Supreme Court Ethics: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
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- čas přidán 21. 02. 2024
- John Oliver discusses the Supreme Court, the ethically questionable gifts some of the justices receive, and an offer for Clarence Thomas that could ruin John’s life. Genuinely. You’ll see.
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If I accepted a meal that was over $25 from someone looking to do business with the company I work for I would get fired. How am I, as a mechanic, held to a higher standard of ethics than a supreme Court Justice?
Come on mate, can't friends be just friends and give you a 500.000€ vacation for free. I mean isn't that what friends are for?
hmmm. answer is: Clarence is clearly a man whose ethics are ..... damning to him. And he has been bribed, with eyes wide open.
If you think thats bad, you might not want to look at the president
thats an assumption, media evidence isnt considered in court of trial, looking to do business, is a charge u have to prove to assume that sentence
There are a few factors:
1. Your company determines the amount. I for example could go to any lavish dinner, but couldn't accept a gift from a single person/family valued at more than 30 dollars, however if 3 or more students decide to give me a gift, there are no limits.
2. Is your reputation and level of work. If you are a mechanic, you should know a Japanese dude that remodels luxury cars so that they get a unique look, he literally gets flown all over the world and housed at top hotels.
3. You are acting like power, achievements, knowledge and experience should mean nothing, but it does. If you decide to speak with a recent graduate of a business school, looking for a job, and Warren Buffet or Elon Musk, it is obvious who'd receive the royal treatment
It's truly bizarre that in America the highest court has the lowest ethical standards.
In capitalist America, ethics trickle up 👍🏻😂
The problem is that (out of necessity) the Supreme Court of each nation should be independent and safe from any political pressure. This inevitably means that the only thing preventing blatant misconduct is the integrity of the members of a supreme court.
Unfortunately, stupid is the new normal.
@@CaminoAir Well you could easily draw a group of random people like a jury to write an ethics code. Should minimize political manipulation.
More like no standards, like absolute monarchs, 9 kings and queens. Self regulating, what a complete joke. SCOTUS, more like a corrupt scrotums.
so i work for the court. Most shows i watch are interesting, but as most people know: when a show starts to talk about something you REALLY KNOW, you see holes in it. Not the case here. Your research team must be EXCELLENT. This was informative and accurate to my understanding.
the fact that you used the phrase "the appearance of impropriety" was a double-take moment for me. i don't think half the people I work with realize that is one of the core tenants of our court - not only actual impropriety, but the mere appearance. your show is an absolute credit to the platform (both HBO and CZcams) and I wish you all many many more years of success.
Right. The fact that it’s SO hard to prove or argue in a higher court, and that most people don’t experience let alone report or appeal anywhere near Thomas’s level of impropriety… this should be a slam dunk. But who can you complain to?! The jan6th Ginny texts take it to a whole new level.
I think he should retire with some dignity before the election. If Biden doesn’t win it’ll ensure that the left gets a seat and help him gain some redemption. Thomas will still have immense value in the private sector as his influence will continue considerably.
But he knows that superior court judges aren’t held to a standard by the states judicial commissions unless they piss off a higher up or get caught on video lolol wtf. Bad judges are villains
No holes in this reporting is quite a bold statement considering they left out the part that mentioned the Clinton's, Pelosi's, and Epstein along with many other powerful people. A slight oversight perhaps? Every single "justice" of the supreme Court that is equally guilty needs to be exposed, and by some crazy chance he is the only one who is corrupt the others should have that highlighted as well.
TENET !!!
I would question your claim that you work for a court or know anything about it when you say that "appearance of impropriety" is a novel concept for anyone who is actually a court official.
@@Astrobrant2Unfortunately, mass incompetence and/or corruption in positions of major authority is not exceptional or extraordinary.
"How is this LEGAL?" John Oliver is and always will be amazing.
And he pointed out that the Supreme Court justices dress up like wizards in Harry Potter. 😆😄
They wave their magic wands and make Roe vs Wade disappear.
:( didn't accept the offer tho
True, it does feel almost like bribery.
@@thesmithersyalmost???
So the Supreme Court has no ethical restrictions, yet their job is to decide what is ethical for everyone else. Unjust.
That’s about right
not ethical. constitutional.
big difference.
it's overt fraud hiding behind a few loopholes
@@vforwombat9915Finally, someone who gets it. 👍
Do asi say not as I do! This message has been approved by SCOTUS!
Johnny Boy, you’ve done us proud. You might have begun as an Englishman, but now you’re affecting change the American way: with bribery. 🐐🐐🐐🐐
"effecting"
It is not a bribe. If it was a bribe it would be illegal.
Correction, after looking up the definition of bribe, I've come to the conclusion that I was wrong and it is a bribe.
@@reprapmlpconfidently wrong there? Lmao
@@jw8160no it's just an American style bribe bull face and Elton open that's literally what this entire segment was about. The fact that Clarence Thomas is legally accepting bribes bull faced and out in the open.
Effecting change is the proper way to say that. Check the dictionary.
Anyone on the political right claiming to stand with "the little guy" against "the elites" has always seemed bizarre to me.
Fr this man is in the Law field. They have never been a little guy in their life.
Because sadly, despite what everyone says, it only matters what you say and not what you do....
Its not even some clever propaganda trick, a lot of these people simply say "I'm on your side" and a substantial proportion of the population will believe it despite all the evidence
"the elites" is usually an antisemitic dog whistle for saying Jews without saying Jews.
John Oliver ONLY talks about Republicans and what they do wrong, he thinks Democrats do NO WRONG.
THEY ARE ALL CROOKED!!!!
We need to see people holding signs that say, " TAKE THE MONEY, CLARENCE!" in the background of every news story and sporting event for the next 30 days.
Years. 30 years. If it takes that long…
@@SchoolforHackersIt’s sad but I think you’re right. It would take a completely universal message from pretty much ALL of the media and citizens. How often do we actually see public outrage change anything? It SORT of worked during the civil rights movement but even those advances in rights have been slashed or outright eliminated by the far right and _THIS_ Supreme Court. I genuinely don’t know what it would take to remove somebody like Thomas but I would imagine it would at least have tk START with dems winning across the board and taking all three branches. Even then, who freaking knows. It’s not like democrats are immune from being bought off.
"TAKE THE MONEY, CLARENCE!"
Clarence will publicly refuse the offer and the Koch brothers are privately going to match it.
@@SchoolforHackersThe offer is good for the next 30 days, that’s why we want signs to remind him every day that the offer is still valid.
These writer/producers deserve every single accolade and award. Every. Single. One. Of. Them.
It's amazing how the most rigorous journalism comes from a comedy show.
Agreed!
Indeed
The jester always tells the truth.
Oliver is so much better than stewart
Lifetime appointments to the supreme court bench need to be done away with.
Having politicians appoint judges should be done away with before the lifetime appointments. Supreme Court judges should be hired by an independent body that looks at the history of judgements to ensure the person who makes the fairest and most often correct decisions is chosen. The idea of judges having political views that impact their decisions is completely alien to me. Judgements should not depend on whom is making them but on the laws, how they are written, and prior judgements.
That A.Hitler joke was genius and did not get enough respect
Yes, indeed. 🎉
I can just imagine him watching this and sitting there, cursing John, and quietly whispering: "... damn, this is a nice motorcoach."
This is why I love love this man! Endless humor and balls! Bravo Mr. Oliver👏👏
Nah Thomas is loving this. He's already established he possesses neither integrity nor shame. All John's done from his perspective is up the ante his billionaire 'friends' need to 'gift' to >$1,000,000/year + motorcoach gravy. The brilliance of this move by John was never anything to do with Thomas, it's bringing our attention to Supreme Court corruption in the most ostentatious way possible by publicly offering actual bribery and in doing so pointing out that it is totally legal. If we want that to change we're going to need to stuff the court with justices that will rule in favor of legislation that imposes actual oversight, or somehow get 3/4 of the states to agree to a constitutional amendment that forces it on them.
With a nice chassis too
@@NoVerges would you mind telling why and pointing examples?
@@NoVerges
No one here believes you, troll.
I'm a prosecutor in San Antonio. A few years ago, I was doing traffic tickets in one of the JP courts and this really anxious lady came in for a speeding ticket. She was freaking out because she had never been in trouble before. It took me 30 minutes to calm her down and calmly explain how deferred disposition works and that it really wasn't that big of a deal.
She came in the next day with a thank you note and a $25 chili's gift card. I was really touched by the note cause she explained that I had done a lot to ease her worries. I accepted the thank you note but returned the gift card because it would be unethical of me to accept it.
Its fucking wild that I have more god damn ethical consideration in a god damn traffic court than a fucking Supreme Court justice does.
I'm proud of you, even while dealing with prosecutors causing me anxiety over a case that i was clearly innocent in with no evidence. I'm like that lady lol only had a 9mph over ticket in my whole life before this bc they changed the sign.
Unfortunately my biggest charge is a felony obstruction, which really worries me. I was just walking my dog and got SLAMMED by police with no explanation and apparently one broke a nail beating me so here we are.
You have a conscience and you listened to it and you are not morally corrupt. You are one of the few that is holding up the faith in the judicial system ...
Bless you. You have ethics and a conscience!!
now imagine she'd come in with $100k gift card. now imagine 15 people all offered you that amount for your job, you might turn into Thomas at that point if you have no conscience. Honestly, he's making $300k and it's not enough. it's mind-boggling!
That may be the single greatest episode of a “Comedy“ news program ever created. John Oliver, despite the fact that he is not an American, is an American hero.
As an Englishman, I'm very sad we didn't give him a platform like this. We relegated him to stand up comedy.
You don't know what you have until it's gone, as they say.
Our political system also needs a group of dedicated people like this show's staff to hold it to account. We have Jonathan Pie and Private Eye, but they don't have half of the reach or influence John has built in the US.
He's an American.
Interesting, informative and entertaining … not to mention dead-on accurate on who the enemies of the people really are!
John Oliver for president!
he's an american now. he has a better understanding of issues plaguing this nation than many american-born citizens do.
When he says he's going to sweeten the pot a little bit, we all knew it was a "Motorcoach", but we were all hoping it was a giant frog statue.
I was expecting the world's largest pot of honey 🍯
The legal system in the US is literally no better than the one I grew up around in Romania. The corruption is laughable.
...That hurts. What hurts is that you MIGHT be correct. Romania prosecutes rapists. America ELECTS and APPOINTS them.
No one should ever be appointed to a position for life
I don’t see a better way. The courts need to have no respect for politics. I think that at least, there needs to be a 60 vote Senate confirmation. From now on all judges will be partisan because the threshold doesn’t require bipartisanship.
@@rustynails68 of course there is a better way. The rules in the US are ridiculous, starting from the non-defined number of members of the SC and ending at the lifetime appointments. Just make them an uneven number, and limit their stay to a certain amount of time. And maybe pick someone who is not out of his / her mind, but has been, let's say, a well-respected judge for a longer time on a rather high court. You can't actually think that people like Thomas or Cavanaugh are the best justices in the entire country.
@@henryoffigaro2446 I like the fixed judge idea. The constitution isn’t perfect and if we try to improve it in this climate, it will certainly be very bad. Cavanaugh should have been disqualified during the confirmation for being a ridiculous person with too much respect for the president who appointed him. Katanji turns out to be very bad as well. They aren’t elite scholars anymore. I really hate opinions that evaluate the consequences of legislation. In my opinion, that is the legislative responsibility. There could be a 20 year term limit, but I don’t think that a judge should be loyal to a party or a president or should fear any consequences for being unpopular. Givers of inappropriate gifts should get consequences.
@@henryoffigaro2446 Our constitution is pretty good. It needs an amendment defining an insurrection and a mechanism of disqualification. It needs a 60 senator confirmation. It needs a 9 justice court. However, the potential improvements are of little concern. The concern right now is will we defend the constitution as it stands? It is losing respect. It is a slippery slope to ignoring it entirely.
I love how people want more justices now that it has the make-up it has now but when it was the other way nothing but crickets. Always funny how humans act when they lose to the other side.
I'm speechless. This is the greatest attempt at creating change I've ever seen from a person with a public platform. Well done, John. Well fucking done.
How exactly? Is it really that important to democrats to have a Majority on the Supreme court?
It is almost entirely using Pro Publica reporting.
No, but it’s important to get an obviously corrupt justice off the court. It has been proven he has been bought and paid for by big business.
Bribing a supreme court judge on tv.
America is so fkn corrupt the americans love it...
banana republic
@@reredrumuoyConsidering how the republican majority stripped women of their bodily autonomy, I'd say it's pretty damn important, yeah.
So... it's a month later... I wonder...
I wish my wife hadn't passed away 4 years ago (for many, many reasons) because she adored this show and I keep seeing episodes that would have continued to make her cheer out loud!
I'm sorry for your loss. May your wife rest in peace and fly high. 🫶🕊️
How bitter sweet. It's lovely to see you appreciating things for her. ❤
I love the cheer out loud bit. Sorry your wife is no longer around mate, she sounds like a real gem.
💙💙💙condolences. I know where your comming from. 👏
If this isn't the best episode and subject to tackle ever, I don't know what is. Bravo, John Oliver, you still have an intact sense of justice and fairness - and humor !
This infuriates me. As a professor, my state has determined that its an untenable conflict of interest for a professor to assign a textbook they wrote to a class they teach because they might earn $150 worth of royalties for it. But we're totally comfortable with members of the highest court in the land, which has absolutely no oversight, receiving millions of dollars worth of gifts. Or heck, any of the myriad of conflict of interests in any of the branches of our federal government. This was insane!
Which is funny becaue isnt it basicaly the norm for shitholes like harverd to have the "biggest people" in their respective field, so it is normal if they assign their own work. I mean would be contraproductive for the education if you could not assign the best book xD
It's the opposite where I used to teach. Idiot "professors" add a paragraph to a publishers stock book, get a coauthorship credit on that version and that's the course textbook.
It’s a club, bubba. And you ain’t in it.
Higher education policy was a big reason why i left my job
One of my professors got around this by offering the book for free, no drm, digitally, to his own students. Or we could pay $40 for the pair of books printed and bound nicely in the bookstore. I bought them, but I know some students really appreciated the free digital version.
As an elementary school teacher who gets paid an insanely low amount, I blurted out a “fuck you” when he said the job wasn’t worth doing for the price. You don’t know the meaning of underpaid, Clarence.
The wild part is that's exactly why the Founding Fathers didn't want the government officials to make bank; so they wouldn't be there for the money.
Ditto as a librarian! There are real public servants out here barely making ends meet. He doesn't get to complain about 6 figures.
@@cerishreve9918 Bait used to be believable
I work in environmental conservation and it's the same here. And I've been a teacher as well, so I very much get your side too.
Hear hear! I know what we agreed to be paid, what people say, why we do this job, and what we are worth. Signed a 5th grade teacher.
This is public service journalism at it's best. The last 5 minutes was scorching and went to a whole new level. Amazing work by John and the LWT team.
It is now up to the USA public to rectify this ... just as it is up to the Russian public and Chinese public and people everywhere to work to ensure good government.
IT DOESN'T JUST FALL OUT OF THE SKY.
One of the best examples why these judges shouldn’t be Supreme Court judges for lifetime. In Germany these judges can only serve for 8 years
Just when you thought John Oliver couldn't be any more legendary.
John Oliver puts the Epic in Legendary!
He’s a rat
Holy shit I'm dying over here
I'll contribute $5 a month to John Oliver for the rest of Clarence's life if this works 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
So many gross psychopath’s at the top. Is no wonder so many of us down here are depressed
And with that… John Oliver and Team have secured the Emmy. Good to have you back, John.
YAAAAAAS QUEEN!!!
lol
Bruh they had to create a different section for him because he kept winning
Fuck! Now we do have to offer Trump a golden fleshlight of Mia Khalifa to earn an Emmy - Stephen Colbert probably
@@spiralentree737 They should just have a recurring "And now for our annual segment: We love you John, you weird British-American."
I don't think I've ever loved John Oliver more than I do at this moment. ❤
They should be the beacon of morality. The fact that they have to be told it is immoral is crazy…
psychotic is contagious , that MEANNESS is the disease of DEPRAVED INDIFFERENCE TO SUFFERING OF OTHERS < ESPECIALLY THOSE LIKE THAT MONSTER , both are obese and in poor health , truth be told that heart is hard as rocks
John offering Clarence Thomas a million dollars a year just so he'll leave the court is honestly such a power move. Never change, John. Your British bird rants give us life
Of course, an appointment for his replacement will be blocked until after the election and maybe a few elections after that because Biden really is a lame duck president, so he would probably be succeeded by justice Donald Trump junior or something which would make the move feel rather pointless.
Its low key genius Clarence is 75 even if he lives to be 100 that's only 25 million
John Oliver is becoming the an old British GOAT.... your MOVE CLARENCE!!!
It’s also a federal crime but who cares right
Remember when John Oliver said net neutrality was going to be the end of the internet in 16. How did that turn out?
When a British man actually loves American people more than their own supreme court justice.
He's one of us now, officially, since December 2019 🇺🇸 And his comedy has been positively influencing US legislation and court rulings for many years... He's one of our best and brightest 😊
It's too bad he can't run for president
@@tabularasaAmerica was built by immigrants, and it takes more dedication to willing give up one's homeland and pledge yourself to a cause wholly of your own choosing.
It's really common that the most staunch Americans who defend the ideals of the nation and not their own pocket books are immigrants who came here of their own choosing. While native borns take for granted their mother lands and abuse them.
Lol, John is a performer putting on a performance and getting paid very good money to do so. I'll bet you think the stripper really DOES like you.
Who is Oprah just trying to show the justices that she's got a ridiculous amount of money to spend on way overpriced flowers
Vey well played, Mr. Oliver. Cheers for your boldness from Costa Rica!
Well, it's been two months, and Clarence hasn't taken the deal. I can figure only three possible reasons for that:
1) He doesn't believe this is actually a _real_ deal.
2) He never heard about this.
3) He gave his billionaire pals a chance to collectively make him a better offer -- and they did.
Owning a motorcoach and thinking you're not an elite, is certifiably insane.
The worst thing isn't Thomas saying he's just plain folks, or Trump claiming to be for the little guy.
It's the millions of MAGA nitwits who are dumb enough to believe it.
Saying you’re not an elite out loud and then going on a 2 week sea cruise exclusive to the 1% 5 days later should result in prison time 😂 straight to prison no trial
It's a matter of perspective when all of your "friends" are billionaires. He's jealous that they own private jets and live in mansions, when he makes do with a motor coach and lives in a large house. It's pathetic, if you think about it.
He know he's part of the elite, he just doesn't want to say him because it would hurt him politically. Republicans rely on poor Americans to vote for them so that they can keep legislation in favor of their elite friends.
I used to work for a guy who ran a rehab. He lived in a big house, owns a ton of other rentals properties, literally took the entire paycheck every week from the 30+ desperate people in his rehab, and owned an absolutely massive motorcoach. Refused to ever say he was wealthy
How is almost $300,000/year not enough pay???? Thats LUDICROUS.
I work in the civil service in the UK. If I accepted gifts even of only £10 without declaring it and getting it looked at I'd almost certainly be fired for gross misconduct.
"How is this legal" should be the tagline of his show
I think it was on the promo poster but who knew then, what they were talking about 😂
Well according to the law bribery is only illegal if it's to influence the "decision" of a government employee. If "decision" means any choice whatsoever then that opens up a massive can of worms where nearly everything would be illegal if it involves money or stuff. So likely it means it in the legal way where it's a legal "decision". Bribing someone to quit their job shouldn't be considered part of that job. Now bribing him to vote a certain way would be totally illegal even though it's likely that has been going on a ton. So if John got in trouble for this then so would Clarence and his sugar daddy.
We all know Thomas won’t take John up on the offer, but I wonder how long it’ll take him to wipe the drool off his mouth seeing that brand new $2m+ behemoth and that $1m/yr “severance package” before ultimately making up some non-sense about how you can’t buy a Supreme Court justice
You can; Thomas is proof of that… but this isn’t to “buy a Supreme Court Justice” … it’s to obligate himself to facilitating the “retirement” of a then *former* Supreme Court Justice… big difference
And the best thing is that Thomas wouldn’t even have to declare it as a gift per the current ethics code because the exchange only happens *after* he steps down, lol
“I’m too old for this 💩… after lengthy discussions with my totally best friend, the two of us have decided to spend the remainder of our retirement-aged years as retired people”
**drives his current motor coach to NY to sign the contract and drive off in his new ride**
I wonder what would happen if John got a visit from a sunglasses & ball cap adorned, trench-coat with lapels flipped up wearing Thomas who softly whispers “make it $2m/yr and you’ve got yourself a deal” … I think John would do it, lol… Thomas is 75… what’re the odds that he makes it to 85… dude looks like he’s 80+ as it is… $20m… to alter the course of America for the objective better…
🤞😯🤞
Ask Bob Murray
14:38 John delivered that "aging nazi napkin collector" so well... You can almost hear the lawyers telling him "you can't call him an aging nazi.", to which he replied "since he collects nazi napkins, can I call him an aging nazi napkin collector?"
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Wow I didn't even notice the intelligence of that loophole
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Clarence Thomas is a POS. I don't care if he's on the SCOTUS!!! OMG, he truly believes and behaves as if he is above the law! Lock him up!
:) It MUST have happended!
Best episode of anything I ever watched. Well done John!
Johnny, you are the absolute best ❤ Bravo, dear friend! BRAVO‼️
"...that's a bit of a red flag, specifically, *this* red flag!" (11:25)
What an amazing line
The fact that a: this didn't get more up-votes and b: I forgot that point is a testament to how off the rails the end was.
This ending is the greatest thing I have ever seen.
John Oliver and his team could change the course of history...with a comedy news show...
What's worse is that he almost doesn't have to try to make it funny, the jokes pretty much wrote themselves. that should tell you how bad things really are. Even worse is the fact that this came out in the news months ago, and there was basically nothing anyone could do about it. SC said we see no issue, and biz as usual.
What does it take to be an activist these days?
@@mdisenmoney apparently. Obscene amounts of money.
He's biased and is playing the game. He is one of them.
@@ryanyoung7433 Of course he's biased. Everyone is. He's just one of the few people that's vocal about it. And his platform does promote change.
Pretty gutsy. Making a public offer to a supreme court justice. Glad for Americans that they have freedom of speech and cannot be hounded for making these very legitimate points as John Oliver has, in his causal yet cutting investigative style. Brilliant.
This has to be one of Oliver’s best shows ever. Brilliant.
He screaming at the end "how is this legal?" made me almost cry out laughing.
How is this legal?
You're crying out laughing, I'm laughing till I cry. Two sides of the same coin, I guess.
I mean it kinda has to be.
There is no quid pro quo and super pac/dark money "lobbying" isnt illegal/bribery so this by definition is a lesser offense than lobbying.
Like another Don used to say… ONLY IN AMERICA
It's only legal because it's only possible for people with a lot of money, if it were possible for the average person it would have been made illegal years ago
'Murica.
Their derangement aside, can you imagine him actually taking the deal? would be priceless.
I would gain a little hope for mankind if he does.
For beauty of a vehicle like that he'd be crazy not to. The yearly million is a nice bonus too, since he'd be able to retire immediately and spend all his time driving the home.
If Clarence takes the deal, John will no longer be able to deny that his show has a real world effect.
Could you IMAGINE that bit being in the history books? A sitting Supreme Court Justice publicly accepts a bribe to retire. Shit would be wild
THIS IS GOING TO BE AWESOME 👍😎🎉
This brings to mind a quote from a Justice of the Nigerian Supreme Court, Justice Oputa. He said of the Supreme Court, 'We're not final because we're infallible, we're infallible because we're final'.
HBO be like: "John bought WHAT?"
Just when I think my regard for John Oliver can't get any higher...
...he pulls this out of the bag.
Brilliant.
Ditto!
One of the best episodes by far
So? He's come up from hell to the sewer?
Or BRILLENT as real fans of the show would say
@@permerte5118 Deep cut
The Supreme Court should just put a giant sign up outside the court, 'Justices for Sale.'
They don't need to. It's understood.
That kind of shaming only works on people with a conscience. These sociopaths won't be moved because they don't care. They honestly believe they're entitled to behave the way they do.
@@eighthourlunch Yes its the type of Psychopathology that comes with the circle of the Criminal Wealthy Ruling Elite---you're absolutely entitled to be some sort of god and the more sadistic you act the more you're rewarded -- thats why Christianity and Politics are in charge in the US--all the wrong people come through those two avenues.
Why would a conservative need to bribe a justice who already decides conservative?
Thank you for finally speaking out about how gross wine is ❤
this show definitely belongs in the journalism Hall Of Fame
and so does John
Absolutely - this episode deserves a special award. Past an Emmy ; cuz it's off the charts like no one has ever seen. If you're going to go after the supreme court , you better do it right. They got it right.
Classic case of a funny man, using his charm and comedic talent to entertain and capture the attention of the general public whilst also pointing out and making the public aware of lies, hypocrisy, and just general issues going on in the world.
A modern day Jester.
Eh, not really.
This episode was pretty straight forward since he was mainly relying on the Propublica piece who did all the leg work. But GENERALLY speaking you get a very very slanted understanding of an issue when you watch it here. I tune in every week for the entertainment aspect, but you shouldn't be getting your understanding from here, because it's often angled to the point where it borderlines misinformation. There was recently a monument which was destroyed because of bad info on this show.
So yea, entertainment awards, yes, but not the journalism hall of fame. This isn't journalism.
@@MrSlowestD16what statue was destroyed aka. information from this show??
@lood6761 Some statue in some fly-over state. There was a rumor or theory that it was commissioned by a white supremacist, which Oliver reported on (and he did admit it was a rumor), and then went on to discuss the potential racist roots it had for 20 minutes, then some nut job heard this & destroyed it figuring it must be true.
But it transcends the 1 episode, if there's ever a topic you're well informed about before Oliver does a piece on it then you'll see it quite clearly. There's a lot of conveniently absent facts and points that are either skipped over or glazed over to pander to a young progressive audience a bit more. A lot of topics are more nuanced and complicated than they appear here.
It's not really any different than any other talking head, and it's a good place to hear about a topic for the first time (as well as get some laughs), but it shouldn't be used as a primary source of information, more-so a starting point of learning about a topic. I usually don't miss any episodes, but I'd never say this is "journalism."
There's no way Clarence would sign that contract, but it's still cool and absolutely totally insane they offered that
I absolutely believe he would. Absolutely. I expect his "good friends" are upping the anti as we speak.
They need him on the court doing their bidding.
@@cindys2617 agreed, which it why he won't sign. He'll go for a million 1 from them
And illegal
Of course not, the point of it is to show how easy it is to corrupt the Supreme Court. What John is doing SHOULD be illegal, but hilariously its not. And in the absoultely bat shit case that Thomas takes the deal, the political fallout will destroy the conservative wing of the court and their GOP allies. Its a win-win move by John. Impressive.
The fact that there's nothing stopping him from signing that contract is absolutely wild.
Keep doing what you're doing John. You and your team are amazing.
Well its now been a month, i didnt hear of him stepping down so that's just too bad.
Hi, John! I’m a senior on a fixed income (aside from the occasional editing gig); I’m so broke, I rent a friend’s basement as my primary residence. I live like a fungus, John. BUT. If Thomas takes you up on your offer, I undertake to send you $10 a year for the life of the contract (or me). Now, that’s not much, but what if there were 100,000 people like me who would consider it an honor and a privilege to help keep Clarence Thomas’ mitts off our democracy? Sounds more doable, right? Just do us a favor and negotiate a little harder with Alito. And keep up your brilliant work, forever and ever, world without end, amen.
I'd pay my $10 a year and yours, so you don't have to make that sacrifice. This is a good plan right here and well worth getting this guy off the court.
I'm in!@@somerandomyoutubechannel5816
Hi, Samantha, I'm a senior, too, but I'd cough up $10 a year. I wouldn't be surprised if Anita Hill pitched in $10 also. She's been waiting for 40 years to see him go!
and me. $10.
And my $10
“How is this legal?”
Me, an attorney: oh my sweet summer child.
Legality, Ethics after peeling, boiling, mashing, fermenting, baking, boiling again dehydrating and finally throwing away as even the compost bin wouldn't accept it.
This should absolutely be required viewing for every US resident
Hey... Has there been an update on the Clarence Thomas offer yet?!
I rarely comment but I just have to say - John Oliver is a treasure! Protect this man at all costs!
is he in imminent danger?
@@ingridfong-daley5899 tbh if Clarence took the offer, he probably would be
“How is this legal!?!”
Dying here
💀💀💀
It’s finally completed: czcams.com/video/ozNkk2gZVV0/video.htmlsi=qBcoaNfyYvL5orWD
Same reason he's been able to cash in up till now with no problems. The rules don't apply to them.
That should be the motto of the entire US legislative process.
thomas helped set the case law in the state of virginia governor corruption case that conveniently basically tossed the bribery statutes as long as no one says "this is a bribe" he can take money from whoever he wants
Sometimes I'm like 100% sure Tucker Carlson is the most morally bankrupt and worst person in the country, and then I remember Clarence Thomas and I'm only like 80% sure.
Best, best even better than best, your Thomas skit was brilliant. Sincerely hope he takes you up on that offer.
Wow!!!! I'm speechless. The balls it took to do and air this segment.. wow. I'm speechless
Aren't these usually up on CZcams on Monday mornings? I wonder if the content is why they waited til Thursday.
I absolutely love this show 😊
@@coalbloodedfrom now on, they only release it on Thursday, it was announced on twitter.
@@coalblooded supposedly HBO has made a requirement that he can't post it on CZcams immediately because they want ppl to watch the episode on Max.
@@coalblooded No, some of the streaming services and HBO have a policy thing that puts them on hold from uploading edits to CZcams for 4 days so there's actually a reason to pay them if you can't wait that long.
Maybe they wanted to take the extra time to make sure that his insane (but clearly established in precedent) offer was indeed legal… or at least not legally dubious…
We all know it won’t be taken up, but I can honestly say that if this closing piece ends up getting circulated on ANY prominent news channel of either political persuasion, daytime or late night talk shows, etc and gets followed up on Friday, March 22 (actually that’s when the offer expires, so followed up on Saturday, March 23 or Sunday, March 24th) then that would be epic beyond epic
And since Thomas wouldn’t be in a position to give John anything of substance and there’s zero chance that Johns retirement package would yield personal bias in Thomas’ current or future opinion in court matters (since he’d no longer be in a position to have any), this wouldn’t count as quid pro quo… but rather more akin to being nudged into early retirement by your investment firm with all the finesse and subtlety of a motor coach flying down the highway at full speed
Thomas not taking the deal exposes that he is getting MORE than 1 mil per year and a 2.5 mill dollar motor coach...
I imagine there are a shit ton of transactions that he is able to hide from the public.
He probably is making more and if he isn't those ceos are gonna probably raise how much he is getting from him to keep him there.
Concerning context of all of this aside.
That or his power trip is worth more to him than conceding his seat
imagine if more elites came through and added to the pot, they would eventually reach a number Thomas couldn't refuse. Also Thomas is pretty old, so I imagine they wouldn't have to make payments for too long.
Bribes bribes bribes
To be fair, we don't know what's in the contract.
That was the CRAZIEST ending I've ever seen on ANY show ever! Wow, props to john and crew!
the fact john didnt even use HBO's money for it REALLY shows he meant business
A million dollars a year would be nothing to Clarence with what he's getting now.
I am from India and this episode carries a universal torch throwing light on corruption plaguing our system be it parliament, congress or the court whether be it India, America or any other country in the planet. Even though what oliver shows is the rotten underbelly of American society and politics,his humor filled investigative journalism speaks to all the citizens of the world. I am one of those citizen. Carry on!
Am also an Indian from State of Karnataka. What you have said is correct.. I watch John Oliver's shows regularly and am a huge fan of him 😊
lord knows yall got your problems over there.
good luck man
amen
I aprove this message
Mah, YOU ARE SO RIGHT
AND HIS HUMOR LIKE
SOME OTHER LATE NIGHT PEOPLE THEY TELL THE TRUTH WITH HUMOR!
They weren't gifts, they were bribes. Let's call it what it is.
If you had seen this show before… you would know this show has fantastic lawyers and they don’t play.
From his close 😉😉 friends?
Thank you, helping us laugh...while we're being screwed! I love you John. 💕
You are truly an exceptional human John, I envy your courage.
I like to imagine that John asked his lawyers if the part at the end was legal, and their response was just, "Somehow."
Why wouldn't it be? It's like offering employment, and these are the terms - you leave your current position, that's it. Of course, it won't fly because there is no way Thomas would subject himself to the inevitable ridicule that would follow (from both sides of the political aisle).
I am currently 5th-year student of law, working in a law office and I was already forced to say something close to this even tho my head could not get around how the fuck was it legal
@@hacep160 I've been in law well over 30 years (sports, then corporate), and this is very much legal, yet it blows my mind, too. 🤣😅
For once I appreciate good lawyers.❤
It's legal because judges, especially SCotUS judges, are above the law.
Incredible. John Oliver and the team just ELEVATED this show and dusted others. What an ending!
Eh not really
Bravo John Oliver!!!
Yet when I worked for the state of Massachusetts I would be required to take annual conflict of interest training and they stressed the legal amount I could accept as a gift was 40$ what a joke
OMG. It doesn’t get any better. No wonder Oliver wins an Emmy every year.
This might be the greatest moment in modern comedy history. Because it's real. Because America has become the joke and only comedy seems to be able to tackle these complex issues and boil them down to the truth. Mr. Oliver, you make me proud that you've come to the United States, to deliver truth in a British accent, the only way Americans can really accept it without instantaneous rebellion, ironically enough. Thank you for speaking truth to power and putting your financial health on the line for our country. Your repay your citizenship a million fold whether that creep quits or no.
No, it's not just comedy that can get the point across, the problem is NO ONE listens. Even with these comedy attempts, you'll pretend you listened to it, got the point.... but a week from now you'll have forgotten and will be saying this same thing to some new segment and the cycle will continue until we've all lost our freedom or have just died.
You mean it massages your bias
@aliciafraser1835 probably because if you were serious you'd start with sotomayor. I'm only half way through... only conservative justices are mentioned.
@@stevenp25100 only Zealots are mentioned.. big difference
It's only my opinion but he's making big changes. I love John he makes me see hope in this world
Did...did John Oliver just become Batman? A wholesome, nonviolent Batman? Birdman?
Tukanman!!
I’d pay to watch a remake of Birdman staring John Oliver where the alter ego he hallucinates is just his younger self with bangs
Birdman. Harvey Birdman. Attorney-at-law.
Puteketekeman!
Puffinman
John Oliver is officially a GENIUS!!! What an ending!!
$298,500 annual salary, and the job isn’t worth doing? Then how about stepping down Justice Thomas? Surely John Oliver’s exit strategy adequately addresses your financial grievances…
That cat filter mishap and the lawyer was one of the best things that came out of Covid. 😂
..priceless!
💯 whenever I need to LMAO, I play it 🤣🤣🤣
but did you catch the lawyer above sleeping through it all?
there's another one and the person was a potato. It instantly brightens my day 🤣
IM NOT A CAT!!!!!!
This episode reinvigorated my desire to pursue justice while also flipping off those who make other's lives worse to enrich themselves. I needed this!
Roe v Wade was wrongly decided.
We're supposed to be a nation run by laws; not by men.
Legal work for the ACLU?
Best wishes on your journey!
I can’t believe how many people in this country are defending the mega wealthy, we should all be absolutely enraged!
This might be my favorite episode yet!!! I hope he takes the deal!!!
I totally loved this show! Talk about telling it like it is, John Oliver nails it!
He killed it on this show! I’ve never seen anyone stand up and put it out there like this show just did! Freaking amazing to all the staff! I love it! We need a call out like this daily for the atrocities being committed in our political system. I salute you Mr. Oliver!
You’re too young for Jon Stewart aren’t you?
Hopefully not a nazi salute like thomas's friends.
Seconded.
I agree. I hope HBO, for the sake of the country, will allow CZcams to keep it up.
He was just exposed for bribing someone in the Court btw
This was flipping epic. This episode alone should win an award for the show, for the year.
The way corruption is done in daylight sometimes is just mind-boggling.
It should!! Everyone needs to hear this
Yes! His bribery and the way left leaning opinions win awards is epic! ...wait
It takes corruption to declare it into law that a woman's body doesn't belong to her.
@@laurie_guilbeau it needs corruption to enslave a state... the doctor knows drug dealers from purdue pharma meat which want to enslave the nothern earth for their needs
i see so much faulty tales by flying fungus figures
drives, weapons, brain and many more
i think there will be a record in the past where they say _" you should us kill when you see us "_ just like by doctor who at the moon landing which was in the time of martian looser kink - is he the son of "plaque bantears" ?
30 minutes of pure fire, from the Boeing joke to the red flag to the ending.
Dang !! you are brilliant John Oliver. There is nothing like the steelie mind and oration skills of ...some... Britts.
You give Brian Tyyler Cohen a good run for his money, and frankly, that is high praise. 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
john Oliver putting his money where his mouth is is absolutely amazing
"the seat would otherwise have been unoccupied"
is the same defense as: "if i hadn't bought the drugs from my dealer, someone else would have"
I think you have a good idea for a comic book hero here. 😂
To be fair, the conservatives are sending their best.
That was a defence, one very libertarian person once used, to defend why their company took a very dodgy government contract. Because "someone else would have, better to be us."
"Why make gun safety laws when the bad people will break them anyways?"
Debating a Conservative is like debating a child.
Or a guy I know who said of his married, cheating, closeted lover, "if I didn't sleep with him, someone else would have." 🙄
Thanks HBO for making thursdays the new mondays.
Wanted to say something like that, but you said it better than I ever could, so have my worthless internet point instead.
What's this? @@Manman-uj2hm
Thank you I was wondering what happened Monday
@luvmibratt They actually think that delaying this post will make people sign up for Max so that we can watch it with the rest of the world.
All it did was make me watch a version that was all over the place and had screwed up visuals so that they couldn't be copyright slammed
Possibly the best episode EVER!
John *finally* did it - he found a thing that the HBO accountants would say "No, we're not going to pay for that" to.
Everyone in this country should have to watch this!
conservatives probably wouldn't stop being conservative but if they watched this they'd have to rethink *a ton* of their opinions
Why does all the real and important news about the most crucial subjects of our time only show up on comedy shows? This is how the MSM--which I have been defending until very recently-- betrays America. Sure you can point to the MSM and say they seldom if ever out and out lie about things as Fox does, they just bring you the news. Not quite correct. Their primary sins as the guardians of the gate, are ones of omission; they simply do not cover the Hideous corruption that is rampant and blatant. I learned so much about the corruption in our government from John Oliver , Bill Maher and other comedians it is shocking that I seldom if ever hear any of it on mainstream media except perhaps PBS. And if the MSM does do something it's not in depth and it's only once and then you never hear of it again. I can't accuse PBS because they are the only ones who WILL have coverage of the deep level of corruption. But mainstream media remains with their head in the sand because they don't want to lose ratings now that the news divisions are profit motivated instead of news motivated. Frankly I think we're screwed at this point. Right wing families, individuals , and corporations themselves have shoveled so much cash to every corner of our government in their attempts to unleash corporate domination of Our Lives that we will not take our country back from corporations in my lifetime if ever.
@@alexrogers777They’d just say it was “Fake News” like everything else they don’t agree with. Trying to explain to Conservatives (including some family members of mine) that you can actually look up if something is true or not, (about both parties) from unbiased journalists, backed up by facts, is a losing battle. I don’t understand how half of this country got brainwashed.
BRAVO!!! I was an Army JAG officer in Falls Church, Virginia, when I watched the Clarence Confirmation hearings with a heightened anxiety and much chagrin. After leaving the Army, I became a federal ethics official for an executive branch agency in Washington, D.C., training the officials of that agency about the new government ethics rules. Granted, the executive branch government ethics rules do not apply to the two other branches of our government, but the basic underlying principle is that government service is a public trust.
This conduct by Justice Thomas is abominable. As Mr. Oliver pointed out, all he had to do was report his acceptance of the gifts and then recuse himself from deciding cases affecting the interests of the donors, but he chose not to do so. However, if that would impact his ability to decide a significant number of cases each year, then he would not be able to do the work he was appointed to do. Instead, he chose to cast aside the right of the American people to have confidence in their public government officials.
i wish i had bought an "i believe Anita" t-shirt. I think of her every time Clarence and Ginni spew more right-wing hate, or take another bribe.
Well said
I adore you so much. A man of the people. Thank you so much. This episode brought tears to my eyes.
Thank you for your service!!
Im pretty sure you have some great stories :)
And this is why LWT and John keep winning awards!
The way Clarence says "totally my best friend" is like some hypnotic prompt he has to say...are we SURE Clarence wasn't given the Get Out treatment?
Last Week Tonight is on a different level compared to all other both comedy shows and investigative journalism. I can't remember any show being more effective, entertaining, and better prepared than this one.
I wouldnt call it investigative journalism, he uses research and journalism from others, this isnt necesarilly a bad thing but he is a master in bringing it in a fun way. Though respect should be given to the people who actually do research.
@@guus5504 The investigation was done by reporters of Politico, not John Oliver. But John Oliver and his staff writers summarized it in an easy-to-diagest manner so the audiences can understand. Great job!
Have you ever watched any other show? This is just propaganda haha. A lot is said by what John doesn’t say
@@SCPMstudios It's not propaganda if it's FACTUAL. Politico report contains all the evidences, many are photos posted by Clarence Thomas and his wife.
@@SCPMstudios Yes, Oliver has his own political views in wich he isnt subjective a lot. But to call it propaganda is to much. For instance, who would benefit from this video in which the conclusion is that the supreme court's support is getting lower and lower because of shady activities.
This has got to be one of the best things I've ever seen on TV! Well done John Oliver! You are an international hero! I hope he takes the offer.
Very great show, really well presented.
But whats international about it? Except maybe most people in Europe feeling good to have a better legal system 😅
@@sburgh014 many people watch John Oliver, also outside of the US (Germany in my case). And even though I think the US is fucked up for a lot of reasons (John is helping with this impression a lot), I think this show is a gem!
Actually Jan Böhmermann in Germany seems to get a lot of inspiration from John Oliver. Even though, the quality is not as high as last week tonight.
Watching from France!😊@@sburgh014
@HerrSalat hi, i am also from Germany and have watched it for many years. But I have the feeling since covid and trump, the topics are most times USA internally. That doesn't make it less entertaining, but internetional topics are more relatable. I think that shifted.
When I see the different systemetical quirks in the USA, I always wonder why there is no change.
E.g. the voting system has its flaws, and only 2 parties/options are way too less. But it's a very long known flaw in the US voting system. (Cpggray has a wonderful video about that) and e.g. the German system was designed with the allies (including mainly usa) after WW2 to be a robust democracy.
So it's long known that there are flaws and what would be a better solution... but nobody wants to change anything 😅
I am very happy that they favoured science in that time over power or who is the loudest and implemented a system by experts that is harder to understand, but works way better in this case :D
And that logic can be applied to many political basic German systems when you compare them to the USA. (Also when comparing supreme court and the German Bundesverfassungsgericht)
I love the many details here! You can’t hear that anywhere else!
I love this episode every time I watch it
Wow. I watched so many of John Oliver's endings, including the pyrotechnic end-of-season ones, but I think this is by far the most spectacular.
This is good but Eat Shit, Bob: The Musical still takes the cake
czcams.com/video/UN8bJb8biZU/video.html
More than the "Eat Shit Bob" musical one?