John Oliver: This is not "normal"�and no one should ever accept it as that

Third Parties: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
"It is going to be too easy for things to start feeling normalespecially if you are someone who is not directly impacted by his actionsso keep reminding yourself: This is not normal ... Write it on a Post-It note and stick it on your refrigerator, hire a skywriter once a month, tattoo it on your a*s, because a Klan-backed misogynist internet troll is going to be delivering the next State of the Union address, and that is not normal. It is f****d UP."

If one had any faith left in the Washington press corps, it probably evaporated in the wake of theirbehavior since last Tuesday. Thereason? Whenpush comes to shove, they care more about their f*****g seating arrangements in the press room, being invited to dinner parties, their invitationsto inaugural b***s, and giggling it up at the next correspondents dinner than actually doing their d**n job. Thats whya senior adviser to the next leader of this country with a history of racist behavior and ties to white nationalistscan be announced,and most of the major newspapersdon"t think it"s worth mentioning on their front pages.

Coupled with the incessant message of "just give Trump a chanceand "respect the officethe mediahas latched on to,it"s as ifwere supposed to act like because Trump has the title president-elect attached to his name,hes not the same p***k hes been for the pastyear.

Duringtimes like these, it"s easy tobelieve theHouse of Cardsdepiction of the media, withreporterswilling to w***e themselves and their dignityoutto secure sources and stories.

The problem with just smiling and going along with formality is that it accepts these positions as the new normal. Itpushes the lines over to where kids can think walking around their school with a Trump sign,yelling white power! is okaywhen it should never be accepted as anything in the vicinity ofnormal. So far, thats the worstdamage of this election. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, there have been over 300 incidents of harassment and intimidation since last Tuesday.Moreover, the standards and norms of whats acceptable for someone running for president, and now becoming president, have been pushed so far that any future candidate will just point to Trump to justify horrendous conduct.

In last nights season finale ofHBOsLast Week Tonight, John Oliver lamented how horrible 2016 has been, while takingaimat the new president, media pundits,and all others who have culpability in this mess of trying to destroy the threads of common decency that hold this country together.

Source: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/11/14/1598914/-John-Oliver-This-is-not-normal-and-no-one-should-ever-accept-it-as-that

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Watch John Oliver Become Nauseous Over Trump, Say "F--k...

Opioids: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

John Oliver closed the final Last Week Tonight of 2016 by stating the obvious: "[It"s] been an uncommonly s****y year" from the Syrian refugee crisis to the draining election cycle. He capped off the episode by blowing up a giant "2016" sign, as celebrities like "Weird Al" Yankovic, Jeffrey Tambor and Larry Wilmore flipped the bird to the depressing past 12 months.

"f**k 2016," grumbled Larry David in trademark style, p****d off over mayonnaise on his sandwich. "Go punch yourself in the d**k," offered Megan Mullally. Between the celebrity spots, ordinary Americans vented about tragedies both massive (the Flint water crisis) and small (being denied a selfie with Bruce Willis).

Oliver spent most of the episode processing the presidential election of Donald Trump. "Instead of showing our daughters that they could some day be president, America proved that no grandpa is too racist to become leader of the free world," he cracked, admitting he"s suffered "wave after wave of nausea all week."

The host vented his fears of a Trump presidency and cautioned against blind optimism. "Optimism is nice if you can swing it, but you"ve got to be careful because it can feed into the normalization of Donald Trump," he said. "And he"s not normal. He"s abnormal. He"s a human "What is wrong with this picture?" He sticks out like a sore thumb, and, frankly, he even looks like a sore thumb.

"Maybe you"ve tried to make yourself feel better, fantasizing that he might Google "How much does the president get paid?" get depressed and then resign," he continued. "But that is when you remember Mike f*****g Pence, who might be even worse because he looks like he"s from the 1950s, but he thinks like he"s from the 1960s."

Mostly, though, Oliver focused on where we go from here. He encouraged viewers to vote, buy newspaper subscriptions and donate to "organizations that need help under a Trump administration," includingPlanned Parenthood, Center for Reproductive Rights, Natural Resources Defense Council, International Refugee Assistance Project, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the Trevor Project and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

"Keep reminding yourself, "This is not normal," he said. "Because a Klan-backed, misogynist Internet troll is going to be delivering the next State of the Union address, and that is not normal. It"s f****d up."

Several factors may have contributed to Donald Trump winning the presidency. Watch here.

Source: http://www.rollingstone.com/tv/news/see-john-oliver-jeffrey-tambor-larry-david-say-f-ck-2016-w450234

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John Oliver"s glorious rant in response to Brexit

Last Week Tonight With John Oliver - Brexit

Shortly before the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union last Thursday, two of the countrys leading supporters of Brexit Boris Johnson, the Conservative former mayor of London, and Nigel Farage, leader of the far-right UK Independence Party argued that the vote could turn June 23 into Britains "Independence Day."

On Sunday, Last Week Tonight host John Oliver slammed the claim and mourned his countrys decision to leave the EU. "First, Britain was already independent. In fact, its what many other countries celebrate their independence from," Oliver said. "Second, the sequel to the movie [Independence Day] actually opened this week, and features the wholesale destruction of London, which is beginning to feel pretty f*****g appropriate right now."

Oliver pointed to the swift, destructive fallout of the UKs vote. Over the past several days, global and British markets have dropped, the British pound was historically weak, and Prime Minister David Cameron, who signed off on the Brexit vote, announced hes stepping down. And it could get worse, given that no one knows how, exactly, UK-EU negotiations for a British exit will end up.

"It seems like whoever the next UK prime minister is going to be, whether its Boris Johnson or a racist tea kettle, they are going to be in for a rough few years," Oliver said.

The situation also, Oliver pointed out, left many people living in the UK out in the cold. One such victim is a Portuguese mother, who took advantage of the EUs open border policies to live and work in the UK. "I have two daughters one was born in Portugal, the second one was born in UK," she said in a video played by Oliver. "They asked me this morning, Mom, what is going to happen to us? And I told them at this point no one knows. I dont know my future; I dont know how to explain [to] my children what is going to happen to their future."

Oliver responded, clearly upset with the situation: "Perhaps I can help you with that, because its easy. Just tell them that they might be screwed, because a pig f****r called for a vote, a bus had some bullshit written on it, and then two idiots named Nigel and Boris quoted President Bill Pullman. Theyll get it. Theyll totally understand!"

But lest Americans think theyre spared from the politics behind Brexit, Oliver finished the segment with a warning to the US regarding Donald Trump: "You might think, Well, that is not going to happen to us in America. Were not going to listen to some ridiculously haired buffoon peddling lies and nativism in the hopes of riding a protest vote into power. Well, let Britain tell you it can happen. And when it does, there are no f*****g do-overs."

Watch: Brexit, explained

Source: http://www.vox.com/2016/6/27/12038972/john-oliver-brexit-last-week-tonight

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John Oliver makes talk show history after buying $US15 million of medical debt

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Scientific Studies (HBO)

Move over, Oprah, John Oliver just stole your thunder.

John Oliver breaks Oprah"s record

Talk show host John Oliver has bought $15million worth of debt, and in doing so broken the record for the largest TV give away of all time.

On Sunday"s episode of Last Week Tonight,the comedian staged what may be the largest giveaway in TV history by forgiving some $US15 million ($20.3 million) in medical debt.

The stunt capped an in-depth segment about the abuses of the debt-buying industry. As Oliver explained, Americans collectively owe $US12 trillion in debt, and $US436 billion ($591 billion) of that is seriously delinquent - i.e., 90 days or more past due.

Last Week Tonight host John Oliver made history after forgiving $US15 million of bad medical debt.Photo: HBO

This has led to an explosion of debt-buying companies, which buy and often resell debt for pennies on the dollar. Many of these companies are predatory, using deceptive and in some cases illegal tactics to collect money owed. (Think: threatening voicemails.)

"It is pretty clear by now debt-buying is a grimy business and badly needs more oversight," Oliver said, noting that "any idiot" can get into the industry.

In a process he found "disturbingly easy," Oliver started his own debt-buying company. As he explained, Last Week Tonightspent a whopping $US50 ($67) to incorporate a debt-acquisition company online in Mississippi - "incidentally, over the internet is the best way to experience Mississippi," he joked.

The company was named Central Asset Recovery Professionals, or CARP,"after the bottom-feeding fish" and Oliver named the chairman of the board.

John Oliver slammed the debt buying agency.Photo: HBO

Before long, CARP was offered a portfolio of just under $US15 million ($20.3 million)of out-of-statute medical debt - i.e. debt that people are no longer legally required to pay. In exchange for a fee, CARP would receive personal information on nearly 9000 people.

So Oliver bought the portfolio for a price of $US60,000 ($81,000) which, Oliver said, "is absolutely terrifying." But rather than hiring a team of employees to start making harassing phone calls, Oliver decided to forgive the debt by transferring it to a nonprofit organisation which specialises in writing-off medical debt.

"On the one hand, it"s obviously the right thing to do," he said. "But much more importantly, we"d be staging the largest one-time giveaway in television show history."

The stunt surpasses Oprah Winfrey"s famous "You get a car!" moment from 2004, when the daytime host gave away 276 cars, valued at a total of $US8 million ($10 million), to audience members.

"With power vested in me, as chairman of the board of CARP, wewill commence the debt forgiving process," Oliver said to roars from the audience. "Sowhat do you say, are you ready to make television history?"

"Clearly this is only going to help the 9000 people whose medical debt we bought. The larger issue is we need much clearly rulesand tougher oversight to protect consumers from potentially predatorycompanies like the one we set up.

"In the mean time it seems the least we can do with this debt I cannot f---ing believe we are allowed to own, is to give it away."

Los Angeles Times

Source: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/news-and-current-affairs/john-oliver-makes-talk-show-history-after-buying-us15-million-of-medical-debt-20160606-gpd1pb.html

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