The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 11.30 Joe Rogan vs Emma Chamberlain, Nintendo's Nasty Crackdown, Elon Musk vs Apple... & Today's News

Starting point is 00:00:00 Nintendo's new Ruthless Crackdown's got the internet furious, Joe Rogan is the king of podcasting, but there's now news that might change that next year, and why a shooting survivor is suing Walmart. We've got all of that and more on today's show, so buckle up, hit that like button, and actually, before we jump into it, I gotta say this, this is last call. You literally have just a few hours left if you want to get in on the ChristmasBeautifulBastard.com drop. It ends tonight, midnight Pacific, so it's an hour and ever to grab that emotionally exhausted flower power, or get hooked up with that sports gear Maybe you want to hail Santa or remember one day will all be skeletons and the comfiest of gear while you're at it

Starting point is 00:00:31 You can snag the premium notebooks the water bottles and the best fucking candle you will ever buy once the clock strikes midnight And it's my birthday things go away and the whole site changes now You know you can't complain if you miss it and let's just jump jump into it. And then, Nintendo's family-friendly image is, it's a mask. When it comes to business, they are extremely cut through. Now, I've been doing this job 15 years. They've popped up several times, like, just, they make it very hard for their community.

Starting point is 00:00:55 I think back to, like, how they treated YouTubers who just wanted to stream their games back in the day. Or they were like, we get you love it, but fuck you. And so now, this latest controversy, it has shades of that, revolving specifically around Nintendo's decision to effectively kill one of the largest and longest running community driven events in the gaming world, the Smash World Tour. Also, quick disclaimer, this is going to be a top level breakdown getting fully in the details. That's like a whole 20 minute video. And so I want to cover it correctly for the community, but I also want to make it consumable for everybody.

Starting point is 00:01:18 So this tour ran over the course of a year across the world featuring hundreds of thousands of players at local tournaments and nearly as much money. With it all culminating at the end of the year with its Smash World Tour Championships. And that was actually supposed to happen in about a week. However, on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, allegedly Nintendo knocked on the door and they were like, "'Hey, it's Thanksgiving. "'We wanted to give you a present.

Starting point is 00:01:36 "'Go fuck yourself!'' With them telling the tournament organizers they couldn't host the event or any future ones because they didn't have a licensing agreement. Now, key thing, it's not like this was completely out of left field. You had Nintendo signing an agreement back in 2021 with esports sponsor Panda Global to make the Panda Cup, aka Nintendo's official Super Smash Tournament series. However, at that time, instead of Nintendo shutting them down, the opposite seemed to happen.

Starting point is 00:01:55 According to the Smash World Tour, Nintendo reached out to us to let us know that they had been watching us build over the years and wanted to see if we were interested in working with them and pursuing a license as well. And since then, they say that they were just essentially strung along until suddenly being told no. And on top of apparently being strung along, there was drama behind the scenes with plenty of reports that the organizers behind the Panda Cup were pressuring local tournaments to drop their affiliations with the Smash World Tour, with them even saying things along the lines of it's not even going to be around anymore. Although notably, there are also accusations that it was far more forceful than that, and that Panda was actually the catalyst for Nintendo cutting ties with

Starting point is 00:02:24 everyone, with them even allegedly going so far as to threaten to use Nintendo to shut them down. And in general, these alleged actions have led many prominent players and community members to boycott the Panda Cup. And so this move to try and force people to fall in line with this new tournament on top of Nintendo cancelling this long-time community-driven event has angered a lot of fans, with many pointing out that what made the entire thing special was that it was a community event. But there's also seeing takes like that from a Vsue, a popular caster in the Smash space. But the thing is, the community wasn't based off licensing. The community was based off the

Starting point is 00:02:54 hardworking individuals of the grassroots scene. That's what built this shit up. That's it. Point blank, period. But then there's also a little extra drama on top of all this. You have Nintendo coming out this morning and telling Kotaku that it never canceled the 2022 Smash World Tour Championships, and that it only denied a licensing agreement for 2023. But, the Smash World Tour disagrees, providing this quote that they got from Nintendo. Nintendo will not be able to grant a license for the Smash World Tour Championship 2022, or any Smash World Tour activity in 2023. So you have a situation where it seems like there's only three possible answers. You either, one, have Nintendo lying about canceling this year's event

Starting point is 00:03:28 on such short notice. Two, Nintendo just doesn't know what's happening at their own fucking company. Or three, the Smash World Tour is making up the quote. However, when it comes to Nintendo, it is hard to give them the benefit of the doubt. They have a long and storied history of squash and community-driven things such as events. And Nintendo is usually such assholes about things, it's easy to just go, yeah, I side with the community, obviously. And then, Elon Musk just did something I didn't think was even possible, he picked a fight with someone that has more money than him, with Elon taking his fight to Apple. This after they apparently decided to stop advertising on Twitter. Right two days ago, he provocatively tweeted,

Starting point is 00:03:56 Apple has mostly stopped advertising on Twitter. Do they hate free speech in America? And asking, who has been censored by the company? But quickly, you had people saying, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Is this just Musk using the statement Apple is against free speech as a weapon against what seems to be the real problem that he has with the company, money? In addition to losing out on Apple's ad money, Apple takes 30% from in-app purchases from developers, a practice that has long been criticized and famously was part of a lawsuit with the creators of Fortnite. With Musk even retweeting the video that they put out criticizing Apple's monopoly on iOS devices. With Musk probably becoming hyper aware of this after he rolled out

Starting point is 00:04:24 Twitter Blue, where it was only available for iOS users and he was only getting $5.6 per user rather than his $8 price, with Musk so angry about this 30% secret tax, as he calls it, that it's the alleged reason he's postponing releasing Twitter Blue.

Starting point is 00:04:36 It was supposed to come out Friday. Now we'll see where it's gonna get pushed back to. Although, to be clear, while there is a lot of criticism around it, companies like Apple and Google taking cuts for in-app purchases isn't a secret thing. It's a well-known thing.

Starting point is 00:04:46 You don't have to just watch my show to know that. It's dominated headlines for months, if not years. But also, there's another aspect to this story. Musk claims that Apple is threatening to take Twitter off the App Store completely, and he's saying he's not sure why. Which, obviously, if that were to happen, it would be a massive, massive blow to Twitter's viability. Now, along this line of the story,

Starting point is 00:05:01 there are other theories as to why Apple might want to remove Twitter. Some wondering out loud if Musk tried to pull a move to circumvent doing payments through the apple store which would have been an update that apple would deny also putting him on thin ice and who knows we may never actually know the actual reason because apple hasn't said a word now here's what i'll say around this i think it absolutely makes sense to criticize musk and how he carries himself and his handling of twitter at the same time even if he's only using it as a weapon the 30 cut that apple takes is notorious in the industry i think this is a little less than a black and white situation. It's more gray.

Starting point is 00:05:26 Yeah, ultimately, we'll see what happens. I don't know. It's all a mess. Musk is also saying that he might launch a phone, which, hey, I mean, could work. The culture war, I think, for a lot of people, very profitable. For now, we'll have to wait and see.

Starting point is 00:05:36 And of course, in the meantime, I'd love to know your thoughts in those comments down below. And then, it's pretty much the end of the year, which means it's time to take a look back and say, what was the best? All right, some of it more personal, like Spotify rap dropping for you today. The day where Spotify

Starting point is 00:05:46 shows you what you've been listening to, how much, also compared to other people. Personally, I always feel attacked and embarrassed when they do this. Side note, I still stand by Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse being the best soundtrack of all time. You can't shame me away from that opinion. Also less personal and more global as far as music. Most streamed artists globally were Bad Bunny, Taylor Swift, Drake, The Weeknd, and BTS. But also beyond that, we got to see who the king or queen of podcasts was. On Spotify, the Joe Rogan experience taking that title again, followed by Alex Cooper's Call Her Daddy, both of those being Spotify exclusives,

Starting point is 00:06:15 which is interesting because the third spot goes to Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain, which will actually become a Spotify exclusive podcast next year. So there's a question of how much of a viewership difference on Spotify do you have between Call Her Daddy and Emma Chamberlain and Joe Rogan and Emma Chamberlain? Because currently she has a sizable audience off platform. So how many people come over? Does she all of a sudden become the new queen of Spotify? Though I'm sure none of these three actually care about the numbers except the guaranteed dollars going into their bank accounts right now. You also had Apple announcing the 2022 App Store Awards this week. The iPhone app of the year going to

Starting point is 00:06:44 Be Real, which actually I just recently joined, if you want to follow me there, one of the top links in the description. Also, the iPhone Game of the Year went to Apex Legends Mobile. But personally, the thing I am most interested in as far as Best of the Year is what you beautiful bastards who play video games think should be the Game of the Year. Am I asking this question to cause a fight? Absolutely. And while in those comments, I'd like to know what specific game it is,

Starting point is 00:07:04 it feels like a majority of this conversation and debate seems to be between Elden Ring versus God of War Ragnarok. So for those who have played both, I have only played one, which is better and why? We'll come back to this question on Sunday with a community show. And then I'd like to take a second to thank today's sponsor, Manscaped.com,

Starting point is 00:07:19 the global leader in men's grooming tools and hygiene solutions. Personally, Christmas came early for me with the ultimate men's grooming kit, the new Platinum Package came early for me with the Ultimate Men's Grooming Kit, the new Platinum Package 4.0 from Manscaped. The all-in-one kit literally has you covered from head to toe with tons of goodies to keep you clean and fresh.

Starting point is 00:07:32 The kit includes the Cordless Lawn Mower 4.0 body hair trimmer that has an LED light to keep you safe from accidental cuts, as well as the Weed Whacker nose and ear hair trimmer, making it easy to tidy up, which I will say has come in clutch several times. And hey, smell fresh and clean with the new aluminum-free stick deodorant for under your arms, the Reviver ball toner spray,

Starting point is 00:07:48 and the crop preserver for, you know, your crops. If you're looking for a stronger shower game, the Manscaped Body Wash and 2-in-1 Shampoo and Conditioner Duo cut my shower time in half. The best part is all these products are vegan and sulfate and paraben-free. And for a limited time, get a Shed Luxury Travel Bag and a pair of anti-chafing boxer briefs absolutely free when you order a platinum package. Simply go to manscaped.com slash phil today and get 20% off plus free international shipping. That's 20% off plus free shipping at manscaped.com slash phil. And then we've got big Alzheimer's news.

Starting point is 00:08:15 Right, because scientists studying it recently presented research on a drug that may slow the disease down. But it might have some severe side effects. So the drug is called licanumab and their study found that the use of the drug reduced cognitive decline by 27% in the study of 1,800 participants. Some of the specifics, the study used an 18-point cognition test to measure the effects, and they reportedly found that those who were given the drug scored about half a point better over the course of 18 months, meaning they were declining slower than their counterparts

Starting point is 00:08:38 who weren't being treated by this drug. But experts have divided whether this clinically makes any difference. One doctor in the field but not involved in the study said, It's unlikely that the small difference reported in this trial will be noticeable by individual patients. And saying that a meaningful improvement would be at least one full point on the 18-point scale. Others, however, are saying this is a notable achievement in the bleak and disheartening study of Alzheimer's treatment. With one researcher telling the AP that the drug delayed the worsening of participants by five months over the course of the study. And Dr. Ron Peterson, an expert in Alzheimer's working with Mayo Clinic, called the drugs effect quote, a modest one, but I think it's clinically meaningful.

Starting point is 00:09:07 And this is something I can kind of relate to. Part of my health journey over this last year is I have a fatty liver. And because of that, I can't take a drug that's supposed to slow down the growth of my cysts on my kidneys. A drug that I'm still trying to actively be able to take, even though how much it slows down the growth is somewhat minimal. But honestly, if it's the difference of having a better quality of life for one to six months more because I took it, fucking please give me that. But as far as this specific drug, right, how does it function?

Starting point is 00:09:29 They say it's by attacking amyloid, a protein in the brain said to be one of the culprits behind Alzheimer's. But also, that's another issue with the drug. Amyloid-targeting drugs can cause some pretty hefty side effects. This drug is no exception, with one in five people in this study

Starting point is 00:09:39 reportedly experiencing an adverse effect. That including swelling and bleeding in the brain, confusion, headaches, and visual disturbances. And it reported 6.9% of the participants who received this drug left the study because of the side effects, compared to just 2.9% in the placebo group. And two people have reportedly died in connection with this drug. However, a big key thing there, both of those people were also reportedly taking blood thinners at the same time for other health issues. But of course, this has caused even more hesitation around the drug. One doctor saying it raises concerns for its use outside of research studies where people tend to be sicker and have multiple medical conditions. But as far as where we are, the question of

Starting point is 00:10:10 approval for the drug, it's underway. With the FDA set to make a decision about it in early January. And then, holy shit, the Senate actually did a thing. With the chamber yesterday passing a landmark bill that will codify the right to same-sex and interracial marriage into federal law. The legislation, which is called the Respect for Marriage Act, was passed in a bipartisan vote of 61 to 36, with 12 Republicans bucking pressure from many of their colleagues and powerful conservative groups. And I'll be honest, I am actually surprised this is happening. I definitely had my doubts.

Starting point is 00:10:33 I even expressed those to Senator Tammy Baldwin when she came onto the show. She, of course, helped lead the push to get enough votes. If you want greater detail of the bill or you want to watch that interview, I'll link to it down below. But the TLDR here is that the bill would repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriages between one man and one woman. Though,

Starting point is 00:10:47 and this is a key thing here, the bill would not require all states to allow for same-sex marriage, but it does require all states to recognize out-of-state same-sex marriages performed legally in states that do allow them. Also, very notably, the bill contains a provision that Republican supporters insisted on that clarifies some language in the bill. This including that religious non-profit organizations do not have to provide goods or services for same-sex marriages and that the federal government is not authorized to recognize polygamous marriages among other things. As far as why is this actually even necessary, it's because of the Supreme Court. Justice Clarence Thomas made it very clear in his decision to overturn Roe v. Wade that he wants the high

Starting point is 00:11:19 court to reconsider the 2015 case that established gay marriage. Which really hurt many Republicans arguments saying, hey this Respect for Marriage Act thing, "'it's just, it's not necessary, "'it's just a political stunt.'" Except it's hard to argue that when everyone can see and hear Justice Clarence Thomas knocking on the door. But even with that, Baldwin and others spent months and months convincing Republicans to get on board,

Starting point is 00:11:36 with the leaders at one point even delaying a vote on the bill until after the midterms to ensure they could actually get enough Republican support, because they might be worried that supporting gay rights would hurt them in the elections, which is an unfortunate and eye-opening sentence. But the timing and the plan, it seems to have worked. So as far as what happens next, well, an earlier version of the bill did pass the House this summer because some of the changes in the language, the lower chamber is

Starting point is 00:11:53 going to have to vote on it again. But because Democrats still hold the House for now, and even on that previous version, 47 Republicans joined on, this is being seen as pretty much a sure thing, expected to go through next week, with President Biden also applauding the Senate vote and saying that he looks forward to signing the bill the last key thing that i'll touch on is you know this is truly massive it's very easy to live in the now but it's important to remember like where we came from even just two decades ago this would have been unimaginable and i mean not just because of the republicans democrats at that time were part of the opposition as well remember it was president bill clinton that signed the defense of marriage act

Starting point is 00:12:22 and it was only 10 years ago that president ob Obama came out in support of gay marriage while running for his second term. And while that can seem like a long time, it's not really. As Axios notes, compared to the decades and decades it took to dismantle Jim Crow laws or secure women's right to vote, America's about-face and same-sex marriage happened in the blink of an eye. When Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996,

Starting point is 00:12:40 support for gay marriage was just 27%. But now, polling shows 7 in 10 Americans support legal recognition. Though, 30% is still a lot of people. And we saw 7 out of 10 Republicans in the Senate opposing the Respect for Marriage Act. But overall, I say, at least for now, let's take a win for a win. Is it perfect? No. Is it important and good? Yes.

Starting point is 00:12:57 And then, the survivor of the Walmart shooting in Virginia last week is now suing the company for $50 million. This is some background here. Last Tuesday, a manager of a Walmart in Chesapeake, Virginia opened fire in the employee break room, killing six people before shooting himself. One of the employees of that store and a survivor of the shooting

Starting point is 00:13:11 is now suing the company for negligent hiring and retention practices. And that because she'd actually filed a complaint about the man months earlier after he made several bizarre and inappropriate comments towards her, repeatedly harassing her based on her age and appearance and for quote, being poor and short.

Starting point is 00:13:24 It had even gotten to the point where her mother had come to the store to speak with management about the harassment because she was concerned about her daughter's safety. But the mother was reportedly told nothing could be done because he was, quote, liked by management. That lawsuit reportedly detailing that the gunman had made several threatening comments toward other co-workers as well, including asking them if they had received active shooter training and then walking away smiling when they answered yes. The shooter had also been previously demoted for improper and disturbing interactions with others, but was later reinstated as a team leader. In a lawsuit also saying that Walmart, quote, had received numerous reports that the gunman was bullying, threatening, and harassing other employees,

Starting point is 00:13:55 and they knew or should have known that he was dangerous. With a lawsuit going on to say, despite the gunman's long-standing pattern of disturbing and threatening behavior, Walmart did not enact any preventative measures to keep Walmart customers and employees safe, saying as a result, you had this woman watching six of her co-workers die and injuring herself trying to escape. As far as how Walmart responded to being sued for $50 million in compensatory damages, they said, our deepest sympathies go out to our associates and everyone impacted, including those who were injured. We are focused on supporting all our associates with significant resources, including counseling, and saying we are reviewing the complaint and will be responding as appropriate with the court.

Starting point is 00:14:25 And as we wait to see what happens there, something, unfortunately, that we have to say on this show far too often, our hearts and our well wishes go to the friends, the family members, the loved ones of the victims of this attack. But that is where I'm gonna end today's show. As always, thank you for watching

Starting point is 00:14:37 and being subscribed to my daily dives into the news. Also a reminder, you only have a few hours left over at beautifulbastard.com. But as always, my name's Philip DeFranco. You've just been filled in. I love your faces and I'll see you tomorrow.

Your Ad Here

The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 11.30 Joe Rogan vs Emma Chamberlain, Nintendo's Nasty Crackdown, Elon Musk vs Apple... & Today's News

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.