The May 20, 2013 episode of the Daily Show discusses the recent scandals, veterans’ paperwork, and the East with Ellen Paige.
The episode began with Jon Stewart discussing the recent scandals that the presidential administration has been facing. The major one Stewart discussing, after briefly discussing the Bengazi attack, is the IRS scandal. The IRS has been slow in approving applications for conservative groups. The administration has tried to explain away any possible involvement by saying that the IRS is separate from the executive branch. They are not meant to be involved with the IRS’s dealings. Stewart argues that there is a difference between being involved with it and being aware. Stewart compares it to a person’s kids making a meal. The parent does not have to be involved, but if they are not aware the house is going to get burnt down. The White House sent Dan Pfeiffer to discuss the issue, but he is not the most authoritative representative.
Stewart then moves on to discussing the on going battle to digitize veterans’ records. The files are so backed up and there are so many of them that the floor is starting to buckle. President Barak Obama’s administration promised to fix the problem and get the records online. However, they are now saying that it is not something that can be done with any sort of speed. Stewart then spends a couple of minutes pointing out that Obama’s campaign had one of the most impressive databases in order to find voters. Why then, Stewart argues, can the administration not put these files into a database. If you could transfer the enthusiasm and power to get elected to actually governing, stuff could get done.
Stewart also introduces the segment “Things may be bad, but at least out streets don’t burg MYSTERY goo.” He briefly discusses an instance in Nanjing, China where a mysterious foam seeps out of a crack that appeared in the ground. It was weird and smelled foul. They washed it away with a hose and the rest of it seeped back into the ground. What this foam was is still a mystery.
The guest for this episode is Ellen Paige promoting The East. In this film, Paige plays a environmental activist. The film is not based on a real story, but it is, Paige explained, inspired by things that are actually happening. They spend a little bit of time discussing the movie, and some discussing the differences between Canada and America.