Equifax, the credit bureau that ignored warnings and failed to update its software, leading to a data breach that exposed private information for half the U.S. adult population, stepped into the crosshairs of Last Week Tonight’s John Oliver on Sunday, adding a bit of levity to this otherwise dire ongoing scandal. [More]
john oliver
The 5 Best Parts From John Oliver’s Report On Corporate Mergers
By 9.25.17
You don’t have to read the business pages to know that recent decades have resulted in massive corporate consolidation. Whether it’s air travel, wireless service, internet, banking, or eyeglasses, a number of industries have enjoyed such merger mania that only a few national competitors remain. [More]
FCC Blames “Attacks” For Comment System Crash Following John Oliver Story
By 5.8.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
As we mentioned in our earlier story about John Oliver’s latest call-to-arms in defense of net neutrality, the Federal Communications Commission’s public commenting system was acting a bit shaky. The FCC now claims that this crash wasn’t due to a bona fide rush to file comments, but to malicious attacks. [More]
John Oliver Tries To Save Net Neutrality Again; Likens FCC Chair Ajit Pai To A Serial Killer
By 5.8.17
With both the Federal Communications Commission and Congress looking to undo relatively recent net neutrality rules that prohibit internet service providers from interfering with what you do online, it was once again time for Last Week Tonight‘s John Oliver to remind viewers of how important these rules are; possibly disrupting the FCC’s public commenting system in the process. [More]
8 Things John Oliver Wants You To Know About Marijuana
By 4.3.17
Each year, more and more states continue to legalize medical and even recreational marijuana use for their residents. But the drug remains illegal at the federal level, and conflicts abound, confusing consumers, businesses, and law enforcement alike. John Oliver shared some thoughts this week about how we got into this mess, and how we can get out. [More]
John Oliver Wants To Sell You On Why Multi-Level Marketing Stinks
By 11.7.16
John Oliver has a pitch for you. Yes, that’s right. In last night’s Last Week Tonight, he asked for just 30 minutes of your time to sell you on something that will change your life forever: an exposé on Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) schemes. [More]
John Oliver, Keegan-Michael Key Explain Why Subprime Car Loans Are So Awful
By 8.15.16
Subprime car loans are pretty much terrible. They’re exploitative of lower-income borrowers, financially risky for lenders, and frankly the only thing that keeps them from being every inch as disastrous for everyone as subprime mortgages — so far — is that their dollar values are lower. [More]
John Oliver Buys $15M In Medical Debt, Then Forgives It
By 6.6.16
We can tell you about the growing problem of medical debt and how hospitals are suing thousands of patients for having the gall to be both sick and poor, or how debt collectors screw-up and use illegal tactics to get paid for debts they often can’t even prove that anyone owes. But that’s nothing compared to the sight of a goofy English guy forgiving $15 million in medical debt he bought for pennies on the dollar. [More]
John Oliver Trolls Error-Prone Credit Bureaus With Horrible, Sound-Alike Companies
By 4.11.16
The three major credit reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — receive more complaints from consumers than most banks, primarily because these reports frequently contain errors and they make it incredibly difficult to resolve disputes. The credit industry seems to think its mistakes are within acceptable standards, but will they feel the same way when their brand names are facing similar odds for a disastrous mistake? [More]
John Oliver Reveals Illicit Global Cadbury Creme Egg Conspiracy
By 3.28.16
Did you know that Cadbury Creme Eggs aren’t just a sickeningly sweet, vaguely holiday-themed treat? No, according to truth-telling TV personality John Oliver, they are also the epicenter of a global conspiracy involving classic Christmas movies, Bono, gold, and affordable airfare. [More]
John Oliver Rewrites Apple Ads To Make Them More Honest About Encryption
By 3.14.16
On Sunday’s Last Week Tonight, host John Oliver looked at length at the ongoing, complicated legal battle between Apple and the FBI, which has asked a court to compel the tech company to rewrite its software to allow authorities to search crime suspects’ locked iPhones. And while Oliver ultimately came down in defense of Apple’s position in the matter, he also believes the company could be more direct about presenting the reality of the situation. [More]
John Oliver Has Rewritten Those DraftKings & FanDuel Ads For You
By 11.16.15
With daily fantasy sports sites DraftKings and FanDuel in a high-profile legal battle with New York state over whether they are a form of unlicensed gambling or games of skill, HBO’s John Oliver has released his own version of the sites’ infamous “anyone can win” ads. [More]
John Oliver’s Rousing Speech Rallies American Sports Fans To Stop Wasting Public Money On Stadiums
By 7.13.15
In spite of the fact that new sports venues often cost upwards of billions of dollars to construct, many American teams play in stadiums and arenas that are less than 25 years old. Heck, once the Atlanta Braves move into their new park, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Citizens Bank Park will be the most senior venue in the NL East — and that only opened in 2004. Whether it’s through municipal bonds, tax breaks, or free real estate, a lot of the money to pay for these venues ultimately comes out of taxpayers’ pockets. [More]
FIFA President Sepp Blatter (Eventually) Quitting Amid Corruption Probe
By 6.2.15
Last Friday, Sepp Blatter was reelected as president of FIFA, the world’s most powerful soccer organization, only days after several high-ranking FIFA officials were arrested on charges of receiving illegal bribes and kickbacks. Today, after nearly two decades as head of the group behind the World Cup, Blatter announced he will be stepping down. [More]
John Oliver Pledges To Eat McDonald’s, Drink Budweiser If They Use Sponsorship Power To Change FIFA
By 6.1.15
Last week, the soccer world was rocked when numerous current and former FIFA officials were arrested and charged with accepting illegal kickbacks and bribes. Only days later, FIFA President Sepp Blatter, under whose oversight these alleged crimes have occurred for nearly two decades, was reelected. That’s why John Oliver has called on FIFA’s high-profile sponsors to use their financial leverage to effect some change in the most powerful soccer organization in the world. [More]
Michael Bolton Serenades The IRS: You’re The Anus Of Our Country
By 4.13.15
Since 2010, Congress has cut the budget for the IRS by around 20%, resulting in thousands of jobs being cut and millions of Americans unable to get much-needed help with their tax returns this year. This has had the effect of just making some people hate the IRS even more than they already did, but is this a case of kicking a man when he’s down? [More]
John Oliver Gets Edward Snowden To Explain Government Snooping In Terms Of Penis Photos
By 4.6.15
By June 1, Congress must decide whether or not to reauthorize certain sections of the controversial USA Patriot Act (aka the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act), but even though it’s been nearly two years since former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden revealed the NSA’s massive and far-reaching data collection programs, many Americans either are only vaguely aware or don’t understand because it’s not easy to immediately see how things like PRISM and MYSTIC affect your daily existence. That’s why John Oliver not only went straight to Snowden for an explanation of these programs, but to have him put the snooping in terms many Internet-era perverts can understand: penis photos. [More]
Will The FDA Ever Get Around To New Warning Labels For Cigarettes?
By 2.18.15
In June 2009, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act became law, directing the Food and Drug Administration to not only create larger health warnings, but to include graphic images in the labels. And when the U.S. Supreme Court shot down a tobacco-industry fight against these labels in April 2013, it was supposed to get the ball rolling again on these new warnings. But in the years since, there’s been no apparent movement on the matter and the FDA won’t say when, or even if, these Congressionally mandated labels will become a reality. [More]
