S1 E10: The Wealth Gap, CIA Twitter & Japan: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Japan's Policy Shift and Military Recruitment

• Japan announced a significant change in its pacifist military policy, allowing the use of military force to defend other nations.
• Japanese citizens protested the policy shift, comparing the prime minister to Hitler.
• The Japanese military released a recruitment video featuring a member of the pop group AKB48 to attract recruits.

President Obama's "Day in the Life" Tour and Income Inequality

• President Obama announced a "Day in the Life" tour to connect with regular Americans but faced challenges due to security measures and people's behavior.
• The tour focused on income inequality, which President Obama had previously identified as a defining challenge.
• Democrats initially committed to addressing income inequality but later backed down, leading President Obama to shift his strategy and avoid the topic.
• Politicians generally avoid discussing income inequality due to its sensitive nature and potential political consequences.
• President Obama faced criticism for using the term "class warfare" to describe income inequality and sought advice from historians on how to discuss the issue without such accusations.

Income Inequality in the United States

• Income inequality has been rising in the United States, with the richest 1% earning nearly 20% of all available income last year.
• Despite evidence of increasing wealth inequality, 60% of Americans believe that hard work can lead to success, reflecting persistent optimism in the country.
• The federal estate tax, which helps limit wealth accumulation across generations, is often targeted for abolition despite its limited impact on most individuals.
• The existence of an estate tax has not prevented the transfer of significant wealth, with many billionaires inheriting their fortunes.
• America's wealth distribution resembles a lottery of birth, with inherited wealth playing a major role in determining economic success.

John Oliver's Commentary

• John Oliver discussed the disproportionate number of black and brown balls in a lottery machine, emphasizing that it is not representative of anything and viewers should not read into it.
• Oliver criticized FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke for expressing surprise at the amount of alcohol consumption and violence at the World Cup in Brazil, despite Valcke's role in lifting a ban on alcohol sales in stadiums.
• Oliver highlighted the German government's decision to expel the CIA station chief in Germany due to spying allegations, suggesting that the CIA's recent attempts at humor on social media may have contributed to the negative perception of the agency.
• Oliver presented questionable tweets and videos from the CIA's official Twitter account, criticizing their attempts at humor and suggesting that the agency should focus on addressing its history of privacy violations and questionable practices rather than trying to be funny.
• Oliver invited viewers to help the CIA write more suitable jokes using the hashtag #betterCIAtweet.