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The Meals That Carry Us Through Hard Seasons with Helen Hopkins

from How Not to Screw Up Your Kids

40m 6s

The Meals That Carry Us Through Hard Seasons with Helen Hopkins

This transcript is a compilation of comedy, advertising, and interview segments. It opens with a BJ's Wholesale Club ad featuring "Coach Hank," a football coach and father of 30 who saves up to 25% on bulk groceries. A Disney+ promotion announces Toy Story 5 is now streaming, highlighting Woody, Buzz, and Jessie's new adventure. The Daily Show with Michael Kosta then covers the 2026 midterms, mocking Republican candidates like Vivek Ramaswamy and Ken Paxton, and satirizing Donald Trump's campaign promises, including an executive order on red-dyed diesel and making daylight saving time permanent. A sketch features "Mordock the Clock Keeper" after Trump shares Senator Tom Cotton's cell number. Jordan Klepper interviews January 6th participant Yvonne St. Cyr, who seeks restitution, and Congressman Joe Morelli, who opposes payouts for rioters. Finally, Aaron Sorkin discusses The Social Reckoning, a film about Facebook's dark secrets, algorithmic rage bait, and whistleblower Frances Haugen, with parallels to The Social Network. The episode blends political satire, cultural commentary, and celebrity interview.

Transcription

6075 Words, 33684 Characters

English
Speaker 1Hank joined BJ's Wholesale Club the day he became a father of 30. I coach football. Now, Coach Hank saves up to 25% off grocery store prices. 30 pounds of pasta, 3 cases of protein bars, 75 sports drinks. And that's just pregame. He knows teamwork, and BJ's knows savings. This is your home, Coach. Home of the Save. Join for just $20 at bjs.com slash mesquite and save 10 cents per gallon for 6 months. Open soon. Limited time offer. New members only. BJ's. Home of the Save.
Speaker 2Hi there. I am fully charged and here to tell you Toy Story 5 is now on Disney+. Woody! It's been too long, cowboy. Woody, Buzz, and Jesse are back for a brand new adventure with some seriously cool new tech. What? Holy butterscotch! You said it, Jesse. So, save your batteries and watch the global phenomenon at home. And the best part? It's perfect for the whole family. Power up your movie night and watch Disney and Pixar's Toy Story 5, now streaming on Disney+, rated PG. You're listening to Comedy Central.
Speaker 3From the most trusted journalists at Comedy Central, it's America's only source for news. This is The Daily Show with your host, Michael Kosta.
Speaker 4Oh, man, baby. Welcome to The Daily Show. I'm Michael Kosta. We've got so much to talk about tonight.
Speaker 5Donald Trump starts a new war with time. Jan Sixers stormed the legal system. And Vivek Ramaswamy drops the ball. And the ball is a child. Also, later on, Aaron Sorkin is going to be here. Woo! Big one. But first, let's get into our continuing coverage of the 2026 midterms in our ongoing segment, The Middicy. I've heard the words epic.
Speaker 6I've heard historic. That's what it is.
Speaker 5We are now just four weeks away from Election Day, the most important Tuesday of the year, after all the taco ones. And right now, Republicans are at a risk of losing in a lot of red states. I'm talking states like Texas, Iowa, Kansas, and even Alabama. Yeah. You guys didn't even know about Alabama because you're all wrapped up in your East Coast bubble. It may just be flyover country to you coastal elites, but to the hicks who live there, it's home, okay? But one reason Republicans are struggling is that they aren't exactly fielding the best candidates. For example, in the Ohio governor's race, their nominee is Vivek Ramaswamy, former presidential candidate and guy with resting virgin face. His campaign. He really needs a lift, but lifting doesn't seem to be his strong suit. Here, I'll pick you up. There you go. Big guy. See, this is why you can't skip lifting kids day at the gym. Now, to be fair, this kid wasn't helping. I mean, look, he went full dead weight. That's the move my kid makes when she doesn't want to leave the playground. And I don't want to drop her because I'm a good dad, so typically I just leave her there. But this was not what Vivek needed, especially after the last time he tried to show off his manliness.
Speaker 7Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has deleted a campaign video after the internet mocked his baseball swing. There's 10 things I'm going to do for Ohio. Slash your property taxes. Abolish your state income tax. What are you laughing at?
Speaker 5He swings the bat like Jeter. That's the name of my blind gay nephew. Damn, that swing is bad. Please tell me his father died young. At least that's an excuse. His father didn't die young. We fact-checked it before the joke. I mean, what a harsh way to find out. Everyone on your staff hates the living shit out of you. Hey, does this swing look good? Yeah, definitely. That's how all the pros do it. Meanwhile, in the Texas Senate race, Republicans are running Ken Paxton, the attorney general who amazingly found someone to cheat on his wife with. He's running an ad trying to highlight his hard stance on human trafficking, but it's not exactly sending the right message.
Speaker 8A 16-year-old runaway from San Antonio trafficked around Texas. Until Ken Paxton's human trafficking unit stepped in. When missing posters go up, Ken Paxton takes them down.
Speaker 5Wow. What a harsh way to find out everyone on your staff hates the living shit out of you. This doesn't make me look like I'm kidnapping girls and taking down the posters, right? No, of course not. Anyway, with teammates like this, it's no wonder that Donald Trump has decided to put them on his back and carry them across the finish line. Last night, he hit the campaign trail in Nebraska, where he promised voters relief from the high gas prices that some moron inflicted on him.
Speaker 6Tonight, I'm going to sign a historic executive order to officially waive the off-road requirement and allow anyone to purchase tax-free red-dyed diesel for any reason.
Speaker 5Yeah! Executive order on red-dyed diesel! What's red-dyed diesel? I mean, I know all of those words individually, but not all together. Is that how they make Froot Loops? Well, thankfully, the president is signing an executive order about it. So he'll explain it to us.
Speaker 6Red-dyed diesel. Do you know what that is? I don't know what the hell it is, but whatever it is, it's supposed to be very good.
Speaker 5Does anybody want to explain it? If you're doing this to help us, shouldn't you at least know what it is? This feels like a doctor going, Well, I finished your vasectomy. By the way, what do the balls do anyway? You know what, Trump? I don't think getting a discount off red-dyed diesel is going to get the country back on your side. You need to do something like end the war or regulate AI or stop bringing back diseases that you could only get on the Oregon Trail. Something big! Donald Trump wants to make daylight. Saving is permanent. Sure, okay. Daylight saving time. Sometimes I also start at the bottom of my to-do list. But okay, let's hear it. What's your pitch?
Speaker 6We want to get away from this ridiculous way and custom of every twice a year turning your clocks back, turning your clocks forward, being late for dinner.
Speaker 5Yeah. Finally, a crisis that Trump takes seriously. Being late for dinner. No president wants to get that terrible phone call, sir. They've already started serving the appetizers. I mean, it's 2026. There's like one clock in my entire house that doesn't change automatically. If Trump wants to permanently shift the entire country's daylight hours, he's going to need a better reason than it's annoying to change the clock.
Speaker 6We don't want to change clocks. Twice a year. It's very expensive.
Speaker 5It's expensive? How is it expensive to change your clocks? Are you hiring Shohei Ohtani to do it for you? Maybe I'm doing it wrong, but historically it's always cost me zero dollars to change my clocks. Mr. President, you've got to give us a better reason. Crime rates, car safety, GDP, something.
Speaker 6They don't want to have to go around changing. People don't want to have to change their clocks twice a year. It's a lot of work for a lot of people. They're running around for two days changing all the clocks in their house.
Speaker 5Okay. Okay, now, that sounds like a lie I would make up to avoid going to my daughter's recital. Sorry, honey. It's going to take me like two days to change all the clocks. But I'm sure you'll do great considering you've practiced once in the last six months. But I'll admit, it is a lot of running around. And sadly, most fatal. Clock-changing accidents happen at home. The time of death, nobody knows. But not all Republicans want this as bad as Trump does. In fact, the only thing standing in the way of Trump and his dream of permanent daylight is Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton. So named because he's genetically half Q-tip. Well-handedly blocking Trump's bill from coming to vote. And I'm sure Trump is going to be totally normal about that, right?
Speaker 9Right? Right? President Trump publicly shared on social media what he said is the personal cell phone number of Republican Senator Tom Cotton in an apparent effort to pressure the lawmaker to support legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent.
Speaker 5He released his personal cell phone number? Oh, my God. What a. A dick. is what Tom Cotton probably thought when he got 60,000 unsolicited dick pics. Now, I know that sounds annoying, but it's not as annoying as going around your house for two days changing all your clocks. And if I can be totally honest, I would be happy to get rid of daylight saving time. I don't even know how it started in the first place. Twas I. Wait, who said that?
Speaker 10Behold, mortal, look upon my frightening visage, for I am Mordok, the clock keeper. It is here in the time realm that I doth control the flow of daylight and savings.
Speaker 5Oh, okay, is that why you're wearing a clock like Flava Flav?
Speaker 10Why does everyone say that? Flav stole that look from me. He copied his whole thing from me.
Speaker 5So you invented daylight saving time?
Speaker 10Yeah, boy! I. I. I am the inventor of daylight saving. And by galactic decree, I forbid you from canceling it.
Speaker 5I understand. You probably care about children being safe in the daylight on their way to school.
Speaker 10False. It's because I love watching how confused you all get. You have to change all the clocks. You have to learn where the knobs are. You think it's five o'clock somewhere? No, it's only four. Or is it six? You'll never know.
Speaker 5Hey, hey, hey. That's not very. That's not very nice, Mordock. Now, personally, I really want to end daylight saving time. I like to watch TV without having to figure out what 9-8 Central means.
Speaker 10That's a time zone thing, you moron. Address that concern with the time zone master. He's my stepfather, and we're not on speaking terms.
Speaker 5What? Well, you know what? I want President Trump to get rid of that, too.
Speaker 10Never. Try as he might, Donald Trump can never stop me. The chaos of the clock shall endure for eternity, and he shall not. For fear? Oh, hold on. I'm getting a textual message. Oh, gross, it's dick pics. Oh, God, it's hundreds and hundreds, and each is more gnarled than the rest.
Speaker 5Uh, Donald Trump must have posted your phone number.
Speaker 10God damn it! I've had this number for 30,000 centuries. Now I must change it at the cursed Verizon store. Do you know if I have time to get there before it closes?
Speaker 5I don't know. You're the clock keeper.
Speaker 10I know, but all these clocks are off by, like, an hour. I haven't. I haven't gotten around to changing them.
Speaker 4Uh, Mordock, the clock keeper, everybody. When we come back, we find out how we can make it up to the January 6th. Don't worry. Thank you.
Speaker 1I coach football. Now Coach Hank saves up to 25% off grocery store prices. Home of the Save. Open soon. Limited time offer, new members only. BJ's, home of the Save. Welcome back to The Daily Show.
Speaker 5January 6th was a dark day in our democracy's history, but one group of people are trying to make things right. Jordan Klepper has more.
Speaker 11Trump's government has promised big payouts to many Americans. From tariff rebates to doze checks to perfectly legal voting incentives.
Speaker 6So if the Republicans win, you get $5,000.
Speaker 11But the question remains, can you actually get money from the government? If you aren't one of the president's sons? I'm in the nation's capital to talk to one American who is struggling to get her due.
Speaker 12My name is Yvonne St. Cyr, and I am waiting on $2,270.
Speaker 11How much money have you gotten so far? Nothing. Zero. Zero. That's bullshit. What's it for? January 6th. You were attacked on January 6th?
Speaker 12No. It was money that I paid for restitution, but I did not break anything.
Speaker 11Oh, you were doing the January 6th? Correct. Okay. And you want money back? Yeah. Whew. First insurrection's free, right? I think that's in the Constitution. That's right. Yvonne's efforts to stop the steal not only landed her in jail, she also had to pay restitution to the U.S. government. But then Trump pardoned everybody, which means the attackers are now the victims of government overreach. And boy, are they victims. Okay, okay. What do you think the net effect of January 6th has been on January 6ers?
Speaker 12It's been devastating. People lost their businesses. People lost their jobs. Divorces happened. So it's been hard to watch.
Speaker 11From what I'm hearing, it sounds like you guys were the victims of January 6th. Yes. It's still a little bit bonkers today.
Speaker 12And I will get money back for all of it.
Speaker 11You're going to get your money back?
Speaker 12Oh, I'm going to get more than that money back. We will be compensated. We will be vindicated. And you will feel like an ass for this interview someday. What? Yeah. USA!
Speaker 11What Yvonne might be talking about is the fact that numerous other pardoned J6ers are now trying to cash in on an even bigger score. Rioters who stormed the Capitol on January 6th, you may recall, they are now suing the government.
Speaker 9Seeking more than $18 million in damages.
Speaker 11So I sat down with Democratic Congressman Joe Morelli, who was there on January 6th and is now co-sponsoring the No Rewards for Rioters Act. Congressman. Yeah. Why don't you want the victims of January 6th to get the money that they deserve?
Speaker 13The victims like the United States Capitol Police who were injured and beaten, members of Congress, the Vice President of the United States who was hunted there,
Speaker 11No, no, I'm talking about the victims that those victims were against. Why are you getting in the way of that?
Speaker 13Yeah, we tend to think of them not as victims, but as perpetrators.
Speaker 11I don't know if you understand how devastating this was for so many of them. Some lost their jobs, they felt threatened at work, they were too scared to go into work. Do you have any idea what that feels like? Well, actually, on January 6th, I felt pretty unsafe in my workplace. Is this just sour grapes, though? Are you just jealous nobody took a dump on your desk?
Speaker 13It's unprecedented in the United States that we would pay people who committed crimes against the country, and despite the fact they got a pardon.
Speaker 11But Yvonne says there was no crime, and she deserves her refund, partly because the entrapment started on January 6th itself, when a peaceful protest was subverted by the deep state who was tracking her every move. How else would they have known that she was even in the Capitol that day?
Speaker 12I filmed from a room.
Speaker 11Oh, well, there you go. Were you live streaming the whole experience?
Speaker 12This is what you wanted, this is what you. I was lost in the moment. If you want to blame me for getting lost in the moment.
Speaker 11I'm not going to judge you, but the only thing worse than being an insurrectionist is being a content creator.
Speaker 12Well, actually, I tried to live stream. There was no service. It wouldn't work anywhere until I got inside the Capitol. Weird, now the service works.
Speaker 11You're talking the deep state has given you shoddy Internet service?
Speaker 12Well, come on, let's not try to make this look stupid. I think we do have a shadow government. I mean, if you look at. If you go back and you study the extraterrestrials, there's a lot of whistleblowers that talk about.
Speaker 11Wait, so E.T. shut off the Internet?
Speaker 12You don't think the government has control over the Internet? You don't think. You think there's people that control what you do and what you film on this air?
Speaker 11You're controlled. I'm not being controlled. Hey, Jordan? Yeah? Can you say that one more time a little faster? I probably should not be able to say that faster.
Speaker 12Control. Let's talk about mind control. Did you know that there was actually a mind control specialist that showed the ability to control the human species with just repetition?
Speaker 11You could say something over and over again and people just start to believe it as truth. Correct. Build the wall. Build the wall. Correct. Lock her up. Lock her up. Lock her up. Storm the Capitol. Storm the Capitol.
Speaker 12Oh, for sure.
Speaker 11Well, no. Humans are malleable like that. But not everyone can be swayed so easily. These are hardworking Americans putting in the time to do the coup right. What is getting in the way from them getting a little bit of that payback?
Speaker 13The United States Congress because we have to appropriate the money that would allow for those kinds of judgments to be done.
Speaker 11You're United States Congress. Essentially, you're saying you don't want Jay Sixers to take money that shouldn't be theirs from the Treasury. You're basically saying, stop this deal. Is that right?
Speaker 13In this case, that is what I'm saying.
Speaker 11So the people standing in the way of the Jay Sixers and their payouts is none other than their arch rival, Congress. Here we are.
Speaker 12Here we are.
Speaker 11Oh, my God. Are we doing this again? Yvonne only wants a fraction of that sweet Jay Six cash. But I felt like it was a good idea to test her resolve before we call in the other rioters. I mean, protesters. So do we. Are we going to do it?
Speaker 12We're going to do what? I don't know. Did you really want to walk into the Capitol? Well, I thought it was your thing. I thought we were going to do the thing. And yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 11No. Do you need me to shaman? Would it help you if I shamaned it?
Speaker 12No. No? I'm not the same girl as I was then. That's kind of like life. You realize that we try to control our outside circumstances. But again, I have no control over anything but me. And that's the one thing I learned. I am not January 6th.
Speaker 11Now I see it. None is proof that humans may be flawed. But if given the chance, they can evolve. Because what is America about if not second chances? Let me ask you something. Would you do it all over again? Absolutely. Terrific. Guess we're meeting back here in 2028.
Speaker 4Thank you, Jordan. When we come back, Aaron Sorkin will be joining us on the show. Don't go away. Thank you. Building
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Speaker 5My guest tonight is an Academy Award winning screenwriter who wrote and directed the new film, The Social Reckoning. Please welcome Aaron Sorkin. Thank you for coming. Thanks for having me. I'm honored to talk with you. A few good men, Moneyball, Newsroom, Social Network. When do I get to talk to someone that's had such a creation of all these things? This is insane.
Speaker 15It's awfully nice of you to say.
Speaker 5Thanks. This film is not a sequel. No. But it is connected to the social network, your film from 16 years ago. Here's what it is.
Speaker 15It's another movie about Facebook by the writer who wrote The Social Network. And one of the characters from The Social Network is in The Social Reckoning. It's as if Henry Hill from Goodfellas showed up as a character in Casino. Okay, got it.
Speaker 5Does that help? It does help. You could do like Moneyballs. You could do a few more good men. I don't know. Where were you in the marketing meeting when we needed you? How do you reapprove? How did you approach writing the same character but 16 years later?
Speaker 15Yeah. This story, listen, The Social Network was about how Facebook was invented. The Social Reckoning is about what it's become. And it's told through, this is a true story. It centers a young woman named Frances Haugen. She was a middle-level engineer at Facebook. She's played by Mikey Madison. She enlisted the help of a Wall Street Journal reporter who's played by Jeremy Allen White. Okay. Together, they uncover these very dark secrets that Facebook has been keeping from us. And in there, Mark Zuckerberg is in there. He's played by Jeremy Strong. He has a thunderous performance.
Speaker 5Yeah. I read that you actually worked with Mikey Madison with Frances' memoir to write the script. I mean, explain that process a little bit to me.
Speaker 15Frances wrote a memoir. It's called The Power of One. And Jeff Horowitz, the reporter. The reporter also wrote a book called Broken Code. I wasn't that interested. I told both actors that I wasn't that interested in them doing a physical and vocal impersonation of those two characters. That I really wanted them to play the characters in the script. Nonetheless, both the real people have seen it and seem
Speaker 5to really like it a lot. It's a powerful film. I mean, rarely do I finish a film and then go watch Frances' congressional hearing testimony. Yeah. You know, that's a good thing if you're watching and then wanting to learn. You're going to know more.
Speaker 15It is. I just don't want to give the audience the impression that they're going to learn anything. This is a fun. We do the same thing here.
Speaker 5Yeah. If you slip in a few dick jokes, they forget that they learned something.
Speaker 15Yeah. People have been talking about the movie like it's important. That's the last thing that I want.
Speaker 5Speaking of important, you've talked about Mark Zuckerberg being an anti-hero. What does that mean exactly?
Speaker 15The difference between. The difference between a villain and an anti-hero. And an anti-hero is a villain. What a villain wants is bad. They want the money. They want revenge. An anti-hero wants something good. What Mark wants is to connect everybody in the world. All right. But the decisions he has made along the way have been terrible and incomprehensible.
Speaker 5I mean, what you do so well in your films is you get me listening to and accepting ideas that I don't want to. And one of the things that happened when I watched the film was I was empathizing with some of what Mark Zuckerberg was saying. Facebook is not the ref. I believe in free speech. How does that play in with also censorship? I mean, that's kind of what we're talking about here.
Speaker 15There's an argument that lasts the length of the movie. And I think. Listen, I think that I gave Mark Zuckerberg the best version of his point of view. Yeah. He makes a pretty good. He makes a pretty good argument. I disagree with it. Yeah. But he makes a pretty good argument. But I have to say that my first movie, which was based on my first play, was A Few Good Men. And at the end of A Few Good Men. Which is also. I wasn't fishing for that. That was really nice. That was good. Well, now that we've stopped, it's also coming back to Broadway. There is going to be a Broadway revival of A Few Good Men. It starts previews Thursday night at Lincoln Center with a great. It's a great cast. It opens October 29th. Yes. Amazing. So, Jack Nicholson's character has this big speech in the courtroom. It's the You Can't Handle the Truth speech. And I was a kid when I wrote that. And I just remember standing behind someone in a theater at the end of the speech, turned to the person he was with and said, He's got a point. And that's always a good sign.
Speaker 5You know, you can't handle the truth. I'm thinking of that with the Facebook. Because we're talking about asking Facebook to moderate political ads, and some of which are lies. And Facebook's argument is this isn't our job to police this. Why, as humans, do we want the simple explanation that sometimes is a lie? It's easier to digest that, isn't it?
Speaker 15Yeah. Than the actual truth. Sure. And that's why it can be easy to get people to believe lies. But. Yeah. There's a difference between. There's a difference between an unpopular opinion, which deserves First Amendment protection. Yes. and a lie, which does not deserve First Amendment protection. So the example that's used in the movie. Yeah, I know. is Facebook will allow you to take out an ad on Facebook. They'll allow you to target, say, predominantly black zip codes, take out an ad on Facebook that says this year the election will be held on Wednesday. Yeah. So you shouldn't
Speaker 5be allowed to use it. Right. I agree with that. Not that you needed me to say that I agree with that, but I did. I liked hearing that. This particular time that you look at Facebook is very interesting because they start to lose engagement or users, right? And that's kind of what got us to this disaster zone.
Speaker 15They're losing engagement because their users are getting older and because of competition from TikTok and things like that. And so they need to do something. and they did something, they adjusted the algorithm to something that they call MSI, stands for Meaningful Social Interactions, which sounds nice, except that what it is, I don't want to be coy, but I don't want to give away too much in the movie, what it is is prioritizing reshares over likes. Way prior, 30 times the power of a like. Why is that a big deal? Because they already knew that the things you're most likely to reshare are anything that makes you angry. They had the data already. They know it's rage bait, that you're going to reshare the most. They don't care. It's going to increase engagement. That's what's going to keep you on the platform the longest, are reshares, and the stuff you're going to reshare the most are things that make you angry. So add that to a news feed, which is powered by an algorithm, which means you're getting the news you want, and I'm getting the news I want, and you're getting the news that you want. And it means that somebody could be getting a daily dose of immigrants committing crimes, for instance. And I think that that's what the world has turned into, are immigrants committing crimes. I'm just going to summarize
Speaker 5some of that for my mom, who's watching at home. They are amplifying lies and things that will give us an emotional reaction. More negative than positive. They're not amplifying the baby picture.
Speaker 15No, no, no, no, no, no. They're saying that what they're amplifying, the baby picture. But what they're amplifying, and I mean amplifying, that's 30 times. The power of a like are things that rage bait, things that make you angry.
Speaker 5Insane. There's a very powerful moment when the character, Mikey's character, representing Francis, says to the journalist, you're mad because Facebook has taken your journalism jobs. And the journalist says, I'm mad that it's bad journalism.
Speaker 15My bias isn't because tech has taken journalism jobs, it's because you're doing them so badly. I should have asked you because you wrote the script. Sure. But I have to say, after one viewing, you know a lot of it.
Speaker 5I'm impressed. Well, let's talk about your writing because, my God, what you've been able to do as a writer, and I was, you know, studying your process, and you're a physical writer. You walk and you move. I am. That's not what I think of writing.
Speaker 15Yeah. I'm up and I'm down. I'm saying all the lines out loud. I once broke my nose writing because I had this. What? Okay. Were you skiing?
Speaker 5Were you in writing?
Speaker 15So you want an explanation for that? Yes, I do. Yes, I do. I got an idea for what I thought was a funny moment. This was in the newsroom, and I thought it was a funny moment. I was going to have a character just kind of lunge at another character. Two people were going to hold him back. It's a comedy staple. It's a let me out him, let me out him moment. And I was very excited about this, and I was acting it out. And I managed, like, while I was acting it out, I traveled into my bathroom and lunged forward, but there weren't the two people to hold me back. So right into the mirror. And if it had been a Scorsese film, he would have said, I cut, let's do that again, but this time just less blood. Right. The nose is not a good one. Oh, yeah, yeah. But so I called that friend that you can call at midnight when you've broken your nose writing. And I asked her to come over, just take a look at me. And she came over, you know, my God, we have to take you to the emergency room. And I said, yeah, but read this, because I think it's really funny.
Speaker 5So are you, you know, that resonated with me about the physicality of writing, because when I write stand-up comedy, I find it's better when I'm moving and playing the part a little bit. But is your laptop open, and you're also popping in and doing that? Or is it you're keeping in your memory? It's a little of both. It's a desktop.
Speaker 15Okay, desktop. My apologies. I don't know, it's okay. I'll get ahead of myself. It'll start writing, and I'm just excited, and I'm walking around, and I'll realize it's been a while since I've typed anything. I should probably memorialize this somehow.
Speaker 5For years when I lived in L.A., I would see crazy people walking around screaming. I didn't know they were writing a award-winning screenplay. That's what they're doing.
Speaker 15During the West Wing, the president of NBC, a messenger came with a package for me. The president of NBC. It was a headset meant to be paired with my car phone. And it was a note that said, I was next to you at a red light this morning. Please wear this any time you're in your car by yourself. You look like a madman.
Speaker 5That's hilarious. I'm curious, what would Aaron Sorkin, the writer, say to Aaron Sorkin, the director? Those aren't always the same people. I mean, you're directing a film knowing exactly what the writer thought.
Speaker 15Yes. Is that helpful? You know, along the way, there were studio executives who'd say, you know, listen, Aaron, the director, has to kick the writer out of the room and that kind of thing. I promise you, what the director wants and what the writer wants are exactly the same in those cases.
Speaker 5Right. I'm curious, do you think Facebook timed the release of Muse to distract us from this film? I mean, for real, that did cross my mind. I mean, they are very deliberate, correct? No, they are.
Speaker 15And sometimes. Sometimes for the good. You know, 16 years ago, when the Social Network came out, about two weeks before the movie opened, in order to kind of mitigate the bad press that Mark knew was coming his way, he donated $200 million to the Newark public school system. So that's not bad.
Speaker 5No, that's good. I mean, it reminds me of the movie where, how do you get people to change? And it's either money or pain. And he obviously felt that pain was coming. And I didn't realize this whole time, if I just donated $200 million to the school system, I could increase my public figure. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's great. Last question for you. Thank you for chatting with us. This is an honor for me to talk with you. Young people out there that are wanting to write, from journalism to screenplays, it can feel so daunting. Maybe you don't live in L.A., maybe you don't live in New York, you're not aware that these can be professions for people. What's your advice or thoughts for young people that want to write?
Speaker 15You know, I think it's a great question. I think it's a great question. If you want to read screenplays, if you want to write screenplays, read screenplays, go to the movies, and try it. Do it. Do it. Yeah. Read and try. Uh-huh. I love it. Okay. That's great.
Speaker 4Aaron, thank you so much for being here. Appreciate it so much. The Social Linketing with these theaters nationwide, October 9th. Aaron Sorkin, everybody! We'll be right back after this. You're the man. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1Thank you. I coach football. Now, Coach Hank saves up to 25% off grocery store prices, 30 pounds of pasta, three cases of protein bars, 75 sports drinks. Home of the Save. Join for just $20 at bjs.com slash mesquite and save 10 cents per gallon for six months. Open soon. BJ's. Home of the Save.
Speaker 2Hi there. Woody! What? Holy butterscotch! You said it, Jesse. And the best part? Power up your movie night and watch Disney and Pixar's Toy Story 5, now streaming on Disney+. And don't forget to subscribe to our channel.
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Podcast Summary

Key Points:

  1. BJ's Wholesale Club advertises membership savings of up to 25% on groceries, aimed at bulk-buying customers like "Coach Hank."
  2. Disney+ promotes Toy Story 5, featuring Woody, Buzz, and Jessie in a new family-friendly streaming adventure.
  3. The Daily Show with Michael Kosta covers the 2026 midterms, noting Republican struggles in red states like Texas, Iowa, Kansas, and Alabama.
  4. Vivek Ramaswamy's Ohio governor campaign is mocked for awkward moments, including a deleted baseball swing video and failing to lift a child.
  5. Ken Paxton's Texas Senate ad on human trafficking is satirized for sending unintended and damaging messages.
  6. Donald Trump's campaign promises include an executive order on tax-free red-dyed diesel and making daylight saving time permanent.
  7. Trump publicly shared Senator Tom Cotton's cell number to pressure him on the daylight saving bill, prompting a satirical segment with "Mordock the Clock Keeper."
  8. Jordan Klepper interviews January 6th participants seeking restitution and damages, while Congressman Joe Morelli pushes the No Rewards for Rioters Act.
  9. Aaron Sorkin discusses his new film The Social Reckoning, a follow-up to The Social Network about Facebook's harmful algorithms and Frances Haugen's whistleblowing.

Summary:

This transcript is a compilation of comedy, advertising, and interview segments. It opens with a BJ's Wholesale Club ad featuring "Coach Hank," a football coach and father of 30 who saves up to 25% on bulk groceries. A Disney+ promotion announces Toy Story 5 is now streaming, highlighting Woody, Buzz, and Jessie's new adventure.

The Daily Show with Michael Kosta then covers the 2026 midterms, mocking Republican candidates like Vivek Ramaswamy and Ken Paxton, and satirizing Donald Trump's campaign promises, including an executive order on red-dyed diesel and making daylight saving time permanent. A sketch features "Mordock the Clock Keeper" after Trump shares Senator Tom Cotton's cell number. Jordan Klepper interviews January 6th participant Yvonne St.

Cyr, who seeks restitution, and Congressman Joe Morelli, who opposes payouts for rioters. Finally, Aaron Sorkin discusses The Social Reckoning, a film about Facebook's dark secrets, algorithmic rage bait, and whistleblower Frances Haugen, with parallels to The Social Network. The episode blends political satire, cultural commentary, and celebrity interview.

FAQs

BJ's Wholesale Club is a membership warehouse club where Coach Hank saves up to 25% off grocery store prices. New members can join for just $20 at bjs.com/mesquite and save 10 cents per gallon for 6 months.

Toy Story 5 is now streaming on Disney+. It is rated PG and is perfect for the whole family.

The Daily Show is Comedy Central's news and satire program hosted by Michael Kosta. It covers current events and features guest interviews.

Aaron Sorkin's new film is called The Social Reckoning, a true story about Frances Haugen, a former Facebook engineer who uncovered dark secrets the company kept from the public. It is connected to The Social Network but is not a sequel.

HomeServe offers home repair plans starting at $4.99 a month that cover essential systems like plumbing, heating, and electrical lines. They provide a 24/7 hotline and a trusted network of licensed contractors.

Quince is a brand that offers premium everyday staples like cashmere sweaters, down jackets, bedding, bath essentials, kitchenware, and furniture at 50-80% less than similar luxury brands. They partner directly with ethical factories to keep prices low.

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