Last week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a new "religious liberty task force" at the Justice Department to protect religious groups from persecution. "Wow, that could put a real kink in their Muslim ban," Stephen Colbert said on Monday's Late Show. He had some things to say about the examples Sessions cited to show religious "persecution" in America — nuns having to offer employees contraception coverage, bakers unable to refuse to make same-sex wedding cakes — and the proof Sessions provided for Trump as a champion of religious liberty. "Yes, you're free to exercise any faith, however you choose to say Merry Christmas," Colbert deadpanned.
To investigate if the new task force is really a shoddily disguised sop to Christian nationalism, Colbert interviewed Religious Liberty Task Force special agent Tom Dockford (Rob Corddry), who really cleared things up, with occasional references to human anatomy.
Subscribe to 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.
-
Cytomegalovirus can cause permanent birth defectsThe Explainer The virus can show no symptoms in adults
-
Summer in Seattle: Outdoor dining like nowhere elseFeature Featuring a patio with a waterfront view, a beer garden, and more
-
Ari Aster revisits the pandemic, Adam Sandler tees off again and Lamb Chop gets an origin story in July moviesthe week recommends The month's film releases include 'Eddington,' 'Happy Gilmore 2' and 'Shari & Lamb Chop'
-
A long weekend in ZürichThe Week Recommends The vibrant Swiss city is far more than just a banking hub
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster showSpeed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top GrammysSpeed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own roomSpeed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talksSpeed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tourSpeed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
