World news h in new york this is
"the day show" with jon
Stewart.
["daily show" theme song
Playg]
[cheers and applause]
welcome to "the daily show."
My name is jon ewart.
Our guest tonight fred guterl.
He's the author of a new book on
Wtherhumans might cause their
Own exstings.
I vote yes.
There's been a ton of depressing
Development in campaign finance
At citizens united withhe ris
Of super-pac.
I don't think image associated
With campaign finance is quite
As sad as this one.
It's the president of the united
State sitting alone with his
Laptop in a room where perhaps
Teddy roosevelt sat when
Designating the national parks
Or lincoln sat emans paight the
Slaves or taft sat eating an
Incredibly large bo of chili.
That is obviously historically
Inaccurate.
We all know taft ate with his
Hands.
He was an amal.
No spoon for him what was our
President doing alone with his
Laptop?
Donating to his own presidential
Campaign.
I want to make sure that
Folks know that I'm not just
Talking the talk, I'm waing
The walk.
Lawyer, United States of america
And my occupation is president.
[ laughter ]
jon: Birth place --
[ laughter ]
Mr. President, don't do it.
Don't hit the donate button.
Don't give you your e-mail
Address.
You'll end up spamming the
Living (bleep) out o you.
W much access are you buying,
Mr. President?
Are you going for the $40,000
Clooney and hang?
The $30,000 dinner and foo
Fighters concert with you.
You might meet sjp.
the president has given
$5,000 to his oeelection
Effort.
[ laughter ]
jon: It will ru you
$10,000 just to get a photo op
With yourself.
What do you get for $5,000?
You only thing you get for that?
Biden says your full name is a
Sile belch.
That's it.
[beling]
[cheers and applause]
That's going to cost him later.
[ laughter
You know what?
Raising money is the least of
Owe balm why's problems because
He I against an opponent not
Just with the financial
Resources but a compelling plan.
this is it im.
If you don't want america to be
Thetrongest nation on earth,
I'm not your president.
jon: So, s wait f I do
Want america to be the strongest
Country on earth then -- ah.
It's very simple actually.
Here is how the governor will
Ke us the strongest.
Here is how he will address
Immigration reform.
virtue ofmy putting in
Place a long-term solution which
Legislation thatreates law
That relates to these
Individuals.
[ laughter ]
jon: Okay.
That's not sooch an immigration
Reform plan as muchs how the
Star mann would describe the
Legislative process here on
Earth
What would bet specifics of your
Immigration policy?
You would like to -- I'm not
Going t art drawing lines
Here about who gets to stay and
Who gets to go?
sure, you don't want to get
Bogged down naming nas.
[ laughter ]
How about taxes?
we can have lower rates as I
Proposed th creates more
Groablg and limit deductions and
Exceptions.
jon: Now that's specific
Which ductions.
which of the deductions are
Willing to eliminate?
Which tax credit?
we'll go through that process
With congress.
jon: Okay, wellhat --
That's t until after you wou
Be elected s. Do you have a time
Frame for your econoc
Solutions to take effect?
I'm not going toive youan
Exact time frame.
jon: O um, how about a
Range?
Do I have time to run to the
Bathroom or will anima that
Re fish now have legs the
[ laughter ]
Becse your platform seems to
Be listen, I have a plan and I
Can x this thing.
Don't worry your pretty little
Heads
Heads about it.
Mitt romney, a talented detail
Oriented c.E.O. Has intr sparing
Wi the details of agenda.
We know more about barack.
's secret agenda and I know why.
the psident lead ising and
Continues to lead.
47% for the preside and mitt
Romney 43%.
one rece poll showed that
Any republican candidate would
Beat president obama b 8
Points.
jon: Do you see what he is
Doing?
Mitt romney losing to barack
Obama but generic republican
Crushes barack obama.
Clearly his best office iso
Run as aeneric republicn.
The store brand presidential
Candidate and avoid particulars.
It's not easy to do.
It's a skill.
do you personally think
Homosexuality is say sin?
nice try.
it's a valid question and my
Answer is nice try.
jon:Ice try (bleep).
You thought I would fall for the
Old answer questions on an
Interview show grift.
Not only does he doge hot
Button issues he dges no
Button iues.
Who is the last book you read or
Are read?
I'm read age fun one on that
So I'll skip that.
jon: You are not getting me
On that fun book I'm reading.
Must be 50 shades
-- Of grey.
Not to self.
It doesn't mean you can't
Express preference for things.
I love the decoration of
Independence.
I love our constitution.
I lik all the amendments.
jon: I know a lot of you
Out there are like really even
The 11th?
You bet!
I loved prohibition.
I loved the repeal of it.
[ laughter ]
of course, the star spangled
Banner.
I love cars.
I love american cars.
I lov humor.
I love our people.
I lo the land.
I love the lake.
Ion't like vam pires.
[ laughter ]
jon: Really?
Really thought long and har
About that last one.
Didn't want to gi people the
Impression I was favoring the
Humans over the undead.
Theyare people too my friends
Or were.
Taking aullyunctionally 3-d
Human being and reworking him to
A 2-dpablum factory takes
Effort.
I believe the people shou
Have a right to bear arms but I
Don't believe we have to have
Assault weapon as the onal
Rs nell.
jon: Take that and
Condensity.
I believe people should have
The right to bear arms for
Whatever legal purpose they have
In mind.
Simple answer.
jon: Done and done.
I will come out today and say to
The american people I don't
Think people suld do illegal
Things with weapons.
[ laughter ]
Nailed it.
[ laughter ]
Looking the guy was pretty
Robotic and combined of nonhuman
To being wit.
It's like taking a ken doll and
Turning him into flat romney.
[ laughter
Which I guess hasts
Advantages, I guess.
If y want to send a message to
Iran, get yourself o no no, ah,
Help me, help m
Flip out pridentomney into
An envelope pretty soon ak din
Jad -- ak ahmadinejad is like,
Oh, a letter for me.
Problem solved.
What kind of republican do you
Get to round out ticket?
I won't characterize
Qualifications for vice
President.
jon: Of course you won't.
I think we can rule out one
Ticket.
We'll be r rwelcome back.
[cheers and applause]
George welcome back.
We ernld --
jon: We learned about --
His refusal has ben a delicious
All you canat buffet for
Democrats.
Sadly as with one buffet there's
One guy that doesn't know what
To stop eating.
senator reid said he spoke
With a bane insider who told
Him, quote, harry he didn't pay
Any taxes for ten ars.
Reid recounted the person
Saying, he didn't pay taxes for
Ten years.
Now do I know that that is true?
Well, I'm not certain said reid.
[ laughter ]
jon: Here say rule of thumb
If you have to follow your claim
With the words, I don't know if
That's the truth, then shut up
Because otherwise you might as
Well put a dead cocker spaniel
On your head and yell about
Birth sertz which brings us to
Tonight's segment, you harry,
Reid are -- should mitt romney
Release his tax returns?
Of course.
But him not doing the right
Thing doesn't give you license
To do the wrong thing.
You are the senate majority
Leader you condition run to
The side boob gazette with
Ridiculous speculations about
What may or may not in mitt
Romney's taxes.
That's I this show's job.
When mitt romney needs money
Quickly he beats a swiss person
Until they break open.
That has never been disproven.
[ laughter ]
All right.
In a campaigneasoneople
Throw around baseless
Accusations all the tim
Not the worst thing anyone ever
Did.
What is the worst thing is harry
Reid going on to speculate that
Mitt quote "poor father must be
So embarrassed about his son.
" can we change that, please?
Yes.
[ laughter ]
I cannot believe you just went
Dead dad shame on mitt romne
As someone who has truly and
Thoroughly disappointed his
Still living father on many
Occasions let me say it's a
(bleep) shot.
You know what harry reid if you
Are not going to fact check
Anything that comes out of y yr
Mouth,ly.
Let me see if I can do this
Quickly I have a ouija board.
Can I get in touch with mitt
Romney's father.
Spirits, ned to speak to one
Known as grge romney, governor
Romney are you proud of your --
Yes, yes.
There you go.
Yes.
Thank you governor.
That's all the time.
Waiting there is more.
Why wouldn't I b he's a loving
Son gave me beautul
Grandchildren andho are y
Leep) harry reid to suggest
I'm not proud of my son.
Let's see how you like it when
You go poltergeist on your sorry
Ass you two bit son of a -- I
Had noidea how precise they
Were.
Reid's comments from drawn
Trage from the living as well.
how irresponsible is it for
The majority leader of the
Senate to make a statement that
Mitt romney doesn't pay taxes.
It's speculation.
nobody double getsnd gets
Two sourc amore.
People can say what they want
About people presidential
Candidates or not and it's news.
[ appuse ]
Jon: They are right.
[ laughter ]
Veronica and the two jug heads
Are right although gretchen I'm
Not sure is the best person to
Complain about not checking
Sources before spreading rumors
But still I don't disagree with
The point.
it's my point that you need
More than one source.
Peopleay whatever they want
And before you know it it's
Mainstream news.
jon: Irony too great.
Spirit, should I play the
Montage -- s!
Yes!
some people are saying it's
Anutreach to the muslim world.
some are speculating his
Handlers did want him to bow.
he was off the teleprompter
So some people are sayg it's
Telling.
Some people are saying it's a
Way of controlling the media.
I read a couple oflogs this
Morning that wonder whether or
Not eric holder would leave.
end it to us show us the
Birth semplet thank you very
Much,teve.
I appreciate that.
some people are saying this
Say health care reform.
Other people are saying, maybe
Me, that this is subtle form
Of euthanizea.
he may have dies to the
Muslim brotherhood.
that's why our show is so
Successful.
A lot of it we sort of make up.
[ laughter ]
jon: To be clear --
[cheers and applause]
None of that means harry reid
Isn't terrible it means there's
Lots of terrible to go around.
We'll be right[cheers and appls]
jon: Welcome back mim guest
Tonight the executive editor of
Scientific american magazine.
His new book is called the fate
Of species.
Why the human race may cause its
Own extinction and how to stop
It.
Hell yes, sir.
Nice to see you.
Come and sit.
How are you?
'm good.
jon: I'm glad you you are
Good because I was until I read
Youboofnlg the fate of species
Tnches a light hearted mp.
jon: Is it in your mind
That the huma race will b the
Cause of its extinction as well?
it's possible.
In this book I explore reay
The worst case.
jon: It really was the
Worst case, a series of worst
Cases really.
there's a lot to be scared
About but if you look at these
Things then you can begin to
Figure out maybe how to fix
Them.
That's the idea.
jon: You talk about global
Warming how we could reach a
Tipping point at we could not
Come back that is sort of human
Activity creating the conditions
Environmentally.
But the other side of it are
These viruses we're creatg and
Genomes and research.
That is jst the research.
How do you stop us from looking
Underneath things?
we've created this wod.
There are seven billion people
On the planet.
There will be 10 billion the
U.N. Predicts.
And it takes a lot of work to
Sustain this enterprise.
One the things you have to
Do -- it's race really between
Us andsay viruses inflew -- the
Flu is a common thing and we're
Familiar with but in 2009 a flu
Pandec caught with us our
Pants down.
jon: Is that it because I
Always thought was
Sneezing --
I think you can get it tt
Way, too.
jon: You could buy better
Pants.
I'll tell the cdc.
jon: I think you should.
The thing -- thosere things
Somewhat out of o control.
What I have always believed that
Will end up destroying is us is
Not t dangerous things out
Thereut the only good
Intentions.
The idea of curiosity killed the
Cat but the can't didn't have
Thumbs and couldn't stop
Viruses?
Don't you think the search for
Cures could have unintended
Consequences?
that's the line we walk.
I talk about climate, machines,
Disease in this book.
To just take disease there are
Scary bugs out there and we have
To, you know, be very careful or
Theyould hurt us.
On the other hand, the research
That we do to figureout how
They work could also be use
Against us.
This is say line we walk.
We have no choice.
jon: That's the point.
This is what we have to do.
jon: We have to unlock the
Secre.
I've always thought that with --
It's like the atom is there a
More important developmt than
The splitting of the atom to
Modern society.
You split it one way you can
Blow the whole place up and the
Other way you generate
Electricity.
We went first with the blowing
Up.
But how do you stop us from
Destroying orselves for our own
Brilliance and ingenuity?
well, you know you just have
To take it on a case by case I
Guess.
jon: When the editor of
Scientific american is giggle
Being that --
we're talking about a lot of
Different things.
jon: Right.
in the case of, you know, f
There's actually, you know right
Now playing out there's research
That was done halted by the
White house in brd flu because
People were afraid, other my god
People are creating scary
Viruses
Viruses to study them.
What if they got out or someone
Stole the blueprints.
jon: The reason why avian
Flu doesn't kill us is because
You can't transfer itperson to
Person.
They created one that will do
That and published how to do
That.
yes, they did.
jon: And the white house
Said we're not going to do that
In the United States but there's
This whole other part --
but is it more dangerous to
Do the research and pottially
Release a scary virus into the
Wild d kill ourselves or more
Dangerous not to do t t research
And be killed by the scary
Viruses nature produces.
jon: Could you do the
Research and say hey, dude if
This comes up I'myour guy
Rather than just going it's on
Its own web page?
How do they -- are there
Barriers?
tis is something that the
Science and biosecurity
Community have not done a very
Good jo on so far.
It's been hashed out.
The bird flu papers that came
Out.
One of awjors of papers is in
The book.
He is in one of chapters.
When these papers were coming
Out and, you know the
Biosecurity people said oh, my
Goodness, what do we do this
About this?
By then it's too late because
The resech is already being
Done.
The papers will already
Distributed to reviewers.
For the age of the internet the
Information was out there.
sure.
Lock at how quickly we find the
Results of theolympics.
[ laughter ]
Do you have five minutes?
Can you stay.
would love to.
jon: It's on the
Bookshelves now.
It comes with a packet of
Purell.
Fred guterl.
[cheers and applause]
j: That's our sho
Here it is yo moment of zen
it may be a while before
London's mayor goes zip lining
Agan.
Boris johnson got stuck.
Can you get me a rope?
[ laughter