stylus, write down your vote, and that's it. >> nana, this is joshi. how do you use paper? >> from the people who brought you buk comes papr. also works in airplane mode. >> it's "the late show" live with stephen colbert. tonight: plus, stephen welcomes: live! john leguizamo. and philip rucker and carol leonnig. featuring, live, jon batiste and stay human! and now, live from the ed sullivan theater in new york city, it's stephen colbert! ( cheers and applause ) ♪ ♪ ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen: hey! welcome! watch this! ( cheers and applause ) hey! up there! >> audience: stephen! stephen! stephen! stephen! >> audience: stephen! stephen! stephen! stephen! >> stephen: tuesday. delightful. delightful, ladies and gentlemen. thank you, mark. welcome, one and all, please have a seat. welcome to "the late show," everybody. i'm your host, stephen colbert, and we are coming to you right now-- that is the excitement of a live show, live, right after-- ( cheers and applause ) right after tonight's state of the union. that means we just watched what you just watched. we felt what you felt! we drank what you drank! only now we're drunk at work now. i hope my boss doesn't find out. oh wait, that's me! ( cheers and applause ) oh, i have a-- i have a feeling he's going to be cool with it. now, tonight, donald trump addressed the folks who are still deciding his fate in the impeachment trial. you know, it got a little awkward at times. and i'll tell you all about it in a very special edition of our segment, "don and the giant imspeech." >> the state of our union is-- i don't like mosquitoes! >> stephen: tonight's speech had a theme: "the great american comeback." nice title. but i want to point out, tonight he never actually said the great american comeback: "i know you are, but what am i?" ( laughter ) then, the big moment arrived. first, they introduced the supreme court justices, led by john roberts, who is still working double duty overseeing the impeachment trial. yet another american forced to work two jobs in trump's economy. ( laughter ) and as always, the president invited some special guests to the gallery, with inspiring stories of enduring unimaginable hardship. for instance, melania. ( laughter ) oof course, as is traditional-- ( applause ) sure, melania, why not. first lady. as is traditional, mike pence was there. he got special permission from mother to stand that close to a woman. and before the speech even started, trump threw some shade. he wouldn't shake pelosi's hand! there it is. >> audience: oooh! >> stephen: you know what? you know what? madam speaker, next time just offer him one finger. ( laughter ) ( applause ) what? whaaa. once donald trump started talking, he touted the economy. >> the years of economic decay are over. >> stephen: (as trump) but the years of mental decay have just begun! ( laughter ) where is kansas city? where is missouri? i'll never know." ( laughter ) now, trump jumped right into brag mode: >> we have rejected the downsizing of americans' destiny. we have totally rejected the downsizing. >> stephen: (as trump) "we will not downsize. we will super-size the meal of economic growth, biggie job, biggie fry. we will notch a new belt loop in the man-spanx of freedom." but trump did a lot of bragging about the economy as i said, and he singled out this demographic: >> a record number of americans are now employed. >> stephen: mostly campaigning for bernie. and then-- ( cheers and applause ) a little louder. not getting it over here, right here. and then he said these actual insane phrases that were actually written into the actual state of the union. >> the fact is that everybody wants to be where the action is and the united states of america is indeed the place where the action is. >> stephen: (as trump) "that is our nation's new motto: america: where the action is, home of the loosest slots in the free world." ( laughter ) now, president trump also answered one of the biggest questions that we've all had for past four years. >> unfair trade is perhaps the single biggest reason that i decided to run for president >> stephen: (as trump) "that, and a dare from gary busey. gary, you owe me twenty bucks." now, it did not take long for trump to wax philosophical. >> always remember, freedom unifies the soul. >> stephen: yes, this part of the speech brought to you by magnetic refrigerator poetry. (as trump) "freedom... unifies... the soul... despair... extinguishes... banana." ( laughter ) ( applause ) "i like it. i like it. put the box over there." ( applause ) trump took a moment to celebrate and boast about our new military hard bare. >> we have purchased the finest planes, missiles, rockets, ships. >> stephen: (as trump) "only the finest. we sprang for the undercoating on the rockets. we put sun roofs on the tanks, and power windows on our bombers. sweet." now, during the speech, trump honored a distinguished veteran. >> after more than 130 combat missions in world war ii, he came back home to a country still struggling for civil rights. >> stephen: (as trump) "and thanks to me, we're on the cusp of finally defeating civil rights once and for all." ( laughter ) he made up a lot of stuff, like saying he was trying to protect pre-existing conditions. i think he assumed our pre-existing condition is amnesia he tried to destroy protections for pre-existing conditions. but he also hit on one of his favorite lies: socialists, we're coming for you. >> 132 lawmakers in this room have endorsed legislation to take over our health care system, wiping out the private health insurance plans of 180 million very happy americans. ( laughter ) >> stephen: you just heard the single clap of the only person in america who likes their health insurance company. ( laughter ) he kept up the talking. >> to those watching at home tonight, i want you to know we will never let socialism destroy american healthcare. >> stephen: (as trump) "no, that's capitalism's job. i say, never change grim reapers in mid-stream." ( laughter ) but trump also pushed for a new family-friendly bill: >> now i call on the congress to pass the bipartisan advancing support for working families act, extending family leave to mothers and fathers all across our nation. >> stephen: (as trump) "and as a father myself, i know that when it comes to family, i always leave." ( laughter ) >> jon: wow! ( applause ). >> stephen: it's true. it's true, chris. trump took a moment to include the worldwide web in his future infrastructure plan. >> i am also committed to ensuring that every citizen can have access to high-speed internet, including and especially. >> stephen: (as trump) "pornography. ( laughter ) i'll send you guys some links." ( laughter ) that's not what he said. he said this: >> i'm also committed to ensuring that every citizen can have access to high-speed internet, including and especially in rural america. >> stephen: to which iowa replied, "that would have been handy yesterday!" it's true, jon. >> jon: i know! >> stephen: it would have been handy. >> jon: it would have been handy. >> stephen: more on that later. more on that later. he spoke out against one of his greatest enemies: california. >> the state of california passed an outrageous law declaring their whole state to be a stank-tuary for criminal illegal immigrants. >> stephen: (as trump) "yes, a stank-tuary.... for smell-legals. a decision that was very un-poop-ular." ( laughter ) thank you very much. trump again-- ( cheers and applause ) sure. >> naturally, naturally, milk it. >> stephen: trump began to wrap things up at the end of the speech with what appeared to be just kind of a random list of people. >> this is the home of thomas edison and teddy roosevelt, of many great generals, including washington, pershing, patton, and macarthur. this is the home of abraham lincoln, frederick douglass, amelia earhart, harriet tubman, the wright brothers, neil armstrong, and so many more. this is the country where children learn names like wyatt earp, davy crockett, and annie oakley. >> stephen: (as trump) "names like mickey mouse, slimer, the my pillow guy, and of course those bears with the clean butts from charmin. america: enjoy the go." he continued: >> our ancestors braved the unknown; tamed the wilderness; settled the wild west; lifted millions from poverty, disease, and hunger; vanquished tyranny and fascism. >> stephen: (as trump) "and in just three years, i brought those last two back." scattering applause for fascism. can't beat them, join them. then trump kept it up. >> america is the place where anything can happen. >> stephen: (as trump)"i mean, >> stephen: (as trump) "i mean, look at me. no one saw this coming. that must have shocked a lot of people. >> jon: i didn't see that one coming. >> stephen: one thing we can all agree on is, "my fellow americans, the state of our union was long." but finally, trump ended the speech and nancy pelosi did this. ( applause ) she ripped him a new one. ( laughter ) we have a great show for you tonight. ( cheers and applause ) john leguizamo is here. when we return, chaos in iowa. tonight, live! stick around! shishito. burrito. raw kitfo fried shiso. pork chop. soda pop. soursop. hot pot. scallop. kebab. (inhale) brussels sprout. sauerkraut. fresh-caught trout. alfalfa sprout. we are america's kitchen. doordash. every flavor welcome. and my lack of impulse control,, is about to become your problem. ahh no, come on. i saw you eating poop earlier. my focus is on the road, and that's saving me cash with drivewise. 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( cheers and applause ) >> stephen: jon batiste and stay human, everybody. jon, good to see you. >> jon: hey! >> stephen: my friends, my friends, good evening, good evening. happied it. happy tuesday, everybody. jon, in just a moment, our dear friend john leguizamo will be out here in just a moment, out here to join us. >> jon: yes, indeed. >> stephen: and tomorrow night, mr. jim carrey is going to be here. that will be very exciting. he doesn't do these shows very often. that will be nice. the other big story comes from the great state of confusion, formerly known as iowa, where last night they attempted to hold a caucus. i'll tell you all about it in my new long-running segment: thank you, corn man. last night, iowa was supposed to kick off the 2020 election. instead they kicked democracy right in the old hanging chad. there were no results. none. cable news anchors looked like they were drowning. you could smell the panic coming off of wolf blitzer and john king: >> right now so far, john, we got ze-ze-- nothing coming in from the state >> we got nothing and this is confusing to the people watching at home. > "and even more confusing to us. the nothingness, the nothingness. as i gaze into the gaping maw of oblivion. life itself is meaningless. the stars blindly run. abandon all hope, ye who anchor here. anderson?" ( laughter ) so that's it. all through the evening, every district was officially reporting at zero. or as tom steyer would say, "i'm tied for first!" ( laughter ) now, we've known for the last three years that this is the most important election of our lifetimes. and on day one, the democrats down in des moines shank it. they can't even count farmers holding their hands up in a high school gym. what is happening? where are we? is this hell? >> it's iowa. ( laughter ) >> stephen: this isn't even-- for the record, this is not even the first iowa cluster-cauc. back in 2016 there was a virtual tie between hillary clinton and mr. sanders. iowa republicans eventually found someone whiter than mitt romney. so how did iowa get so thoroughly caucus-blocked? this year caucus volunteers were supposed to report results using a new smartphone app. the trouble is, most elderly volunteers had trouble downloading it on to their garage door openers. ( laughter ) developers admit, results were significantly delayed because the new app had a coding issue. that explains why cnn initially projected the winner was senator error: 404, file not found. the app was developed by a company called-- and this is real-- shadow inc. the app was supposed to count the votes and i think kill james bond? even if this app worked perfectly it wouldn't have mattered because apparently people were struggling to even log in or download it, and there had never been any app-specific training for local officials. no, just like in all previous iowa caulks, staff were folding up chairs and saying please refrain from licking the butter sculptures. precinct chairman tried to call their results into a hot line but it was understaffed and they couldn't get through. one guy had been on hold for over an hour when he was interviewed by wolf blitzer. >> are you hearing? i know you're listening to a conversation from the iowa democratic party. >> uhm... >> i can help you? >> this is a real coincidence, wolf. i just got off hold, just now. >> hello? >> so i've got to get off the phone to report the results. >> all right, go ahead. >> hello? >> can we listen in as you report them, sean. >> yup. >> all right, let's listen. >> okay, hi, hello? they hung up on me. >> stephen: no! no! leave them alone, wolf! you literally broke the news! ( laughter ) of course, the fact that exactly zero precincts were reporting did not stop the candidates from claiming victory, especially former south bend mayor and actor whose friend offered to take his head shot for free independent alley, pete buttigieg. but some of the mayor's supporters were having second thoughts, like this woman who voted for mayor pete, but moments later, found out his not a secret. >> are you saying that he has the same-sex partner? >> pete? yes. >> yeah. >> are you kidding? >> he's married to him, yes. >> well, then i don't want anybody like that in the white house. so can i have my card back? >> how come this has never been brought out before? >> it's common knowledge. ( laughter ) >> stephen: common knowledge? has anyone told his roommate, chastin, because they're very good friend. this is terrible, i'm off to the elton john concert. what! but the tiny dancer! ( laughter ) bernie sanders didn't come right out and say he won, but he did have an optimistic message for all his supporters. >> let me begin by stating that i imagine, have a strong feeling that at some point, the results will be announced. ( cheers ) >> stephen: ( as bernie ) i also have a strong feeling that the sun will come out tomorrow. bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow there will be sun. a bottom dollar that you will have when i raise the marginal tax rate on daddy warbucks. it's a hard knock life for him. it's a hard knock life for him. ( cheers and applause ) nobody gives a smidge when you live in an orphanage. ♪ ♪ ( laughter ) this afternoon, we finally got some results. mayor pete buttigieg has a narrow lead with 62% of precincts reporting. that's right. 24 hours later, the iowa democratic party was proud to announce they are almost two-thirds competent. ( laughter ) but it was 62% of a big moment for the buttigieg campaign, and the mayor jumped all over it with a speech in new hampshire. >> they're not complete, but results are in for a majority of precincts, and they show our campaign in first place. ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen: good for you, mr. mayor! but that's like the 49ers coming out in the second half and going, "the majority of the quarters are in, and they show our team winning 20-10. congratulations!" ( applause ) "we're going all the-- i'm going to disney world! who's with me? let's go to disney. >> jon: not yet. >> stephen: so what's all this mean? well, some people say this debacle is going to end the iowa caucus, but others are more optimistic and say it's going to end iowa. we'll be right back with john leguizamo. there he is. ( cheers and applause ) ♪ won't you come on in ♪ miracles, i guess ♪ still happen, now and then ♪ step into my heart ♪ and leave your cares behind ♪ welcome to my world ♪ built with you in mind ♪ i'll be waiting here ♪ waiting just for you ♪ welcome to my world swe say hold them in your arms and thank them for helping the quarter pounder achieve full deliciousness. the hottest, juiciest quarter pounder yet. it's perfect, made perfecter. ♪ ba da ba ba ba ...depend® silhouette™ briefs feature maximum absorbency, with trusted protection for all out confidence... beautiful colors and an improved fit for a sleek design and personal style. life's better when you're in it. be there with depend®. tom: my mom louder than words. she was a school teacher. my dad joined the navy and helped prosecute the nazis in nuremberg. their values are why i walked away from my business, took the giving pledge to give my money to good causes, and why i spent the last ten years fighting corporate insiders who put profits over people. i'm tom steyer, and i approve this message. because, right now, america needs more than words. we need action. ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen: professional wrestler. boom! boom! hey, everybody! welcome back! hey, jon! >> jon: hello! >> stephen: ladies and gentlemen, my first guest is an emmy and tony winner you know from "bloodline," "when they see us," and his one-man show, "latin history for morons." please welcome back to "the late show," john leguizamo. ♪ ♪ ( applause ) >> yeah, yeah. nice to be here. >> stephen: always nice to see you. thank you for being here. good to spend some time with old johnny legez. >> live! >> stephen: watch it. >> they warned me, "don't say this. don't say that." >> stephen: they're over there with a dart and will get you right in the neck. you have done a lot of broadway, standup. has it ever gone sideways on you? >> on the balcony, once somebody threw up on the lady's mink coat -- >> stephen: somebody in the ball connie of your theater-- >> threw up on the lady in a mink coat, and i had to dry clean her coat. >> stephen: why did you have to dry clean the coat? >> it was my theater and my show and i was on stage. and i was on stage and i could hear people having sex in the bathroom and they left the panties. from now on i'm going to have to have, "please turn off your phones, i'm not paying for your mink coat to be cleaned, and take your panties if you have sex in the bathroom." >> stephen: was this distracting to the odd yeens judge it was distracting to me. they didn't care. i'm like, "who is having more fun than i am?" >> stephen: that leads to my question because when you were here in july, you said at the time, that your anger at seeing the way trump was behaving was giving you-- you called it "trump rage made you horny." >> yeah, it did. i had all this extra energy. and i was, you know... my poor wife. and-- >> stephen: you said, "you wanted to procreate and build a latino army." >> yeah. i'm tired now. >> stephen: i'm quoting. ( applause ) mr. leguizamo-- i remind you you're under oath. what is the rage of your horny rage after the speech. >> there was a lot of pimp tense up there. so i felt very-- yeah, not so much. the rage is gone. now i'm more creative. sex takes away your creativity anyway. >> stephen: it does? >> yeah, like boxers, they don't have sex. they have to abstain so they can beat thur opponent s. >> stephen: are you saying boxing is creativity? i know it's a sweet science, but not creativity. >> if you have a lot of orgasms, you don't have as many books or show s. >> stephen: do you have any idea picasso got. >> i can check that on google. >> stephen: you can look at his paintings! >> yeah, yeah. >> stephen: the women all had, like, five breasts. >> don't you feel when you have a lot of great sex you're not as creative. >> stephen: uhm... >> i know how i feel. like, when i'm pent up, i create a lot more. >> stephen: we're live. we're live right now, and i'm-- >> sorry, we're off topic. >> stephen: we're dancing very close. >> i'm going to go home and not be creative. >> stephen: i want to talk more about this. >> in private. >> stephen: i want to break some news, some people do not know this, you are the latest member of the yang gang. >> yes, i am. >> stephen: what is the deal? >>? do you need $1,000? >> my son needs $1,000. he talked me into it. >> stephen: your son is a fan. >> huge fan. >> stephen: i get enthusiastic about who my kids are enthusiastic about, too? >> and he convinced me with all his plans, health care for all, and take it from pharmaceutical companies and get more health care workers. he's going to take from the big tech companies and give $1,000 to everyone. i was like, "yeah, son, you want that $1,000, i'll get it for you i'm going to join the yang gang." >> stephen: i like getting enthusiastic about who my children are enthusiastic about. it's their world. what have we got lest of left in us. >> not much. >> stephen: weeks. >> days! plus he's the last person of color left. so i had -- >> stephen: oh, mr. yang, that's right. >> mr. yang, a little color. >> stephen: the democratic field used to be far more diverse-- >> at the beginning. >> stephen: and now it's more like me. >> which is nice, it's nice. >> stephen: nothing wrong. >> i just like being included a little bit more. >> stephen: who do you exwhraim blaim? do you blame the democratic party or the voters and donors? it's based upon donations and polling. so where do you lay the blame at tom peres? >> everybody wants to lay it on tom peres. i don't know where to lay the blame. i guess the voters, they feel like they're looking for the candidate that can beat trump. >> stephen: so they want a safe choice. >> they want a safe choice. they don't want anybody who is going to shake things up and maybe not get the independence, not get the modern republicans so everybody is playing it safe. >> stephen: what did you think of the disaster down in iowa? because that was-- >> what's a caucus anyway? is your caucus bigger than mine? who's got the biggest caucus? >> stephen: it depends on? >> >> nobody wants a little caucus. >> stephen: it depends on how creative i'm feeling, john. >> oh! ( applause ) >> caucus size matter s. >> stephen: it does, it does. we just learned that. >> caucus size matter s. >> stephen: it does. you don't vote, you get in a room and people raise their hands and they coincident them. >> right, right. >> stephen: it's actually a really simple way to vote. >> it's very old fashioned and analog. >> stephen: exactly. it's like an old town hall meeting. >> but they had an app this time, and that all went haywire. and we don't know. they're somewhere else-- new hampshire already. we voam 62% of the vote in! >> stephen: yeah, i mean do you have suggestion how to make it easier? >> let's not go to iowa. why iowa? they don't represent america. where why are we there? >> stephen: i'm surprised there isn't some machine to make it easier. >> banking, our money system works. why can't we do the same thing with banking for voting. i have a piece of card, a piece of paper and paper trail and we all feel good. >> stephen: what if you go to your accountant and there's no freedom left in it? you're overdrawn. >> we have to go back to the tech companies and take more money from them you. >> stephen: have a one-man show, which we talked about before but it's on netflix and audible. it's called "latin history for morons." >> why morons. >> we're all morons, especially me, because i didn't know about my latin history. it was "latin history for dummies," and the company sued me and then it was "latin history for idiots," and they sued me. they told me cease and desist. what do we say in new york, moron. and rex tillerson called trump a moron. >> stephen: you do an impression of your son in this show. >> yes. >> stephen: does he give you notes on the impression? >> my son hates my impression of him. he said, "dad, you make it look like i have issues." i said i'm a 55-year-old playing a 12-year-old." my daughter, too, hates it. she goes, "i don't talk like that, dad. expivment go, "yes, you do." >> stephen: you make a distinction between artist and entertainer. >> yes. >> stephen: you consider yourself an artist more than an entertainer. >> yeah. >> stephen: what is the difference for you and why is it important? >> entertainers are beautiful people and they help us escape, right, and we need that in these difficult times. but an artist is political. we stick our neck out. we take risks. we call people on their-- i'm not supposed to-- on their stuff, call them out. we call them out. >> stephen: nice catch. >> good catch. if it was a little later, i wouldn't have been able to catch myself, but i was still awake. so, yeah, that's what artists do. artists risk to help us get across the next evolutionary hurdle. >> stephen: the next evolutionary hurdle. >> cultural evolutionary hurdle. >> stephen: cultural. okay, i i thought we were going to grow something new. >> let's hope not. you don't want another appendix. >> stephen: we could use another caucus. we raced each other for that one. john, lovely to see you thank you so much for being here. >> i gave my hand like trump. >> stephen: "latin history for morons" is available on netflix and audible! john leguizamo, everybody! we'll be right back with the authors of "a very stable genius," philip rucker and carol leonnig. stick around. thanks, man. ♪ ♪ they are moving forward in their might and power. and no force, no combination of forces, no trickery, deceit or violence ... ...can stop them now. they see before them the hope of the world. a decent, secure, peaceful life for men everywhere. ♪ ♪ believe in a seventh generation as mayor, mike bloomberg slashed and cleanest air qualityty's in more than 50 years. as a leader in the fight against climate change, he helped shut down over half of the nation's coal plants, then led one of the biggest pollution reduction efforts in history. as president, he intends to reduce emissions by fifty percent within ten years. because if we want to stop climate change, we need to make a change. this is a fight-we can't afford to lose. i'm mike bloomberg and i approve this message. ♪all people, all people, all people are tax people♪ ♪if you filing by yourself let me see it clap it up♪ ♪clap it up, clap it up ♪if you got a question to ask a cpa can help you there♪ ♪help you there ♪got a w-2 go ahead and wave it in the air♪ ♪wave it in the air ♪now take a picture ♪easy upload is a mobile feature♪ ♪all people, all people ♪all people are tax people intuit turbotax ♪wild thing, you make ♪all pmy heart sing.♪eople ♪you make everything... groovy...♪ done yet? yeah, yeah, sorry, sorry. you sure? hmm.mmm. ♪come on, come on, wild thing. if you ride, you get it. geico motorcycle. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. the frthe quarter pounder? ingredient of well, that depends on who you ask. the hottest, juiciest quarter pounder yet, made with 100% fresh beef. it's perfect, made perfecter. ♪ ba da ba ba ba ( band playing ) ( cheers and applause ) hey, everybody, welcome back. my next guests are pulitzer-prize winning journalists whose new book, "a very stable genius," is the number-one "new york times" bestseller. please welcome philip rucker and carol leonnig. ♪ ♪ ( applause ) >> stephen: hi, carol! thanks so much. hey, phillip. come on up. won't you please. thanks for joining us here on the live night. >> we're glad to be here. >> stephen: okay, the book is "a very stable genius." as i said, it's number one on nonfiction. you're both bona fide trump experts. you spent years researching this book. was that the state of the union of all expected? >> a little bit. i mean, he was-- his typical mode, which is "i made this country better. i made america great again. i accomplished all these amazing things." >> stephen: made it greatest, actually, greatest. >> better than ever before. >> stephen: strongest union of all time. >> and he was-- he was not going after his enemies as much as i thought he might. you know, he has a thing about going after people that he thinks are attacking him, and he did less of that tonight. >> stephen: there was-- people were saying there was a bit of a reality show touch tonight, that he award a scholarship, awarded a medal of freedom, reunited a soldier with his family. but ploas heher own moment when she ripped up that speech. was that surprising to you, based on what you know about her and their relationship? >> well, last year, she did the clap, remember? >> stephen: yes. >> so, this year she ripped up the speech. we actually have a scene in the book that's really telling about pelosi. early on in the administration, a couple of days after the inauguration, when the president is having a reception at the white house with congressional leaders, he's going on about how there was voter fraud, he really won the popular vote because three to five million people voted illegally in california-- and that was not true. pelosi confronted him about it and steve bannon whispered to other advisers, ""she's an assassin. she's a total assassin, and she's going to get us." that's the pelosi we saw tonight, the assassin move ripping up the speech. >> stephen: and that was behind his back. he couldn't see her do it. that was a smart way to do it. he will find out after when people tell him. >> he will see the clips. >> stephen: he didn't mention impeachment at all. >> no. >> no, he really didn't. >> stephen: didn't bring it up. >> and president clinton didn't bring it up, either. one of the thing's that's intriguing about that is we have spent three years covering this president, and one thing he is a master at, i mean, a genius at-- our book is called "a very stable genius--" which is this, convincing people that, you know, he's the best at-- the best of his own lawyer. he's the best communicator. he's the best... instinct. he's got it all. and in this instance, he doesn't mention impeachment, because why? he's-- he's beat impeachment already. >> stephen: he's above it, likely acquitted tomorrow. the mueller investigation didn't go anywhere. >> he beat the special counsel. >> stephen: everybody is falling in line. are our checks and balances broken at this point? >> we interviewed more than 200 administration officials for this book, advisers to the president. and a lot of them told us in the interviews that they are broken, that the systems are not work the way they should. the institutions are being eroded and beaten down by a president who sees himself above accountability. and we saw after the mueller -- >> stephen: is that the fault of the people who should be checking him? >> the people who are in that room who had an opportunity to hold him accountable-- a number of republican senators now said they're going to acquit him, but they think what he did was wrong or improper or not proper, with ukraine. >> some of the people that we interviewed said that this is their number one fear, is that he's lowering the bar. these are republicans who spoke to us, broke their silence for the first time, and finally said to us, "look, if you're going to write a history book, i want you to get the history right. here's what happened in the room." and they're genuinely concerned that now it's going to be okay to use twitter to go after anybody who tells the truth-- a career servant like lieutenant colonel alex vindmin. >> stephen: when has he been constrained before? people have said now that impeachment is likely to not have him removed from office tomorrow, now he'll be off the chain. when has he ever been on the chain? i don't think we'll see any difference at all. maybe from his followers or the people who feel lib raipted by his acquittal. i think he'll be the same. >> in 2017, he did have people guiding and guarding and advising him and trying to keep him in some boundary. >> stephen: that was three years ago. >> i know. that guardrail is gone. the presidency phil and i see now is the presidency of one. there is only one person making the decisions and he's usually barking and bellowing them. the guardrails that tried to get the president to recognize the law, recognize the institutions that we ahead dear, recognize that the justice department is blind. it is not a partisan aparatchik. we have a scene in the book where he's screaming at the television, "why isn't my f'ing justice department doing something for me." you. >> stephen: called the reports on him requests dizzying." what were the more dizzying moments? >> you know, it's been chaotic reporting on his administration. that's why we wanted to hit the pause button and do this deeper reporting, and we were shocked by some of what we found-- the lack of knowledge he had about world history and american history. he didn't know what happened at pearl harbor, for example, had to ask his chief of staff to explain it when he was touring the uss "arizona." but when he sat down with the indian prime minister, he said, "it's not like you have china at your border." it's a long border, india and china. >> 2,000 miles. >> stephen: we've got to go because we're live. but the title is "a very stable genius." is that purely ironic, or do you think he is a stable genius or any one of those words? >> he chose this title because it's his definition for himself. he said it five times now. what we wanted to do is hold up the mirror and talk to the people who work with him day in and day out and see if they agree. most of them do not. ( laughter ). >> stephen: i'm one of the most. carol, thank you so much for being here. film, nice to see you. "a very stable genius" is available now. philip rucker and carol leonnig, everybody! we'll be right back. [sounds] kazoo sound ♪ ♪ (big freedia) hold up, you all kazoo? well get on up here. ♪ can match the power of energizer. because energizer ultimate lithium is the longest lasting aa battery in the world. [confetti cannon popping] energizer. backed by science. matched by no one. but allstate helps you. with drivewise. feedback that helps you drive safer. and that can lower your cost now that you know the truth... are you in good hands? ♪ ♪ everything your trip needs, for everyone you love. expedia. for everyone you love. ♪ whatever you do, do it beautifully. peroni italia. ♪ ♪ wherever we want to go, autosave your way there with chase. chase. make more of what's yours. ( applause ) my name is beatrice dixon. i'm the founder of the honey pot. to have a retailer like target see you and believe in you, is everything. the reason why it's so important for honey pot to do well is so the next black girl she could have a better opportunity... that means a lot to me. i'm christina stembel and i chose the spark cash card from capital one with unlimited 2% cash back on everything i buy why wouldn't i get this card?! i redeemed $115,000 in cash back, which doubled our marketing budget last summer. what's in your wallet? i'm part of a community of problem solvers. we make ideas grow. from an everyday solution... to one that can take on a bigger challenge. we are solving problems that improve lives. to one that can take on a bigger challenge. look closely at the perfection made of countless imperfections. those randomly and impulsively placed sesame seeds... that one slice of melty cheese at the bottom and another draped haphazardly over the 100% fresh beef patty cooked right when you order. true, the hottest, juiciest quarter pounder yet is not perfect. but when you put it all together, ha ha it's perfect made perfecter. ♪ ba da ba ba ba hurricanes. tornadoes. donald trump is making it worse. trump:"all of this with the global warming. a lot of it's a hoax." vo: mike bloomberg knows the science and understands the challenge, he's led an effort that has shut down half the nation's dirty polluting coal plants so far. as president, a plan for 80% clean energy by 2028 - cutting carbon emissions and creating millions of clean energy jobs. mike will get it done. i'm mike bloomberg and i approve this message. the live show. sometimes before the show i take questions from the audience. here's what that's like. ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen: anybody down here? yemen down there. she's referring to this dance i did. in the old show i used to call "strangers with candy," on the credits-- ( cheers and applause ) thank you. wow! there are some emotionally disturbed people here. you have to have a little of a weird childhood to enjoy that show. we ended every show dancing to the credits. we didn't have anyone one night. i said i'll sing, "the king of glower." it was an episode based on a cult." i did ♪ the king of glower comes a nation ♪ open the gates and lift up your voice ♪ who is the king of glory ( cheers and applause ) if you want to call that "developed" how i developed-- how i developed that was, we were desperate, it was late, somebody had to dance. and i went out there and just danced. >> stephen: yes, ma'am.? >> um, it's not really a question, but i brought you a little gift because i looked up your birthstone and your birthstone's emerald. i brought you green cufflinks, so, i just have a little present. >> stephen: oh, that's lovely, thank you so much, thank you so much. okay, what did i get? >> stephen: oh, my god! >> stephen: oh, that's so beautiful. is emerald my birthstone? >> it is, yeah. >> stephen: i did not know that ( laughter ) i mean, does everybody know their birthstone and i don't? this is too beautiful eye can't possibly eye can't possibly accept this. that's like six karat of emerald in there. >> well, it's not quite, it's emerald quartz, so... >> stephen: well (bleep) this. it's beautiful, thank you very much. anybody else left, oh, way back, sir, corner? >> stephen: am i tired of hearing about the election? no, because i care about the country, and its going to make a difference if-- win or lose, its going to make a difference who the next president is, so i'm not tired of it yet. are you tired of it? >> yes, sir. >> stephen: oh you're, you're in the wrong (bleep) place. tom steyer: listen, every democrat running for president is better than the criminal in the white house. we all have progressive plans to address the big challenges facing our country. what makes me different, is i've been working for ten years outside of washington, to end the corporate takeover of our democracy, and to return power to the american people. i started need to impeach to hold this lawless president accountable. i'm proposing big reforms like term limits... ...a national referendum... ...and ending corporate money in politics. as president, i'll declare climate change an emergency on day 1. and, use those powers to finally address the climate crisis. and, i've spent 30 years building a successful international business. so, i can take on donald trump on the economy - and beat him. i'm tom steyer and i approve this message - because there is nothing more powerful than the unified voice of the american people. late show." tune in tomorrow when i'll be joined by jim carey. that should be fun. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access gbh.org ♪ are you ready y'all to have some fun ♪ feel the love tonight don't you worry ♪ if there's something you can't do, it'll be all right ♪ it's the late, late show