S4 E18: Sinclair, Wax Presidents & Trump Travel Ban: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

26 Aug 2024 (3 months ago)

Trump Administration and Policies

On Thursday, President Trump posted a series of tweets about Mika Brzezinski. (42s)
The Supreme Court ruled to partially reinstate President Trump's travel ban. (2m2s)
The State Department defined close family as a parent, child, in-law, sibling, or spouse, but not grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, or brothers or sisters-in-law. (2m43s)

Sinclair Broadcast Group, the largest owner of local TV stations in the U.S., is set to acquire Tribune Media for $4 billion. (9m54s)
If approved, the deal would create the largest single group of television stations in the nation. (10m2s)
Sinclair produces and distributes conservative commentary segments, featuring personalities like Mark Hyman, to its affiliates, a practice uncommon among other major TV station owners. (11m8s)
Boris Epstein is the Chief Political Analyst at Sinclair and has a regular segment called "Bottom Line with Boris". (13m16s)
In 2010, Sinclair's Pittsburgh affiliate pulled a 30-second Democratic ad off the air after receiving a complaint and finding that some claims in the ad were unsubstantiated. (13m58s)
Sinclair regularly sends out segments called "must runs" that station managers are directed to work into their broadcasts. (17m29s)
Sinclair provided a political scientist limited screen time to counter a pastor's assertions, with voiceovers undercutting his statements. (18m57s)
The political scientist, Bullock, argued that the pastor, Shines, misrepresented history by omitting context. (19m4s)
Sinclair mandates daily segments called "Terrorism Alert Desk," which sometimes feature relatively insignificant events related to terrorism. (20m54s)
Sinclair Broadcast Group may acquire a local news station. (25m2s)

A wax museum of presidents in Gettysburg is auctioning off its wax figures. (26m26s)
The speaker bought five wax presidents: Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, William Henry Harrison, and Warren G. Harding. (28m46s)
A fictional movie about Warren G. Harding, the 29th president of the United States, is coming soon. (31m4s)
The movie stars Campbell Scott, Anna Kendrick, Michael McKean, James Cromwell, and Laura Linney. (33m19s)
The show will return on July 30th. (34m37s)