Puerto Rico, an American territory whose citizens are Americans but do not have the same votes for representation in the federal government that state residents do, is in a lot of financial trouble. It is crushed under the weight of billions in debt that cannot be discharged or restructured by declaring bankruptcy thanks to a mysterious 1984 law, and a big payment is due on May 1.
But John Oliver is here to help (he's always had a particular fondness for American territories and districts that don't get the same representation in Congress that states enjoy). After explaining how and why Puerto Rico got to where it is today, he invited recent Pulitzer recipient Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose parents were born in Puerto Rico, to make an emotional rap-appeal to the audience.
Hey, if anyone can save Puerto Rico, it's Miranda, who doesn't seem to be bad at anything.