John Oliver debunks 'Migrant Crime' in the middle of covering the RNC on 'Last Week Tonight'

John Oliver returned from a lengthy break after examining 'Trump’s Second Term' AKA Project 2025 with RNC & ”Migrant Crime”: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO). Watch.

John Oliver discusses the wave of people claiming there’s a wave of “migrant crime,” where the term came from, and what we can do next.

I begin my reaction by recycling what I wrote on World Population Day when I quoted CNBC asks 'Is The U.S. Running Out Of People?'

[I]f not enough babies are born in the U.S. to meet our job demand, the country can allow more immigration. I'm O.K. with that, but Donald Trump became president in large part because many Americans weren't and still aren't. That's why, when one of my students asked in 2015 if the U.S. would ever adopt Chinese population policies, I responded no, that's not the American way. If the U.S. thinks it has an overpopulation issue, it would restrict immigration.

Even if the country does not have an overpopulation issue, it might still think it has a different kind of demographic problem, which would still lead it to restrict immigration. In fact, the second chart I included in MSNBC examines Project 2025, part 5 lists even more extreme positions beyond restricting immigration: "Mass deportation of immigrants and incarceration in 'camps'" and "End birth right citizenship." Yikes, especially the second, which attacks the currently accepted idea of who is an American and will affect citizens and others here legally, not just undocumented immigrants.

I couldn't resist another opportunity to work the eye again!

All the statistics about how crime in general has declined reminds me that I have three videos on the subject to share. I'll get to them in future posts. In the meantime, this video has inspired me to resume my Emmy Awards coverage. Follow over the jump for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver's Emmy nominations from Wikipedia.

Outstanding Scripted Variety Series

• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
• Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Time to recycle from How did Gold Derby's Emmy nominations predictions fare?

Only two of four qualifying shows will earn nominations for scripted variety series and the editors, experts, and top users at Gold Derby all agree they will be Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and Saturday Night Live and that Last Week Tonight with John Oliver will win.

Gold Derby called the nominations. We'll find out if they called the winner in September.

Until then, I'm noting that the editors and top 24 users at Gold Derby have so far all picked Last Week Tonight with John Oliver to win. It's enough to get me to register as a user on Gold Derby and jump on the bandwagon.

Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series

• The Daily Show (Comedy Central)
• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
• Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Majorities of the editors, experts, and top 24 users have so far all picked Last Week Tonight with John Oliver to win. A minority chose The Daily Show. So far, no one has voted for Saturday Night Live.

Now for the nominations that Wikipedia lists under the 76th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, none of which has Gold Derby odds.

Outstanding Production Design for a Variety or Reality Series

• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: "Freight Trains" – Eric Morrell and Amanda Carzoli (HBO)
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: "February 11, 2024: Super Bowl Episode with John Krasinski and Ryan Gosling and a Special Appearance by Jon Stewart" / "March 13, 2024: The Biden-Trump Rematch, Lara Trump Makes the RNC Great Again, RFK Jr. Courts Aaron Rodgers for VP; Stephen Meets "The Shower Witch"; Paul Rudd; Cecilia Vega; Jon Hamm; Amy Sedaris" – Jim Fenhagen, Larry Hartman, Riley Mellon, and Brendan Hurley (CBS)
• RuPaul's Drag Race: "RDR Live!" / "Werq the World" – Gianna Costa, Jen Chu, and Gavin Smith (MTV)
• Saturday Night Live: "Host: Josh Brolin" – Joe DeTullio, Kenneth MacLeod, Melissa Shakun, and Kimberly Kachougian (NBC)
• Squid Game: The Challenge: "War" – Mathieu Weekes, Ben Norman, and Lizzie Chambers (Netflix)

Saturday Night Live won this award last year, so it's the nominal favorite, but RuPaul's Drag Race won the year before, breaking SNL's streak, so it's my choice for number two and a chance to upset. At least the freight trains episode makes Last Week Tonight with John Oliver competitive.

Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming (Segment)

• The Daily Show: "The Dailyshowography of Vivek Ramaswamy: Enter the RamaVerse" – Catherine Trasborg (Comedy Central)
• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: "Boeing" – Anthony Miale (HBO)
• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: "The Sad Tale of Henry the Engine" – Ryan Barger (HBO)
• Saturday Night Live: "I'm Just Pete" – Ryan Spears (NBC)
• Saturday Night Live: "Bowen's Straight" – Paul Del Gesso and Kristie Ferriso (NBC)

In the absence of Black Lady Sketch Show, which won the last three years, I think the previous winner, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, has the best chance to repeat. I just hope The Daily Show doesn't sneak on through because its competition both have two episodes nominated.

Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control for a Series

• America's Got Talent: "Finale Performances" – Allan Wells, Zach Greenberg, Kary D’Alessandro, John Gardner, Helena Jackson, Mark Koonce, Ron Lehman, Dave Levisohn, Adam Margolis, David Plakos, Brian Reason, Dann Webb, and Easter Xua (NBC)
• Dancing with the Stars: "Finale" – Charles Ciup, Dave Bernstein, Bert Atkinson, Jonas Brueling, Mike Carr, Jimmy Garcia, Bruce Green, Nathanial Havholm, Ron Lehman, Bettina Levesque, Adam Margolis, Rob Palmer, Derek Pratt, Brian Reason, Jofre Rosero, Daniel Schade, Daryl Studebaker, Cary Symmons, and Easter Xua (ABC)
• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: "Elon Musk" – Dave Saretsky, Jerry Cancel, Franco Coello, Dante Pagano, Mark Britt, and Joe DeBonis (HBO)
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: "April 8, 2024: Strange Eclipse Behavior, NYC's Earthquake, Mt. Etna Blows Smoke Rings, Trump's $50m Fundraiser; Meanwhile; Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; Tyla" – Karen Obel Cape, Roberto Lopez, Brian V. Cimino, Joe DeBonis, John Hannel, John Harrison, and Dante Pagano (CBS)
• Saturday Night Live: "Host: Timothée Chalamet" – Bill DiGiovanni, John Pinto, Paul Cangialosi, Anthony Tarantino, Dave Driscoll, Brian Phraner, and Daniel Erbeck (NBC)

Dancing with the Stars won last year, but Last Week Tonight with John Oliver won for several years before that, so I'm provisionally designating them co-favorites. I'll re-examine this category after I examine the rest of the variety and reality competition categories.

That's it for today's post. Stay tuned for more Emmy coverage, although I might explore another topic tomorrow.

Previous posts about the 76th Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy Awards

• Gold Derby's predictions for Emmy-nominated shows
• How did Gold Derby's Emmy nominations predictions fare?
• Sandy Hook Promise's 'Just Joking' the sole PSA among Emmy nominees for Outstanding Commercial
• 'Beyond Utopia,' ' Going to Mars,' and 'Stamped from the Beginning,' Emmy nominees for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking
• Entertainment and true crime the themes of Emmy nominees for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series