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Buying a car in Carvana was so easy, I was able to finance it through them. I just. Whoa, wait. You mean finance? Yeah, finance. Got pre qualified for a Carvana auto loan, entered my terms and shot from thousands of great car options, all within my budget. That's cool. But financing through Carvana was so easy. Financed, done. And I get to pick up my car from their Carvana vending machine tomorrow. Financed, right? That's what they said. You can spend time trying to pronounce financing or you can actually finance and buy your car today on Carvana financing, subject to credit approval. Additional terms and conditions may apply. I'm NFL linebacker TJ Watt and this is my personal best. YPB by Abercrombie is the activewear I'm always wearing. That's why I reached out to co design their latest drop. I worked with designers to create high performance activewear that holds up to my toughest workouts. Shop YPB by Abercrombie in store, online and in the app. Because your personal best is greater than any. This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Checking off the boxes on your to do list is a great feeling. And when it comes to checking off coverage, a State Farm agent can help you choose an option that's right for you. Whether you prefer talking in person on the phone or using the award winning app, it's nice knowing you have help finding coverage that best fits your needs. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. You're listening to Comedy Central. It's autumn, which means for millions of children across America, it's back to school time. But what about professional news people like me? Is there a school where I can brush up on my newsman skills? How could I keep my edge by the learn by doing hands on training that has placed thousands from coast to coast. Connecticut schools of broadcasting. Yes, the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. Thanks, Mom. Conveniently located in the media capital of the world, Farmington, Connecticut. It's a place where fresh faced kids and me come to learn the basics of reporting. How to read back up and deliver and read it. And how to hold paper. See this hand right here can move and move copy to the side. I knew who I wanted for my faculty advisor. I met with Ms. Brantley in her office to discuss some of the basics of reporting. Probably the most important thing to keep in mind is pay attention, listen to what the person is saying. What about listening? Is that important? It's probably the most important thing. What is listening is probably the most important thing. Hmm. And most importantly, she taught me a Valuable lesson in journalistic detachment. Is it okay for a reporter to get a little tender? I think so. Well, how personal could he get? Pretty personal. Pretty personal. I mean, they're all limits, right? What if it got really personal? Pretty much. The interview would be over. Well, it's good that they don't do that then. One last question. Is listening important? But school wasn't all fun and games. Midterms could get pretty stressful for these newcomers. The mob is estimated at between 40 and 50 people, including what appears to be at least one priest. Nice try, kids. Good luck, Steven. Would you like to give it a try? I thought I'd give the kids a thrill and show them how an old network pro lays one down. Okay, just take a look. Look at it before you start. Got it? Yep. You all right? You clear on that? Got it. Okay. Look it over before you start it. Got it. Don't rush. All right. All right. The mob is estimated to be between 40 and 50 people. The mob is estimated to be between 40 in people. The mob is estimated to BE between 40 and 50 people, including our peers of priests. I want to come home, John. I hate it here. But failure is one course they don't teach. At old csb, I struggled back from the brink of defeat. You see, I had something to prove to myself. The mob is estimated at between 40 and 50 people, including what appears to be at least one priest. Then it was time to say goodbye to my old school chums. While I'm not sure what I learned at the Connecticut School of Broadcasting, there is one thing I know for sure. They cashed my check. Folks, as the economy continues to struggle and the Middle east continues to burn, there was big news yesterday out of Washington. A big day for the Obama girls. Their first day at a new school. Today is their first day of classes. First day of school in a new place. The Obama girls are heading to a brand new school in Washington, D.C. by the way, those SUVs whizzing by had the girls going to school. Sasha did have her nose pressed a bit wistfully against the glass. The first day at school is stressful. I don't think that's first day of school stress. That's Mommy. There are so many cameras. Am I integrating this school? For God's sakes, James Meredith didn't have that many cameras when he went to Ole Miss. Ask your parents. Now, obviously, this is nothing new. 32 years ago, there was widespread coverage of little Amy Carter's first day of school. It's when the media discovered that you shouldn't poke children with giant metal sticks. Get her. She's getting away. Get her. Get her. Although in her case, it was necessary. You remember Amy Carter. She was a great kid, but could bite a man's arm off. She had the metal spiky teeth. But of course, the lessons from Carter's time still hold sway as far as we're concerned. Unless there is a compelling editorial reason, that's the last you'll see of Amy Carter at school on this program. Well done. And that's pretty much the way we all feel about the Obama daughters. Thank you, Brian Williams, for showing some restraint. A courtesy from the NBC family to the Obama family. But of course, in all families, there is the douchey uncle. Msnbc. The Obama kids have just now left the Hay Adams Hotel. A short time ago on the way here to the school. Michelle Obama escorted her children to their new school this morning. That's Sasha back there with a backpack on, just like most kids going to school. The backpack way too big for those little bodies. They're probably talking about, you know, in the cafeteria. Do you like Miley Cyrus? Jonas Brothers? That blue stuffed animal keychain hanging off her backpack? It's an ugly doll. An ugly doll? That seems like an odd name. I'm not sure why you'd call it an ugly. Oh, my God. Yes. Apparently the Ms. In MSNBC stands for all Malia and Sasha. Come on. What's the news value in learning about Sasha's doll? First, kids have long been trendsetters when it comes to toys and other assorted items. When Caroline Kennedy was living in the White house in the 1960s, she had a collection of 75 dolls and puppets. And then there was the year 1862. And little Willie Lincoln got all America started on the hot new craze, dying of typhoid fever. But even MSNBC has to have its limits. That's true. Don't they check out what they're serving for lunch today? Malia at the upper school can opt for tomato basil soup. Nice. Various salads, Philly cheesesteaks. Right on. All right, I guess that's a little excessive, but I guess you can excuse a one day glimpse at the kids menu. Tomorrow's menu, a decidedly Mexican flair with nachos, fajitas, tortillas, fiesta rice. Oh, Betty and Veronica, you disappoint me. I wonder how Betty's hot mom and Jughead handled the Malia and Sasha coverage. I'm not so sure I'm comfortable with what we just did. I've got to Say that while they're out there, we need to just back off. I'm very upset about it, personally. If I were Barack Obama, I would be horrified. Then do something. Guess what? You're Morning Joe. It's your show, dude. For more on the conflicted and media intense firestorm, we go out to Wyatt Sinek. Wyatt. Yeah, John. I am so tired of these so called reporters intruding into these little girls lives, making their every move a living nightmare and then giving us nothing. They came in a car, they got there at 8. The little one has a backpack. If you're gonna sell out every principle you have as a reporter and a human being, give me something I can taste. Who are their crushes? Who are their BFFs? Which Twilight book are they on? How do you find something like that out? You go undercover. 21 Jump street style. So? So you're Parker Van Camp Sidwell. Fifth grader in the house party at my place this weekend. And the beard? You mean my mole? Wyatt, I'm not sure the information that you're looking for is worth the massive deception that you're perpetrating. I totally agree, John. Yes, Samantha Bee in the. In the Sidwell Friends lunchroom. And if you want the real scoop. Ha ha, I see. So you actually got a job as a lunch lady to spy on these children? Well, as far as Sidwell knows, I'm not a member of the media. I have committed zero felonies and I wash my hands every time I use the bathroom. Suckers. I feel very uncomfortable about this. I don't know if this is something that I can. It's good for you, John. Well said. Because I share your reluctance. John Oliver. John Oliver. Where. What? Where are you? Where am I? Malia's locker, John. Where for the past 30 minutes I have rifled through all of her private belongings. And how do you feel about that, John? I don't really know, John. I've lost the capacity to feel. What did you find? Well, interestingly, a hash pipe and an ugly doll with a bag of black tar heroin stuffed in his head. Really? No, not really. She's a child. I did find a Jonas Brothers Trapper Keeper, some bubblegum flavoured lip gloss and I think some kind of high end all weather jacket. But the point is, I might have found something. And isn't that reason enough for me to be here pretending to be conflicted? This is John Oliver acting horrified about my life choices. This is Samantha Bee waiting for Jon Stewart to sign my permission slip so I can go to the zoo Then Parker Man Camp Big Crater. Great work everybody. Great. Terrible work. Your burger is served. And this is our finest Pepsi. Zero sugar. Its sweet profile perfectly balances the savory notes of your burger. That is one perfect combination. Burgers deserve Pepsi. You know, politics is a cynical business, but there's one place where the ideals of democracy are still pure. Middle school elections. We set out to ruin that by sending John Oliver and a documentary crew to take over an 8th grade student council election. I present to you part one of our new three part series. The Strategist. Woodcliffe Middle School was in full campaign mode as two very different candidates ran for class president. My name is Kyle Perlman. I'm Lauren. I'm 13, I'm in 8th grade and I'm running for student council president. Strategist John Oliver's first task was picking which candidate to work with. For some advice on how to make his choice, he turned to grizzled 25 year campaign consultant Mark O'. Hara. Most consultants, they're concerned about two things and two things. Winning the campaign and making sure they get paid. Oh, that's great. It's simple. That makes my job a whole lot easier. Lauren, why do you want to be president? Well, I really want to focus on anti bullying. So it just is completely eliminated from the school. Uh, just sad bragging rights. Would you describe yourself as a popular person? Not exactly. Yeah, I would if you were an animal. Lauren, what animal would you be? A cat? I would probably be a shark. Good answer. What kind of shark? A great white. Great answer. Congratulations. You've got yourself a campaign manager. Great. Hey Lauren. Get out. Get out. It was a perfect match. Shut the door behind you. We are going to crush her. Crush her. The team went straight to work in a purpose built war room. Hey Kyle, you know why I like you? Why? Because part of you frightens me. And that's a good thing. Thanks. With a professional strategist pulling the strings for Kyle, sweet, idealistic young Lauren didn't to seem seem to stand a chance. Until Oliver, a rival campaign manager showed up. Hey Jones. What are you doing with these two hardened operatives set against each other, Things were about to get nasty. But where should they begin? We do oppositional research on ourselves so that at least we know in advance what's likely to be coming from the other side. Alright, let's pull up your Facebook page here. What's your password? Poppies123. Of course it is. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What's that? What's that? Oh, not looking forward to the next Twilight movie? Why would you write that? Oh, I saw the part one of the movie and it was awful. You can't have an opinion on that kind of stuff. Who's that? My aunt. Get rid of her. Who's that? Family friend. Get rid of her. Who's that? That's Kyle, the kid you're running against. You can't be friends with him. Okay. All right. Okay. So let me ask you again. Hey, Kyle, you seen Twilight? Yeah, I have. What do you think of it? It's great. See? See how easy that was? Yeah. All you had to do was sacrifice something that you fundamentally believe passionately in. With vetting complete, the campaigns needed to decide where to place their focus. Which is more important, image or the content of your message? Image. Absolutely. You know, it's not uncommon for a consultant to buy a whole new wardrobe for a candidate. For a consultant to get a candidate a different haircut. Okay, we can do that. You better work. Can you do kind of conservative, but not too conservative. Wealthy, but not elitist. Turn to the left. Now turn to the right. This feels weird. You look great. There were just 12 days until the most important vote of their 12 year old lives. Coming up tomorrow on the Strategists, the campaign intensifies. You listen to me, you down your. You understand me? Previously on the Strategists. John and Jason each took an 8th grade presidential candidate and provided them with a modern political campaign. As the frantic first few days of the campaign drew to a close, there were some minor administrative issues to resolve. We've got bills here coming in, clothes, pollsters, my salary, general expenses, you know. But it does come to $5,105.67. Really simple. What's the war chest? Sorry? War chest money. What funds have we got? I don't have any. You have no money? No. Do you mind just putting your hands over your ears for a second? Yeah, sure. Yeah, just really tight. There was no money. And as 25 year campaign veteran Mark O' Hara knows, that is a problem. If you're very, very good at raising money, you don't really have to be very good at anything else. And if you can't raise money, you're. So Jason and Lauren immediately hit the phones to cold call loved ones and bleed them dry. And then. Mom, it's Lauren. Hi, Lauren. What are you doing, sweetie? We're trying to fundraise for the campaign. Okay, that's gonna help. So we were wondering if we could have $1,000. $1,000? What are you gonna use $1,000 for to win? No, you have it wrong. You can't buy a campaign. You have to win any. Quit being so naive. Quit being so naive. Naive? Who's telling you to buy a campaign? We gotta go. All right, bye. Meanwhile, across town, Kyle was about to entertain his top donors at a private fundraiser. Okay, we got 15 of your key donors out there. This is important. 5.99 a plate. So let's go over what we learned. One, start off with a joke. Good. Two, give them some red meat. Exactly. And three, don't say go. Get us paid. Thank you all for being here. If I go to any more of these fundraisers, I'm gonna get fat. The fundraiser was a huge success, but there's always a danger in your candidate becoming too comfortable. So. Look, 47% of this school is not gonna vote for me. They're lame and dweebs, and they're addicted to being dwee. Have you seen this thing? 400 hits already it's blowing up. We're not using that. Probably didn't mean anything of it. I mean. Okay, okay, stay positive. Girls, have you seen this? Look at Kyle. He's calling you all dweebs. Oh, my God. Negative campaigning works. And anybody in the my industry who tells you different doesn't know what the they're talking about. And thus, the negativity began. Oh. Oh. The hostility was threatening to spill over. And sadly, it did during an appearance the strategists made on the school's top rated news program. Hi, I'm Nina with WCMS News, here with John Oliver and Jason Jones, campaign strategist. Hi, Jason. How's the campaign going? Well, Nina, first of all, thank you so much for having me here. Nina, can I just jump in for a second? Because the toxic tone of this campaign has been a disgrace so far. Mr. Oliver, my good friend is clearly demonstrated. My good friend, that is not reflective of the kind of tone the literal definition have been aging. And I'm waiting. And this is the kind of School deserves better. Democracy deserves better. Kyle Perlman is a unifying candidate. Kyle Perlman. What is happening? Let me tell you what Kyle Perman is doing. Kyle Perlman. I'm sorry, Lauren, but that's non engaging in the discussion. Thank you. Thank you. The tone of this campaign so far. Well, that's all we have time for today. Thanks for watching and thank you for coming. Next time on the Strategists, the attacks get personal. Lauren, guess what I found. Boom. How do you allow yourself to get photographed naked in a Bathtub. I was a baby. Previously on the Strategists. Jason and John brought modern political tactics to an 8th grade student council election and were immediately embraced by the children. So you like your campaign guy? Not really. It's kind of mean. Now with the campaign entering its final days, the presidential debate was approaching. And as 25 year campaign strategist Mark O' Hara knows, you have to be prepared. Debate is the most formal setting for a candidate's image to be sort of fully realized. And so you practice everything. We even focus group individual words. We find out what words they like, and then we find ways to repeat them in meaningful, catchy phrases so that they'll stick with them when they go into the polls. Honor. Who likes honour? Leadership. Nachos. Yeah. What word are we gonna use? Nachos. How often are we gonna use that word? All the time. That's right. So describe the school using a nacho metaphor. Nachos. The school is like nacho cheese. It's warm, nourishing, and you can't get enough of it. I love it. As the Perlman campaign seized the momentum, Jason desperately searched for a celebrity to give the Zablo campaign a boost. I need a big time actor. Robert Downey Jr. Christian Bale. Any superhero would be great. Oh, really? You think he'd do it? But time was running out, because with debate afternoon finally here for the candidates, it was game time. It is with great pleasure that I introduce Kyle Perlman and Lauren Zablo. My name is Lauren Zablo and I am running to be your student council president. I've been in student council since sixth grade, so I will make every effort to fix what I've done. While Lauren went with substance, the Perelman camp took a different approach. Hello, my fellow Americans. I'm sorry to see I'm the only one wearing a flag plane today. And, well, I'm sorry to see that I'm the only one wearing a flag pin today. Yes. No selection, we all know, is pretty much a popularity contest. Use the word nachos in the next sentence. For example, you could say nachos are popular. Say God bless America. God bless America. Nachos. Nachos. With his back to the wall, it was time for Jason to deploy his celebrity endorsement. Who here's a fan of Batman? And what about Iron Man? Well, how about the Phantom? Ladies and gentlemen, Billy Zane. Billy Zane, the Phantom. This is the most important election of your lifetime. And that is why I am throwing my full support behind Lauren Zablo for Woodcliffe Middle School class President. But an October surprise can quickly turn into an October nightmare. So, Kyle, you want me to say what to Lauren? I can't say that. She's only 13 years old. I mean, it's over your head. Everything's over your head. You're four foot two. You get your dad to come down here and I'll kick his. Really? Billy Zane, everybody. Billy Zane. With the debate over, it was time for the children to vote and for the strategists to vote to get instant feedback from exit polls. 12 days of campaigning, thousands of dollars unnecessarily spent, all led up to this one moment. Good afternoon, Woodcliff Lake students and faculty. I am proud to make the announcements for the winning student council representatives for your 2012 Woodcliffe Lake Middle School president, Kyle Perlman. Thank you, Darren. Oh, yeah, I figured. Hey, Billy, what do you think about a third grade race in Akron, Ohio? Shocker. And with that, John, Jason and Billy Zane were gone. Because as any strategist knows, winning is everything. Cleaning up the mess is someone else's problem. Welcome back. Kyle Perlman. Lauren Zablo. Nicely done, guys. Very nicely done. First of all, I just want to thank you guys for participating. You guys were great sports and it was really a wonderful exercise. I want to ask what you felt like it was like to work with Jason and John and that the kind of. He did great. He was really great. Yeah. Kyle, what plans do you have now that you're in office? Actually, Carl, I'll jump in and take this. John, for a start, it's President Perlman to you. Respect the f ing office. And President Perlman is not taking questions at this time. Okay, you know what? Let me just take care of this real quick. After that display. Just. You might want to sign those guys. These are just releases that in any way indemnify the show of physical or emotional damage that were inflicted on you or the school. And it's just a pledge to never tell your parents that ever this happened. Okay? Yeah. Thank you both very much. Kyle Perlman. Lauren Zablo, everybody. We'll be right back. Prime delivery is fast. How fast are we talking? We're talking puzzle toys and lick pad delivered so fast you can get this puppy under control fast. We're talking chew toys at your door without really waiting. Fast pads, cooling mat and pet him are fast and fast. And there's training T R E A T s faster than you can say sit Fast. And now we can all relax and order these matching hoodies to get cozy and cute. Fast, fast. Free delivery. It's on prime. Lowes knows that no matter your paint project, saving is at the top of your list. That's why when you shop today, you can buy one, get one free. Select Valspar and HGTV Home by Sherwin Williams. One Coat coverage interior paints via rebate. Shop these deals in store or online. Today at Lowe's, we help you save. Selection varies by location while supplies last. Discount taken at time of purchase. See Sales Associate for details. Offer valid 821 through 9 3. Now, kids, obviously you've heard about the tensions in Syria, Iran, throughout the Middle East. But there is a battle brewing much closer to home tonight. The food fight sweeping school cafeterias nationwide. Students who say healthy lunches now mandated under federal guidelines, are leaving them hungry. News flash. Extry. Extry. Children think school lunches suck. We now go out to our own Captain Obvious, who has been following this story since schools began serving lunch. All right, what's the problem? Smaller portions, fewer calories, less meat and cheese, and more fruits and vegetables. Some kids are complaining that their lunch doesn't fill them up. The new rules limit elementary schoolers to 650 calories, 700 calories for middle schoolers, and 850 for high schoolers. Extry. Extry. School lunches suck and the portions are too small. So you hate the food and you want more of it. But I guess, look, if the government is actually policing students and restricting their caloric intake, that does seem a bit draconian. Despite calorie limits, students can always get seconds of fruits and vegetables. No, sure, fruits and vegetables. Like that counts as food. You know, we called fruits and vegetables in my school nerd grenades. And I should know because I got hit by a lot of nerd grenades. I thought my nickname was Incoming. It was just like, all right, sure, this is only for lunches that are subsidized by the government, and sure, you're allowed unlimited fruits and vegetables. But a third of our kids are overweight or obese. And if this keeps up from the government, we are never getting that above 50%. I'm still not clear on why they're hungry. At some schools, the amount of food thrown out in cafeterias is shocking. Kids are now throwing away twice as much food as last year. Mmm. Now, I am obviously not a nutritionist or an educator, but I think if these kids are hungry, I guess my solution would be eat your mother lunch. You know who's not hungry? Your old pal Remy out in the dumpster, cuz you gave him your lunch. So the usda, which has been Setting guidelines for subsidized school lunches for the past, oh, I don't know, 70 years, has in trying to curb what everybody agrees is a childhood obesity problem, changed last year's school lunch menu from cheese pizza, canned pineapple tater tots and low fat chocolate milk into whole wheat, cheese pizza, baked sweet potato fries, applesauce and low fat milk. Why is this news? New guidelines thanks to Michelle Obama. Michelle Obama's school lunch Calorie limits Michelle Obama's nutritional school. Oh, man. Oh, right. That's right. Cause this isn't really about food or kids. It's about big government. Uber nanny Michelle Obama, who, if she said we need clean air, half the country would demand gills because freedom. Listen to the complaint. The USDA shouldn't be deciding how many calories we take or how many calories we expend during the day at some point. That's what I'm talking about. He's American, Jack. Just because Uncle Sam's buying me lunch doesn't mean he can tell me what to eat. By the way, how do you feel about food stamps? The issue is, should you be able to use. Should you be allowed to use an EBT card, a food stamp card at a McDonald's? I'd rather have my tax dollar going to a family buying stuff at Costco in bulk. Deal on going to McDonald's. Right. Cause this is America, Jack. If Uncle Sam's paying for the meal, Uncle Sam gets to tell you where to eat. Oh, I just forgot. I don't make any sense. The story actually came to light because kind of a funny parody music video made by some high school students that even included some much younger students singing along. In Kansas, where they decried the new federal guidelines and even burned the legislation. Kids taking a strong political stand. Pretty sophisticated stuff. The parody song was actually written by an English teacher at the school. Oh. A teacher wrote a song that the children, including what appear to be elementary school kids, performed against the government. I wonder how FOX is going to take this. And I don't mean they're pundits. I mean they're news people. Cafeteria revolt. The new school lunch program that has left students starving in Kansas. Some kids and a teacher came up with a parody, a video turning the song we are young into we are hungry. I am told that if people don't like their vegetables, you just serve it to them day after day after day. And some people believe that that will make them love their vegetables. It's all just good fun. It's just a funny little video Parody video of little kids in school singing. You know, it reminds me of that video of kids singing a song about Barack Obama just after he was inaugurated. We are trying to get some answers about a video that is getting attention on the Drudge Report website this morning. It shows young children singing the praises, quite literally of the president. You know, many parents would have no problem with this. Many parents would. And just don't want this sort of political cheerleading, if you will, in the classroom. Hmm. The tone seems different in those two stories. So kids singing a song criticizing the administration. We'll show it to. It's just funny. Kids singing a song praising the administration. We'll show it to you. It's very disturbing. So how divided are we as a nation? Well, we have two types of diabetes in this country, and if Obama is against them, well, America's number one news network is for one of them. President Trump believes in a lot of things. The electoral college, Twitter, and of course, junk food. He loves junk food so much, he has now changed how American kids eat. Roy Wood Jr. Has more. Back in 2010, Michelle Obama took her biceps and broccoli and did something unforgivable. I am thrilled to be here with all of you today as my husband signs the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids act into law. This act changed the guidelines for school lunches, forcing innocent children to eat more nutritious meals. And they were not happy. Angry students are tweeting out cell phone snaps of their school lunches. Thanksmichelleobama. Thankfully, the Trump administration has finally done something right. They're making school lunches greasy again. You gonna finish that plan? Let me get all these. A bunch of kids talked to me about how they didn't like their school meals anymore. And we can make school lunches great again. Which means things like flavored chocolate milk will be back on the menu. That's right. In a bizarre twist, Trump is, for once the hero. His administration changed nutritious back to delicious, and all is right with the world again. But there's one flavor hater trying to roll back the rollbacks. Meet Margot Wutan, the Vice President for Nutrition at the center for Science in the Public Interest. She's also worked with the Obamas on the healthy, hunger free kids at. Explain yourself, Margo. Why are you taking good food away from the kids? We give kids choices, but all those choices need to be healthy. Then that's not a choice. If a dude came up to me and said, hey, do you want to be punched in the face or kicked in the face, I would say I do not like either of those choices. Food can be delicious and still be healthy. Just come over to my house for dinner, I'll show you. Mm. Mm. I seen get out. When I was a kid, we had perfectly healthy school lunches like this and I turned out fine. So what exactly are they changing in the menu? Switching from fatty meats to leaner proteins. Taking out the saturated fat, the trans and bringing down the salt levels to. You are a monster. It's not what you do to kids. The food is supposed to be tasty and terrible and it's supposed to make you fall asleep in Ms. Orman's biology class in fifth period. Actually, it's supposed to help you learn, not make them fall asleep. Why would you do that? What's next? You gonna take recess away? We love recess. Why don't you take away playing cards in the bathroom for $5 a hand? This was outrageous. What has Obama's school lunch ever done for anybody? Childhood obesity will decrease by 2 million kids and will save $800 million in healthcare costs. That don't even sound like real numbers. Where'd you get that data from? Harvard. A dude named Harvard. Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard University. Harvard. Harvard. Okay, okay, my bad. It's just I know a dude named Harvard. He be lying sometimes. And Margot was just getting started. Three quarters of the kids who get the school lunch come from low income families and their kids really rely on these meals as an important source of nutrition. Okay, that's bad, but how much nutrition are they actually losing? So we have two school lunches. We have a whole grain bun versus a white flour bun, but we have carrots here and we have salty french fries here because Trump is letting in more salt than was supposed to be. Ain't nothing wrong with a couple fries. They potatoes, they grow in the ground just like a damn carrot. More salt in kids diets means higher blood pressure in childhood, which leads to hypertension, stroke, heart disease, heart attacks. This really can have a big impact on children's long term health. Somebody's gotta go save the kids. If the government is going to keep putting politics before kids health, then it's up to me to infiltrate every school cafeteria and change their eating habits. Listen up you maggots. I've been watching you kids secretly not watching you like, like watching you eat. I've been watching your diet. I've been watching your diet and I don't like what I've been seeing. So I am here to change your lives. Oh, hell no. Oh hell no. These kids were out of control. Looks like it's time for them to meet sergeant Tough love. Hoo hoo. Are you crazy? You know how many calories is in that slice of pizza? You don't know. You don't know nothing. Look at me when I'm talking to you. Don't look at me. Think you know everything about nutrition. These kids need to be whipped into shape. Applesauce. No good food goes to waste on my watch. This is for your own good. Now everybody come over here and get an applesauce and a carrot. Dip the carrot in the applesauce. These kids were in a food coma. It was time to wake them up. All right, listen up, everybody. I know hamburgers taste good. And pizza and baconators from Wendy's with extra cheese. I want one right now. That's not the point. The point is this administration is feeding us junk food to keep us lazy, fat and complacent so that they can get away with what? Whatever they want. So it's time that we show the government we will not go quietly into that tub of butter. Nutrition now. Nutrition tomorrow. Nutrition forever. Now. Who's with me? Take a fight. Take a try. Take a look. If throwing that junk food at me kept them from eating it, it then I've done my job. Mission accomplished. I'm Ashley Graham, and as a parent, I know the back to school transition can be a lot when it comes to wellness, Ollie supports me and my family through it all. Kids multi is big in my house. It supports their immune system and they love to take it. A win, win for everyone. Shop these products@ollie.com or retailers nationwide. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. @blinds.com, it's not just about window treatments. It's about you. Your style, your space, your way. Whether you DIY or want the pros to handle it all, you'll have the confidence of knowing it's done right. From free expert design help to our 100% satisfaction guarantee, everything we do is made to fit your life and your windows. Because@blinds.com, the only thing we treat better than windows is you. Visit blinds.com now for up to 50% off with minimum purchase plus a professional measure at no cost. Rules and restrictions apply. I believe it was Solzhenitsyn who once said, I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. Or somebody said that. But what should we teach them? And where should we Lead them. Our own Asif Manvi investigates. Young people today are under enormous pressure and it's easier than ever for them to slip off the rails. In the 70s, the scared straight program tried to save troubled teens by putting them face to face with hardened criminals. Today's at risk youth need a new Scared Straight. I have one person that I want you to meet. This guy is gonna melt your brain. Tj, get in here. Hey, how you doing? Okay. He may not look scary, but wait until you hear his story. I screwed my life up going to college a private institution. Didn't research, didn't think when I took loans out. I owe 170,000. That's a lot of money. Yes. TJ was here to scare kids who were at risk of a college education. Costs are up over 1000% in the last 30 years, student debt is at an all time high, and job prospects are dismal. Career advisor Marty Nemko. For many more people than in decades past, college is the wrong choice. Those who are average students in high school who went into college, they end up doing jobs that they could have done straight out of high school. Like selling extended warranties or they are bartenders. Wow. I always assumed that they had a bartending major. I think that's called English Literature. Yeah, English Litzlab. Nice. Woo. So, had our panel given these issues any thought? What are you gonna measure it? History, I think. Sociology? Journalism. Wow. Do you have a time machine? Because you're gonna need one to go back in time when people give a about journalism degrees. Looks like these kids need a TJ to put the fear of school in them. I graduated with a degree in illustration. I don't even do it. I don't do art at all. $170,000. That's a house. Illustration is an economically useless degree. I'll be dead before these loans are paid off. Just don't make the mistakes I did. Mission accomplished. What did you feel like you got out of that? It's clear I shouldn't do anything with illustration. That seems like a bad life choice. That's your takeaway from it? You're getting a photography degree. Two different things, right? Idiots. Maybe what these kids need, what we need, is some professional help. Look right into that camera. What advice would you give to a teenager who's thinking about going to college right now? Think three times. Give equal value to apprenticeships, to taking a break from school. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Can you jazz it up a little bit when you're talking to teenagers? Hey, dude, you Know the college thing? Eh, there's something up with that, but is that the whole deal? I'm not so sure. You want to check out the options? Things like, you know, apprenticeships. There are options. Dude, our dudette. You know, I have to be honest, you're kind of awesome at that. That's why I do the work I do. I love it. Yeah. This time, mission definitely accomplished. There are options. Dude or dudette. So who's still going to college? Okay, you know what? Time to give this job to guys who never went to college. Guys with real skills. New Jack Jlover, get in here. What's up, Einstein's? Why you smiling? Get your ass up here. I'll bite your lips off. I'm gonna drop a bomb on you. If you hate going to school. College is a lot like school. Student loans are like herpes with compound interest. You make the wrong choice, you gonna have to move back home with mama boy. If you want to be interested at parties. Three words. Malcolm Gladwell. You got a college degree in this hand. And toilet paper in his hand. You can take two. Two. After two hours of enhanced education techniques, I was hopeful these kids would finally make a smarter choice than going to college. Maybe now I want to intern at a recording studio or somewhere else where I can get some firsthand experience. Hands on experience. Nice. That's what. It was all worth it to have helped even one young person to stay out of school. Oh, and one more thing. Learn Chinese. Just. It'll help. There's so much arguing in America today, but we here at the Daily show think there could be even more. So to do our part, here's Dulce Sloan with another installment of Prove Me Wrong. You know, it's a special time of year where the crisp is back in the air, your exes are calling you back, and we have sent those badass kids back in that building. So welcome to Prove Me Wrong Back to School edition. These kids ain't that bright anyway. Why keep using your tax dollars to teach these little monsters? Why do you think school should stop at third grade? What did you learn in the fourth grade that you still use cursive? Now, how am I gonna remember what I learned in the fourth grade? I don't remember what I wore last week. That's what I'm saying. If you can't remember what you learned in the fourth grade, then why did you need to go past the third? Now that's a valid point. Cause I can't tell you nothing I learned past third grade. I want you to prove Me wrong. Popularity in school does matter. Prove me wrong. I think when you're showered with attention and cuddled like too early, like all the people like you, it's not good for your development. Now, where'd you go to school? In Germany. Germany? Yeah, Southern Germany. So you're saying that you shouldn't be popular because the popular kids end up selling schnitzel or some shit, which is not bad for itself, right? But yeah, I'd say so. There is no reason to teach spelling anymore. Come here. Spelling is so important. Sorry, I don't want to be rude, but I mean, spelling is like. You're not being rude. I said prove me wrong. You walked over here. I mean, spelling is like first thing you learn in school. We have all of these computers that tell us, hey, the words are spelled wrong. What about the people who aren't as lucky as us who don't have the technology to have autocorrect? You know, maybe they're still writing. I don't know. Like people around the world. I haven't lived that life, but I know they exist. No, I'm only talking about the fools here, okay? So this is no reason to teach spelling anymore in the U.S. listen, I'm an American. I don't think about anyone else. Why would I think. This is trappel H. I'm jealous of you. I'm jealous. I wish I could just think about myself. Attractive people shouldn't be allowed to be teachers. Prove me wrong. Well, I think attractiveness is a very subjective thing. He could be attractive to you and not to me. There's no way we can, like, say ugly people. I don't play this game. We know who's ugly. We do this all the time as people. It's like, oh, attractiveness is relative. No, it's not. I definitely paid more attention in class than there was an attractive teacher. I agree. I felt math four times. You only get to take it four times. Yeah, no, I finally passed on the fourth time, actually. But what about all the other math you had to take? I think your accountant might be still off. Had a hot physics teacher. Don't know what physics are. I know. Biology is bodies, chemistry is the chemicals. What the hell is physics? Physicals. I think a hot or not teacher doing physics isn't gonna help. Well, thank you so much. I think we're. We've figured out that hot teachers are a detriment to us all disagree. Ron, are you a teacher? Really? What school is this? Can I enroll? See, that's my point. You can't have hot teachers. I wouldn't learn shit with him standing in front of me. Did you see them pecs on that man? The disrespect. He should be fired immediately. Explore more shows from the Daily show podcast universe by searching the Daily Show. Wherever you get your podcasts, watch the Daily show weeknights at 1110 Central on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount. Plus, this has been a Comedy Central podcast.
Episode: TDS Time Machine | Back to School
Date: August 27, 2025
Host: Jon Stewart and The Daily Show News Team
This "Back to School" episode dives into the rituals, anxieties, absurdities, and political commentaries surrounding the return to the classroom. With Jon Stewart and the Daily Show correspondents, the episode explores media handling of presidential children’s first day, parodies the modern student council election as a vicious political contest, discusses the contentious debate over school lunches (from Michelle Obama’s healthy guidelines to Trump’s rollback), and lampoons college pressures and broader questions about the value of education. Throughout, the team uses signature satirical humor and biting social critique.
[02:20 - 05:20]
[05:20 - 14:00]
[14:00 - 32:45]
[32:50 - 48:00]
[48:00 - 55:30]
[55:30 - END]
| Time | Segment | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00 | [Skippable Ads/Intro] | | 02:20 | Jon Stewart returns to "news school" | | 05:20 | Media frenzy: Obama's children and first day at school | | 14:00 | Student elections parody: 'The Strategist' documentary | | 32:50 | School lunch battles: policy, parody, and political backlash | | 48:00 | College debt 'Scared Straight' and rethinking higher education | | 55:30 | ‘Prove Me Wrong’: irreverent education hot takes with Dulcé Sloan | | 64:00 | [Start of outro/ads] |
Through satirical sketches, sharp political commentary, and signature Daily Show humor, this episode uses the back-to-school theme as a lens on American culture, media, and policy. From the embarrassment of news coverage hounding First Families, to the parody of political tactics in children’s elections, to healthy lunch wars and the real cost of higher education, the show leaves no educational stone unturned.
Takeaway:
Back to school isn’t just for kids; it’s also fertile ground for some of the best Daily Show lampooning, highlighting the absurdities and sometimes the pathos of growing up, governing, and (over)educating in America.