The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 12.10 Luigi Mangione Fights NY Extradition as New Details Emerge, The Nurse Hannah Scandal, & Today's News

Episode Date: December 10, 2024

Let’s talk Luigi Mangione updates, Nurse Hannah's "Flinching Baby", Rupert Murdoch's wild Succession legal battle, MKBHD & Sora, and more Just go to https://www.zocdoc.com/phil  and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Then find and book a top-rated doctor today!  Go to http://zbiotics.com/DEFRANCO and use code DEFRANCO at checkout to get up to 15% off your first order.  – ✩ TODAY’S STORIES ✩ – 00:00 - Luigi Mangione Charged Over Death of UnitedHealthcare CEO 03:59 - Hannah Hiatt Being Investigated After Video Showed Son Flinching 05:49 - OpenAI Releases Sora 09:33 - Sponsored by ZocDoc 10:50 - Commissioner Blocks Rupert Murdoch’s Attempt to Cut Two Kids From Trust  16:43 - Boeing Whistleblower Says Thousands of Faulty Parts are Put in Planes 20:47 - Sponsored by Zbiotics 21:49 - Nearly 200 Dead in Haiti Massacre  25:07 - Israeli Forces Cross into Syrian Territory 29:17 - Comment Commentary  ——————————   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 ———————————— For more Philip DeFranco: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-philip-defranco-show/id1278424954 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6ESemquRbz6f8XLVywdZ2V Twitter:   https://x.com/PhillyD Instagram:   https://instagram.com/PhillyDeFranco Newsletter: https://www.dailydip.co TikTok:   https://www.tiktok.com/@philipdefranco?lang=en ———————————— #DeFranco #LuigiMangione #MKBHD ———————————— Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've got huge Luigi Mangione updates, AI is getting both cooler and scarier with the release of Sora, big international news out of Haiti and Syria, a wild succession-like dive into Rupert Murdoch's family, and even more, we gotta talk about on your Tuesday, December 10th, Philip DeFranco show, you daily dive into the news, so let's just jump into it.

This is a news show. So we gotta talk about Luigi Mangione updates, starting with the fact that he has now officially been charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO, Brian Thompson. Because yesterday when he was initially arrested in Pennsylvania, he was hit with firearms charges. But then late last night, he was charged in New York with murder, illegal gun possession, and possessing a forged instrument.

With that, he was denied bond and his arraignment, and he'll have to be extradited to New York to face those charges. Now with that, so far he hasn't entered a plea, but reports did note that he countered some claims coming from prosecutors. Like for example, he was reportedly found with $8,000 cash on him, which prosecutors argued showed

that he was trying to evade authorities. But Luigi, he said he didn't know where that money came from and suggested that it actually had been planted on him. Today, he also had a hearing where we learned that he's gonna try to fight extradition to New York. With a clip of him entering the courtroom also going very viral because he's gonna try to fight extradition to New York. The clip of him entering the courtroom also going very viral

because he's heard shouting at the crowd. I'm completely out of touch and I insult the intelligence of the American people and the American experience. It's kind of hard to make out every word of that initially, but outlets have quoted him as saying, "'It's completely out of touch and an insult to the intelligence of the American people,

it's lived experience.'" It was currently unclear if he was responding to something specific or not. Also with this whole saga, we're now learning a little bit more about Luigi's background. With a number of reports coming out now talking about back pain that he was suffering from and a recent estrangement from his friends and family. The New York Times, for example, speaking to R.J. Martin, the founder of a co-living community in Honolulu that Luigi reportedly lived in in 2022, with him saying that Luigi lived with serious and sometimes debilitating back pain and had surgery

for it last year, explaining, His spine was kind of misaligned. He said his lower vertebrae were almost like a half inch off and I think it pinched a nerve. Sometimes he'd be doing well and other times not. With him adding that upon moving to the community, Luigi took a surfing lesson that resulted in such debilitating pain that he needed a new mattress and the pain really just got in the way of his daily life. And RJ saying, He knew that dating and being physically intimate with his back condition wasn't possible. I remember him telling me that and my heart just breaks. With some believing that that pain and surgery

caused him to lose touch with his family. Which with that, law enforcement sources told the New York Post that his mother actually reported him missing back in November. Though also, some of his old classmates have said that it seems that his whereabouts were unknown for quite a while. With some saying they got a message earlier this year

about Luigi's family trying to find him. And one classmate saying that it sounded like his family had not heard from him since undergoing back surgery. You also had the Wall Street Journal pointing to social media posts mentioning him in July and October from friends wondering where he was or if he was okay. RJ also telling the New York Times

that he tried to text Luigi about how his surgery went, but all Luigi said was, "'Long story and never elaborate.'" With the men apparently trying to catch up with him on the phone in May and June, but to no avail. And some of this lines up with things that a number of people noticed yesterday, like the fact that a Goodreads account apparently trying to catch up with him on the phone in May and June, but to no avail. And some of this lines up with things that a number of people noticed yesterday, like the fact that a Goodreads account apparently belonged to him

showed that he read books about back pain. But all of this is the people who knew him seem generally and genuinely shocked by the news. For example, his family putting out a statement saying, unfortunately, we cannot comment on news reports regarding Luigi Mangione. We only know what we have read in the media. Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi's arrest.

We offer prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved. Also regarding more about his motive, CNN obtained an NYPD intelligence report that explains some of Luigi's alleged manifesto and explained, he appeared to view the targeted killing of the company's highest ranking representative as a symbolic takedown and a direct challenge

to its alleged corruption and power games, asserting in his note, he is the first to face it with such brutal honesty. So right now that's generally where we are though, obviously there's likely tons more information to come. I mean, we really haven't seen a situation or any sort of news takeoff like this in a while now. Though also with that regarding social media,

we're now seeing tons of companies trying to stop the support and sympathy that he's been receiving because of the arrest. With that, including tons of people doing things like making merch and support of both the shooting and the suspect. And sites like Amazon popping up in the news because they're having to pull merch down

for violating company rules. But for now, that is where we are. We'll have to wait to see what comes next. And in the meantime, of course, I'd love to know your thoughts in those comments down below, especially because we're going to be talking about some of your comments at the end of today's show.

But then, Nurse Hannah is now being investigated after video showed her son flinching. Right, so if you're unfamiliar, Hannah Hyatt is a mom influencer. You might know her as Nurse Hannah is now being investigated after video showed her son flinching. Right, so if you're unfamiliar, Hannah, he is a mom influencer, you might know her as Nurse Hannah, and her content has been incredibly controversial, with it even leading to some speculating that her child is being abused. And what we're now seeing is that yesterday,

the Ogden, Utah Police Department told People Magazine that there is an open, active investigation into her. Now, the spokesperson for the department declined to explain what the investigation entailed, simply saying there's a detective assigned to the case. Though adding that it was sparked after Child Protective Services and Police received a slew of reports after there was one video

that showed her son flinching away while his dad approached him. Now Hannah has since removed that video, but it showed her son sitting in a grocery store carriage and leaning back and covering his face when his dad approached him with a box of food. With a number of people saying they thought that this was a defensive body language from the kid,

that he had terror in his eyes, like he was afraid he was going to be hit. And for her part, Hannah has already addressed those concerns posting videos around two weeks ago saying, My husband is the sweetest, nicest, kindest, most loving, most nurturing father in the entire world. I promise, and when I promise this, I'm serious. Nothing is going on.

The fact that I'm even being compared right now to Ruby Frankie is absolutely comical. It's hilarious, really. We live in a world nowadays where people will turn nothing into something. But this also is you had people saying that the video of her son flinching, it was far from the first time

she's been criticized for her parenting. With people pointing to things like one very viral video of her picking up 17 dirty diapers that were strewn around her house after a day of not throwing any out, or they were on tables scattered around the floors of different rooms, people thinking that it was just an unsanitary house for small children.

Also other videos that have generated controversy are ones where it appears she's eating in front of her son and seemingly denying him food. So in part, that's to say people have long been criticizing her. So right now, the big news is that she's being investigated, though officials have not said if they found anything or even what they specifically are looking for. But for now, the big news is that she's being investigated, though officials have not said if they found anything or even what they specifically are looking for.

But for now, that's where we are, and we'll have to wait to see where this story goes. Then we got to talk about how after 10 months of anticipation and hype, OpenAI has finally launched its video generation model, Sora, which allows users to type in a prompt and the AI generates a brief, high quality video. With Sora then notably allowing users to give it feedback

to change AI generated video exactly how they want. Things like adding objects, removing them, changing the color. You can even storyboard prompts to try to generate a cohesive video. And some of the videos that people are releasing are fucking insane. With many noting just how realistic

the people in it can look. With some of the most popular examples being the likes of MKBHD showing this video on Twitter. And while it's obviously not perfect, you see things like the garbled text. Those anchors, the footage, it looks real, it's not. Though also regarding the current shortcomings in a review we posted on YouTube,

he touched on some of the other criticisms, like one being that a lot of objects in motion still seem to pass through one another. And connected to that, Sora sometimes struggles to realistically recreate how things move, right? People sometimes walk in very stilted or almost slow motion-like ways. So we also highlighted some strengths there as well.

Like for example, if you turn a video into a cartoon or stop motion, a lot of those unrealistic looking movements no longer feel noticeable. Then connected to that, he praised Sora's ability to generate abstract backgrounds and short infographic like animations. But ultimately with all that, you would MKBHD saying that Sora is a powerful tool

and really emphasizing that tool part, right? Noting that this tech is both horrifying and inspiring at the same time. With them there hitting on energy concerns and adding that one of the scariest parts is just how much we still don't know about this tech. I also asked for a video of a tech reviewer sitting at a desk and I said nothing about this fake plant, but Sora took the liberty of adding this exact fake plant here. And that is a convenient reminder of the other side of the tools like this,

the unknown behind a lot of the tools. Are my videos in that source material? Is this exact plant part of the source material? Is it just a coincidence? I don't know. OpenAI has talked about using publicly available media and data, and it's always, to me, been a kind of a sketchy definition. We don't know if it's everything.

We don't know if it's too late to opt out, if we want it to opt out. And on that note, right, the road to get this launch, I mean, it's been long and not everyone's happy. Right, just last month, a group of artists shared their limited access to Sora in protest of the way OpenAI was treating the artists it was partnered with,

saying that the labor of hundreds of those artists giving feedback and testing for bugs went unpaid and only a very select few were chosen for a competition to have their Sora-made film screened. Also, I feel like we should mention the fact that Sora is not alone anymore. Following OpenAI's tease of it back in February, a lot of companies jumped on the AI video generation train,

or like Google's Vio or Kling or the more recently released Hun Yuan video, with some saying those options have dimmed the shine of Sora's launch a bit here. People comparing the results from several different generators saying that Sora doesn't really measure up quite yet. There's also a lot of concern regarding safeguards here.

When its deepfakes become more and more common, people are worried that tools like Sora could only make that worse. Which actually, OpenAI has acknowledged even limiting Sora's ability to generate videos with people in them for right now. But then promising to roll out more access once they refine their system for preventing deepfakes. And with that, also including

a feature that'll identify when a video comes from Sora and verify its origin. But for now, that is where we are, though I will say that those last concerns are the most important for me, personally. It feels like in just the last year, there's been just an overwhelming wave of misinformation. And I can just think of countless ways and infinite scenarios where tools like this are just, I don't know how we're going to know what's real or not. Because remember, this is the worst that this technology will ever be again. And I hear and see people talking about safeguards

and we'll be able to verify and check, but we really don't know how effective those tools will be and what the landscape's gonna look like. And in a world where we constantly award who did the thing the fastest or the biggest rather than the safest, I will hope my concerns are misplaced, but I do not think that they are.

But then a quick breather from the news. When it comes to finding a doctor, I think we all know how frustrating it is to search, call around and wait only to find out someone doesn't take your insurance or just isn't accepting new patients. And I've personally had a great experience using ZocDoc, right? It made finding a doctor so much simpler and stress-free. So I'm happy now, of course, that they're a sponsor of the PDS, but I appreciate what they do for me. I appreciate what they do for people. Like this is

a service that I recommend to friends and family. Because ZocDoc is a free app and website where you can search and compare high quality in-network doctors, choose the right one for your needs, and click to instantly book an appointment. We're talking about in-network appointments with more than 100,000 healthcare providers across every specialty from mental health to dental health, eye care to skincare, and much more. You can search by location, availability, and insurance, right? There's no compromise here because you've got more options than you know. And this is, again, ZocDoc helps you find and book doctors from family physicians to specialists who prioritize your health and let you know upfront

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ZocDoc dot com slash Phil. But then, after Rupert Murdoch inevitably dies, who's gonna take over the world's largest right-wing media empire? A question whose answer could dramatically change your future Thanksgivings with your family. And that, because the owner of News Corp, Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post,

and hundreds of other newspaper and TV stations in Britain and Australia, he is 93 years old. So likely we're not gonna have to wait too long to see how this succession crisis plays out. But to talk about what will happen, we have to talk about what has happened starting in 2006. Because that is when Murdoch established his family trust. With him dividing up the financial pie among his six children

and retaining absolute control over his empire for himself. Right, and the struggle that we're about to get into, it's really not about the money. It's about probably the more important thing, power. Because under the terms of the trust, once Murdoch dies, voting power will then be distributed equally among his four oldest children,

Loughlin, James, Elizabeth, and Prudence. And the big thing with that though, is that they are all very different people. Starting off, Loughlin's the furthest right politically and the closest to his father in that respect, which is likely why he's been appointed to chair News Corp for the time being. Then you've got Prudence, the oldest child and only daughter for Murdoch's first marriage, right? I mean, she's the most private and least involved in her father's business. Then you have Elizabeth, the TV entertainment mogul and socialite who capitalized on her last name,

but still tried to carve her own path through the business world. And finally, there's James, the youngest of the four and seemingly the most liberal, or at least the most moderate. He and his wife are outspoken climate activists. He's donated to the Anti-Defamation League after Charlottesville, and even donated to and voted for Joe Biden. Yet surprisingly, he is also the most involved

in the Murdoch empire alongside his right-wing older brother, Loughlin, with the two actually sharing operating responsibility for the companies from 2015 through 2019. But that year he left, and then the next year he stepped down from the board of News Corp as well, with him at the time citing disagreements over certain editorial content published by the company's news outlets. Which many took as him not being able to stand the network's Trumpification, election denialism, and climate denialism any longer. But despite their differences, all four children, even including James,

have been considered at one time or another to be the potential heir to the Murdoch throne. Which has naturally led to some, we'll call it friendly competition between each of them. Probably most famously showcased during the British phone hacking scandal in 2010, right when Murdoch's tabloids were found to have illegally spied on politicians and celebrities. And since James oversaw News Corp's British operations

at the time, Elizabeth reportedly tried to convince her father to fire him and promote her, though she denied that. Also, if you're like, wow, this family drama sounds a little familiar. Like, I don't know the plot of HBO's Succession. You are not the only one who thought so. In fact, according to court documents obtained by the New York Times,

Elizabeth's representative to the family trust saw the episode where, spoiler alert, in case you have not seen the show, skip ahead like 20 seconds. If you didn't do it at this point, it is your fault. The father, Logan Roy, unexpectedly dies, throwing his media empire into turmoil. So Elizabeth's guy reportedly drafted a so-called

succession memo meant to avoid a real life repeat of those fictional events. And in April of last year, reportedly Murdoch's children began secretly discussing a public relations strategy for their father's eventual death. Hell, I mean, it even goes both ways, right? The writers of succession are open about having taken

inspiration from the Murdoch dynasty. But funny enough, one of Murdoch's ex-wives was barred by her divorce settlement from giving them ideas for the show. So for the question, does art imitate life or does life imitate art? I guess it's both at the same time. You know what? Sometimes it is a big dick competition.

But one major difference between Logan Roy and Robert Murdoch is that the real life media magnate, he actually did choose a successor in the end. And by no means was it a big plot twist, right? It's Lachlan. Of course it's Lachlan. What's better than a well-marbled ribeye sizzling on the barbecue? A well-marbled ribeye sizzling on the barbecue Was it a big plot twist, right? It's Lachlan. Of course it's Lachlan. for. Instacart has you covered. Download the Instacart app and enjoy $0 delivery fees on your first three orders. Service fees, exclusions, and terms apply. Instacart, groceries that over-deliver.

You're my boy. You're my number one boy. I mean, that's been pretty clear for several years now, but here is where things get messy. Because you see, they are still bound by the terms of the family trust, which gives each child equal voting power after their father dies. That is, unless there's one key exception. Murdoch can legally revise the terms, only so long as those revisions are in good faith and in the best interest of his beneficiaries.

That including his three other children, James, Elizabeth, and Prudence. Which means that he would have to argue that stripping them of their power is actually in their best interest, whether they realize it or not. Or in other words, daddy knows best. And so on their side, Murdoch argued

that consolidating power around Loughlin would ensure that the companies remain on their right wing course, which would keep them commercially viable and therefore financially benefit the less right wing kids. But on the other side, you had James countering that Fox and News Corp slide into Trumpism may have actually brought short term profits,

but it threatens the empire's long term future. And for a while, Prudence and Elizabeth's loyalties, they were a bit more ambiguous, though the Murdoch-Loughlin team thought they smelled betrayal. They reportedly alleged that the daughters participated in a brewing plot by James to launch a coup against Loughlin after Murdoch's death

and reel in the empire's right-wing bent, with them pointing there to a meeting that James, Elizabeth, and Prudence had at a hotel in London last year as proof of their alleged scheme. Hence why, in a blueprint to revise the family trust, fittingly titled Project Family Harmony, Murdoch's and Lachlan's lawyers singled out James

as the so-called troublesome beneficiary. But now the news this week is that the Nevada commissioner tasked with reviewing these conflicting claims has completely shut down Murdoch's proposal to revise the trust. With the commissioner writing in a 96-page opinion that the plan was a carefully crafted charade

to permanently cement Lachlan Murdoch's executive roles inside the empire, regardless of the impact such control would have over the companies or the beneficiaries of the family trust. And specifically there, he concluded that Murdoch and Lachlan acted in bad faith for months, with them then only notifying the other children mere days before a scheduled vote at a special emergency meeting of the trust. Meanwhile, Murdoch and Lachlan had been securing other votes by appointing two very interesting representatives to the trust. First, William Barr. Yes, that William Barr, Trump's former attorney general. And second, an unnamed person whose research into the trust consisted of Google searches and YouTube videos about the Murdochs or the fictional family in the show

Succession. So now James, Elizabeth, and Prudence have put out a joint statement in response to this news saying, we welcome Commissioner Gorman's decision and hope that we can move beyond this litigation to focus on strengthening and rebuilding relationships among all family members. But with all that, the war is in no way over yet and probably not even close. And that because the commissioner only weighs the testimony and evidence and submits a recommended resolution to the probate court. Then a district judge has to ratify or reject that recommendation. And of course, that decision can be appealed. And then, of course, even if these legal matters don't work, Lachlan can try other power plays like buying out his sibling shares.

So very likely, this is not gonna be the end of hearing about juicy, juicy legal family drama. And hey, best thing of all, you don't even need a subscription to Max for this one. And then, in more stuff you probably don't wanna hear about news, a new Boeing whistleblower is now saying that employees installed defective parts on planes

in order to keep the production line moving. So let's talk about it, right? So the whistleblower in question is a man by the name of Sam Mohawk, who's worked in quality assurance at Boeing for 13 years, with him specifically working at a factory in Washington where around 30% of all commercial airliners are made worldwide. And yes, that also means where the infamous Alaska airline jet that lost its door plug after takeoff was assembled. But with the news today, Mohawk just spoke out for the first time in an interview with 60 Minutes, where he said that he started noticing problems during the pandemic, when Boeing

was increasing production and coping with supply chain issues. And as a quality inspector, part of his job is to keep track of the defective airline parts that are separated out and then put into what's known as parts jail, where they're supposed to be under lock and key with a whole chain of evidence to make sure that they're not put back into any planes. But Mohawk, he says that because of the pressure to keep production moving, some factory workers went against protocol and just took parts out of parts jail when his team wasn't looking. With him explaining there's so much chaos in that factory

that there's a desperation for parts because we have problems with our parts suppliers. So in order to get the plane built and out the door in time, I think unfortunately some of those parts were recycled back onto the airplanes in order to keep building the airplane and not stop it in production.

When asked whether this was a continuous problem or a couple of bad parts being put on a jet, Mohawk responded, "'I think it's happening repeatedly. "'We have thousands of missing parts.'" Also beyond that, he said, "'It's not just the small parts that go missing, "'but rather major ones like rudders.'"

I mean, we're talking about one of the key tools for literally steering a plane, with Mohawk alleging that 42 flawed or nonconforming rudders have gone missing, rudders that very significantly likely would not last the 30 year lifespan of a Boeing jet. And the prospect of these missing faulty parts being installed on Boeing aircraft is seriously concerning.

And in fact, with that Mohawk said that he actually warned both Boeing and federal regulators about the safety lapses mere months before the door plug disaster. Which is why he claims he wasn't surprised by the incident at all. But he also believes the door plug debacle could just be the beginning telling 60 minutes

I think without a proper investigation it could it could lead to a catastrophic event It might not happen within the first year but down the road they're not gonna last the lifetime that they're expected to last It's like Russian roulette, you know, you don't know if it's gonna go down or not So obviously super wild and alarming claims But also very notably they echo similar allegations made by another whistleblower that we've talked about on the show before. With that being John Barnett, a quality manager who apparently took his own life while in the process of giving a formal deposition against Boeing. And specifically there, Barnett alleged that Boeing would compromise safety in order to rush jets through the production line. Claiming that managers would pressure workers to ignore federal regulations, including by not tracking defective parts properly.

And after Barnett's death, other whistleblowers felt they needed to come forward. With this, including Merle Myers, another whistleblower who has spoken out before and relayed his allegations to 60 Minutes in the segment featuring Mohawk. Right, and with Myers, he had a 30-year career at Boeing and worked as a quality manager before he left. And he told 60 Minutes that back in 2015, he discovered that defective landing gear axles

that had been thrown away were brought back to the factory. And alleging there that workers installed them on planes to meet the fast-paced production schedule and not spend time waiting for new properly functioning parts. With him even providing photos to 60 Minutes that showed the axle spray-painted red and clearly marked as scrap. With him adding that he learned scrap parts like this have been taken without approval for over a decade and sometimes workers would just use chemical cleaners to remove the red paint that denoted them as faulty. Now with this, Boeing, for its part, has previously denied Meyer's claim about

the axle. But this also is he told 60 Minutes that senior managers would openly talk about these issues and even compete for broken parts at meetings attended by vice presidents. But with that, we also saw Boeing hitting back against all the allegations made in the 60 Minutes segment with a blanket statement. With them saying that they investigate all quality

and safety concerns, including those of the whistleblowers and address any validated issue. Also saying the whistleblowers interviewed by 60 Minutes and shared their concerns with the company and added, "'We listened and carefully evaluated their claims and we do not doubt their sincerity. Some of their feedback contributed to improvements in our factory processes and other issues they raised

were not accurate. But to be clear, based on investigations over several years, none of their claims were found to affect airplane safety. But then going on to claim, we encourage and welcome employees' feedback and will continue to incorporate their ideas to make Boeing better.'" So really not anything different than we've seen Boeing say

in response to the many whistleblower claims that have come out against them in the last year or so. And honestly, it's also pretty hard to square that largely unspecific denial with one, what we've seen with our own eyes and ears, and two, what's been relayed by an ever growing number of whistleblowers and damning investigations. But then, taking a quick break from the news,

with the holiday season upon us, I know I'm gonna be consuming a bit more alcohol than usual. But with pre-alcohol, I can stay on track and not let the season throw me off course. I felt like I used to have to choose between a festive night out and being productive the next day. But not anymore, thanks to Z Biotics Pre-Alcohol,

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Because you had gang members armed with guns, knives and machetes descending on one of the poorest neighborhoods in the country's capital, killing at least 180. And nearly 130 of those people were over 60 years old. With gang members even burning their bodies and flinging them into the sea. So of course, one of the questions is why? Why did this happen?

Well, with that, a leading Haitian rights group described this massacre as the personal vendetta of a gang leader who had been told that voodoo caused his son's deadly illness. And another group saying that the attack targeted, quote, "'All elderly people and voodoo practitioners who in this gang leader's imagination would be capable of casting a bad spell on his son.'"

And all of this is since the massacre, elderly residents and voodoo practitioners are reportedly still being targeted by gangs. Also with that, I should say like with voodoo, it's not what you might think it is. It turns out it's often been misunderstood and misrepresented in Western popular culture, but it's actually a religion like any other.

In fact, it's one of Haiti's official religions coexisting alongside Christianity, for example, as one of several recognized faiths. And so with all that, you've had the country's recently appointed Prime Minister bowing every resource of the state to be used to restore peace and exact justice, saying, "...the machinery of the state will be deployed in all its force and with the greatest speed to track down, capture, and bring to justice the perpetrators and accomplices of this unspeakable carnage." But of course, it's not all that easy, right? Gang-related violence has already killed

5,000 people this year, and more than 700,000 people are currently displaced. And in June, like we talked about, a Kenyan-led police force was deployed to try and help authorities take back territory from gangs. But it has struggled to actually make progress, as it's also dealt with chronic shortages of funding and personnel,

with things like only around 400 of the 2,500 foreign officers pledged to the mission actually being deployed. And then, last month, violence in the capital flared up again, triggering an all new wave of displacement. Also, as you might remember, three US airliners were struck by gunfire while taking off or landing from Haiti's main airport.

And so with that, the airport has remained closed and flights from the US remain halted, which has just further complicated humanitarian relief efforts. And then as if it wasn't enough, on top of all of that, there's been a recent shift in the neighboring Dominican Republic. Where the two nations, they share the island of Hispaniola.

And so of course, besides Haiti, it's the country that's been most affected by the displacement crisis triggered by the violence there. With that saying in October that they would start deporting 10,000 Haitians per week. And the country's foreign minister later saying, "'The general feeling of the Dominican population "'is that we are providing social services

"'greater than what the Dominican Republic "'is responsible for,' and saying that the international community "'has left us alone to attend to Haitian needs. And with that, we've seen more than 71,000 people reportedly being deported to Haiti since just October. But then also on top of taking issue with the very idea of forcing people back to a country as unsafe as Haiti,

you have human rights groups saying that removals have been plagued by abuses and a lack of due process. For example, the New York Times reporting there that quote, "'Cage-like trucks fitted with iron bars "'that appear designed to carry livestock line up every morning at the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. But of course, rather than being loaded up with cattle, they're filled with people being deported. People who reportedly include young men, pregnant women, unaccompanied children, and even some people who have never lived in Haiti. Which is

why you have activists and deportees saying that immigration agents are simply sweeping black people off the streets regardless of their residency status or even citizenship. With this including, for example, a 29 year old guy born in the Dominican Republic to Haitian parents who said he had a police report showing that he'd reported his national ID card is lost. But for now, we'll have to wait to see what happens. So the situation just somehow appears

to be getting worse and worse. But then in other international news, I got to talk updates about the whole Syria situation. Because as we've talked about before, in just about a week's time, rebels led by a group by the name of HTS advanced all the way from Aleppo to Damascus, taking control of both cities

and toppling the government of Bashar al-Assad, whose family has ruled the country for over 50 years. And so now, of course, we're waiting to see what comes next. Now, so far, a man by the name of Mohammed al-Bashir has been appointed as Syria's interim prime minister. And he's the guy who's been heading the HTS-led government in and around the city of Idlib. With him yesterday meeting with HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jalani,

as well as the previous Syrian prime minister, who for now is working with the group on the transition. And so also with that, you have the UN saying that it might actually remove HTS from the terror list if it passes the test to forming a truly inclusive transitional government. But of course, while HTS may be saying, and even doing some of the right things right now, it's too early to fully tell.

But in the meantime, we are already seeing foreign powers that see themselves as having a stake in the conflict taking action. With Israel, for example, being a big one with the country's warplanes reportedly already carrying out hundreds of airstrikes across Syria, including on Damascus. With the Israeli defense minister saying today that the country's navy successfully destroyed the Syrian fleet. Right, and with that, the strikes are reportedly targeting what Israel says are suspected chemical weapons and missile sites in Syria to prevent them from quote, falling into the wrong hands. But it also doesn't end there, right? There's also boots on the ground. With reportedly Israeli ground forces

making their first open crossing into Syrian territory since 1973, with specifically the IDF confirming that it has troops operating in Syrian territory beyond a demilitarized UN monitor buffer zone established by a 1974 ceasefire deal. And in fact, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, reported that Israeli tanks were seen penetrating the far southwestern countryside of Damascus. So with that, we saw the UN special envoy to Syria cautioning Israel that its airstrikes

and ground invasion into Syrian territory need to stop, and saying that its actions are in violation of the 1974 agreement. Now, Israel, for their part part is claiming that it's just a short-term measure. Netanyahu also actually testified for the first time in his corruption trial today saying, we gave the Israeli army the order to take over these positions to ensure that no hostile force embeds itself right next to the border of Israel. Saying this is a temporary defensive position until a suitable arrangement is found. But with that you also have a lot of people doubting his words saying Israel is exploiting Assad's downfall to expand into Syria, making a land grab. And this is, of course, whether that's true or not, the perception that it is, it could have real consequences. With one expert, for example, even telling NBC News,

If Israel pushes further or stays permanently in areas it currently controls, then this will fuel instability and embolden radical elements who could use religious rhetoric to justify fighting Israel. Of course, with that, Israel is not the only foreign power involved. Right about 900 American troops are currently in the northeast of the country, and Biden saying that they'll stay there supporting the Kurdish-led Syrian Defense Forces against the Islamic State.

Right, because while ISIS is much weaker than at the peak of its power in 2014, it still reportedly has thousands of members in Syria. And with that, the US has already carried out dozens of airstrikes aimed at making sure that the group doesn't take advantage of the chaos. Also, the Department of Justice has unsealed charges against what it said were two high-ranking Assad officials, charging them in connection to the torture and abuse of U.S. citizens and other

detainees in Syria between 2012 and 2019. Although, that said, Biden officials have also tried to distance themselves from appearing too involved, especially when it comes to the question of the new Syrian government, with the same, for example, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller saying, ultimately, this is a processthat needs to be led by Syrians, "'not by the United States, "'not by any other country in the region. "'So what we can do is make clear "'that we will support the Syrian people

"'on this path towards a better future.'" But also adding, "'We're going to protect our own interests while we do that. "'We're going to make sure that ISIS doesn't reemerge.'" And then we gotta talk about Turkey, because over the past few days, Turkish-backed forces have launched attacks against those US-backed Kurdish forces.

And while the US and Turkey have now reportedly reached an agreement to ensure the safe withdrawal of the SDF, there's still concern that Turkey and the allied HTS could target the Kurds again, with one retired general even telling the Washington Post that HTS may not be willing to leave the Kurds alone in the semi-autonomous northeastern region that they've controlled for several years.

But finally, with all this, we gotta talk about Iran and Russia, because like we talked about yesterday, some say that being distracted by the wars in Ukraine and Gaza are part of the reason Assad fell so easily. And now one of the big questions is whether the new Syrian government will kick their forces out of the country.

With Iran specifically, if people wondering if the potential loss of an ally in the region might push them to pursue nuclear armament more aggressively. Though ultimately, and unfortunately, I do not have any answers there for you. This is more a mixture of updates and a description of a powder keg being packed more tightly.

Then finally today, let's talk about yesterday with some comment commentary. Starting with the fact that there were just so many comments about Luigi Mangione. There just being no shortage of people giving Luigi alibis, saying things like, it was Waluigi, you got the wrong guy. And that's not him, Luigi wasn't in New York.

He was hanging out with me in Hawaii. We're chilling in the water looking for pearls, yeah. Some also sarcastically using the defense we've seen lawyers make for their young clients who did horrible things, saying, Luigi is a young man with a promising future. Let's not ruin his future over a mistake. Three months in prison with time served seems appropriate.

It was also a good chunk and varied conversation around kind of a class warfare and the haves versus the have nots. People like Cricket saying, I told my friend that he was snitched on by a McDonald's employee and her first response was, what happened to class solidarity? There was also a good chunk of commentary

about the announcement of the arrest being made. With this Radies 42 writing, quote, we should never underestimate the power of the public to be our eyes and our ears has never sounded like less of a thank you and more of a threat. Some responding your neighbors could be your enemies is always an authoritarian propaganda staple. And then finally with this,

there was a lot of conversation around what is the trial and what is the jury gonna look like with this? All right, some saying, I have no clue how they're gonna find a jury without some bias against the health insurance industry. Others saying, remember people, you as a jury have the power to come to your own decisions outside of what the law says.

And good luck finding a jury willing to find him guilty, but who really knows what this is gonna look like I'm I'm very interested if this is gonna be done privately or if this is gonna be like a televised thing I just based off of what we've seen online in the past week I can't even imagine the circus that that could be you know It's gonna be a long road from here till then and we'll have to wait to see that my friends is the end of your Tuesday Even Wednesday morning dive into the news for more news. You need to know that you might have missed here till then and we'll have to wait to see. That my friends is the end of your Tuesday evening, Wednesday morning dive into the news. For more news you need to know that you might've missed,

I got you covered right here. Or if you just have your eyes on the future, I'll see you right back here tomorrow. I love your faces and I'll see you then.