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- Voters are not waiting for the first Tuesday in November
to cast their ballots.
- [Reporter] The record number of Americans taking advantage
of early voting across the country.
- [News Anchor] In States reporting data,
an unprecedented 57 million ballots have already been cast.
That's more than 40% of the total votes counted
in the 2016 general election.
At one of New York City's premiere venues,
long lines snaking around the Barclays Center in Brooklyn,
while marching bands drum up excitement.
- Incredible turnout to see these lines.
I've never seen this before in my life.
- [Journalist] It turns out Americans don't even have to be
earthbound to vote.
U.S. astronaut Kate Rubins cast her absentee ballot
with a little help from Mission Control
from the International Space Station.
- I think it's really important for everybody to vote.
And if we can do it from space,
then I believe folks can do it from the ground too.
- Okay, that is super cool.
An astronaut voted in space.
Wow.
I mean, it's weird that she still had to wait in line
for like 10 hours, but yo, that is cool.
Also, I don't know if this is the kind of story
that would inspire people to vote
just because an astronaut did.
I mean, it's easier to vote in space.
What do you have?
Nothing, no responsibilities.
You know, down here, we gotta work.
You gotta check Instagram every 10 minutes.
In space, you just float around, you do back flips,
you talk to some guy named Houston,
occasionally poop in a bag that's taped your ass.
You're living the dream.
And guys, I'm happy that astronauts can votes,
but America has to ask itself about its priorities
when it's easier for a white lady in space
to cast her ballot than an old Black lady in Georgia.
I mean, just look at the line's down on Earth.
Have you seen these lines?
The lines look so long.
Forget buying new Air Jordans.
It looks like people are lining up to buy Michael Jordan.
I've heard they've only got one,
but I'm hoping they make an exception.
I wanna get the baseball version.
But what's amazing is that even with all the long lines,
even with the suppression,
America is still hitting record levels of early votes.
There are so many early votes
that the president could already have been decided
and we just don't know it.
It's like the week before Christmas,
when your parents had already bought your gift
and you just weren't allow to find out what it is.
So it couldn't be a brand new president,
or it's the same one as last time.
I shook the box and it grabbed me by the pussy.
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If anyone needed a reminder about what's at stake
in an election, well, last night you got it.
Because last night, Republicans took full advantage
of their hold on the White House and the Senate
by officially sealing the deal on their replacement
for the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
- [Newscaster] From judge to Justice Barrett.
- I, Amy Coney Barrett-
- [Newscaster] Exactly one month after being nominated
by President Trump, Amy Coney Barrett now joins
the nation's highest court,
concluding one of the quickest and most controversial
Supreme Court confirmations in modern American history.
The late evening event punctuating
the most partisan confirmation in more than 150 years.
All but one Senate Republican, Maine's Susan Collins,
voting in favor of Barrett.
Every Democrat voting against her.
- [Broadcaster] President Trump relishing
in then made-for-TV photo op.
- It is highly fitting that Justice Barrett fills the seat
of a true pioneer for women, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
- Say what you want about the GOP, man,
but this shit, this was gangster.
They swapped out a Supreme Court seat in four weeks.
This whole process, this whole process in four weeks.
It was like watching a chop shop
strip down your car for parts.
Like yo, I'll miss my Audi,
but you gotta admire their technique.
And I don't know about you,
but I was shocked to see the Senate move this quick.
I mean, normally they take months to do anything,
but here they moved so fast it was disorienting.
It was like when you call customer service
and immediately speak to a human being.
"This is Janet, how can I help you?"
"Ah, I wasn't ready."
I mean, they just hustled Amy Coney Barrett
straight from the confirmation to a midnight ceremony.
Shit looked like the basic cable version
of "Eyes Wide Shut."
And guys, you know that anytime you're doing a daytime event
at night, something is wrong.
Like, if you're digging a hole during the day.
(dog barking) (children yelling)
But if you're digging that same hole at night.
(owl hooting) (shovel clacking)
And you gotta admit, Trump's comments about Barrett
being the perfect replacement of RBG is grade A trolling.
He knows what he's doing because yes,
RBG and Barrett are both women,
but Barrett is gonna dismantle all of RBG's good work.
So this would be like if the Lakers replaced the LeBron
with Ben Carson.
Technically yes, they're swapping one Black man for another,
but good luck on making the playoffs next season.
"I'm gonna take the shot as soon as I-"
(buzzer buzzing)
But while Republicans were celebrating,
Senate Democrats had some ominous warnings
for their colleagues who had finally crossed the line.
- Our Republican colleagues are shattering the norms
and breaking the rules and breaking their word,
and there will be consequences.
- I think there are now new rules in the Senate
and I think Republicans have set them.
- The next time the American people give Democrats
a majority in this chamber,
you will have forfeited the right to tell us
how to run that majority.
- If all of this rule breaking is taking place,
what does the majority expect?
What do they expect?
They expect that they're gonna be able to break the rules
with impunity and when the shoe maybe is on the other foot,
nothing's gonna happen.
- Ooh, Democrats are not happy.
This is the kind of warning you hear
at the beginning of a horror movie.
"You'll rue the day you burned me alive for being a witch."
And I don't blame the Democrats for being so pissed.
For them, it has been a constant four year losing streak,
and every now and again, they get a win.
At this point, they're basically the Knicks of politics.
But by the sounds of it,
if Democrats take control of the Senate,
the gloves are coming off.
Except for you, Mitch McConnell.
Your gloves need to stay on so people can eat.
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If you're planning to attend
one of those big Trump campaign rallies,
well maybe bring an extra coat.
- [Reporter] After President Trump's final rally of the day
in Omaha, Nebraska, thousands of his supporters got stranded
in freezing cold temperatures.
- [News Anchor] There was a shortage of buses
to transport people from the rally at the TAC Air Hangar
to parking lots on the opposite side of Eppley Airfield,
nearly a four mile walk.
Omaha Police Department officers helped assist
stranded rally goers to help them find their vehicles.
Omaha Scanner's reported 30 patient contacts
and seven patient transports to the hospital.
These are people, of course,
struggling with the 30 degree temperatures.
The rally concluded around 9:00 p.m.,
but the event site was not cleared until 12:30 a.m.
- I swear, guys, every day there's another way
that you can die from going to a Trump rally.
First, you could get corona.
Now, you can get hypothermia.
By the end of the weekend, Trump is just gonna be
tossing snakes out into the crowd.
"Free cobras, everybody.
"Free cobras and anacondas.
"You won't get that from Sleepy Joe.
"Take that, Mama, it bites."
But I guess this is a classic Donald Trump move.
Leaving his supporters stranded out in the cold.
"We're gonna bring back manufacturing, bye."
Now, while Trump has chosen coronavirus as his wingman,
Joe Biden is going with his former boss Barack Obama.
The two of them have been going around the country
holding separate rallies,
and one thing that's become crystal clear
is that one of these guys is trying to get the job
and the other one is retired and living the life.
- What's his closing argument?
That people are too focused on COVID.
He said this at one of his rallies.
COVID, COVID, COVID, he's complaining.
He's jealous of COVID's media coverage.
(audience laughing)
- Many of those lives lost in the cruelest way possible:
alone, alone.
Alone in a hospital room, alone in a nursing home,
no family, no friends.
- If we were focused on COVID now
the White House wouldn't be having
its second outbreak in a month.
The White House.
He's turned the White House into a hot zone.
- We see the empty storefronts and the shuttered businesses,
the visible signs of lost hopes and broken dreams.
- I will say that I miss kissing babies during pandemic.
I can't do it, but look at that little bundle right there.
Brand new, it's got the new baby smell.
- The longest walk any parent can make
up a short flight of stairs to his children's bedroom
to tell a child you can't play
in that little league team anymore.
- You know, this is so hilarious to see
how roles have been reversed
because you remember that when Obama was president,
Joe Biden was the guy who got to have fun,
you know, while Obama was giving the somber speeches.
Now, Obama is out here doing rap battles
while Biden is writing Hallmark cards.
In fact, the difference between Biden and Obama is basically
the difference between white church and Black church.
This is all I experienced growing up.
Yeah, because Obama makes you say, "Amen!"
And Biden makes you say, "Amen."
Watching Obama in that speech also reminds us
of how much delivery of a speech
actually affects the message.
Because when Obama says, "I wanna kiss that baby,"
we're like, "Yeah, kiss that baby, Barry."
But if Trump was like, "I wanna kiss that little baby,"
we'd be like, "Yo, yo,
"we need to get this baby out of here, man.
"I don't trust this guy."
And I don't know about you, but sometimes these rallies feel
like when you fall in love with someone,
but they're trying to set you up with their best friend.
"Well, hey girl, how you doing?"
"Hey, Barry."
"You free on a Friday night?"
"I sure am."
"Well, I want you to go out with my friend Joe.
"He's a good guy, you're gonna like him."
"Okay, but I'm only taking one for democracy."
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- The presidential race isn't the only one
that will be decided next week.
Republicans are trying desperately to hold onto the Senate.
And one seat that they'll need to keep red is in Arizona
were Republican incumbent Martha McSally
is in a tough race against Mark Kelly,
who's a former astronaut.
Which must be really tough
because every political catchphrase sounds
way more impressive when you can end it with in space.
You know, the other day I was thinking about
this great country of ours in space.
Now, McSally is one of Trump's biggest supporters.
So when Trump came to a rally in Arizona,
it should have been a big moment for her.
But one thing we know about Trump is
he really doesn't like to share his stage.
- I wanna show you Trump today with Martha McSally,
and as folks watch this,
remember this is a woman who has signed over,
as have many members of the U.S. Senate,
her political life to Trump and Trumpism.
She is fighting for her political life in return for this.
- Martha, come up just fast.
Quick, quick.
(audience cheering)
Fast, fast, come on quick.
You got one minute, one minute, Martha.
Say, they don't want to hear this, Martha.
Come on, let's go.
Quick, quick, quick, quick.
Come on, let's go.
- All right, I'm coming.
Thank you, President Trump.
- Yo, this is so funny.
Trump needs McSally to win so he can keep the Senate,
but he's treating her like, like he's a mall Santa
who's late for his smoke break
and he's being irritated by a little kid.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, come on, kid.
"Whatever, whatever. "Yeah, I'll give you a truck.
"Get out of here, go."
I just love how Trump cannot share the spotlight
even for a second.
Even for a second.
He wants it all for himself.
He would be terrible to duet with at karaoke.
"Okay, I'll sing Brandy and Monica's parts
"and you can sing the rest."
"But this song is only Brandy and Monica."
"No one wants to hear from you, Martha."
♪ You need to give it up ♪
♪ Had about enough ♪
♪ It's not hard to see ♪
♪ The boy is mine ♪
Before we go, we're partnering up with World Central Kitchen
for their new Chefs for the Poles program.
What they're doing is activating local food trucks,
restaurants, and caterers owned and operated
primarily by people of color to serve food to anybody
who's waiting in voting lines, especially in communities
where voting lines are historically longer.
If you can help out this amazing project in any way,
all you need to do is click the link below.
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