-Well, we're at the point now where the word "sedition"
and "heat ray" are in the news at the same time.
Oh, and President Caligula falsely blamed what he called
blue states for the coronavirus death toll.
For more on this, it's time for "A Closer Look."
♪♪
Been another week in our ongoing John Carpenter hellscape,
you know, where The Thing escaped from New York
only to move to DC to become the prince of darkness,
and now there's big trouble in little, well, everywhere.
Don't believe me? The president lied repeatedly
about the timeline for a COVID vaccine
and falsely blamed blue states
for the coronavirus death toll
while his Attorney General suggested charging protesters
and political opponents, including the mayor of Seattle,
with sedition, and compared
coronavirus lockdowns to slavery.
The Justice Department looked into filing charges
against officials in Portland,
and we found out that military police had stockpiled ammunition
and a heat ray to use against peaceful protesters
in the nation's capital.
-"The Washington Post" reports a military whistleblower
says federal officials stockpiled ammunition and sought
unusual crowd control devices
before clearing protesters across the White House in June.
Defense officials asked the DC National Guard
if it had a heat ray device.
The device makes people feel like their skin is on fire.
-Just a reminder, we did "A Closer Look" yesterday,
meaning this is all new [bleep]
This isn't a monthly catch-up.
You used to have to go in a coma for this much to happen.
Now you just need to take a nap.
Things are so insane,
we're skipping past multiple layers of news at once.
We don't have time to process the fact
that the government has a [bleep] heat ray
because we've already moved on to the fact
that they considered using it against peaceful protesters.
That's the same weapon the Martians used
in "War of the Worlds." Nothing is fiction anymore.
We should all start studying the schematics of the Death Star
now just in case. And while you're at it,
you know, study the schematics for the second Death Star
from "Jedi" and then Starkiller base from "Force Awakens,"
which let's be honest, it's just a third Death Star.
Look, I know it's nine movies,
but you guys should probably come up with some new weapons.
Huh, seems like their weaknesses are the same.
I mean, I guess it's --
You know, it's bigger, so that's something.
And if you don't believe me,
here's the president talking about forest fires.
-In Europe, they have forest cities.
You look at -- You look at countries, Austria.
You look at so many countries. They live in the forest.
They're considered forest cities.
-Okay, so he's definitely confusing Austria with Endor.
[ As Trump ] I talked to the president of Austria,
and he told me something I'll never forget.
He said to me, "Yub nub."
And you're hearing it more and more.
[ Normal voice ] But I mean, honestly, what's next?
A headline in "The New York Times"
that says...
"The government has a moon laser?"
"Yeah, man. Try to keep up." "I took a nap."
"Yeah, well that's when the [bleep] happens."
But as shocking as the news about the heat ray is,
the truly disturbing thing here is that our government
was stockpiling weapons, including a heat ray.
Defense officials were searching for crowd control technology
deemed too unpredictable to use in war zones,
including the heat ray,
which uses millimeter wave technology to essentially
heat the skin of people targeted by its invisible ray
and makes anyone within their range
feel like their skin is on fire.
Well, first of all, I've felt like my skin is on fire
for almost four years.
So thank you, President Heat Ray.
I mean, he does look like a guy who when his mouth is closed
is working up a fireball to launch.
And second, this is so Bond villain.
If trump did have a heat ray,
he probably would have explained his plan before he used it.
[ As Trump ] It's a heat ray, James,
and once I use it on the crowd, the rest of the plan is simple.
I will walk to a church and wave a bible in the air.
[ As James Bond ] But what's your end game, Trump?
[ As Trump ] Uh, I don't know.
Just to, like, look godly. I don't know, really.
I don't think my plans through.
[ Normal voice ] Think about how insane this is.
They wanted to use weapons including a heat ray
against peaceful protesters in America,
all so the president could wave around a bible
in front of a church like someone on a scavenger hunt.
"Guys, I found it.
Now all we need is the signed head shot
of Steve Guttenberg, and we're all done!"
This is what happened when an unhinged political movement
talks about peaceful protesters and political opponents
like they're enemies of the state.
Trump and his allies in right-wing media
have been using the language of war to describe people
who challenge his authority.
As protests broke out over the summer,
he called for "overwhelming force"
and said you have to "dominate the streets."
Just this weekend, he used the word
"insurrection" and called for retribution
in an interview on Fox News.
And he's repeatedly warned that shadowy figures
are coming to destroy cities and suburbs,
even making up psychotic lies about anarchists
flying cross-country in planes.
-We had somebody get on a plane from a certain city this weekend
and in the plane, it was almost completely loaded with thugs
wearing these dark uniforms,
black uniforms with gear, and this and that.
And there were like seven people on the plane like this person.
Then a lot of people were on the plane to do big damage.
The person was on a plane, said there were about six people
like that person, more or less,
and what happened is the entire plane filled up
with the looters, the anarchists, the rioters,
people that obviously were looking for trouble.
This was a firsthand account of a plane
going from Washington to wherever.
-I'm sorry. So your story is a bunch of people were mad
at the government and wanted to riot and loot
and so they went on kayak.com the night before
and booked a flight away from the nation's capitol,
somehow got six seats together,
then went to an airport full of security cameras,
showed their IDs to several people,
and quietly watched, what, "Trolls" on their seatbacks
until they got to "wherever."?
That was a firsthand account they were flying to "wherever"?
You might want to get a second hand in there
to help with the details.
Trump would make such a terrible witness
for a police sketch artist.
[ As Trump ] Well, they had a head,
and beneath the head, there was sort of a skin covered tube
that connected the head to the shoulder area.
[ Normal voice ] "A neck"?
[ As Trump ] Oh, so you know the guy?
[ Normal voice ] Also, shadowy groups as a rule
don't give their operators uniforms
and sit them together on the plane in one big group.
You're thinking of Ashley's bachelorette party.
We think we know who the leader is.
She was wearing a tiara.
Besides, we all know the only anarchists on flights
are the people who crash the gate
before their boarding group is called.
Those people are the real threat to law and order.
-Hey, uh, better get up here in case this is one of those
planes where 37-D is up in the front.
No. That happened a few weeks ago,
but the important thing here is Trump was not alone
in spreading this insane rumor.
It appears to have originated with a viral Facebook post
from a few months ago.
GOP congressman Devin Nunes
claimed he personally witnessed
the group of protesters on a flight.
You remember ol' Nunes over here, right?
The guy who always looks like he didn't write anything down
during "Final Jeopardy!"
and then sues Alex Trebek about it.
Then the head of Customs and Border Protection
went on Fox News and repeated the lie,
even though the agency had to later admit
that there was no information to support his claim.
In fact, last week, a whistleblower accused
the Department of Homeland Security
of distorting intelligence
to support Trump's lies about Antifa.
And then last night we learned in yet another bombshell story
that Trump's deranged attorney general, Bill Barr,
suggested charging violent protesters with sedition
and accused them of trying to overthrow the government.
-Tonight, there are reports the attorney general
has told federal Prosecutors
to consider charging violent protesters
with conspiring to overthrow our government.
"Wall Street Journal" was first to report that Bill Barr
"encouraged the prosecutors
to seek a number of federal charges,
including under a rarely used sedition law."
-Man, things are bad, but I never thought I'd hear the words
"sedition" and "heat ray" in the same news cycle.
Our politics is now half founding fathers,
half Power Rangers.
Bill Barr, you know, he's just Trump with a law degree.
All you have to do is imagine him with Trump hair
and circles around his eyes
standing next to some weirdo B-list scam artist
like the demon-sperm doctor or the MyPillow guy.
This is all -- This is all the culmination
of an increasingly unhinged and abhorrent right-ring movement
that sees its political opponents as illegitimate
and seeks to punish them.
That's why Trump very obviously does not care
what happens to people living in so-called blue states
during the coronavirus pandemic.
He basically said as much yesterday.
-If you look at what we've done
and all the lives that we've saved --
And I'm gonna ask that a graph be put up.
And now it's up. This was right at the beginning.
This was our prediction, that if we do a really good job,
we'll be at about 100,000 to 240,000 deaths,
and we're below that substantially,
and we'll see what comes out.
But that would be if we did a good job.
And that's despite the fact
that the blue states had tremendous death rates.
If you take the blue states out, we're at a level
that I don't think anybody in the world would be at.
We're really at a very low level.
-Wow. Okay. So by that logic, the more blue states we have,
the better the job you did on this virus.
I think we're about to see Fox anchors telling viewers
to help the President by voting for Biden.
"Good news for President Trump,
as Florida has been called for Joe Biden!
That's putting the blood on his hands."
Also, as someone who lives in one of those states
and knows people affected by this virus,
I would just like to say go [bleep] yourself,
you rotting soulless business ham.
But, sure, if you just take out all the people that died,
then you did a great job, dude.
By the same token, if you take out all his albums,
Kid Rock has had a fantastic career.
This has to be one of the most grotesque things
the President has ever said.
I'm sure Trump's not our first sociopath president,
but the he's definitely the first one who's open about it.
He's the kid who lights ants on fire for fun,
and when you catch him doing it, he says,
"It's not what you think.
Torturing living things gives me joy."
But it's also the most honest articulation of Trump's beliefs.
If you can't empower or enrich him personally,
he doesn't care about you.
It's the same ideology that treats protesters as traitors
and calls for political opponents
to be charged with sedition.
And, by the way, the only way
they can get away with this stuff is because
we have an ass-backwards electoral-college system
that lets Republican vampires write off anyone
who doesn't live in one of like a dozen swing states.
If we had a national popular vote,
Trump and the GOP would have to campaign in places
like Portland or New York City.
And I personally would love to see him try
to pander to Portlanders by growing a mustache
and riding a penny-farthing to an artisanal pickle store.
"And this is -- this is a lot for a pickle.
You guys, this better be --
These are pretty expensive pickles."
And this isn't the first -- "It's a good pic--
I'm just saying it's a lot -- it's a lot for a pickle."
This isn't the first time Trump has made it clear
he doesn't care about Americans
who live in states he didn't win.
Remember he also wanted to cut federal aid to California
during the wildfires last year,
and a former Homeland Security official
said Trump demanded FEMA pull funding
because "California didn't support him."
Just a few weeks ago, he ordered federal agencies
to cut funding to what he called anarchist jurisdictions
like New York, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.
Trump only cares about the health and safety of Americans
when it can help him politically,
which is why, for example, he's repeatedly claimed
a COVID vaccine is right around the corner,
even though experts say that's not true.
-We remain on track to deliver a vaccine
before the end of the year and maybe even before November 1st.
We think we can probably have it
sometime during the month of October.
This could have taken two or three years,
and instead it's going to be -- [ Chuckles ]
It's gonna be done in a very short period of time.
Could even have it during the month of October.
We're gonna have a vaccine in a matter of -- a matter of weeks.
It could be four weeks. It could be eight weeks.
-Could be four weeks. Could be eight weeks.
He talks about a life-saving vaccine
the way he probably talked to the electrician
who wanted to get paid for wiring Trump Tower.
"Mr. Trump, we sent you the invoice months ago."
"And I'm gonna pay you, Tony.
Could be four weeks. Could be eight weeks."
Also, experts have repeatedly said it's highly unlikely
a vaccine could be available by October.
I think Trump might be confusing a coronavirus vaccine
with DQ's Pumpkin Pie Blizzard.
"We're very close, very close to having -- having a vaccine.
The scientists are telling me it will have, uh --
it will have real -- real pumpkin in it,
and, of course, it will be topped
with, uh, whipped cream, which, uh --
Dr. Fauci, I believe you were saying --
would provide an extra layer of protection against the virus.
He's covering his face. That is scientist for 'yes.'"
Yesterday, the CDC director, Dr. Robert Redfield,
went before Congress and made clear
that even if a vaccine is available for healthcare workers
and at-risk groups by the end of the year,
it won't be broadly available to the public at large
until summer or fall of 2021.
-I think there will be a vaccine that initially will be available
sometime between November and December.
But very limited supply and will have to be prioritized.
If you're asking me when is it going to be generally available
to the American public so we can begin
to take advantage of vaccine to get back to our regular life,
I think we're probably looking at third --
late second quarter, third quarter 2021.
-Oh, man, now I got to rescind all those invitations I sent out
for a December celebratory post-COVID orgy.
Still, you know, it's probably better to do it
in the second or third quarter next year.
You know, tax reasons.
Anyway, the point is, experts agree a safe, effective vaccine
will very likely arrive, and we have to be realistic
about the fact that things aren't just going to instantly
revert to normal before then or even after there's a vaccine.
We still need to practice public-health measures
like hand-washing, social distancing,
avoiding large crowds and especially mask wearing.
We know universal mask wearing can be extremely effective,
as Redfield made clear in his testimony,
which is why it sucks
that we have a president who says stuff like this.
-A lot of people don't want to wear masks.
There are a lot of people who think that masks are not good.
And there are a lot of people that as an example --
-Who are those people?
-I'll tell you who those people are.
Waiters. They come over, and they serve you,
and they have a mask.
And I saw it the other day where they were serving me.
And they're playing with a mask.
I'm not blaming them. I'm just saying what happens.
They're playing with a mask, and so the mask is over,
and they're touching it
and then they're touching the plate.
That can't be good.
The concept of a mask is good, but it also does --
You're constantly touching it.
You're touching your face. You're touching plates.
There are people that don't think masks are good.
-All right, first of all, the only people who don't think
masks are good are ass [bleep] who think they're standing up
for freedom by giving a teenager a hard time at Costco.
"Don't tread on me... Madison!"
Second, you think waiters don't want to wear masks?
I'm pretty sure they would wear masks even without a pandemic.
Then you wouldn't see all their facial expressions
when people ask for substitutions.
"Can I get the Greek salad,
feta on the side, add quinoa,
a tiny amount of balsamic vinaigrette,
replace the cucumbers with carrots,
and then switch them back to cucumbers
and add the grilled chicken?
But instead of grilled, can it be baked?
And instead of chicken, can it be tofu,
but can you shape it into a chicken?
Thank you, Madison."
What the President said about discounting deaths
in so-called blue states was not just another Trump gaffe.
It was an honest articulation of his beliefs
and the beliefs of the movement he leads.
The same goes for Barr, comparing lockdowns to slavery
and wanting to charge people with sedition.
It's an unhinged political movement that sees anyone
who doesn't support them as illegitimate
and wants to dismantle democracy.
And if that happens, we'll all have to move to Europe
to escape the Trump heat ray and live with the Ewoks
in one of those... -Forest cities.
-Yub nub, yub nub. This has been A" Closer Look."
♪♪
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