S7 E4: Sheriffs, Coronvirus & Hotstar: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Bloomberg and Warren End Campaigns, Coronavirus Concerns

• Elizabeth Warren and Michael Bloomberg ended their presidential campaigns, with Bloomberg spending over half a billion dollars on his campaign (42s).
• Bloomberg spent $5 million on ads in the US, which has a population of 327 million, leading to a humorous calculation that he could have given each American $1 million and had lunch money left over, although the actual calculation is around $150 per person (58s).
• Twitter is not a reliable source of facts, as seen in a tweet claiming Bloomberg could have given each American $1 million, which is incorrect (1m20s).
• The big story of the week was the coronavirus, with cases continuing to rise and the Trump administration's response being criticized (1m52s).
• President Trump claimed a coronavirus vaccine could be ready in months, but experts contradicted him, saying it would take at least a year to a year and a half (2m6s).
• Trump's press conferences often require an epilogue from an expert to clarify the incorrect information he provides (2m33s).
• The president also made incorrect claims about the virus, including that it's the "meanest" virus he's ever seen and that you can't get it from sucking on nuts (2m43s).
• Vice President Pence gave a briefing in which he claimed insurance would cover coronavirus testing, but left before answering a follow-up question about access to testing for the uninsured (3m18s).
• The question of whether nearly 30 million uninsured Americans will have access to a test for the deadly and contagious virus remains unanswered (3m49s).
• The president visited the CDC and spent 45 minutes discussing various topics, including asking about his town hall ratings on Fox News and bragging about his knowledge of the coronavirus, stating he might have a natural ability for it (4m28s).
• The current shortage of testing kits for the coronavirus is a significant issue, with Mike Pence stating it could be weeks until tests are widely available, yet the president claimed anyone who wants a test can get a test (4m50s).
• The president's statement about testing kits is flagrantly untrue, as there are not enough available tests, and he cannot simply state something as a fact because he wishes it were true (5m27s).
• The president's priority seems to be managing perceptions, as he repeatedly mentioned the low number of confirmed cases and deaths in the US compared to other countries (5m52s).
• The president was reluctant to evacuate a cruise ship with 21 people who tested positive for the virus, citing his preference for keeping the numbers of cases and deaths low (6m8s).
• Leaving people on the cruise ship indefinitely would have likely led to the spread of the infection, demonstrating the president's callous indifference to human life (6m56s).

Modi Story Controversy and Hotstar Censorship

• A quick update on India mentions the country's prime minister, Narendra Modi, and a supporter, Arnab Goswami, who did not enjoy a previous story about Modi and responded with a promo for his upcoming show (7m15s).
• Arnab Goswami criticized the person who did the story about Modi, calling them a motivated fool or malicious, and used a promo with a mirror, which was mocked for its potential to be anyone, not just the intended target (7m27s).
• A person criticized John Oliver, calling him a "Third Rate TV host" and stating that he's not smart enough to be a satirist, but Oliver responded by saying that he's beyond the capacity for shame and has done things like wearing jeans designed to give him a "sweet peach" on television. (8m11s)
• The critic was scolding Oliver about an episode on Modi, but that episode didn't actually air in India because the streaming service Hotstar never uploaded it, and it's unclear if the Indian government was involved in the decision. (9m9s)
• Hotstar has been quietly censoring Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, including removing a joke about Mickey Mouse having a cocaine problem, likely because Hotstar is owned by Disney and is sensitive about Disney references. (9m15s)
• Another joke that was cut out was about Donald Duck's penis being shaped like a cork screw, which is a factually accurate statement about ducks, and Oliver resents that joke being cut out. (11m19s)
• Oliver warned Hotstar that if they think they have to remove anything that reflects poorly on Disney from the show, they will have a hard time because Oliver frequently makes jokes about Disney. (11m42s)
• The topic of Nazi memorabilia and Disney facts is briefly mentioned, followed by a transition to the main story about law enforcement and the job of a sheriff (12m2s).

The Role and Power of Sheriffs

• The role of a sheriff is often associated with Western lawmen handling livestock-related crimes and anti-immigrant figures like Sheriff Joe (13m15s).
• Sheriff Joe is featured in a clip where he discusses a suspect who was caught through an undercover investigation involving a horse (13m41s).
• There are over 3,000 sheriffs in the United States, and they typically run law enforcement at the county level, overseeing around 25% of local law enforcement officers (14m47s).
• Sheriffs can be good, bad, or unusual, and an example of the latter is Kenny Boon, the former sheriff of Florence County, South Carolina, who created a bizarre PSA about talking to kids about drugs (15m16s).
• The role of sheriff is unique because they are elected, which often leads to the creation of campaign ads, including a notable one from a candidate in South Carolina (16m18s).
• A politician is being transparent about their past, mentioning a ticket they received as a 16-year-old for not having their driver's license, being in fender benders that were their fault, and attending a law enforcement Halloween party dressed as a ruthless drug kingpin, Big Meech, 10 years ago (16m28s).
• The politician notes that the party was 10 years ago, a time when blackface was widely considered bad (17m9s).
• Sheriffs hold a significant amount of power, and with over a thousand Sheriff elections this year, it's essential to examine their role (17m20s).
• In most states, Sheriffs' duties are enshrined in the state constitution, giving their job description an old-timey flavor (17m29s).
• Sheriffs can technically form a posse, enlisting volunteers to help with tasks such as providing security or pursuing fugitives (17m37s).
• A school shooting drill featured Steven Seagal as the coach, teaching participants how to fight an active shooter (17m55s).
• Sheriffs have the power to set law enforcement priorities in their county, which can be both good and bad (18m37s).
• Some sheriffs have advanced progressive ideas, such as deprioritizing low-level drug offenses or fighting for bail reform (18m43s).
• A Texas Sheriff is fighting for bail reform, noting that 75% of the population in their jail is pre-trial detainees, many of whom are too poor to pay (18m50s).
• The same Texas Sheriff implemented a cite and release program for low-level offenses, rather than booking people into jails (19m41s).
• However, some sheriffs can also prioritize the wrong things, such as Sheriff Joe, who prioritized immigration enforcement over investigating sexual assault (19m53s).
• Sheriff Richard Jones in Butler County, Ohio, has refused to allow his deputies to carry Narcan to rescue people mid-overdose, despite overdoses being a significant cause of death in the area (20m1s).
• Some people do not believe that those struggling with addiction are worth reviving, and instead view it as a personal choice rather than a disease, drawing a distinction between addiction and conditions like cancer (20m23s).
• Sheriffs have significant duties, including operating local jails, which gives them considerable leeway in how they manage these facilities (21m9s).
• In Alabama, sheriffs were previously allowed to personally keep leftover funds allocated for prisoner food, creating an incentive to skimp on meals, with Sheriff Todd Entrekin being a notable example of this practice (21m19s).
• Sheriff Entrekin was accused of providing inadequate food to inmates, and it was later discovered that he had purchased a $740,000 beach house using $750,000 in leftover taxpayer money from his jail's food budget (21m33s).
• Entrekin acknowledged the poor optics of the situation but expressed a desire to continue his practices while improving public perception (22m4s).
• Jail conditions can be severe, as seen in the case of Sheriff Greg Ahern of Alameda County, California, where over 40 inmates have died in the past five years, and numerous female inmates have sued over allegations of poor treatment and conditions (22m30s).
• Ahern has defended his facilities, but his responses to allegations have been unconvincing, and he has been criticized for downplaying the severity of the issues (22m54s).
• The difficulty in removing sheriffs from office between elections makes it challenging to address these issues and hold them accountable for their actions (23m50s).
• Sheriffs in the US often operate with a lot of impunity and can be unaccountable due to the difficulty in removing them from office through a criminal conviction intervention, state government action, or a recall vote (24m2s).
• Sheriffs can be belligerent when questioned, as seen in the case of Sheriff Kenny Boone, who left a threatening voicemail for a county finance director who questioned his spending (24m13s).
• The authenticity of the voicemail has been disputed by Boone's lawyer, but Boone is currently in jail after pleading guilty to felony embezzlement (25m10s).
• The lack of accountability and oversight of sheriffs is a problem, as they often have a significant amount of authority with little scrutiny (25m40s).
• Many sheriff elections do not receive enough attention and are often unopposed, with 59% of all sheriff races being unopposed in 2018 (25m56s).
• Running against an incumbent sheriff can be challenging due to fear of retribution from their own employees (26m19s).
• The Criminal Justice Reform movement is increasingly focusing on sheriff's races, which is seen as a positive development in increasing accountability (26m33s).
• It is essential for citizens to be aware of their local sheriff's race and to educate themselves about the candidates, as the position has a significant impact on the community (26m53s).

Sheriff Wilkerson's Campaign and Confessions

• A campaign ad for a fictional sheriff candidate, Scott Wilkerson, is presented as an example of the kind of information that might be revealed about a candidate, including their personal flaws and questionable behavior (27m4s).
• A person contracted the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, in 2009 and then proceeded to visit every Sizzler Steakhouse in the state, licking their fingers and dipping them in the salad bar for unknown reasons (28m1s).
• This individual has a habit of visiting the Wikipedia page for The Armenian genocide whenever they're in front of a computer and toning down the content, not because they deny the event, but because they think people are exaggerating (28m24s).
• They claim to have come up with the idea for zucchini noodles and have a peculiar habit of licking the phone ear and mouth parts in every hotel room they've stayed in (28m35s).
• This person admits to giving different handshakes to black people than to white people, whether they want it or not (28m47s).
• They also confess to traveling out of state to harm a horse, justifying it by saying it wasn't a local horse (28m59s).
• The individual, who is revealed to be Sheriff Wilkerson, hopes that by sharing these confessions, they have earned the trust of the public and asks for votes in the upcoming election on November 3rd, 2020, despite running unopposed (29m7s).
• Sheriff Wilkerson has been serving as sheriff for 42 years and claims to be dangerous (29m11s).
• In their free time, they enjoy killing frogs, not just by shooting at them, but also by strangling them (29m48s).