Soft power in politics (particularly international politics) is the ability to co-opt rather than coerce (in contrast with hard power). It involves shaping the preferences of others through appeal and attraction. Soft power is non-coercive, using culture, political values, and foreign policies to enact change. In 2012, Joseph Nye of Harvard University explained that with soft power, "the best propaganda is not propaganda," further explaining that during the Information Age, "credibility is the scarcest resource"[1]. More
I asked 89-year-old Dalai Lama for life advice and learned...
(Sprouht) March 2, 2025: I flew over 10,000 kilometers from Canada to Northern India and asked the 89-year-old 14th Dalai Lama for "life advice." He shared with me one of the most valuable pieces of advice I've ever heard. This was one of the most incredible journeys I've ever taken to date. Please enjoy one of the most incredible stories we've ever told.
(Tibetan doon boy) An American asks, "Is the Dolly Llama the Pope of Buddhism?" It comes as no surprise that there should be confusion. As Americans, we are bombarded with attention to a little-known sect of (Vajrayana) Buddhists on the Rooftop of the World. Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, was once the seat of a Himalayan empire that reached from Mongolia to Bangladesh, from Bangladesh to Kashmir. With the help of Hitler looking for the original Aryans and magical artifacts and the CIA fighting China and the expansion of communism, the West is bombarded with messages about how important this lama is or is supposed to be. China hates him. And due to the Dorje Shugden controversy, there's in-fighting among Tibetan Buddhists. Some New Kadampa Tradition practitioners hate him. But Americans, we are told we love him without understanding what his is or is supposed to be. The Simpsons jokes about it with Lenny, Carl, and Richard Gere. And the Jewish community loves and supports him. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver solved it with an exploratory episode, interviewing Americans then traveling to Tibet and meeting with "His Holiness" himself.
(LastWeekTonight) Sept. 21, 2025: John Oliver discusses ABC’s move to [censor, ban, cancel, suspend, temporarily] pull Jimmy Kimmel off the air, what it has to do with Trump's FCC man Brendan Carr and the FCC, what it means for free speech in the United States of America, and which broadcasting giant should open an Italian restaurant. Okay, fine: it’s Tegna. With a name like “Tegna” you’ve just gotta serve complimentary garlic knots. End of discussion. Peoples' hero Luigi Mangione is brought up, and the new wannabe Charlie Kirk Benny Johnson makes an appearance.
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John Olivers, This Week Tonight (HBO), Sept. 1, 2025; Seth Auberon, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
The new Margaret Cho? Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka [the u's are silent] is known for finding humor in the dysfunction of her immigrant family.
Born in Taiwan to Japanese and Taiwanese parents, she traveled from Japan to Los Angeles with her grandmother and mother when she was 8 for what she thought was a short vacation.
In fact, they were moving.
It would be years before Okatsuka saw her father again. She later described being "kidnapped" by her grandmother on a 2023 episode of This American Life.
"My grandma and I hadn't really talked about it in depth until [then]," she says. "And it helped that I got to do with Ira [Glass, host of This American Life] and the thousands and thousands of thousands of listeners at the same time, then I'm really not alone." More + AUDIO
Air Traffic Control: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
(LastWeekTonight) June 1, 2025: John Oliver discusses the working conditions of air traffic controllers, why those conditions are impacting us all, and – for those under 30 – what a “floppy disk” is.
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(LastWeekTonight) John Oliver discusses how Pres. Do Jo Trump is attempting to reshape coverage of him in the press, how he’s using his power to threaten American media outlets he doesn’t agree with, why this signals a slide toward authoritarianism for the U.S., and whether or not y'all can also see this twink we’re pretty sure is a ghost. Seriously. We are so scared.
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John Oliver, Last Week Tonight, May 18, 2025; Pfc. Sandoval, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
Alliance Defending Freedom: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) (LastWeekTonight) John Oliver takes a look at the Alliance Defending Freedom – the legal organization behind several landmark Supreme Court cases, including the Dobbs case that overturned Roe v. Wade. Plus, a five-star book review of a one-star book.
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John Oliver, Last Week Tonight, May 11, 2025; Ashley Wells, Sheldon S. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
(LastWeekTonight)
May 4, 2025: John Oliver discusses the recent deportations [more extrajudicial "forced removals" because of the shocking absence of due process] by the Trump administration, the conditions in the facility people are being sent to abroad, and why even Jewish nice guy Henry "The Fonz" Winkler could be in danger of being expelled from the U.S.
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Trump & Tariffs: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
(LastWeekTonight) John Oliver discusses the ongoing chaos surrounding DJ Trump and tariffs, why the past week could have lasting repercussions, and why Grandma might be looking to start her own OnlyFans.
Tasers and Excited Delirium: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
(LastWeekTonight)
March 30, 2025: John Oliver discusses whether Tasers are as safe and effective as the company that makes them claims, the broader effect Tasers have had on abusive policing, and why you shouldn’t test (Axon "exposures") Tasers out on any of your family members, workers, interns, or new recruits. You’d think that goes without saying, but clearly it doesn’t.
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Sports Betting: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
(LastWeekTonight) March 16, 2025: John Oliver discusses sports betting, how it became so popular, why it can be so damaging, and – of course – how toned John’s shoulders are. Very toned. According to him.
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ICE detention: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
(LastWeekTonight) March 10, 2025: John Oliver discusses ICE detention facilities, who’s in them, who runs them and – of course – why it is totally understandable if our studio audience would rather watch Drew Barrymore’s show instead.
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Trump and Musk fire thousands of federal workers, Donny gets a new tell-all, Macron visits Washington
(Jimmy Kimmel Live)
Feb. 24, 2025: There are measles outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico, RFK Jr. is working with Dr. Oz, thanks to Trump and Musk the federal government is in unprecedented disarray as the mass firings continue, Elon sent out an email to all federal workers asking them to list the top five things they did at work last week, Trump has spent $10.7 million of our tax money playing golf, he claims that he is going with Musk to check out the gold in empty Fort Knox, someone hacked into the monitors at the Department of Housing and Urban Development and put up an AI-generated image of Trump kissing, licking, and sucking Elon’s feet, we got some new insight courtesy of the latest tell-alls by Michael Wolff, JD Vance is wearing funny short pants, mysterious mother Melania reappeared in DC for the Governor’s Ball, French Pres. Emmanuel Macron, who is married to an old man who molested him as a boy, was in Washington on the third anniversary of America’s proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, Rudy Giuliani went shopping for hair dye at Walmart, and here's a look at all of the incredible things Trump is doing. #Kimmel: http://bit.ly/JKLSubscribe.
US economy's great again?
Banking's magic: Presto! Disappeared, where'd it go?
WARNING: Graphic language (cussing/profanity), police brutality of peaceful demonstrators, racism
Policing in America: Last Week Tonight
(LastWeekTonight)
Nov. 24, 2024: This look back is from Season 7, Episode 14, from June 7th, 2020. As nationwide protests over the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor [Blacks killed by racist and/or implicitly biased police] are met with police brutality, John Oliver discusses how the histories of policing and white supremacy are intertwined, the roadblocks to fixing things, and some potential paths forward. (Who is LAPD Police Chief Michel Moore?)
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Trump’s reelection: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
(LastWeekTonight)
Nov. 14, 2024: John Oliver discusses DJ Trump’s reelection, what happens next, and why the whole thing is – arguably – Katy Perry (Catty Purry)’s fault.
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Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, some are not taking it well
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Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (11/10/2024) | Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Nov. 10, 2024 NOZOOM (Startoons-bangla):
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