Drone Strikes
"Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" tackled U.S. drone strike policy. Reuters

Imagine your perfect afternoon: a cool breeze blowing, the sun shining over that trendy work of nonfiction you're reading; and a clear, blue sky free of clouds -- and swarming with drones.

That’s the future John Oliver thinks we could be headed for. On the most recent episode of his HBO show, “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” the funnyman host reported that President Barack Obama has launched eight times as many drones as the Bush administration did, pointing out that the death tolls from these strikes and the drones' efficiency in taking out targets -- not to mention their very legality -- remain uncertain.

Oliver started his segment on drones with a discussion of the recent U.S. strikes in northwest Pakistan. One strike on Wednesday, in North Waziristan, killed at least 10 people and another strike in South Waziristan killed at least four people. Oliver said the only news footage his team could find discussing the drone strikes was from the Iranian government's English-language news channel.

"Their slogan should really be 'appallingly cheap and incredibly deadly.' Unfortunately, that's already been taken by Hardee's," joked Oliver.

And he’s not the only one cracking wise about drones: Obama joked that he would order a drone strike on the Jonas Brothers if they got any ideas about his two daughters -- to much laughter. Oh, and at least one thinkpiece delves into drones.

A Gallup poll from March 2013 showed 65 percent of Americans support drone use. In answer to the question, "Do you think the U.S. government should or should not use drones to launch airstrikes in other countries against suspected terrorists?" 65 percent said yes, 28 percent said no and 8 percent had no opinion. Drone strikes will also be a discussion of outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder's legacy.

Even the necessary requirements for a drone strike have legal loopholes as "imminent threat" can mean a range of things, according to a leaked Department of Justice memo. Civilian casualties are also redefined for drone strikes as "civilians" are considered militants until they have been properly identified. The number of casualties caused by drone strikes is also vague as government reports include a range for the number of people killed.

Oliver ends the drone segment with a look at the psychological effects caused by the strikes. For many in Pakistan, a clear blue sky isn't necessarly a lovely sight as it could mean there's more threat of a drone strike. Any changes regarding America's drone strike policy seem unlikely in the near future as Obama's recent comment regarding transparency was met with skepticism.