John Oliver brings out Hamilton creator to explain why you should care about Puerto Rico's debt crisis

Puerto Rico has been touted as an American vacation destination for decades, John Oliver said on Sunday's Last Week Tonight, showing some vintage promotional reels with a saucy edge. But today, "Puerto Rico is currently about $70 billion in debt, and it is wreaking havoc on the island," Oliver said. "And remember, Americans have a personal stake here," he said. "Puerto Ricans are American citizens," and their ranks include a bunch of famous people, including a Supreme Court justice, sports icons, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose musical Hamilton just won a Pulitzer Prize.

"We don't need to settle tonight the question of Puerto Rican statehood," Oliver said, noting that many Puerto Ricans disagree on the issue, "but one thing is for sure: Because it's a territory, many laws that apply to the states have loopholes concerning Puerto Rico, and as you will see time and time again in this piece, those little legal quirks have had massive consequences, some good but many utterly devastating."

In his wonky, profanity-laced, comedic way, Oliver walks viewers through a few court cases, tax breaks given and taken away, recession and desperate measures, an "addiction" to municipal bonds, and the mystery of a provision in a 1984 law that prevented Puerto Rico from seeking Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection, courtesy of Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.). And now there's the Zika virus. "It's like the island is being hit by all the plagues that God felt were too 'thinky' for the Bible," Oliver said.

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But even though "vulture" hedge funds are circling the island, there is some good news, he said. Congress is considering a bipartisan bill that would "give Puerto Rico some breathing room to negotiate with creditors" — if a coordinated smear campaign doesn't sink it. "The point is, 3.5 million Americans are facing a dire crisis right now, and the clock is ticking," Oliver said. And if, after 20 minutes, he has failed to make you care, he brought out Miranda to perform a new song in which he promises — and this is true — to perform Hamilton at House Speaker Paul Ryan's house. Watch below, though be warned: There is some NSFW language. Peter Weber