The Daily Show: Ears Edition

DOJ Protects Trump From Epstein Accountability as MAGA Attacks "Sanctuary Cities" | Heather Ann Thompson

44 min
Feb 3, 20263 months ago
Listen to Episode
Summary

Host John Stewart examines newly released Epstein documents showing connections between wealthy figures and the financier, while criticizing the DOJ for running interference rather than pursuing accountability. The episode features author Heather Ann Thompson discussing her book on the Bernie Goetz subway shooting case and how it presaged modern vigilante justice narratives and racial scapegoating.

Insights
  • DOJ document releases appear designed to protect powerful figures rather than enable prosecution, with Trump's legal team overseeing files that implicate Trump himself
  • Historical patterns of media-driven racial scapegoating (Bernie Goetz era) directly enabled modern vigilante justice movements and inform current political rhetoric
  • Wealth and social position determine legal accountability; identical crimes receive vastly different consequences based on class and access to resources
  • Sanctuary city rhetoric masks the real sanctuary: systems protecting wealthy and connected individuals from legal consequences for serious crimes
  • Media curation of outrage (Rupert Murdoch's New York Post) creates political movements by framing marginalized groups as threats rather than addressing systemic failures
Trends
Two-tiered justice system where accountability depends on wealth and political connections rather than crime severityMedia-driven moral panics targeting marginalized populations to distract from systemic economic failures and inequalityPolitical movements built on vigilante justice narratives gaining mainstream legitimacy and legal protectionGovernment agencies prioritizing political protection of powerful figures over investigation of multinational crime networksHistorical patterns of racial scapegoating being replicated in contemporary immigration and crime discourse
Topics
Epstein Investigation and DOJ AccountabilityWealth-Based Legal ImmunityBernie Goetz Subway Shooting CaseMedia Role in Racial ScapegoatingSanctuary City Policy RhetoricVigilante Justice MovementsReagan-Era Austerity and CrimeTwo-Tiered Justice SystemRupert Murdoch Media InfluenceWhite Rage and Political MovementsCriminal Justice System DisparitiesDOJ Political InterferenceImmigration Enforcement PrioritiesSystemic Inequality and CrimeMedia Curation of Public Outrage
Companies
News Corporation (Rupert Murdoch)
Owner of New York Post; media outlet that lionized Bernie Goetz and created racial scapegoating narrative that paved ...
Fox News
Successor media organization to Murdoch's New York Post strategy of curating racial outrage and political narratives
People
Donald Trump
Mentioned throughout Epstein files; observed Bernie Goetz case and used resulting political movement as template for ...
Heather Ann Thompson
Pulitzer Prize-winning author discussing her book 'Fear and Fury' about Bernie Goetz shooting and rebirth of white rage
Bernie Goetz
Shot four young Black men on NYC subway in 1984; became vigilante hero despite detailed confession; never convicted o...
Elon Musk
Mentioned in Epstein files with emails coordinating visits to Epstein's properties; denied wrongdoing via social media
Howard Lutnik
Commerce Secretary; claimed to cut off Epstein contact in 2005 but files show multiple attempts to meet/call after th...
Bill Clinton
Mentioned in Epstein files with photographs; part of broader pattern of powerful figures with documented connections
Bill Gates
Mentioned in Epstein files; part of documented connections to Epstein's network
Larry Summers
Economist mentioned in Epstein files; part of documented connections to Epstein's network
Prince Andrew
Only figure facing consequences (stripped of title); minimal penalty compared to lack of accountability for others
Darrell Cabey
Victim of Bernie Goetz shooting; paralyzed and suffered brain damage; pursued civil suit with mother's support
Rupert Murdoch
New York Post owner who made his reputation lionizing Bernie Goetz; created template for media-driven racial scapegoa...
Lindsey Graham
Senator quoted advocating end to sanctuary city policies while ignoring accountability gap for wealthy figures
Quotes
"The real sanctuary city is where money and power protect you from the consequences of sex trafficking or influence peddling, not the small Midwestern city trying to help a lady get up after she gets maced."
John Stewart
"It's completely believable that Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell are solely responsible for a supposed KGB and Mossad billion-dollar multinational sex trafficking operation."
John StewartEpstein files segment
"His bullets were a stand-in for the frustration that people felt for what they thought was an unmanageable city."
Heather Ann ThompsonBernie Goetz discussion
"The media is curating this outrage, this racial outrage particularly. It's not even that they're echoes of today—it's the same people."
Heather Ann ThompsonBernie Goetz discussion
"No one is above the law. This creates a two-tiered system. There's no accountability. There's no enforcement."
Lindsey Graham (quoted)Sanctuary city segment
Full Transcript
Cafe Quality Brews without a barista. That's the Ninja Lux Cafe. Yep, no skills needed. Richespresso, balanced drip coffee, rapid cold brew. All made by you because barista assist technology handles the details. Grinding, weighing, brewing, so you don't have to. Finished with silky microphone, made with dairy or plant-based milk. Hot or cold, hands-free, still no skills needed. From first timer to full blown coffee fan, you can brew it all. Brew it all with the Ninja Lux Cafe. No skills needed. Cafe Quality Coffee without the guesswork. Make espresso, drip coffee, cold brew, and more with the Ninja Lux Cafe. Listeners of this show get $60 off the Ninja Lux Cafe Premier Series with the code Stuart, exclusive on SharkNinja.com, while supplies last. That's $60 off the Ninja Lux Cafe Premier Series with code Stuart, exclusively on SharkNinja.com, while supplies last. Cheers. Cheers. Cheers. Cheers. Cheers. Hi everybody. Welcome once again to the Daily Show. My name is John Sturkey. We have got a great one for you tonight. Writer Heather Ann Thompson is going to be out to discuss her new book about Bernie Gets and the rebirth of white rage, which I didn't know had died. Hi. But thank you all for coming out tonight here in New York. It is, and I don't have to tell these people, they're kind enough to come out in this weather. It is the tenth day in a row that we have been below freezing temperatures. And all I can say is, oh, sorry folks, you get what you voted for. That's right. Oh, come red, mom Donnie. Been in for less than a month, and we're already Siberia. It is, it is unusually cold there, we'll say. But the big news, of course. We begin with the breaking news that the Justice Department has begun releasing millions more documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Yep, it's Groundhog Day. We call it that. Oh, thank you. That's a different one. We go with Groundhog Day because this is the day when Donald Trump sees Epstein's shadow. And we get six more weeks of not knowing who any of the co-conspirators are in this multinational sex trafficking case. And also because Punks of Donnie Phil is all over the files. That is, is that our, is that to scale by any chance? And maybe the biggest f***ing Groundhog. They literally look like they actually look like they could be friends. They'll Clinton and Punks of Donnie Phil. The point I'm trying to make is the Epstein files thing we've been through this before. Donald Trump revelations about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. The MAGA fault line seems to be widening from a fracture. Breaking news, a big break. Republicans breaking with Trump on Epstein. The dam could potentially be breaking here with MAGA. The beginning of the end of the Trump presidency. After a million more documents in the Epstein files were discovered last week, will this fracture become a lasting irreversible break? I'm gonna go with no. God, you guys are adorable. The chances of this breaking MAGA are actually worse than Trump, just lowering the age of consent to be done with the whole f***ing thing. Which is that... I didn't say we were doing it. Which is not to say there is an awful sh** in this new Epstein dump. It was a veritable who's who of who you imagine wanted someone to touch the air who who. Allegedly, Lutnik, Banin, Musk, Summers, Gates, Clinton, Tish, Molania, the guy who directed Molania. Prince Andrew, and Sir Richard Branson. I don't think any of us will ever masturbate again. That is... And of course, the star of our show, Donald Josephine Trump, whose thousands of mentions render Trump as kind of a necessary backdrop through the entirety of the Epstein files, kind of like New York City in a Woody Allen, and, of course, the star of our show, Donald Josephine Trump, whose thousands of mentions render Trump as kind of a necessary backdrop in the violin movie, which coincidentally is at propose because he's also in the files. And, of course, to get ahead of the story, I am also in the files. We all searched our names, right? You guys in search your name? All right, well, I... Yeah, no, I know. Whatever. I am in the files. All right, this... This is actually true. I take you to the scene. It is midnight. August 29th, 2015. Jeffrey Epstein lies wide awake. His mind, turning with ideas. He juts a quick note to a producer named Barry Josephson, saying, I suggested to Woody, y'all know which Woody, right? It's the Epstein files. It ain't Haroldson. All right. Or the cowboy for Toy Story. You know which Woody would do. Quote, I suggested to Woody that he do an exclusive new stand-up routine for either Apple TV or Amazon. Oh, Jeffrey Epstein always had his finger on the pulse of what America was clamoring for in 2015. But Barry Josephson, thinking like the outer-the-box television professional that he was, pitched to this idea. This is true, quote. Make a true biographical experience with his stand-up being the capper. Somebody like John Stewart could host slash Nare the biographical part. Excuse me? I am offended. I am offended. Somebody like John Stewart? Or John Stewart? My point is, do I have the offer or is this in addition? Perhaps some more extensive references were reserved for members of the billionaire class who traveled in Epstein's circles, including the billionaireiest of them all. New emails from billionaire Elon Musk and Epstein coordinating a possible visit to the financiers in Phammas Island. Elon says, do you have any parties planned? I really want to hit the party scene in St. Bart's or elsewhere and let loose. I'm sorry, I hate you do this. Can we zoom in on the email on that please? Christmas Day? You're asking if Jeff Epstein's got any parties planned on the island on Christmas Day? I mean, look, Christmas is just 10's time. We've all had that feeling trapped in the house with the in-laws and 14 to 16 of our children over the holidays. But generally Elon, the wonderlust doesn't really hit till the 28th of the 29th, but Christmas morning? You f***ing emailed Epstein Christmas, dearest Jeffrey. I've just seen the joy in all my children's faces as they opened their gifts. Get me the f*** out of here. And ever since those revelations, Elon has been, uh, how do the kids say it, crashing out? He's posted about the Epstein files more than 85 times over the last two days. Oddly enough, mostly on Blue Sky. No, I'm just kidding. And if I may, uh, Elon, slow down, brother. You got to make some time for tweeting about the white genocide too. Life's a balance. But this is obviously important at Elon, so, all right, give us the best argument for your innocence. Musk denies any wrongdoing. Writing over the weekend, if I actually wanted to spend my time partying with young women, he would be trivial for me to do so without the help of a creepy loser like Epstein. Um... I could do what Epstein does on my own. Is not the moral clarity we were expecting here. But my favorite part of the Musk Epstein emails, uh, you ever have a friend where you don't really share the same sense of humor but you share the same interests? And they share the same interests. Epstein writes him and says, any plans for New York, the opening of the General Assembly of the UN, has many interesting people coming to the house. Mmm, many interesting people, Elon. Wing, wing. Get it? Elon replies, I run and lead product design engineering for two complicated companies, flying to New York to see UN diplomats do nothing would be an unwise use of time. I'm sorry, Jeffrey, could you make it a little more obvious for your friend? To which Jeffrey Epstein replies, do you think I am retarded just kidding? There is no one over 25 and all very cute. What the f***? We've all had that friend. Why would I go to the bathroom with you to go skiing? Skying is an outdoor sport requiring a mountain and equipment and... I see. Now another big name in the files is Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik, which in itself is not big news because since Lutnik admitted that he met Epstein in 2005 and then said he immediately cut off all contact. You know what? I won't let me let him tell the story. I say to him, massage table in the middle of your house. How often do you have a massage? And he says, every day. And then he gets like weirdly close to me. And he says, and the right kind of massage. Is Shia Tzu or... Like a deep tissue or a loamy... His dick. I'm sorry, it's about... I apologize. It's... Okay, yeah, yeah. And he's talking about a dick massage. I did. Go to the bathroom and go skiing. Okay, dick massage. Understood. Carry on with the story. And in the six or eight steps it takes to get from his house to my house. Wait a second. Hold on. You live six steps from Jeffrey Epstein? Six steps. Jeffrey Epstein's house was six steps. That's how f*** up housing is in New York City. I'm sorry. Even billionaires don't get to live more than six steps away from each other. Imagine how the rest of us live in this habit trail hellhole. I'm sorry. Anyway, carry on. And in the six or eight steps it takes to get from his house to my house. My wife and I decided that I will never be in the room with that disgusting person ever again. Oh, yeah, I'm sure. That's how you and your wife decided, yes, yes. No, no, no, no. Your wife and you were both outraged. You walked out of there like, honey, that guy, what a creepo. I mean, to think there's a guy with massage tables and a sex swing in a dildo room, just six steps from our house. Believe me, honey, you'll never catch me commuting to f*** up. Well, it's happened whoever again. Right, honey, you trust me, right? And so he never returned until files released today show that Howard Luttonick tried to meet or call with Epstein several times after 2005. Yes, Jeffrey, it's me. Howard Luttonick. I'm on your stoop right now. I just want to remind you, sir, I am disgusted and appalled. And have a tremendous amount of tension in my trapezius muscle. You wouldn't have any other kind of massage. Oh, my balls hurt. She's my one man show called Luttonick on the stoop. By the way, wasn't just Republicans in this email dump. Yet Bill Clinton pictures having his cake and oggling it too. Economist Larry Summers, seeing if someone was available to rub his Phillips curve. Look it up. And Bill Gates apparently getting gonorrhea from a Russian hooker. Allegedly. Yeah, f***ing true. God damn it, Clippy! Not now! Clippy! You're not helping! F***ing Clippy. All these names, all these emails, images and videos. What do they amount to? Lots of additional pictures and documents, but there is nothing in the Epstein files released today that shows anyone new can be prosecuted. Of course they can't be. It's completely believable that Epstein and Glynemaxwell are solely responsible for supposedly KGB and Mossad, billion dollar, multinational sex trafficking. Ryan, you're really a mom and pop operation. I think that's pretty clear. I mean, you've already seen the millions of documents that the FBI has worked on for months to flag mentions of Donald Trump. I'm sure the 2.5 million remaining documents that we haven't seen will be no different, right? Trump, lawyer and also guy in charge of files that might implicate Donald Trump. This review is over. Okay, well I'm satisfied. That's fine. No further questions. Look, man, we always knew that the people at DOJ releasing these documents weren't on a fat finding mission. They were running interference, and the guy they're running interference for seems very satisfied with these results. I didn't see it myself, but I was told by some very important people that not only does it absolve me, it's the opposite of what people were hoping, you know, the radicals. Oh, God, totally innocent. I mean, look at me. Do I look like the kind of a guy would fly around on a billionaire's sex plane? None of these dudes. They've been on the plane. They've been on the island. They've been to his house. They've given him creepy cards with pubic hair. They've been accused by a multitude of women of a multitude of wrongdoings. And nothing has happened to any of them. Any of them. Oh, except Prince Andrew. Oh, Prince Andrew stripped of the title, Prince. Oh, such a penalty. Now it's just Andrew Mountbatten, Windsor. Oh, one more time, buddy, and you'll be busted down to Andy Mountbatten, Windsor. You know, I got to be honest. I'm just not sure anybody is going to be held accountable for any of this. I have nothing to do with Jeff Reemption. And in fact, if you look at the DOJ, they announced, you know, they released three million pages. It's like this is all they're supposed to be doing. And frankly, the DOJ, I think, should just say, we have other things to do. And boy, and boy, does the DOJ have other things to do. You know, looking into this decades-long sex trafficking network for the rich and powerful, is stopping the DOJ from getting the people who really deserve to be punished. If you are here illegally, you got to go. Why? Because you're breaking the law. No one is above the law. This creates a two-tiered system. There's no accountability. There's no enforcement. It breeds fruit and crime and all of the other problems that come. I want sanctuary city policy to end. But yeah, no, you're right. We got to end the two-tiered system of accountability. And to quote Lindsey Graham there, oh. Sanctuary city policies have to end. Well, after watching the politically well-connected skirt, any form of legal accountability for horrible fucking crimes, it seems pretty clear to me that there is a sanctuary city in this country. But guess what, this kid don't live in it. The real sanctuary city is where money and power protect you from the consequences of sex trafficking. or influence peddling, or taking half a billion dollars and giving away America's AI infrastructure. Not the small Midwestern city, we're trying to help a lady get up after she gets maced, gets you shot in the back of the f***ing head. That's the real sanctuary city. And these are the motherf***ers who live there. Get me the right picture. Yeah. When we come back, have a round of applause and we'll be going in a big round of applause. A well-built wardrobe is defined by pieces that work together and hold up over time. That is the core of the Quinn's philosophy. 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That's q-u-i-n-c-e.com slash daily show, free shipping and 365 day returns. Quinn's.com slash daily show. Cafe quality brews without a barista. That's the Ninja Lux Cafe. Yep. No skills needed. Richespresso, Balanced drip coffee, Rapid cold brew. All made by you because barista assist technology handles the details. Grinding, weighing, brewing, so you don't have to. Finished with silky microphone, made with dairy or plant-based milk. Hot or cold, hands-free, still no skills needed. From first timer to full blown coffee fan, you can brew it all. Brew it all with the Ninja Lux Cafe. No skills needed. Cafe quality coffee without the guesswork. Make espresso, drip coffee, cold brew, and more with the Ninja Lux Cafe. Listeners of this show get $60 off the Ninja Lux Cafe premiere series with the code Stuart exclusive on sharkninja.com while supplies last. That's $60 off the Ninja Lux Cafe premiere series with code Stuart exclusively on sharkninja.com while supplies last. The regular show, my guess tonight is a story and a Pulitzer Prize winning author, which is a book it's called Fear and Fury. The Reagan 80s, The Bernie Gets shootings, and the rebirth of Whiterage. Please welcome to the program Heather Anit Thompson. May, by the way, fabulous. Read the book Fabulous. Read gripping, suspenseful. Explain, you know, this is my, my wheelhouse. I'm in my sixties. This is when I moved to the city during the Bernie Gets era. So I felt it like with, with an nostalgia, but explain, you know, I was in the office with kids and they were like, who's Bernie Gets? And I was like, what? Yeah, I had to say them like 30 years from now, people would be saying to you like, who's did he? And you're like, what? Yeah, I know. I remember it as well. I remember it coming to New York in the 80s. This event happens and, you know, it was kind of took us all back then, but I've been thinking about it again. And I thought we need to know who this guy is. Explain, Bernie Gets is 1984. He shoots four young black males on a subway train in Manhattan. Yeah. And it's close quarters and he's on there for like five minutes and within those five minutes, he's decided he doesn't like the gleam and one of their eyes. The kid asked them for $5, pan handling as we remember, big thing in New York in the 80s. And he turns, pulls out a 38 lesson and just Smith and Lesson just, just takes him out. One in the chest, his friend in the back is trying to get away. The next kid trying to get away in the arm goes through his lungs. And then the fourth kid, he misses, but then he goes over to him and he, you know, quaking and fear waiting, hoping the guy is going to go away and he says, you look all right. Here's another. And he shoots him point blank range, severing his spinal cord and paralyzing him. But then he becomes a hero to all New Yorkers, except for not quite all New Yorkers in New Yorkers who thought, yeah, we need a Charles Bronson. We need a dirty Harry in the city to take care of business. And I kind of felt like that moment had a lot to tell us about the moment we're in where violence is again, unleashed, legally okay, where a guy in Minneapolis can, can literally be shot in the head. And we are told that up is down, down is up. We didn't see what we thought we saw. I think this is a beginning story to that. And by the way, the description that you're making of what happened, that's not even your interpretation. That's his interpretation. That's Bernie Gets gave interviews to the conch or police and to other people saying, and I went up to the kid, the fourth kid and went, you seem okay. And I shot, like, that's his description of it. And this is in the time. So you have to set the scene. There's no iPhones. There's no anything. It really is the unreliability of eyewitness accounts in a kind of frenetic moment. But the thing is, people had already decided he was a hero. And that's kind of what I wanted to get into, right? He goes on the land. He disappears into the subway tunnels. People don't even know who he is. And he's already on the front page, right? He was known as a sub-wave vigilante. When he turns himself in, he gives this two-hour, detailed confession. Robbery had nothing to do with it. That's right. Previously being mugged had nothing to do with it. And it's not going to matter. It's not going to matter when he goes to trial. It's not going to matter to so many New Yorkers. And I think it's, we got to look at that moment because today we're kind of there again, right? We see it. We see a videotape. But yet we're like, we're told. It almost, it actually felt, it's hard to underestimate how popular Bernie Gets was in that moment. And I remember, you know, we all remember, the city back then was super fun. Like, I was young. It was completely lawless. I lived on the Canal Street stop. So one stop before he shot him around Chamber Street, I guess. And it was, I used to come home from working my restaurant to have two in the morning on the subways and like, luckily I looked pathetic enough. Nobody bothered me. But like, it was, it was a hustle back then. Oh, it was. A lot of drugs. Yeah, bad news. I mean, it's 84, right? Yeah, yeah. And with the height of the Reagan 80s, everything is getting stripped. Public resources are getting stripped. That's right. Rashes piling up. People are turning to the illegal economy of drugs. That's right. But here's the thing. The problem is that the Reagan had really implemented. The problem was, you know, people worse off than them. So again, that plain book is really getting cemented. Write that. No, once again, they're being told it's not any systemic failures. It's people like these four kids. Those four kids were a stand in. And by the way, like, they were there to rob just not people. They were going to pop pinball machines for coins. They were on their way to a video arcade to Jimmy him open, get orders. Yes. Because again, they're from the South Bronx. And that area has also been completely stripped of resources. Jobs are gone. And they need some money. But that context, right, is what gets lost. Context stops matter basic. His bullets were a stand in for the frustration that people felt for what they thought was an unmanageable city. And it wasn't just right. I mean, New York City, and I can remember, you know, my grandfather drove a cab and broken my other grandfather ran a dry cleaner in Washington Heights. Like, they were very familiar with property crime and all those things. But New York City from the 60s and 70s after the oil shot, I mean, New York City was broken 75. Like, it was fraying at the seams. 75. Many years. Well, the fiscal crisis was devastating. Yeah. And that crisis begins to rebound in other places. Other places on the globe. It was a global crisis. Yes. But what happens is Reagan gets elected and he sort of doubles down on the austerity, right, rather than rebounding. But meanwhile, the richer getting richer, richer, richer. But the eye isn't on that ball. The eye is on the misery and whose fault is it. And the thing is, I think the book, I hope, really kind of lays bare. It's curated. You've got this media that's curating this outrage, this racial outrage particularly. The echoes of today, I mean, it's not even that they're echoes. It's the same people. The guy running the media machine that Lionized Bernie Gets was. Rupert Murdoch's New York Post. That's, we did all like, I've heard of that guy. I don't like what he does at all. That was when he made his bones. That's right. It allows him to really make his market in New York City. And it's what's going to pave the way for Fox News. Right. And it's not just him, right? It's Leonies on the scene here. And Trump is on the scene here. So all these times are here. Trump and Gets sort of mirror each other. Right. And that both raised and both have frustrations with the thing, both have the same antagonism towards what they consider to be the underclass that doesn't belong there. Yeah. But Trump is watching this case. He is watching what happens when someone does something like this. What's the response? And the response becomes his base. The response becomes, that's what I need to take the White House. And he's going to, it's kind of an extra, I have to say, it's a story that even surprised me. And he didn't really, did he jump in on the Bernie Gets, I know that he jumped in on what was so called the center park five. That's right. So he waits, he doesn't jump in on this case, but he's very much central to that coverage of the time, the New York Post coverage. And Juliana is the real link between them there. Right. And Juliana is New York, the New York that's going to come out of this. And the same way they set the hyperbolic tone for today with immigrants. They set with people from, I mean, you would have thought, I lived here, man. It was actually like really fun. It was a little more dangerous than probably it is today, but like, not crazily so. But they made it out to be like, I remember the headlines were Time Magazine, super predators, young black kids that are, they're super soldiers that will kill you though. Wilding was the big, you know, that would be considered like a social media thing back then, but like that was. And people really took out their frustration on these kids who weren't perfect victims, but they certainly weren't the masterminds and evil doers that they were made out of. But they're made into the victims. I mean, I'm sorry, into the villains, not the victims. Right, sure, sure. Over night, right? These are kids that have racked up a lot of misdemeanor offenses, you know, jump in the subway turn styles. The minute they get shot, all of a sudden judges are turning those misdemeanor citations into warrants for their arrest. Yeah. The hate mail that's pouring into their apartments to the hospital. And their lives are destroyed by this. But at the end of the day, they never get graced. They never get to be the victims. Yeah. And so we didn't even know who they were. We didn't know their names. So for me in the book, it was really important to kind of lay bare what are the costs of all this violence? What are the costs of unleashing this kind of rage and then saying it's perfectly legal okay? We begin to see why do we get a Travon Martin situation, right? Why is George Zimmerman allowed to do what he's not doing? Well, yeah, it just traces all the way back. It just keeps going. I was actually heartened at the racism, the letters to the editor. She puts in letters to the editor that people wrote to the post and to the Daily News. I go on Twitter sometimes and I'm like horrified in the comments section. Like, oh my God, how can people be this horrifying? But at least there, they go by like, Cuck Boy 101. These are letters to the editor that are like these animals and using the inward and saying like horrible things about them, you know, you're truly Louis Viderelli. You know what I mean? Right. You put their name on it. And back in the day, you couldn't just, you went to buy a stamp, you went to walk that thing to a post office box. That's commitment. Yeah. And the thing is not just letters coming to the editors in New York. Coming to them. And coming to the boys, coming to New York Post from Colorado, from California, from from, I mean, this, this becomes a national phenomenon because it, because it touched a moment that was really shifting. You know, rebirth of white rage always, you know, white rage is ubiquitous in American history. But this is a moment when it gets unleashed like it hadn't been since the 19th century and legally okay like it hadn't been. And by the way, so Bernie Gets was not convicted of attempted murder or any of those things. They got him on, it was carrying an illegal weapon. Right. Yeah. And this is a fascinating, this is another dichotomy that I think is really interesting. Because so much of the conditions that those young men grew up in were so difficult. If you look at the life of Bernie Gets and those kids, they're somewhat parallel but the differences grace, the differences margin of error. So Bernie Gets' dad is arrested for suspicion of I guess child molestate like it, real serious stuff. He plea bargains down to disturbing the, like misdemeanor, some kind of thing. And continues and is wealthy and sends Bernie to like a prep school in Switzerland. The kid who got shot and paralyzed, his dad's a truck driver who's killed. Trying to defend his truck from a would-be thief. And those two moments really typify what Grace does to the trajectory of a person's life. And the ultimate iron is these kids, first introduction to the criminal justice system, is for misdemeanor bullshit. Jumping a turn style, smoking some dope. Bernie Gets is a dope smoker with illegal guns who's dead. Bargain, dead. I mean. He's got marijuana in his apartment when he's arrested. Right. And this is at a time period in New York City when if you get arrested for marijuana, you're off to Attica. You are off to one of New York's building prisons. Right. And so I guess it's always curious to me that people don't draw the parallel of what margin of error means to the future of a person. And what's he, you know, today, is he repentant in any way, do you know? No. He's not repentant or you don't know. No, he's not repentant. I mean, when Kyle Rittenhouse goes to the police, he's going to be a criminal. Kyle Rittenhouse goes and shoots people. He is weighing in and supports him when Daniel Penny chokes out someone on a subway in the modern iteration of this. He is, you know, he's supportive. So no. But again, you know, that's the grace, right? He's asked the question, what do you think about this? And he gets to weigh in. And then meanwhile, the wreckage of his act gets completely erased from the memory. How many of these young boys are still alive? Only two. Only two. One committed suicide. Yep. And the other... One of them ends up in prison. He was battling a drug addiction after this. He ends up locked up. And of course, prison will slowly kill you. So he comes home and dies shortly thereafter. So two are left. One, the real... I think that the center of the story that I try to tell was not just paralyzed, but then suffered pretty severe brain damage from going into coma after his injury. So all of these young teenagers are fighting for their life, but the media is celebrating the vigilante. And that, that again, that up and down, that up and down is that moment. I think we have to reckon with. Absolutely. And if you want to get yourselves nice and boiled up and angry, read about how the media goes. So there's a ton of lawsuits. I mean, this gets case dominated New York for years and years, and then there were civil lawsuits and all kinds of other things. But read about how... And I can't remember if it was a reporter for the post or the daily news. They go to... Was it... Darrell Cabees? Was it... When he was at the... Jimmy Brezzlin goes to his hospital room. And interviews him when he's like knocked out. But then another guy goes and secretly records him. Oh, this is Bernie gets... Hires this paralegal investigator. Right. Who essentially goes and calls up Darrell, who is in a rehab center, poses as a doctor to try to get him to admit basically that he's not suffered any brain damage. And then goes to the rehab facility, posing as someone who's just trying to get their brother in. And films him in this... But you know, that was when Darrell Cabees' mother, who was a true heroine in this story, she refuses to let this go. She doesn't want her son forgotten. And so she files the civil suit on his behalf. So there is a civil trial and it is an extraordinary story where they're not giving up. But Bernie gets... Gets to defend himself, Pro Say. So he gets to depose the young man that he shot. And his mother. So it's this extraordinary... You know, yeah. It's... And that's where revelations come out in the trial. They didn't come out in the criminal trial where people go like, oh, I think we might o** this up, where all the revelations about his own words and all that. And ultimately he does lose the civil suit, yes. He does. He gets a $43 million judgment against him, thanks to a Bronx jury. But he doesn't pay a dime. So all in all, it's quite a happy tale. Don't tell me how it ends. It's a remarkable... And I have to say like, it just... It's such a time and place that I remember so well as a young man. And you captured it remarkably and beautifully in all of its contradictions and... and cleavages. And the city was torn apart in those days. So really nicely, nicely nicely done. So thank you for being here. It's called Fury. It's available now. Head to the round to Thompson. Quick break and we'll be right back at the end. All right. Looking for a small city with a big heart and even bigger personality. Fly direct from Glasgow to Derry London Derry with Loganair. With colorful culture, life music around every corner and crack that feels like home. Discover a city that welcomes you like family. With 15 kilo hold luggage included a standard. Every seat offers a warm welcome. Book today at Loganair.co.uk Ready to launch your business? Get started with the commerce platform made for entrepreneurs. Shopify is specially designed to help you start, run and grow your business with easy customizable themes that let you build your brand. Marketing tools that get your products out there. Integrated shipping solutions that actually save you time. From startups to scale ups, online, in person and on the go. Shopify is made for entrepreneurs like you. Sign up for your $1 a month trial at Shopify.com slash setup. Before we go, we check in with your host for the rest of the week Mr. Mike Costa. My God! What are you working on for this week? John, the Winter Olympics begin this week and I will be reporting live on the scene from Milan, the Italian city of luxury. Michael, we're on basic cables so the show cannot afford to fly you to Milan. Oh, I see. Well, then. The Super Bowl is this week and I will be covering it live on the scene. Michael, there's no way Super Bowl tickets are like astronomical. We're not. No. Okay. Alright, that's fine. We'll be reporting on the record low temperatures right here in New York. Boom! Yes! Yes! Yes! That, which I'll be comparing to the temperatures in the Bahamas we're all reporting live. You said yes already. Yes, you made a good, Michael Costa. Michael Costa, everybody. Here he is, you won't want to say. It's really insurrectionists and agitators and they're paid and you can tell a lot of reasons. Some of them when they're professionals, you know, with their mouth, but they're also, you look at the signs. The signs are all professionally made. They have signs that are gorgeous. In fact, I want to get the sign because I'm a big, I need a lot of signs for different things and I want to find out who of it does this as they do a beautiful job. Explore more shows from the Daily Show Podcast universe by searching the Daily Show, wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the Daily Show weekdays at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Fairmount Plus. 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