The Precap | Josh Johnson on D.C. Reflecting Pool Getting Nastier, JD Vance Getting Cringier & Iran War Fallout

Summary

The Daily Show: Ears Edition — The Precap

Host: Randal Otis
Guest Host: Josh Johnson
Date: June 22, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Precap offers a humorous yet sharp analysis of the week's biggest headlines as writer Randal Otis sits down with guest host Josh Johnson. The discussion ranges from the ongoing debacle of D.C.'s reflecting pool, the awkwardness of JD Vance at the center of global politics, and existential fears regarding fallout from the Iran war, to the absurdities of American patriotism and the uncertainty of the country's leadership. Interwoven with comedy and personal anecdotes, the conversation explores how seemingly small embarrassments (like a duckling dying in a national monument) intersect with much larger global crises. The episode closes with pop culture recommendations and a short “Daily Show & Tell.”

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Juneteenth Reflections & Working on Holidays

[02:47 – 04:10]

• The episode opens with the hosts recounting their Juneteenth experiences.
• Josh Johnson stresses how working on Juneteenth feels particularly out of place:

  “If through the conditions of living in the United States of America, you also happen to have to work on Juneteenth, then you should take a real good, long, hard look at yourself.” – Josh Johnson [03:18]

• The banter quickly turns to performing “labor” for others and the irony of celebrating a day of emancipation while working.

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2. The Washington D.C. Reflecting Pool Debacle

[04:10 – 13:09]

• The reflecting pool’s collapse into an algae-ridden, chemically hazardous mess is the centerpiece of ridicule and social commentary.
• Josh and Randal compare the current pool disaster to previous states, painting a picture of rapid decline under recent management.
• Hilarity ensues as they joke about former President Trump blaming Antifa, peroxide dumping, mustard gas risk, and duckling fatalities.
• The visual of paint chunks coming off the bottom spurs a sense of national embarrassment:

  “Once, huge chunks of paint were coming off that you could hold in your hand. I was like, oh, we're not a country anymore.” – Josh Johnson [07:15]

• The hosts ironically connect the pool’s degeneration to U.S. decline:

  “Even, like, MAGA people who were looking at the pool, they were like, damn. … I can't even.” – Randal Otis [07:35]

• They riff on how American nostalgia makes the greenness stand out even more, noting, “When you promised blue and it's green, it somehow makes it look more green.” – Josh Johnson [09:14]
• The pair digress into elementary school insecurities about color theory and basic navigation, layering levity onto the theme of American mediocrity.

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3. Iran War Fallout and JD Vance’s Cringeworthy Diplomacy

[13:09 – 29:54]

• The transition moves to serious anxieties about the war with Iran, fixating on JD Vance’s perceived inadequacies as a statesman.
• Notable Quote:

  “The entire global economy rests on this guy. This gormless husk of a man who clearly cannot talk to people is just awkward as hell.” – Randal Otis [14:41]

• Vance’s public speaking blunders (“he just tells a story about telling the joke”) and failed attempts to connect, even with supportive audiences, are lampooned mercilessly.
• Josh likens Vance to “Jim from The Office if there was no camera to look at” [15:47].
• Discussion points on the Trump administration’s habitual delays and lack of strategy:

  “The problem for Trump... is, like, the way Trump gets past things is delay... But in this situation, the enemy is time.” – Randal Otis [18:06]

• They draw comedic parallels between international blunders and waking up late for a flight.
• The confidence of Iranian officials is interpreted as ominous:

  “We are waiting for them. Just like that … that's concerning. That's a trap.” – Randal Otis [22:26 – 22:48]

• The inherent difference in preparation and resolve between Iran and previous U.S. adversaries is highlighted, as Josh points out, “Some of them have been waiting for this their entire life.” [23:03]
• The metaphor of retail workers fighting back against a robber is used to illustrate the potential for major pushback when aggression is misjudged.

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4. American Leadership, Oligarchy, and Economic Fear

[25:24 – 33:00]

• The conversation veers into the financial implications of war and the absence of responsible authority figures to prevent disaster.
• Referencing the film Network, Randal discusses the moment “you can do your little reflection pool bullshit, but you don't touch the money,” questioning where America’s shadowy ‘oligarchs’ are [25:52].
• Disillusionment with possible “saviors” as leaders admit to apathy:

  “I don't care about the financial situation of Americans. Is a crazy thing to say.” – Randal Otis [27:25] “He lives to not make a hot mic necessary. All of his hot mic moments he does to you, out loud, in your face, daytime.” – Josh Johnson [27:35]

• The hosts joke about “Monsanto, Raytheon, Lehman Brothers Bank” as the real beneficiaries of American conflict [30:11].
• The duo sardonically anticipate a coming depression, referencing “dust bowl” recipes like water pie for comic effect [30:46 – 31:55].

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5. U.S. Sports and Nationalism in a Shifting World

[36:16 – 37:36]

• The hosts discuss the U.S. teams in the World Cup, reflecting on how American competence (or the lack thereof) in soccer serves as a microcosm for national image:

  “If we somehow pulled off a miracle and this year, out of all years, we won, it would not be good. You would have to take the podium, like. Ah, sorry.” – Randal Otis [36:54]

• They self-deprecate about their ignorance regarding soccer's rules, using it to highlight the episode’s ongoing theme of American cluelessness.

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6. Looking Ahead – What’s Next on the Show

[33:00 – 35:39]

• Josh previews upcoming topics, promising further coverage of the reflecting pool and a segment on the mishaps behind the “Great American Festival” (or “Freedom 250 vs. America 250”), including the embarrassment of celebrity cancellations and the comedic possibility of Vanilla Ice living in the White House.

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7. Daily Show & Tell – Pop Culture Picks

[39:03 – 40:58]

• Josh recommends Five Gears in Reverse (Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips) and The Invisible Man (James Tinian) graphic novels.
• Randal gives high praise to the horror movie Obsession, leading to a discussion about the realistic portrayal of social fears in relationships.

  “You haven't seen really, like, act like she's ready to scrap with you. And you're like, how am I supposed to react to this?” – Josh Johnson [40:19]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On National Embarrassment:

  “Once, huge chunks of paint were coming off... I was like, oh, we're not a country anymore.” – Josh Johnson [07:15]

• On Political Leadership:

  “The entire global economy rests on this guy. This gormless husk of a man who clearly cannot talk to people is just awkward as hell.” – Randal Otis [14:41]

• On Iran's Confidence:

  “We are waiting for them. Just like that ... that's concerning. That's a trap.” – Randal Otis [22:26 – 22:48]

• On American Denial:

  “Yeah, but it might for us. It's my favorite joke in Arrested Development, but it might for us.” – Randal Otis [32:39]

• On Future Depression Literature:

  “Someone writes Grapes of Rats, like, nigga, I ain't reading that shit. Thrown across the wall.” – Josh Johnson [32:00]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Juneteenth and Labor Banter: [02:47 – 04:10]
• Reflecting Pool Disaster: [04:10 – 13:09]
• Iran War and JD Vance Analysis: [13:09 – 29:54]
• Economic Dread & Leadership Failures: [25:24 – 33:00]
• Festival Fiasco Preview: [33:00 – 35:39]
• World Cup and Nationalism: [36:16 – 37:36]
• Daily Show & Tell Picks: [39:03 – 40:58]

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Style & Tone

This episode maintains The Daily Show’s characteristic satirical, irreverent tone—blending serious political critique with comic dissection of current events, national insecurities, and pop culture references. The chemistry between Josh Johnson and Randal Otis keeps the conversation fast-paced, hilarious, and biting, ensuring listeners are just as entertained as they are informed.

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For more, watch The Daily Show weeknights on Comedy Central at 11/10c or stream anytime on Paramount+.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

You're listening to Comedy Central. Hello and welcome to the Pre Cap the Daily show podcast where we sit down with this week's host to recap some of the latest news and preview what's coming up next. I'm Randall Otis. I'm one of the writers of the show and and I am joined today by your host this week, Josh Johnson.

[C]

Hey, man.

[B]

What's going on, buddy?

[C]

Not too much. How about you?

[B]

I'm good. Had a good Juneteenth.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

Lot of plans. Barbecue DJ set. Drank too much of the barbecue and went home.

[C]

Did you dj?

[B]

Oh, hell no. No, no, no.

[C]

Well, you said DJ set, so it's Juneteenth.

[B]

I'm not Here to perform or do labor. This is my day to enjoy the fruits of other people's labor.

[C]

Mm.

[B]

If you're working on Juneteenth as a black a take where you try to be, like, down, but it's just the most elitist thing.

[C]

Yeah. You try to. Yeah. If. If through the conditions of living in the United States of America, you also happen to have to work on Juneteenth, then you should take a real good, long, hard look at yourself.

[B]

If you somehow haven't overcome, then you shouldn't enjoy Juneteenth. Now. Did you do anything?

[C]

I did work. Yeah. I did shows.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

I was entertaining.

[B]

Tap dancing for the white man on Juneteenth.

[C]

No. So it was a. It was a good couple shows, had a good weekend, and then have been looking forward to this.

[B]

Are you hyped for this week? You got a lot of stuff that's going on. I mean, that's every week.

[C]

But sometimes you have too. Yeah, sometimes you have too many things that are happening. And especially when you pick one, it becomes hard because then you pick the one that you're attached to that you're like, ooh, we'll talk about this tomorrow. And then something will happen overnight.

[B]

The thing right now people are talking about is the reflecting pool, which I love. You've been to D.C. i've been to

[C]

D.C. and I will also be talking about the reflecting pool for two weeks at least. Like, in group chats, in updates. Because the updates are worse than the story.

[B]

Cause with me with the reflection pool, like, when it first started, I honestly was like, you know, look, it's a pool. I've dealt with, you know, pools and having to upkeep stuff before. And. Yeah, sometimes you get an allergy. Right now, though, I was like, oh, dawg, this is. You singularly messed this up. It should not be this bad.

[C]

You insert yourself in a way that only messed it up so much. Cause no one remembers what it looked like before you wanted to fix it. Yeah, we just remember what it looks like. Like today.

[B]

I have never thought about this thing.

[C]

I will also tell you right now that Trump is not a problem solver, because this man is over here. Oh, no, the reflecting pool. Antifa did it. Whatever. There's algae blooming in the pool, and you got the number one algae eater in your cabinet. Get RFK over there. That man would take one look at the reflecting pool and be like, soup.

[B]

He eats it all, and somehow it fixes his voice. It's like, that was it.

[C]

That was it. Wow. Whoa. Turns out. Some just had to grab the thing in my throat.

[B]

Turns out I'm British, actually.

[C]

Yeah. Cause even when they were pouring the peroxide in there, I was like, oh, y', all, I don't know if that's good. Like. Like, now I'd be scared to walk past it.

[B]

Yeah. Cause now I'm like, I don't know what chemicals you could make mustard gas on accident and just kill everybody.

[C]

And you heard about the duckling.

[B]

Oh, I saw that. That. Honestly, that was the moment where I was like, oh, this is bad. I don't think you should be dying in the reflecting pool.

[C]

I'll tell you right now, too, that duckling is gonna somehow do so much more damage than anything else this week. Us being on the knife's edge of global disaster. Not just us. I know that as the US we think that we're the only country that's ever existed. But the world is having gas problems right now, oil problems right now off of this conflict. And I'm telling you right now, that single duckling is gonna move the needle more than the global crisis that's incoming.

[B]

But, like, the paint coming off the bottom is nasty as hell.

[C]

The paint coming off.

[B]

Paint coming off the bottom, that's what made me feel like. Cause I don't get hit with patriotism that often. It's like during the World Cup. Yeah. And, like, when other countries talk a little too much, I'm like, all right, chill. That's my thing. But when the paint came off, I was like, this is the most hood

[C]

shit in the world. Can I tell you right now? The paint coming off doesn't happen in a regular pool.

[B]

No. I didn't know that was possible.

[C]

I also didn't know that was possible. The paint coming off is the most ratchet. Like, what's the. Not just paint coming off, as in dissolving. Once, huge chunks of paint were coming off that you could hold in your hand. I was like, oh, we're not a country anymore.

[B]

Even, like, maga, people who were looking at the pool, they were like, damn. Even. They were like, I can't. I can't. I can't even.

[C]

Ooh. I can't abide this.

[B]

This looks bad.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Oh, right after we had. Yeah. The MMA fight. I'm saying, dude, we're, like, about to have, like, flamingos, and Chevy's on cinder blocks.

[C]

There's gonna be. It's. We're starting to act like Trump's remodeling of D.C. does look post apocalyptic.

[B]

I was about to say it's gonna be like, I Am Legend. Will Smith is just gonna be driving around talking to mannequins.

[C]

Imagine if I Am Legend had a busy street and that's what DC will look like with more Trump ears. Like it'll just be a dude with his dog. He doesn't need to talk to mannequins because there's so many people standing around that don't have a job because all the jobs have been given to AI. We tried to sue. We tried to sue. But remember also the big beautiful bill is a clause about suing companies and slowing down the US's progress in the AI field. So you know what?

[B]

Also because like the, the only times I see the reflecting pool as someone who doesn't live DC is like in photos because there'll be all those historic event near the pool, like MLK's big speed. I was just imagining MLK being like, I have a. Oh nigga, I'm a Dr. Just getting distracted by how gross it is, dude.

[C]

Because here's the thing. Like some ponds, some lakes, rivers, green. Like it, it, it does have, like algae is naturally occurring.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

But when you, when you promised blue and it's green, it somehow makes it look more green.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Like it, it's actually 10 times greener than it probably is. Like in our minds it's, it's ten times greater than it actually is because we know it's supposed to be blue or at the very best. At the very, at the very, like best. Super clear with a blue bottle.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Now if the water was blue, let's, let's say for a second that they had put blue food coloring in the reflective pool. We'd still be like, wow, the water's so clear since the bottom.

[B]

I think they're gonna try that's actually, they may try that. But then I don't know. What, I'm not good at color theory. What does green and blue make? It's gonna be like purple or something.

[C]

I mean, I know red and blue make purple. I feel like it's gonna make like a sort of like cyan purple.

[B]

This is just an aside.

[C]

Uh huh.

[B]

I do feel incredibly insecure not knowing what colors mix to make what color. I feel like somehow like everyone else got that in preschool or whatever, but my schools didn't because I'm from Florida.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

So like they'll be like, this is a very rare thing, but times in my life and be like, oh, you know what this, this color makes? And I'm just like, no. I feel so embarrassed.

[C]

Red and Blue. You know what that means?

[B]

It literally. It makes me feel like I'm the guy who has to go, it's to your left. That's how I feel with colors. I don't. It's just side note of my insecurity.

[C]

No, I feel that way with directions. I feel really insecure when people ask for directions, and I can't tell them if it's north or east or whatever. But that's what you don't know. I go that way. I know it's that way. You go that way, and then you take a left, and then you. Whatever. But north, south, east, and west is like the basis of maps.

[B]

I think in New York, you should be able to do it, because it's very simple. I'm just like, freedom towers to the south.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

And then that's how you orient also. You just go, oh, it goes up that way, down that way.

[C]

Yeah. No, I know that when you're going. When you're on, like, Manhattan and you're pointing towards something, you could just say north or. But the rest of the world.

[B]

Oh, no, I don't.

[C]

I have no frame of reference for where any of that is.

[B]

I can do it. Um, as long as it's not noon. Cause I'm like, okay, sun sets in the east or rise in the east, sets in the west. But if it's noon, I'm like, shit, nigga, I have no idea. This is where I have respect for. I feel like if you brought a caveman back to these times and he had this conversation, they'd be like, oh, they got. They got dumber.

[C]

Well, no, I think the difference is if you brought that person back, we wouldn't know. I'd do common things for them, which would make us look very dumb. And then they would burn all of us for being witches.

[B]

Yeah, they'd be really strong. We wouldn't be able to stop them.

[C]

Yeah, they. They walk and eat well every day. They're from before we called it organic.

[B]

Yeah, they're all just like CrossFit people, too.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

All the weak ones are dead.

[C]

Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

So you meet anyone 18 above, they're gonna rip your spine out of your torso just for no reason.

[C]

But, yeah, I think that's. I've had this insecurity, too, where I'm like, oh, man, if I could meet someone in my ancestry who was, like, a forager, they'd be so disappointed that I didn't know how to take care of myself in, like, a from the earth sort of way. But then also, I Would show them an iPhone, and they'd be like, the glass does that.

[B]

Yeah. Do they even know what glass is?

[C]

They might.

[B]

They would only see it if it got like. Like a lightning hit the beach.

[C]

Yeah, yeah. If lightning hit the beach and made a design. But even then, you probably ended up keeping that thing as a keepsake from the time that God waved at you.

[B]

Oh, yeah. I think you could take over the village. I've been blessed by the Lord. And we're live from the living room as Doug eyes up the Machez spread. He's reaching for the buffalo wing. Perfect. Hang on. What's this? Oh, he's gone for a can of Pepsi, too. Incredible. What a finish. Sensational combination. Look at the delight on his face. There's no doubt about it. It just tastes better. Match days deserve Pepsi. Food deserves Pepsi. Grab a pack of Pepsi. Zero sugar for today's match. It's poetry in motion. Speaking of blessings, this is not a transition. Has nothing to do with the Iran war. But I've been thinking about this. We were talking about this upstairs, but we're at the. It's similar to the reflecting pool in the sense of, like, in the early days of the Iran war. I'm like, this is stupid. This is ridiculous. But there's an easy way out of this, you know? Now I'm legitimately, like, I'm scared existentially of what is going to happen with the. It was. You know what did it for me was seeing JD Vance in Switzerland because I'm like, the entire global economy rests on this guy. This gormless husk of a man who clearly cannot talk to people is just awkward as hell. He's the guy who. I still remember the campaign video of him going to that, like, Dunkin Donuts and just skeeving everybody out.

[C]

Yeah. Just being like, y' all glaze him here. Every interaction this man has is so uncomfortable. He's like, well, do you remember when he gave that speech and he was talking about. This is how, like, how badly he's wired. He was giving a speech, and he was talking about talking to the troops beforehand and telling them a joke. And then. And then they were like, oh, the crowd can't handle that. Like, that's too, like, politically incorrect of a joke.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

But then he never says what the joke is. He just tells a story about telling the joke. And then the soldiers, apparently the soldiers who definitely exist, said to him, sir, don't tell that one.

[B]

You crazy for this one, Jay.

[C]

But it would be like if you said, you crazy. For this one, Jay. And then the song was over.

[B]

Yeah. You know what it is. Next track.

[C]

Yeah. And then also the way that on camera, he's been so awkward. He reminds me of Jim from the Office if there was no camera to look at.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Like, take all those moments where Jim looked at the camera in the office and make it a real world. No documentary. It's like, what are you.

[B]

What are you looking at?

[C]

Yeah. What. What are you looking at? And why are you. We can see you. So what are you doing with your face right now?

[B]

He's like, oh, I thought no one would pay attention. And then also, there's no ending to the episode, so you just have to still be there.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

The amount of speeches where this man has said something and there's clearly an expected laugh or applause and just nothing happens.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

I'm just like, oh. As a performer, I just hold my chest like, oh.

[C]

I know that we do comedy, but it's a rough thing to have someone believe in what they're about to say so much that they literally. You can tell that the prompter says hold for laughter.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Because then even if they try to read past the hold for laughter, you can see their eyes darting around for a second, and then they keep going.

[B]

And you're like. And I'm like, you're performing for a cult to bomb in front of the people who are supposed to. Who are so emotionally invested in you that they would probably like, well, not you, but, like, your boss and the thing you're a part of. And for even them to be like, I can't muster up the. I can't give this to you, dog.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

No, and it's tough, too, because you can tell that he wants to be president one day. So he's very much being like, this is a classic Trump deal, which is talking out of both sides of his mouth. Because on one hand, there's a classic Trump deal in that. It's working, guys. It's working. Y' all are killing it. But also, he's trying to right now, ahead of 2028, ahead of 2032, ahead of whenever he ends up running. He's trying to plant the seed right now that this is a classic Trump deal.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

He's not like, this is classic American ingenuity. This is classic. This is a classic Trump deal, specifically.

[B]

Yeah. I didn't have anything to do with this.

[C]

I just found out about we all. I'm mad, too.

[B]

Well, I think the problem for Trump, us is, like, the way Trump gets past things is delay Right. Like with his court cases, he's like, I just gotta keep delaying, delaying, delaying till the election's over. Or he has that refrain where he says, oh, it'll be done in two weeks. But in this situation, the enemy is time. It's like, you will run out of time. So pushing things off actually makes it way worse. So the only, like, tactic he has, we have actively hurts us. So I don't see the way out of this.

[C]

Yeah, it's a lot. Like, when you wake up. This has happened to me a couple times, where you don't set an alarm, and you are still blessed enough to wake up exactly in time to leave for the airport. If you get up, pack and brush your teeth right now and get in an Uber, you'll make the flight. You'll run, but you'll make the flight. But you would also love to risk it with five more minutes of sleep.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Cause the thing that is so dumbfounding about a lot of this is that it wasn't a problem before you got involved, like, actually at all.

[B]

I didn't know about the strait.

[C]

Yeah. Yeah. I didn't know about this island.

[B]

I did bargain.

[C]

Yeah, I did. I didn't know about a bunch of stuff. And so this was all brought on by you. Then you. You seem to have some sort of reluctance to doing the thing you say you're going to do, which is like, attack, attack, attack, attack, attack. But then also, you don't want any of the financial consequences of what comes with starting something with people you know nothing about. I also think that there's no difference to him. And to be fair, a lot of people in the US there's no difference to him in one Middle east nation versus another.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And so you look at Afghanistan and Iraq, and you're like, oh, we went in there. We were basically able to do what we wanted. So that's what I'll do here.

[B]

It's like, in the meanwhile, it's like, no, Iran is, like, way more powerful than these people, than these other two countries. You know, it's way bigger.

[C]

This is very dumb, but what would have. What would have clued me in a long time ago was in that they did a documentary, technically a documentary series, but they did a documentary about Mr. Olympia. And they were talking at one point. I don't even know what brought this on because it truly wasn't on my mind, but they were talking about how it's Mr. Olympia, it's supposed to be the strongest and most fit and best physiques in the world yet so much of it comes from the US and maybe a little bit of Europe. And Iran was, like, the only country that had, like, three dudes enter. I was like, that says a lot that in this documentary, we're like, why is this sport so US Based? I know that we came up with it to a degree, but why aren't people flying from all over the world and everything to compete? And then you see some Europeans, so a couple Russians and a couple of, like, Bulgarians that are just huge. And then three Iranians.

[B]

You're just like, wait a minute.

[C]

If you had left it to sort of mainstream propaganda to tell you none of them should be this tall or strong or fit.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And three of them. I can't stress this enough. Iran, not as a nation, but just like happenstance, Iran was represented by three people versus Russia's one.

[B]

That would give me pause as well.

[C]

Yeah. I'd be like, what's happening here?

[B]

How do y' all have the muscle technology to match, you know, the moment in the war that freaks me out. It was early on with. I think it's their foreign minister. He's a guy who has, like, very nice hair. That's how I think about him. It was also weird because it's like we were interviewing him on just, like, CBS while actively at war, and he's just like, hello.

[C]

Yeah, it was very trippy. Yeah.

[B]

But the American anchor was like, are you nervous about a potential ground invasion from the US and he just goes, no, we are waiting for them. Just like that. And I was like, that.

[C]

That's concerning.

[B]

That's concerning. That's a trap.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

The confidence freaks me out. He's like, I'm not concerned at all, honestly. Bring it. Because either they have something that you don't know about, or it's like, I don't give a fuck.

[C]

No, truly, some of them have been waiting for this their entire life. Which is the biggest difference between other people that we've messed with or countries we've invaded versus them.

[B]

It's the difference between we did it on a whim and they've been planning for 47 years. So many contingency plans.

[C]

Have you seen a lot of fights, like, in person? Yeah, just in person. I've seen a few stuff like that. It's such an interesting thing when somebody wants to fight, when someone's being messed with and they're like, you know what? God must have sent you, because I've been wanting to beat the plaster out

[B]

of somebody when they just take their shirt off. Immediately, without any, like, build up. They're just like.

[C]

Like a half of a push, and they're like, ready. I talked about how one time there was these people at. It was either a Family Dollar or Dollar General or whatever, but they. They were getting robbed and they jumped.

[B]

The. The robbers.

[C]

The dude robbing. Imagine now, imagine now you work at, like, Family Dollar, Dollar General, something like that. Pull the gun. Like, they pull the gun on the people working there. And the people working there are like, oh, yes. Cause now there's people probably calling the police. Like, don't call them yet. Let me get my stops in.

[B]

That's witnesses.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And, you know, they're not doing it to defend the dollar. You know, they're not getting paid enough that they're doing this for work. This is for them.

[C]

No, no, no. This is to let it out. This is because I have not been allowed to do this my entire time working here. I've wanted to every day.

[B]

You are every customer I've ever dealt with.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And I am going to unleash the will of God onto you.

[C]

Imagine imagine you are trying to rob a dollar store, and then three people, just Nikes at your back.

[B]

You start calling the police. I was robbing the store. They're whooping my ass.

[C]

Look, look, this. This is. This portion of response.

[B]

All right?

[C]

I just want what was in the

[B]

register after the sixth stomp. I think you're the criminal now.

[C]

Yeah, y' all are hitting me with my gun.

[B]

Oh, my God. Part of me I think about if the US like, truly is an oligarchy, right? Then what's coming in terms of, like, the potential impacts of this war is so great and it would harm so many businesses that I'm thinking about. Have you seen Network?

[C]

No. No.

[B]

It's this movie where there's a. There's an anchor who kind of, like, has a mental break. And he starts preaching in very populist and borderline and, like, religious ways on the news. But they keep him on the news because he's getting, like, really good ratings. And then at one point, he says something that breaks up some oil deal or whatever, and he gets called into this room that's like a giant room. It's very dark, long table. And then there's a man there, and he's like, you have messed with the laws of nature. And he just explains capitalism to him. And he's like, money has got taken out and it must be put back. And you have interfered with that. And it's basically. It's like you can do whatever you want. You can do your little reflection pool bullshit, but you don't touch the money. And now he is touching the money. So I'm like, where are the oligarchs stopping this? I just don't know who is in charge of anything.

[C]

Yeah. But that's why I think the structure of it is that people here and abroad are far too comfortable with that sort of like, patriarchal figure in place.

[B]

The savior. Someone's gonna come save us.

[C]

Yeah. Yeah. It's like, no. No. And also that could have been true for a few people in recent memory, to a degree. But this person already said he doesn't care about you.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

That's another crazy thing.

[B]

I don't care about the financial situation of Americans. Is a crazy thing to say.

[C]

It's a crazy thing to admit. That's should be a hot mic moment.

[B]

I do not care.

[C]

And his like, yeah, it's like he lives to not make a hot mic necessary. He really. All of his hot mic moments to you, out loud, in your face, daytime. Like, it would even be different if this was a Dateline interview and it was at night. And it's like, look, the President was tired and he misspoke. Whatever this is. First thing in the morning.

[B]

And then he'll come out the day after. He's like, no, I meant that. Yeah, they'll, like, try to clean up. It's like, oh, he met something else. No, I'm not.

[C]

No, no.

[B]

I don't give a fuck.

[C]

I don't think you heard me the

[B]

first time America read my lips.

[C]

Yeah, yeah.

[B]

It just knocks out. That's why they couldn't send Trump to the negotiations. If you got a. If you caught a photo of the negotiations and Iranian, like, pointing out a map in figures. And Trump's just, like,

[C]

just crazy.

[B]

Oh, my God. It's like, we all know, like, the whole art of the deal is bs, but like a week ago, when he was on stage and he was like, you know, I had to make a deal now. We were four weeks away from global catastrophe. I was like, mega. Don't tell them that. What are. What you'd never negotiation be like, ooh, you really had me by the balls there. I'm like, we don't even have a deal. We're just talking. And you just told your audience. It was like, oh, if we wait three more weeks, we can get whatever we want.

[C]

There was a movie. I can't remember what the movie was, but there was a movie where in this scene, this soldier who is like, freshly in charge of troops is like, you scared? I'm scared, too.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And it was all part of a bigger speech. It was all part of a bigger speech. But in my head, I was like, that one line was unnecessary. That was like. That was like, I get it.

[B]

It's like, we all know, but don't say that.

[C]

Yeah, you're humanizing yourself, and you're bringing them into the moment. You're being vulnerable. I get that. But now y' all have to run to gunfire. And so the fact that you start the speech. You scared. I'm scared, too.

[B]

Hey, just so you know, nobody's really in charge. I don't know what I'm doing. You started this war on a whim. Good luck, everybody.

[C]

Just so you know, this is all gonna be for nothing. That's important that you get that in your head right now.

[B]

1, 2, 3, 4. Monsanto, Raytheon. Remember who you're fighting for. Lehman Brothers Bank.

[C]

Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

It's.

[C]

Nah, it's disaster.

[B]

Part of the destructive part of me is, like, it'll be interesting. Sure. I've never been in a depression.

[C]

I've been depressed, but I've never sat through, like, an economic downturn quite like this.

[B]

Yeah. Dust bowl. I'll see, like, recipes from the dust bowl every once in a while. Water piece? They say it's not that bad.

[C]

What is water pie?

[B]

It's pie crust, water, sugar, like, chunks of butter, and then, like, some congealing agent. And it's. Yeah.

[C]

Like baking soda.

[B]

Yeah, something like that. And then you bake it. Yeah. It's the Great Depression you ain't getting.

[C]

So when. So, wait, wait. When did you have water pie?

[B]

I didn't have water pie. Cause I have.

[C]

Oh, you looked it up.

[B]

Water piece. Yeah. Made of flour, water, sugar, butter and vanilla and then. Yeah.

[C]

So where's the pie part? Cause that's just crust, right?

[B]

No. Cause it's all that stuff. Like, when you put that stuff in the water, it makes the water more, like, gelatinous to, like, fill the space.

[C]

Oh, so it's like Jell O Pie?

[B]

Kind of, I guess. It doesn't look bad.

[C]

No, it looks. Lemon meringue.

[B]

Yeah. See, we can do a depression.

[C]

No,

[B]

Not even. Not even humoring it.

[C]

No. No. Those things are not the same. They're not the same at all.

[B]

We'll get some great literature. There was some great literature during the Great Depression.

[C]

We can't read anymore.

[B]

Yeah, we can't. Someone writes Grapes of Rats, like, nigga, I ain't reading that shit. Thrown across the wall.

[C]

Yeah. Somebody's reading Grace of Wrath. Like, this is the longest insta post I've ever seen.

[B]

Boring, gay. And then you just go on TikTok.

[C]

Yeah. Yeah. I don't know where we go from here, because it's like, history will remember. Blah, blah, blah is what people have been saying. But I'm like, it seems like that doesn't matter because we do remember the last time things went this bad and how people were acting like this.

[B]

And we're like, yeah, but, like, we literally are like, we're built different. That's our thing. Yeah, they were dumb. We're not.

[C]

Even though we're doing the same thing.

[B]

Yeah. It's just that Arrested Development joke. It's like, does it ever work out for them? Nah, everyone thinks it does, but it never does. Yeah, but it might for us. It's my favorite joke in Arrested Development, but it might for us.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

All right, so we're looking ahead and seeing what you might be covering this week.

[C]

I mean, I'm gonna talk about the pool for a while.

[B]

Pool's gonna be.

[C]

This is good. The pool goes crazy. But I also plan on talking a little bit about the great American festival or fair or whatever this thing is that it was supposed to be versus what it's gonna be. Because initially it was gonna be, like, this big concert. They were gonna have a big old concert, and they invited all the A listers, and the A listers said they were busy, and then they invited B, and B was B's kind of who. They got like, a. Bret Michaels and stuff.

[B]

Okay. Oh, the B list.

[C]

Yeah, the B list.

[B]

I thought there was an artist named

[C]

B. I'm like, no, no, no, no, no. That'd be a nightmare as far as, like, SEO.

[B]

Oh, God, no. Yeah.

[C]

But then people start pulling out because it was clear that there's a difference between freedom 250 and America 250. And there are different orgs, they do different things. And one is, like, completely apparently run by Trump, where the other one is, like a bipartisan committee that's like, it'd be nice to have a new library opened or whatever. And then he's the one that's like, let's have people do it. Like, pop wheelies on the White House lawn.

[B]

It is crazy to name them. So similarly, for the president to do, like, what struggle artists on LimeWire did, where you just name your song Big Pimpin'.

[C]

Yeah. For the president to do what the parents of twins do.

[B]

I was like, it's like, well, Jalen and Kaylin.

[C]

Yeah. One letter away. So, yeah, I'm going to talk about that. Talk about who pulled out, who's still in.

[B]

Vanilla Ice.

[C]

Yeah. You got Vanilla Ice. I mean, he'll. He'll stay till the end. Yeah, I think he will be chill doing it even when they. They also ask him to leave.

[B]

I think he just needs a push place to stay. I think that's what this is. Hey, man, my lease is up.

[C]

Hey, man, my lease is up. And the white house got a lot of windows, which means it must have a lot of rooms, which means you must have extra.

[B]

You're. You're keeping that. The MMA stage there. I. I could. You could put a tarp over that.

[C]

If you put a tarp over that, that's a whole apartment.

[B]

Plug up the walls, get some spackling for the cage.

[C]

Octagon shape. You can't run into the wall sharp if you tried.

[B]

That's what we keep our Vanilla Ice there. You can feed them if you want to.

[C]

That is. Yeah. What a water pie is.

[B]

Vanilla Ice. You put in some. It's water. A little Vanilla Ice. Vanilla Ice literally is the ingredients to water pie.

[C]

Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

Oh, this depression's coming. There's so many, like, signs from God who's like, prepare yourself.

[C]

Yeah, you should watch out for. I mean, maybe don't elect someone who bankrupted multiple casinos, but yeah, now that you're past that, you just have to get ready for that pang.

[B]

I was about to say I'm ready. I can't even jokingly, I'm like, I'm scared.

[C]

No, I'm pretty scared. I am nervous. I'm nervous.

[B]

It's cool. You know, I had a fun bachelorette party this weekend. I've done all the things I need to do. Karaoke, man. That's the bucket list.

[C]

That's fair.

[B]

Are you watching the World Cup?

[C]

I'm watching some of the World Cup. I'm watching the World cup once in a while. And how close are the U.S. s chances?

[B]

Very low. I don't think we're bad.

[C]

I don't think we're bad either. We've been winning. But I don't know what the knockout round means. I assume that all of playing in FIFA was knockout.

[B]

All of our, like, foreign fans are just like these stupid American mother. I'm like, I don't know. All I know is our women's team is really good.

[C]

Yeah. No, they're incredible.

[B]

And our men's team's, like, decent.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

It would be bad for the world if we won for us to. If we somehow pulled off a miracle and this year, out of all. Out of all years, we won, it would not be good. You would have to take the podium, like. Ah, sorry.

[C]

You'd have to take the podium, like, look, this is a sport which is different than policy. We.

[B]

We didn't have anything to do with that.

[C]

Yeah. We are all so confused. By the way.

[B]

We don't like this either, but thank you for the trophy. Please don't assault us when we leave the stadium.

[C]

Yeah. No, no. Cause those fans are something else.

[B]

They get down.

[C]

Yeah. Here's the thing. We should definitely cut some of this because we know so little about.

[B]

I don't know anything about World cup

[C]

that it would actually distract and undercut all of our points.

[B]

Yeah, I'm like, Messi's short, Ronaldo's tall. They're both pretty good. Argentina, Brazil.

[C]

Yeah. That last minute we gotta lose.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

There's a part of me that everyone sees. I'm Howie Mandel, the comedian. Apparently I know what funny is. Funny bought me a house. But I also know what isn't funny. Ocd. I've lived with OCD my entire life, and people throw the term around like it's no big deal. But OCD is severe, often debilitating. It's a mental health condition that involves unrelented, unwanted thoughts that can make you question your character, your beliefs, even your safety. General therapy can help with some things, but for ocd, it can actually make things worse. That's why I want to tell you about nocd. NOCD is the world's largest treatment provider for OCD and is covered by Insurance for over 155 million Americans. Their licensed therapists specialize in ERP, the most effective treatment for OCD. If you think you might be struggling with OCD, go to nocd.com to book a free 15 minute call. They are here to help.

[B]

So it's time for something we call Daily show and tell. So what's something that you've watched, read, listened to, argued about, or just been on your mind lately?

[C]

I read the graphic novel Five Gears in Reverse by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. And then I've just started reading the Invisible man graphic novel by James Tinian. And I'm looking forward to finishing that one as well.

[B]

Very cool. Mine's not as unique. Saw Obsession, loved it. I love horror movies in general. Probably one of my top five.

[C]

So the thing with Obsession that I think is so perfectly done is not only is it about, like, getting what you want, everything like that. But the way in which. Okay, I'm not gonna give anything away, but the. The way in which she scares him is actually how I've seen some dudes be scared before. Every once in a while, you will be like, why is this six foot even dude scared of this tiny woman? And it's like, you haven't been around. Yeah, you haven't been around.

[B]

Haven't been there at midnight when she does the weird stuff she does or

[C]

you haven't seen really, like, act like she's ready to scrap with you. And you're like, how am I supposed to react to this?

[B]

It is funny, too, in terms of, like, the first half. Not half, but, like, the very, very early parts of the movie of her being, you know, different. I'm like, the fear is very, like, male in terms of like, oh, what a crazy woman. And then it just immediately switched to, like, a female fear of like, oh, this guy is the worst man to ever live.

[C]

I'm with someone unstable. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[B]

That's all the time we have for the pre cap. I'm Randal Otis Catch Josh Johnson hosting the Daily show this week on Comedy Central, Paramount plus, and right here in podcast form on the Daily Show Ears edition. Thank you, Josh.

[C]

Thanks, man.

[B]

Explore more shows from the Daily show podcast universe by searching the Daily show 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.