 314 00:14:05,110 --> 00:14:06,812 You can be like, let me guess. 315 00:14:06,912 --> 00:14:08,547 The mayor wants a standing desk? 316 00:14:08,647 --> 00:14:10,249 [laughter] 317 00:14:10,349 --> 00:14:12,985 [applause] 318 00:14:13,085 --> 00:14:15,054 And getting fined is bad enough. 319 00:14:15,154 --> 00:14:17,523 But then they tack on a bunch of extra fees. 320 00:14:17,556 --> 00:14:19,758 Payment plan fees, collection fees. 321 00:14:19,858 --> 00:14:23,529 One county even has a $51 processing fee. 322 00:14:23,596 --> 00:14:28,067 So it costs you $51 to give me a $30 ticket. 323 00:14:28,167 --> 00:14:30,302 How about you not giving me the ticket, 324 00:14:30,469 --> 00:14:32,371 and you just saved yourself $21? 325 00:14:32,471 --> 00:14:38,544 [laughter and applause] 326 00:14:38,644 --> 00:14:41,480 And let's say-- and let's say you're like a lot of people 327 00:14:41,580 --> 00:14:44,350 and don't have all this money just laying around. 328 00:14:44,483 --> 00:14:47,953 Well, in 14 states, your ass might be going to jail. 329 00:14:48,053 --> 00:14:49,088 Yeah, you heard me right. 330 00:14:49,188 --> 00:14:52,958 14 states will send you to jail for being poor. 331 00:14:53,058 --> 00:14:55,494 And if you want to know what states those are, 332 00:14:55,594 --> 00:14:59,765 it's probably the ones you're thinking of. 333 00:14:59,865 --> 00:15:00,799 And guess what? 334 00:15:00,899 --> 00:15:02,835 You could come out of jail owing 335 00:15:02,935 --> 00:15:06,538 even more because they actually charge you another fee 336 00:15:06,639 --> 00:15:08,207 for going to jail. 337 00:15:08,307 --> 00:15:09,775 Like, that's so messed up. 338 00:15:09,875 --> 00:15:10,776 Wait a minute. 339 00:15:10,876 --> 00:15:12,411 I'm in jail because I couldn't pay, 340 00:15:12,511 --> 00:15:15,514 and now you're charging me more for being in jail? 341 00:15:15,614 --> 00:15:16,915 You knew I couldn't pay. 342 00:15:17,016 --> 00:15:19,418 That's why I was here in the first place. 343 00:15:19,518 --> 00:15:23,756 What, do you think I hit the lottery while I was in jail? 344 00:15:23,856 --> 00:15:24,790 But you know what? 345 00:15:24,890 --> 00:15:26,759 It doesn't have to be this way. 346 00:15:26,859 --> 00:15:28,827 A lot of other countries never fine 347 00:15:28,928 --> 00:15:30,996 you more than you can afford. 348 00:15:31,096 --> 00:15:32,998 They fine you based on your income. 349 00:15:33,098 --> 00:15:35,668 This makes it more fair since billionaires 350 00:15:35,768 --> 00:15:38,337 aren't paying the same fines as people 351 00:15:38,470 --> 00:15:40,005 who work at the dollar store. 352 00:15:40,105 --> 00:15:42,007 And if you're thinking, that must 353 00:15:42,107 --> 00:15:45,544 lead to some expensive ass tickets, you'd be right. 354 00:15:45,644 --> 00:15:47,579 A man in Finland got caught speeding, 355 00:15:47,680 --> 00:15:48,914 and, boy, did he have to pay up. 356 00:15:49,014 --> 00:15:50,215 Listen to this. 357 00:15:50,316 --> 00:15:54,653 A Finnish millionaire got a $58,000 fine for going 64 358 00:15:54,753 --> 00:15:56,655 miles per hour in a 50 zone. 359 00:15:56,755 --> 00:15:59,325 Well, that seems kind of crazy here. 360 00:15:59,491 --> 00:16:01,393 Over in Finland, speeding tickets 361 00:16:01,493 --> 00:16:02,695 are based on your income. 362 00:16:02,795 --> 00:16:06,498 The highest ticket so far was $103,000, a ticket 363 00:16:06,532 --> 00:16:10,169 given to a Nokia executive who made roughly $14 million 364 00:16:10,269 --> 00:16:12,504 that year. 365 00:16:12,605 --> 00:16:15,808 I'll tell you what. 366 00:16:15,908 --> 00:16:16,809 I tell you what. 367 00:16:16,909 --> 00:16:18,277 We did that here, that would make 368 00:16:18,377 --> 00:16:22,948 me start putting those quarters in the parking meter. 369 00:16:23,048 --> 00:16:26,118 Look, if the ticket is meant to punish you, it should feel 370 00:16:26,218 --> 00:16:28,921 like a punishment. $30 for a rich person 371 00:16:29,021 --> 00:16:30,589 is not a punishment. 372 00:16:30,689 --> 00:16:35,194 Rich people don't even know money goes that low. 373 00:16:35,294 --> 00:16:38,664 If you ask Jeff Bezos for $30, he'll be like, 374 00:16:38,764 --> 00:16:43,369 do I just rip a corner off for this $100 bill? 375 00:16:43,469 --> 00:16:47,373 So long story short, stop using poor people as your little 376 00:16:47,473 --> 00:16:50,709 take a penny jar, especially over small shit. 377 00:16:50,809 --> 00:16:53,812 If anything, we should be doing the opposite. 378 00:16:53,912 --> 00:16:56,882 I propose every highway should have a broke lane. 379 00:16:56,982 --> 00:17:00,119 [laughter] 380 00:17:00,219 --> 00:17:01,987 Do what you want. 381 00:17:02,087 --> 00:17:04,189 Do what you want to do in the broke lane. 382 00:17:04,290 --> 00:17:07,359 Busted tail light, expired registration, 383 00:17:07,493 --> 00:17:08,360 dangling muffler. 384 00:17:08,494 --> 00:17:09,395 Who cares? 385 00:17:09,495 --> 00:17:11,730 You can haul ass in the broke lane 386 00:17:11,830 --> 00:17:13,599 because you got to get from your second job 387 00:17:13,699 --> 00:17:15,034 to your third job. 388 00:17:15,134 --> 00:17:16,168 I don't care. 389 00:17:16,268 --> 00:17:18,070 Do whatever it takes. 390 00:17:18,170 --> 00:17:20,839 But if you get caught in the broke lane, talking about, 391 00:17:20,940 --> 00:17:23,042 well, I'm trying to get to my squash game 392 00:17:23,142 --> 00:17:26,979 at the country club, then the officer can say, 393 00:17:27,079 --> 00:17:29,281 oh, I'm going to have to tase you. 394 00:17:29,448 --> 00:17:35,854 [laughter and applause] 395 00:17:35,955 --> 00:17:40,659 And the electricity has a $51 processing fee. 396 00:17:40,759 --> 00:17:43,128 All right, stay tuned because when we come back 397 00:17:43,228 --> 00:17:45,864 Sherrilyn Ifill will be joining me on the show. 398 00:17:45,965 --> 00:17:46,865 Don't go away. 399 00:17:46,966 --> 00:17:50,002 [applause] 400 00:17:58,076 --> 00:18:00,312 [applause] 401 00:18:00,412 --> 00:18:06,084 [cheering] 402 00:18:06,184 --> 00:18:08,653 Welcome back to The Daily Show. 403 00:18:08,753 --> 00:18:12,357 My guest tonight is the former president of the NAACP 404 00:18:12,457 --> 00:18:13,725 Legal Defense Fund. 405 00:18:13,825 --> 00:18:15,861 Please welcome Sherrilyn Ifill. 406 00:18:15,961 --> 00:18:17,662 [music playing] 407 00:18:17,762 --> 00:18:24,736 [applause] 408 00:18:30,709 --> 00:18:35,247 Oh, so lovely to have you here. 409 00:18:35,347 --> 00:18:36,481 It's wonderful to be here. 410 00:18:36,581 --> 00:18:37,616 Thank you, thank you, thank you, 411 00:18:37,716 --> 00:18:38,950 I'm so happy to have you here. 412 00:18:39,050 --> 00:18:42,220 So I want to get your title right, because last year you 413 00:18:42,320 --> 00:18:44,623 passed on the mantle of President 414 00:18:44,723 --> 00:18:47,559 and Director Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. 415 00:18:47,659 --> 00:18:48,560 Yes, I did. 416 00:18:48,660 --> 00:18:50,996 Now, how hard is it to leave that job? 417 00:18:51,096 --> 00:18:53,365 Because you can't go, well, my work 418 00:18:53,465 --> 00:18:57,936 here is done, because there's so much more work to do. 419 00:18:58,036 --> 00:18:59,304 No, it was hard. 420 00:18:59,404 --> 00:19:01,373 I love the Legal Defense Fund, it's 421 00:19:01,473 --> 00:19:04,042 where I started my career, and I love the work. 422 00:19:04,142 --> 00:19:08,680 And I feel like I was made for that position. 423 00:19:08,713 --> 00:19:12,250 But I also feel like I led it at the right moment. 424 00:19:12,350 --> 00:19:15,287 That almost 10 years that I led the organization 425 00:19:15,387 --> 00:19:16,555 was right for me. 426 00:19:16,688 --> 00:19:19,591 And I really believe transition is part of leadership. 427 00:19:19,691 --> 00:19:21,893 I think especially in the civil rights space, 428 00:19:21,993 --> 00:19:24,696 sometimes we hold on a little too long. 429 00:19:24,796 --> 00:19:27,265 And I think it's healthy for our organizations 430 00:19:27,365 --> 00:19:28,467 when we pass that mantle. 431 00:19:28,567 --> 00:19:32,037 And fortunately for me, I had an amazing deputy, 432 00:19:32,137 --> 00:19:34,506 Janai Nelson, who's now the head of the organization. 433 00:19:34,606 --> 00:19:36,942 And I know that she can continue the work well. 434 00:19:37,042 --> 00:19:40,178 And I have things I want to do, because the work 435 00:19:40,278 --> 00:19:41,513 is not finished. 436 00:19:41,613 --> 00:19:42,514 OK. 437 00:19:42,614 --> 00:19:47,719 [applause] 438 00:19:47,819 --> 00:19:51,123 And you said that, well, you've said that if you were 439 00:19:51,223 --> 00:19:53,825 in the private sector, that you would be on the cover 440 00:19:53,925 --> 00:19:55,093 of Forbes magazine. 441 00:19:55,193 --> 00:19:59,831 Well, I think nonprofits get, we don't get no respect, 442 00:19:59,931 --> 00:20:01,266 as Rodney Dangerfield used to say, 443 00:20:01,366 --> 00:20:03,935 in that it's very hard to do this job. 444 00:20:04,035 --> 00:20:06,037 And in addition to doing the substantive work, 445 00:20:06,138 --> 00:20:07,072 you're a business leader. 446 00:20:07,172 --> 00:20:08,406 You're leading a staff. 447 00:20:08,507 --> 00:20:11,443 I mean, I grew LDF five times the size it was in staff, 448 00:20:11,543 --> 00:20:13,912 in budget, in endowment. 449 00:20:14,012 --> 00:20:16,047 And that's not a small thing. 450 00:20:16,148 --> 00:20:17,983 [applause] 451 00:20:18,083 --> 00:20:21,586 And you know, I think if you're running a for profit company 452 00:20:21,686 --> 00:20:23,455 and you do that, people consider 453 00:20:23,555 --> 00:20:24,890 you a financial wizard and a superstar. 454 00:20:24,990 --> 00:20:25,891 Right. 455 00:20:25,991 --> 00:20:28,093 And I think I was a superstar. 456 00:20:28,193 --> 00:20:30,529 Absolutely. 457 00:20:30,695 --> 00:20:33,732 So I think it's important to say it. 458 00:20:33,832 --> 00:20:36,501 But does the nonprofit allow you 459 00:20:36,601 --> 00:20:39,204 to do more of the type of work that you want to do, 460 00:20:39,304 --> 00:20:40,739 like to achieve the goals that you want? 461 00:20:40,839 --> 00:20:42,607 Or could you do that the same work 462 00:20:42,707 --> 00:20:44,209 like in the private sector? - No. 463 00:20:44,309 --> 00:20:45,710 I mean, when I was a little girl, 464 00:20:45,744 --> 00:20:47,446 I wanted to become a civil rights lawyer. 465 00:20:47,546 --> 00:20:48,780 That's what I wanted. 466 00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:51,316 I wanted to be in a position where I could strategically 467 00:20:51,416 --> 00:20:54,152 confront issues of inequality and injustice 468 00:20:54,252 --> 00:20:57,689 wherever they are, however they appear. 469 00:20:57,789 --> 00:21:00,826 Sometimes that means that we sue corporations. 470 00:21:00,926 --> 00:21:02,794 Sometimes we sue states. 471 00:21:02,894 --> 00:21:05,564 Sometimes we sue cities. 472 00:21:05,664 --> 00:21:10,368 And so the nonprofit space allows us to be independent. 473 00:21:10,469 --> 00:21:12,037 We don't take any money from government. 474 00:21:12,137 --> 00:21:14,806 And that allows us to do whatever we have to do. 475 00:21:14,906 --> 00:21:17,342 Because racism and white supremacy 476 00:21:17,442 --> 00:21:18,944 is a complex structure. 477 00:21:19,044 --> 00:21:21,146 And if you want to get at it structurally, 478 00:21:21,246 --> 00:21:23,315 you have to be able to meet it where 479 00:21:23,415 --> 00:21:25,817 those structures are kind of manifesting the injustice. 480 00:21:25,917 --> 00:21:27,219 And you don't want to be restricted 481 00:21:27,319 --> 00:21:32,524 in that by who gave you money or by the rules of government. 482 00:21:32,691 --> 00:21:34,926 You want to be able to really get at it. 483 00:21:35,026 --> 00:21:37,329 So I love being in the nonprofit sector. 484 00:21:37,429 --> 00:21:40,799 I just want us to feel worthy of the kind of respect 485 00:21:40,899 --> 00:21:43,301 that people get in for profit sector for all 486 00:21:43,401 --> 00:21:44,936 the aspects of what we do. 487 00:21:45,036 --> 00:21:46,705 And in fact, we do a little bit, 488 00:21:46,738 --> 00:21:48,173 we do a lot with a little bit. 489 00:21:48,273 --> 00:21:51,376 And we do it gladly and joyfully, because 490 00:21:51,476 --> 00:21:52,544 of our commitment to the work. 491 00:21:52,711 --> 00:21:54,846 So it's just, I love the nonprofit world, 492 00:21:54,946 --> 00:21:57,349 and I particularly love the nonprofit civil rights world. 493 00:21:57,449 --> 00:21:59,818 But now it's time to get paid! 494 00:21:59,918 --> 00:22:05,791 [applause] 495 00:22:05,891 --> 00:22:07,893 OK. 496 00:22:07,993 --> 00:22:11,229 This is what I want to, right now, the Supreme Court, 497 00:22:11,329 --> 00:22:14,966 they're hearing a case about affirmative action at college. 498 00:22:15,066 --> 00:22:18,103 This keeps coming up over and over again. 499 00:22:18,203 --> 00:22:22,808 Like, why do you think we're still having this battle? 500 00:22:22,908 --> 00:22:24,176 Yeah, it's quite interesting. 501 00:22:24,276 --> 00:22:28,780 You know, so I'm a litigator, and most litigators, lawyers 502 00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:30,215 know that if you're going to take 503 00:22:30,315 --> 00:22:33,385 a case up to the Supreme Court, you're bound by precedent. 504 00:22:33,485 --> 00:22:36,354 If the Supreme Court has decided that issue before 505 00:22:36,455 --> 00:22:38,824 and has decided it one way, it's very hard to get 506 00:22:38,924 --> 00:22:39,925 the court to reverse course. 507 00:22:40,025 --> 00:22:42,494 It happens, but it's hard to do, 508 00:22:42,594 --> 00:22:44,229 and you have to really have a reason 509 00:22:44,329 --> 00:22:46,898 for why you think at this moment the court should 510 00:22:46,998 --> 00:22:48,567 reverse course. 511 00:22:48,700 --> 00:22:50,702 But this court has been doing it quite a bit 512 00:22:50,769 --> 00:22:51,703 at a brisk clip. 513 00:22:51,803 --> 00:22:52,704 Yes. 514 00:22:52,804 --> 00:22:54,206 And you know, obviously, we know 515 00:22:54,306 --> 00:22:56,708 the Dobbs decision overturned Roe vs Wade, 516 00:22:56,741 --> 00:22:58,877 a 50-year-old decision. 517 00:22:58,977 --> 00:23:00,645 And affirmative action as well. 518 00:23:00,745 --> 00:23:02,114 I mean, it's not as though the court 519 00:23:02,214 --> 00:23:04,749 is not deciding affirmative action over and over again. 520 00:23:04,850 --> 00:23:06,718 This is like, you just keep going till you 521 00:23:06,818 --> 00:23:08,153 get the court you want. 522 00:23:08,253 --> 00:23:11,022 In 1979 in the Bakke case, affirmative action 523 00:23:11,123 --> 00:23:13,658 in college admissions was challenged and upheld. 524 00:23:13,725 --> 00:23:16,862 It was upheld again then in the Grutter case 525 00:23:16,962 --> 00:23:18,196 out of University of Michigan. 526 00:23:18,296 --> 00:23:20,332 Then in 2016 again in the Fisher case, 527 00:23:20,432 --> 00:23:21,566 University of Texas. 528 00:23:21,666 --> 00:23:23,902 And after the University of Texas loss, 529 00:23:24,002 --> 00:23:26,905 the man who has been behind this whole effort 530 00:23:27,005 --> 00:23:30,142 basically said, using a kind of a clue 531 00:23:30,242 --> 00:23:33,245 from the dissent of Justices Thomas and Alito, 532 00:23:33,345 --> 00:23:35,747 I think I need Asian-American plaintiffs. 533 00:23:35,847 --> 00:23:38,950 And he set about crafting a set of claims 534 00:23:39,050 --> 00:23:41,820 that race conscious admissions is 535 00:23:41,920 --> 00:23:43,789 actually discriminatory against Asian-Americans. 536 00:23:43,889 --> 00:23:46,591 And that's the claim that he had brought 537 00:23:46,691 --> 00:23:49,060 in Harvard, at Harvard. 538 00:23:49,161 --> 00:23:51,696 And that's the case that's now before the Supreme Court. 539 00:23:51,763 --> 00:23:54,166 But should the Supreme Court be hearing this again 540 00:23:54,266 --> 00:23:56,902 when they just heard it in 2016 and before that just heard it 541 00:23:57,002 --> 00:23:58,403 in 2002 and before that just? 542 00:23:58,503 --> 00:24:01,640 But it's a new court, right. 543 00:24:01,673 --> 00:24:02,974 And so you basically you have somebody 544 00:24:03,074 --> 00:24:05,710 who keeps coming back, and now they have the court they want. 545 00:24:05,811 --> 00:24:07,679 OK, but this scares me about the court though. 546 00:24:07,779 --> 00:24:08,980 The court we have now. 547 00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:11,550 I mean, the Supreme Court has really been 548 00:24:11,650 --> 00:24:13,452 our only recourse for justice. 549 00:24:13,552 --> 00:24:14,986 I mean, pretty much everything that we've 550 00:24:15,086 --> 00:24:17,989 gotten as far as rights, right, has been based on a decision 551 00:24:18,089 --> 00:24:19,090 from the Supreme Court. 552 00:24:19,191 --> 00:24:21,993 Now like you said, Roe has been overturned. 553 00:24:22,093 --> 00:24:23,361 What do we do now? 554 00:24:23,462 --> 00:24:24,896 How do we get past this court? 555 00:24:24,996 --> 00:24:27,799 Well, I think actually it's a sobering moment for us 556 00:24:27,899 --> 00:24:29,968 to recognize that although I think many of us 557 00:24:30,068 --> 00:24:31,503 grew up in a period of time where we believe 558 00:24:31,670 --> 00:24:33,004 that, it's in fact, not true. 559 00:24:33,104 --> 00:24:35,073 It is true that the court decided Brown vs Board 560 00:24:35,173 --> 00:24:38,110 of Education, which ended legal apartheid in this country 561 00:24:38,210 --> 00:24:39,978 and really changed American democracy. 562 00:24:40,078 --> 00:24:41,813 And there have been many other civil rights 563 00:24:41,913 --> 00:24:43,882 decisions from the court that have been wonderful. 564 00:24:43,982 --> 00:24:45,684 Most of them have not been wonderful 565 00:24:45,750 --> 00:24:48,687 actually in the history of the United States Supreme Court. 566 00:24:48,753 --> 00:24:50,222 And so we've always had to supplement 567 00:24:50,322 --> 00:24:51,790 it with legislative action. 568 00:24:51,890 --> 00:24:53,525 With the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 569 00:24:53,692 --> 00:24:55,694 with the Voting Rights Act of 1965, 570 00:24:55,727 --> 00:24:58,363 with the Fair Housing Act of 1968. 571 00:24:58,463 --> 00:25:01,433 We've had to supplement it with direct action, 572 00:25:01,533 --> 00:25:03,301 with protests, with boycotts. 573 00:25:03,401 --> 00:25:05,403 We've had to supplement it with education. 574 00:25:05,504 --> 00:25:07,806 We've had to supplement it in all kinds of ways. 575 00:25:07,906 --> 00:25:10,242 And so it's always been a multi-pronged strategy. 576 00:25:10,342 --> 00:25:13,378 The problem we have now though, is that the court seems 577 00:25:13,478 --> 00:25:16,314 bent on dismantling the successes we 578 00:25:16,414 --> 00:25:17,649 make in those other realms. 579 00:25:17,749 --> 00:25:20,218 And so we see that with, for example, 580 00:25:20,318 --> 00:25:23,121 the Voting Rights Act, which has been severely weakened 581 00:25:23,221 --> 00:25:24,456 by this Supreme Court. 582 00:25:24,556 --> 00:25:26,458 That's where we have to really start to get worried. 583 00:25:26,558 --> 00:25:28,660 And it is a real problem. 584 00:25:28,727 --> 00:25:30,295 It is not something to be taken lightly. 585 00:25:30,395 --> 00:25:33,665 And it's not just a partisan battle, as many people think. 586 00:25:33,765 --> 00:25:35,734 I've been a civil rights lawyer for 30 years. 587 00:25:35,834 --> 00:25:37,469 You win some and you lose some. 588 00:25:37,569 --> 00:25:39,538 The rule of law is that you abide by what 589 00:25:39,671 --> 00:25:40,839 the court says and does. 590 00:25:40,939 --> 00:25:42,274 But you do that with the knowledge 591 00:25:42,374 --> 00:25:45,544 that the court is behaving fairly and with integrity 592 00:25:45,677 --> 00:25:46,878 and legitimately. 593 00:25:46,978 --> 00:25:50,715 And when you start feeling like decisions are being made 594 00:25:50,816 --> 00:25:53,185 without the proper foundation, then it 595 00:25:53,285 --> 00:25:54,886 gets very hard to convince your clients 596 00:25:54,986 --> 00:25:56,321 that it's a fair system. 597 00:25:56,421 --> 00:25:59,524 And so I think we are in a kind of perilous moment 598 00:25:59,624 --> 00:26:01,526 as it relates to the court. 599 00:26:01,626 --> 00:26:02,661 Before you go, I know, you said 600 00:26:02,761 --> 00:26:04,162 something I want to get to. 601 00:26:04,262 --> 00:26:07,732 That you said our democracy, we're, it's like a teenager, 602 00:26:07,833 --> 00:26:10,535 we're teenagers, we're young, it's like teenagers. 603 00:26:10,635 --> 00:26:11,536 So what? 604 00:26:11,636 --> 00:26:12,904 Democracy is what? 605 00:26:13,004 --> 00:26:16,875 Staying up all night on Snapchat or something? 606 00:26:16,975 --> 00:26:19,177 You know, I mean, yes. 607 00:26:19,277 --> 00:26:20,812 Like teenagers who think they know 608 00:26:20,912 --> 00:26:25,317 everything, who have a grandiose sense of themselves, 609 00:26:25,417 --> 00:26:26,651 who throw tantrums. 610 00:26:26,751 --> 00:26:28,220 Yes, we are. 611 00:26:28,320 --> 00:26:30,722 I mean, if you think about American democracy, at least 612 00:26:30,822 --> 00:26:35,494 for me, I wouldn't count America as a democracy. 613 00:26:35,660 --> 00:26:38,763 Certainly as a nation, but not as a democracy until at least 614 00:26:38,864 --> 00:26:40,966 1954 when Brown was decided. 615 00:26:41,066 --> 00:26:43,235 Because you can't call a country a democracy-- 616 00:26:43,335 --> 00:26:46,738 [applause] 617 00:26:46,838 --> 00:26:50,542 --if by law, a whole segment of citizens 618 00:26:50,675 --> 00:26:52,277 can be denied the right to participate 619 00:26:52,377 --> 00:26:53,512 in the political system. 620 00:26:53,678 --> 00:26:55,580 So that's just, and that's being pretty generous. 621 00:26:55,680 --> 00:26:57,149 That's 1954. 622 00:26:57,249 --> 00:26:59,484 I would take it to 1965 with the Voting Rights 623 00:26:59,618 --> 00:27:00,685 Act, because-- 624 00:27:00,786 --> 00:27:03,121 [applause] 625 00:27:03,221 --> 00:27:05,257 --before the passage of the Voting Rights Act, 626 00:27:05,357 --> 00:27:07,025 even though the right of Black people 627 00:27:07,125 --> 00:27:09,427 should have been guaranteed by the 14th and 15th Amendments 628 00:27:09,528 --> 00:27:12,330 to the Constitution, enacted and ratified after the Civil 629 00:27:12,430 --> 00:27:15,100 War, most Black people then lived in the South, 630 00:27:15,200 --> 00:27:17,435 and still live in the South, and most of the South 631 00:27:17,536 --> 00:27:19,171 was denying the vote to Black people. 632 00:27:19,271 --> 00:27:24,009 So until 1965, I wouldn't call us even credibly a democracy. 633 00:27:24,109 --> 00:27:26,845 And if you think of it that way, then we are young. 634 00:27:26,945 --> 00:27:28,880 And so we're still figuring this thing out. 635 00:27:28,980 --> 00:27:30,415 And I'd say, Wanda, just to give people hope-- 636 00:27:30,515 --> 00:27:31,550 Please! Give me some hope. 637 00:27:31,650 --> 00:27:32,684 I'm going to give you some hope. 638 00:27:32,784 --> 00:27:34,085 Please! 639 00:27:34,186 --> 00:27:36,455 Please, Sherrilyn, give me some hope! 640 00:27:36,555 --> 00:27:38,657 We're also trying to do something 641 00:27:38,757 --> 00:27:40,258 that no other country has done. 642 00:27:40,358 --> 00:27:44,496 There is no template for the kind of multiracial democracy 643 00:27:44,663 --> 00:27:48,333 with the kind of history of white supremacy and slavery. 644 00:27:48,433 --> 00:27:49,935 There's no other country that's trying 645 00:27:50,035 --> 00:27:53,839 to do that in the dynamic way that we are doing it. 646 00:27:53,939 --> 00:27:56,374 We talk about being a nation of immigrants, which is not 647 00:27:56,475 --> 00:27:58,143 entirely true, but immigration is 648 00:27:58,243 --> 00:28:00,712 a huge part of the character of our country. 649 00:28:00,812 --> 00:28:02,781 And 20th century immigration, for sure, 650 00:28:02,881 --> 00:28:05,550 made the country have the cast that it does. 651 00:28:05,650 --> 00:28:07,185 And so we're trying to create something 652 00:28:07,285 --> 00:28:08,286 we're not trying to do something 653 00:28:08,386 --> 00:28:09,654 like another country. 654 00:28:09,754 --> 00:28:12,190 We're not pointing to them and saying, oh yeah, like that. 655 00:28:12,290 --> 00:28:14,192 We are trying to do something very particular, 656 00:28:14,292 --> 00:28:15,460 and it's hard. 657 00:28:15,560 --> 00:28:17,262 And that's what I'm currently writing a book about. 658 00:28:17,362 --> 00:28:18,663 It's called Is This America? 659 00:28:18,763 --> 00:28:21,800 And it is about race, but it is also 660 00:28:21,900 --> 00:28:24,536 about what I think of at this moment as the last best 661 00:28:24,636 --> 00:28:27,139 chance for us to really create a healthy democracy 662 00:28:27,239 --> 00:28:28,406 in this country. 663 00:28:28,507 --> 00:28:33,445 OK, well, when you finish the book, I won't be here, 664 00:28:33,545 --> 00:28:35,180 but I'm sure they'll bring you back 665 00:28:35,280 --> 00:28:38,383 and there'll be a nice white guy sitting here, interviewer. 666 00:28:38,483 --> 00:28:40,685 OK, thank you so much. 667 00:28:40,786 --> 00:28:43,889 And we're going to take a break and we'll 668 00:28:43,989 --> 00:28:44,923 be right back after this. 669 00:28:45,023 --> 00:28:47,793 [applause] 670 00:28:57,201 --> 00:28:58,169 [applause] 671 00:28:58,202 --> 00:29:01,239 Well, that's our show for tonight. 672 00:29:01,272 --> 00:29:02,440 I'm out of here. 673 00:29:02,473 --> 00:29:05,543 But tune in next week because your new guest host 674 00:29:05,576 --> 00:29:07,612 is going to be my friend DL Hughley. 675 00:29:07,645 --> 00:29:09,614 And if you want to catch me again, 676 00:29:09,647 --> 00:29:12,450 I'll be in Philadelphia February 3 and 4 677 00:29:12,483 --> 00:29:14,185 filming my new hour special. 678 00:29:14,218 --> 00:29:16,387 Check out the link below for tickets. 679 00:29:16,420 --> 00:29:21,225 Now here it is, "Your Moment of Zen." 680 00:29:21,259 --> 00:29:22,360 --great tennis star. 681 00:29:22,393 --> 00:29:23,761 Is it Stefano "See-see-pus"? 682 00:29:23,794 --> 00:29:24,929 ANCHOR: Tsitsipas. - Tsitsipas. 683 00:29:24,962 --> 00:29:26,030 ANCHOR: Tsitsipas - Tsitsipas. 684 00:29:26,063 --> 00:29:27,298 ANCHOR: I'm actually watching it right now. 685 00:29:27,331 --> 00:29:28,299 It's hilarious. - "Sissy-pas." 686 00:29:28,332 --> 00:29:29,467 ANCHOR: Tsitsipas - Not "Sissy." 687 00:29:29,500 --> 00:29:30,468 Tsitsipas. - "Sit-sy." 688 00:29:30,501 --> 00:29:32,203 Tsitsipas. "Tsitsi--" 689 00:29:32,236 --> 00:29:33,571 - Look at the pronunciation-- - Yeah, it's wrong. 690 00:29:33,604 --> 00:29:34,739 - It's not "See-see-pas." - No. 691 00:29:34,772 --> 00:29:35,873 - It's "Sit-sy." - Tsitsipas. 692 00:29:35,907 --> 00:29:36,874 Tsitsipas. 693 00:29:36,908 --> 00:29:37,875 Yeah. 694 00:29:37,909 --> 00:29:39,143 [laughs] 695 00:29:39,176 --> 00:29:39,243 MTV LOGO: MTV.