HBO late-night talk show host John Oliver offered to pay Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas a million dollars per year and give him a loaded tour bus if he retires from the nation&#8217;s highest court.
The leftist comedian, who was <a href="https://twitter.com/Arightside/status/1759898331445096712">accused</a> online of trying to &#8220;bribe&#8221; Thomas, made the offer on Sunday night: &#8220;One million dollars a year for the rest of your life, if you simply agree to leave the Supreme Court immediately and never come back.&#8221;
&#8220;Clarence Thomas is arguably the most consequential justice on the court right now, and he’s never really seemed to like the job. He said, ‘It’s not worth doing for the grief.’ So, what if he can keep the luxury perks he clearly enjoys without having to endure all of that grief,&#8221; Oliver continued. &#8220;If you watch our show, you know jokes aren’t really our thing. This is real. A million dollars a year until you or I die.&#8221;
Oliver said that Thomas deserved a &#8220;break&#8221; from &#8220;the meanness of Washington so you can be surrounded by the regular folks whose lives you made demonstrably worse for decades.&#8221;
&#8220;The good news is, I think we can help you with that because since your favorite mode of travel might be in need of an upgrade, we are excited to offer you this brand new top-of-the-line cray boat marathon motor coach!&#8221; Oliver said of a multimillion-dollar tour bus that offered to give Thomas.
&#8220;So that’s the offer. $1 million a year, Clarence,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;And a brand new condo on wheels. And all you have to do to return is sign the contract and get the f*** off the Supreme Court. Talk it over with your totally best friend in the whole world. Because the clock starts now. Thirty days, Clarence. Let’s do this!”
WATCH:
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“Get the f*ck off the Supreme Court!” John Oliver offers Clarence Thomas a luxury motor coach, and $1 million a year, to resign from the Supreme Court. (Video: HBO) <a href="https://t.co/LUVD6zC5o3">pic.twitter.com/LUVD6zC5o3</a>
&mdash; Mike Sington (@MikeSington) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeSington/status/1759560551590760667?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Carrie Severino, president of the Judicial Crisis Network, posted a clip to X of remarks that Thomas made roughly a year and a half ago where he addressed his critics in left-wing media.
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“One of the things I&#8217;d say in response to the media … especially early on, about the way I did my job, I said, ‘I will absolutely leave the court when I do my job as poorly as you do yours — and that was meant as a compliment, really,” Thomas laughed. “It really is getting to be mean.”
WATCH:
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Justice Thomas to his critics in the media:
“I will absolutely leave the Court when I do my job as poorly as you do yours.” <a href="https://t.co/DdL6ySayGb">https://t.co/DdL6ySayGb</a> <a href="https://t.co/98qv23FzsO">pic.twitter.com/98qv23FzsO</a>
&mdash; Carrie Severino (@JCNSeverino) <a href="https://twitter.com/JCNSeverino/status/1759967346943266827?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Late Night with Seth Meyers – Season 10

John Oliver Accused Of Offering ‘Bribe’ To Clarence Thomas To Leave Supreme Court

Bribery

Celebrities

Clarence Thomas

John Oliver

SCOTUS

Supreme Court

U.S.

British television host John Oliver, who became an American citizen in 2019, ripped America for supporting Israel, prompting actor-comedian Jon Lovitz to blast him with some facts and ask God to bless America for its support of the Jewish state.
“This country has emphatically picked a side,” Oliver, who <a href="https://slate.com/culture/2021/05/last-week-tonight-john-oliver-israel-palestine-apartheid-war-crimes-stand-your-ground.html">accused</a> Israel of “war crimes” and a “form of apartheid” in 2021, declared. “In recent years, we’ve given Israel $3.8 billion a year in military aid. You can make geopolitical arguments as to why that is or isn’t a valid thing to do, but it means we’re heavily implicated.”
“Nearly all military aid to Israel—other than loan guarantees, which cost Washington nothing, the U.S. gives Israel no other kind of aid—consists of credits that go directly from the Pentagon to U.S. weapons manufacturers,” Tablet Magazine has <a href="https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/end-american-aid-israel">noted</a>.
Lovitz fired back at Oliver, “Yes. The United States is aligned with Israel, our Democratic ally, not Hamas, a terrorist organization who broke a two year cease fire, murdered at least 1,200 innocent civilians, and took 240 civilian hostages back with them. So they could start a never ending war with Israel and annihilate Israel and then Jews all over the world. God bless America.”
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Yes. The United States is aligned with Israel, our Democratic ally, not Hamas, a terrorist organization who broke a two year cease fire, murdered at least 1,200 innocent civilians, and took 240 civilian hostages back with them. So they could start a never ending war with Israel… <a href="https://t.co/K5mIpOYIT8">https://t.co/K5mIpOYIT8</a>
&mdash; Jon Lovitz (@realjonlovitz) <a href="https://twitter.com/realjonlovitz/status/1724172656596144278?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Lovitz then tweeted at Oliver that he should discuss Hamas atrocities such as beheading children and raping corpses on his next show.
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Please talk about this on your next show.<a href="https://t.co/CwUOVmjLOr">https://t.co/CwUOVmjLOr</a> <a href="https://t.co/K5mIpOYIT8">https://t.co/K5mIpOYIT8</a>
&mdash; Jon Lovitz (@realjonlovitz) <a href="https://twitter.com/realjonlovitz/status/1724176474046140470?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Lovitz had retweeted a video of a Muslim in Gaza slamming Hamas for its responsibility in starting a war. Lovitz tweeted, “The Palestinian people have spoken! They know they&#8217;re being used by Hamas. Hamas doesn&#8217;t give a s*** about them.”
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The Palestinian people have spoken! They know they&#39;re being used by Hamas. Hamas doesn&#39;t give a shit about them. <a href="https://t.co/1KrcpwHBH5">https://t.co/1KrcpwHBH5</a>
&mdash; Jon Lovitz (@realjonlovitz) <a href="https://twitter.com/realjonlovitz/status/1723400202059723030?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2023</a></blockquote>
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A social media user tweeted that Israel was committing “genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza, only to be refuted by another person answering, “It’s not genocide. If it were genocide they wouldn’t print leaflets to leave. They wouldn’t give people two weeks to evacuate temporarily. They have the power to commit genocide and they don’t. Do you know what the Hamas charter calls for? Genocide.”
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“Bingo! Here&#8217;s the answer to those accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians,” Lovitz echoed.
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Bingo! Here&#39;s the answer to those accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians. <a href="https://t.co/1aRSZNYoBi">https://t.co/1aRSZNYoBi</a>
&mdash; Jon Lovitz (@realjonlovitz) <a href="https://twitter.com/realjonlovitz/status/1723373673996829183?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 11, 2023</a></blockquote>
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MixCollage-14-Nov-2023-11-22-AM-2485

Jon Lovitz Blisters John Oliver For Slamming U.S. Aid To Israel, Adds, ‘God Bless America’

Hamas

Israel

Jon Lovitz

military aid

United States

Five late-night comedy hosts announced plans for a joint podcast, and got a live roast in return.
Comedians Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, and Seth Meyers – whose shows are on a forced sabbatical due to the ongoing writers and actors strike in Hollywood – announced plans for &#8220;Strike Force Five.&#8221; The joint effort is expected to last at least through the remainder of the strike and proceeds will go to support their staffers while they are out of work.
&#8220;MAJOR LIFE UPDATE &#8211; for the remainder of the strike @StephenAtHome, @JimmyFallon, @SethMeyers, @IamJohnOliver &amp; I are joining forces for a new podcast called @StrikeForceFive. Hear the first episode tomorrow 8/30. ALL proceeds (thanks to @Casamigos and @MintMobile) go to support our out of work staffs. Listen now — <a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-1cvl2hr r-1loqt21 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" dir="ltr" role="link" href="https://t.co/qsyo28mYSV" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">https://bit.ly/44tflxq</a> @SpotifyPodcasts,&#8221; Kimmel shared via X. 

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MAJOR LIFE UPDATE &#8211; for the remainder of the strike <a href="https://twitter.com/StephenAtHome?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StephenAtHome</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/jimmyfallon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JimmyFallon</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/sethmeyers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SethMeyers</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/iamjohnoliver?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IamJohnOliver</a> &amp; I are joining forces for a new podcast called <a href="https://twitter.com/StrikeForceFive?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StrikeForceFive</a>. Hear the first episode tomorrow 8/30. ALL proceeds (thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/Casamigos?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Casamigos</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Mintmobile?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MintMobile</a>) go to support… <a href="https://t.co/Czyvlpmba2">pic.twitter.com/Czyvlpmba2</a>
&mdash; Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) <a href="https://twitter.com/jimmykimmel/status/1696612559661736081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Meyers <a href="https://twitter.com/sethmeyers/status/1696635013687558435" target="_blank" rel="noopener">responded</a> with a joke, saying, &#8220;I had NO idea this was being recorded &#8230;&#8221;
&#8220;Late night unite! Your new favorite podcast Strike Force Five premieres tomorrow with all of our proceeds going to staff and crew affected by the ongoing writers strike. Check it out on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts,&#8221; Fallon added.
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Late night unite! Your new favorite podcast Strike Force Five premieres tomorrow with all of our proceeds going to staff and crew affected by the ongoing writers strike. Check it out on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. <a href="https://t.co/PQVgLEiftN">pic.twitter.com/PQVgLEiftN</a>
&mdash; Jimmy Fallon (@jimmyfallon) <a href="https://twitter.com/jimmyfallon/status/1696637418454053235?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2023</a></blockquote>
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But critics weren&#8217;t so sure that anyone really needed them to come back.
&#8220;Five insufferable one-trick ponies doing a podcast to echo each other on Trump and DeSantis and anyone who doesn&#8217;t have a D next to their name. And if you forgot these guys haven&#8217;t been on the air for months, you&#8217;re not alone,&#8221; Joe Concha said in a post on X.
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Five insufferable one-trick ponies doing a podcast to echo each other on Trump and DeSantis and anyone who doesn&#39;t have a D next to their name. And if you forgot these guys haven&#39;t been on the air for months, you&#39;re not alone. <a href="https://t.co/RKsHu7RVEX">https://t.co/RKsHu7RVEX</a>
&mdash; Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeConchaTV/status/1696942807829627195?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Not a lawyer but pretty sure this podcast will violate the Geneva Conventions,&#8221; Grabien media founder Tom Elliott <a href="https://twitter.com/tomselliott/status/1696878030235328809" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
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&#8220;Can&#8217;t wait for the first episode about Trump&#8217;s mugshot and how bad the new strain of covid is,&#8221; @thefirstontv <a href="https://twitter.com/TheFirstonTV/status/1696903174177604080" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a>.
&#8220;It is super cringe that they coordinated to all sit in very &#8216;regular person&#8217; rooms, as though they don’t all have home offices that clearly illustrate their wealth and success. Just be you, you d*** phonies,&#8221; Noam Blum <a href="https://twitter.com/neontaster/status/1696867728512995349" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
&#8220;They have banished all the late night hosts to a podcast,&#8221; Ashley St. Clair posted. &#8220;Nature is healing.&#8221;
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they have banished all the late night hosts to a podcast
nature is healing <a href="https://t.co/t0uw4RUMqS">https://t.co/t0uw4RUMqS</a>
&mdash; Ashley St. Clair (@stclairashley) <a href="https://twitter.com/stclairashley/status/1696710363406872946?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Late night group therapy for libs actually becomes group therapy for libs,&#8221; Stephen L. Miller <a href="https://twitter.com/redsteeze/status/1696636706961924120" target="_blank" rel="noopener">replied</a>.
&#8220;Breaking Points&#8221; cohost Saagar Enjeti took a slightly different approach, <a href="https://twitter.com/esaagar/status/1696629378992460262" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a>, &#8220;I am begging studio execs to cave so we can end this abomination.&#8221;

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon – Season 4

Late-Night Hosts Team Up To Pitch A Podcast, And All They Get Is A Live Roast

Hollywood

Jimmy Fallon

Jimmy Kimmel

Seth Meyers

Stephen Colbert

The late night shows hosted by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jimmy-kimmel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jimmy Kimmel</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/stephen-colbert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stephen Colbert</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jimmy-fallon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jimmy Fallon</a>, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/seth-meyers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Seth Meyers</a> will cease production on Tuesday as a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/labor-unions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">union</a> of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/hollywood" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hollywood</a> screenwriters initiates a strike.
Members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) <a href="https://www.wgacontract2023.org/updates/strike-authorization-vote-results" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voted</a> overwhelmingly earlier this year to authorize a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/screenwriter-strike-could-grind-hollywood-to-a-halt-this-week-heres-which-shows-could-be-hit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strike</a> if the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), a trade association that represents more than 350 studios, did not approve a new <a href="https://www.wgacontract2023.org/the-campaign/pattern-of-demands" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contract</a> with increased minimum compensation and larger contributions to pension and health plans. Union members are <a href="https://www.wgacontract2023.org/strike/strike-rules" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prohibited</a> from working on their shows as of Tuesday.
“Though our negotiating committee began this process intent on making a fair deal, the studios’ responses have been wholly insufficient given the existential crisis writers are facing,” WGA <a href="https://twitter.com/WGAWest/status/1653242480106815491" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on social media, noting that six weeks of deliberations with firms such as Netflix, Amazon, Sony, and Disney under the AMPTP umbrella ultimately failed to produce a new contract.
Colbert was scheduled to host Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Chita Rivera on Tuesday, while celebrities such as Chris Hayes and Michael J. Fox were scheduled to appear later in the week, according to a <a href="https://deadline.com/2023/05/writers-strike-late-night-shows-to-shut-down-immediately-1235352054/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from Deadline. Fallon was supposed to welcome Ken Jeong, Jennifer Lopez, and JJ Watt this week, while Kimmel was slated to host Dr. Phil and Ricky Gervais. The shows are instead expected to air reruns on Tuesday.
Production for shows such as “Real Time With Bill Maher,” “Saturday Night Live,” and “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” is also expected to cease this week, according to a WGA <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2023-04-20/writers-guild-warns-analysts-investors-may-2-strike-means-no-late-night-shows-delay-fall-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">memo</a> recently obtained by The Los Angeles Times. The document noted that production delays could inhibit the ability of Disney, Paramount Global, and Comcast NBCUniversal to produce episodes for the fall network television season, while streaming platforms carrying broadcast shows would likewise be impacted.
Meyers said on his Monday show that he supports the strike and wants his writers to receive higher pay.
“No one is entitled to a job in show business. But for those people who have a job, they are entitled to fair compensation,” he said, as recorded by Deadline. “They are entitled to make a living. I think it’s a very reasonable demand that’s being set out by the Guild. And I support those demands.”
Kimmel and Colbert were impacted by a similar strike between 2007 and 2008, when WGA members picketed for three months as a result of failed contract negotiations, causing production delays and shortened seasons for multiple studios.
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The current strike occurs as the shift toward streaming contributes to diminished profits in television and cinema. WGA officials also cited the advent of artificial intelligence as a possible mechanism to increase work capacity for screenwriters, a phenomenon which could enable studios to decrease their headcounts and thereby provoked calls from the union to regulate material produced with the technology.
The union previously <a href="https://www.wgacontract2023.org/updates/bulletins/writers-are-not-keeping-up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that firms have “used the transition to streaming to cut writer pay and separate writing from production, worsening working conditions for series writers at all levels.” The share of writers working at the minimum <a href="https://www.wga.org/news-events/news/connect/10-3-22/animation-writers-have-been-paying-the-price-for-studio-greed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">standards</a> established by the most recent WGA contract has risen substantially in recent years, producing a 23% median compensation decline when adjusted for inflation, even as series budgets increase.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Colbert, Kimmel, Fallon Late Night Shows Immediately Halt Due To Screenwriter Strike

Late Night Shows Immediately Halt Production Due To Screenwriter Strike

Bill Maher

Economy

Labor Unions

John Oliver is not a doctor, but he apparently played one on his program Sunday night.
In a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns8NvPPHX5Y" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new episode</a> of &#8220;Last Week Tonight,&#8221; the talk show host made a slew of false and misleading claims about “gender-affirming” care and the adolescents seeking it. Most of his smugly-delivered claims relied on jabs at Republicans, clips taken out of context, straw-man arguments and activist-approved talking points.
In a <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/john-olivers-misinformed-transgender-commentary" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent article</a> published in City Journal, <a href="https://twitter.com/LeorSapir" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Leor Sapir</a>, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, rebutted each claim Oliver made, beginning with Oliver’s insistence on shoe-horning transgender-related issues under the umbrella of “LGBTQ rights.”
“Oliver demonstrates his lack of critical thinking at the outset, when he informs his audience that he is about to discuss ‘LGBTQ rights,’” said Sapir. “This is yet another example of activists using the LGB as a cover for the T, exploiting public sympathy for the former in order to conceal the radical nature of the latter,” he adds.
Oliver attributes “societal acceptance” for the meteoric rise in transgender identification, but contradicts himself in the next breath by saying America is a hostile environment for “LGBTQ” people, rife with “violence, threats and harassment.”
“If ‘trans kids’ … are coming out in droves because of warming social attitudes rather than ‘social contagion’ (an explanation he dismisses as ‘horse s***’), it cannot also be the case that American is increasingly becoming a hell-hole for ‘LGBTQ’ people,” said Sapir.
Oliver incessantly frames any criticism of transgender-related issues as a right-wing overreaction. “Some on the right have truly lost their minds about trans rights,” Oliver diatribes, relying on clips from Republican candidates running for office who have used trans issues as part of their political campaigns, but neglecting to include the various ways Democrats have also used it to elevate their platforms.
“He attributes all opposition to the trans movement to ‘the right,’ as if feminists, gay rights activists, and even some transgender (or transsexual, as they often prefer to be called) people and groups are not key constituencies in the opposition to medical transition for minors,” said Sapir, who believes that this was a deliberate choice.
“This framing is clearly intended to persuade moderates and liberals that they are safe in supporting ‘gender affirming care’ because only ‘those people’ oppose it—never anyone with secular, progressive values,” he adds.
In what may have been an attempt at humor, Oliver dismisses the social-contagion hypothesis as “total horses***.” The social-contagion theory posits that peer influence may contribute to trans-identification, especially in the extraordinarily high rates of teenage girls in recent years seeking transition.
“Oliver’s dismissal of social contagion—which, to be sure, remains a working theory—is highly irresponsible, and disingenuous,” Sapir said.
“Scholars with years of experience treating and doing research on minors with gender dysphoria have observed a dramatic increase in the sheer number of teens showing up for transition, in their sex ratios, age at onset of conditions, and high rates of mental health problems alongside gender distress,” he added.
Oliver makes an appeal to authority by citing the medical institutions that caved to transgender ideology.
“American medical organizations, including the <a href="https://www.realityslaststand.com/p/on-gender-the-aap-has-chosen-ideology" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Academy of Pediatrics</a>, have gotten the science <a href="https://sensiblemed.substack.com/p/the-aap-american-academy-of-pediatrics">wrong in the past</a>; there is no reason to assume that this could not happen again,” said Sapir.
Another major revelation missing from Oliver’s bit is any mention of progressive countries such as Sweden and Finland that have changed course in treating adolescents with gender dysphoria in favor of a more cautious approach.
“Oliver never once mentions Sweden and Finland, or the systematic reviews of the evidence that have led their health authorities to place severe restrictions on hormones,” said Sapir.
Oliver narrows his focus to <a href="https://www.realityslaststand.com/p/the-distortions-in-jack-turbans-psychology" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“gender-affirming” care</a>, the model adopted by pediatric gender clinics across the county that <a href="https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/142/4/e20182162/37381/Ensuring-Comprehensive-Care-and-Support-for" target="_blank" rel="noopener">discourage</a> medical professionals from questioning a minor’s self-reported transgender identity or exploring possible underlying factors that may be causing their dysphoria.
&#8220;Oliver makes the very misleading claim that &#8216;social transition&#8217; (using a child’s preferred name and pronouns) is totally harmless,&#8221; said Sapir. &#8220;In fact, all available <a href="https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/camh.12330" target="_blank" rel="noopener">research</a> suggests that this seemingly innocent act of support is an active psychosocial intervention with potentially iatrogenic consequences.&#8221;
The comedian also claims that puberty blocking drugs are “reversible” and only a “pause button” on puberty. However, this relies entirely on referencing their approved on-label use to treat precocious puberty in young children, not how they are increasingly being prescribed off-label to treat gender dysphoria in adolescents.
Oliver briefly concedes that sterility “can happen” as a result of these treatments, which Sapir said is misleading.
“When taken as a follow-up to puberty blockers, sterility is virtually guaranteed, since the organs responsible for producing sex gametes (ova and sperm) are not allowed to develop,” he said.
The talk show host also neglected to mention the impact that the combination of puberty blocking drugs and cross-sex hormones have on sexual function such as impairing an individual’s ability to ever achieve an orgasm.
“Transgender surgeon Dr. Marci Bowers infamously conceded that of the 2,000 or so people on whom she has operated, none have been able to achieve sexual satisfaction,” said Sapir.
Oliver deceptively cites a statistic on the transition regret rate of adults and attributes it to the subject of his program: adolescents. “The 2% statistic is taken from studies on those who transitioned as adults, not minors who were transitioned under the ‘affirmative’ protocol,” said Sapir, who says that studies on the rates of regret for minors receiving gender affirming care don’t yet exist.
Throughout his segment, Oliver features several interviews with trans-identifying teens and children, but deprives his audience of a truly balanced segment on gender-affirming care by neglecting to include the testimony of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/detransitioners-pen-plea-to-doj-after-doctors-seek-to-silence-critics-of-trans-treatments-for-minors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">detransitioners</a>. “Perhaps he is afraid that if allowed to tell their story, they will elicit sympathy and skepticism toward the medical professionals who rushed them into irreversible harm,” remarks Sapir.
“The benefits of providing care are immense and the risks of withholding it are dire,” said Oliver, relying on the debunked <a href="https://www.realityslaststand.com/p/pediatric-gender-medicine-and-the" target="_blank" rel="noopener">affirm-or-suicide myth</a> often perpetuated by activists.
Studies that claim &#8220;trans&#8221; youth are at elevated risk of suicide are commonly compared with average mentally healthy teenagers, which is deeply misleading. When researchers <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33165650/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">compared</a> &#8220;trans&#8221; youth with teens suffering from similar mental health problems, there was little difference in suicide rates between the groups.

2022 Sesame Workshop Benefit Gala

Researcher Fact-Checks John Oliver’s Misinformation On New ‘Trans Rights’ Episode

Puberty blockers

Transgender

transgender surgery

Left-leaning comedians are a dime a dozen.
It’s also true that some woke jokesters are more extreme than others. Stand-up stars may try to appeal to the widest audience, meaning they’ll dial it back on the partisan jokes. However, plenty of comedians have become activists, especially following the 2016 election.
Many comedians claim to have no explicit bias, saying they don’t belong to either party while technically espousing views that are way more liberal than conservative. Ahead, these are the most outspoken leftist comedians who currently think they’re hilarious.
<h3>Jon Stewart</h3>
Back in the late 90s, Stewart took over hosting Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” and quickly became one of the preeminent political comedy stars in the country. He was a satirist, but his young, liberal, male audience trusted him to tell the truth about what was going on in politics.
In a 2002 <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2002/02/11/is-it-funny-yet">interview</a> with The New Yorker, Stewart described himself as the voice of “the disenfranchised center.” But even then his politics leaned left. At one point the late night host called his beliefs more independent or socialist than Democrat.
Later, Stewart <a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/show-tracker/story/2012-05-30/late-night-jon-stewart-clarifies-his-support-for-socialism">clarified</a> that while he doesn’t support “state control of industry or collectivizing farms,” he is in favor of the single-payer healthcare system and was a huge proponent of the Affordable Care Act.
Over the years, Stewart became more cynical and bitter and less funny. His new AppleTV+ show “The Problem With Jon Stewart” has mostly been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jon-stewarts-new-apple-tv-show-rumored-to-be-a-huge-flop-report">a ratings disaster</a> kept afloat solely because of nostalgic fans who miss “The Daily Show” and the ignorance of youth.
<h3>Jimmy Kimmel</h3>
Speaking of universal healthcare supporters, fellow late-night host Jimmy Kimmel is yet another example of a leftist comedian. The 54-year-old “Jimmy Kimmel Live” star used the story of his son being born with a congenital heart condition to make the case for overhauling healthcare in the U.S.
“If your baby is going to die and it doesn’t have to, it shouldn’t matter how much money you make,” he <a href="https://youtu.be/MmWWoMcGmo0">said</a> in 2017. “I think that’s something that whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat or something else, we all agree on that, right?”
He’s also in favor of “common sense” gun laws, which he <a href="https://youtu.be/ruYeBXudsds">spoke</a> about following the Las Vegas shooting. 
“What I’m talking about tonight isn’t about gun control; it’s about common sense,” Kimmel said at the time. “Common sense says no good will ever come from allowing a person to have weapons that can take down 527 Americans at a concert. Common sense says you don’t let those who suffer from mental illness buy guns.”
<h3>John Oliver</h3>
Emmy Award winner John Oliver is British but has become a staple on American television thanks to stints on “The Daily Show” and the HBO series “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.”
Though he’s not originally from this country, Oliver endorsed Joe Biden for president and openly celebrated his and Kamala Harris&#8217;s win in the 2020 US presidential election. He described Donald Trump’s defeat as a “reverse 9/11” because of all the celebrating in the city of Manhattan.
&#8220;It was like that all day here in New York,&#8221; he said, per <a href="https://www.distractify.com/p/john-oliver-political-views">Distractify</a>. &#8220;There was a mood here that can only be described as a reverse 9/11. Why? Because it combined complete euphoria, an abiding disgust for Rudy Giuliani, and this time people actually were dancing on the rooftops in New Jersey. It was a really good day. Never forget.&#8221;
In 2021, Oliver <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hbo-host-john-oliver-calls-parents-opposed-to-school-mask-mandates-idiots">called</a> parents who opposed school mask mandates “idiots,” and said “We are only fighting about masks in school right now because there are a bunch of foolish adults who have decided not to get the vaccine, and to all of them, I can only say, to quote a bunch of upsettingly loud idiots, ‘We know who you are, and you’re the f***ing problem.’”
<h3>Samantha Bee</h3>
It may be controversial to describe Samantha Bee as a comedian seeing as how very few people find her funny. But the far-left activist has certainly expressed her feelings on a wide range of topics such as gender theory and women’s rights.
“This year, we’re seeing a tidal wave of transphobic legislation targeting kids, largely in retaliation for President Biden’s executive order to protect trans rights,” she said, telling conservatives to “mind their own f***ing business” when it came to protecting female sports, per <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-samantha-bee-tells-republicans-to-stop-transphobic-bills-and-mind-their-own-fing-business">The Daily Wire</a>. 
“They falsely claim trans women automatically have more testosterone and therefore more muscle mass than cis women,” Bee continued. “But studies don’t show a consistent relationship between testosterone and athletic performance.”
The comedian accused Republicans of “fear-mongering” in regard to trans sports debates just like they did with bathroom bills.
<h3>Lewis Black</h3>
No one seems angrier than a screaming Lewis Black, who made his brand of “rage comedy” into a recognizable brand. He’s also a <a href="https://www.dailypress.com/entertainment/dp-xpm-20130920-2013-09-20-dp-fea-lewis-black-0920-20130920-story.html">self-described</a> socialist who has no love for either party but is pro-gun control and pro-healthcare reform. Basically, Black hates everyone – especially Republicans.
&#8220;We&#8217;ve done something with these two political parties that really is unbelievable. No other country has done it. No other country,” he <a href="https://www.wpr.org/comedian-lewis-blacks-conundrum-how-do-you-satirize-satirical">observed</a> during a standup act last year. “We used to have parties that argued ideas. Not anymore. Now we have two separate political parties that actually exist in two totally different realities.&#8221;
That’s one thing this left-leaning comedian gets absolutely right.
<h3>David Cross</h3>
Best known for his role on “Arrested Development,” David Cross is also a leftist who is happy to bring politics into his standup routine, even if it means people walking out of his shows all the time. During a 2016 <a href="https://www.avclub.com/david-cross-on-why-his-comedy-tour-pissed-off-people-ri-1798250771">interview</a> with The A.V. Club, the comedian described himself as, “more socialist Democrat” than a “centrist” like Hillary Clinton.
“I think regulation for banks and those platforms that Bernie Sanders had are good for the whole of America. I’m not going to benefit from free college education, but I think all those things are good for the country,” he said.
<h3>Sarah Silverman</h3>
Like so many others, Sarah Silverman became especially political during the 2016 election, aggressively campaigning first for Bernie Sanders and then accepting Hillary Clinton as her next best option. She supported Sanders again in 2020.
Silverman is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, though she said she’s become increasingly fed up with both parties.
“I just, I don’t know that I want to be associated with any party. I really, I think I don’t want to be associated with any party anymore,” Silverman told <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2021/03/15/sarah-silverman-is-right-democrats-are-the-party-of-absolutism/">viewers</a> in 2021. “It just, it comes with too much baggage. Every party, it comes with so much f***ing baggage that no ideas can be taken at face value.”

92nd Street Y Presents: Nell Scovell In Conversation With John Oliver

No Longer Dialing It Back: 7 Woke Comedians Possessed By Politics

comedian

Comedy

Jon Stewart

Readers Pass

Samantha Bee

Sarah Silverman

Comedian <a href="http://www.dailywire.com/topic/john-oliver/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Oliver</a> found himself on the wrong side of censors in the United Kingdom after he chose to include jokes about the late <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/my-bad-lol-cbs-journalist-deletes-tweet-calling-ailing-queen-oppressive-ruler-just-before-she-dies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Queen Elizabeth II</a> on his HBO show following her death.
Sky News, which is owned by Comcast, <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/09/13/john-olivers-queen-elizabeth-death-jokes-censored/?_ga=2.159783357.1098613337.1662927561-759879088.1656273426" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cut out a short segment</a> of the British comedian&#8217;s monologue during which he made several jokes about the overall response to the late queen&#8217;s passing. Queen Elizabeth II passed away at her summer home in <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/operation-unicorn-is-underway-heres-what-changed-when-queen-elizabeth-died-in-scotland/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Scotland</a>, Balmoral Castle, late last week.
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Last Week Tonight’s John Oliver Reaction to the Death of Queen Elisabeth II | OnlyRobertAman" width="500" height="375" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ymO57ptd8TE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
&#8220;But obviously, we need to start with the UK, which is clearly still reeling from the shocking death of a 96-year-old woman from natural causes,&#8221; Oliver segued to the queen after opening with a joke about the president of Chile.
&#8220;It is a big moment which, for some reason, absolutely everyone felt that they had to weigh in on from Crazy Frog, which tweeted out ‘RIP the Queen’ and a candle emoji … to Domino’s UK which posted, &#8216;Everyone at Domino’s joins the nation and the world in mourning the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Our thoughts and condolences are with the royal family,'&#8221; Oliver continued.
&#8220;Which, I guess, is nice, although if the world is mourning, they should maybe tell the U.S. Domino’s account, whose most recent tweet as of this taping is &#8216;if ur reading this it means u need pizza like to confirm,'&#8221; Oliver said, adding, &#8220;Get your f***ing house in order, Domino’s! A LADY IS DEAD.&#8221;
Oliver then pivoted to use the news of the queen&#8217;s death to attack Britain&#8217;s new Prime Minister, Liz Truss — with whom the queen had met just 48 hours prior to her passing.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
One clue that new Conservative British Prime Minister Liz Truss might be the real deal when it comes to her right-leaning polices is that vile John Oliver despises her. The leftist HBO host on Sunday seethed that she&#39;s &quot;Margaret Thatcher if she were high on glue !&quot; <a href="https://t.co/KftQuH8JGg">pic.twitter.com/KftQuH8JGg</a>
&mdash; Scott Whitlock (@ScottJW) <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottJW/status/1569419857380139014?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;The Queen’s death is sadly not the only traumatic event that Britain has had to deal with this week, because on Tuesday, Liz Truss, basically Margaret Thatcher if she were high on glue, became its new prime minister,&#8221; Oliver said.
He continued to go after Truss in the moments that followed, adding, &#8220;The nicest thing the Queen of England ever did for anyone was die the week that woman became prime minister!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
How much is John Oliver a hater of all things conservative? After a free market clip of new Brit PM Liz Truss, he snarled, &quot;The nicest thing the Queen of England ever did for anyone was die the week that woman became prime minister!&quot; <a href="https://t.co/x8BYErk4mn">pic.twitter.com/x8BYErk4mn</a>
&mdash; Scott Whitlock (@ScottJW) <a href="https://twitter.com/ScottJW/status/1569420573268140033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 12, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Oliver took home an <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/09/12/emmys-2022-winners-list-live-updates-with-all-the-nominees/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Emmy Award</a> on Monday night for Outstanding Variety Talk Series.

74th Primetime Emmys – Press Room

British TV Network Censors Comedian John Oliver’s Jokes About Queen Elizabeth II

British TV Network Censors Comedian John Oliver's Jokes About Queen Elizabeth II

Censorship

Great Britain

Queen Elizabeth

John Oliver can’t understand why “sex work” is illegal in the United States. 
The “Last Week Tonight” host laid out some arguments in favor of decriminalizing prostitution, pointing to how this move would make it “safer” for sex workers, and saying how it could even reduce instances of human trafficking.
The 44-year-old host noted that sex is “a topic that historically we’ve not been very good at talking about” and claims that “sex work” is mishandled in America due to the laws we have in place banning it.
&#8220;Basically, consensual sex for money on camera is legal porn, and consensual sex for money off-camera is illegal sex work,&#8221; Oliver said. &#8220;Makes sense, right? Wrong? Well, exactly. Everything about the way we regulate sex work in this country is confusing and counter-productive.” He claims it’s either “demonizing, patronizing or just plain wrong.”
The HBO host comes down hard on law enforcement during the segment. He says police “position themselves as saviors for sex workers” but are mostly “arresting and jailing them.” 
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Sex Work: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-gd8yUptg0Q?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
He criticized police who have had sex with sex workers during undercover operations, plus pointed out that between 2016 and 2020, almost everyone arrested by the NYPD for selling sex was a person of color.
“I don’t want to paint too rosy a picture here,” Oliver said during the segment. “Sex work can be dangerous and we need to be talking constructively about how to make it safer in every possible way.” But the British host insisted that sex trafficking and “the implicit suggestion is that no sex worker has ever entered the trade by choice” is untrue.
He also noted how prostitutes are less likely to report crime for fear of getting in trouble themselves. “It is no surprise that many workers who have been robbed or abused by clients report that they feel they can’t turn to the police for help,” he said.
Oliver’s solution for all these issues? Decriminalization of prostitution. He points to other countries who have done it as examples of success, such as New Zealand. 
The comedian’s opinion is becoming more and more popular. Last year, a University of Ottawa adjunct professor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/adjunct-professor-suggests-sex-work-on-the-side-is-the-best-thing-young-people-can-do-early-in-their-careers">said on Twitter</a> that doing “sex work on the side” is the “best thing” young people can do early in their careers.
“Unpopular opinion: the best thing young people can do early in their careers is do #SexWork on the side because your early career prospects will be unstable, unpredictable, low pay, likely contract work and very much exploitative,” she wrote before comparing prostitution to capitalism.
“That’s how capitalism works… People out here saying young people can be exploited in sex work. Literally, that’s capitalism. Lol. And quite literally, that’s any kind of work,” she continued.
Meanwhile, far-left Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/aoc-promotes-prostitution-sex-work-is-work">also used Twitter</a> to promote prostitution, repeating the popular phrase: “sex work is work.” This was in response to a paramedic being “shamed” for creating an OnlyFans account.
The Daily Wire’s first original film, Shut In, has made its cinematic debut, being met with rave reviews. The Daily Wire is building an alternative to the leftist entertainment industry, one gripping movie at a time. Join us in this mission and stream Shut In today by becoming a Daily Wire<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe"> member</a>.

2015 Summer TCA Tour – 31st Annual Television Critics Association Awards

John Oliver Calls For Decriminalizing ‘Sex Work,’ Calling Laws ‘Confusing And Counter-Productive’

Prostitution

Sex Workers

John Oliver, host of HBO’s late-night comedy news show “Last Week Tonight,” is <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/john-oliver-drags-gop-covid-clowns-ron-desantis-and-madison-cawthorn?jwsource=cl">sounding off</a> on parents who don’t want their kids’ schools to require masks this year.
The British host said, “hot vax summer” is giving way to “dipsh** autumn” because parents are resisting school mask mandates.
“Alarmingly, roughly 15 percent of new cases are children, with over 260 kids being newly hospitalized each day,” said Oliver. “And all of this means that many hospitals are yet again being stretched to a breaking point, particularly in certain parts of the country, with Florida and Texas alone accounting for 40% of new hospitalizations.”
He then called the response of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis “underwhelming,” saying, “If you told me just a few years ago that Florida’s Republican governor would respond to a deadly threat with, ‘These waves are just something you have to deal with,’ I would assume they were talking about Miami sinking into a warming ocean, not a totally different, totally self-induced crisis.”
Deeming DeSantis a “cut-rate Coach Taylor [a character from defunct NBC show, Friday Night Lights],” Oliver continued, “Just a few weeks ago, DeSantis issued an order banning school mask mandates, making Florida one of at least seven states now prohibiting schools from imposing them. And school board meetings around the country have seen fiery exchanges about this issue.”
The 44-year-old comedian then turned his attention to parents who have been arguing against mask mandates, playing video of parents protesting such a policy at a Williamson County, Tennessee, school board meeting.
Said Oliver, “You can’t help thinking that some of the fuss over masks is more about the parents than about the kids.”
He added, “We are only fighting about masks in school right now because there are a bunch of foolish adults who have decided not to get the vaccine, and to all of them, I can only say, to quote a bunch of upsettingly loud idiots, ‘We know who you are, and you’re the fucking problem.’”
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/matt-walsh-confronts-nashville-school-board-over-mask-mandate-school-board-kicks-out-unmasked-parents">Daily Wire</a> personality Matt Walsh attended a different Tennessee school board meeting last week to voice his opposition to mask requirements, citing Covid facts Oliver left out of his monologue.
“COVID poses almost no risk to our kids at all,” Walsh pointed out to hearty applause. “4.2 million children have tested positive for COVID, a total of o.oo8% (334) of them have died.”
Walsh went on to cite statistics that show 480 kids died of the flu in the 2018-2019 school year. “That’s more than have died from COVID in a year and a half,&#8221; he said before asking, &#8220;Now, did anyone on this board suggest at any point that year that kids wear masks? Did anyone in this room suggest, at any point, anyone wear masks for flu? Which again, is more dangerous, to kids, than COVID &#8212; that’s a fact.”
Walsh ended by telling the school board of mask requirements, “You do it to make yourselves feel better and to protect yourselves politically. The child’s mask is a symbolic security blanket for you, not them. It’s a disgrace and you should all be ashamed.”

Summer 2018 TCA Press Tour – Day 1

HBO Host John Oliver Calls Parents Opposed To School Mask Mandates ‘Idiots’

Face Masks

John Oliver, host of HBO’s fake news show, “Last Week Tonight,” believes the U.S. government should pay monetary restitution to black Americans to compensate for the country’s past racism. “The only really strange thing about [it],” he <a href="https://youtu.be/_-0J49_9lwc">argued</a> Sunday night, “is that we haven’t done it yet.”
Citing Ta-Nehisi Coates’ 2014 <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations/361631/">Atlantic</a> article, “The Case for Reparations,” the British comedian based his argument not on slavery but on housing discrimination.
Oliver said the history of race and land ownership in America has “many horrifying chapters, pretty much from chapter one when America was discovered from under other people’s feet.”
Despite the fact that the <a href="https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/fair_housing_act_overview">Fair Housing Act</a>, first enacted in 1968, makes it illegal to consider race or skin color in the sale of homes, Oliver contended that minorities still face discrimination when it comes to federal mortgage loans and home appraisals.
The comedian also blasted color-blind proposals like Joe Biden’s $15,000 first-time homebuyer tax-credit and made an argument specifically for race-based policies:
<blockquote>Hold on there Joe. For everybody? That may sound great but it also fundamentally dilutes what you’re actually trying to achieve here. Because we’ve immediately gone from targeted investment in black home ownership to a broad tax credit for everybody. And we sure do suddenly seem to become a rainbow coalition just as soon as the federal government starts handing out cash, don’t we?
Our failure to effectively target solutions based on race has doomed potential fixes in the past. In the seventies we passed the Community Reinvestment Act requiring banks to approve loans in low-income neighborhoods. But we didn’t specify who the loans had to go to.</blockquote>
The 44-year-old then specifically said reparations needs to be a federal policy because &#8220;ultimately, this isn&#8217;t something cities or states can do on their own.&#8221;
&#8220;It took the power and resources of the federal government to enforce racism on this scale,&#8221; Oliver said, &#8220;and only the federal government can truly grapple with the consequences.&#8221;
“When you deprive somebody of something, you make it right by paying what you owe,” Oliver concluded, though he admitted that transferring wealth from one group of citizens to another would be a complex undertaking. “Now, figuring out exactly how to pay might well get complicated,” he said. “But realizing that you have to should be pretty simple, because this is a wound that we are actively choosing not to heal ― and it is hurting real people every day.”
Most research on reparations investigates Americans’ feelings on payments for slavery, not housing discrimination, but polling shows the proposal is extremely unpopular. According to a July 2020 survey from <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-economy-reparations-poll/u-s-public-more-aware-of-racial-inequality-but-still-rejects-reparations-reuters-ipsos-polling-idUSKBN23W1NG">Reuters/Ipsos</a>, only 20% of voters favor the idea, including just one in three Democrats. Even among black respondents, only half think reparations are a good idea.
Black Republicans like Congressman Burgess Owens of Utah vehemently oppose reparations on the grounds that it would build dependence into the black community. “Slavery was and still is an evil,” he <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/04/15/support-reparations-has-grown-its-still-going-be-hard-sell-congress/">said</a> in reaction to reparations legislation introduced in the House earlier this year. “Reparation is divisive. It speaks to the fact that we are a hapless, hopeless race that never did anything but wait for White people to show up and help us, and it’s a falsehood.”
.

71st Emmy Awards – Press Room

HBO’s John Oliver Demands Reparations For Black Americans, Argues Against Color-Blind Policies

Reparations

As another conflict rages between the Israeli military and Hamas terrorists, anti-Israel advocates have resorted to their standard collection of inaccurate accusations.
Perhaps the most despicable among them? That the Jewish nation is an “apartheid” state.
This is a common allegation leveled against Israel, with Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rashida-tlaib-democratic-congress-members-house-floor-palestinians-israelis_n_609dc605e4b0daf2b59f404a">saying</a> “It is our duty to end the apartheid system that for decades has subjected Palestinians to inhumane treatment and racism,” and “comedian” John Oliver <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/john-oliver-accuses-israel-of-war-crimes-and-apartheid-against-palestinians">claiming</a> that “Palestinians are essentially being governed by a form of apartheid.”
This argument is simply an anti-Semitic attempt to delegitimize the world’s only Jewish state.
What is an “apartheid” state?
“Apartheid” is a South African term describing a system of institutionalized segregation based on race which was imposed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 until the 1990s. It was essentially a system of white supremacy which ensured racial dominance throughout society.
Apartheid included the prohibition of marriage between white people and other races, required black people to hold permits to run businesses in areas deemed “white South Africa,&#8221; and imposed segregation in public transport, education, and hospitals. 
According to the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/12chapter7.shtml">BBC</a>, the three most important blocks of legislation regarding Apartheid law were:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The Race Classification Act. Every citizen suspected of not being European was classified according to race.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The Mixed Marriages Act. It prohibited marriage between people of different races.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The Group Areas Act. It forced people of certain races into living in designated areas.</li>
</ul>
Not only that, non-white South Africans faced routine and consistent discrimination in the electoral system.
Why Israel is not an “apartheid” state
In terms of demographics, approximately 75% of Israel’s population is Jewish, while almost 21% are Arab of any religion other than Jewish. This includes both Christian and Muslim Arabs.
Arabs in Israel have equal voting rights, and Israel is one of the few countries in the Middle East where Arab women are permitted to vote. In Israel’s parliamentary democracy, four members of the <a href="https://knesset.gov.il/mk/eng/MKIndex_Current_eng.asp?view=1">Knesset</a> are members of “Ra’am &#8211; United Arab List.”
As Rich Lowry of <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/05/no-israel-is-not-an-apartheid-state/#slide-1">National Review</a> noted, “Arab Israelis are full participants in Israeli society.”
“There are Arab justices on the Supreme Court. About 20 percent of doctors in Israel and about half of pharmacists are Arab,” Lowry added. “Roughly 17 percent of students seeking an undergraduate degree are Arab, a number that has roughly doubled over the past decade.”
Benjamin Pogrund, who was born in South Africa in the 1930s and witnessed apartheid, expanded on this point for <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/31/opinion/why-israel-is-nothing-like-apartheid-south-africa.html">The New York Times</a> in 2017, writing, “In hospitals and clinics, Jewish and Arab doctors and nurses, secular and religious, work together, giving care equally to Jewish and Arab patients — unthinkable under apartheid.”
***
When presented with these inconvenient facts, critics will often reference the Palestinian territories as further proof of Israel&#8217;s enforcement of apartheid. However, the Gaza Strip is entirely under Palestinian control, with Israel withdrawing from Gaza in 2005. The subject of the so-called &#8220;West Bank&#8221; is more complicated, but critics ignore that Palestinian leaders have effectively turned down full Palestinian control on multiple occasions, and that Israeli military control of the region only occurred after Israel successfully repelled an Arab invasion in the 1967 Six-Day War. The notion that Muslim nations can repeatedly invade Israel, retreat after being defeated, and still claim &#8220;ownership&#8221; of land risked as a consequence is simply absurd.
According to the <a href="https://www.holocaustremembrance.com/resources/working-definitions-charters/working-definition-antisemitism">International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance</a>, there are two contemporary examples of anti-Semitism in public life which are relevant to accusations of &#8220;apartheid.&#8221;
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.</li>
</ul>
By making the demonstrably false claim that Israel is an apartheid state, the goal of outspoken “critics” of Israel is clear.
They are working to delegitimize Israel, and the fundamental right to self-determination, in order to destroy the home of Judaism which pre-exists both Christianity and Islam.
Ian Haworth is an Editor and Writer for The Daily Wire. Follow him on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/ighaworth">@ighaworth</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

No, Israel Is Not An Apartheid State

Rashida Tlaib

Far-left comedian John Oliver trashed Israel on his HBO show this past weekend, accusing the U.S. ally of war crimes and of apartheid.
According to Oliver, Israel&#8217;s sophisticated defense system &#8212; The Iron Dome &#8212; prevents Hamas rockets from hitting Israeli targets, which Oliver considers an unfair power imbalance.
&#8220;Israel has [the] so-called Iron Dome. And I know &#8216;What if we blew up the rockets with more rockets?&#8217; Sounds like something someone drunkenly wrote down on a napkin once, but it is a real military defense system that works,&#8221; argued Oliver. &#8220;And I also know not all the rockets were shot down. Israeli civilians were killed this week, which is terrible. But the point is, this isn&#8217;t &#8216;Tit for tat.&#8217; There is a massive imbalance when it comes to the two sides&#8217; weaponry and capabilities.&#8221;
Oliver then compared the Hamas rocket strikes with Israeli airstrikes, which he characterized as overwhelmingly violent and unnecessarily destructive. Oliver referred to some of these attacks as &#8220;war crimes.&#8221;
&#8220;While most of the rockets aimed toward Israeli citizens this week were intercepted, Israel&#8217;s airstrikes were not,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They hit their targets, including a house in a refugee camp, a building housing the associated press and Al Jazeera, and this 13-story office and apartment building. And while Israel insisted that there were military targets in that building and that they&#8217;d destroyed it as humanely as possible, even warning people to evacuate beforehand. For the record, destroying a civilian residence sure seems like a war crime regardless of whether you send a courtesy heads-up text.&#8221;
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Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/it-is-a-perfectly-legitimate-target-netanyahu-confirms-israel-shared-intelligence-proving-ap-building-housed-hamas">defended the strike</a> against The Associated Press building as a legitimate target that housed Hamas.
“We shared with our American friends all that intelligence,” Netanyahu said on “Face The Nation.” “Here’s the intelligence we had: it’s about Palestinian terrorists, an intelligence office for the Palestinian terrorist organization, housed in that building, that plots and organizes the terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians. So it’s a perfectly legitimate target.”
Netanyahu also asserted that Israel took all possible precautions to protect civilians.
“No people were killed,” Netanyahu said. “Now imagine, ask yourself, ‘how is that possible?’ You see these highrise towers that are used by Hamas. Over and over again they collapse and no one is killed. Why does that happen? Because we, unlike Hamas, take special precautions to tell people to leave the building, leave the premises.”
“We make sure everyone is gone before we bring down those terrorist facilities,” he said. “And that’s the difference between Israel and Hamas. They deliberately target our cities, deliberately target our civilians. They glorify the death of children and civilians and old people. They’re happy with it. I think they are happy with any deaths that are caused to them. We grieve for every non-combatant loss in Gaza and we grieve for all our civilians who die. We’re not happy with it and we try to minimize it.”
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/it-is-a-perfectly-legitimate-target-netanyahu-confirms-israel-shared-intelligence-proving-ap-building-housed-hamas">‘It Is A Perfectly Legitimate Target’: Netanyahu Confirms Israel Shared Intelligence Proving AP Building Housed Ham</a><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/it-is-a-perfectly-legitimate-target-netanyahu-confirms-israel-shared-intelligence-proving-ap-building-housed-hamas">as</a>

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon – Season 7

John Oliver Accuses Israel Of War Crimes, Apartheid

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