S6 E30: The Census, Stupid Watergate II & 2019 Wrap Up: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Impeachment Inquiry Developments

• The latest developments in the impeachment inquiry, dubbed "Stupid Watergate 2," have been dramatic, featuring damning public testimony from three state department veterans and a closed-door interview with David Holmes, who overheard a phone call between Trump and EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland (48s).
• Holmes's opening statement revealed that Sondland told Trump that Ukrainian President Zelensky "loves your ass," and that Trump only cares about big things that benefit him, like the Biden investigation (1m17s).
• Republicans have been trying to defend Trump, using techniques such as insisting that there is nothing to see because nothing happened, and that the only evidence against Trump is hearsay (2m13s).
• The "nothing to see here" defense is shaky, as Ukraine only got its aid after the House started asking questions, and the Ukrainian president was days away from publicly announcing investigations but canceled at the last minute (2m51s).
• The hearsay defense is also flawed, as the evidence against Trump is not just based on hearsay, but also on direct testimony from officials like Holmes and Sondland (3m15s).
• Republicans have been trying to downplay the significance of the evidence, but it is clear that Trump's actions were improper and potentially illegal (2m5s).
• Multiple people, including President Trump's Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, have gone on record stating that the President pressured Ukraine's President Zelensky for his own political gain, despite the argument that this is just hearsay (4m11s).
• A defense has been made that quid pro quo deals are common and acceptable for Presidents, with a Republican County chair comparing it to "twisting arms" and "scratching backs" (4m38s).
• However, this argument has a major flaw, as Presidents are supposed to conduct foreign policy in a way that benefits the country, not themselves (5m33s).
• Some have tried to downplay the scandal by saying it's too boring to care about, with Fox Business host Stuart Varney calling it "unutterably boring" (6m0s).
• Another tactic has been to claim that the story is too complicated for people to understand, with some even pretending not to know what "quid pro quo" means, despite it being a Latin phrase (6m50s).
• However, the story is not complicated: the President withheld foreign aid approved by Congress to get something that would benefit him personally, which is a bribe and a shakedown (7m16s).
• White House officials knew the pressure tactics were wrong and hid information about it in a top-secret server, making it clear that Trump's actions were not standard practice for Presidents (7m32s).
• It's essential that Trump be held accountable for his actions, as letting him get away with this would send a message that he can essentially do anything (7m44s).

The US Census

• The US Census is a long-standing American tradition that occurs every decade, with the government conducting a comprehensive count of every single person residing in the United States, not just citizens or voters, to help communities plan for roads, schools, and emergency services (9m16s).
• The census is usually conducted through mail forms, sometimes supplemented by in-person interviews, and the government opens 250 Regional Offices, hires around half a million temporary workers, and mails notifications to over 140 million households to accomplish this task (11m53s).
• The concept of the census is simple, but counting every single person can be challenging, especially for groups such as children, those living in remote areas, homeless people, and others who may be hard to reach (11m33s).
• The 2020 census is likely to be even more challenging than usual due to budget shortfalls and active Republican meddling (12m10s).
• The census has been promoted through eye-catching TV ads over the years, including a 1980 ad featuring Mickey Mouse, who appears to have a cocaine problem, according to some observations (9m50s).
• A training film for the 1940 census shows how census workers would conduct in-person interviews to gather information from households, including the names of people living in the household and whether there are any babies (10m52s).
• The census is the largest and most complicated peacetime operation that the government undertakes, and its success relies on the participation of the public (12m4s).
• The census involves going through houses, ringing doorbells, and asking people basic questions, but some individuals are paranoid about the government asking questions and do not want to engage with the census (12m20s).
• The census asks a few basic questions, including name, age, sex, race or ethnicity, the number of people living in the home, and how they are related to one another, as well as whether the home is rented or owned (13m0s).
• Some people, including Libertarians, have filmed themselves taunting census workers and refusing to answer questions, citing concerns about the census being unconstitutional (13m28s).
• The census is, in fact, constitutional and is mentioned in the sixth sentence of the US Constitution, making it a critically important process for the country (14m18s).
• Census data is used to evenly distribute political power across the states, with seats in the House of Representatives divided up based on population, and adjustments are made after every census (14m40s).
• Some states are anxious about being undercounted, as this can result in losing seats in Congress and affecting government funding, with hundreds of federal programs using census data to distribute over $880 billion to states and localities (15m0s).
• An undercount can have real consequences, as seen in the city of Circle Pines, Minnesota, which was just 82 people shy of the 5,000 person threshold required to qualify for certain state roads funds in the last census (15m55s).
• Local officials in Circle Pines are working to ensure an accurate count in the next census, with one official even referring to himself as "Census Man" (16m17s).
• A census-themed superhero has been created to remind people about the census, but his only superpower seems to be spreading awareness about the census, which is a vitally important initiative (16m24s).
• The census data is used by businesses to decide where to add jobs or open stores, making it crucial to get the census right (16m51s).
• The president thinks the census is a waste of time and money, with a budget of $15 billion, and suggests that it could be done more accurately through computers (17m5s).
• However, the president's understanding of computers is questionable, and he has never been seen using one, with a photo showing him looking scared to touch a laptop (17m42s).
• Congress has underfunded the census bureau by hundreds of millions of dollars, which has affected critical preparations for the census (17m52s).
• The 2020 census will be the first to ask most people to answer online, which could make counting easier, but the government's website needs to work properly to avoid issues like the healthcare.gov launch (18m8s).
• The census bureau typically does multiple test runs in different locations, but due to budget constraints, it only did one test run in Providence County, Rhode Island, which had underwhelming results (18m40s).
• A library in Providence County tried to help by offering coupons for $5 off late fees if people filled in the census on a tablet, but only one person took advantage of the offer (19m2s).
• The 2020 census was always going to be a big challenge, but the bureau has had to expend time and energy on issues caused by underfunding instead of focusing on the census (20m4s).

Citizenship Question on the 2020 Census

• The Trump Administration announced a move that could impact the balance of power for years to come by adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census, a decision made by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross following a request by the Justice Department (20m16s).
• The addition of the citizenship question was met with criticism, as the bureau's chief scientist stated it would harm the quality of the Census count, and many people may choose not to respond out of fear that the information could be used against them or their household (20m46s).
• Despite the concerns, it is against the law for the bureau to disclose any private information that identifies an individual to anyone, and personal census information is kept completely confidential for 72 years (21m8s).
• Wilbur Ross initially claimed the Justice Department had requested the citizenship question to better enforce the Voting Rights Act, but it later emerged that Ross had pressured the DOJ to request the question (21m35s).
• The true reason for adding the citizenship question was exposed after the death of Republican redistricting strategist Thomas Hofeller, whose daughter found documents on his hard drive that laid out a plan to suppress minority votes and use the Voting Rights Act as a cover (22m47s).
• A proposed citizenship question on the census, intended to help Republicans maintain power, was ultimately dropped after being ruled against by three courts, including the Supreme Court. However, the fear and anxiety it caused among immigrant communities, particularly Latino families in Chicago, may lead to an undercount in the census. (24m5s)
• Experts are concerned about a potential undercount in the upcoming census, which could affect millions. It is emphasized that everyone living in America should participate in the census to ensure accurate representation. (25m16s)
• The administration's actions suggest they believe certain people do not count, and participating in the census is a way to counteract this belief. (26m0s)

Quirky News and Show Reflections

• The video humorously suggests including a note about the number of toilets in one's home when filling out the census, referencing a previous joke about four being the normal amount. (26m12s)
• The video includes a segment from "Inside Edition" with various quirky news stories, such as a 61-year-old ex-military woman, a "botox bandit," and a "burger mystery." (26m24s)
• The show reflects on its activities over the past year, including robocalling the FCC, baking a large marble cake, climbing a fake Mount Everest, and creating a musical directed at a coal tycoon. (27m21s)
• The show also mentions an obsession with a Japanese mascot named Chetan, who was a hyper-violent unofficial mascot for the city of Susaki. After Susaki broke ties with Chetan, their official mascot, Shinokun, was left alone, which saddened the show. (27m52s)

Chon, Shinokun, and Heon's Reunion

• A heartwarming story about Chon, a nearsighted otter, and Shinokun, who became great friends and lived together in Susaki, Japan, is shared as a contrast to the current unpleasant state of the world (28m43s).
• The upcoming presidential election year is expected to be even more toxic, and the story of Chon and Shinokun serves as a reminder of the joy and wholesomeness that can be found in unexpected places (29m3s).
• Chon and Shinokun's friend, Heon, was having a rough year and decided to write a letter to them, expressing his sadness and exhaustion, and his wish to see them again (29m32s).
• Chon had an idea to visit Heon, and they packed their bags, borrowed some snacks, and set off on a 13-hour flight to America (30m35s).
• Upon arrival, they had trouble fitting in and took what they assumed was the subway, eventually finding themselves in the heart of New York (31m11s).
• Chon and Shinokun searched for Heon, visiting a comedy club and asking if he was a member, but were unable to find him (31m31s).
• Chon tried his hand at comedy, but they soon realized that they were not in the right place and that the man they were looking for was not Heon (31m56s).
• Just when they were about to give up hope, they were surprised to find Heon, who had been trying to see them all along, and they were reunited (34m7s).
• The story ends on a hopeful note, with Heon daring to hope for a better future, and the show coming to a close with a message of appreciation to the viewers (34m20s).
• The conversation ends with a farewell message, stating "good night" and mentioning the next appearance will be in February (34m42s).

Show Closing

• The host greets the audience with a casual tone, asking how they are doing (34m45s).
• The host acknowledges the audience's appreciation for Seth, describing him as "very good" (34m54s).