Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert rubberneck at the Las Vegas mayor's dark COVID-19 gamble

(Image credit: Screenshots/YouTube/The Late Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live)

last updated 23 April 2020

Jimmy Kimmel started off Wednesday's Kimmel Live with a look at President Trump trying out tree-planting for Earth Day and "some not-great news" about COVID-19. "The director of the Centers for Disease Control, Dr. Robert Redfield, says there could be a second wave of the virus later this year that might be worse than this one, because it would coincide with flu season," he said. "Basically, he said the next version of the virus could be like The Matrix: Reloaded, just as popular but worse. The good news is, well there is no good news. And we're getting mixed messages from our government. Most experts say stay in your home, but our president says: Go get a tattoo in a bus station."

"As ridiculous as this president is, he's not alone — he got a run for his money from the mayor of Las Vegas," Carolyn Goodman (I), Kimmel said. "Let's put it this way: R Kelly was watching this interview and said: this woman is nuts!" Goodman had a long interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, but "the gist of what she was saying was: Why should we treat this virus any differently from anything else?" he said, showing some of the highlights of the interview, including her rejected offer of Las Vegas residents as a virus control group. "Somehow Las Vegas elected every lady you've ever seen at a Baywatch slot machine to be their mayor," and with 80 percent of the vote.

"Mayor Goodman wants Las Vegas to reopen casinos and let the ones with the most infections then close," and "there's no telling which casino is most at risk, but my money's on Sneezers Palace," Stephen Colbert joked at The Late Show. "Anderson tried to talk some sense into the mayor, but she proved remarkable sense-resistant."

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Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) also offered up his constituents in sacrifice to the economy, telling Fox News "there are more important things than living." You can watch what Tooning Out the News did with that below. Peter Weber

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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.