Late night hosts joke about inflation, Tucker Carlson's vaccination status, Putin's follies
To soften the blow of high fuel costs, Krispy Kreme is offering a deal tied to the price of a gallon of gas, The Late Show noted Tuesday, puzzling over the marketing strategy here.
Yes, "inflation, it's getting worse and it's affecting everything," Trevor Noah said on The Daily Show. Consumer demand is sky high, "but the supply chain issues mean there's not enough products for the people to buy, and that drives the prices up. And then on top of that, Vladimir Putin decided that oh, now would be a nice time to Airbnb eastern Ukraine by force, raising oil prices, which makes everyone more expensive."
"The only thing that gets better because of inflation is small talk," Noah joked, but his example wasn't encouraging.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Prices have jumped a whopping 8.5 percent since last March," Stephen Colbert said on The Late Show. Inflation numbers like that mean "no more splurging at the grocery store," so "instead of Milwaukee's Best, it'll have to be Waukesha's Ehhh — which is, let's face it, not that much worse."
"In an effort to reduce gas prices, President Biden announced that he will be allowing gasoline that uses a 15 percent ethanol blend," Colbert said. The blend, E15, costs 10 cents a gallon less, he calculated, so for a full tank of gas, "that comes out to … yeah, still not enough to save the Democrats in the midterms."
"Over in Ukraine," Russian President Vladimir Putin, stung by losses and brutal sanctions, is reportedly considering openly helping Donald Trump win back the White House in 2024, Colbert said. "But at least Putin has moved on to the next election, unlike disgraced attorney and rest home gigolo John Eastman," who's "still trying to decertify the 2020 election." Look, he said, "our ex-president isn't allowed a 'do-over' just because he didn't like the result the first time — that's how you get an Eric."
"Speaking of Russia," Jimmy Kimmel said on Kimmel Live, "Russia's neighbor Sarah Palin is making a comeback." And to survive the possibility Palin makes it to Congress, he replaced her voice with Morgan Freeman's. "The other darling of Fox News, Tucker Carlson, made an interesting confession at a megachurch in San Diego, he said he's not vaccinated," Kimmel said. "I don't believe he isn't vaccinated," he added. "Tucker Carlson is the vaccine equivalent of the guy on the Titanic who dressed as a woman to get on the lifeboat first."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
A postapocalyptic trip to Sin City, a peek inside Taylor Swift’s “Eras” tour, and an explicit hockey romance in December TVthe week recommends This month’s new television releases include ‘Fallout,’ ‘Taylor Swift: The End Of An Era’ and ‘Heated Rivalry’
-
‘These accounts clearly are designed as a capitalist alternative’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump tightens restrictions for work visasSpeed Read The length of work permits for asylum seekers and refugees has been shortened from five years to 18 months
-
Trump tightens restrictions for work visasSpeed Read The length of work permits for asylum seekers and refugees has been shortened from five years to 18 months
-
Supreme Court revives Texas GOP gerrymanderSpeed Read Texas Republicans can use the congressional map they approved in August at President Donald Trump’s behest
-
Boat strike footage rattles some lawmakersSpeed Read ‘Disturbing’ footage of the Sept. 2 attack on an alleged drug-trafficking boat also shows the second strike that killed two survivors who were clinging to the wreckage
-
‘They’re nervous about playing the game’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump boosts gas cars in fuel economy rollbackspeed read Watering down fuel efficiency standards is another blow to former President Biden’s effort to boost electric vehicles
-
Hegseth’s Signal chat put troops in peril, probe findsSpeed Read The defense secretary risked the lives of military personnel and violated Pentagon rules, says new report
-
Trump pardons Texas Democratic congressmanspeed read Rep. Henry Cuellar was charged with accepting foreign bribes tied to Azerbaijan and Mexico
-
GOP wins tight House race in red Tennessee districtSpeed Read Republicans maintained their advantage in the House
