The Daily Zeitgeist - BacTrendnator Surge Pricing 2/27: Wendy's Surge Pricing, AI Biden Robocall, De-paving, Seth Meyers/Biden

Episode Date: February 27, 2024

In this edition of BacTrendnator Surge Pricing, Jack and Miles discuss Wendy's introducing 'surge pricing', an update on the AI Biden robocall, the de-paving trend sweeping the world, Biden's ice cream outing with Seth Meyers and much more!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kay hasn't heard from her sister in seven years. I have a proposal for you. Come up here and document my project. All you need to do is record everything like you always do. What was that? That was live audio of a woman's nightmare. Can Kay trust her sister or is history repeating itself? There's nothing dangerous about what you're doing.

They're just dreams. Dream Sequence is a new horror thriller from Blumhouse Television, iHeartRadio, and Realm. Listen to Dream Sequence on the iHeartRadio iheart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts hi i am lacy lamar and i'm also lacy lamar just kidding i'm amber revan okay everybody we have exciting news to share we're back with season two of the amber and lacy lacy and amber show on will ferrell's big money players Network. This season, we make new friends, deep dive into my steamy DMs, answer your listener questions and more. The more is punch each other. Listen to the Amber and Lacey, Lacey and Amber show on Will Ferrell's Big Money Players Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Just listen,

wherever you get your podcasts. Just listen, okay? Or Lacey gets it. Do it. In California during the summer of 1975, within the span of 17 days and less than 90 miles, two women did something no other woman had done before, try to assassinate the president of the United States.

One was the protege of Charles Manson. 26-year-old Lynette Fromm, nickname Squeaky. The other, a middle-aged housewife working undercover for the FBI. Identified by police as Sarah Jean Moore. The story of one strange and violent summer, this season on the new podcast, Rip Current. Hear episodes of Rip Current early and completely ad-free and receive exclusive bonus content by subscribing to iHeartTrue Crime Plus, only on Apple Podcasts. Hello, the internet, and welcome to this episode of Big Trendinator. iHeartTrue Crime Plus, only on Apple Podcasts. nader that's the way i pronounced it i'm jack that over there well that and mr miles gray young nader this is the episode of the daily zeitgeist where we tell you what is trending this afternoon yes

uh tuesday february 27th yep um one more day after this huh one more day man this is finally out of february finally out of february the second to last day of february where i just get get ready for march get ready to get loose uh there's no way brian brian the editor saying what it's a leap day this year no no that's just like your opinion man that's like what are you also a flat earther oh there's one day every four years that has an extra day in february you're watching too much quantum leap man okay that's why yeah that's right this guy only leap year i'm having is because i'm watching so much quantum leap this year it's quantum leap year it's a leap year bro it's got only leap year

that i pay attention to oh man so anyway what now the bit what this is like one of those stories this is one of those stories is like should be beef? This is one of those stories that should feel light. It's like, we like to check in with the world of fast food, see what's going on with fast food companies, see what depressing gimmicks they've introduced for Valentine's Day. So, Wendy's is going to introduce surge pricing. And I heard that, and i got a very dark glimpse of the future this was like no no this is this is going to be fucking everywhere yeah so we're saying it's like like a uber type thing we're like hey man a lot of people are trying to leave this

concert as you so it's like we're gonna have to throw like 15 on top of this right now because of the surge the only people coming in here after midnight are drunk and so and they're going to be willing to spend a hundred dollars on a baconator so we're uh you know the prices are just going to be fluid yeah dynamic pricing as the ceo said yeah as early as next year yeah so they're investing in 20 million dollars in digital menu boards that will allow the prices to easily algorithmically change throughout the day um which you know search pricing was employed by companies like uber and ticketmaster and really what company wouldn't love to show the public that they're becoming more like ticketmaster our beloved ticketmaster our beloved uh ticket gouger we've gotten rid of where's the beef as our slogan we are now

wendy's more like ticketmaster than you think it's not yeah wendy's not where's the beef is wendy's yeah we want the fucking smoke yeah and which is what it's going to be i like how ai has even propped up in this dumb fucking story it says the new quote ai enabled menu changes yeah that's not fucking what your fucking greed is ai enabled what are you fucking talking about will allow for new suggestive selling based on factors such as weather so i guess like if it's raining they'll just be like hey don't we don't have ice cream because all the ice cream places are closed when it's raining right everyone knows it's too cold for ice cream and i got doubles of the barracuda uh the daytona that's true some days it's just

too cold for ice cream yeah exactly yeah but we got that uh broccoli cheddar soup for you to to warm warm up your soul this is this is gonna this isn't gonna i feel like this is what this is a weather balloon thing because yeah one thing you i mean i get we're already in a fucking era where you blink and then you're like wait they did they just raise the price on that yeah but to now be in a place where it's like dude this shit could cost one thing at 8 a.m and another at fucking 1 p.m yes that's not that's not anything a consumer wants you want consistency you know what i mean and yet yeah i think it's going to work like i do think it's going to work for wendy's not not it's not going to work like it's not going to serve us well but that is not what capitalism aims to do anymore

they aim to extract every cent possible from you while like not causing you to you know throw something through the front window of the wendy's and right you know so like i i feel like this i think the reason this gave me such a sinking feeling is i was like oh yeah of course this is the inevitable future that like you'll be able to witness the prices going up on the checks mix at the airport that's just so grim too like again we talk about like fast food it it in at least in this country the culture that we were sort of raised on was fast food is accessible because the price was lower and now they're like dude the fact you could be like i can already picture a teenage me with like you know five bucks in my pocket i'm like let me get that big like oh sorry

the surge is one that's just 620 now yep like what the fuck that's why i'm like i don't know if i i get it i mean like we can't all be as principled consumers but i know i'm sure plenty of people be turned off by the idea that they would be like oh yeah and now it's one price and then now it's another just because we feel like it you get you order something at the drive-thru menu and then drive forward and they're like, that actually went up 50 cents. So we're going to need you to... Right. Yeah. Then I'd be like, well, I don't have it. Yeah.

Where are you going to go? Hmm? Del Taco? It's like next door. Yeah, but there's a car in front of you, bro. This is a drive-thru. Yeah, well, then I'll wait. Yeah. I got time. But I don't have $1.20 to fucking throw on top of this shit already. Yeah, but there's a car in front of you, bro. This is a drive-thru. Yeah, well, then I'll wait. Yeah. I got time, but I don't have $1.20 to fucking throw on top of this shit already. Yeah, it seems like a terrible idea

because people are citing fast food prices as a big reason that fast food sales are down. But if there's one thing we've learned, it's that we are in an unfair battle with these corporations. Yes. And they have the ability to raise the prices on us and we'll do so and there's not a shitload that can be done other than like go elsewhere but if everybody's raising the prices it's yeah yeah it's or it'll just you know if you have the time and ability to then just cook at home you know i can make a square. I mean, I never really ate at Wendy's to be honest, because there was

not really one by me as a kid. So I just didn't, I didn't benefit from the, the Wendy's craze. Have you ever tried a hamburger with salt on it? That's kind of their renovation. You like that? And it's square. I'm like, yeah, yeah, fine. I remember like, but then like in college I would pass a Wendy's and every now and then i'm like yeah yeah fine i remember like but then like in college i would pass a wendy's and every now and then i'm like triple cheeseburger okay diarrhea you're you've got my attention you're on um so we have an update on the robocall featuring an ai clone of joe biden's voice uh this was this raised a lot of red flags for people who are like, this might be the future of elections,

uh, prompted an immediate investigation by the New Hampshire attorney general's office. Um, also inspired the FCC to ban robocalls with AI created voices, uh, using the 1991 telephone consumer protection act as justification. Uh,

but so, so the investigation revealed who is behind these calls and the answer to that is a wild story that will no doubt become an fx limited series one day as a writer jam pointed out like it really has that vibe of right the why like there's so many colorful characters in this uh the robocalls were traced back to a telecom company called life corporation based out of a strip mall in the suburbs of dallas and its owner walter monk is kind of less of a political operative and more like kramer from seinfeld his linkedin page includes a list of his past businesses ranging from a beef jerky plant condom machine roots

lobster trapping uh a chain of nightclubs and bars selling bait um a dating service credit card processing center um selling pool cues yep yep yep okay just like the things that would occur to you at random right like over the course of a day um but his telecom empire actually began uh not with politically motivated robocalls but with singles hotline oh yeah like imagine how differently things have been if it would have been if ai biden simply connected new hampshire voters with hot singles for just one 99 per minute. You know, what's not malarkey are these hot ladies that you can talk to right now.

I'm president Joe Biden and I hope you connect with them. Like, wow. I don't know. I mean, maybe I could, Hey, if Joe,

if the, if they're good enough for the president, then surely good enough for us. But they kept digging miles. They were asking who hired this company. Right. And it was somebody connected to the campaign of representative Dean Phillips of Minnesota, Biden's long shot democratic primary challenger who previously claimed that he

just wanted to strengthen Biden, not demean him. Yeah. Okay. Okay. I think he realized that maybe if he had a stronger showing in New Hampshire than people expected,

he might get a little bit more media. And if he got a little bit more media, it would just enhance his ability to strengthen Biden. That's all he was looking to do. It wasn't selfish. Like this guy who worked for Phillips campaign just got like some hacker who's like a master of ai things like a

like a studio that does that kind of stuff he actually hired a new orleans magician but yeah so basically what i'm sorry like a literal new orleans literal magician from the city of new orleans these robocalls which dominated the news cycle for days exacerbated america's fears over ai disinformation and it influenced actual government policy were created by a new orleans magician who holds the world record in fork bending and straight jacket escapes um and who has so he has those records but he has no fixed address and has never voted. A king. A true

king. A true king. He came forward and admitted his participation claiming he had no malicious intent and thought that the guy who was working for Dean Phillips' campaign was working for the Biden campaign. Why he thought Biden would need an ai clone of his own voice is unclear um but uh so carpenter the magician

was recently interviewed on cnn on friday while doing card tricks and bending a fork i bet that was part of the deal he's like look i'm not going on the news to admit my part in this scandal unless i can get a little promo for my fork bending and you know just a straight up grinder this guy he paid he was paid just 150 dollars to do the to create the audio unless oh my god he was able to do it in less than 20 minutes. Only cost him $1. I have always said that I

thought the audio sounded like it was created in less than 20 minutes. It sounds like shit. I don't think it should have fooled anybody into thinking Joe Biden was actually on the other end of the phone talking to them. not everybody's super tech savvy i guess yeah but yeah claimed he had no idea about the robocalls um and yeah the it's like the guy who worked for so dean phillips was like this was a contractor who did this went rogue he got the

contractor uh kramer the the guy's last steramer, uh, who is a longtime political operative on such things as Kanye's 2020 presidential campaign. Oh, okay. So yeah, he's a real shit house artist. Got it. Got it. Got it. He was behind the robocalls and is backing up Phillips's story stating that he acted independently, but he is also claiming that the robocalls were really an act of civil disobedience to call

attention to the dangers of AI and politics and really that is like were I wearing a hat were I wearing multiple hats I would be taking them off to this oh yeah just a true American legend yeah

I like he compared himself to Paul Revere. Yes. He's the Paul Revere of the AI shit. Cool, cool, cool, cool. Alright, well, yeah, great. Good for you. Good for you. So, that story...

Magicians, fucking bullshit operatives. I think Kramer met the magician on the streets of New Orleans at one point. It's just such an amazing... What a tale.

I know. Is he going around looking for flunkies? He's like, alright, I'm going to keep this guy's card because he might be useful in the future. He's got no address. If I just sit through a fork bending exhibition like i can get him to do stuff for 150 bucks right yeah i mean i have met street magicians like at a bar while fairly drunk and been like i gotta keep this guy's number

because i'm gonna be in a jam one time and i need to like i need to know this guy's phone number so he's 11 shit man because he is actually magical um majacle majacle uh all right let's take a quick break we'll be right back i'm jess casavetto executive producer of the hit netflix documentary series, Dancing for the Devil, the 7M TikTok cult. And I'm Clea Gray, former member of 7M Films and Shekinah Church. And we're the host of the new podcast, Forgive Me For I Have Followed. Together, we'll be diving even deeper into the unbelievable stories behind 7M Films

and LA-based Shekinah Church, an alleged cult that has impacted members for over two decades. Jessica and I will delve into the hidden truths between high-control groups and interview dancers, church members, and others whose lives and careers have been impacted, just like mine. Through powerful, in-depth interviews with former members and new, chilling firsthand accounts, the series will illuminate untold

and extremely necessary perspectives. Forgive Me For I Have Followed will be more than an exploration. It's a vital revelation aimed at ensuring these types of abuses never happen again. Listen to Forgive Me For I Have Followed on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Keri Champion, and this is season four of Naked Sports, where we live at the intersection of sports and culture. Up first, I explore the making of a rivalry, Caitlin Clark versus Angel Reese. I know I'll go down in history. People are talking about women's basketball just because of one single game. Every great player needs a foil.

I ain't really near them boys. I just come here to play basketball every single day, and that's what I focus on. From college to the pros, Clark and Reese have changed the way we consume women's sports. Angel Reese is a joy to watch. She is unapologetically Black. I love her. What exactly ignited this fire? Why has it been so good for the game? And can the fanfare surrounding these two supernovas be sustained? This game is only going to get better because the talent is getting better. This new season will cover all things sports and culture. Listen to Naked Sports on the Black Effect Podcast Network,

iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Black Effect Podcast Network is sponsored by Diet Coke. Substance use disorder and addiction is so isolating. And so as a Black woman in recovery, hope must be loud. It grows louder when you ask for help and you're vulnerable. It is the thread that lets you know

that no matter what happens, you will be okay. When we learn the power of hope, recovery is possible. find out how at startwithhope.com brought to you by the national council for mental well-being shatterproof and the ad council and we're back we're back and we got just uh another update to a past story. We talked about how LA is making itself spongier by removing a bunch of concrete. And that LA was able to kind of capture a lot more water in its latest atmospheric river, AKA just rainstorm. But we are dramatic.

We like to. Well, it's pretty, it is dramatic. The amount of water that does come in but yeah you know that's look you're see you're that you expose your transplant nature there you're not from here to us we're like it's an atmospheric river and you're like it's rain a lot of rain yeah and that is my non-la privilege yeah just have experienced seasons they uh but yeah so this is part of a global trend we also mentioned pittsburgh believe it or not it goes beyond la and pittsburgh um this thing's bigger than these two cities things bigger than just la and pittsburgh

portland uh alone since 2008 has depaved more than 33 000000 square meters, 360,000 square feet, an area equivalent to nearly four and a half football pitches. Oh, okay. This was the detail from the story that jumped out to me. The work is joyous, says one of the people who organizes it, because it unites enthusiastic local volunteers. They get a safety briefing and then muck in together uh this is by the way an article from the bbc in case you're wondering why no things

are in football pitches and everybody's mucking in together yeah but that's like uh you know during the great depression like the new deal like put a lot of people to work. And everybody was... Civil Conservation Corps. Yeah. And people were excited. They were like, we're part of a bigger thing that is making the world a better place. We're building these highways.

We're building dams that are going to get water to people who need it. And I feel like that's an underrated thing that capitalism has kind of erased from the equation is that there's, yes, this is going to be an enormous job to like fight climate change. It seems impossible right now because everything is run by this like hive mind market economy bullshit. Right.

Like people are begging to do this work like people want want to do it whether they get paid or not if we can just fucking get the money flowing towards jobs that are going to save the world the one-time capitalists are not interested in free labor right exactly dude to what no i don't know about like do they want to build some fucking oil rigs right no okay nah dude sorry i don't i don't know what the fuck's going on with these people yeah but yeah it's all over i mean like in western europe too they're pointing to cities in belgium and in the uk and i mean like again like we were saying in the last story like it's it's one of the, the smaller ways cities are trying to

basically be like, all right, we got like, these are, this is a little thing that can happen that can bring better benefits, uh, to a city, especially as, you know, we have like these boom bust cycles of like rain or drought and things like that. So, yeah. People in London are being encouraged to depave their gardens yeah just like a little a little step but you know belgium has like a an initiative that's aimed at the suburbs and they're removing significant volumes of asphalt from

residential areas forcing cars to share the same part of the road as pedestrians and cyclists and like melbourne is doing melbourne is doing a thing that we talked about a while back where they're trying to convert parking lots and parking spaces into green spaces because that has a double effect of, you know, creating more spongy spaces that aren't covered in asphalt, but also making it more of a pain in the ass to like drive in the city so you know that fewer people drive more people take public transport so i don't know it's just there is

work being done it would just be great if they were like and we're gonna turn on the money spigot so this is like people's actual jobs and then people got to do jobs that made them feel good and like walk around outside and you know it almost makes too much sense so yeah all that we gotta get them in plug them into the ai economy instead yeah bit by bit though i mean like it's i i hope we can this trend can last uh but also like it's also up to, you know, the people that run municipalities and cities and things like that to, to really understand like what it all means rather than just being like, oh man, but that parking lot, man, it helps bring people to the city center.

It's like, well, no, how about you do this fucking, you know, green, these spaces. And like we said, like, even when that story about Joe Biden you know pulling back on like the emissions regulations for cars like the conversation really has to also be about like good mass transit and making sure people understand like that people can move in a way that isn't so carbon

intensive but yeah hey good news little bit of good news just keep on deep haven if you're deep haven let us know you know you deep haven, good news. A little bit of good news. Just keep on. A little bit of good news. Deep haven. If you're a deep haven, let us know. You know? You deep haven? Hey, more good news? Miles?

Huh? I don't know if you watched Seth Meyers last night. Oh, fuck. I saw the clip, man. I can't stand meme Joe Biden. Oh, they really, they're doing it, man. They're like, they've seen all the memes we've seen. And they're like, all right, the memes we've seen and they're like all

right now go eat an ice cream cone and like act like you're just like cool while talking about fucking gaza yeah and making like promises that you can't back up yeah so he went on there i guess because it's like a there's like a big 10th anniversary. Is that the occasion or whatever? I don't know. It was wild to think about. Amy Poehler was on. It was wild to remember that her character was obsessed with Joe Biden. That was a part of

a lovable character on Parks and Rec was like, man, we love Joe Biden. We love this person who loves joe biden for loving joe biden and things have gotten a little more complicated since then yeah but yeah i mean seth meyers like very marginally but like actually pressed biden on his reticence to call for a ceasefire uh which led biden to to announce that Israel has agreed to pause its offensive during Ramadan, which will give us time to get all the

hostages out, which seems like a pretty big announcement to casually drop on a TV show that was once hosted by Jimmy Fallon. Dude, that was the first thing. When I saw that headline, I was like, wait, where? And then he's like eating a

fucking well there's one part where he's on the couch talking about this and then they go get an ice cream and he's talking about part of the show or was that just like a stage photo op thing i don't know i mean like when he made the quote he was on the couch i saw a clip of him on the couch being like and they're gonna going to, you know, Ramadan, and then they'll be able to get the hostages, and then, you know, we'll see what's going on from there. But there's still, like, not a lot of agreement that we've heard from, like, the Israeli government

that's like, yeah, yeah, that's happening. So you're like, well, what is, like, is this? Or is it not? It's just weird. Like, I feel like I can't take him seriously on a talk show. That has to be said from the lectern of the president for it to

feel like it's more than just being like, I don't know, man. I'm underwater and I got the Michigan primary coming up and I got a lot of work to do to undo the lack of support I've created for my support of this uh this genocide so uh but anyway man taylor swift huh yeah she's on our team and then he put the glasses on

everything was just so unseen it's just so fucking weird like the problems we're facing are so dire yeah these people are like they're people dying of starvation in Gaza, and you're like, licking ice cream and putting aviators on, doing real life meme shit. Yeah. It's just like, I don't know, man. It's like the scariest shit I think I've seen, like, in this weird way where we're like, nothing fucking makes sense or matters to the people that absolutely, like, have to fucking be serious and have it matter to. Yeah.

No. And by the way, like, so the ice cream thing was after the show. It's just him and Seth having an ice cream together. So it was like a photo op. And there he said the ceasefire could happen by the end of the weekend, despite the fact that Ramadan doesn't start until the following Sunday.

So I don't know. You'd think they'd be careful careful about uh messaging this and like serious about messaging this but it's uh well especially for something right that people are screaming out for a ceasefire you know what i mean like there are many people when we say this constantly who are so disturbed and distraught over what america's part is in all of this and saying the least you can do is at least use the influence of the United States to stop the fucking assault

on Gaza. You're talking like Trump, one or two weeks, two to three weeks, I don't know, ice cream. It's just like, man. It just shows how casually I feel like the administration is taking it especially to like to engage the topic in such a flippant way yeah but i don't know i mean like i

i hope it's just like but then there's this headline from cnn it says israel and hamas distance themselves from biden's optimism on gaza's ceasefire right yeah and i don't know if that's just posturing because they're still negotiating or whatever but it's yeah i i don't know man good luck to that man yeah we had like in looking at you know he'll say he's frustrated with netanyahu behind the scenes and then netanyahu will openly be like i can get this guy to say what i do whatever the fuck i want him to like we don't we don't take them seriously they're always gonna capitulate um so we'll see but fucking meme biden dark brandon cool cool uh just like don't the meme yeah like sorry yeah like i know maybe you think like you're trying to get the t talkers on your side, but like there, there, people are still engaging with very serious issues and using the language of shit posts to talk about people who are facing like their, the end of their lives

is just a little too spooky for this podcaster. Yeah. All right. Uh, those are some of the things that are trending on this Tuesday, February 27th. We are back tomorrow with a whole ass episode of the show. Yep. Until then, be kind to each other. Be kind to yourselves.

Get the vaccine. Don't do nothing about white supremacy. And we will talk to y'all tomorrow. Bye. Bye. Hey, I'm Gianna Pradenti. And I'm Jermaine Jackson-Gadson. We're the hosts of Let's Talk Offline from LinkedIn News and iHeart Podcasts. There's a lot to figure out when you're just starting your career.

That's where we come in. Think of us as your work besties you can turn to for advice. And if we don't know the answer, we bring in people who do, like negotiation expert Maury Tahiripour. If you start thinking about negotiations as just a conversation, then I think it sort of eases us a little bit. Listen to Let's Talk Offline on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Keri Champion, and this is season four of Naked Sports. Up first, I explore the making of a rivalry. Caitlin Clark versus Angel Reese.

Every great player needs a foil. I know I'll go down in history. People are talking about women's basketball just because of one single game. Clark and Reese have changed the way we consume women's sports. Listen to the making of a rivalry. Caitlin Clark versus Angel Reese on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. There's so much beauty in Mexican culture, like mariachis, delicious cuisine, and even lucha libre. Join us for the new podcast Lucha Libre Behind the Mask,

a 12-episode podcast in both English and Spanish about the history and cultural richness of lucha libre. And I'm your host, Santos Escobar, Emperor English, and Spanish about the history and cultural richness of Lucha Libre. And I'm your host, Santos Escobar, Emperor of Lucha Libre and a WWE Superstar. Listen to Lucha Libre Behind the Mask on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you stream podcasts.