rtaining us, getting us back on track, and finding us dates. phones really have changed. so why hasn't the way we pay for them? introducing xfinity mobile. you only pay for data and can easily switch between pay per gig and unlimited. no one else lets you do that. see how much you can save. choose by the gig or unlimited. xfinity mobile. a new kind of network designed to save you money. call, visit or go to xfinitymobile.com. comedy central >> from comedy central's world news headquarters in new york, this is "the daily show" with trevor noah. >> trevor: welcome to "the daily show," thank you so much for tuning in, i'm trevor noah. my guest tonight, an old friend of the show, john hodgman is joining us, everybody.

(applause). >> trevor: it's going to be fun chatting about his new book. but first there's a lot going on in the world right now, let's get to it. in spain there is a police crackdown after the region of catalonia voted to declare itself independent. it is a really big issue, and the dispute has grown in intensity because donald trump has said that he wants spain to remain unified. while melania sides with cat loan a-- catalonia. she says i too know what it is like to dream for independence. and speaking of the white house, in addition to north korea, it turns out rex tillerson may now need to negotiate peace between his boss and himself. >> another situation facing the white house, what appears to be a deepening rift between the president and his secretary of state rex tillerson. >> tillerson reportedly openly called president trump quote a moron. >> trevor: you know what, i can't be mad. tillerson was just saying what we were all also saying.

but apparently this report really angered president trump. because today tillerson had to come out and read an unscheduled statement saying, donald trump is a nonmoron president. (laughter) >> could you address the main headline of this story that you called the president a moron and if not, where do you think the reports are. >> i'm not going to deal with petty stuff like that. i mean this is, this is what i don't understand about washington. again, i'm not from this place. but the places i come from, we don't deal with that kind of petty nonsense. >> trevor: so that's a yes. (laughter) that's a yes. that's a yes. now i feel bad for rex. because him coming out to refute the story only made it a bigger story. so now everyone on the news was saying this. >> rex tillerson. >> not denying that exclusive report by nbc that he called the president of the united states a moron. >> we have confirmed that reporting, that rex tillerson called the president a moron. >> the president is a moron.

>> donald trump is a moron. >> says he called the president a moron. >> called him a moron. >> a moron. >> a moron. >> moron, moron. >> yeah, my source didn't just say that he called him a moron, he said an f-ing moron. (laughter). >> trevor: a fantasticking moron? a fabulous-- what does if-ing mean? i guess we'll never [bleep] know but let's get to our main story. when you hear the phrase fake news, you probably think of this, right? but before the president coopted that phrase to mean news that he doesn't like, fake news meant exactly that. deliberately false stories posing as news. especially in nontraditional news sours like digital media. fake news online is a major problem. especially considering that two thirds of adults in america said they get some of their news from social media. and the other third said they debt it from steve harvey so it's bad all around.

earlier this week we saw another example of online news going haywire. >> google and facebook are apologizing for amplifying false news stories that surfaced in the hours after the shooting. according to the chronicle google blamed an algorithm for highlighting stories that falsely identified an innocent man as the shooter. >> within hours of the attack gary danly's name and photo from spread across the internet. >> our family and all of our extended family, the danlys have been getting death threats. and would like people to know that social media spun this out of control and without seeking the truth, have jumped the conclusion that show our father was involved. >> trevor: that's right. millions of people are now linking an innocent man's face to a mass shooting. which is really messed up, when you think about it. this poor guy is walking around trying to live his life with people prob leigh walking up to him saying hey, are you the guy who shot everyone and then killed himself? not cool, man. not cool. yo, can i get a selfie real

quick, yeah. and this story was just one example. after vegas facebook and google news were full with fake news about multiple shooters, fictional victims, isis involvement, my sex tape, all fake things very fake things especially the part of me crying at the end. i wouldn't cry, why would i cry, come on. it's fake, that is all you need to know. by the way the fake news about vegas is not an isolated incident. this is turning out to be a problem across all social media. >> "the new york times" report there is evidence that twitter may have been used even more extensively than facebook, in the russian influence campaign last year, on twitter you have these bots, these automated accounts that were helping to spread fake news. >> trevor: yeah. so facebook has fake news. google has fake news. twitter has fake news. who would have thought we would be living in a world where snapchat is our only legitimate source of news. and good luck if you are a slow reader. north korea is about to-- it's gone, it's gone. what was it going to say, what

was it going to say, what, reply, okay. there you go. i guess missiles for missiles. now it would already be bad if all the fake news coming out from the inside of the white house was the only thing we had to deal with. but as we've learned, the russians are also involved. and if there is one guaranteed way to make any situation worse, just sprinkle a little russia over it. >> facebook says says about 10 million people saw russian linked ads on its site before and after the 2016 election. >> the number of these russian-linked facebook ads that did appear during the election season were targeting two key states, michigan and wisconsin, those critical to donald trump's vctory last november. >> trevor: this is unbelievable. even the russians knew they had to campaign in wisconsin. even them. you know what i am thinking f hillary hundred runs again, maybe she should collude with some russians, maybe, just have them on her team, now remember, smile and talk nice about coal, okay, get out there. get out there.

and now regardless of your politics, the reason you should care about fake news online is because it is not just about russians meddling in u.s. elections. it is about russians working to divide everyone. >> ads were intended to promote di vicive messages and some even included anti-muslim messages. >> accounts regularly shared content intended to deepen the racial divide and stir up yut rage. >> just this past weekend some nfl players protested during the national anthem, russian trolls flooded social media with the hashtag boy kowt the nfl and take a knee. >> trevor: you see. the russians were playing both sides, boycott the nfl and take a knee. you can't do that. next they will be saying stuff like prochoice, for life. you can't do it. for more on the russian effort to influence american discourse we're joined now by our senior american correspondent michael kosta, everybody. (applause) michael, michael as an american,

are you worried that russia is using social media to divide the country? >> prefer, i'm as worried about russia as i am this burning sensation on my again tales. >> trevor: so you are very concerned then. >> not at all. usually these things take care of themselves. but i am pissed off. as an american, i'm not going to sit by and watch russia take credit for dividing america. you think it takes foreign meddling to get americans ang real estate at each other. the moment we meet someone we're lake you are from ohio, screw you, i'm from michigan, you're from grand rapids, that play sucks i'm from ann arbor, are you ann from an barer that is where i live too, are you mid da, screw you, dad, trevor, i don't need russia to make me hate my own dad. >> trevor: that got really personal quick. you have to admit technology is making this worse. russians linked to this government are now using facebook to get americans worked up. >> yeah, you know who else does that, my racist uncle every time he posts on my feed. don't take [bleep] from that

african boss of yours, michael. i never would, raffle. look-- ralph, i'm not going to let russia take the credit for dividing us. we have a rich history of dividing ourselves. -- a shall did you think carrier pigeons were dropping ds on the south, freedom should be for everybody but that's none of my business. >> trevor: but michael, come on. i'm sure the rush arne efforts are slightly more sophisticated than memes. >> not really, here say real one face bk turned over to congress. why do i have a gun? because it is easier for my family to get me out of jail than out of cemetery. now if an american had written that, it would have said the cemetery. and cemetery would have been spelled wrong. here's-- here's another (laughter) (applause) it's true. here's another real one. tell me if you think an american came up with, in love with texas

shape. >> trevor: okay, michael, look, i get it, i get it. so what are you saying, americans should just ignore the whole thing. >> hell no, we're going to hit back hard. we're going full on meme war. let me show you these dank memes coming out of the pentagon. another great shape, rolling too russian summer like-- (laughter) you like that, russia. how about this, i can haz borscht. >> trevor: michael kosta everybody, we'll be right back. (applause).

>> trevor: welcome backed to the daily show. in america the discussion around gun control always seems to go around in circles ending in the same place. here to try and help explain more on this is my good friend neal brennan, everybody. (applause) neal, i'm struggling with this. can you help me figure out guns in america. >> look, dude, at this point, this issue is a lot like john

travolta's botox face. there is no movement. everyone is going with the same old arguments. the left wants changes, the right doesn't, but you know who had a unique view on this, bill o'reilly. he wrote a blog post on bill o'reilly.com which based on his sexual history i assumed was a porn site. >> trevor: it's not porn. >> no, it's like news stuff. >> trevor: oh. >> but here's what he said about the vegas shooting. quote this is the price of freedom, violent nuts are allowed to roam free until they do damage no matter how threatening they are. the second amendment is clear that americans have a right to arm themselves for protection, even the wounds. >> trevor: [bleep] that's crazy. >> i agree but you have to appreciate that honesty. that would be like six flags saying yeah, you might die on a roller coaster but do you want to meet bugs bunny or not. >> trevor: but my thing is i don't understand why when guns are clearly a problem, people still don't want to talk about guns. >> dude, you are think being it wrong.

they're not arguing about ungos, they're arguing about freedom. guns are just the symbol. you ever get in a fight with your girlfriend, babe what is the big deal i just dropped socks next to the bed, she's lake it's not about socks but your need for a mother figure and i don't want to feel like i'm [bleep] my sofnlt (laughter) -- my son. (laughter) too personal? >> trevor: maybe, a little bit, okay, okay, so what you are saying is guns are actually just a symbol of freedom. >> yeah, everything in america is about sim tolls. that is with the kol inkaepernick kneeling thing got so crazy. for a lot of people he wasn't protesting against police violence, he was protesting the national anthem and that is the symbol for everything, the troops, bald eagles, mattress sales, tom hanks, type two diabetes, you know, america. >> trevor: okay, so if guns are that powerful a symbol, then no one will ever get gun control. >> that's where you are wrong.

the only way to fight a symbol is with a symbol. and what is the only symbol as powerful as guns? >> trevor: my face? >> rhymes with face starts with an r. >> trevor: race? >> that's correct. >> trevor: oh, blackness. >> yeah, blackness, i done know if you picked up on this, heavily symbolic in this country. >> what do black people symbolize in america. >> how about you start. >> trevor: i don't know, for some people black people symbolize physical strength. >> uh-huh. >> trevor: a threat to white dominance. >> uh-huh. >> trevor: big penis. >> that's what i thought then we went to the gym together. >> trevor: that was a cold, it was a cold day. >> and i have seen your sex tape. >> trevor: that is not a real thing, that is not-- that's not the point. here is what i am saying, how are black people powerful enough as a symbol to fix the gun issue. >> it happened before, back in 1967 a heavily armed group of black panthers marched into the

california state capitol and wouldn't you know it, within 12 weeks the state of california under governor ronald reagan passed a new gun control law called the mulford act. >> trevor: damn, less than three months, they might as well as called it need bleap bleep got guns act. >> agreed. that is the point. if we want gun control, here is what we do. nfl players, listen to me. this sunday, instead of taking a knee, stand during the national anthem, and above your head fold hold an ar-15. (applause) we'll have new gun control ledge slaiks by half time. >> trevor: neal brennan, everybody. we'll be right back

is this a phone? or a little internet machine? it makes you wonder: shouldn't we get our phones and internet from the same company? that's why xfinity mobile comes with your internet. you get up to 5 lines of talk and text at no extra cost. so all you pay for is data. see how much you can save. choose by the gig or unlimited. xfinity mobile. a new kind of network designed to save you money. call, visit, or go to xfinitymobile.com. signal to the mating population that says no thank you. i am all done.

i have had children. i have had children, my dna is out in the world, my evolutionary purpose is fulfilled, i no longer deserve physical affection, time for me to focus on my weird dad hobbies like puns and writing that book i always meant to write. >> trevor: and you did write the book, congratulations on it. this is interesting because your previous books were like books on weird fake facts. >> yes. >> trevor: and now in many ways you can't write a book like that. >> everyone is doing it now. >> trevor: right. >> yes. >> trevor: and everyone being the president. >> right, exactly so. there is no fake facts left that could be as weird and as fake as reality. >> trevor: right. >> so i was disarmed of dishonesty and left with the mere awful truth that i am a middle-aged white male monster starring down the second half of his life. and i thought that's funny. (laughter) everyone wants to hear a white man's point of view these days. (laughter) maybe i'll write it up in a

book. >> trevor: there are moments of heart in this book. one of the stories i love is when you talk about the quality time you spend with your daughter, for instance. >> yeah. >> trevor: in grave yards. >> yes, we love to go to the cemetery. >> trevor: and you walk around in the cemetery looking into tombs. >> yes, greenwood cemetery in brooklyn is right near our house. we discovered it one day. and i, at that time i only had a mustache. and it was raining. and i had dark glasses on and a rain hood up and my daughter was wearing her red rain coat and we wanted to go into the cemetery to look around. and the guard said are you sure you want to go floo the cemetery today, i said yes, i really do. he said i'm not talking to you. and he turned to my daughter, he said are you sure you want to go in the cemetery today, cuz it's very rainy there are not many people around f you cry for help, no one can hear you. so i will ask again, are you sure you want to go into the cemetery with this mustache man. and she said this is my father. and sadly, he accepted that truth and we went in. and it was wonderful. and it wasn't scary at all.

we were the scariest thing there, because there were a few mourners there, and they would drive around in cars to go find the grave or whatever and they would pass us, and every time they would pass us in the cars my daughter and i would wave at them like-- and they would always slow down. >> trevor: that would scare me so much. >> i know. they were so scared because they were caught between like should we save that little girl from that terrible man. orthos are obvious ghosts who are trying to lure us out of the car. >> trevor: i would not help. >> i love thatted. i said to my daughter, you know what, we should do this every sunday. and we just wear the same thing, and we'll wave at them as they go by, and then when they turn the corner we'll run over the hill and get them again on the other side. >> trevor: oh man. >> and we'll become legends. and that way we'll become immortal, there is a famous writer who lives in the town we live in in maine, and she wants to be a writer, so she tboas down by herself to lay a stone on the headstone of this famous

writer or maybe just dance on his grave, i don't know. i don't know because i don't go with her, she doesn't need her old man to have grave yard time. >> trevor: she does it on her own, at least you started it together. before i let you go, there is one-story, i mean you couldn't have done it in the book because it happened so recently. but this is honestly one of the most amazing stories that happened to unsw in real life. but your son, i remember were you talking about how your son wanted to have his birthday party theme. >> he has very big ideas for the themes. >> trevor: right. and he wanted game of thrones. >> right, which was, i don't know where he got that from. and it was hard to explain to a 12 year old. >> trevor: he doesn't watch it. >> no, no, he dnt t is hard to explain, i'm not sure game of thrones is appropriate because it is a little racy. sorry. but he was like no, i really want to do this, finally changed his mind at the last minute. he said i changed my mind. i want to have a tiki bar themed party. i said you have been reading my cocktail books, well done. i felt great about this, last minute, hi been putting it off and i sat down, all i need to do

for next week is order some tiki torches. so there i am on a popular retail website, searching up tiki torches and seriously, i'm like, why are all these tiki torches sold out. why are they all back ordered by two weeks. this is very strange. this was the wednesday before charlottesville. and i woke up an charlottesville happened an i felt sick to my stomach for all the obvious reasons. but also for the reason that i saw them holding the tiki torches i wanted to buy. they had bought them all. and if i had been a better father and started planning earlier, i could have stopped them. (laughter). >> trevor: blame john hodgman, people, blame john hodge mb. (applause). >> trevor: thank you so much for being on the show. >> thank you. >> trevor: it's a funny book, it's sincere, he's our friend, vaik-land will be available october 24th, john hodgman, everybody.

>> trevor: that's our show for tonight, let's check in with jordan klepper over at the opposition. >> hey, trevor, moving my work emails to my private account. >> trevor: oh. wow, like hillary clinton. >> no, jefer hillary, like jared and ivanka, they have a fun private family email where they collect recipes and white house communications. >> trevor: jrd an, that is exactly what got hillary in trouble. >> jordan: trevor, that's the past, which we totally moved on from, jar jarvonka are like an a

dorkable couple sillily is a cybercrew whose emails point to a crime i'm on the verge of figuring it out. >> trevor: good walk that, now your moment of zen. >> an and schwarzenegger calling on the supreme court of the united states to terminate gerrymandering. >> it is time to say has a la vista-- hast a la vis aye to gerrymandering. and it is time to terminate captioning sponsored by comedy central ( cheers and applause ) >> jordan: this is "the opposition." it's already october 4. my guest tonight is michael crowley, senior foreign affairs correspondent at politico.com. but first, i am furious! the food and drug administration is ramming their big-government fist down