The Precap - Ronny Chieng on Escalator Conspiracies and Whether American Chaos is Fun

This week's host Ronny Chieng and Daily Show writer Matt Koff preview the week to come, which may or may not include a government shutdown and/or a societal shutdown to welcome a new Taylor Swift album. They also weigh in on the headlines, including Trump and RFK's Tylenol announcement, whether the UN should move to avoid New York traffic, and if it was Epstein's ghost that stopped Trump's escalator. If you want to think critically about the news you consume, check out Ground News through our link: http://groundnews.com/ears You’ll get 40% off their Unlimited Access Vantage Plan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a way of making waves, and not only when he's strapping dead whales to his car. Keep up to date with a roundup of The Daily Show's coverage of his biggest, weirdest moments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Celebrate Michael Kosta by making fat stacks with Kosta Doin' Business. Michael shares how to get rich during Trump's second term thanks to boomin' prison stocks, the impending climate crisis, liberals' love for yard signs, and a wise investment in Kleenex. Don't worry about trade wars, Starbucks's bathroom policy, or egg prices breaking the bank with these guaranteed money-making tips. Dive into America's mad money problems in the face of Trump's tariffs: panicked shopping on the rise, price hikes on everyday toys and goods, and the uncertainty around those precious iPhones. And don’t worry about Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill passing, because Kosta's cracking the code on how you can exploit Medicaid cuts, gambling taxes, and even Alaskan tax breaks to make some sweet dough. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jordan Klepper dives into Trump’s latest adventures in pettiness, from framing Biden’s autopen signature among portraits in the Presidential Walk of Fame to framing James Comey for crimes despite getting a political assist from the former FBI director in 2016. Plus, Troy Iwata explains how Lindsey Halligan’s appointment to U.S. Attorney despite her lack of experience is giving major “Legally Blonde” vibes. Trump and MAGA want to whitewash the history of slavery in the U.S. from Smithsonian museums because they think racism is talked about too much, but Leslie Jones says we're actually not talking about racism enough. She shows how racism persists in the country, seen everywhere from train cars to Congress, and explains how racism won't be solved unless everyone gets a better education about Black people in the classroom and in the media. Actor Regina Hall joins Jordan to talk about her new movie, “One Battle After Another,” directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. They talk about her first time meeting the filmmaker, the film’s themes, which echo present-day social issues, how she used her comedy chops even in a dramatic role, and acting alongside a scene-stealing baby. Go to https://www.Strawberry.me/daily to connect with a certified career coach today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jordan Klepper covers how Putin's f**kboi antics pushed Trump into Ukraine's arms, while Grace Kuhlenschmidt and the rest of MAGA unravel a sick plot to prank the president in a conspiracy that starts at the bottom of a malfunctioning U.N. escalator and goes all the way to the top. Sebastian Murphy, the frontman of Swedish punk band Viagra Boys, sits down with Jordan Klepper to talk about their latest album, “viagr aboys.” They discuss how the band got its name, the Mariah Carey song that brought them together, moving to Sweden after growing up in America, and the band’s satirical and often hypermasculine-parodying resistance music that lets audiences know “freaks are welcome.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jordan Klepper recaps Trump and RFK's latest pseudo-scientific bombshells: Tylenol causes autism, vaccines flood baby bodies, and the Amish are leading the world in modern medicine. Plus, which Daily Show correspondents made the list for Rapture Tuesday? Jordan dives into Trump’s appearance at the United Nations General Assembly, where global diplomacy and updates on Ukraine played second fiddle to his grudge against an out-of-order escalator. John Fugelsang, host of "Tell Me Everything" on SiriusXM Progress and author of the New York Times Bestseller "Separation of Church and Hate" talks to Jordan about how MAGA and the far-right have wrongly co-opted Christianity as a cloak for authoritarianism and bigotry – the opposite of Jesus's call for individuals and states to "take care of the poor, take care of the sick, welcome the stranger, and be kind to those in prison.” Fugelsang traces back a long history of non-violent Christian activism, from the Crusades through the Civil Rights Movement, and urges all those on the left to engage with Christianity, even if only to combat the narrow version of the bible that Trump and MAGA are trying to impose. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jon Stewart unpacks Jimmy Kimmel’s return to television amid outcry over his suspension, a sign of the times in an era where President Trump isn’t even hiding his flagrant attacks on free speech, retaliation against his political enemies, and the brazen corruption in his administration. Jacinda Ardern, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, sits down with Jon to discuss her experiences in office, which she chronicles in her memoir, “A Different Kind of Power,” and upcoming HBO documentary, “Prime Minister.” They discuss making progress on issues like child poverty and climate change while also managing a domestic terrorist attack and the Covid pandemic. She emphasizes the importance of politicians spending their political capital on “doing the right thing,” the globalization of political polarization, and how it’s a courageous act to be optimistic in these times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From the moment Trump brought up the idea of declassifying the Epstein files, the president has been under pressure to explain his relationship with the pedophile financier. Here's a deep dive into Donald Trump's history with Jeffrey Epstein. Get caught up on Elon's Epstein bomb, FBI chief Kash Patel stating this case was "not his lane," and MAGA demanding answers from the president. As more information comes to light about Trump's history with Jeffrey Epstein, the president breaks up with his MAGA supporters, gets called out for "bawdy" doodles to the financier in a birthday card, and finds a new distraction in former President Barack Obama. Plus, the DOJ reaches out to convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell and informs Donald Trump he's in the Epstein files. America learns that Pam Bondi's DOJ informed Donald Trump he was in the Epstein files back in May 2025, MAGA Karens and the QAnon Shaman demand answers, and folksy GOP loyalists use their twang to defend the president’s questionable past. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Take a listen to The Daily Show's coverage of video games and the controversies that follow them around. From tryin to restrict violence in games, to using armed forces gamers to improve recruitment, to Paul McCartney himself writing a song for Destiny. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

TDS takes on AI as AI takes over the world: Jon Stewart, Ronny Chieng, and Lewis Black examine how AI has infiltrated modern dating, made itself an integral part of college education, and even turned itself into "MechaHitler" on X. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices