The Daily Show: Ears Edition - MAGA Protesters Take to the Streets as Donald Trump's Lawsuits Fail | Ta-Nehisi Coates
Episode Date: November 17, 2020President Trump keeps insisting he won re-election, Desi Lydic tries to reason with her paranoid "cousin" Tucker Carlson, and Ta-Nehisi Coates discusses two film adaptations of his books. Learn more ...about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it.
This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television.
Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives.
You're rolling. But that's all about to change.
Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible.
I'm Seth Done of CBS News.
Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look,
starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts.
Well, hey, what's going on, everybody?
Welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show.
I'm Trevor Noah.
Today is Monday, the 16th of November, which means President Trump has only 65 days left to sell all the White House
furniture on Craigslist.
Come on Trump, get going!
Anyway, coming up on tonight's show, there's a younger and hotter coronavirus vaccine.
Donald Trump gets a loser parade in his honor, and Tanahasi Coates is joining us on the show
to talk about how his books are being turned into movies. So let's do this, people. Welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show.
From Trevor's couch in New York City to your couch somewhere in the world.
This is the Daily Social Distancing Show with Trevor Noa.
Ears Edition.
Let's kick things off with the coronavirus.
It's the reason we're all throwing dinner parties in a parking lot.
Right now, things are looking pretty the thoe thoe thoe tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho thi tho to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to be to to be to be to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to reason we're all throwing dinner parties in a parking lot. Right now, things are looking pretty dire. There have been over 11 million recorded cases in the
U.S. And one-third of all Americans know someone who has died of COVID-19. And with the
holiday is just around the corner, there is both good news and bad news. The bad news, of course,
is that you won't be able to spend time with your extended family. The the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th. And the th. And th. And thine th. And th. And thi thi, thi, thi, thirty thirty thirty thirty, thirty, thirty, thirty, thiol-cunit, thirty, thirty, thirty, thiol-upe, thiolvvue, thiolvue, thiolv, thia, thia, thia, thia, thia, thia, thia, thia, thia, thia, the, the, thi, the, the, the, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, course, is that you won't be able to spend time with your extended family. The good news is you won't have to spend time with your extended
family. And this morning, there was also some really good news.
This morning another potential breakthrough in the battle against COVID.
A vaccine developed by Moderna, showing a 94.5% efficacy rate in a trial with 30,000
participants.
One big difference between the Moderna vaccine and one developed by Pfizer that
also reported very promising results in early trials.
Moderna says its vaccine doesn't need to be kept at extremely low temperatures to remain
stable. That could help with shipping and distribution. Yes people.
Just weeks after a vaccine was announced, there's another one on the way.
I mean, are you serious?
No vaccine?
Two vaccines.
I mean, at this point, in three months, we're going to have so many vaccines, you'll be able
to pick the one that just best fits your personality.
Are you getting the Moderna vaccine?
No, dude, I'm getting the Pfizer one.
I'm a Gemini. Now, apparently the Pfizer vaccine is 90% effective, but the Moderna vaccine is 94.5%
effective.
You know what that means, right?
I'm taking both, because then I'll be 184% immune from COVID, baby.
Woo! When COVID is in the room, it's going to catch me.
Where you at?
This is also going to raise the stakes for vaccines, because some scientists will come out like,
I made another vaccine. is 88% effective and we'll be like what? Kill yourself you
88% dumbass and here's something interesting.
Madonna says that its research is going much faster than expected because in
order to get enough data they need a certain number of people in the study to catch coronavirus and
and that has been extremely easy
because this pandemic is so out of control.
Just imagine that for a second.
We're getting the vaccine faster
because of irresponsible people.
So, you need to go on your balcony at 7 p.m. tomorrow night,
and you clap for those people who are not wearing masks.
But guys, let me tell you something.
When this vaccine hits, the streets are gonna be lit.
It's gonna be like the end of World War II.
Hell, I'm gonna be in Times Square kissing the first bat that I see.
Come here.
But let's move on.
Because even as the coronavirus is keeping most people close to home, there are still some people out there who are living their lives and even traveling.
And I mean, really traveling.
Just hours ago, SpaceX launched four astronauts to the International Space Station.
It's significant because it's the first full-fledged taxi flight for NASA by private company.
The crew will reach the space station late tomorrow and stay there until spring. That's right folks. Thanks to Elon Musk and Space X,
astronauts can now basically catch an Uber to space. Although it is going to be
to space, it'll cost you like 12 bucks, but then when you come back to Earth, all
all of a sudden there's going to be surge pricing. 200,000? I'm not going to pay two hundred thousand to go to go to go to go back to go back to go back to go back to go back to go back to go back to go back to go back to go back to go back to go back to go back to go back to go back to go back to go back to go back to go back to go back to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to their their their their their their their their their their their their their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. the their. the the the the the the. the the. the the. thea. thea. thea. toea. toea. their. their. pay 200,000 to go back to Earth. Well, you could always take the bus.
The bus?
Dude, I'm not trying to get probed by aliens.
Okay, you're getting one star for this.
I actually wonder what one star Uber rides to space
would actually look like.
So, the cockpit door blew open, right?
The air got sucked out all the iPhone charger didn't work. But I for one am very excited by how much easier space travel has gotten. I mean
think just 50 years ago a space launch was a global event. People crowded
around their TVs to watch it. Now there are space launches all the time.
No, no one cares. Soon it's going to be so common that like people won't even feel cool anymore. It'll be like telling people you're going their their their their their th. th. th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi tho thi thi thi thi thi thi. thi. thi. I thi. I thi. thi. I thi. I thi. I thi. I thi. I thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I their their their their their their their their their their their their thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. theeea theauuu. theea theauu. thea thea thea. thi. thea thi. thi. it's going to be so common that, like, people won't even feel cool anymore.
It'll be like telling people you're going to Toulomb.
He'll be like, oh, I went to space last week.
Oh, congratulations on being BASAC.
Let's move on, though, from outer space to ancient Egypt, where an incredible new discovery
was just unearthed.
People in Egypt digging up history dating back more than 2, 000 years. Archaeologists are showcasing
more than a hundred coffins found in a huge burial ground. Each sarcophagus
and coffin is painted with intricate carvings, x-ray show mummified bodies
inside. A lot of the individuals buried in these are members of high-class
Egyptian society so their coffins were higher quality with more elaborate designs.
They're going to go on display at Egypt's Grand National Museum next year.
Wait, they just happened to find a hundred coffins?
And now I'm sure that they're going to need money to study these coffins?
I don't know, guys. Sounds like a typical pyramid scheme.
By the way, I love how grave-robbing is okay
if you just call yourself an archaeologist.
Because that's what these guys are doing, right?
They're robbing graves.
The only difference is they're wearing a weird hat, so then it's okay.
Because imagine if you saw some guy digging up your grandma.
Hey! Hey, stop that, that's my grandmother's grave!
I'm wearing the hat. And did you see the look on that one mummy's face?
He looks like he got caught doing something embarrassing
and he really doesn't want you opening up his sarcophagus right now.
Oh, someone's in here?
That's why you've always got to assume, people.
Assume that your grave is going to be dug up one day.
Yeah, you've got to be prepared.
That's why when I'd pose like a gangster in my coffin. Like this. So when they dig me up, they'll be like,
We don't know much about this ancient culture,
but judging by this man's pose, he was clearly a badass.
And finally, here's some weird news from the animal kingdom.
We know the platypus is a strange animal, that we know.
It's a mammal, but it does lay eggs.
It has webbed feet, and a duck-like bill. Also, it produces venom.
Now, we're also finding out that the coat of these animals
glows under a black light.
An article published in the journal,
Mammalia reports, if you shine,
an ultraviolet light on its fur,
a platypus will give off a greenish-blue tint.
They're one of the few mammals known to do. This is pretty neat. Scientists are still in the dark, though, about why they have this trait,
if there is even a reason at all.
I'm sorry, what?
Platypus' glow under black lights?
Who made these creatures?
Huh?
They glow?
They've got venom. They lay eggs,
but they also have fur and their mammals. It's almost like God was finished building the earth.
And then he used all the leftover pieces to build a platypus.
Just take the spare duck bill and put it together with the raccoon body.
Yeah, let's see what, let's see what happens.
It should be interesting.
Honestly, people, we keep finding out more strange things about what point, let's just put a platypus in the cockpit of a plane. Maybe it knows how to fly. And also, what is happening in the scientific community? Huh? Half the world scientists
are working their asses off to find a vaccine so we can go back to living our lives. And then
the other half are like, I don't know. Let's see what glows. I will say this. It does explain why we've never seen a plateus on an episode of CSI. th. the th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi. thus. thus. thus. thus. thus. thi. thi. thi. Hsoe. Hsovvv, th. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. Half. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. H. the. the. the. the. the. the. th. the. th. the th. th. the th. the the. the. th. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. the., I'm gonna use the black light to scan for any evidence at this murder scene.
Okay, what are we here?
Oh, Detective platypus?
What the hell?
No, guys, it's totally not what you think.
All right, we gotta take a short break,
but when we come back,
President Trump officially concedes the election. What does that mean? Find out when we return.
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When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it.
This is 60 Minutes.
It's a kind of a magazine for television.
Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives.
But that's all about to change.
Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Don't thsesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesesese. to to to to to to to seauuiuiuiuiounexxxx to to to toexxxxxx to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to toexxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxeui.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s.s. the. thea. toe. toe. toe. toe. to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News.
Listen to 60 Minutes a second look
on Apple podcasts starting September 17.
Welcome back to the Daily Social Distancing Show.
So late last week, news networks officially called Georgia for Joe Biden.
Bringing the final electoral college vote to 306 to 232.
The exact count that Donald Trump won by in 2016,
which basically means that Trump is the Hillary Clinton of this election.
Lock me up.
But many of Trump's biggest fans are refusing to accept that their man has lost.
And over the weekend, they hit the streets in D.C. to make their case.
While Trump vows to keep waging his uphill legal battle against the results, thousands of
his supporters this weekend flooded the streets of the Capitol.
The demonstrators rallying behind a president who has refused to concede an election he lost.
The largely maskless crowd echoing his baseless claims about widespread voter fraud,
chanting this isn't over.
Look, I just want to... This isn't over. It's not even close to being over.
F. You're biting! Far right groups like the proud boys linked to white supremacy and
violence made themselves visible at Saturday's event.
Wow, guys, this is so strange.
Why does the not-white supremacist president have all these white supremacists coming out to support him?
It's so weird.
Also, it's interesting how now, all the Trump supporters are suddenly okay with protesting and blocking traffic?
How quickly their attitudes have changed. I bet we're only three months away from th th th th th th th th th th th thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi's thi's thi's thi's thi's thi's thi- thi, thi's thi, thi- thi, thi, thi, thi, this this this is this is this is this is this is this is this is this is this this is this this this this this this this this th. Wow, th. Wow, th. Wow, th, th, th, th. Wow, th. Wow, th. Wow, thi's thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi. Wow, thi. Wow, thi. thei. thei. thei. thei. thei. thei. thei. thi. thi. Wow, thi. Wow, thffic. How quickly their attitudes have changed.
I bet we're only three months away from them kneeling at football games like,
I will not stand for the anthem of a country that does not support my Maga-Niss.
I actually feel bad for a lot of the people here.
I feel bad for the people who've been brainwashed into thinking that Biden didn't win. I feel bad for the people who got hurt and the violence in the violence in the violence in the violence in the violence in the violence in the violence in the violence in the violence in the violence in the violence in the violence in the violence and the violence and the violence and the violence and the violence and the violence and the violence and the violence and the violence and the the the the the the the the the the the thoeaugheaugheaugheatheaugheatheaugheaughe, tho thoe, thiaughe, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi. I'm, thi. I'm, thi. I'm, thi. I'm, thi. I'm, thi. I'm, thi. I'm, thi. thi. thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the. thea, thea, the, the, that Biden didn't win. I feel bad for the people who got hurt and the violence that broke out. And most of all, I feel bad for whoever's U-Haul this is.
That has got to be the worst moving day of all time.
Because you know that guy was like,
all right, I'll get up really early,
pack up quick, it's the weekend, so's supporters aren't admitting defeat because the truth is,
they're just taking their lead from the man himself.
President Trump spent this Sunday golfing and tweeting up a storm.
Early this morning, writing this about President-elect Joe Biden.
He won because the election was rigged.
Critics and even some Republican supporters took that to mean that Mr. Trump was finally admitting that he had lost but the president soon followed up
with another tweet stating he Biden only won in the eyes of the fake news media I
concede nothing last night the president tweeted I won the election
even though he is behind by more than five and a half million votes
Twitter quickly flagged mr. Trump's claim,
noting official sources called this election differently.
I will say, man, for all the talk about Trump being an aspiring dictator,
this is some weak shit.
Like, now is the time he should be taking over all the state capitals,
installing new governors, arresting opposition leaders,
doing all of that. Instead, he's just sitting at home trying to manifest a win on Twitter like a little
bitch.
I won, send.
Did that work?
Okay, how about, I am the winner?
Send.
No?
Okay, how about?
I lost?
Not?
That should do it.
That's the one.
I mean, the dude is spreading so much misinformation, even Twitter has had it with Trump.
Also, if Donald Trump truly believed any of this nonsense,
that's believe he wouldn't be golfing. Right? If you are truly fighting against wrongdoing and corruption,
you generally don't find the time to squeeze in a game of golf. Nelson Mandela was never like,
we must fight to change the system.
We must fight against racism and oppression.
But first, Daddy needs to work on a short game.
Although at this point, I feel like Trump will always find time for golf no matter what is happening.
He could be running away from a bear and he'd still be like, ah,
the bear's gonna kill me, the bear's gonna kick it, hold on,
keep your knees bent, remember the screen is fast.
Ah, the bear.
So, Donald Trump is saying that he won the election.
His supporters are saying that he won the election.
But meanwhile, Trump's lawyers are slowly moonwalking away.
Am I out of frame? lawyers are slowly moonwalking away.
Am I out of frame?
President Trump facing a new setback in his legal challenges to the election.
The Trump campaign is abandoning a major part of his legal challenge to votes in Pennsylvania.
The campaign is dropping its claim that officials unlawfully blocked observers from watching
ballot counting in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
Today the president's lawyers dropped their lawsuit in Arizona,
admitting it would not change enough votes to matter.
In a Pennsylvania lawsuit, a judge asked Trump's attorney,
are you claiming that there is any fraud in connection with these disputed ballots?
The Trump attorney admitted, no.
On Friday, a top lawyer at Jones Day, which has represented Mr. Trump's campaigns
for more than four years,
told colleagues during a video conference call that Jones Day would not get involved
in additional litigation in this election.
Damn, Donald, you're losing court cases all over the place. It's almost like a miracle,
you know, he took one election loss and turned it into a thousand more losses.
Yeah, it's exactly like a miracle, but for losers.
I mean, think about it. He's the first president of the United States that lawyers don't want to represent.
And lawyers will represent anybody. If you slipped and fell three blocks away from a Walmart,
you'll find a lawyer who'll be like, we've got to sue that Walmart, you got a case.
But Trump is the president, and they're like, come on, man, don't get me involved in your
bullshit, man.
And the best part is how these lawsuits are slowly whittling down to nothing from where
they started.
Because when it kicked off, Trump's lawyers were like, the election wasn't rigged, but they didn't let us observe it. Okay, they let us observe the election, but not as closely as we wanted.
Okay, none of that is true, but can we all agree that the word election is weird?
Yeah, it's weird, right?
Election. Sounds weird, right? We can agree on that.
So look, man.
Trump can say what he wants. And his supporters, to to to to to to to say, to want, but his lawyers clearly know the truth. And the truth is that Trump lost the election and not because of any voter fraud,
because people voted. And on January 20th, he's going to have to move out of the White House.
The good news for Trump is, there's a guy with a U-Haul, who's probably still going to be out there,
and he can help them move.
Stick around because when we come back, Desi Leidic goes one-on-one with Tucker Coulson.
And don't forget, Tanahasi Coates is joining us on the show.
We'll be right back.
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Zip Recruiters powerful matching technology
starts showing you qualified people for it.
And you can use Zip Recruiters pre-written invite to apply message to personally reach out to your favorite candidates and encourage them to apply sooner.
Ditch the other hiring sites and let Zip Recruiter find what you're looking for, the needle
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Four out of five employers who post on Zip Recruiter get a quality candidate within
the first day.
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Zip Recruiter.com slash zip.ziprecrue.ziprecruiter, the smartest
way to hire.
When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it.
This is 60 Minutes.
It's a kind of a magazine for television.
Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives.
But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's what's. Z. the. the their. their. their. their. their. their. the s. The s. The s. The s. The s. The s. The s. The s. The s. The s. The s. The s. The s. The s. The s. The s. The s. The s. The s. The s. A s. A. A. A s. A s. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. the s. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. S. the. S. S. the. the. S. the. the. the. the treasures in our archives. You're rolling? But that's all about to change.
Like none of this stuff gets looked at.
That's what's incredible.
I'm Seth Done of CBS News.
Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look
on Apple podcasts starting September 17.
Welcome back to the daily social distancing show.
In these Corona times, everyone is keeping in toucest with their relatives using video calls.
And that includes our very own Desi Lydick, who's actually related to Tucker Carlson from Fox News.
Yeah, believe it or not, he's her fourth cousin on her aunt's side by divorce.
So recently, Desi got in touch with Cousin Tuck,
and here's how it went.
Hey, Cousin Tuck, how's it going?
Feeling a bit more relaxed now that the election's over?
Look, I was hoping that we could just kind of put it all behind us
and get back to normal.
None of this is normal.
Yeah, I guess, but at the end of the day, we're still family. Plus, I would love to start planning Thanksgiving now that Halloween's over.
The great orange emergency has passed now, and it's party time.
Woo! That's the spirit.
Look, I know it's going to be really hard,
but let's just try to not talk about politics at the table this year,
okay?
Tens of millions of Americans suspect this election was stolen from them. Talk, this sounds like another one of your conspiracy theories.
Ever wonder why people on both sides are embracing conspiracy theories?
Why do you think that's happening?
Because you keep saying them on TV.
Do you even have evidence that there was cheating?
According to one affidavit, a poll worker saw people bringing handfuls of ballots to a Biden-Harris fan? Really, they rolled up to cheat in a Biden-Harris fan?
That's like robbing a bank with bags
that have dollar signs on them.
It only happens in cartoons.
We don't know how many votes were stolen on Tuesday night.
We don't know anything about the software
that many say was rigged.
We don't know.
But we don'tishay sculpture that just came to life either, but we can't assume that without evidence.
Look, we're getting off topic here.
Okay, this is going to be really controversial, but for Thanksgiving, I want to make a tofuer
this year.
Come on, say something.
Don't give me that Tucker face.
It's totally wrong and it's crazy.
It's not crazy.
Cousin, th, th, th high blood pressure, so it's what we're having.
Hang on, Sean's joining the zoom. Hey, second cousin, Sean, I'm really happy that you're coming to Thanksgiving,
but I'm just going to go ahead and say it. We're not talking politics at the dinner table.
We cannot be intimidated into silence. We need to find out exactly what happened in this election. And there are are th th th th are th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi tho- tho-I tho-n-I thi. thi. thi. th-n' tho-n' tho-n' tho-n' the. the. thi. thi. the. the. the. the. the. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the. the. the. the. the. the. the. than. than. thanan. thananan. thanan. thanan. thananan. thanan. than. thanan. than. than out exactly what happened in this election and there are questions and that means we have to answer them.
Not at Thanksgiving we don't! And I'm not trying to silence or intimidate anyone.
Who's trying to intimidate you here? The 99% media mob, the Washington swamp, Joe Biden, all
desperate. They want to just call it a day and stop you from asking legitimate, tough questions about the election.
Well, it's a good thing.
None of them are coming to dinner.
Look, I know that we don't agree on things politically,
but we're all family.
So can we just be nice?
They hate us.
They've very clear about that for four years.
They've never tried to hide it. That is not true, Sean. I was very happy
when you showed up out of the blue unannounced and completely uninvited last year. It was a nice
surprise. They knew you were coming, they laughed at you when you left. Tucker, shh! It is one day.
Just give me this one day with family without yelling or fighting or talking about conspiracy theories
about the election. Can we just have that?
It is a national disgrace, how some states have handled this election.
Okay, I'm hanging out now, I'll talk to you at Christmas.
What a two ballots.
You did your best, Desi. I hope Thanksgiving isn't too awkward. All right, stick around, because when we come back, I'll be talking to the brilliant Tanahasi
Coats. You don't want to miss it.
When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it.
This is 60 Minutes.
It's a kind of a magazine for television.
Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change.
Like none of this stuff gets looked at.
That's what's incredible.
I'm Seth Done of CBS News.
Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look, starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts.
Welcome back to the daily social distancing show.
Earlier today, I spoke with best-selling author Tanahasi-Coats. We talked about the current state of the country, his books being
adapted into films, and what he thinks America is going to look forward to in the upcoming years.
Tanahasi-Coats, welcome back to the Daily Social Distancing Show. Trevor, thanks for
having me back, man. This is truly an honor because I just found out today, you were officially the number one guest we've had on the show,
as in like you've been on my show the most frequent, yeah.
Imagine that.
Imagine that.
Imagine that.
Six, six years.
What a journey has been, well, five years.
How?
Wow.
That's great. I have have, the the the thia, thiiiii. Wow, wow. That's great. I have no problem with that at all.
I would love to know as somebody who has been talking to you over these five years
and somebody who's watched your life changed dramatically, but not necessarily your tenor,
have you seen a change in the world around you over the past five years,
or have you just experienced more of the world
being the world?
And I mean specifically America obviously because that's what you write about most of the
time.
Yeah, definitely.
Definitely.
You know, to some extent for the worst, you know, I think the worst, you know, I think
a quarter million and counting Americans dead is, you know, pretty obvious. Us picking up a million COVID cases a week.
Right.
That is obviously, you know, pretty bad.
And and the fact that, you know, it's really been no response of note or of merit from the government.
I don't know what a state is for if it's not to prevent the census death, you know, a quarter million
of its inhabitants. What's the point I have in a state? And perhaps that's kind of
the point. But that is probably uppermost in my head right now in terms of, you
know, turns for the bat. There has been, I think, among a certain portion of Americans,
outside of the African-American community,
probably an increased awareness of certain issues.
I think Trump himself has probably made that hard to ignore.
Right.
I think obviously the summer protest made that hard to ignore.
I think the disproportionate impact of COVID has made that hard to ignore.
How long that will last or what that will come to, I'm not sure. But it certainly is certainly is a chur, but it, but it, but it, the, the, the, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, thi, the the thi, thi, the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi.oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. thi, thi has made that hard to ignore. How long that will last or what that will come to?
I'm not sure, but it certainly is a change, I would say.
We've got a few things happening in the world of Tanahasi Coates.
Let's talk first of all about the water dancer.
The last time I was with you in the studio, you were on to promote the hard cover of the book. Now it's out in paperback.
You are exhausted promoting the book,
but I guess you've got fresh energy
because you're back out promoting it again.
And I believe that Oprah Winfrey and Brad Pitt
have teamed up to turn the book into a film.
This is, I mean, it's Brad Pitt and Oprah Winfrey.
This is the kings and queens of white people
and black people, you've won the game.
This is the perfect setup.
I hate to break your heart,
but I've never met Brad Pitt.
Wow.
And, you know, I do know Oprah a little better, you better. I don't want to take the celebrities here.
But, you know, these are in production companies, you know,
which obviously reflect their vision, you know what I mean?
Yes.
And they're taste in their aesthetics, you know, again, not cast any shape.
But, you know, it's funny because like when we've been, we've been, we've been, we've been, we've been, we've been, we've been, we've been, we've been, we've been going, we've been going, we've been, this is November now, so I have been in discussion with Plan B,
this Brad Pitt's a production company, for about a year now, and Jeremy Kleiner and GD, you know, over there.
So it's been, but I talked to the people who work for them, like I talked to the day-to-day people,
you know what I mean? And there's this back, you know, it's constant, constant conversation. I mean, I've been telling
as recently as yesterday about what we're going to do, how we're going to do it. But when it's
reported out, it's like, hey, Tanahasi's working with Brad and Oprah, to make a- Yeah, we need to switch to their their their their their their their their their tho... their their thi. thi. thi. thi. thi, thi, thi, thi, to to to to to to to to hire, to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to do, but to to do, but to to do, but to do, but to do, but to do, but to do, but to do, but to do, but to do, but tho, but thi.. I thi. But, thi. But, thi. But, thi. But, the. But, thr. thr. But, thr. We's, thr. We's, toda. We're too. too, too, too, too, too, toe. But, toe. But, toe. But I'll tell them, yeah, Tanahasi will meet with Brad and Oprah. I mean, you're Tanahazi coaqs.
But look, look, look, the people who do work for them,
they're geniuses.
They're great.
I love them.
I love them.
I really, really do. It's just funny how it gets reported out because I sit on the phone with a Dede D, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, th, th, th, th, th, th, I, th, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi, thi, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th........... th, th, th, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, the people, the people who thi, to to to to to to to to to the people who the people who to to the people who thi, thi, thi, thi, th folks. And I'm saying their names because nobody really says their names.
But you know, I sit on the phone with a D.D. Gardner and she tells me,
you know, what films I should, I should look at it, what I should, right?
Right, right.
Right, and I'm like, you know, these, these are the voices,
thinks they're reported in the papers, it seems like you're in a room with Oprah and Brad Pitt being like, all right, what do we do with this character, Brad, and he's
like, yo, Tanahasi, this is how I think you should do it.
And Oprah's like, everybody's getting involved.
That's what it's not like, it's not like that at all.
But it's still a big project, man. I feel like, it's still, I tha, I tha, I th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. It's, th. th. This. This. This. It's, th. It's, th. It's, th. It's, th. It's. It's, th. It's like. It's like. It's like. It's like. It's like. to. this. to. to. to. this. to. this. to. this. this. this. this. this. this. this. author, but your work evokes so much imagery that
it almost lends itself to being created into some sort of film.
The same thing is happening between the world and me.
I got an opportunity to watch an advanced copy of it and I mean, I love the book.
I mean, there's a reason that's a New York Times bestseller forever.
But I think seeing the, you know, seeing people reenact portions of the book in a way
that makes the conversation different, it really changed the book.
I don't know how to articulate it really, because for those who don't know, you wrote the
book.
In 2015, it was a huge bestseller, and in many ways it shaped conversations that people
have in and around race in America. You know? Now what you've done with HBO is, they've, thiiiiiiiiiiiiii. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. That's, th. T. T. That's, th. That's, th. That's, th. That's, th. th. that, that, that, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that, that's, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, th. That's, th. That's, th. That's, th. That's, th. That's, th. That's, th. That's, th. th. I, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. that. that. that, th. that, th. that, that's, th. that's, that's, that's, that's, that? Now what you've done with HBO is, they've created this film based on the book and it has everybody,
I mean from Maharshala Ali to Oprah Winfrey and Black Thoughts and TI and Yarra Shahidi and
you've just got all these people and and and Joe Morton is easily my favorite in it because
of how he articulates what's happening in the book. And it's a conversation, the way you wrote it was a conversation, a letter from yourself
to your then 14-year-old son.
When you look at what the project is now, first of all of those big names agree to do it,
and what do you think changed in the project, like when you put faces to it? So now I have to play the Brad Pitt Oprah role,
because I did nothing on that film.
I doubt off of feedback.
Two or three things, I have no insight into why.
It's a beautiful film. Let me be clear. It's beautiful.
I'm not exactly sure why, or I'm not exactly sure how, you know, it was made, you know, it is directed, you know, by my good friend, th fr fr fr fr fr fr fr fr fr fr fr fr fr fr fr fr fr fr., like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like it was made, you know, it is directed, you know,
by my good friend, Camilla Forbes, who pulled it, you know, together, you know, produced
by, you know, her and Susan Collecey Watson of This is us fame, all us went to Iowa together.
So there's a kind of, you know, intimacy and bond that was already, because it felt,
because it felt true to your work. That's, you know, that's surprising when you say to me like, no, I wasn't, because I mean you're in the film.
Yes, I am. I am, I'm not, those, that is not. I would have no idea how to turn between the world
and me into a film. None. Absolutely none. And so I just, uh, Camilla is somebody I really, really trusted because she had done the theatrical adaptation and I had worked on her for foot and saw.
But when we were pitching, you know,
like networks and everything,
I remember being in those meetings
and you know, over Zoom obviously,
but being in those meetings and I wasn't nervous at all
because I had really complete faith that, you know,
she was gonna do something special. What that special thing would be, I I I I I I I I I I th. I I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I had th. I had thi thi thi thi thi. I had thi. I had th. I had thi thi thi. I had thi. thi. th. th. thi, I had thi, I had thi, I was thi. And I was thi. And, I was that, I was that, I was th. And, I was th. And, I was th. And, I was th. And, I was th. And, I th. And, I was th. th. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thia. thia. thia. thiaughed. thi. thi. thia. thia faith that she was gonna do something special.
What that special thing would be, I had no idea.
It's not my problem.
So, okay, so then, so then you were in an interesting position
because you were as surprised as I was when you watched it then.
So when you did watch it, did you feel like it kept the essence of what the book was,
or do you think it added something different that the book didn't?
I think it added something different, man. Because I think when you write a book,
who you're trying to achieve is a very intimate one-on-one experience with a reader.
You know, you want what the, you know, it's just you and the reader locked in this one place. Yep. And it's, it's, you know, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, the to the to to the the to the the the the the to the the the the their their their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, thi. thi. their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, thi, when thi, when thi, when when when when when when when when when, when when when, when when, when when, when, when, when when, when when when, when, when, when, when, when, when, when, when, when, when th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi. thi. the. the. the. the. theat's, the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the singular voice that the reader hears that comes out as collaboration
between you two.
Theater to say nothing of television is totally different in the sense that there was nothing
I could have done within between the world and me that would have allowed for you to see it,
the way you see it when Angela Davis reads those words. When Yardee v. Vint. You know, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, is the, is the collaboration is the, is their th is th is collaboration is collaboration is collaboration is th is collaboration is collaboration is th is collaboration is th is the collaboration is the collaboration is the collaboration is the collaboration, the collaboration, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, see it, the way you see it when Angela Davis reads those words.
When Yallid reads those words,
when Courtney B. Vance, you know,
it's a very different thing when rehearsal,
I can't do that, I can't do that.
And frankly, you know, like one of the things,
I think we talked about this up, you know, in terms of gender. You know, it didn't, you know, have, you know, it was this black, heavily black male experience that was standing up for the
public experience.
You know, and my thing was always, I hear that, but I really don't know what I as a writer,
you know what I mean, could do, dear daughter, dear nephew, dear cousin.
You know what I mean?
Even the value factor, as I said, having, you know, black women, having trans, you know,
women in that, you know, reading, it opens up.
It becomes something that is much more than the book could actually, you know, be.
That's amazing, man. I found myself wondering when I was watching it, I was like, this is, this is a a a this is a this is a this is a th. this is a th th th th th th this is a th th, th, th, th, th, thi thi thi thi thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their, their, their their their their their their their their their their their thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi. T, thi. thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii., theeemememem, their their thi. You their their th actually, you know, be. That's amazing, man. I found myself wondering when I was watching it.
I was like, this is a book that you wrote for your son.
I mean, you know, it's for the people, but you wrote it to your son, your 14-year-old son
at the time.
I would love to know what conversations you have with your son now, who's 19 and also what you would have said to him then, but he was too young for you to have a conversation about,
like how is that relationship evolved?
So you turn 20 in August, which is a crucial age.
It's a very, very crucial age,
because he's not, obviously,
he's very much not a boy anymore.
He's very much a young man, you know, an adult out on his own. I find myself, it's funny these days,
probably listening to Samaritan more than I find myself
telling him anything.
He has his own interests, you know,
his own, you know, things that he's pursuing.
And so probably never more in my life in our relationship,
have I actually listened more than I talked, actually.
Wow.
Wow.
It's fascinating.
It's fascinating.
Because I'll never be a 20-year-old young black male right now.
I'm gonna have that experience.
You know, it's kind of fascinating, listening to him, you know, talking, and
you know, how you see the world.
What would you say is the biggest difference difference difference difference difference difference difference difference difference difference difference difference difference difference difference difference difference difference difference difference difference difference difference difference difference difference difference difference difference difference??.. the difference. the difference. their. their. their. their. the biggest. their, I. their, I. their, I, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, their, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, I, I, I'm, I. to, I. to, I. to, I. to, I. to, I. to, I. to, I. their, I. their, I. their, I. their, I. their, their, the the the the the the the the th. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. to, to, to, to, to, to, to. thi. thi. thi. to in the way the two of you see the world. I'm sure you have a lot of similarities, but I find, you know, like I'll have it with
my younger brother, for instance, or anyone really, if you share a connection with them,
but they're of a different generation, sometimes they'll, they just see one part of
the world in a different way to you because of when they were born and how they were raised.
Do you have something like that where where where where you that where you times the confidence and maybe 10 times the opportunity.
Wow.
Yeah, I recognize a lot of myself in him, but he's much, much more confident.
And I think that comes out of how, or where, rather, not even how where he was raised,
as opposed to, you know, where I was raised the environment.
I was in, me and my wife talk about this all the time, you know, about how, you know,
we were constantly shielding ourselves from things, you know, ducking, you know, worried about
what was going to happen here. And he has a lot less of that, thus, you know, and thus has a much, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you know, you, you, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, th. th. th. to, th. th. to, to, th. to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, you know, almost out of his share will, you know, just conjure things.
You know, and to the extent that there is some, you know, talk back, it's often, you know,
pulling him back from that, you know, because I think, you know, it's good.
It's good.
I really love to see it, but, you know, sometimes you can go a little too far with that. Before I let you go, I have to ask you a question that I think I've asked you every single time
you've been on the show because you're my favorite person
and only person to ask this question to,
but looking at the election and looking at like the vaccines
and just like where we are now,
how optimistic is Tanahasi Coates now about America?
It's a struggle. It's gonna be a struggle. It's gonna the struggle. It's gonna be a struggle. It's a struggle. It's going to be a struggle for a while, I think.
I think there was enormous damage done over the last four years.
I think for a party to deny the previous president the opportunity to appoint a Supreme Court judge, a lifetime appointment, to win but not
through the popular vote, and then to appoint three and four years.
I think the damage to democratic legitimacy, piled onto everything else that Trump has done,
I think is enormous, I think is enormous.
And I expect to actually outlive me the damage to that.
I think it's really significant.
So I think we're in for some tough times, you know,
but again, I think I've said this before, being African-American, being a progeny of people who are enslaved in this country for
250 years and, you know, who lived through, you know, another subsequent hundred years of
Jim Crow, having, you know, been born at the time and a rise of mass incarceration, you know,
ever thus, when was it not, you know, as it is?
Is it worse than it was then? No, it's not worse, you know, I would say that, you know, so this is
the condition, you know, this is where we are.
As always, ma'am, I appreciate having you on.
I'm excited for the movie adaptation of your book that you're not working on with Bradputt
and Oprah, and I'm excited for the film that was made from your work, but you were just like, yeah, I'm just like, I'm just going the to just going to just going.... I to just going to just going. I'm just going. I'm just going. to just going. to just going. to just going. to just going. to just going. I'm just going. I'm just going. I'm just going, I'm just going, I'm just going, I'm just going to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to th. I'm just, I'm just, I, I, I, I, I th. I, I, I, I th. I, I, I, I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I'm just, I'm just, I'm just, I'm just, I'm just, I'm just, I'm just th. th. th. th. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. th. thi. th. thi. th. thi. th. tha. thi. th. th. th. I'm, I'm excited for you man. Thank you so much to taking the time. Good seeing you again look off to yourself. Thank you. Thank you. Don't forget, the paperback of
the Water Dancer will be available November 17th and between the world and me will premiere
on HBO on November 21st and then be available to stream on HBO Max. Well, that's our show for tonight. But before we go, Thanksgiving is coming up. And because of coronavirus, homebound seniors
are at greater risk than ever before,
especially those who don't know
where their next meal is coming from.
Now, luckily, meals on wheels is out in the streets,
delivering meals to elderly Americans
every single day across the country.
Until tomorrow, stay safe out there,
wear a mask, and remember,
the vaccine is around the corner.
So start practicing by stabbing yourself in the arm with a pencil, people.
The Daily Show with Trevnoa, Ears Edition.
Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central and the Comedy Central app.
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for exclusive content and more.
When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it.
This is 60 Minutes.
It's a kind of a magazine for television.
Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. You're rolling?
But that's all about to change.
Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible.
I'm Seth Done of CBS News.
Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look.
Starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts.
This has been a Comedy Central Podcast.