>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY, BACK BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW."
WE ARE LIVE.
LIVE, RIGHT THERE.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY GUEST TONIGHT IS A SENATOR AND
PROGRESSIVE LEADER WHO HAS SPENT OVER 40 YEARS IN POLITICS.
PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW," SENATOR BERNIE
SANDERS.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ♪ ♪ ♪
>> Stephen: HOW NICE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Audience: BERNIE!
BERNIE!
>> Stephen: NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
THANKS FOR BEING BACK.
>> WELL, CONGRATULATIONS TO BE PERFORMING IN FRONT OF HUMAN
BEINGS!
>> Stephen: I KNOW.
IT'S MUCH BETTER.
>> I KNOW.
>> Stephen: IT'S MUCH BETTER THAN JUST SHOUTING DOWN A PIPE.
NOW, SENATOR, YOU WERE INVITED, OF COURSE, AS A SENATOR TO BE AT
THE SPEECH TONIGHT.
BUT YOU-- >> I MUCH PREFER TO BE HERE.
( APPLAUSE ) >> Stephen: THIS IS NICER
THAN-- WE'RE HONORED, OBVIOUSLY, BUT THIS IS NICER THAN HANGING
OUT WITH YOUR COLLEAGUES?
>> YES.
>> Stephen: YEAH, YEAH?
>> IT IS.
>> Stephen: OKAY.
THE STATE OF THE UNION IS ALWAYS IMPORTANT, OBVIOUSLY.
YOU KNOW, THE EYES WILL OF THE NATION ARE ALWAYS ON WHAT THE
PRESIDENT, WHOEVER IT IS AT THAT TIME, IS GOING TO SAY.
BUT IT FEELS PARTICULARLY POWERFUL TONIGHT TO SEE BIDEN
DESCRIBE IN STARK TERMS THE FIGHT BETWEEN FREEDOM AND
TYRANNY, THE ONGOING BATTLE THAT IS NOT THEORETICAL AT THIS
POINT, BETWEEN DEMOCRACY AND AWE TALKERACY.
WHAT IS THE SSKS OF TONIGHT'S STATE OF UNION-- JUST TALK ABOUT
FOREIGN POLICY-- IN THE WAKE OF WHO'S HAPPENING IN UKRAINE.
>> Stephen: BUT IT CANNOT BE MORE TRAUMATIC.
WHAT PUTIN HAS DONE IS SO OUTRAGEOUS, IT IS SO HORRIBLE,
IT IS SO CRUEL, THAT IT IS UNSPEAKABLE.
AND THERE WAS A DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION.
WE WERE WORKING ON A DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION, AND, APPARENTLY,
THAT'S NOT WHAT HE WANTED.
HE WANTED TO CONQUER UKRAINE, AND WE'RE SEEING THE SUFFERING
THAT IS GOING ON THERE.
BUT IT BRINGS, I THINK, TO THE FORE, WHAT POLITICS AND
EVERYTHING THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS ABOUT.
AND YOU THINK BACK, STEPHEN, JUST IN THE LAST YEAR OF WHAT
THIS COUNTRY HAS GONE THROUGH.
I THINK THE PRESIDENT MADE THE POINT THAT HE MADE IT WELL.
LET'S BE CLEAR: THIS IS THE MOST DIFFICULT MOMENT IN OUR
LIFETIMES.
AND IF YOU FEEL DEPRESSED, AND IF YOU FEEL ANXIOUS, AND YOU
FEEL CONFUSED YOU KNOW WHAT?
WELCOME TO THE CLUB.
THAT'S HOW ALL OF AMERICA FEELS RIGHT NOW.
YOU JUST THINK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED.
BEFORE BIDEN EVEN TOOK OFFICE, WE HAD AN INSURRECTION LED BY A
PRESIDENT WHO IS LYING TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, TRYING TO
UNDERMINE AMERICAN DEMOCRACY.
WE'RE NOW DEALING WITH THE PANDEMIC, WHICH SOON WILL CLAIM
A MILLION OF OUR FELLOW AMERICANS AND MAKE SO MANY OTHER
PEOPLE SICK.
WE'RE DEALING WITH CLIMATE CHANGE.
SCIENTISTS TELL US WE'RE LOSING THE STRUGGLE FOR A PLANET TO
LEAVE TO OUR KIDS THAT WILL BE HEALTHY.
WE'RE DEALING WITH AN ECONOMY WHERE HALF OF OUR PEOPLE ARE
LIVING PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK.
PEOPLE CAN'T AFFORD THE DYSFUNCTIONAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
THAT WE HAVE.
AND THEN, PUTIN INVADES UKRAIN.
SO THIS IS JUST AN EXTRAORDINARY MOMENT IN OUR HISTORY, AND WE
HAVE GOT TO BE TOUGH.
WE CAN DO IT.
THE PRESIDENT IS RIGHT.
BUT WE HAVE TO THINK THIS THING THROUGH, NOT FALL FOR, YOU KNOW,
SIMPLISTIC SOLUTIONS.
BUT IF WE STAND DISPTH HAVE THE COURAGE TO DO THE RIGHT THING IN
THIS INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT MOMENT IN HISTORY, WE CAN PREVAIL.
( APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: NOW I UNDERSTAND...
I'M GOING TO TAKE-- I'M GOING TO TACK A WILD GUESS THAT YOU'RE
NOT EUGE FANS WITH-- OF RUSSIAN OLIGARCH BILLIONAIRES, OKAY.
AND THE PRESIDENT SAID THEY'RE GOING TO GO AFTER THEM, THE
D.O.J. IS GOING TO GO AFTER THESE PEOPLE TO TAKE AWAY THEIR
ILL-GOTTEN BOOTY THAT THEY GOT FOR BUDDYING UP WITH PUTIN.
I ASSUME YOU APPROVE OF THAT.
>> ABSOLUTELY, LOOK -- >> Stephen: WHO UPSETS YOU
MORE, AMERICAN OLIGARCHS OR RUSSIAN OLIGARCHS?
>> WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT ( LAUGHTER ).
>> Stephen: I HOPE WE DO.
>> WE CAN START WITH THE RUSSIAN OLIGARCHS.
WE JUST PUT SOMETHING UP ON OUR TWITTER PAGE TODAY.
PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT JUST THAT PUTIN IS AN
AUTOCRAT.
IT'S NOT JUST THAT HE IS A DICTATOR TRYING TO UNDERMINE
WHAT HAD BEEN A SEMBLANCE OF DEMOCRACY IN RUSSIA.
THIS GUY-- WE DON'T KNOW.
THE TRUTH IS NOBODY REALLY KNOWS.
BUT IT IS POSSIBLE THAT HE'S THE RICHEST GUY IN THE WORLD, MAYBE
WORTH OVER $200 BILLION.
HE AND HIS OLIGARCHIC FRIENDS HAVE STOLEN THE PROPERTY OF THE
RUSSIAN PEOPLE, THE DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH IN RUSSIA IS
UNBELIEVABLE.
THEY HAVE IT ALL WHILE ORDINARY RUSSIANS ARE SUFFERING.
>> Stephen: AND APPARENTLY PROBABLY STOLE SOME OF THE
MILITARY BUDGET BECAUSE THAT IS ONE OF THE EXPLANATIONS WHY THE
MILITARY EQUIPMENT IS SO TERRIBLE OVER THERE.
SERIOUSLY.
THAT HAS BEEN SPECULATED.
>> NAVALNY, WHO YOU KNOW IS THIS INCREDIBLY BRAVE PERSON-- AND I
GOTTA SAY SOMETHING, AND I DON'T THINK IS GETTING ENOUGH
ATTENTION.
I HAVE SO MUCH RESPECT FOR THESE INCREDIBLY BRAVE PEOPLE, OFTEN
YOUNG PEOPLE, IN RUSSIA, WHO ARE OUT ON THE STREETS PROTESTING
AGAINST WHAT THEIR PRESIDENT IS DOING.
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ).
>> Stephen: KNOWING THAT IT'S-- IT'S BEEN CALLED ILLEGAL.
>> OH, -- >> Stephen: AND THEY WILL BE
ARRESTED.
>> THEY WILL BE ARRESTED.
GOD KNOWS WHAL HAPPEN TO THEM.
YOU HAVE, YOU KNOW, CELEBRITIES WHO ARE PUTTING THEIR NAMES IN
OPPOSITION, WHOSE YEARS WILL BE DESTROYED.
SO I THINK THE POINT TO BE MADE IS THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE ARE NOT
OUR ENEMIES.
IT IS THEIR AUTOCRACY, AND THE CROOKS AND THE EVIL PEOPLE WHO
RUN THAT COUNTRY.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK.
BUT WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH MORE SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS,
EVERYBODY.