Jon Stewart did a parody of the opening of his own show. It's one which would please MAGA – at least on the surface. 😉
BONUS TRACK!: After the MAGA parody, Jon welcomed a REAL Nobel Peace Prize winner – Philippines journalist Maria Ressa. Ms. Ressa had to deal with thuggish harassment from (the now former) authoritarian President Rodrigo Duterte.
She compares what happened in the Philippines to what is going on currently in the US.
One of her key points was to emphasize the role of social media in spreading what she calls "toxic sludge".
Jon compared what he calls "ultraprocessed speech" on social media to sickening ultraprocessed food.
The Nobel laureate said that what we are currently experiencing is more like Armageddon than the Apocalypse – and that's good news; see the vid to get her reasoning.
She ended by reminding everybody that Rodrigo Duterte is now in jail at The Hague awaiting trial for crimes against humanity. The implication is that Trump's future may not be as rosy as he thinks.
PH GOVERNMENT CONTINUES ATTEMPTS TO DESTROY FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND RIGHT TO INFORMATION UNDER MARCOS PRESIDENCY
Rappler is a digital media company that was founded by Maria Ressa, a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. Maria Ressa is a hero that has fought and continues to fight for the Philippines despite everything and everyone who's tried to put her and her team down.
She was a lead investigative journalist in CNN Southeast Asia who was critical of Rodrigo Duterte's "War on Drugs". She was also falsely accused of cyber libel and tax evasion on several accounts, because our government has been repeatedly trying to shut her down and control information, the same government that is led by a man who LIES AND REFUSES TO PAY 203 BILLION IN ESTATE TAX DEBT. THE SAME GOVERNMENT THAT REFUSES TO PUT IMELDA MARCOS IN JAIL BUT WILL HAPPILY JAIL A STARVING 70+ YR OLD MAN FOR STEALING A FRUIT.
Rappler is not the first victim of this, and it will not be the last. Please please please share what is happening in the Philippines, this could happen in your country one day.
The acquittal of the journalist and Nobel Laureate has been hailed as a win for press freedom.
A Philippine court has acquitted journalist Maria Ressa and news outlet Rappler of tax evasion, in a move hailed as a win for press freedom.
"Today, facts win, truth wins, justice wins," said Ms Ressa, who if convicted could have been jailed up to 34 years.
The Nobel laureate's legal victory marks the end of a case that began in 2018.
Ms Ressa, who founded Rappler, has been the target of legal action launched by the Philippine government.
Under former leader Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippine government had accused Ms Ressa and Rappler of evading tax payments when it raised capital through its partnership with foreign investors.
Philippines' justice department had said Rappler's issuance of financial instruments, known as Philippine Depositary Receipts, to foreign investors Omidyar Network and North Base Media had generated taxable income worth 141.86m pesos (£2.1m; $2.58m) which it did not declare in 2015.
Ms Ressa and Rappler denied the charges and said the transactions involved legitimate financial mechanisms that do not generate taxable income.
In its decision, the Philippines' Court of Tax Appeals said the prosecutors had failed to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt, and concluded that Ms Ressa and Rappler did not gain from the transactions, according to Rappler's report on the verdict.
Speaking to reporters after the verdict, Ms Ressa hailed it as a victory for "every Filipino who has ever been unjustly accused".
"These charges were politically motivated, they were incredible to us, a brazen abuse of power, and meant to stop journalists from doing their jobs. These cases are where capital markets, rule of law, and press freedom meet," she said.
Ms Ressa's lawyer Francis Lim said there could have been repercussions for other businesses seeking to raise capital if Philippine Depositary Receipts had been declared to be taxable income.
The Philippines' National Union of Journalists said the tax evasion case reflected an increasing use of law for reprisal and intimidation against journalists and civil society.
"While colleagues similarly face legal challenges - from libel to made-up terrorism charges - in relation to their work, we take inspiration from this acquittal that if we stand up and hold the line, we can win," the union said in a statement.
The Philippine government has repeatedly tried to shut down Rappler, which has done critical stories of Mr Duterte's administration. In January 2018, it revoked the news outlet's operating licence and said Rappler, which has two US investors, had violated a clause in the constitution that limits media ownership to Philippine citizens.
In 2022, regulators again ordered the shutdown of Rappler. The outlet said in response that it would not be closing and would challenge the order in court.
Ms Ressa was also previously convicted of libel and sentenced to up to six years in prison in June 2020. She was later freed on bail.
Wednesday's acquittal is not the end of Ms Ressa and Rappler's legal woes, as they still face three active court cases.
These are: Rappler's appeal against the 2022 closure order; an appeal by Ms Ressa and former Rappler journalist Reynaldo Santos Jr against convictions for cyber libel; and another tax case against Ms Ressa and Rappler.
You know, it was interesting - this is a weird story about Taylor Swift from me - at TIME 100 I was behind her, but I didn't know it was her. So this is how stupid I am with things like these... I know her songs, but there was this tall, blond woman in front of me at the TIME 100, and there was so much attention! I was like, 'Wow, what's happening?' And then, when we were introduced, and I watched her through the night - she was amazing. She performed, you know, and sang and accompanied herself, and... She didn't sit down the entire night. I mean - she didn't really have dinner. She was going all around the room of frenetic energy - not frenetic, but very purpose driven
Rappler's Maria Ressa on meeting Taylor at the 2019′s TIME 100 gala in (February 24th 2021)
