S5 E29: Drain the Swamp, Midterms & Jeff Sessions: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
16 Sep 2024 (2 days ago)
Trump's Midterm Election Results and Cabinet Appointments
- Donald Trump described the midterm election results, in which the Republican party lost control of the House of Representatives, as "very close to complete victory".
- Trump fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions and replaced him with Matt Whitaker, Sessions's former Chief of Staff.
Matt Whitaker and World Patent Marketing
- Whitaker was an advisor for World Patent Marketing, a company that was shut down by the Federal Trade Commission for defrauding customers.
- World Patent Marketing allegedly misfiled a patent for an inventor and left her in debt.
- Matt Whitaker, acting Attorney General, was a paid advisor for World Patent Marketing and claims to have been unaware of any fraudulent activity.
Trump's Cabinet and Campaign Promises
- Donald Trump made draining the swamp a signature campaign promise.
- Trump has appointed many wealthy business people to his cabinet, many of whom could benefit from policies they oversee.
Mick Mulvaney and the Payday Loan Industry
- Mick Mulvaney, the acting head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has worked with the payday loan industry to block rules that would regulate them, after receiving $60,000 in campaign contributions from payday lending interests.
Scott Pruitt and the EPA
- Scott Pruitt, the former head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), was known for extravagant spending and questionable ethical conduct.
- Andrew Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist, replaced Pruitt as the head of the EPA.
Scott Angelle and the Oil Industry
- The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, which released 130 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, had a devastating impact on the environment and economy.
- The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) is responsible for the safety of people and the environment.
- Scott Angelle, a former lieutenant governor of Louisiana and oil industry advocate, was appointed to regulate the oil industry.
- Angelle publicly shared his phone number, encouraging oil executives to contact him directly to discuss business opportunities.
Celebrity Earnings and Social Media
- Frank Gore is in his fifth season in the NFL and will be playing his third season with Marty Mornhinweg as offensive coordinator.
- Selena Gomez can make an estimated $550,000 per post on social media.
DJ Khaled and Alcohol Advertising
- DJ Khaled has promoted various alcoholic drinks to his millions of followers, many of whom are under 21, without disclosing a connection to the companies.
Scientology and a Fictional Federal Agency
- A Scientology symbol was hidden in the logo of a fictional federal agency.
- The speaker repeatedly mentioned and defended prominent Scientologists.
- The speaker demanded $650,000 from David Miscavige, the head of Scientology, for a sponsored post, claiming to be worth at least as much as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.