The Philip DeFranco Show - How Panic Made The Hantavirus Outbreak Worse

Starting point is 00:00:00 Sop, you beautiful bastards. Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco show. You daily dive into the news. It is Thursday. What a week it's been. I can't even be bothered to lean in today. I'm going to sit back. I recommend you do as well, because we have a lot to talk about today, starting with this.

Starting point is 00:00:15 The FBI just rated Virginia State Senator L. Louise Lucas's Portsmouth Office and her cannabis dispensary for reasons we still don't know yet. But she hasn't been charged with anything so far, but you do have some reports saying that this is tied to an ongoing investigation of corruption and bribery that actually started during the Biden administration. It's believed this might be related to her cannabis business, but the specifics there are kind of shaky right now. As far as the response to all this, everyone from Governor Abigail Spanberger to Virginia's Attorney General to Senator Lucas, they appear to be just as clueless as we are. Because again, no charges, no details. And as far as we know, no evidence that points to any crime. So everyone kind of seems to be in the dark here.

Starting point is 00:00:46 But some people, including lawmakers, they're starting to say that none of that even matters because this is more about the power play than the investigation itself. In fact, you had Lucas responding to the raid on social media saying, today's actions by federal agents are about far more than one state senator. They are about power and who is allowed to use it. What we saw, if it's a clear pattern from this administration, when we challenged, then they tried to intimidate. You also had Representative Robert C. Scott saying it must be acknowledged that this FBI raid occurs in the broader context of President Trump's repeated abuse of the Department of Justice

Starting point is 00:01:13 to target his perceived political opponents. And with that, you have a lot of people nodding along, because, as we've seen, it really doesn't take any real evidence for Trump to bring out the FBI. Just yesterday, you had a judge shooting down a request to return the balance that the FBI took from Fulton County in connection with his six-year obsession with his loss in 2020. And again, I want to stress, we do not know if Lucas was actually engaged in corruption. We're not saying anything there. But right now, you've got a lot of people saying that anyone who is not kissing the ring

Starting point is 00:01:35 could get an FBI visit at this point. And a lot of people pointing to those who have or they've bent the knee, all of a sudden getting a pardon. All of a sudden, that problem disappears. And then you've got people pointing to the fact that Lucas is one of Virginia's top lawmakers with 30 years in the game and she's not afraid to let the Trump administration happen. Rachia has been a very vocal proponent of Virginia's redistricting referendum.

Starting point is 00:01:53 So you've got Lucas saying, this is a very vocal proponent of Virginia's raid was basically Trump making an example out of her. The lesson here, talk shit, get raided. However, in her statement, she also said she was proud to lead that effort and that she's never been afraid to stand up to Donald Trump or anyone else that has tried to undermine our democracy. But then also on the notary districting, we then have to talk about how Tennessee voters were raised in hell yesterday. Right, and they were at the legislative hearing about the new maps they just passed that split up the state's only Democratic district, which just so happens to sit on a majority black city, Memphis.

Starting point is 00:02:20 Is there anything that can do or say to get you to the league? Right in this coming, after the Supreme Court got to the Voting Rights Act and started this domino effect as states trying to redraw their maps that critics say water down Democratic votes. Though their state house speaker says that this was a move to make redistricting more colorblind. But there, you had Tennessee Democrats, you know, not buying it. We know the intention here is to be racist. It is to take the only majority black district out of the United States Congress and it is to allow for white representation and white majority districts to exist, period. And regardless of your opinion there,

Starting point is 00:02:57 Tennessee Republicans, they have made their end game clear. We want Republicans to maintain control of the House of Representatives. So no surprises there. They are saying that Tennessee is a conservative state and their congressional delegation should reflect that. But Democrats in the state, they're saying something very different. Our needs are nowhere near the same as a rural community and nowhere near the same as other parts of Tennessee.

Starting point is 00:03:16 And that's why we have our own congressional district. And also the bigger issue that people are calling out is that no one had any idea what these maps could actually look like up until this point. This process has been done completely in secrecy to deny the public and representatives and elected officials the opportunity to understand what's really going on. This has been done entirely in secrecy, and when you're doing something wrong, that's what you do.

Starting point is 00:03:35 You hide what you're doing. We were making the most fundamental decision that affects the people. Who gets to speak for them? And we're doing it in a room where the people were entirely absent. And now we're finally saying the new map split Memphis into three parts and will likely push the Democratic Representative Stephen Cohen out of his seat. So now you've got many wondering if those representatives are going to have any incentive to actually pay attention to those voters or any attention to the city. By breaking up our district into three different

Starting point is 00:04:01 separate congressional districts, there's no way we can get fair representation. And now that the new maps would pass, Tennessee is the 13th state with an all-Republican congressional delegation adding to the GOP's red wall. And while that wall, I will say, is very likely safe, there are cracks among the base. And it involves even Republicans wondering if democracy is holding up under Trump's second term, if the Republican Party can be anything more than a cults of personality that is connected to Trump. And it's becoming yet another front in the mega civil war. And that's actually something that we saw Tucker Carlson, who's become one of the biggest soldiers in that war hitting on in the most recent episode of his show where he interviewed Representative

Starting point is 00:04:35 Thomas Massey of Kentucky. Because Massey has become one of Trump's main targets within his party after he split on a number of issues. Though easily the biggest nail on the coffin is that Massey's been leading the charge to get the Epstein files release. And Trump, he's launched an all-out crusade against Massey, calling him disloyal and a loser while repeatedly pushing for him to be defeated in his upcoming May 19 primary. I mean, Trump literally created a whole pack just devoted to defeating Massey and outside groups have spent millions of dollars on this one single primary. But also I'll say Trump's war on Massey, it sparked significant backlash from members of his MAGA base who agree with Massey's points. For people who think that it's crazy that the president is trying so hard to destroy him,

Starting point is 00:05:07 just because he doesn't blindly agree with everything Trump says and wants to release the Epstein files. And that's something that you had Tucker really highlighting in his show, arguing that Trump's betrayed the Americans who brought him back to power. And young voters in particular, or with Carlson noting that young people voted for Trump because he ran on his whole anti-establishment platform predicated on standing up to the system and draining the swamp. But now Trump's just fully swimming in it. And so you have Tucker saying that those voters, they really want someone like Massey. who will stay true to their values and stand up against the establishment. Thomas Massey has made good on the promises that Donald Trump made to the nation,

Starting point is 00:05:38 to these very same people who supported him in 2024, and he's stuck with it. Thomas Massey is a better standard bearer for Trumpism, for the America First ideology that Donald Trump ran on three times that Donald Trump is. And so you would think at this point, Thomas Massey would have the full support of the Republican establishment in Washington. Oh, no. Just the opposite. He has become the number one enemy

Starting point is 00:06:06 of the Trump administration. Right, and then he went on to claim that Massey first began to fall from Trump's graces two years ago after doing an interview on Tucker's show. And during that interview, Massey talked about how he refused to bend the knee to A-PAC,

Starting point is 00:06:16 the main pro-Israel lobby. And Hugh Tucker, arguing at those remarks, ignited a sweeping effort by various pro-Israel interests to oust Massey from office. All of which leads to where we are right now, which is a moment where a Republican

Starting point is 00:06:28 congressional primary in Kentucky is the single most important political race of the year. Because if they are successful in doing this, crushing a man, defaming a man, slandering a man, attacking his family, purely for the crime of telling the truth about them,

Starting point is 00:06:50 about how they operate, about the nature of the Epstein class, then you have to wonder, why are we voting in the first place? What is the point? point of all of this. That's not democracy. It's not even, it's not even a poor facsimile of democracy. It's just straight up, teeth-beared oligarchy. It's shut up and obey. With Tucker then going even further, essentially arguing that Massey's primary is not only an important litmus test for

Starting point is 00:07:18 the midterm elections and Trump's control over the Republican Party, but also for the future of America. This primary is more than a primary. It's a window into what MAGA has become and it's a referendum, I would argue on democracy itself. And specifically, Ed Carlson, noting that Massey won his last few primaries with massive amounts of the vote over 70 and 80 percent. But now he's leading the poll by one percentage point. And with that, you had Massey arguing that the only thing that's changed in this primary is that pro-Israel groups have spent millions of dollars campaigning against him. So the real reason that this race is a serious race and I may lose is because a foreign lobby has fully funded to the extent that they've never done.

Starting point is 00:07:58 in any Republican race ever before my opponent. And so you're right, this is a referendum. It's a referendum. The question we're putting to the people is, are you going to let a foreign country or lobbyists for that foreign country buy a seat in Kentucky and displaced the one congressman

Starting point is 00:08:18 who will tell you what's in the bills, who will explain his votes, I explain all of my votes, especially on controversial bills, on social media. It's where anybody can see. So your position is that it's not your position as much as it's the fact

Starting point is 00:08:35 you're willing to disclose what's actually happening behind the scenes. Correct. The crime is transparency. It's not obstructionism. Beyond that, you also had Massey accusing Trump going after him for staying true to his positions that Trump himself once held but then flip-flopped on.

Starting point is 00:08:49 In all of these circumstances that I'm going to describe to you, where I don't vote with the party, I'm actually taking a position that Donald Trump has, had less than two years ago. Look, the president's own children, the vice president, the FBI director, and the president himself said that they would release the Epstein files. And now I worked harder than anybody else to get it done and got it done. And on the topic of Epstein,

Starting point is 00:09:12 Massey said that this whole thing is another one of the biggest reasons that Trump's turned on him, claiming that when he first introduced the Epstein Transparency Act, he had dozens of Republican co-sponsors, but most all of them chickened out because of pressure from Trump. And then he also gave us this little bit where he said that he heard something for Marjorie Taylor Green about a conversation she had with Trump regarding the files. He also told her that if she insisted on following through this with this, she was going to hurt his friends. She told me the day he told her that. Heard whose friends? Uh, the president Trump's friends. When Tucker asked why Trump had become so belligerent about releasing the files, something that he literally campaigned on,

Starting point is 00:09:48 you saw Massey say this. It's the people who are funding the ballroom, the people who are funding the arch, the people who are funding the rebranding of the Kennedy Center. These are the people who are also funding my opponent. These are the people who have the ear of the president. These are the people who are changing, dominating our foreign policy decisions. They're the billionaires. And these are also the same people who are in the Epstein files. By large part, or their friends are. With this, both Massey and Carlson say that most Republican voters agree with Massey, not Trump, on these key issues. If you'd asked most Fox News voters, viewers, who were Trump voters, if you'd ask them two years ago, like, state what you believe on the issues, I'd think there'd be

Starting point is 00:10:33 pretty close to 100% overlap between you and those people. Absolutely. Yeah. So I don't feel like your views have changed. Might have never changed regardless of who the president is or who the speaker is. But Trumps have changed dramatically. At least, the disconnect between what he said he was going to do, what he's doing is shocking. With Massey also arguing at the funding that he's received for his campaign this cycle is further evidence that Trump is out of touch with the MAGA base. I've got, and this is miraculous. I think, you know, you called it a referendum.

Starting point is 00:11:05 I think it may be a movement within the MAGA movement is what we're seeing, because I've got over 33,000 donors and the average donation is less than $94. These people, they don't have a lot of money to give, but they can't be intimidated, right, by the White House. Now, as far as hard dollar campaign money from real people, I've raised over $5 million this election cycle, which is probably more than I've raised in the entire time that I've been in Congress. But of course, we're going to have to wait to see how the May 19th primary plays out. Where will Trump prove that he has a chokehold over the party that when combined with millions of dollars from outside sources is strong enough to sway elections against Republicans

Starting point is 00:11:43 who defect? Or is there enough of a base in Kentucky's 4th District who were pissed off at Trump, who believed that he betrayed them, who see what Massey's doing, as what they're actually wanting. Massey's primary specifically is going to be very consequential in many ways. It will give key insights into whether this war actually poses an existential threat to the Republican Party in Trump's administration. Though then also actually, on the note of threats to the administration, that brings me to another very important piece of news that we have to talk about today.

Starting point is 00:12:07 Because the Atlantic, right, the magazine, they just fired another shot in their escalating war with FBI director Cash Patel. With it all starting, of course, after they put out an article citing over two dozen sources who said that Patel drinks excessively is often missing or difficult to wake up in the morning and is prone to erratic behavior. And Patel then sued the Atlantic and his reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick for defamation. Though that also doesn't seem like where it ends, because according to MS now, the FBI opened a criminal leak investigation under the article,

Starting point is 00:12:30 even though none of the information that was published was actually classified. But well, now, after all of that, Fitzpatrick apparently went, oh, so you want more? And she just published another article citing eight sources who claim that not only does Patel have a drinking problem, he favors a specific drink that I can really only describe as, well, let's call it cringe. But very on brand, very fucking Patel, personalized, bottles of bourbon engraved with the words cash Patel FBI director, his nickname Cash with a dollar sign for the S and an FBI shield in the talons of an eagle with the number nine, presumably,

Starting point is 00:13:00 because he's the ninth FBI director. And you could actually see it right here in this photo because one of the bottles popped up at an auction site and the Atlantic bought it. And according to the sources that Fitzpatrick heard from, it is not unusual for Patel to travel with the supply of these things and hand them out his gifts to FBI staff as well as just civilians, even while on official business. In fact, they say that he's even used a Department of Justice plane to transport the whiskey, for example, when he flew to Milan to chug beer with the U.S. men's hockey team. But also, despite what appears to be his generosity, apparently Patel can sometimes get possessive over his bottles. Right, because Fitzpatrick reports that back in March, he brought at least

Starting point is 00:13:32 one case of bourbon to the FBI's training facility in Quantico, and in the words of one source, it quickly turned into a shit show. We were reportedly there for a training seminar, which really just meant UFC fighters teaching martial arts to FBI agents, because, you know, that's how you keep America safe. You had sources reportedly saying that at one point, at least one of Patel's precious bottles went missing, which caused him to, quote, lose his mind. With one retired agent telling Fitzpatrick that multiple others contacted him for legal guidance after Patel began threatening to polygraph and prosecute a staff over the missing bottle. And you have attorneys adding that they've gotten similar calls from FBI employees regarding concerns about Patel's

Starting point is 00:14:04 bottles. Now, it is unclear whether Patel ever found this bottle or if he is still searching for it till this day. But what is clear is that if this is true, this is a clear pattern of fratbro alcoholism, crave and self-promotion and petty childish paranoia. At the very least, it's unbecoming of an FBI director and undercuts the agency's culture of quiet professionalism. At most, it sounds like an insane place that can derail very, very important business that keeps people safe. Cash Patel sounds like he's having the cringiest drunk uncle midlife crisis ever. And that's as the FBI has traditionally taken a zero tolerance approach to unauthorized use of alcohol on the job and the misuse off duty, which is also probably why

Starting point is 00:14:37 you had one agent telling Fitzpatrick that it's demoralizing, saying that Patel's conduct suggests one set of standards for the director and another for the rest of the And they added that many agents worry that if Patel offered them a bottle and they didn't accept it enthusiastically, they're going to get polygraphed for loyalty. Now that said, in response to all this, you had an FBI spokesperson not denying Patel's bottle gifting practice, but they argued that, hey, it's normal, saying, senior bureau officials have long exchanged commemorative items and formal gift settings consistent with ethics rules. But with that, you had Fitzpatrick writing, when I reached a former longtime senior FBI official to ask whether he'd ever seen personally branded liquor bottles distributed by a previous FBI director, he burst out laughing. And she said,

Starting point is 00:15:14 that several other sources back that up, saying that it is simply unheard of. But again, and you know this, especially if you've listened to our Patel coverage in the past, it's not just the bottles. One senior official who's suing the Bureau for wrongful termination claimed that Patel gave him an abnormally large challenge coin, inscribed with that words director on top and cash with the dollar sign Patel on the bottom. And other source told Fitzpatrick that Patel sent out cash branded merch boxes containing hats, socks, and other items depicting the Punisher comic book character. And still, to this day, an online merch store that he co-founded sell stuff like fight with cash,

Starting point is 00:15:43 Punisher's scarves and government gangsters playing cards. You know, stuff super cool guys would probably buy. Oh man, if you ever meet someone that's wearing cash Mattel merch, please just ask them what their wife's boyfriend's name is. They'll either have an answer for you or they're too stupid to realize you're dunking on them. And then there's more we've got to dive into in just a minute, but first let me thank a sponsor and say, you know, I get asked a lot whether Zbiotics pre-alcohol actually works and yes, it does. Right. And today's sponsor Zbiotics pre-alcohol probiotic, I love using them because it genuinely helps with those rough necks morning. Right. And this isn't one of those drink more water and manifest wellness type fixes.

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Starting point is 00:17:00 Future you will be very grateful. And then diving right back into the news. The world is anxiously waiting to find out whether the US and Iran are actually about to strike a deal. And also the people of Lebanon and Gaza, they're waiting to find out where the Israeli military is going to strike next, even as ceasefires officially remain in place and talks continue. But starting with the U.S. and Iran, at least as a recording, Iran's reviewing the latest U.S.

Starting point is 00:17:20 proposal to end this war and is soon expected to deliver its response via Pakistan. Well, neither country has said what is included in this proposal, you had Axios reporting that the two sides were nearing an agreement on a one-page 14-point memorandum of understanding to gradually open the straight-over moves over 30 days, while also hammering out a more detailed and long-term agreement. Sources saying that the memo provided a framework for this deal, which they suggested would involve Iran agreeing to restrictions on its nuclear program and the U.S. lifting its sanctions and releasing billions of dollars in frozen Iranian funds. But while we wait for the official response,

Starting point is 00:17:49 you've also had some Iranian officials suggesting that the regime is just still unwilling to agree to Trump's terms. So notably, they specifically called out the terms as told to axios by unnamed sources. With one key lawmaker, for example, describing them as more of an American wish list than a reality and his propaganda aimed at justifying Trump's retreat from his recent hostile action. And then you would Iran's chief negotiator expressing a similar sentiment, we'll call it, on a Twitter writing, God, we're gonna all look so stupid in the history books. Operation Trust Me, Bro, fail. Now back to routine with Operation Fokios.

Starting point is 00:18:19 Or with the first of those seeming to a reference project, Freedom, which was the Operation the Trump announced on Sunday, to guide commercial ships through the Strait of her moves. So we did that only to then suddenly pause that mission roughly 36 hours after it began. Right, reportedly only two merchant vessels made their way through under U.S. protection. They followed two naval destroyers, along with other American naval assets. They also pawed off Iranian attacks that also targeted other commercial ships,

Starting point is 00:18:39 a residential building in Oman and an oil facility in the UAE. But still, you had the White House putting Defense Secretary Pete Hegset out there to hype up Project Freedom, saying that the lane was clear. But then, only a few hours later, you had Trump hitting that kill switch, saying the decision was actually based on the request of Pakistan and other countries, on the tremendous military success that the U.S. has had against Iran and the fact that great progress had been made toward a complete and final agreement with Iran. But you've since had NBC News reporting that Trump's sudden reversal might have actually had

Starting point is 00:19:05 more to do with the reaction from Saudi Arabia. With them reporting that his announcement of the mission surprised and angered the country's leaders, leading them to deny the American military use of its bases in airspace to carry out the operation. And reportedly, even a call between Trump and his buddy Muhammad Bonesaw failed to resolve that issue, so we backtracked. And while you've since had a Saudi source telling the Guardian that it's not true that his country denied access, you also had another one telling the Associated Press that it is true. Side note, isn't it fun and by fun, I mean stupid and horrifying that at the highest levels of everything,

Starting point is 00:19:34 it still all feels like high school? It's just that instead of like prom and the high school quarterback, it's like a cold or active wars with the threat of nuclear weapons and war criminals. But I digress, right? That would just kind of be the latest example of the administration taking action, potentially affecting allies without letting them know. Though there, even people in his administration, they're seeming to have a hard time staying on the same page as Trump. Who, by the way, has been continuing to claim, as he has for weeks, that the war could end very soon, that Iran wants to make a deal very, very badly. that if a deal isn't reached with the United States, that it's going to go back to bombing the country

Starting point is 00:20:08 even more aggressively than before. With him also somehow take an issue with the claim yesterday that Iran has refused to submit. You're facing an opponent right now in Iran that has refused to submit. You seem optimistic now and you may be closer to a deal. What's different about this moment now than in other moments where a deal has seemed close?

Starting point is 00:20:25 Well, why do you say they refuse to submit? You don't know that. You don't know what's going on. They were firing on U.S. ships a few days ago. Yeah, a few days ago is a long time ago. You know? In the world of the world, of war a few days ago, no, they want to make a deal badly,

Starting point is 00:20:38 and we'll see if we get there. But as we wait to see, you know, whatever happens, you reportedly have several people close to Trump that are pushing him to, quote, finish the job in Iran by seeking out the rest of the regime's conventional military assets. And they're apparently even arguing that this could be done before Trump travels to China next week

Starting point is 00:20:51 for a meeting with Xi Jinping. And as far as Trump, you know, while it's not clear if he's open to attacking again, though he threatens a lot, he has previously argued that his blockade is more effective. Though I will say, notably, you just had the Washington Post reporting today that his own intelligence assessments

Starting point is 00:21:03 suggests that Iran can survive the U.S. naval blockade for at least three to four more months before facing more severe economic hardship. And again, also finding that Iran retains significant ballistic missile capabilities, which is a reporting that stands out because you had Trump claiming yesterday that Iran probably only has 18 or 19 percent of its missiles left. But one official told the post that they might have 75 percent of its pre-war inventories of mobile launchers and about 70 percent of its pre-war stockpiles of missiles. And there's also reportedly evidence that the regime's been able to recover and reopen almost all of its underground storage facilities, repair some damaged missiles, and even assemble new missiles that were almost complete when the war began. So yeah, while Iran may really want a deal, it also might not be desperate enough to compromise as much as Trump wants them to.

Starting point is 00:21:39 But in the meantime, you have Pakistan still pushing for peace with a spokesperson with a foreign ministry saying today, we hope the settlement will be soon rather than later. And later, you had Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson saying Iran was reviewing messages mediated by the Pakistani side and adding, we have not yet reached a conclusion and no response has been given to the American side yet. But while we wait for an update on that, we should also talk about the potential progress and negotiations between Israel and level. Right because you had newsbreaking today that officials from both sides will meet for a third round of talks next week in Washington You had Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying this week that he thinks that a peace deal is imminently achievable while also adding The problem with Israel and Lebanon is not Israel or Lebanon. It's Hezbollah

Starting point is 00:22:14 Saying what has to happen in Lebanon what everybody wants to see is that you have a Lebanese government with a capability to go after Hezbollah and take Hezbollah apart But notably some in the Lebanese government which actually declared Hezbollah's military activities illegal on March 2nd argue that their efforts to disarm the group they've been undermined by Israel's continued attacks on the country. Because as we've talked about, despite the ceasefire, the Israeli military in Hezbollah, they have continued to exchange fire in southern Lebanon. But you've also had Israeli troops occupying territory, destroying homes, infrastructure, entire villages, and ultimately, according to many experts, applying what's become known as the Gaza model.

Starting point is 00:22:45 And with all this, the Israeli military may be targeting one group in particular, Shiite Muslims. They make up the majority of southern Lebanon and they're part of the same branch of Islam as Hezbollah. And with all this, even though Israel issued blanket evacuation guidance when the fighting began a couple of months ago, publicly urging all civilians to flee to the north, Israeli officials reportedly delivered a very different message in private. They reportedly told various Christian and Drew's communities that they could stay inside the evacuation zone, while also calling on them to force out any Lebanese from the neighboring Shiite Muslim communities who've taken refuge in these communities as the Israeli military demolishes their own towns. So of course, with all that, you have rights groups arguing that

Starting point is 00:23:17 at least some of Israel's actions may amount to war crimes. And overall, since the ceasefire began, the death toll in Lebanon since early March has risen from around 2,300 to roughly 2,700, including hundreds of women and children, according to the Lebanese health ministry. And with that you have the Israeli military claiming to have killed 220 Hezbollah members over that time. And that's as you have Israeli authorities saying that the overall death toll on their side since early March is 20, including 17 soldiers, a security person and two civilians. And also, while during this ceasefire, keep doing air quotes, Hezbollah is mostly refrained from attacking Israeli territory and Israel's refrain from striking Lebanon's capital, Beirut.

Starting point is 00:23:47 It appears to be at least until now. With Israeli forces striking Beirut's southern suburbs yesterday for the first time since the ceasefire began. And with that, they claim to have killed the commander of Hezboa's most elite fighting. And you had Israeli Prime Minister B.B. Netanyahu saying in a statement alongside the country's defense minister, no terrorist has immunity. The long arm of Israel will reach every enemy and murderer. So even though these talks are technically moving forward, for many, it doesn't look like there's any reason to suggest that Israel's going to stop anytime soon. Especially when you consider what's still happening in Gaza. Right, with an Israeli airstrike there this week, killing the son

Starting point is 00:24:15 of Hamas's top negotiator and the U.S.-led talks that are taking place right now in Egypt involving Trump's so-called Board of Peace. Right. And that son, he's actually this guy's fourth kid to have been killed in Israeli attacks. And he himself has reportedly survived multiple assassination attempts. Right, and after this latest, you had him saying, the Zionist attacks and violations clearly indicate that the occupation does not want to abide by a ceasefire or by the first phase. They're referring there to the 20-point peace plan that was announced by Trump back in September. The first phase of that plan led to the exchange that those held captive by either side and also called for a surge in humanitarian aid and end of the fighting and the partial withdrawal

Starting point is 00:24:46 of Israeli troops. In the second phase, which officially started in January, it's meant to involve disarmament and demilitarization and the transition to governance and reconstruction. But the disarmament is the sticking point in current talks. Where with Hamas, claiming that Israel's never implemented the first phase, including by failing to ever actually stop attacking. Because, according to local medics, Israeli attacks have killed at least 830 Palestinians since the ceasefire took effect. Right? And that's while Israel says that militants have killed four of their soldiers over the same period and claims that its strikes are aimed at stopping attacks by Hamas and other militant groups. So apparently, the Israeli army is also regularly targeting police forces under Hamas's authority, with rights groups

Starting point is 00:25:19 accusing Israel of trying to throw the territory into even greater chaos. Then, at the same time, There's also the situation in the occupied West Bank where Israeli settlers have continued ramping up attacks. Reportedly killing 13 Palestinians just since the start of the war against Iran as well as injuring and driving hundreds from their homes. There's reportedly an average of nearly seven attacks occurring every day and the violence is often involving beatings, arson, theft, and vandalism. You had one expert explaining to the New York Times that the settlers they see an opportunity as so many eyes are looking elsewhere. Saying it's a chance to escalate pogroms on Palestinians while the world is distracted. Thatting their goal is to expel Palestinians from their lands and make them their own. And it doesn't appear to just be some extremist settlers.

Starting point is 00:25:53 You reportedly had the Israeli army chief in the West Bank saying in a closed forum recently that his troops were killing like they haven't killed since 1967. With him reportedly saying they had shot 42 Palestinians for throwing stones last year, calling them terrorists, and even while also saying that the army didn't shoot Jewish settler militants for doing the same thing. And he also reportedly said at the barrier dividing Israel in the West Bank, it is currently permitted to detain a suspect by shooting him at the knee or below to create barrier awareness. Arguing this is justified on the grounds that each illegal Palestinian worker was a potential to But then, bouncing from that, let's do two final things today.

Starting point is 00:26:25 First up, it's a really quick breather. Congratulations to Dwayne B., your Seek's latest weekly winner who just scored $500 in tickets and is going to go see BTS. I got so excited for you, I started stuttering. But for the rest of y'all, that is right. Seek is still giving away $500 in tickets, and you should definitely answer today if you haven't already. Imagine Daydream being the next winner and snagging $500 towards seeing your favorite artist,

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Starting point is 00:28:10 Chocolate and peanut butter, obviously. But there's more than one way to Rees's. From indulgent Rees's big cups with caramel to crunchy Reese's pieces and Reese's miniatures, There's a delicious Reese for every mood. It's the same combo you love, just with more ways to enjoy it. So, whether you're snacking, sharing, or just treating yourself, nothing else is Reese's. Two, the final thing that we need to talk about today is there's another global mess that the U.S. might not be prepared to deal with. At least four U.S. states are now monitoring passengers who are on the Hanta virus crews,

Starting point is 00:28:43 and Marjorie Taylor Green's already touting Ivermectin as a cure for the disease. This is just some of the latest updates regarding this outbreak. And I know that what I'm saying, probably it sends COVID. PTSD chills down your spine. And so what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna start with this message that an epidemic expert at the World Health Organization delivered this morning. This is not coronavirus.

Starting point is 00:29:00 This is a very different virus. We know this virus. Hunter viruses have been around for quite a while. This is not SARS-CoV-2. This is not the start of a COVID pandemic. This is an outbreak that we see on a ship. This is not the same situation we were in six years ago. And you have other immunologists echoing all of this,

Starting point is 00:29:16 noting that close contact like sharing food or living spaces is generally needed for human to human transmission of hanta virus. So it is far less likely to spread into a major outbreak like COVID. But of course, with all of that said, it is understandable why these headlines are spiking such a global concern. It is very, very serious. This is a serious disease. And so we should break down what is happening, starting with how people are being monitored in a handful of countries all over the world for possible exposure. Right. And that includes people in at least four US states,

Starting point is 00:29:39 Arizona, Virginia, Georgia, and California. Though so far, none are showing symptoms. All of those people, they were passengers on the ship, but they got off on one of its stops. And it actually looks like more passengers than previously thought were able to get off of the ship after the first Hanta virus death. Apparently around 30 to 40 people left the boat when it stopped at the island of St. Helena in April. And according to Dutch authorities, we do not know where every single one of those people went next,

Starting point is 00:29:59 but we do know that one passenger who got off there has since tested positive for the virus in Switzerland. And he's receiving care in Zurich as officials work to contact trace anyone who may have been exposed during his infectious period. He also had Dutch officials saying that a flight attendant was being hospitalized and tested for Hanzibirus after coming into contact with one of the passengers

Starting point is 00:30:15 who later died of the illness. They were reportedly trying to board a flight from South Africa to Amsterdam, but the crew didn't allow her to travel because of her medical condition. And as things stand now, three people have died from the virus, including a Dutch couple and a German national. Also, several others are sick, and it's officially been confirmed that we are specifically dealing with the Andy strain of the virus. Because human-to-human transmission of the hanta virus is incredibly rare. You usually get it from coming into

Starting point is 00:30:35 contact with rat droppings. But this strain, which is found in countries like Argentina, where the crews departed, it's among the rarest and most severe and the only strain where humans can give it to other humans. Right, and it also has a fairly long incubation period, as long as eight Well, right now, you know, it's too soon to know exactly how this outbreak began. Before boarding the ship, that Dutch couple that died went on a birdwatching trip in Argentina that included sites home to species of rat known to carry this strain. So one of the main running theories is that they had contracted the virus before they even got on board. But also, because we live in a post-2020 world, we are definitely seeing other theories, some wackier than others about this whole virus. Among the things you're

Starting point is 00:31:08 seeing out there, I mean, they're already viral post questioning why Moderna was working on a hansa virus vaccine prior to this outbreak. Which to that, you know, I'm someone that is not trusting a big pharma But just to kind of say the obvious, it is normal for researchers to try to develop vaccines for known deadly diseases. We've got people like Marjorie Taylor Green already jumping in to spread misinformation about this vaccine that doesn't actually even exist yet. Saying they manipulate the virus, bioweapon, make the vaccine, poison, and then make the profits because they own the vast majority of your elected leaders. I'll go ahead and say it, fuck all the way off. So for those of us who have been like, oh, man, Marjorie Taylor Green, she's been making so much more sense these days, it's good to get a taste of OGMTG. You know what I mean?

Starting point is 00:31:46 so like we know that she wasn't body snatched. And this is a quick detour, but it is something I want to stress. When you have a Marjorie Taylor Green, Tucker Carlson, so many of these other people, and you're like, wow, they just said something that makes sense that I agree with. No, they on some of these issues agree with you. It is broken clock syndrome. Give it enough time. A broken clock can be right.

Starting point is 00:32:02 And I say it that way because I don't want to say it the other way, which makes it sound like Marjorie Taylor Green is right twice a day. I think we might be overshooting it with that number. But as far as what she thinks a solution for this virus is, well, it turns out that the anti-vaxxers and the vaccine skeptics, they're back on the ivermectin train. Right, he got touted by a bunch of big podcasters and such as a COVID cure. And while it is approved for some use in humans as an antiparacitic, one, studies do not show that it actually helps with COVID.

Starting point is 00:32:26 And two, and this is such a weird thing to have to say, you need a prescription for human ivermectin and some were taking the animal version of the drug, which isn't tested on humans. And it was one of the reasons you had medical experts out there saying, like, please talk to your doctors. This is a no-no. But already, you have people talking about ivermectin, and you had MTC saying,

Starting point is 00:32:43 she spoke to a health expert to ask how we can treat hantavirus and the answer was quote ivermectin also vitamin d and zinc those of us who refused to lock down mask up and get vax took the good old horse paste and also developed natural immunity so yeah with that uh you know it's 2026 i'm in a much different mental space now i say if marjorie taylor green wants horse paste give her horse paste oh my god like how scary would it be to actually have to go through a full-blown like what what the covid pandemic was now with r of k as the head of the hHS Honestly, the number of stories about him and animals, and there was a picture like in the last week where he just, he had a bird in his hand. I'm like, maybe R.K. made a hanta virus. But that now lingering fear that's just going to grow if this whole situation gets worse, aside, as far as what's going to happen with this hanta virus cruise, like, where is that heading?

Starting point is 00:33:29 Like we talked about earlier this week, it was initially going to dock in Cape Verde. But then, the country basically said, oh, hell no. And so Spain stepped up and said the boat could go to the Canary Islands and it's expected to arrive this weekend. And on Monday, passengers are expected to begin evacuations. But also the leader of the Canary Islands, he is not happy that they're getting stuck with this ship, saying, I am not going to blindly jeopardize the safety of the Canary Islands population with a government that is not behaving loyally. It's seeming to suggest that Spanish leaders didn't consult with them about the decision. You're seeing a number of the people that live there feeling the same with one telling Reuters,

Starting point is 00:33:58 we are a community that's already quite flexible when it comes to helping others and being accommodating to people, but I think this is excessive. People are scared. People are worried. Spain is a huge country with plenty of ports where the cruise ship could go. Because even though you have officials insisting, this is not the next. COVID, if you're on that ship or if the ship is heading your way, this feels like a very different, very scary situation. All while, there are also concerns about the US's ability to respond to something like this. Right as you've had the Trump administration making tons of cuts impacting public health. And some think that the administration's like sluggish communications and response

Starting point is 00:34:27 here, it's more alarming than the virus itself. Or because staffing cuts impacted the CDC, there are fewer people able to put boots on the ground. And because Trump pulled us out of the World Health Organization, we don't get regular information about health threats like members do. But for now, that is where we are and we're going to have to wait to see what happens next. Whether it be what happens when the ship docks, how all the countries, including the United States, respond when they inevitably receive more passengers and where things just generally go from here. But then, my friends, you beautiful bastards, is the end of your Thursday, Philip DeFranco Show. Of course, I'd love to know your opinions, your reactions to anything that stood out to you today in those comments down below. Also, if you don't feel 100% filled in, maybe you missed last night's show, you can check that out, click or tap.

Starting point is 00:35:01 And or you can crash out with us on our brand new episode of crashing out that just came out in the past 24 hours. You can click or tap there. Links, of course, always in the description. But hey, no matter what you do, let me just say, thank you for watching. I love yo faces. next time.

The Philip DeFranco Show - How Panic Made The Hantavirus Outbreak Worse

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