The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 10.10 Why People Are Freaking Out About Rhett & Link, Tana Mongeau, P Diddy, Hurricane Milton Aftermath, &

Episode Date: October 10, 2024

Visit  https://www.cozyearth.com/defranco and use my code DEFRANCO to get up to 40% off your purchase! Go to https://saily.com/Phil and use the code Phil to get an exclusive 15% discount on Saily data plans! ⛵ Get 50% Off 3-Pack Core Tees! https://BeautifulBastard.com 26 Days Until Election Day! Make Sure You Are Registered to VOTE: https://Vote.org  – ✩ TODAY’S STORIES ✩ – 00:00 - Hurricane Milton Strikes with Tornadoes, Power Outages, & Conspiracy Theories 06:04 - Diddy’s Legal Team Suggests Feds Interfered in Fair Trial 07:52 - Hollywood Reporter Releases “Influential Influencers” List  10:18 - Sponsored by CozyEarth 11:18 - FL Health Dept. Threatens to Charge TV Stations For Airing Pro-Abortion Ad 13:50 - Menendez Case Becomes Talking Point in Los Angeles DA Race 17:10 - Afghan Who Worked as a Guard for CIA Accused of Plotting Election Day Attack 20:56 - Sponsored by Saily 21:56 - Elon Musk Builds a Secret AI Supercomputer in a Black Memphis Neighborhood Full Influencer List: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/most-influential-influencers-2024/the-sturniolo-triplets/?utm_source=threads&utm_medium=social ——————————   Produced by: Cory Ray Edited by: James Girardier, Maxwell Enright, Julie Goldberg, Christian Meeks, Matthew Henry Art Department: William Crespo Writing/Research: Philip DeFranco, Brian Espinoza, Lili Stenn, Maddie Crichton, Chris Tolve, Star Pralle, Jared Paolino Associate Producer on Elon Musk Supercomputer: Lili Stenn ———————————— #DeFranco #Moistcritikal #Hurricane ———————————— Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sup you beautiful bastards. Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco show, you daily dive into the news. And we have so much to talk about today, but first we got to talk about Hurricane Milton and its aftermath. Starting with CNN's Anderson Cooper, who I guess lost a bet.

And the water now is really starting to pour over. If you look at the ground, whoa. Okay. That wasn't good. Anderson, I'm just saying, my man, I don't think they want to pay out the rest of your contract. But the main thing, right?

Hurricane Milton made landfall south of Tampa Bay last night as a category three storm with wind speeds as high as 120 miles per hour. Though, as it moved inland, it degraded to a category one. And as Thursday unfolded, the high winds, storm surge, and flooding rain continued. But conditions were expected to improve as Milton wandered away from Florida into the Atlantic.

And with that, we saw Governor Ron DeSantis delivering good news this morning. What we can say is the storm was significant, but thankfully this was not the worst case scenario. The storm did weaken before landfall and the storm surge as initially reported has not been as significant overall as what was observed for Hurricane Helene.

Right, well, 10 to 15 feet of storm surge was projected before landfall. Milton turned out to be, and I feel confident saying this because it's gone now, turned out to be a little bitch, little bitch ass bitch, I mean, comparatively. With the worst of it swamping Sarasota, which got around eight to 10 feet of water,

though most other areas got less. But still, with that said, the storm did cause some spectacular damage, with winds tearing the roof off of the Tropicana Field Stadium in St. Petersburg with the Tampa Bay Rays play, as well as there being a tower crane collapsing into a building in the same city.

And then in Leesburg, nearly 2 million gallons of raw sewage spilled from a flooded wastewater treatment plant. And across the entire state, Milton knocked out power for some 3.3 million people as of this morning. But now that the storm has veered off into the ocean, rescues are already pulling survivors

from damaged buildings and vehicles, with President Biden saying that he pre-deployed thousands of federal personnel to affected areas. And while the death toll is expected to climb as bodies are recovered, we know for sure that at least nine people have died so far. Though notably, at least four of them, they weren't killed by the hurricane directly, but rather the tornadoes, dozens of which were reported around the state absolutely tearing up power lines, cars, and mobile homes. So, you know, it kind of makes sense with all these shocking videos and headlines, people would get the impression that all of Florida

is basically an apocalyptic wasteland now, which is something that's actually now prompted some online personalities who live there to dispel a lot of the panic, with the likes of Moist Critical, for example, saying. Pretty much every comment on every video I posted for the last three days is talking about how ridiculously stupid it is

that I'm not evacuating Tampa during every stream recently. It's like calling me the Milton maniac for refusing to leave against the orders of the state, this and that. And I want to clear up some confusion here. I was never in a dangerous area that Milton was going to be devastating for. Not in an evacuation zone, not in a flood zone, nothing like that. There was never, like no one in my neighborhood evacuated, none of my family, friends, or anyone evacuated

because we were not in that path. Charlie also adding that he understands why people are so concerned and appreciates that they care about. Also, a big thing is that while this storm wasn't as bad as forecasters expected, the political fallout has been much, much worse. With just a number of meteorologists describing

how they have been bombarded with death threats as they try to debunk all the conspiracy theories. With one even venting to the Washington Post by saying, "'This is by far the worst misinformation "'for a weather event I've ever seen in my career.' As well as, "'I've been messaging friends who I went to college with, "'who I've worked with previously in this industry,

"'and we're all just baffled by the amount of buffoonery "'happening on social media, which is a front that we didn't have to deal with before. And another expert telling Rolling Stone, "'People are just so far gone. "'It's honestly making me lose all faith in humanity.'" With him explaining that over the last week, he has gotten hundreds of messages from people accusing him

of modifying the weather and creating hurricanes from space lasers. And with this, you have folks like environmentalist, Bill McKibben, pointing out that although politicians like Ron DeSantis are not spreading conspiracy theories directly related to Milton, they are still promoting the anti-science bullshit that laid the foundation for it. With people pointing to how the Florida governor,

for example, banned the phrase climate change from state statutes back in May, or saying, quote, "'I'm not a global warming person,' whatever that means. But then also there are politicians doing both kinds of lies like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Donald Trump, both of whom were called out explicitly by President Biden yesterday as he condemned false claims that property is being confiscated, that people aren't getting aid or that aid is being diverted to migrants. Quite frankly, these lies are un-American. What the heck are they talking about? Stop it. It's outrageous. It's just not true. But then separate from that shit that will either make you furious or make you kind of just have no faith in humanity,

there are a lot of people putting aside politics and just trying to help. With, for example, country musicians like Keith Urban, Luke Combs, and Eric Church planning a benefit concert for October 26th to help Helene's victims. You also have country singer Morgan Wallen helping collect supplies at a food drive and donating half a million

to the American Red Cross for hurricane relief. You got Dolly Parton donating a million dollars of her personal funds to a Tennessee nonprofit and adding another million through her businesses. Finally here, Taylor Swift giving $5 million to the nonprofit group Feeding America to help victims of both storms. So with that, while I commend them,

like for the people that are impacted, right? I mean, we're talking about billions of dollars in damage that these storms have likely caused. So while philanthropy is nice and to be commended, what's really gonna make the difference for a lot of people is insurance. And on that, we actually saw Florida officials issuing an emergency rule yesterday evening

to protect homeowners against what they called unfair and deceptive acts and post-storm fraud by insurance carriers. And this, after a Washington Post investigation last year found that in the wake of Hurricane Ian, insurers inaccurately reduced people's initial damage estimates by between 45 and 97%. And so this time around,

Florida's making insurance adjusters provide a written loss estimate to the policyholder themselves, which is something many carriers have historically refused to do. And that estimate must include each line item, each version and variation of the report, as well as all the adjusters modification. With also the adjuster prohibited for making any changes to the initial estimate, unless they provide quote, a detailed explanation as to why each change was made, who made it and why it was necessary. Though of course, we're going to have to wait to see if these policy changes actually make a difference. For billion-dollar companies and industries, they have the time, money, and resources to try and get around things. But either way,

this, as state officials say, they anticipate significant, long-lasting, and potentially devastating effects on the Florida property insurance market, with them adding that the losses will be largely borne by Florida homeowners and small business owners. But then we should talk about how Diddy is trying to get out of his current situation, because he is now claiming that the feds are getting in the way of his right to a fair trial, with him specifically accusing them of leaking evidence, including the video of him assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassie at a hotel in Los Angeles, which if you've seen, you remember that video because it's so fucking horrifying. And that, of course, going viral after CNN published

it back in May, showing him kicking and dragging Cassie this, even though he had previously denied claims that he had assaulted her. Now you have Diddy's lawyers saying in a court filing that they might seek to have the video excluded from his sex trafficking and racketeering trial. With them claiming it and other evidence went public via unlawful leaks that need to be investigated.

And then further claiming that investigators in the Department of Homeland Security quote, "'Engaged in a seven month campaign, strategically leaking confidential grand jury material and information, including the 2016 Intercontinental videotape, in order to prejudice the public and potential jurors against Mr. Combs. With this, you have the New York Times noting that his lawyers did not cite direct evidence that DHS officials leaked the tapes, but they did claim, quote, the videotape was leaked to CNN for one reason alone,

to mortally wound the reputation and the prospect of Sean Combs successfully defending himself against these allegations. With the outlet also adding that it has never actually been made clear how the video made its way to CNN. But with that, we did see a prosecutor deny that federal officials were behind it, saying that they possessed no copy

of that surveillance video prior to CNN's publication and that any accusation claiming they did lacked a good faith basis. But, you know, it will be interesting to see what happens because that video is a key piece of evidence in this trial. Also, I just got to add this as part of just my opinion. It doesn't feel like a great sign for Diddy that his lawyers so far,

their best argument that I've seen publicly is, hey, it really wasn't cool that the entire world got to see what a violent scumbag monster our client was. In a video that not only showed how dangerous and horrifying this man is, but showed him to be a liar. And I think it highlights how in this case, they're going to try to distract, distract, distract from what people have already seen

and all these things that are being claimed. But then in kind of interesting entertainment news, let's talk about the 50 most influential influencers. Because the Hollywood Reporter just posted their list and they went beyond just like, "'Hey, here's some popular people." And they dove deeper arguing that their presence online shows their power and ability

to dominate other forms of media. With the report specifically noting, "'This list is an encapsulation of the ways "'that comedians, writers, producers, makeup artists, "'interviewers, and fashion moguls "'have been captivating our attention "'and the promise they hold in the industry.'" And adding, "'Dear Hollywood,

"'These are the TikTokers, Instagrammers, "'and YouTubers worth knowing and courting. "'The digital natives starting the trends "' the rest of us eventually will chase. And right at the top was Philip DeFranco. And I just, I wanna say, I expected it, honestly, but it is still an honor. I'm kidding, I'm not on the list, nor should I have been. Though I also will say the list didn't make it super clear

as far as ranking, right? There was no number one through 50. Instead, it was kind of just a shotgun blast. So at the top of the list was Adam Faiz, a producer and the founder of a content studio that makes short form shows like Boy Room. He kind of hit on the whole theme here, noting that before being a creator,

he was attempting to sell TV shows and movies in Hollywood, but now his content's actually getting seen by young people. Also on the list, you have people who have turned their online fame into podcasting ventures like Brittany Broski and Alex Earle, with other staple names popping up like Charlie D'Amelio, Tana Mongeau, Kai Sinet, as well as others sort of using their followings

to boost potential traditional entertainment careers, right, like Jake Shane using his stardom to interview major celebrities, and Sabrina Briar and Benito Skinner, who have gotten TV gigs from their online content. You also have Le'Veigh after building an online following. She has a Grammy and has toured venues like the Hollywood Bowl.

You also have the fantastic YouTube OGs, Rhett and Link, right, they've built an online empire with Mythical Entertainment. If you wanna see the full list of 50, I'll link to it in the description.ett and Link, right, they built an online empire with Mythical Entertainment. If you wanna see the full list of 50, I'll link to it in the description. I will say, well, I know that everyone's gonna have different opinions about different creators on this list. As someone who's been doing different versions of this

for like the last 18 years, I really love seeing a lot of this. We're in a world where mainstream popularity and internet stuff constantly intersects. We're having that big online celebrity. It's not just a big get for your show now, but it's an obvious thing for those people to do. I mean, there are fucking presidential candidates

making the rounds on podcasts. And I know there's good and bad that comes with like the mainstreamification of online stuff. But once again, as someone that's been doing this long enough where for more than a decade, people were like, get a real job. Fucking love it. But all that said, you know,

I know the internet is a very big place. So I want to ask you watching right now, who are your top three influential creators? Which I know is a hard question. Cause even after I posted it, I was like, I don't know if I could narrow mine to three. So I'm not gonna, cause I'm gonna hurt some feelings on accident.

Then take a quick break from the news y'all. Fall is one of my favorite seasons and it's not just about football. It's mainly, but not totally. Right, cause fall just makes me think of feeling cozy. When I think of feeling cozy, I can't help but think of our coziest partner and sponsor of the PDS, Cozy Earth. I mean, seriously, Cozy Earth sheets are the most comfortable sheets I've ever slept on, and it's something that guests at our house always comment on. I mean, with viscous from bamboo, their bedding is designed to naturally regulate temperature, because no matter the

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And they're so confident in what they put out there that they have a 10-year warranty on their bedding and bath. So it's time to get cozy, people. Wrap yourself up and embrace the fall. Just go to CozyEarth.com slash DeFranco and enter DeFranco at checkout and get up to 40% off. That's promo code DeFranco for up to 40% off. And if you get a post-purchase survey, just say you heard about Cozy Earth from the PDS. Cozy Earth, you deserve it. But then let's talk about Florida and this upcoming election. Because while understandably 90% of the focus of this election is the national race, Floridians are also gonna be voting on a ballot measure

that can repeal the state's six-week abortion ban, which is why we've seen ahead of the vote organizers on both sides of the issue desperately mobilizing their people to go out to the polls. And this including the advocacy group Floridians Protecting Freedom, which says it purchased ad spots in over 50 local TV stations.

But now, and the reason we're talking about it, we're learning that the Florida Department of Health's general counsel, John Wilson, has sent cease and desist letters to at least two of these stations, ordering them to pull the ad. Though also FCC records show that other stations have received them

and Floridians Protecting Freedom say most of the more than 50 have as well, which props up the question of what is in this ad that's so bad it's literally criminal. Well with that, you know, I figure let's just play it and let's see if you can figure it out. When I saw the tumor on the MRI, my first thought was, am I gonna be able to see my daughter again?

The doctors knew if I did not in my pregnancy, I would lose my baby. I would lose my life. And my daughter would lose her mom. Florida has now banned abortion, even in cases like mine. Amendment 4 is gonna protect women like me. We have to vote yes. Now with that, if you're left thinking, where was it? What is it? You've got folks saying it's pretty much indistinguishable from any other pro-choice political ad

that's out there right now. But not according to Wilson, who argues that it violates Florida's sanitary nuisance law, which is a key thing, is usually used to charge people for stuff like overflowing septic tanks or unclean slaughterhouses. And then for those of you out there saying, but aren't political ads free speech, Wilson has an answer for that as well,

arguing that this one isn't because he said it is false and it is dangerous. With him explaining that women who have, quote, pregnancy complications posing a serious risk of death or substantial and irreversible physical impairment should seek medical treatment in Florida. And adding, if they are led to believe that such treatment is unavailable under Florida law,

such women could foreseeably travel out of state to seek emergency medical care, seek emergency medical care from unlicensed providers in Florida, or not seek emergency medical care at all. So with all that, he told the stations that if they do not pull this ad within 24 hours, they will be open to a second degree misdemeanor charge, which in Florida carries a sentence of up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. But that's almost certainly gonna be challenged in court as FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel already condemned the threat saying, the right of broadcasters to speak freely is rooted

in the first amendment. Threats against broadcast stations for airing content that conflicts with the government's views are dangerous and undermine the fundamental principle of free speech. But ultimately we're gonna have to wait to see one, what happens with this legal battle, but also two, what happens with the vote. Because remember a big thing with Florida is that for the ballot measure you need

60% of the vote a simple majority of just over 50% that doesn't do anything then Interesting news we should talk about the Menendez brothers case and how that's tying into the Los Angeles County District Attorney's race Where the brothers are currently serving a life sentence for the murder of their parents in 1989 But many feel that their case was mishandled because both brothers claim that they committed the crime in self-defense because their father sexually and physically abused them starting in their childhood. And this case has a lot of renewed attention because as we talked about recently,

there was that new Ryan Murphy series called Monsters. With a lot of the initial energy being backlash or the Menendez family calling it misleading and a grotesque shocker drama. But the show, along with a newly released documentary, it's given the case a new round of attention. So much so that it led to LA County District Attorney, George Gascon, saying that he would review the case, with him pointing to new

evidence that supports the brothers' claims of sexual abuse and saying, we have a moral and ethical obligation to review what is being presented to us. And while he didn't also give an indication as to where he was leaning, there is a possibility for a new sentencing or even a new trial, with a hearing currently set for the end of November. But before they get to that hearing, DA Gascon is up for reelection and the polls have showed him trailing far behind his challenger, Nathan Hockman. And then actually connecting these two things

during a debate this week, Hockman argued that Gascon's choice to look into the case is an attempt to save himself and create a sideshow heading into the election. It won't take long to tell you neutrals ingredients. Vodka, soda, natural flavors. So, what should we talk about? No sugar added?

Neutral. Refreshingly simple. Actually, they will stay for dinner. Instacart has all your groceries covered this summer. So download the app and get delivery in as fast as 60 minutes. Plus, enjoy $0 delivery fees on your first three orders. Service fees, exclusions, and terms apply. Instacart. Groceries that over-deliver. ...is incredibly suspicious. Why October 3rd did Mr. Gascon have a press conference to basically announce that he was thinking about the case? Right with him saying that Gascon could have considered the case earlier when petitions had been filed, but he instead did it recently to distract from negative press

that he's received during his campaign. Now, for his part, Gascon noted that the case has been moving for some time, but the news shows about the brothers caused him to receive a massive influx of media requests, so he decided to hold the press conference to address everything at once. It's not that we haven't had this. It's not that this case wasn't on track to be reviewed. We will have a decision shortly. And by the way, the decision will be mine. There are differences of opinion in my office.

I'm evaluating both of them, but I will make the final decision. Also now with all this, you have the Washington Post putting out an op-ed noting that back in the 90s, the Menendez brothers' case was wrapped up in a ton of turmoil and political and culture wars. And saying that even though it's getting a second look, it feels like it hasn't escaped all the circus with the piece saying,

Take the DA's announcement about the Menendez brothers. Seen one way, it's a welcome instance of the legal system working as intended. Prosecutors should consider new evidence. Seen another, it's the latest extraordinary TV moment in a case filled with them and not as distinct from all that came before as we might wish. With a note in, Gascon is perhaps in need of a political Hail Mary, and he's just one of many people trying to take advantage of the discourse and claim a little credit for giving the brothers a second chance. With Ryan Murphy, for example, certainly feeling that he's owed credit, as he previously told The Hollywood Reporter that despite his show receiving tons of backlash, quote,

the Menendez brothers should be sending me flowers. They haven't had so much attention in 30 years. And this also is due to the likes of Kim Kardashian getting tied to this case last week, publishing an op-ed for NBC News, where she said that it is time to free both brothers. Writing, I have spent time with Lyle and Eric. They are not monsters. The killings are not excusable, but we should not deny who they are today in their 50s. The trial and punishment these brothers received were more befitting a serial killer than two individuals who endured years of sexual abuse by the very people they loved and trusted. I don't believe that spending their entire natural lives incarcerated was the right punishment for this complex case.

But with all that said, you know, I would really love to know your thoughts on this case. And not just on the potential for the case to be reviewed, but on it getting another media circus with it. And on this decision feeling so tied to true crime interest and on these sorts of claims that people are kind of using the case for their own purposes, for their own attention. Or are you perhaps, you know, someone who believes

that the brother should be freed as long as it helps them, what does it matter? Yeah, really any and all thoughts on this, I'd love to hear from you. And then in some wild news, a man from Afghanistan has now been arrested for allegedly plotting an election day terrorist attack in the name of ISIS. With him also reportedly recruiting his wife's younger

brother to help him do it. With the two of them on Monday, meeting with some people in rural Oklahoma, purchasing two AK-47 assault rifles, 10 magazines, and 500 rounds of ammunition. But those people, they were FBI assets. So they got arrested. And after the arrest,

he allegedly confirmed to law enforcement officials that he had planned to target large gatherings of people the day of the presidential election. Well, right now, it's not clear exactly what he had planned. Notably, he allegedly tried to access surveillance cameras in DC and went online to access the White House and Washington Monument webcams. Also, in addition to that, the FBI searched the guy's phone and found that he communicated online with an ISIS

recruiter. He also allegedly accessed, viewed, and saved ISIS propaganda, participated in pro-ISIS telegram groups, and contributed to a charity funneling money to ISIS. And then in addition to that, he was also seen in video reading to two children texts that describes the rewards a martyr receives in the afterlife, including a crown of jewels, a place in heaven, and a marriage to 72 virgins. And as far as what's gonna happen to this guy, he's now charged with conspiring and attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State,

which carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. He's also been charged with receiving a firearm to be used to commit a felony or a federal crime of terrorism, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years. And the brother-in-law, he's a minor, so it's unclear what charges he'll face. And of course, in addition to this getting attention

because of just how scary it is, this is getting a lot of attention because of the fact that the guy was an immigrant from Afghanistan. Which to speak on that, the man reportedly entered the US legally in 2021, about a month after the American military completed its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.

And with that, as of recording, it hasn't yet been revealed whether they were radicalized before or after arriving in the US. But with this, you have people like Donald Trump Jr. jumping on this, saying, Border Czar Kamala Harris literally imported a terrorist from Afghanistan into our country. Enough is enough. And then Speaker Mike Johnson, for example, claiming Afghans arrived here with little to no vetting and saying, whether it's their open border policies or failed foreign

policy, this administration continues to risk American lives by allowing terrorists, murderers, rapists, and other violent criminals into our homeland. You know, with comments like that, well, there's just a lot to unpack. Regarding foreign policy, for example, he's seemingly referring to the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan. And there, it's important to say, it's something a lot of people argue both Trump and Biden fucked up on. And then, you know, the whole open borders thing and letting in criminals, we just know that's not accurate. I mean, it's part of the reasons I've seen so many angry leftists. Democrats have actually been moving right on immigration, much to the disappointment of a lot of progressives and human rights advocates. Also, as we've seen before, it's part of the reasons I've seen so many angry leftists. Democrats have actually been moving right on immigration, much to the disappointment of a lot of progressives

and human rights advocates. Also, as we've seen before, there's no evidence linking immigration and criminality. And of course, talking about terrorism, obviously we'd love to live in a world with none, but in our current world, far right and domestic extremism are considered some of the biggest threats to this country.

And then regarding this particular alleged terrorist, he wasn't imported. Back in Afghanistan, he had apparently been working as a security guard for the CIA. And so with that, he reportedly entered the US on one of the special immigrant visas given to eligible Afghans who helped Americans despite great personal risk to themselves

and their loved ones. So notably, their officials reportedly told NBC News the charging document is incorrect and that the man entered on what's known as humanitarian parole. With that given to people on the basis of urgent humanitarian reasons, like the Taliban taking over and hunting down Western collaborators. But in any case,

according to a U.S. official, this man, like other Afghans who resettled in the U.S., would have gone through a robust security screening in other countries before coming here. And so to be sure, like that is a very, very key takeaway here. And some have expressed real concern that that process was flawed. With a report by the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security, for example, saying that the authorities did not always have critical data to properly screen, vet, or inspect the evacuees at points of entry. Of course, with that, DHS has pushed back on that, saying the inspector general's report didn't reflect the, quote, interagency and multilayered vetting process that started overseas, continued at points of entry, and kept going even after

evacuees were in the country. And so I understand, given how close we are to the election, that everyone's trying to score points, make everything political. But the big thing here is that there are real conversations that we can have and we should have them. But it is not as simple as trying to point a finger at Kamala, Biden, or Trump. And anyone that's doing just one of those things, they're playing politics. They're not talking about actual solutions.

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And the thing is, it sounds worse when I give you more context, right? Because specifically, Musk has been building a massive AI data center that could increase pollution, cancer, and death rates in a predominantly black neighborhood that's already been fighting these issues for decades. And that's without mentioning

the added strain on the environment. So the data center in question has been set up to supply power for Musk's artificial intelligence company, XAI, through an enormous supercomputer named Colossus. And I mean, Musk, he says this thing is supposed to be bigger than any supercomputer we've ever seen, with one Memphis official describing it as, quote, if you take the two largest supercomputers in the world and you combine them and you multiply that by four, that's what we're building here in Memphis. With specifically the main focus of the supercomputer said to be training XAI's chatbot Grok,

which is said to be a competitor to ChatGPT. With the company describing the bot as having a sense of humor and Musk calling it the most fun AI in the world. Though it's not really clear what that means besides the fact that Grok has fewer rules than other AI chatbots and has been known to create controversial deepfakes.

Right, and if you've been on X, you might've seen some of its greatest hits, like Mickey Mouse is a Nazi, Donald Trump doing 9-11, the Prophet Muhammad holding a bomb, and Taylor Swift, Kamala Harris, and AOC in lingerie. But to the point here, Musk has been moving at lightning speed

to get the facility up and running. But that rapid development has also been totally shrouded in secrecy. The initial deal to build the facility in Memphis was negotiated under NDA back in March. After just a few days of talks between Musk's team, the city's utility, Memphis Light, Gas, and Water, and the city's local chamber of commerce. And while the construction began immediately after that, the plan wasn't officially made public until months later during a press conference in June.

And as it turns out, it wasn't just the residents of Memphis who were hearing about the facility for the first time. But in fact, you had key community leaders and even members of the city council saying they were only informed just hours before the presser. And so unsurprisingly, that caused a major uproar from the community and local lawmakers who condemned the total lack of transparency. With them slamming Musk and the others for fast-tracking this project

without even getting any input from the people of Memphis and the politicians who represent them. Multiple city council members also accusing the powers that be of sidelining them in the decision-making process, allowing the project to go forward with little government oversight. You know, that's something that we've seen state-level officials arguing,

with state representative Justin J. Pearson, whose district includes the area where XAI is located, saying, this is a terrible idea for Memphis. MLGW CEO is not elected, and neither is anybody in the Chamber of Commerce last time I checked. It'd be really wonderful if people who are unelected did start to talk to people who are elected to represent the communities that they're seeking to do business in, because they would have heard from our community that we don't want this. And with that, we saw community leaders and council members urging Musk and the developers

to slow down and actually include them in this super important process. But instead, XAI has still continued forward at warp speed, with Musk himself even sharing job postings for the facility in early July, less than a month after it was publicly announced. And then posting on X again later that month to say the supercomputer had officially powered up

and was training AI models. And later confirming over Labor Day weekend that the supercomputer was online while bragging about how fast they got it done. And during that time, the demands by residents and city officials to include them in the process were largely ignored. Basically, all they got was the one time when the utility MLGW did the bare minimum by sharing a fact sheet and hosting a public forum back in August. But at that point, the project was nearly done. Additionally, the Tennessee Lookout reported that as of this summer, XAI never hosted town hall style meetings with the community

and our research didn't turn anything up as well. And that lack of transparency, community input, and government oversight is especially concerning given the specific location of the XAI facility, the neighborhood of Box Town. You see, Box Town is one of Memphis' oldest neighborhoods and it was started by former enslaved people after the Civil War and remains one of the city's

many predominantly black areas. But, and this is a key thing, in more recent history, the area of Southwest Memphis has become a major industrial zone chock full of massive corporations spewing all kinds of pollutants. And so as a result, just like so many other predominantly black areas in America, Boxdown has long struggled with high levels of pollution, which experts say have directly contributed to poor health outcomes. I mean, for example, studies have found that Southern Memphis's cancer rate is four times higher than the national average. And also, the life expectancy is a full decade shorter than in other parts of the city, with the area also having elevated asthma levels. I mean, the American Lung

Association gave it an F grade for air quality. And it's not uncommon for the county health department to issue alerts when ozone levels exceed federal standards unsafe for certain groups. And all this is now many experts, officials, and residents are concerned that the XAI facility is just gonna make things worse. And these AI data centers, they require tons of energy. And because about 60% of electricity in the US comes from fossil fuels, they are major emitters.

In fact, a Morgan Stanley report estimated that data centers will emit three times more CO2 by the end of this decade than if generative AI hadn't been developed. And if Musk's claims are true, that Colossus is the world's largest supercomputer, this facility could require a potentially historic amount of energy. So you have experts worrying that the supercomputer's high demand for energy will make it a major emitter that will just increase the pollution burden in an already overpolluted area. With some also noting that this is especially

worrisome given the fact that this project has just plowed ahead with little government oversight. And I mean, already we have seen those exact fears coming to fruition, right? Just weeks after the supercomputer powered up, XAI was accused of making pollution in the area worse by illegally running gas turbines to power the company without a permit. With those missing permits later being confirmed by the EPA, which vowed to investigate the matter. And the lack of the permits is super significant because they mandate air quality testing and they're necessary to determine essential benchmarks like the concentration of emissions and efficiency requirements for engines. But without the permits, XAI has just been pumping tons of harmful nitrogen oxide into the air,

which can cause serious irritation to people's respiratory systems and other major health problems. And I mean literal tons. One environmental group estimated that the turbines have the capacity to emit around 130 tons of nitrogen oxides annually, which would actually make them the ninth largest source of the pollutants in the county. And NPR reporting that XAI's ability to totally flaunt environmental rules is a direct result of the fact that this project was so rushed and kept secret for so long. And that is especially alarming because these unpermitted turbines aren't the only major environmental concern with this facility. Like, for example, it typically takes years before data centers this size can get on the grid

because utilities need to make sure that they won't strain resources for residents and other customers. And that should be a big concern for XAI because its size is unprecedented. And Musk himself has said that it will require 150 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 100,000 homes each year.

And while MLGW has said it will only provide 50 megawatts, XAI has requested the extra 100 and the utility told NPR that it is still reviewing the company's energy needs. So as a result, you have many worrying that Memphis's utilities can't handle such a big consumer, especially because this grid has already been under strain recently, resulting in rolling blackouts and residents being asked to reduce power usage. And in addition to all that, data centers use enormous amounts of water to cool their servers. And XAI predicts

it will need 1 million gallons of water a day, about 3% the total capacity of the local well field, which also provides water to residents. And while that may be a fraction of the total supply, it is a huge amount for a single consumer, and many experts say that it will put stress on the well field. Especially because Memphis' century-old water infrastructure has failed several winters in a row. I mean, residents have been getting put on boil advisories, being told to conserve water, and the water source has already experienced contamination from arsenic and other dangerous chemicals that have leached in from decades of and getting put on boil advisories, being told to conserve water. And the water source has already experienced contamination from arsenic and other dangerous chemicals

that have leached in from decades of industry pollution in the area, which is why experts say that heavy water usage by XAI could exacerbate the problem. And for many residents, these concerns are only heightened by the fact that Musk and his companies already have a sketchy record when it comes to environmental concerns.

I mean, for example, SpaceX has been fined numerous times in Texas for allegedly discharging industrial wastewater without a permit. His underground tunneling business, Boring Co., has been fined numerous times in Texas for allegedly discharging industrial wastewater without a permit. His underground tunneling business, Boring Co, is also fined by the state for disposing of industrial stormwater without a permit. And California has cited Tesla

for 33 different air quality violations. Now with all that, MLGW has repeatedly insisted that the XAI facility won't impact the grid or water availability, in large part because the company has vowed to invest in infrastructure that will accommodate the energy needs. With that, including a gray water plant that'll use treated wastewater instead of drinking water for cooling, as well as a 150 megawatt substation and large-scale batteries

for electricity storage. And because XAI has said that they will pay for all that, local officials who support the project argue that it will bring positive economic development to the area while also creating new jobs. But it's also unclear right now if those new infrastructure promises have been made in writing. With earlier this summer, Forbes reporting that they were just verbal agreements and that MLGW said they don't have contracts. And the outlet noting there that Musk has a long history

of promising public infrastructure to the places that host his companies and then under-delivering. And they are pointing to major ongoing failures with this Hyperloop project, including some lines that appear to have been just given up on entirely, as well as his promise to build an ecological paradise

around the Tesla Gigafactory, but then obtaining an exemption from local environmental rules. Also, as of recording, NPR reported that XAI only had posted 37 job listings, and the majority were actually based in California, noting that data centers are highly automated, so they have few employees,

which is why many politicians and community members have expressed doubt that they'll see any of these benefits. With, for example, Kashawn Pearson, the executive director of the nonprofit Memphis Community Against Pollution, telling Time that he's skeptical for a number of reasons, including the fact that community organizations of Southwest Memphis have not had any conversations

or even contact with XAI. Also noting that there hasn't been any job recruiting or job training within the community that this facility is supposed to boost economically. And adding that people like him who have lived in Box Town for a long time have seen how similar projects have failed to bring about any lasting economic development,

and instead just contributed to pollution and health problems. Saying, companies choose Memphis because they believe it is the path of least resistance. They come here, build factories, pollute the air, and move on. Saying, this is the same playbook and the same talking points passed down

and passed around by these corporate colonialists. For us, it is empty, it's callous, and it's just disingenuous to continue to regurgitate these things without actually having plans of implementation or inclusion. But also, I mean, this could go a lot further than Memphis because as time notes, given how huge this project is,

it will serve as a test for whether the AI data center boom is actually going to help improve local economies or just continue to harm already disadvantaged communities as they've done time and time again. So for now, we'll have to wait to see, we'll have our eyes on this, but I'd love to know your thoughts,

especially if you're someone that is local. But that's the end of today's show. Thank you so much for watching. For more news that YouTube thinks you're interested in, you can click or tap right here. Also, if you wanna get a fantastic deal on one of the best shirts you'll ever wear in your entire life, you can click right here,

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