jon batiste. hello, jon. >> jon: hello, stephen. what's going on with you? >> stephen: oh, with me?about... uh, sad and crazy things. how are you feeling? >> jon: i'm feeling a lot of pain and thinking about a lot of different things but, in general, i'm feeling optimistic. >> stephen: what makes you optimistic, jon? >> jon: well, obviously, the tragedies and the riots in the recent time have caused a lot of pain and brought up a lot of generational trauma, in particular, that black people feel, and i relate to that deeply. but i do think this moment is a moment that allows us to address it in a real way. the things that we've faced in this country have given us so many issues that we haven't decided as a people to atone for and, really, to atone for our original sin together is the only way. black history is american history. all lives matter. and that's why black lives matter. and this is what this moment is bringing forth, is bringing to bear, an opportunity for us to really, in a very real way, address the things that have led us to this point. >> stephen: well, why do you think

featuring jon batiste and "stay homin'." and now, live on tape from a safe distance, it's stephen colbert! >> stephen: hey. thank you. you're very nice. >> i am. >> stephen: thank you very much. welcome to a "late show." i'm your host stephen colbert. well, we're back after ten days off, and i never imagined that, after ten days, a global pandemic would not be the lead story. remember when we were all afraid of our groceries? i miss those days. no, the story that has pushed 100,000 covid deaths below the fold is america's preexisting condition: racism. protests against police targeting black people have broken out in dozens of cities. so april was global pandemic, may is mass civil unrest, i assume june is plague of locusts, and then in july, pleated pants are coming back. it's not just the u.s. citizens protesting racism in the united states. protesters gathered in london, toronto, even berlin. you know it's bad when germany thinks your country's racist. that's like jamaica telling you to put down the bong. these protests w

jon batiste. jon, this is a big check and i actually have a blue card. the blue card. >> stephen: but we've got to hit this. >> jon: uh-huh. >> stephen: you know the play at home series. >> jon: yes, of course. >> stephen: you love the people at home. brand-new performances with different artistists each night we're on hiatus because we're about to go on hiatus and you're kicking it off with a special artist tomorrow night. >> yes, demarco, a lot of music he made his bathroom. this is an amazing way to record and perform virtually. he sends the files over to me and i put it together right here and send it back to him and we layered it somehow with the magic. i don't know who was doing that part, but it's going to be amazing to do it like this. >> stephen: out, colbert late show.com or on "the late show" with stephen colbert youtube channel. >> jon: yes. >> stephen: john, have a great break. could you play us out? >> jon: oh, yeah, yeah, yeah! ♪ ♪ ♪ >> stephen: jon batiste, everybody. thanks, velvet loveseat to pair with a fine jute rug and rose-gold floo

before we go any further, let's check in with jon batiste. jon! at happening!!n: that rally, that-- that protest, that march, that-- that expression this weekend. tell me about it. it looked amazing. >> jon: man it was-- it was very special to see everybody come together and have people share in the fight, but also the celebration of black people, and in solidarity with people doing it all across the world. and, really, in celebration of the fact that we're all human, and we're all in this together. >> stephen: now, it was down in union square. how many people do you think were there? it looked like thousands and thousands. >> well, i heard it was up to 5,000 people, maybe more. and we shut down sixth avenue with all the people, and marched from sixth avenue down from union square all the way to the empire state building. and as we got to the empire state building, there was just this incredible moment, where the rain started to come down, and a lot of the-- the rain was coming down, and it was hitting her drum. and we went into "i want to dance with somebody."

first let's say good night with some music from jon batiste and stay human.>> james: good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the show. i know what you're thinking--

>> jon: oh, yeah, of course. >> stephen: thank you. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> stephen: jon batiste, everybody. >> jon: yes, indeed. >> stephen: thank you, jon.end e hewing the biggest slabs of news marble out of current events mountain, assembling them according to detailed architectural plans, carving intricate bar-reliefs into its walls, and ornamenting it all with a lapidary of precious gemstones to create for you the taj mahal that is my monologue. but sometimes, i like to d the woods, clamp 'em together with bungie cords, toss a torn boat sail over it, then hunker down to scribble a joke manifesto in the demented loner-cabin of news that is my segment: "quarantine-while!" >> stephen: quarantine-while, "darth vader is enforcing the lockdown in a philippine village." and the campaign's objective is to "tell off residents who still go outdoors without the proper quarantine passes needed and also those who do not wear face masks." and vader is particularly harsh on those who don't wash their hands: >> nooooo! >> stephen: (as vader) "i find your lack of hygiene disturbing." a little more bane t

i was just trying to copy you. >> jon: yeah. >> stephen: jon batiste, everybody. stephen: joining me tonight is the former california attorney general and presidential candidate who currently serves as only the second black female senator in u.s. history. please welcome back to "a late show," senator kamala hari.r.s. senator, thank you for being here. >> good to see you. >> stephen: we just learned right before the interview, the officer, officer roafl, who shot rayshard brooks in atlanta, has been charged with homicide. have you looked at any of the charges and what is the significance of this? >> one significance of it is that the district attorney there, clearly from the first moments of the incident and the tragedy, took it seriously. he started an investigation, and i think swiftly addressed the issue. and so, now it's-- now they go to trial, and they'll proceed to trial, and these are difficult cases, but i have confidence in the ability of that prosecutor to seek justice and to achieve justice. >> stephen: it seems like a simple thing to have happen, especi

stephen: that will get you in a good mood, no matter what. >> jon: let's lift it up. >> stephen: jon batisteguest tomorrow night, former national security advisor john bolton's book is getting so much attention i haven't even gotten to mention a controversial new book by another one of the president's adversaries, melania trump. washington post reporter mary jordan's unauthorized biography, "the art of her deal" is making headlines for some bold revelations about the first lady. for example, after the inauguration, rather than moving into the white house, melania stayed in new york, using the move as leverage to renegotiate her prenup. specifically, "she wanted proof in writing that when it came to financial opportunities and inheritance, barron would be treated as more of an equal to trump's oldest three children." you know you got a bad deal when you have to fight to be equal with eric trump. the book also claims that, with melania absent, ivanka trump moved to grab as much power as she could and even suggested renaming the "first lady's office" to the "first family office." also renaming

jon batiste, thank you. we have more news ahead. but why don't you take us to break?vides 100% pure quality water. look for kids packs from nestlé pure life, fun designs and a perfect size just for your kids. (for just $100 a month. switch to sprint and get four lines of unlimited plus, we're throwing in four samsung galaxy phones, on us. and now, sprint customers enjoy access to expanded coverage on the t-mobile network. for people with hearing loss, visit sprintrelay.com. when you have depression, it can plunge you into deep, dark lows. and, can leave you feeling extremely sad and disinterested. overwhelmed by bipolar depression? ask about vraylar. not all types of depression should be treated the same. vraylar effectively helps relieve all symptoms of bipolar depression... with just one pill, once a day. elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis have an increased risk of death or stroke. call your doctor about unusual changes in behavior or suicidal thoughts. antidepressants can increase these in children and young adults. report fever, stiff muscles or conf

the jon batist second line protest just stopped in the middle of a rain storm which brought cheers. excuse me. can i get by? thank you. this crowd has come, it started in -- started in union square. and was going to washington square park which is a few blocks away to kind of stage there. they ended up having protester glid lock. it is improvisation right now. the new york pd is trying to shut down streets as the multiple protests move around, but the volunteer second line new orleans style band playing everything from "we shall overcome" to "down by the riverside" to "when the saints come marching in" stopping for chants. let's listen for a second. [cheers and applause] >> it sounds like that is jon batiste on the bull horn the band leader of stephen colbert's late show and usually a guy who is as happy and go lucky as you can imagine as the front man of that late night band but we had a chance to talk as we marched up 6th avenue just a few minutes ago. man, the passion and the fire was evident. take a listen. >> look at what we're doing, using music to bring people together of all

oh, my goodness, when you have the mask on, you've got to get the mouthwash going. >> stephen: jon batister on. >> stephen: it's been a difficult time for america, since we've got a president who seems incapable of handling things like a pandemic and institutionalized racism and a slightly declining ramp. so recently, i asked you all to step up to fill the leadership vacuum and b.y.o.p.-- be your own president. it's a dirty job, but that dirty old man just isn't up to it. and i directed all you self-potuses to colbertlateshow.com/byop, where we're offering a full line of official b.y.o.p. merchandise. this coffee mug, this "shirt force one," this stylish b.y.o.p. mask and this pint glass. pro-tip: remove the mask before drinking from the glass. but keep the shirt on. unless you've had two. the important thing is 100% of "the late show" proceeds will go to supporting national bail out, the n.a.a.c.p., the n.a.a.c.p. legal defense fund, and the national urban league. well, it turns out a lot of you oppose inequality and/or support quality merchandise, because as of this taping, you've raised

plus, stephen welcomes stacey abrams megan rapinoe and musical guests the flaming lips featuring jon batiste stay homin'. and now, live on tape from a safe distance, it's stephen colbert! ♪ ♪ >> stephen: can you hear me over there? how am i coming through? is this on? is this on? ( laughter ) okay, here we go. nobody talk. welcome to "a late show." i'm your host, stphen colbert. folks, the dgeloyd at the hands and other parts of minneapolis police has sparked nationwide protests demanding police reform, and there have been a lot of good ideas. well, today, some of those were discussed where all good ideas go to die: the u.s. congress. the house judiciary committee held televised hearings on police reform. they heard from a variety of witnesses, including george floyd's brother, philonise; marc morial, the president of the national urban league; and fox news commentator dan bongino. evidently, the "my pillow" guy was not available. now, right off the beam, we heard from the ranking republican on the committee, ohio congressman and man stumped by doorknobs, jim jordan. in his opening statement

featuring jon batiste and stay homin'. and now, live on tape from a safe distance, it's stephen colbert! >> stephen: is this the right height? okay. how about this? >> even better. it's even lower now. >> stephen: a little bit of that. come on, we're selling some tickets right here. oh, hello. welcome to "a late show." i'm your shows stephen colbert. the biggest story continues to out when weren't sleeping last night. it's the one happening all over america-- the protests in the wake of the murder of george floyd, whose memorial service in minneapolis was held today. support for floyd, his family, and the demand for racial justice and accountability has been so widespread that i have to issue a rare correction. last night, i said that there have been protests in 380 cities. well, in fact, last night that number grew to at least 430 cities and towns, meaning this isn't happening just in our major urban centers. i believe the 430th largest city in america is the "party" city on route six. the demonstrations are everywhere. c

featuring jon batiste and stay homin's. now, live on tape from a safe distance, it's stephen colbert! >> stephen: ready to do it? one more time. no? that hurt last time. >> you're not going to do it again? >> stephen: i'll do it again. i'm not afraid of you. ready? >> sure. >> stephen: let's do it. come on! ( snap ) ( snap ) welcome to "a late show." i'm your host, stephen colbert. we're all still trying to process the shocking revelation that donald trump dropped last night: he cares about his health. case in point: today he had an event in a room where he was surrounded by fruits and vegetables. he was shocked to learn that fruit was available in non-roll-up form. ( as trump ) "usually i only see fruits by the foot." of course, trump had to brag about how good he was to farmers. >> we are providing $19 billion to support our nation's agricultural producers, maintain the health of our critical food supply chains, and provide food assistance to american families. $19 billion. no other president has done this, zippy. i'll te

featuring jon batiste and stay homin'. and now, live on tape from a safe distance, it's stephen colbert! >> stephen: you're in that light. yeah, yeas comploatly... just stay there. and you just-- you just watch the magic. ( clears throat opinion ( all right, you ready over there? >> yeah. >> stephen: all right, me, too. welcome to "a late show." i'm your host, stephen colbert. people are still protesting all across america, and i mean all across america. the only other thing americans agree on this much is pumpable cheese, which is only slightly less toxic than systemic racism. people are enraged by the murder of george floyd by a minneapolis police officer a little more than a week ago, and the fact that he was only charged with third-degree murder, and that the other cops on the scene weren't charged with anything at all. enter minnesota attorney general, keith ellison. ellison took over the case on sunday, and today he announced he will elevate charges against the former minneapolis police officer who knelt on george fl

featuring jon batiste and stay homin'. and now, liiiive on tape from a safe distance, it's stephen colbert! >> stephen: okay. orry. >> stephen: why seven? because you have to work for me. >> they didn't make it around my schedule. >> stephen: they didn't? oh well. ( laughter ) how's this going, by the way? >> great. >> stephen: okay, good. for me, too. i just want to make sure you're not bored to tears over there. >> i have three ipadss, two laptops is that you have something to entertain you while i do the show? >> yes, i do. >> stephen: welcome to "a late show." i'm stephen colbert. protests are continuing all over america, ovd if that makes you nervous, you might be a confederate statue. fans of the union are tearing down these monuments all across the south, including last night in richmond, virginia, where protesters tore down a statue of jefferson davis. or, as he might put it, "i hereby secede from my pedestal." it's not just protesters. yesterday, in a letter to her congressional colleagues, speaker nancy pelosi ca

tonight's dream on, plus stephen welcomes sherrilyn ifill and mike birbiglia, featuring jon batiste and sta "stay homin." and now live on tape from a safe distance, it's stephen colbert! >> stephen: i'm not a rocket. i'm not going to blast off. welcome to "a late show." i'm your host stephen colbert. it's been a rough few years these last two weeks, but today we got some good news. because this morning, the "supreme court ruled against trump's attempt to end daca, a win for undocumented 'dreamers' brought to the u.s. as children." of course, trump doesn't care about immigrants brought to the u.s. as children. he barely cares about immigrants he brought to the u.s. as wives. this is a big relief to the 800,000 immigrants enrolled in daca. 800,000! that's more than the entire population of vermont. which is why ben and jerry's has introduced their new flavor cookies and dreamers im-mint-grant daca-late chip, brought here by no choice of their cone. that wasn't easy to say. >> i like it, though. >> stephen: it was a 5-4 decision. liberal pinko chief of the patchouli circle justice john rob

>> at least in this moment, bill weier and jon batiste only you two could bring this kind of poetry in protest. thank you so much, gentlemen. appreciate it. >>> all right. demonstrators in los angeles are also demanding an end to injustice in honor of george floyd. let's go to paul vercammen in los angeles. what are you seeing? >> reporter: right now i am right next to the usc campus and village area and this has turned out to be a dynamic protest. a lot of people shouting the name of george floyd and look over here. people in their cars honking in support. this has been a college crowd. a rather intellectual protest if you will. many of them saying, we are carrying the signs for people who can't carry them anymore. and look at chris's sign right here. read your sign to us, chris. >> yes, sir. it says, my name is trayvon martin. i never got to see my 18th birthday. my killer is still free. >> with a hoodie does not mean i am a threat. say my name. i matter. i chose trayvon martin today to honor him. i'm wearing my hoodie, my hood, to show that we are not a threat. i graduated from usc'

featuring jon batiste and stay homin'. now, live on tape from a safe distance, it's stephen colbert! >> stephen: got welcome to "a late show." i'm your host, stephen colbert. we're a little over four months from the presidential election, and things are not looking great for donald trump. he's trailing biden by double digits in polls by cnn and cnbc. he's even down by 12 points in a fox news poll. ooh, you know it hurts more when you get the news from someone you love. the only way it could have been worse is if he found out from the bottom of a chicken bucket. trump is so far behind, that according to "the hill," "there is no plausible scenario where trump would lose the national popular vote by the kind of margin currently projected, yet still eke out an electoral college win." why would you say that, you idiots! i gotta knock on wood. it's aged in oak. trump's still stinging from the embarrassment of his sparsely attended rally in tulsa, so last wow! the trump rally gives fox news the "largest saturday night audience in

plus, stephen welcomes jon stewart featuring jon batiste and stay homin'. and now, live on tape from a safe distance, it's stephen colbert! >> stephen: let's it. okay, let's do it. thank you, thank you for your burst of energy. welcome to "a late show." i'm your host, stephen colbert. hey, do you guys remember michael flynn? it's been a long, strange saga, so let me catch you up. jim? >> previously on "michael flynn": >> michael flynn resigning after the shortest tenure ever in that post. >> retired general michael flynn pleaded guilty today to lying to the f.b.i. >> flynn's attorneys tonight filing a motion to withdraw his guilty plea. the other side of the michael flynn story, the judge proceed with possible prosecution. >> don't you ever go after my ( bleep ) husband!" and now tonight's episode of "michael flynn." >> stephen: welcome to "michael flynn," where, just like every flynn," where, just like every prestige drama these days, we're not afraid to kill off beloved, characters, because in this episode, we're bumping off lady justice. this morning, a

that's why jon batiste and the band are not here tonight. and to reflect. so, please take the next few minutes to think about how you can help, whether it be volunteering, educating yourself, protesting, running for office, reaching out to your neighbors, and above all, voting. and please consider supporting one of these organizations dedicated to fighting for equality. thanks. stick around for james corden, good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org ♪ ♪ ♪ the late late show, oh, oh the late late show t show ♪

featuring jon batiste and stay human.now, live on tape from a safe distance, it's stephen colbert! >> stephen: you ready? you ready? this is eight weeks. it's eight weeks you've been doing this. >> so, so ready. >> stephen: i am so, so ready as well. >> i couldn't been more ready. >> stephen: what do you think of the hair tonight? >> i think it's fine. >> stephen: think it's good? i've got a nice little sweep going here, yeah. oh, hi. and welcome to "a late show."t a series of disasters right now: record unemployment coronavirus, flooding, and today, a visit from donald trump. there's a reason it's wearing a mitten-- because it doesn't want you to see which finger it's holding up. trump went to a ford plant in ypsilanti today, and one of the big questions was whether he was going to set a good example and abide by company rules by wearing a face mask. people were so concerned that, prior to the visit, the michigan attorney general wrote a letter asking trump to wear a mask for the visit, explaining, "anyone who has potent