The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 10.9 The Taylor Swift Kanye West Debate & Divide, Kavanaugh SCOTUS Update, & More...

Episode Date: October 9, 2018

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Sup you beautiful bastards, hope you're having a fantastic Tuesday. Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco Show and let's just jump into it. And the first thing I want to talk about today is a story that involves the crossing over of two worlds. It's not a new thing, but it is the world of celebrity and the world of politics. And the reason we're talking about this today actually starts with Taylor Swift. And the reason for this is on Sunday, Taylor Swift not only jumped into the political world, but she directly commented on an election, saying on the Instagram post, "'I'm writing this post

"'about the upcoming midterm elections on November 6th, "'in which I'll be voting in the state of Tennessee. "'In the past, I've been reluctant "'to publicly voice my political opinions, "'but due to several events in my life "'and in the world in the past two years, "'I feel very differently about that now. "'I always have and always will cast my vote

"'based on which candidate will protect "'and fight for the human rights "'I believe we all deserve in this country. "'I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is wrong. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color

is terrifying, sickening, and prevalent." And she then went on to explain why she would not be voting for Republican Marsha Blackburn, saying, "'I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for all Americans, no matter their skin color, gender, or who they love.'" Then addressing her voting record, which she says,

"'Appalls and terrifies me.'" Swift also adding that she'll be voting for Phil Bredesen instead, and urges people to register to vote. And she really aimed at the young voters, saying, "'So many intelligent, thoughtful, self-possessed people "'have turned 18 in the past two years "'and now have the right and privilege

"'to make their vote count. "'But first you need to register, "'which is quick and easy to do. "'October 9th, which is today, "'is the last day to register to vote "'in the state of Tennessee. Go to vote.org and you can find all the info. Happy voting.

And after her post, according to the director of communications for vote.org, 65,000 people registered in one 24-hour period, which is truly a massive number because you can compare that to the 190,000 plus registrations in all of September, which comes out to about 6,000 a day. But also that number, 65,000, is just registrations

in general. Tennessee specifically, according to reports, saw 2,144 registrations in a 36 hour period, which is really of note because it was around only 700 less new registrations than they received in the entire month of September. And following this, of course, we saw the reactions that we would expect.

We saw the usual Democrat Republican responses. We also saw people both praising Taylor Swift for getting involved using her celebrity and also people saying that this is not the place for celebrities to do something. Some also arguing that it usually doesn't have the desired impact. You also had people dismissive of the idea that Taylor Swift could kind of move the needle here. Governor Mike Huckabee tweeting, So Taylor Swift has every right to be political, but it won't impact election unless we allow 13 year old girls to vote. Still with Marsha Blackburn. Additionally, President Trump commented on the situation

saying this. Well, Marsha Blackburn is doing a very good job in Tennessee. She's leading now substantially, which she should. She's a tremendous woman. I'm sure Taylor Swift has nothing or doesn't know anything about her. And let's say that I like Taylor's music about 25% less now, okay?

You also had some people noting that in 2018, it appears we have another Taylor Swift, Kanye West situation. One person tweeting, The 2018 midterm election is officially a proxy war between Taylor Swift and Kanye West. And I mention Kanye here because I think it pertains to the question I want to pass off to you and the debate that it's been very interesting to see online. Should celebrities get involved with politics? And on that note, I've been personally torn for a while. I think that everyone, whether celebrity or not,

has the right to speak up for what they support and what they are against. Right at this point in time, I am not currently of the mindset of just stay in your lane, just dribble the ball, just do the whatever. You have the same rights as everyone else. But I also think two other important things there, one, just because someone is a celebrity

or they're fantastic in one avenue of life, whether it be music or sports or they're a great author or anything like that, that doesn't make them an expert in politics. And also I do personally question the effectiveness of celebrity endorsement. And this is something I talked about back in the 2016 election,

where all of a sudden you saw these videos where celebrities were getting together and they were there really pushing people to the left. I personally believe that moves like that really fed the narrative of the liberal elitist trying to tell us what to do with our lives. The thing that was actually meant to get more Democrats to vote invigorated their opposition. So one of the questions I want to pass off to you with this story is do you think that celebrity should get involved and do you think that they are effective? Whether left-wing or right-wing, whether it be the

Kanye West's of the world, the Taylor Swift's of the world. Also on that note, and it's something I'm personally evaluating, are we are we treating one side different than the other? Right, if you were for Kanye West wearing the MAGA hat and you're like, fuck Taylor Swift here, she should stay in her lane, does that make you a hypocrite? Also on the flip side of it, if you're like, yas, Taylor, speak up, but you're like,

fuck Kanye West in the MAGA hat, does that make you a hypocrite? Or do you personally see those two situations as something different? And on this issue, there have been a lot of people pointing to Charlie Kirk. He's the founder of Turning Point USA, and there's a video that's been making the rounds

of him having vastly different reactions to Taylor Swift and Kanye West. This is what I used to love about Taylor Swift, is she stayed away from politics. Thank you, Kanye West, for standing up for what is right. And also, kind of on a final note, I think that celebrities not being involved in the political system in general,

I think that's an idea of the past and it has been. I mean, yes, Donald Trump is a businessman, but of course he is also a reality star. And you also look to the past, I mean, you had Jesse the body Ventura involved in our political system, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronald Reagan. And if we fast forward to today,

Kim Kardashian, who is yes, also a business woman, but a reality star, is one of the main reasons that someone is now out of prison because she involved herself with the White House. And in fact, it's also been announced this week that Kanye West is going to be meeting with the president on Thursday. And in that meeting, the reporter is set to talk

about job opportunities for ex-convicts, also ways to increase manufacturing jobs in and around Chicago. And so seemingly, celebrities who are not Donald Trump being involved in the political system is not something that Donald Trump is inherently against. And if anything, it actually appears to help in that avenue. But that is where I'm going to leave this story for now.

And of course, I really am fascinated to know what you think about any and all of this situation in those comments down below. Then in quickie, oh, people are gonna have opinions about this news and I'm fascinated. There are reports out that James Gunn, who of course was fired from Guardians of the Galaxy Volume Three, is in discussions to write

and potentially direct the next Suicide Squad movie. And so I ask, thoughts? From that, I wanna share some stuff I love today, and today in awesome, brought to you by Squarespace. Whether you need a domain, a website, an online store, make it with Squarespace. They've got fantastic, beautiful templates

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to get 10% off your first purchase. And the first bit of awesome today is we had YouTuber Lilly Singh, AKA Superwoman putting out a Barbie Dreams parody. And in the video, she roasts a bunch of male YouTubers, myself included. I think it's funny and I give her props for the zing.

We also had Adult Swim giving us some Pickle Rick outtakes. Then we had Jimmy Fallon, Shawn Mendes, and The Roots singing Treat Ya Better with Classroom Instruments. We had Life Noggin asking

why are nightmares so scary? Then we had How It Should Have Ended doing a Star Wars Childish Gambino parody. We had the cast of Riverdale answering the web's most searched questions. And if you want to see the full versions of everything, I just shared the secret link of the day,

really anything at all. Links, as always, are in the description down below. And then let's talk about this horrible story coming out of New York. And if you haven't seen the first part of this story, on Saturday, there was a group of friends who were reportedly going out to celebrate a birthday at an upstate New York brewery.

According to reports, they had rented a bus, but when that broke down, they ended up renting a 2001 Ford Excursion limo. And while they were on their way to the brewery, the limo ran a stop sign at the bottom of a steep hill and crashed into a parked 2015 Toyota Highlander. What ended up happening is that all 17 passengers, the limo's driver, and two bystanders

were killed in this crash, making it the deadliest US transportation accident since 2009. And looking into it, it's even the deadliest land vehicle accident since 2005. Among the dead, you had four sisters, two brothers, and a newlywed couple. Also, as of today, all of the names of the victims

have been released. As of right now the official cause of the crash is unknown, but there are a few pieces of key information we know. According to the aunt of one of the passengers, she received a text saying that the limo was in quote terrible condition. Chris Fiore of the New York State Police said that it was unclear if the limo was speeding, if the brakes were working, or whether the passengers were wearing seatbelts, which on that note in these of vehicles, passengers are not required to. You also had witnesses claiming the vehicle was going 60 miles an hour or faster when it crashed. Also, according to Jessica Kirby, the managing director of the Apple Barrel County Store

and Cafe, which is located at the intersection, this particular intersection has been a dangerous one. Her quotes include, "'We have been asking for something to be done for years "'and more accidents than I can count.'" Kirby also said that several tractors have blown through that same stop sign and large trucks have actually been banned

from traveling on the road after repeated incidents. You had Schoharie Town Supervisor Alan Tavener saying, if somebody's new to the area or not familiar with the area, I can see how it'd be easy to miss that you're coming down to the T intersection and going to have to stop at the bottom of it. Also, thanks to this situation,

you have people raising concern over Frankenstein limos, that being a limo that is a regular vehicle that is then converted into a limo. And the reason that there is concern there is that when a regular limousine is built at a factory, it is required to meet strict safety standards. However, after a 2015 limo crash that killed four women, a grand jury found that when cars are converted to limos, there are often gaps in safety.

Also following this horrible incident, you had New York Governor Andrew Cuomo saying in a statement that his heart breaks, that he commends the first responders, adding, State police are working with federal and local authorities to investigate the crash, and I have directed state agencies to provide every resource Necessary to aid in this investigation and determine what led to this tragedy Additionally on Monday Cuomo called out the owner of the company involved prestige limousine saying in my opinion the owner of this company had no Business putting a failed vehicle on the road also adding prestige has a lot of questions to answer also according to Cuomo the limousine Involved was built in a way that violated federal law

It had failed a state inspection last month and the driver did not have the proper commercial license. Portally, three Prestige vehicles have been inspected five times in the last two years, and on four of those occasions, the vehicle was ordered out of service as unsafe until repairs could be made. On the other side of this, we also had Prestige Limousine releasing a statement saying, it extends its deepest condolences to the family members and friends of those who tragically lost their lives, and adding, we are performing a detailed internal investigation to determine the cause of the accident and the steps we can take in order to prevent future accidents. Adding that they have voluntarily taken our fleet of vehicles off the road during the investigation. And according to reports, the company has already met with investigators and planned to cooperate.

Also in connection to this story, new reports have come out saying that the owner of the company, Shahed Hussain, was an FBI informant after 9-11. And according to reports, he was credited with rooting out radical Muslims in a controversial sting. And the reason there was controversy is that the four men that were found guilty as a result of Hussein's information alleged that the whole thing was entrapment. Hussein himself had reportedly been working as an informant after being charged for running a DMV scam

where he was working as a translator. He reportedly would help people with the tests in exchange for money, and he ended up avoiding prison and deportation by becoming an informant. Which brings up the hypothetical question of if instead of being an informant he had been deported, would we be talking about this situation today? Or is this kind of just a side note

that doesn't pertain to the actual accident itself? With all of that said, as far as my personal takeaway, I'm just, I'm just sad. I want to hear what new information we get from the investigation. Although from all accounts, it sounds like there's something up with the vehicle, which I will say it's hard for me not to see the situation

and also think of the duck boat situation that we covered earlier this year. But actually where I do want to end this story is on a part of people trying to provide good in a horrible situation. In the description down below, I'll be linking to several GoFundMe campaigns. One of them was started for college and expenses for Archer and L. One's reportedly four years old, the other 16 months. They lost both of their parents in this accident. And as the person who wrote the GoFundMe even put, this is kind of a way people can help in a situation where we feel otherwise helpless. So that's where I'm going to end that one.

And then let's talk about the Brett Kavanaugh vote and confirmation. And essentially where we last left off with this story is that there was a call for an FBI investigation into the accusations against Kavanaugh. According to reports, President Trump ordered this supplemental background investigation to be limited to less than one week.

According to reports, the investigation initially only included interviews with four people. And this included Mark Judge, who Ford maintains was in the room at the time of her alleged assault by Kavanaugh. Additionally, the interviews included two other people she claims were at the party, and Deborah Ramirez, who of course had accusations of her own against Kavanaugh.

Now reportedly, the number of people interviewed was expanded to nine, which produced 302 interview summaries. However, at the same time, we also saw NBC report that 40 people with information about Kavanaugh and the allegations against him had not been contacted by the FBI. And in a statement, Ford's legal team said,

"'An FBI supplemental background investigation "'that did not include an interview "'of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, "'nor the witnesses who corroborate her testimony "'cannot be called an investigation,' adding, "'We are profoundly disappointed "'that after the tremendous sacrifice she made "'in coming forward, those directing the FBI investigation

"'were not interested in seeking the truth.'" Also in the midst of this investigation, we saw several side stories pop up, and this reportedly included college classmates of Kavanaugh coming forward to say they could corroborate Deborah Ramirez's story of Kavanaugh exposing himself to her. Additionally, we saw Julie Swetnick's allegations

against Kavanaugh questioned after several statements she made in an interview with NBC News didn't directly match up with her sworn affidavit. We also saw the prosecutor who interviewed Ford during the hearings coming out with a report saying that no reasonable prosecutor would bring a case forward against Kavanaugh based on Ford's testimony.

We also saw the New York Times releasing an uncovered 1985 police report suggesting that Kavanaugh was involved in a bar fight while he was in college. We also saw President Trump seemingly mocking Ford and her testimony during a rally in Mississippi. I had one beer. Right? I had one beer. Well, do you think it was- Nope! It was one beer. Oh good. How did you get home? I don't remember. How'd you get there? I don't oh good how did you get home i don't remember how'd you get there i don't remember where is the place i don't remember how many years ago was it i don't know hit pause on whatever you're listening to and hit play on your next adventure stay three nights this summer at best western and get 50 off a future stay life's the trip make the most of it

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I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. What neighborhood was it in? I don't know. Where's the house? I don't know. What neighborhood was it in? I don't know. Where's the house? I don't know. Upstairs, downstairs, where was it?

I don't know, but I had one beer. That's the only thing I remember. There was also a report from NBC News claiming that Kavanaugh and his team were communicating with his college friends via text to refute Ramirez's allegations against him before they became public, which has been argued to be significant

because Kavanaugh said during his testimony under oath that he was not aware of the allegations until they Were publicized by the New Yorker as far as what ended up happening with that FBI investigation They ended up wrapping it last Wednesday and they handed it over to the White House Which was then passed over to the Senate following this we saw Republican Senator Jeff Flake who was also someone that called for this Investigation saying we've seen no additional corroborating information But on the other side of the aisle Democrats were complaining that this wasn't a real investigation, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer saying,

We had many fears that this was a very limited process that would constrain the FBI from getting all the facts. Having received a thorough briefing on the documents, those fears have been realized. That then led us to Friday, where we saw the Senate have a procedural vote. And there we saw the Senators vote 51 to 49 in favor of cloture. And that vote ended up not being completely split along party lines. You had Democratic Senator Joe Manchin voting yes. You had Republican Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski voting no. But that was really just a vote as to whether the debate around Kavanaugh's nomination should come to an end.

So people still wondered, would Flake, Manchin, or Susan Collins, would they vote no in the final vote? You had a good number of people looking to Collins as the potential person that would break from the pack. But when Collins took to the floor of the Senate the day before the vote, she ended up giving a 45 minute speech. And there, among other things, like I said, it was 45 minutes, she said.

Today, we have come to the conclusion of a confirmation process that has become so dysfunctional, it looks more like a caricature of a gutter-level political campaign than a solemn occasion. Mr. President, I will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh. And directly following Collins' speech, we saw Manchin tweet that he was going to vote yes. Also as the situation moved forward, we saw protesters who were against Kavanaugh's confirmation swarming DC. And here, according to Capitol Police,

more than 300 people involved in the protests in the atrium of the Senate Hart office building ended up being arrested, including both Amy Schumer and Emily Radichkowski. We also saw protesters directly confronting senators on Capitol Hill, following them into elevators, confronting them about their decision to support Kavanaugh. And in reaction to some of these protests, we saw Senator Chuck Grassley, the chairman

of the Judiciary Committee, say this. Do you believe George Soros is behind all of this, paying these people to get you and your colleagues in elevators or wherever they can get in your face? I have heard so many people believe that. I tend to believe it. I believe it fits in his attack mode. And following all of this, we got to the actual vote and there we saw the Senate confirm Kavanaugh

in a vote of 50 to 48. And that vote is actually the narrowest margin since 1881. But main point, shortly after this confirmation vote, we saw Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts administer the constitutional oath for Kavanaugh. Also following all of this, regarding if Collins believed Ford's testimony or not, she said this on CNN.

I do not believe that Brett Kavanaugh was her assailant. So I do believe that she was assaulted. I don't know by whom and I'm not certain when, but I do not believe that he was the assailant. Also on the Democratic side, we saw House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi filing a Freedom of Information Act request to get the FBI report on the sexual assault allegations

against Kavanaugh publicly released. Pelosi saying in a statement that the Kavanaugh confirmation process has wounded the very soul of justice in our country, and adding, to preserve the full record of this dark chapter, I am filing a Freedom of Information Act request so the public can see the FBI report,

transcripts of interviews, instructions from the White House, and any communications to the FBI from Senate Republicans regarding the scope of the investigation." We've also seen some liberal groups calling for Kavanaugh's impeachment if the Democrats take over Congress after the midterms. Although I do want to note that while a handful of representatives have endorsed that position because they believe Kavanaugh lied under oath, most Senate Democrats at this time have not gone that far. Democratic Senator Chris Coons, who was on the Judiciary Committee, telling NBC, I think talking about impeachment at this point isn't necessarily healing us and moving us forward. The Senate's role in our politics is not to just reflect the country, but to help heal and lead the country. Additionally, we learned from her attorney that Christine Blasey Ford has been unable to return home due to unending death threats. Her attorney also saying that Ford was upset by Trump mocking her testimony.

Then following all of this, we got to Monday, where president held a swearing in ceremony for Kavanaugh. And it started with the president issuing an apology. I want to apologize to Brett and the entire Kavanaugh family for the terrible pain and suffering you have been forced to endure. And of course, we saw Kavanaugh speak at this ceremony. And there he said he had hired four women to be his Supreme Court clerks, also adding,

Every litigant in the Supreme Court can be assured that I will listen to their arguments with respect and an open mind. Every American can be assured that I'll be an independent and impartial justice devoted to equal justice under law. And that statement seemingly trying to address the complaints and concerns from people that he will not actually be impartial.

A lot of that has been connected to criticisms of his conduct during his hearing. And so that's where we are. And as far as the impact of him being a Supreme Court justice now, we will see the effects of that almost immediately. Brett Kavanaugh will actually hear his first Supreme Court cases this week.

And reportedly those cases involved the Armed Career Criminal Act. Additionally, they'll hear a case involving an immigrant with a criminal record. So that's where we are with this situation as of right now. I wanted to make sure that we addressed everything that had transpired since we last talked about it. And with this story, of course, I want to pass the question off to you of what do you feel? Are you happy? Are you sad? Are you over the moon? Are you horrified? Also, why? Also a side issue here that I'm fascinated by is how everything that happened with Kavanaugh will affect these midterms.

And the reason I'm so interested in that is we have situations like that of Heidi Heitkamp. She's a Democrat running against Republican Kevin Cramer in the traditionally red state of North Dakota. Heitkamp also a Democrat who was against Kavanaugh's confirmation. And as the Kavanaugh hearings became more and more of an issue, they continued.

We saw Heitkamp drop more and more in the polls. According to a Fox News poll, September 8th to 11th, she was just a four point underdog. According to a Fox News poll, September 8th to 11th, she was just a four point underdog. According to a Fox News poll between September 29th and October 2nd, all of a sudden she's a 12 point underdog. And as we mentioned in previous coverage, there were reports out there saying that the Kavanaugh situation was incredibly important

to a lot of voters. But all of that said, that's where I'm gonna end it and pass the question off to you. And of course, whether it be the last story, the first story, anything in between, I'd love to hear from you in those comments down below. Also while you're at it, if you liked today's video, hit that like button.

If you're new here, hit that subscribe button. But with that said, of course, as always, my name is Philip DeFranco. You've just been filled in. I love yo faces and I'll see you tomorrow.