The Daily Zeitgeist - Weekly Zeitgeist 446 (Best of 8/31/26-9/4/26)

Episode Date: September 6, 2026

The weekly round-up of the best moments from DZ's season 454 (8/31/26-9/4/26)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....

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Starting point is 00:00:00 This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. The new Red Bull Dragonberry and Tropicberry Energizers, now at McDonald's, made with freeze-dried fruit, and an electric burst of flavor. The all-new Red Bull Energizers, now at McDonald's. This product may not be right for you. High in caffeine, details at McDonald's.cai at participating Canadian restaurants, excluding Quebec.
Starting point is 00:00:24 I survived nine months in captivity, and I've spent my life exploring how other people survive what should have destroyed them. I'm Elizabeth Smart, and these are the Survivor Files. Every week, I'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable, abducted, stalked, controlled, and nearly silenced. These are stories about what it takes to make it out alive. Listen to The Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the new podcast, Solita, we share the message. reality of traveling alone as a woman. I can wait four hours for the next bus or this random dude
Starting point is 00:01:06 is offering me a ride on his motorcycle. I chose option B. I'm Julie Pinero and I travel by myself because it's a rare space where I can say yes without asking anyone else first. I'm on a mission to reclaim the word Solita, trading the pity for possibility. Listen to Solita on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your bookshelf and your for you page are equally important to your personality. Welcome home. Pro Society is a weekly podcast that's part book club, part group chat for anyone who thinks pride and prejudice and love island to serve the same level of discourse. Each week we're connecting the dots between books, the internet, and pop culture with your favorite writers, book talk creators, and plenty of overthought opinions.
Starting point is 00:01:54 Yeah, I'm obsessed. Listen to pro society on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Didn't catch the latest Roland Martin Unfiltered podcast? Here's what you missed. There should not be a single law enforcement agency. It does not have body cameras. It's real. Black farmers have been under attack.
Starting point is 00:02:14 This is just the latest example of them just slapping DEI on anything. It's raw. And I'm sitting here going, they are playing y'all for fools. Catch Roland Martin's daily commentary on the Black Information Network. And download Roland Martin Unfiltered on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. Hello, the internet, and welcome to this episode of the weekly zeitgeist. These are some of our favorite segments from this week, all edited together into one nonstop, infotainment, laugh stravaganza. Uh, yeah.
Starting point is 00:02:52 So without further ado, here is the weekly zeitgeist. Miles. Mm-hmm. We're thrilled to be joined in our third seat. by the author of the book, Humor Me, How Laughing More Can Make You Present, Creative, Connected, and Happy. He also hosts the How to Be a Better Human Podcast, as well as the National Academy of Sciences,
Starting point is 00:03:12 a Live Traveling Game Show. Wrong answers only. Welcome back to the show. The hilarious, the talented is Christophie. Hello. Thank you. Thanks for having me. Glad to be here.
Starting point is 00:03:23 The Duff Man. I can't breathe. Yes. It's good. I'm good. I'm glad to be here. So I'm excited. I'm ready.
Starting point is 00:03:31 This is the big, this is the highlight of my week of my month. Frankly, this is the highlight of September. Oh, come on now. Come on now. How's the book doing? How's it out there in book world pushing books? Oh, you know, it's every day is a thrilling adventure through the world of books.
Starting point is 00:03:49 As I, you know, occasionally someone says, hello, will you sign this? And then they say, it's not for me. I won't be reading this. I'm going to someone else. What's the point of doing that? I mean, they think you're in a household? They're going to give it as a present, but it's funny to say, like, just so you know, this copy is not for me.
Starting point is 00:04:05 I would just have a book. I would never. I don't need help in learning how I can be just more, you know, more present or creative. Actually, you know, another, an interesting thing about, like, this is my first book I ever wrote. And there's like a really robust and thriving scam ecosystem out there targeting authors where, like, every single day I get an email from like an obviously fake email address saying, like, I represent different celebrity book club. And like for only $500, like, we'd love to put your book in front of all of Duolipa's fans.
Starting point is 00:04:38 And then you're like, I don't think Duolipa emails from like Duolipa book club at hotmail.co. Right. 3.2elipa.book book club. Yeah. But that one's like a real one. But I'll get like a lot of ones from slubs that don't even have a book club. Or it'll just be like, hey, like, would you like to be in the, you know, Ryan Felipe book club?
Starting point is 00:04:59 But I'm like, I don't think that's like a relevant thing in any way. Definitely not real. Yeah. That is so set because like when you, like I worked on a book years ago, over a decade ago. And I remember even then they were like, yeah, so we don't really have like a marketing apparatus. So you guys are going to mainly do that. So there are enough desperate authors out there that this cottage and just. has risen up.
Starting point is 00:05:31 I'm sure they're being generated by AI because they also all start with like the same kind of like vague compliments where they're like, you wrote something that is really important and transformational. But it's not being seen by enough people. This could help people. This could really help people? And I'm like, I kind of think it's just like a funny book.
Starting point is 00:05:48 I don't know that it's really like, it's really like, it's interesting because just from like the description, I haven't read the book yet. Okay, but you're going to give it to a friend and you like to be done. This is for me. This is laughing not really.
Starting point is 00:05:59 for me, Chris. But I like philosophically where you're coming from about just sort of being like being more open and being more open to the like our abilities to have humor about ourselves, our risk taking and things like that. So which does feel like such an important like message. Yeah, yeah. I'm underselling it. I do think it's an important thing. I mean, you guys get it because it's like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. It's not a good message at all. No, no. I mean, the real message in my book is like people, I think people are way too focused on the like performing part of comedy. Like people are like, how do you tell a joke? How do you like make people laugh? How do you tell a story? And I think the most interesting part, which I wonder if you guys agree with, but I think the most interesting part is like,
Starting point is 00:06:35 how do you see things and realize that there's something funny there? Like, how do you walk around the world and see the thing that inspires the laughter that inspires the joke, which that's the thing that I think everyone should do. I don't think we need like everyone to be a comedian or a comedy writer or host her own podcast. But I do think if everyone could walk around the world and be like, that's a little bit off. That's funny. I'm going to laugh to myself about it. Or I'm going to notice the funny things of myself and have a sense of humor about myself rather than being so self-serious. Like, that's the stuff that I'm, I'm most interested in. I feel like it doesn't get a lot of attention.
Starting point is 00:07:04 So that's really what the book is about. Yeah. That sounds great, man. I personally think the only thing that's interesting about comedy is asking stand-up comedians, who are your guys? And then also just asking them for their general thoughts on politics and, like, how things have changed and, like, nobody's allowed to laugh anymore. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:07:25 Yeah. I kind of personally think like one of the most important things we can be doing is like giving, you know, like far right politicians a chance to kind of show they're just like us. You know, I kind of laugh with them about stuff. That's right. Exactly. That is what comedy is for. What is something from your search history that's revealing about who you are? Ooh, yeah. Okay. I look this up. I recently was, I'm writing something about witches. And I recently was researching the way. witch of pungo. Okay. So Pongo.
Starting point is 00:07:59 It's a place in Virginia. Her name is Grace Sherwood. And she's basically a witch. It's really funny. It's like, she's so famous that like there's like a statue of her and, and Virginia Beach somewhere. And she basically was a witch that was taken to trial like six different times. And then like proved innocent, six different times.
Starting point is 00:08:23 Like, and everyone in town was like, My crops died. It's grace. And she'd be like, fuck. Okay, let's go to trial. And she would go to trial, but like, I, I, there's no evidence. They were great. And then someone would be like, my cat's lost.
Starting point is 00:08:36 It was grace. Like, literally everyone in town kept taking her to trial and she kept counter suing and kept getting off. But her whole life was consumed with witch trials. Wow. Until they eventually got her. They got her. They put her in the water.
Starting point is 00:08:54 Oh, no. They put it in the water. But it's a fascinating story. And I've just been like, poor fucking Grace. Send Grace from 1688. Like, send one up to Grace. I know. God, I could just hear this playing in her month.
Starting point is 00:09:09 I thought this was America, people. Grace, not a witch, not guilty. Wow. Yeah. Fucking six times is so wild. Murder was the trial that they gave her. Yeah. Wow.
Starting point is 00:09:24 Just. Well, shout out to the Witchapongo. We love her. We love her. That's what it's been in my search history. Are you a witch fan generally?
Starting point is 00:09:34 Yeah, yeah. I'm pretty excited. You said that as if you're concerned. Are you, is everything okay, model? Love, no, I love witches. Yeah, I'm excited. Are they real? That is a great question.
Starting point is 00:09:47 I am a skeptic. Like, well, but you know what I say? I was like a, I'm an empathic skeptic. Like, I'm always like, no. And then, like, a ghost reveals itself to me. Do you know what I mean? I'm like, no, I'm not interested. And then, like, a curse happens. I just kind of feel like I don't believe it. And then the universe keeps, like, trying to show me stuff. Pulling you back in. Does that you ever feel? How do you feel? Do you believe in my tears or no?
Starting point is 00:10:12 I don't, probably not. But I, I'm a fan of their work. I'm a fan of their vibe. You know, and I, I'm a believer that sometimes a vibe can be so overpowering that it does become a thing. Yeah. I'm not going to say nothing about witches right now. That part, right? Because you don't want to be proven right or wrong. I love them.
Starting point is 00:10:32 Yeah, yeah. When I love witches, too. I love them. I think they're powerful and interesting. Love them, love them. I have a famous, hex on my witches. Hexon. We have an 11-foot witch flag on a broomstick that is at a rowy decoration.
Starting point is 00:10:45 And it's known, like I will, during the dead of summer, this summer, you know, windows open because it's hot out. and hearing people walk by be like, they have a big witch for, like, talking to their kids about, like, this house has a good witch when Halloween time rolls around. You must have loved hearing that. Oh, Miles. You have not, like, I mean, to the point that I'm now talking about it,
Starting point is 00:11:09 like three months after it happened. So, yeah. Wow. I would say I liked it. You ran out into the street. You're like, oh, hey, you're talking about this house? Yeah, we got the witch. Sure do.
Starting point is 00:11:19 So you notice. Sure do. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It'll be out soon. Don't worry. Don't you worry. That's really fucking funny. Catch up to them, like, out of breath being like, couldn't help but hear you talking about the witch. Wait, that was last week.
Starting point is 00:11:33 What? It's actually the witch with Pongo. She has a crazy backstory. Yeah, look her up. Six times. Yeah, man, this is good. We're keeping her name alive. We're keeping her memory.
Starting point is 00:11:46 We're keeping the witches happy. And I bet Zite gang, if you know there's Virginia. Tell us you know about the witch of pongo. Please write in. Please tell us about what you know about the Wichapungo. It's a huge story. I'm probably missing some details. I mean, there's books and shit like that.
Starting point is 00:12:01 Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. What is something you think is underrated? Apparently, you know, I've been journaling a little bit lately. And yeah, I mean, it's like my girlfriend told me to do it. And it's been nice. I think, you know, it's so easy to, I don't know, be sucked into the digital world.
Starting point is 00:12:21 And I don't know. I think, I mean, I go to therapy and stuff like that, and that's obviously helpful, but I don't know, just kind of, I feel like it's so rare that you put pen to paper, you know, unless you're specifically trying to. And I feel like you get something out of, and it doesn't even have to be journaling. I don't know, just putting pen to paper
Starting point is 00:12:37 is something that I feel you lose in life. And it's been nice to do a little bit of that. When you journal, are you, like, reflecting on your own emotions? Is it a recap of your day? Yeah, a little bit of that. It's like a gratitude journal that I am doing. So it's kind of like starting every day
Starting point is 00:12:51 and ending every day with like things that I'm grateful for. And that kind of is a good perspective shift in terms of just like you get so stuck in your set ways. And you know, you can feel dissatisfied with certain aspects of your life. But when you also recognize what you're thankful for, that's helpful. And then in the back, there's space for just like freestyle journaling if you want to just talk about things. The gratitude. So you read that piece about Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, how they just do that every day.
Starting point is 00:13:16 That's how we stay around. And we're all grateful for them. And we're so grateful for them. Number one on my gratitude list. Yeah. Number two. Sanchez. Sometimes it switches.
Starting point is 00:13:27 Sometimes Lauren gets the top spot. Jeff gets the number two spot. I don't know. And that's what's beautiful about gratitude. You know, it can ab and flow. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:13:37 How do you compare that to Grand Theft Auto 6 though, dog? Like that sounds more boring than Grand Theft Auto 6. Yeah, it looks good. Did you see that tweet that was like, there was like a community note on the tweet where they were like, oh, the driving. in this game is so bad. Everyone is stuck at this light, this green light,
Starting point is 00:13:54 because the car is in the wrong lane turning left. And then there was a community note on Twitter that was like, oh, no, this happens all the time in Miami. Like, this is not. Like, you are. This is actually realistic thing. Yeah, yeah. I saw that this morning,
Starting point is 00:14:06 and it really made me laugh. That is, are there cities where, because L.A., famously, you get two cars after the light turns. You get two cars going. Three, if the person's in a hurry. After a red light, yeah, if you're turning left.
Starting point is 00:14:21 Oh, you're a three. Wow. Oh, you're three. Yeah, yeah. I don't give a fuck. I'm a two and I get real mad if somebody stops at one. How often do we do this? Fucking go, you fucking idiot. Are you serious?
Starting point is 00:14:34 My kids are like, what? And I'm like, they didn't break the law. They didn't break the law like we all agree that they're supposed to. But I do feel like the two cars going at a red light left turn signal is what's keeping L.A. afloat. Like if we lose that, it's all shutting down. The whole, the city would not work. Well, because in New York, they go early.
Starting point is 00:14:57 That's the thing where, like, when it turns, they just, yeah, it's called the Pittsburgh left or the New York left. I've heard it both ways. But it's illegal for sure, right? Like Miami just, like, doesn't have one. I don't know if the Pittsburgh left is illegal. It's just dangerous. You know what I mean? Because, like, people just gun it to hit that left turn before people actually end up crossing into the intersection.
Starting point is 00:15:17 Right, yeah. I'm familiar with the move. Yeah. I just did it for the first time with my wife and child in the car. Miles. And, dude, I didn't know you went to Pittsburgh. Dude, her majesty was like, she's like, whoa. She was like turned on.
Starting point is 00:15:32 She got turned on. She was like, she jokingly said. She goes, I didn't know I was with a man. Wow. I didn't know we were living our life a quarter mile at a time. Yeah. Damn, didn't you. Exactly.
Starting point is 00:15:48 And then she said, Remember going to Pramani brothers for a sandwich? Yeah. She just immediately handed you. Yeah. She just handed you her pink slip. She's like, you can have a pink slip.
Starting point is 00:15:56 You win, you win. There you go, yeah. Hey, we going up air? All right. Hard, we are.
Starting point is 00:16:02 Yeah. Come on, Miles. What is something you think is overrated? Okay. As a horror baby, horror is my favorite genre. I'm going to get a lot of flack for this.
Starting point is 00:16:13 But celebrating Halloween early is overrated. What does that mean? It means like, September is fine. September, October, I get it. Some of y'all celebrating in July and August when the Halloween decorations start to go. August is not, one, pumpkin spice latte start in August and that is an abomination. It was 100, it was 100 degrees. And I'm only saying it as a horror person because it loses some of its magic if it's like year round. Right. You know, I just feel like we need, the Halloween decorations shouldn't come out until September. I agree. I agree. I agree.
Starting point is 00:16:48 No, no, don't stand on that shit. I stand on it. There you go. Don't wilt away from that tape. If we're going to do capitalism, we have to do it correctly, okay? Don't give them your money in July and August. I wonder, because Victor was saying in the Philippines, it's Christmas decorations like early, right? September 1st.
Starting point is 00:17:05 Christmas. So I'm curious, is there a country that's doing that with Halloween? They're like, oh, you know what it is. It's 6.8 weeks until Halloween. You got that the shit's going up. You know how Mariah on Halloween night has the thing where she turns all the Halloween decorations. into Christmas decorations. Is there, what are we going from
Starting point is 00:17:22 into Halloween decorations? Can we just enjoy summer? Back to school. Back to school. You know? And that's happened in earlier and early. And it is. It really is.
Starting point is 00:17:31 My niece and nephew went back to school in July. No, they did. Yes, they did. That's a fucking crime. That's climate change. No, it's too hot. I swear to God, it is too hot for them. Where the fuck are they?
Starting point is 00:17:41 They're in Arizona. In Mount Doom. No, literally, I think a lot of kids. Trying to cast a ring of minions. There are a lot of kids in hotter places go back to school earlier because they can't be outdoors. That's fair, I guess. That makes sense. And that way they enjoy.
Starting point is 00:17:57 No, they don't. So I just thought Dana Donnelly was just talking about how she was like my husband. I always feel bad for him because we have like pumpkin spice season and like fashion season. And I was like, man, this like sucks for you. You don't have anything. And she was like, and he wasn't listening to me because he was reading about football. And I was like, ah, yes, they have football. Like football season, I feel like starts right.
Starting point is 00:18:20 I feel like that should be that once people start talking about football and being like the seasons basically started, even though it's pre-season. Pre-season games. They're like, don't matter whatsoever. Like once that starts, it's like, okay, you can have your Halloween. But that is end of August. It is end of August. No, I'm not giving it up until September.
Starting point is 00:18:37 September 1st you get it. Also, don't tie Halloween to the NFL. Right. That's true. Halloween is bigger than that. No, it is. It is. CTE is.
Starting point is 00:18:44 CTE is scary. Yeah. It is. So there are some spooky things. So are you good with September 1st being? And like should we have a ritual of some sort that's like, yeah, this evening. We burn the summer man or something like an effigy. Well, it is when Burning Man happens.
Starting point is 00:19:01 So maybe that's what it was. It's not even the official start of fall because fall doesn't start the fall solstice or whatever. Right. To late September. So y'all pulling it up. It just makes it. So I don't know. Well, y'all have kids so it's different.
Starting point is 00:19:13 But for the rest of us, actual Halloween night, October. 31st means very little. Right. Because all the parties are beforehand, all the celebrations beforehand, that on that actual day, I feel like most people who are kid-free, like, are not, I don't know. Like, all the parties that my friends have are normally the weekend before. It's like the busiest weekend of my life. It's more fun in the lead up.
Starting point is 00:19:34 Well, we're lucky, though, this year, because Halloween's on a Saturday. Because usually when it's in the week, it's always like on either side of that day, but it's on Saturday now. We're going full out Halloween week. Yeah. The seven days of Halloween. I have a couple friends who do an annual Halloween party and like they go fucking hard.
Starting point is 00:19:53 Crazy. But like to the point where like they in their invite this year like, we're going to dial it back. Not as many sword swallowers or mermaid swimming in the foggy haze pool or fire breathers this year. More just like normal stuff like bobbing for apples. Because they like truly like one time they went so hard and there barely any people were there and like damn too much.
Starting point is 00:20:14 Yeah. They're like you don't deserve this. People outnumbering us. at this point. Right. But that's okay. You RSVP'd yes to the party full show up. Yeah, exactly.
Starting point is 00:20:23 They're fully millennials, so it's still paperless post. Okay, okay. Amazing. All right. We're going to take a quick break and we're going to come back and talk about the news. We'll be right back. The new Red Bull Dragonberry and Tropic Berry Energizers now at McDonald's, made with freeze dried fruit and an electric burst of flavor.
Starting point is 00:20:48 The all-new Red Bull Energizers. Now at McDonald's. This product may not be right for you. High in caffeine, details at McDonald's.ca.ca. At participating Canadian restaurants, excluding Quebec. When I was 14 years old, I was kidnapped and held captive for nine months. I survived, and I've spent my life exploring how other people survive what should have destroyed them. I'm Elizabeth Smart, and these are the survivor files.
Starting point is 00:21:13 I just remember this low, taunting voice next to my ear saying, shut up. say anything. Every week, I'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable. I knew if he woke up, without a doubt, he was going to hurt me. I started feeling that there was someone at the end of my bed, and I just started screaming. They are abducted, stalked, controlled, and nearly silenced. But these aren't stories about what's taken from them. There's stories about what it takes to make it out alive. Listen to the Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the new podcast, Solita, we share the messy reality of traveling alone as a woman. I can wait four hours for the next bus, or this random dude is offering me a ride on his motorcycle. I chose option B. I'm Julie Pinero, and I travel by myself because it's a rare space where I can say yes without asking anyone else first.
Starting point is 00:22:18 I'm on a mission to reclaim the word solita, trading the pity for possibility. Every time I tried to be alone, I kept meeting people, and they were like, you smiled at us. Not a lot of people smile around here. It's when you're alone that you're most receptive to the world as it is and not the lies you're sold about it. It can be a time where you push your limits, change your mind, or wake up to a new version of yourself. So whether you're a solo travel veteran or you're too nervous, to book your first trip. I hope you listen to Solita on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If your bookshelf and your for-you page are equally important to your
Starting point is 00:23:01 personality, welcome home. This is Prose Society, the weekly podcast that's part book club, part group chat for thought daughters, pop culture obsessives, and anyone who thinks Pride and Prejudice and Love Island deserve the same level of discourse. I'm Eli Rallo and every week we're connecting the dots between books, the internet, and the conversations everyone can't stop having. I'm going to have to look up this story. I'm obsessed. So I'm obsessed. From best-selling authors and your favorite book talk creators to the latest pop culture moments,
Starting point is 00:23:32 nothing is off the table. It's like if you can hide some real messages inside compelling characters, then that is a Trojan horse. Whether you're looking for literary deep dives, smart pop culture conversations, or a community of readers who love to think a little too much, You're in the right place. Listen to Pro Society on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. See you between the pages. Didn't catch the latest Roland Martin unfiltered podcast?
Starting point is 00:24:01 Here's what you missed. And the argument is, do you want to win? If you don't win, you have no power. It's real. Those are the very people who I always say vote against their own economic interest and they complain about the very thing they're receiving. It's raw. I knew that the issue of transgender athletes was not going well with a lot of black men. Roland Martin unfiltered.
Starting point is 00:24:28 I went off, I said, this is exactly what I'm talking about. Y'all going to scream at Chanel, but you don't want to see a black luxury company in the same vein. Catch Roland Martin's daily commentary on the Black Information Network. 12 seats, those are moving south. So if you Democrats, you don't wait to 2030. You better be hitting the ground going hard in the South now. And download Roland Martin unfiltered on the IHart radio app, Apple Podcasts. Or wherever you get your podcasts.
Starting point is 00:25:04 And we're back. We're back. And we're back. And let's talk about the mail. The postal service. We got a whistleblower from the postal service. Toot, beep, beep. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:25:18 And that is how they opened their statement. Dear Senator Richard Blumenthal, Uh, toot, toot, beep, beep. Time to blow the whistle on this thing. Sad girls. Yeah, we talked about the Supreme Court ruling earlier. That was very Kafka-esque. Who is Kafka?
Starting point is 00:25:35 Who is Kafka? As I said, the day before Tim Curry died. And that was a reference to the movie Congo, which Tim Curry was also in. But at the time, the Supreme Court ruled that Trump's mail-in ballot scheme was able to move forward. Because the states that were suing, they couldn't quite prove any. damages yet. So they said this is actually too soon. But they also didn't say whether or not this scheme was legal. They were just like, well, first of all, we're not saying this is legal, but go ahead. You haven't been hurt yet. Yeah. So yeah. But I know I will be. Well, and even
Starting point is 00:26:11 then it could be too late when you sue then. So you're kind of just going to have to let this guy meddle in the midterm. So a whistleblower within the postal service has revealed that this whole operation, obviously, it's not about ballot security. And from their perspective, this is all just a scheme to make mail-in ballots completely unusable. This is just, this is from the Guardian. Quote, the snail mail carrier has been building an entirely new federal, federal ballot mail portal since June, months before the service was permitted to move forward with the executive order. The portal will screen all incoming ballots, but its development has been rushed and, quote, risky as a service tried to meet, quote, impossible deadlines.
Starting point is 00:26:51 For instance, the agency has eliminated testing procedures for the platform, a risk that could potentially derail the midterm elections, according to the whistleblower. And this is one of the officials, quote, potentially millions of American voters may not receive their mail-in ballots this election cycle in a timely matter or at all. So, I mean, this is always the fear with anything Trump was going to do with mail-in ballots, like that the end game was just about negating them as a source of votes that could threaten his power. So Trump's solution to that issue, that inconvenience is just to create a system so poorly designed that it throws the entire election into chaos in terms of mail-in ballots. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:27:32 So it's specifically the mail-in ballots are going to be fucked this election. Definitely found a way to meddle and muck via this portal. So like they're saying, first of all, like this whole thing was rushed. They would think a thing like this would take at least a year to do, but they've just rammed it through in like six, just. under six months. And they're saying, and even if you were to do everything, right, make sure your registrations, right, and things like that, the post office might not even get you your mail in ballot in time because the system is designed to not make the process efficient or even safe because it has a zero percent failure rate. So this is from the whistleblower, quote, quote.
Starting point is 00:28:11 For example, if a state election official brings a batch of 10,000 ballots to the United States Postal Service and the USPS is unable to match just one of those. ballots against the portal because, for example, someone has recently changed their name after marriage or they've moved, then the United States Postal Service would refuse to mail the remaining 9,99 ballots as well. UPS would then expect the state to, quote, take back the entire back to cure the issue with the single ballot. That sounds very complicated. Damn.
Starting point is 00:28:45 Intentionally so. And like, also just impossible. Like it will be essentially impossible to vote by mail. That sounds like if, is there any hope that this like, that something stops this? Or is this just like they're saying this is the way it is? Right now, the postal service hasn't said anything. This is a whistleblower who reached out to Senator Blumenthal and was like, hey, I need your help.
Starting point is 00:29:07 This is what's going on. So he is now, you know, out here getting the word out that this is in process. I'm not sure what exactly the next legal step is here or what exactly is going to happen. or if they will follow through. I'm sure Trump wants to, because the way it sounds, a completely fucked up portal that can, that just mucks up the process of sending ballots out is exactly what he wants. But yeah, as Blumenthal said, on Monday quote,
Starting point is 00:29:30 the main takeaway for me is that the Postal Service has designed a system to disenfranchise millions of Americans, one third of all Americans cast their ballots by mail, and the Postal Service puts all of their votes at risk. Right. And it's way more, definitely, like I've heard people be like, Well, this could actually be bad for Republicans, too, because they're, you know, rural voters also count on mail and ballots. But I think it's like 50 something percent of Democratic voters vote by mail and only like 20 something of Republican voters vote.
Starting point is 00:30:00 So if they are like, no, we're all good here. People vote by mail as usual. And then the votes are just invalidated if they're coming in over the mail. Then like, yeah, he would just be winning the election. Yeah. So right now, I know the Senator Blumenthal basically told the postmaster General David Steiner that he needs to provide documents about the plans to actually look at them first. But yeah, I mean, you got two months until the midterms. So, yeah. Who knows where this goes? Yeah. That's plenty of time. Two months seems fine to, yeah, to suss this all out. Yeah. I mean, the plan was to launch it yesterday on two. on September 1st. For them to launch the portal? You launched the portal.
Starting point is 00:30:48 But as of now, it has not been launched. And they're not sure what the plan is as of this recording. Okay. So. This is going to be a weird winter. Yeah. Or it's going to be a magical winter. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:31:05 Or people are going to have to, I mean, yeah, I don't know if in the process is like a whole effort to like help people that need to vote, like, do normally vote by mail to get them a ballot to put that in a ballot to put that in a, a ballot, like, whatever that is. I mean, it's, it's just causing so much confusion. And again, this is exactly the point because it was never like, we're going to win outright. It's like, we're just going to make it so fucking hard to vote or so chaotic that we either benefit from the lack of people's ability to vote by mail or in the confusion, we can just inject our own weird narrative to say, actually, this is what's happening. I mean, look at how much of a mess this whole
Starting point is 00:31:39 voting system is. You'll never have to vote again was what he said when he was running for president. last time. So it seems like one of those things where we should be taking him at his word. Yeah. Seems like. Damn. Wow. Gagged. Y'all gagged me on that one. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:31:57 Everyone's just keep your eye open. Just try to vote. Just vote big. Vote. Vote a lot. If you're planning on voting, make sure at first your registration hasn't been totally fucked with because in Texas a lot of people are discovering that like
Starting point is 00:32:12 their registration is completely up. just thrown up into chaos. Yeah. Unregistering people. Yeah. All right. We should talk about Nick Adams. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:32:26 There's an old radio reporter named Studs Terkel, which I think is top five names of all time who used to travel America finding stories in the humble lives of everyday Americans. And he was kind of lauded for. the sort of unmistakable authenticity of the humanity he uncovered. And this American life and, you know, others have kind of tried to recapture that glory. But nobody has quite succeeded until now. Right.
Starting point is 00:33:02 I mean, there's a little guy by the name of Nick Adams who we've covered before. I think he said Nick Adams is like Studs Terkel, the guy who's like wrote the definitive like oral history of the Great Depression. Yeah, yeah. So Nick Adams is this Australian guy who moved to America is like high up in the Trump administration doing some made up job. Or was. He tried to be a diplomat and then that failed. So now he's just, he's just screaming on the periphery to be part of the machine again.
Starting point is 00:33:32 Isn't he like something to do with American tourism? He's like the American tourism. Yeah, I mean. Yeah. He just accepted a position very publicly. Like, I'm proud to accept. So we've heard from him before with his man on the street reporting from inside a movie theater showing the Melania documentary, right? Wasn't that the situation where he was going to see the Melania documentary?
Starting point is 00:33:58 There was a dad with two daughters who... Allow me, Jack. This is... Yeah. I'm settling in for a showing of Melania and the theater is packed earlier by stand to ask if I'm. I was heading in to see Avatar, and I stopped dead in my tracks, Avatar. Nice, son, I curtly replied. I don't watch woke movies.
Starting point is 00:34:22 I'm here to see the groundbreaking documentary about our incredibly talented First Lady. The man's two little girls began jumping up and down, pulling on his sleeve and begging, Daddy, we want to see Melania. But, but, he stammered, I thought you girls wanted to see Zootopia too. No, no, no, they said, now nearly shouting, we want to see Melania. She's the most beautiful first lady ever. Their father was scrambling, stressed out and disoriented.
Starting point is 00:34:49 What are you talking about? He said it happened. Girls, I'm afraid you aren't the only ones who are captivated by President Trump and his beautiful wife, I said, kneeling to get on their level. The dialogue crackles with the authenticity of everyday life. Virtually everyone in this theater is here for the 7.30 p.m. showing, and it's been sold out for days. tears began to well up in their eyes. Nobody fucking saw this movie. But I said in a hush tone,
Starting point is 00:35:17 I happened to have a few extra tickets with me. And I'd like you and your dad have them. They jumped for joy and began hugging their father. He looked relieved as he wiped the sweat off his brow with a smile. I handed him the tickets and pulled him close. Raise these girls right, I whispered. Oh my God. Teach them to be classy, conservative women of faith.
Starting point is 00:35:39 Oh, my. Like me on you. Don't let them become like Megan Markle. Capish? He hugged me and thanked me profusely. What are you going to do now? He asked, don't worry about me, son. I told him with a twinkle in my eye.
Starting point is 00:35:52 I love to call people. I've already got tickets to the Knicks showing. Wow. Otherwise, I'm just going to be standing here in the lobby, creeping people out. Coming up to little girls in a theater. This slop, this sort of fairy tale slop that like now has become completely like common in conversations is just mind-boggling.
Starting point is 00:36:15 You mean true stories that actually definitely happens? Yeah, that's what I meant. That's what I meant. Accurately told. So his main thing these days is rage posting about the trial of a mother who, you know, during a fit of postpartum depression killed her children, a very complicated, sad, nuanced story that he's treating like the trial of the BTK killer and any, like, doubt thrown on whether she should herself be murdered in court is like proof that America has
Starting point is 00:36:46 lost its mind. But in between that, he came up for air to tell us about a little something that happened to him the other morning. He was out for a jog, but he doesn't just jog. He has, what we're going to later learn in the story is a magical weighted vest. Yeah, Miles. Do you want to take us through this story? Yeah. And just, you know, the background of this is, is obviously when Jelly Roll was guest hosting on Kimmel and decided to do, did some jokes about Trump. They weren't very nice. Yeah. About Dear Leader.
Starting point is 00:37:22 So that's why Jelly Roll is a topic in this weird reality. So this is Nick Adams. He just posted this a few days ago, quote, I was on a run, parenthetical, with a whited vest in the park earlier when I saw a group of Ginzy guys at the park having a small bonfire. I overheard them talking about Jelly Rolls' Dispeakable comments on Jimmy Kimmel. No, you didn't. I just wish you could just be like, no, the story's over.
Starting point is 00:37:48 That didn't happen. That didn't happen. It gets so much better. I know. Okay, let's go. I was disgusted by Jelly Rolls' divisive comments about the president, one said. Bras, I love his music. One of the others replied, tossing what appeared to be a CD into a small fire pit.
Starting point is 00:38:09 but I will never listen to any of it again. Slowing down, I approached them. Boys, what's the latest? I interjected. Are you trying to keep your heart rate up, you fucking loser? I couldn't help but hear you discussing Jelly Roll's performative leftist virtue signaling on Jimmy Kimmel. How people talk.
Starting point is 00:38:28 Go ahead. No, Cap, I never liked him. Beats a week and he's chopped A-F, one of the boys fired back. We are burning our CDs to show solidarity with DJT. again, really interesting shift in vernacular that the guy first, just saying, no Kappa never liked him, beats her weak and he's chopped A.F. Right.
Starting point is 00:38:47 We are burning our CDs to show solidarity with DJT. Oh, okay. Very j messy. People talk. Again, people talk. He goes on. Bonfire in the park. At the same time, and what time of day is he running?
Starting point is 00:38:58 Because are they having a morning bonfire? He posted this at four in the afternoon. So he said earlier, morning. Yeah, it could have been a sunrise, fuck jelly roll bonfire that we see all over the United States. He goes on, I looked closer and I saw a heap
Starting point is 00:39:15 of jelly roll CDs spanning his entire discography melting together in a fury of patriotism-fueled finds. He could tell that they spanned his entire discography through the fire. They were melted together. He could tell that it was a varied group of CDs.
Starting point is 00:39:32 Right. Yeah, I mean, I saw them all. Every single one is unbelievable. The other thing that makes me so mad about this, sorry to cut you off. Yeah. He did, he was, I saw the jelly roll clips. They were a compel. In fact, they were cowardly.
Starting point is 00:39:44 They were like incredibly middle of the road. You could tell, like, they were like, let's split the difference on this and just be like, I don't know. I don't think he's doing such a great job. It was like, it wasn't even anything. Yeah, it wasn't even a hemel fired. But yeah, it's because he, he just, he decided not to do the glazing. So he got, you know, nice, getting the heath.
Starting point is 00:40:05 Yeah. Sorry, they're melting together in a fury of. patriotism-fueled flames. Carry on, boys, I said as a smile grew across my face. I threw another 20 pounds into my vest. What? You should... We'll get...
Starting point is 00:40:17 What? Don't worry, Mono. Okay. I threw another 20 pounds into my vest. You should give Kid Rock a listen. He's infinitely more talented than Jelly Royal. Trust me. I dabbed them all up and broke into a dead sprint to finish out my run.
Starting point is 00:40:33 The kids are going to be all right. And. And scenes. scene and theme. Breaking into a dead spring after talking to having a good. There's so many great moments. I threw another 20 pounds into my vest. Into my vest.
Starting point is 00:40:48 From later. So, thank you. He's the Wichipungo. How do he just summon 20 pounds out of nowhere, out of thin air? He's the Wichipungo? Yeah, I literally was like, do they have weighted vests that somehow add weight? Like, but that would violate the laws of physics.
Starting point is 00:41:05 Absolutely. violate the laws of physics because yeah where does it where do those pounds hide you can't mass can't be created and destroyed yeah yeah exactly I thought at first he was saying like I like put the CDs in my vest because that
Starting point is 00:41:20 was a better use of them than trying to figure it out right but that's not what he said no no he just somehow said I'm actually way even more he's like at the end of the story I became somehow even more badass as I put another 20 pounds yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah I did a dead sprint it away
Starting point is 00:41:35 Sounds like a five-year-old telling you a lie about something. He's like, yeah, and then I put 20 pounds more in the vest, and I sprinted all the way up the mountain. Yeah, totally. Cool. All right, man. That's cool, man. It sounds like you get a cool birthday.
Starting point is 00:41:48 That's awesome. Totally. Genzy. Yeah, the kids are going to be all right. And they're all their CDs. There are many jelly roll CDs. It makes me, so it just both my mind because, like, you know, our insane president tells stories like this.
Starting point is 00:42:04 Like, they're like, it's very child. There's very, like, childlike stories with, like, insane exaggeration. Yeah. Right. Like, where, like, people tell him, like, thank you for everything you do. And that all lies. But it's so interesting that, like, it's, like, a shared characteristic of people who have no grasp on reality. Right.
Starting point is 00:42:21 Right. Yeah. I mean, this guy, I mean, that's the thing. Everyone's like, is this satirical? But this guy's ruined his career, like, doing anything serious, except for being, like, this maga just pundit. And that's gotten him into the. a Magaverse for sure. So he's successful in that way.
Starting point is 00:42:37 But like the way he talks, you're like, oh, this guy completely lost it. Yeah. Because it's not, because even, it's funny because people will be like, oh my God, I had a similar experience after I just, this is the replies to the tweet.
Starting point is 00:42:48 After I just finished my 100th straight rep of 2.95 on the bench press. And he said, many people are saying this is happening all across the nation. Some, another person just said, same exact thing happened to me. Nick Adams replies, there is a great awakening happening in our nation.
Starting point is 00:43:03 Right. Wow. So, Same exact thing happened. Yeah, dude, exactly, exactly. If he made that up, he, Michael Miff. And needs to hire him to doctor the heat two script
Starting point is 00:43:16 because his ear for dialogue is so on point. Yeah. That like, uh, oh yeah, mate. No cap. I never liked him beats a week and he's chopped a F. We are burning. He goes right from that to, we are burning our CDs to show solidarity with DGOT.
Starting point is 00:43:34 Right. right it feels like a definite like chat gpt it's like how would a like give me some hardcore gen Z slang
Starting point is 00:43:44 for some kids saying jelly roll sucks how do I say that in a Gen Z way okay he's chopped unk no cap
Starting point is 00:43:53 I never liked him beats our meat and he's chopped a yeah that's fucking garbage that is wild that is oh oh the stories were forced to listen to.
Starting point is 00:44:06 Yeah. But again, and like to create just, I mean, this, this is all part of that information ecosystem for conservatives to be able to even read something like this.
Starting point is 00:44:16 They go, oh shit. Okay, so there is, so there is, there are repercussions for jelly roll with the, the Gen Z bonfire crowd.
Starting point is 00:44:24 I wonder if this one gets printed out by the human printer and served to Donald Trump, you know? Right. I was saying that like, I feel like, Fortune 500 companies must have entire, like,
Starting point is 00:44:36 Trump glazing departments for, you know, finding ways to please their dear leader because that does, you know, help their bottom line in the end. And so I wonder if, like, that's what we're seeing is just people writing for an audience of one and, like, they just know specifically that he will believe this. He, like it sounds actually exactly right to me. It's like the way Google has changed the name.
Starting point is 00:45:03 of Lake Ontario to the other name, but only if you search it in America. So in the United States. So it's so interesting to me that it's like, we're living in such a stupid time that it's like, Google acknowledges it's not real, but they want to be buddy-buddy with the guy giving them billion dollar tax cuts.
Starting point is 00:45:20 So they're like, if you search it in the States, just make it say like America. It's too fucking stupid. Yeah. It's a very dumb, dumb world we live in. Dumb. Anyways, beautiful scene. happening out there. Put tears in my eyes.
Starting point is 00:45:35 Let's take a quick break. We'll be right back. The new Red Bull Dragonberry and Tropicberry Energizers, now at McDonald's, made with freeze-dried fruit and an electric burst of flavor. The all-new Red Bull Energizers, now at McDonald's. This product may not be right for you. High in caffeine. Details at McDonald's.cai at participating Canadian restaurants
Starting point is 00:46:02 excluding Quebec. When I was 14 years old, I was kidnapped and held captive for nine months. I survived, and I've spent my life exploring how other people survive what should have destroyed them. I'm Elizabeth Smart, and these are the survivor files. I just remember this low, taunting voice next to my ear saying, shut up, don't say anything. Every week, I'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable. I knew if he woke up, without a doubt, he was going to hurt me. I started feeling that there was someone at the end of my bed, and I just started screaming.
Starting point is 00:46:43 They are abducted, stalked, controlled, and nearly silenced. But these aren't stories about what's taken from them. There's stories about what it takes to make it out alive. Listen to the Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the new podcast, Solita, we share the message. reality of traveling alone as a woman. I can wait four hours for the next bus or this random dude is offering me a ride on his motorcycle.
Starting point is 00:47:15 I chose option B. I'm Julie Pinheiro and I travel by myself because it's a rare space where I can say yes without asking anyone else first. I'm on a mission to reclaim the word solita, trading the pity for possibility. Every time I tried to be alone, I kept meeting people and they were like, you smiled at us. Not a lot of people smile around here. It's when you're alone that you're most receptive to the world as it is and not the lies you're sold about it. It can be a time where you push your limits, change your mind, or wake up to a new version of yourself.
Starting point is 00:47:50 So whether you're a solo travel veteran or you're too nervous to book your first trip, I hope you listen to Solita on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If your bookshelf and your for-you page are equally important to your personality, welcome home. This is Prose Society, the weekly podcast that's part book club, part group chat for thought daughters, pop culture obsesives, and anyone who thinks Pride and Prejudice and Love Island deserve the same level of discourse. I'm Eli Rallo, and every week we're connecting the dots between books, the internet, and the conversations everyone can't stop having. I'm going to have to look up this story. I'm obsessed. From bestselling authors and your favorite book talk creators to the latest pop culture moments, nothing is off the table.
Starting point is 00:48:38 It's like if you can hide some real messages inside compelling characters, then that is a Trojan horse. Whether you're looking for literary deep dives, smart pop culture conversations, or a community of readers who love to think a little too much, you're in the right place. Listen to pro society on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your book.
Starting point is 00:49:00 podcasts. See you between the pages. Didn't catch the latest Roland Martin unfiltered podcast? Here's what you missed. And the argument is, do you want to win? If you don't win, you have no power. It's real. Those are the very people who I always say vote against their own economic interest and they complain about the very thing to receive.
Starting point is 00:49:22 It's raw. I knew that the issue of transgender athletes was not going well with a lot of black men. Roland Martin Unfiltered. I went off, I said, this is exactly what I'm talking about. Y'all going to scream at Chanel, but you don't want to see a black luxury company in the same vein. Catch Roland Martin's daily commentary on the Black Information Network.
Starting point is 00:49:47 12 seats, those are moving south. So you Democrats, you don't wait to 2030. You better be hitting the ground going hard in the South now. And download Roland Martin Unfiltered on the IHart Radio. Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. And we're back. We're back. And the most famous NFL player on the internet right now.
Starting point is 00:50:15 Yeah. It's crazy. I think you can say that. Yeah. Because of it's it's crossed over to people who don't even know about the NFL. No. 100% this is the most famous NFL player. Clearly the women that were involved knew nothing about the NFL.
Starting point is 00:50:28 Yeah. I know. Well, that's the thing about the NFL is also like people's faces are hidden by the helmet, something that he took advantage of by just. wearing the helmet everywhere. On every FaceTime call. Sorry. I'm a football player.
Starting point is 00:50:43 Dejaun Love, who allegedly scammed at least 26 women out of $1.3 million in four states by pretending to be a San Francisco 49ers wide receiver. And the way he did that was by wearing a San Francisco 49ers football helmet
Starting point is 00:50:59 everywhere he went. And like a hoodie trying to look like he just got out of practice with like the travel kit on. Yeah. Like wearing his helmet at Costco. Yeah. Oh, yeah, I'll play for the 49ers. Why would I wear this? Got to protect the goods.
Starting point is 00:51:13 Yeah. He was arrested by the FBI on federal fraud charges when the feds claimed that he enticed women into romantic correspondence on dating apps, specifically seeking genetically superior women, and then asked for money to put in lucrative investments. Wow. So. So the feds are going after men that are like, you know, victimizing. women now? No, no, no, just this specific thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They didn't like the look of him for
Starting point is 00:51:40 some reason. Sure, sure, sure. It's so fucking wild. This is 26 women. I know. Getting this like love bombing campaign turned into, now give me every dollar you have. It also seemed like he didn't meet with most of them. Did I pick up on that? Like, it seemed like, it's just a lot of messages. Yeah, it was a lot of messages back and forth. Yeah. I think that, I think that might be right. Because I think if they met him in person, they would be like, there's no way this motherfucker There are NFL players who were like as a joke like going and like working out on the beach with their helmet and stuff. But like they would work out without their shirt on and it's like, oh, that's what an NFL player looks like monster. Yeah, versus this guy who looks like me when I was 16.
Starting point is 00:52:24 Yeah, he looks like a normal, you know, 20 something. It looks like a guy who you would believe played sports at one point. Yeah, like high school. Yeah, high school sports. Yeah. Yeah. So he convinced people of his NFL cred with his
Starting point is 00:52:38 Instagram account, which is full of photos and videos of him doing things like carrying or wearing a 49ers helmet. Okay. You actually can't get one of those. No, I don't know. I haven't seen a millennial man's basement who's into the NFL ever.
Starting point is 00:52:54 I don't think I've ever seen a football helmet in that. He wasn't playing. So if people were like, why are you here at this at this bobo? At this New Orleans house buffet. Wait, wait a second. Aren't the 49ers playing on that TV right there?
Starting point is 00:53:10 Yeah, yeah. Yeah, it's this damn finger injury was his explanation. I love that finger injury. It makes sense. It's like, I mean, obviously, I can't kiss the ball on my finger. Yeah. So, yeah. Can we take a look at just a screencap of the video of his contract signing?
Starting point is 00:53:26 Oh, yes. Which takes place, as many contract signings do, at a coffee table in a random house. It does seem like for the most part, he has studied the Instagram accounts of like actual professional athletes and then just like taken certain signifiers. Yeah, that's, that's him. That looks like every major contract signing I've seen. Yeah. Where you're in a tiny chair in someone's apartment. Certainly not in the front office of the team you're signing for with the log gigantic logo behind you announcing to the world.
Starting point is 00:54:01 This is our new signing. It really feels like if you. like I used to make movies with, you know, my sister, like my neighbor because our family had a camcorder. Sure, sure. And like if we had to make a movie where like, I just got signed in the NFL, like this is the sort of that you would have the contract signing. Yes, it would be at your living room table. So like when it looked like it and you would like work out with the helmet on. Like it's like that level of.
Starting point is 00:54:27 Yeah. It's creative. It's creative at least. I just felt like when I was watching all of his videos and you'd be like, yeah, this is my Lambo. and like, you know, I have this house in Malibu, and then I have, like, I feel like actual rich people don't do that. Like, they don't have to be like, oh, yeah, and then I got this and this.
Starting point is 00:54:41 And, like, that was a lot of his account, too. And I'm like, rich people aren't, like, one, rich people don't, athletes don't want you to know where they live. Right. For sure. For sure. Like, they're not posting their house and random, you know. I just thought it was crazy of that.
Starting point is 00:54:54 Like, I don't, man, God bless these women. I mean, I think because we live in such a fake-ass world where perception is reality on social media, like, It really is easy. It's like, okay, I just need to show a few objects that are like wealth signifiers. Once I've done that, I can put those away. I can take the rental back. Because, I mean, this is like what the Tate brothers did too.
Starting point is 00:55:14 Like, their lawyer had to come on and be like, dude, they never had fucking like, sure, Bugatti money. They're just, they're posers on the internet, man. That's just how shit works. This video, though, of him that everybody's looking at of. The most infamous video is a beach workout. It's like he's seen Rocky 3. Oh my God.
Starting point is 00:55:33 And, like, he's seen that sometimes, like, players, athletes work out on the beach. He's clearly skipped leg day, I want to say. Yeah. Like, my legs are thicker than his. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. My son's legs are thicker. He's also giving, like, I got too much shit on me.
Starting point is 00:55:48 I don't want to even be around any more energy. All right. Here we go. Set. Hut, hut. Hite. Go. So slow out.
Starting point is 00:55:56 What the hell was that? He fell. He almost fell there. And who's throwing this ball? He falls him then. Yeah, no, like actual NFL players have quarterback throwing the ball to him. Someone who can throw a football at a speed that matches your ability to run. And the guy's like lobbing all wobbly to him.
Starting point is 00:56:15 It was like, it was me throwing the ball. I think another embarrassing thing about this is it's not that, like, it's not that hard to sleep with an actual athlete. Like I'm going to say, they're in these streets. Oh, yeah. So, like, that was funny. The girl that posted this was like, you guys are stuck with your, your dumb fuck boys. and I got this man. And I'm like, ma'am, it's not, like,
Starting point is 00:56:35 there are billions of athletes and they're not, they're out here. They're fluing everybody out places. Yeah. Sure. Sure. Yeah. Other things he did to prove he was rich besides the beach workout that looked official as hell because it had the little orange cones.
Starting point is 00:56:49 So, you know, you know he's a professional athlete. Where the fuck else is he can get those orange cones showed off his luxury car keys. No. I know. I'm lucky. Did he get those on eBay, just like a random fob? You can, yeah, they're like, if you want the newest one, they're like 150. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:57:07 Small investment you need to make versus buying a multi-100,000 car. Showed off his condo, which like looked like a pretty normal condo. But it did have one pretty unique feature, which was a normal bed that he claimed cost $8,000. Is that like, I wonder, so the bed that cost $8,000 is that, like, I think I remember Shaq had a bed that was like really expensive. because it had to be like huge. You know what I mean? That makes sense. I'm wondering if like that.
Starting point is 00:57:36 Wembe probably. Yeah, if that was like something he had in the back of his head. I'm just trying to understand his art. You know how it is, man. Like when you're five, nine, 150 pounds, you got to have a custom made bed, bro.
Starting point is 00:57:48 You know, just to be able to support that fucking mass that's going on there. And then so that I can like kind of understand. I can pick out like expensive bed. Like I'm sure a lot of professional athletes have to have like really expensive beds. Then there's a moment where he, shows how rich he is by filming a collection of Chucky dolls that are stashed against one of his walls. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:58:07 And I'm like, where the fuck is that coming from? Like, who is the professional athlete who he saw with like a weird collectible? That's the part. I'm like, tell me more about this, though. I mean, that I'm actually like respect. That seems like it's less the professional athlete and that's more Dijon love. Yeah. He's like a big Chucky fan.
Starting point is 00:58:28 Love Chucky. He's like, okay, so I'm like playing the role of a professional. athlete, what would I do if I signed a car at 25 Chucky dollar mint condition in my bedroom stacked against the wall, obviously, like any other athlete. That's like the one personal touch where he's like actually working with what he would do. I need to see him with 20,000 in Magic the Gathering cards.
Starting point is 00:58:51 Right. And then we're like, okay, this and this. Who is this man? You're probably calling, wondering what the balance of my deck is. Right. I usually go black, green. Okay, this holographic Charzard. It's a family heirloom. But that actually would make more set because Jake Paul has a $5 million
Starting point is 00:59:07 Pokemon or some shit like that. But Chucky Dolls is like so very specific. It's just this whole flex off that he does with the bed and then leads to the Chuckie Doll. This is so stupid. This is my bed. This is about an $8,000 bed. Oh my God.
Starting point is 00:59:27 It's like a college boys apartment. This TV's like $8,000. I love horror shit. Oh, I love horse shit. So these, each doll is about $2K. They give us these, um, for football.
Starting point is 00:59:40 For football. These are about $2,000 each. Those are those. They're like, like, leg compression. No rich person does this. I need y'all, like, like no rich person is like,
Starting point is 00:59:49 and here's my $2,000 this and here's my $2,000 that. Yeah, when you go to a rich person's house, usually you go, you start clocking things. Yeah, you're like, let me act like I've been here before. He got 40, yeah,
Starting point is 01:00:00 48K and Chuckie doll. What the fuck is he on? This is the Chuckie doll room. That is the most authentically like weird rich person in detail. I have a doll for my Chucky dolls. I have a room for my Chucky dolls. Obviously I'm a big Jennifer Tilly fan.
Starting point is 01:00:13 Yeah. So I have some sign memorabilia from Jennifer Tilly. Also, she was the bride of Chucky, the voice famously. Here's a lock of her hair. Yeah. Rich people do do that when making a video for their insurance company to be like, okay.
Starting point is 01:00:28 Yeah, yeah. This one's probably like. $5,000. Here's my $3 million of jewelry. But I mean, he had a good backstory as to how he could afford an $8,000 bed, motherfucking $8,000, probably $8,000 TV, motherfucker, $2,000 Chucky Dolls. Well, like many of the most famous players in the NFL, his family is one of the richest families in Switzerland.
Starting point is 01:00:49 Oh, okay. It's just like, you could. This is junior high liar shit. Yeah, yeah. Because like without the Switzerland thing, you could maybe be like, I just sign this contract, but now I have $10 million. So, like, I'm, you know, I'm living in an apartment, but like, here's, like, my Chudgy doll collection.
Starting point is 01:01:07 But to be like, I come from generational wealth. Let me spell that for you. And then have that apartment. It's like, I don't. Do you know who Friedrich love is? That's my father. And he named me Dejohn, after our great grandfather. He did show his targets fake bank accounts using the fake bank account pro.
Starting point is 01:01:30 app. All right, scammers. Good, great ad. I love that there are apps that just make it. Scaring people is like the number one growth industry in America. Totally. I'm going to get into it. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:01:44 To like make a app that is like makes the, it's like you're the invidia of scams. Yeah, right. You're just like supplying scammers with the thing they need. Like that's, that's smart. That's smart business. He's not the only, I don't know if you all saw the one with the person pretending to be Harry Stiles. that was another successful.
Starting point is 01:02:02 And he got money. He was getting money from women. And then another one is Keanu Reeves. God bless. If you think Keanu Reeves is in your DMs, I can't help you. He's not even in his own DMs. He's not even out. He's not out here.
Starting point is 01:02:15 Yeah, yeah. But no, and it's, and, you know, they are hitting up, like, lonely older, like grandmas and stuff. And it's also just wild too because, like, clearly this Dejan dude is also like a product of this social media age of online flexing and like the worst thing you could be is broke. Right.
Starting point is 01:02:33 So you do everything in your power to effort to project this like sort of image of like success and wealth. Yeah. And again, you end up just being a fucking weird guy. Yeah. But like it is also just so easy now for people to have been like, well, this is why I am in real life. But my online avatar is just rich NFL guy.
Starting point is 01:02:50 Yeah, yeah. And also like I'm actually now successfully scamming about over a million dollars by handing them to my 18-year-old friend who's like the financial consultant. That's right. I do think he probably would have pulled it off if he was fair amount maxing. Nobody would have been able to figure it out through that smokescreen. But I will say, as much as we're saying, like, we wouldn't fall for this. There is somebody who did fall for it.
Starting point is 01:03:16 And that is Google. Google fell for it because people were like, why didn't people just Google him for themselves? Right. And there are screen caps where. If you, like, searched his name, Google's, like, AI answer was said that he, Dejan Love is a wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers. And information about his position, contract, and teammates texting habits is available online for some reason. So, I mean, obviously, the AI is hallucinating and having trouble. He's also associated with the team through various social media content and articles, position, wide receiver, team.
Starting point is 01:03:55 team 49ers. So I mean, again, amazing work by Google. Change your business from, you know, finding the most trustworthy sources on the internet to a single answer that is frequently so wrong that it aids and abets a serial scam. Right, right. Yeah. I also feel like would he have gotten away with this if he didn't, he took their money and said, and it was on investments. Yeah. But I think they, he wouldn't have gotten in trouble maybe if he would just took it. Does that make sense? But it was the investing part. that he was like keeping touch with them and like being like I'm holding on to this but like we're growing this. They gave it to them.
Starting point is 01:04:30 They gave him the money specifically for investments. Right. Like he said, oh, I have this stock option that's going to help you. This is going to blow up. And they gave him the money for that. Yeah, because the whole thing was the financial advisor, he's like, I'm going to set you up with my guy. Sure. This 18 year old guy, he's like, and he's got the fucking, he's got the matrix figured out so you can turn your money like 10x your investment with me, which is so funny.
Starting point is 01:04:53 Because in these other videos. that you see of him where he's like talking to like Mark, like a Mark, he's trying to, he's trying to sort of set it up like, yeah, you know, like I'm very interested in you and like, this is serious if we're together, you know, so like I have to ask you a couple questions. And I don't, and I'm not going to judge you based on these answers. Yeah. So don't feel judged. Um, but the first question he asks these potential lovers, I think is pretty telling.
Starting point is 01:05:16 All right. Here's this is, this is his key to got to ask you something, you know, if like, if we're going to be together. Do you want to know specifics? You could ask me and I'll be specific, but my first question is this. To be my girlfriend. So how much would you say you make on average per month, like an average? My second question is how much are your bills every month on average?
Starting point is 01:05:38 Like, cell phone, rent, whatever it is that you pay every month on average, that's an expense. My third question is, are you any debt? Credit card, debt, car loan, hospital bills, student loans, whatever. Fourth question is, like, what would you say your credit is? good, bad, fair, whatever. I'm not judge you off for the answer that you give. I'm just trying to understand. And the last question is,
Starting point is 01:06:02 what would you say your savings account is right now that you have access to that you can go out and touch? Hey, so how liquid are you? Hey, Ma, you wet? And by that, I mean, how liquid are you? I can't imagine a man before I go on a date asking this. Like, what is your savings account? I mean, like,
Starting point is 01:06:23 Like, what is the number? Yeah. And the routing number. Basically, sorry. Really, how much money can you send right this moment? Also, it's funny because, like, he's shooting himself like low angle. Low angle. And the background sound, though, I'm pretty sure that's a YMCA that he's.
Starting point is 01:06:40 Yeah. You can hear like a children's playing. Yeah. Like Icarus flying too close to the sun on wax wings branded with the 49ers logo, his laughable props were his downfall because the feds noticed he had spent over $1,160 at a website specializing in custom football helmets
Starting point is 01:06:59 when they got a hold of his. And so many other things too. He was like he was buying fake money. Yeah. Bot followers. Just they're like, oh, it sounds like you have all the,
Starting point is 01:07:09 the tools you need for this ruse that you're saying. A fake bank account.com should probably have given them. But yeah, a lot of NFL players are clowning him. And the Mets even referenced him.
Starting point is 01:07:23 They said running like Dejan Love when somebody, when they were showing a clip of somebody doing a bad job running the bases. And people are also selling custom Desjon Love jerseys and rookie cards. Damn. Which it's just like, it's wild too, like that this is also, this is just a common thing of this like lover boy scam that happens. Yeah. Like, and it's so pervasive. And there's so many examples of it because it's always like some form of like, I thought he like really. liked me and like he showed me on these things that could be our life.
Starting point is 01:07:56 Then he's like, you need to fucking send me money. Yeah. Or like I'm going to get crazy. It's like the Tinder swindler. Did you all watch that documentary? Oh, yeah. It was a guy that did this, literally this. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:08:08 And they're not targeting rich people. They're like cleaning people's bank account. Yeah, yeah. Like really fucking people over. Yeah. And yeah. It's not even very sad, but also amazing what he thought he could get away with and what he was getting away with until he flew to a little.
Starting point is 01:08:23 People have pointed out that he did this entire scam without AI. So it can be done. Wow. He's legendary whole of scammer. I almost applauded him. Right? Yeah. But then I'm like,
Starting point is 01:08:33 a tepid applause. No AI. Like he could, because now, because this has been going on for years. And now with how AI is, he could have been putting himself. Because everyone was like,
Starting point is 01:08:42 why aren't you in the roster? He could have put himself in the roster. Right. But he didn't. Exactly. Because he was anti the data centers. I actually don't know how to use it. He got one big assist from AI and it wasn't him using it.
Starting point is 01:08:53 It was Google. Right, right, right. It was Google. Fucking up their answers by being like, I don't know, he's apparently a wide receiver for the. If I was a scammer and that came up, I would have done a fucking backflip. I was so happy. I'm like, oh, fuck. He posted, he was like, that's Google saying it. That ain't me.
Starting point is 01:09:08 Yeah, it's Google saying it. So. So. Yeah. And also, don't ask to see a highlight tape at all of me in college, high school or the NFL. Right. Because I can't do it. That's right.
Starting point is 01:09:19 Yeah. His backstory was that he was like working. His best friends are like the five best wide receivers of all time. He said like Tyree Kill, he was like, my boy. He was like working out with them and they were like, God damn, you're faster than Tyree Kill. It's like, really? Well, based on that video. None of them follow him.
Starting point is 01:09:36 The team doesn't follow him. Yeah. So many people are jealous. They're jealous. Did you see that one, that lady who was on Temptation Island who got busted for saying she was like in the Duke Physicians Assistant Program? Nope. There was this like woman who was on like. you know,
Starting point is 01:09:52 uh, Angel Murdoch was her name. She was originally like on a reality show and then she kind of kept like, she kept this new grift up where she was saying she was in the physician's assistant program at Duke and was like, he was like, get ready with me for my psych rotation or whatever. And then little did she know this program has less than a hundred people in it.
Starting point is 01:10:12 Right. So people started like she was already kind of famous. And then people in the program were like clocking that she was saying she was in. And like, have, have any of you seen her? Right. And she posted like a grader.
Starting point is 01:10:21 graduation photo. That I did see. Yeah. And people were like, running by the real graduation. Like throwing out. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Exactly.
Starting point is 01:10:29 And then like the class historian for that class was like, I'm the class historian and I'm also a black woman. I know every black person in this program. Sure. So there's no way I wouldn't notice another black woman in this program. Yeah. And I'm and I feel bad that you have to do this. But it's just like, again, there's just like this version of reality that people are so
Starting point is 01:10:48 addicted to like these outside perceptions that you just fucking by. any means will just go deeper and deeper. I don't know how they think people aren't. Fycithoscopes and shit or fake helmets or whatever. How do they, how do, like, we're in 2026, how do you think people aren't going to find this out?
Starting point is 01:11:02 People find old tweets from like random celebrities. They're going to find this out about you. Yeah. It all depends on your audience, right? So like, if you're an influencer trying to do it with a younger audience, that's that you probably have a smaller, or a shorter shelf life for the bullshit.
Starting point is 01:11:15 Whereas like, you're going after vulnerable people who are lonely, who it doesn't matter. The fact that you are talking to, them is enough. Yeah. That's the better mark. I would be interested in seeing the average age of his, the people he was going after in six years. Some of them were young though. One of them was kind of hot. I'm like, babe, you can do better than that was the one that's been speaking to like the news and stuff. She's kind of young and hot. So I'm like, babe. If you get a Halloween, this is going to be
Starting point is 01:11:42 a good viral Halloween costume. Fake 49ers. Fake 409 or shitty fake money. Having a bunch of Chuckie dolls is my costume. That would be so good. Chucky boxes. The Chucky doll is the deep cut for the real head. They're like, who's that? Like, wait. Dejohn, I'm like, come on. Come on.
Starting point is 01:11:59 Why would I have $2,000 in Chucky Dolls, fam? All right. That's going to do it for this week's weekly zeitgeist. Please like and review the show if you like the show. It means the world to miles. He needs your validation, folks. I hope you're having a great weekend. and I will talk to you Monday.
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