Jon Stewart plays it straight last night to lay out the absolute hypocrisy and moral bankruptcy of this situation, both by the politicians and those in the media who fail to do their job and call them out on this.

9/11 first responders watch as Mitch McConnell cries over a friend's retirement, and Jon Kyl explains why the Senate can't work the week after Christmas.

Partial transcript from an earlier segment:

Before we go, I want to talk one last time about something called the Zadroga bill, who was an NYPD detective who died in 2006 from respiratory illness thought to be caused by the dust he inhaled while working at Ground Zero after 2001. This bill would provide $7 billion in medical and financial benefits for Ground Zero workers who get sick, and they're going to pay for it by closing a corporate tax loophole. It's a win-win-win-win, just fucking do it!! The House passed it. The House of Representatives passed it, and it would pass in the Senate, if it came to an up-or-down vote. They have more than the 50 votes they need. But the Senate Republicans have filibustered it, won't allow the bill to come up for a vote. Luckily, yesterday there was some good news from the Senate, the logjam broke. DIANE SAWYER (12/15/2010): Today the Senate passed that bill to extend tax cuts to all Americans, including the wealthiest, by an overwhelming 81-19 vote.

Meanwhile, one Republican Senator saw fit to call the cops on some 9/11 First Responders yesterday when they visited her office. Congratulations, Susan Collins of Maine.