The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 12.20 We Need To Talk About Gross Fitness Influencers, Why Colorado's Trump Ban Will Fail, & Today's News

Episode Date: December 20, 2023

Start your free trial today: http://www.Squarespace.com/Phil  & enter offer code “Phil” to get 10% off your first purchase!  Head to https://globalaircylinderwheels.com/ to learn more about what the future of wheels should look like!  Go to https://BeautifulBastard.com for up to 90% OFF and $10 Mystery Items. –✩ TODAY’S STORIES ✩ – 00:00 - Fitness Influencers Booted From Gym After Mocking Guy Working Out 03:07 - Judge Orders Release Of Documents Identifying Epstein's Associates 04:18 - Social Media Impacts Shopping For Young People, Especially During Holidays 06:17 - Cops Crash Into Gay Bar, Then Arrest Owner After Fight Ensues 08:06 - Sponsored by SquareSpace 08:53 - Colorado Supreme Court Removes Trump From Ballot 12:08 - Ex-CEO of Medical Company Charged With Fraud  13:53 - U.S. Assembling Red Sea Coalition to Deal With Houthi Attacks on Shipping 15:43 - Sponsored by GACW 17:00 - India Investigating “Cash For Kidneys” Scheme at Hospital 21:16 - Your Thoughts on Yesterday’s Show ——————————   Produced by: Cory Ray Edited by: James Girardier, Maxx Enright, Julie Goldberg, Christian Meeks Art Department: William Crespo Writing/Research: Philip DeFranco, Brian Espinoza, Lili Stenn, Maddie Crichton, Star Pralle, Chris Tolve  Associate Producer for “Cash for Kidneys:” Brian Espinoza ———————————— #DeFranco #MrBeast #Selena Gomez ———————————— Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Y'all, today we're talking about the secret list of Epstein's associates being revealed, what's actually going to happen now that Colorado's banned Trump from the ballot, we got gym jerks getting karma, cops crashing into gay bars, people getting scammed with surgical implants. We're talking about all that and so much more on the second-to-last scheduled Philip DeFranco show of 2023. So buckle up, hit that like button, and let's just jump into it. Starting with...

It is so nice when we get to have the rare story of dickheads being held accountable. And today's contestants are two German female fitness influencers by the names of Berna and Debs. Because last month they uploaded a video titled "'Copying the Weird Man in the Corner of the Gym." And the title of that video gives you exactly what you think you're gonna get. They mimic and seemingly mock this random guy's movements

while his back's turned at the gym. Doing things like lunges before falling over in hysterical laughter. Which apparently they thought like, "'Everyone's gonna love this. "'The internet's gonna give us a high five. But instead, the internet skipped the hand and went straight for the face. With comments popping up like, such gross behavior from grown women, gags. I think it's people like that, that make the gym

a scary, unachievable place for others. People saying to the guy, they're just trying their best. I have no idea why they think this is so hilarious. So what we saw is that, you know, after they got all that heat, Berna and Debs immediately made their Instagram and TikTok accounts private. With them recently coming back without apologizing or addressing the controversy, at least publicly. Though privately, they appear to have DM'd one of the TikTokers who called them out by the name of Noah. With him showing a message he said he received from Debs, telling him to take down his video. With her there claiming she never meant to mock or make fun of the gym goer.

Who was rather, quote, playfully copying his workout. And adding, we followed his routine and laughed while doing it. Unfortunately, many misunderstood the video, so we took it down. You know, how you do in a playful, non-judgmental video titled, Copying the Weird Man in the Corner of the Gym. But then, you know, as far as the held accountable part of this, Noah also claimed that a personal trainer at the gym saw the video and contacted him. Noah saying, the good news is that this guy sent me a DM and his colleague, who was a manager of the gym, has kicked them out. So assuming that's true, it seems like to a certain degree,

these women have been held accountable. You know, with this story, I want to speak on it a little bit further because it is something that it's like I've experienced and it's something close to my heart. I cannot stand douchebags like this. The person that would film someone without their consent to make fun of them. Or if it's about their form, they're there in the gym. They are trying to do something. If you have a fucking issue with it, go over there and be like, hey, this is how you actually do it. Or alternative option, mind your own damn business. Maybe don't film someone without their permission, especially if it's meant to ridicule them.

Because also secondly, you know, I think in the fitness space, there's definitely been a rise of like really fantastic fitness influencers. People who do not gatekeep, they call out this behavior. They're like actually wanting people to better themselves to foster healthy environments but still in this space there is no shortage of toxic jerks or the kind of people that are like did you see that nike ad with all those fat people and workout clothes what are they doing people filming or mocking large people in the gym like what do you actually want because you'll do that and then in another breath you'll be like and so many people are obese and lazy in this country everyone's got a starting point taking those first steps are already hard enough without judgmental dickheads doing stuff like this.

I mean, like, I'm well on my journey, but I still primarily work out at home or I do things like hikes because I don't like the idea of going somewhere where people are going to do stuff like this. So I will say good on people in this space that are calling things out. Good on gym owners that are kicking out jerks like this. And yeah, I guess if anything, this should just be a little reminder. Let's let's look out for one another a little more. And then over the next, let's say, 11 days, you're going to see rich and powerful men like just digging holes, very probably big enough for them to try to hide into. I think I might know why, because as you might have seen, a judge actually just ordered the name of over 150 of Jeffrey Epstein's associates to be unsealed on January 1st. So the ball in Times

Square is not the only thing dropping. Though notably, while this is big news, you have places like ABC News kind of trying to temper expectations, noting this is not going to be just like a monster list, saying that some of these names may have just been included in depositions or emails, because the names in this are coming from documents tied to a lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell, which notably was settled back in 2017. The Associated Press adding that the names will likely include victims, litigation witnesses, Epstein's employees, and yes, some people with at least a passing connection to the scandal. The judge also saying some names should remain under lock to protect the identity of those who were minors at the time they were abused.

And also noting that some of the people on this list have already given interviews or been tied publicly to this in other ways, which was actually part of the decision to publish it. Right, so you have the likes of BBC News saying, Sweaty Betty Prince Andrew expected to be on the list. But ultimately, you know, until it actually comes out, it's unclear how many major revelations there would be. Right now, all we really know is that anyone who objects to having their name published has around two weeks to appeal.

And until then, it remains to be seen if this is going to be a bombshell or kind of a regurgitation of things we already knew. And then, so I think the easiest way for me to do this business story is to do a little piece from my new stand-up special. So, uh... Now, is it me, or do bitches be shopping? Also, by bitches, I mean everyone. And specifically for this story, I'm going to say young people. Because this year, when it comes to the youths, it appears that Santa has fired his elves. Maybe they were trying to unionize. Very problematic, Santa. Instead, young people are ordering presents from TikTok and Instagram this year. The whole

slew of recent reports finding that social media apps are actually dominating shopping this year. In fact, a Gallup Shopify poll found that roughly half of people between the ages of 18 and 29 are at least doing some holiday shopping via apps like TikTok and Instagram. Unsurprisingly, you have reports out there saying 85% of Gen Z say social media impacts their purchasing choices. And then I'd go even further and say for the other 15%, they probably just don't realize it. With tons of reports noting how algorithms are impacting gift buying. And you had one PR specialist telling Forbes that social media is subtly yet powerfully crafting your Christmas wish list. Saying these digital spaces are curating a personalized holiday shopping experience one post and one click at a time.

And as far as what people are buying, there was this really interesting recent report from the Morning Console that just looked at the massive popularity of influencer brands. And they found that 30%, almost one-third of U.S. adults have bought a product from an influencer-founded brand. Then that jumps up to 47% and 53% for millennials and Gen Z. With Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty getting the top spot, Mr. Beast Burger coming in at second. So in that, it noted that Kim Kardashian's Skims brand actually has the highest awareness. And really, none of those three should be surprising. Like, they're the biggest people online. Mr. Beast, among a million other things, most subscribed individual on YouTube. Selena Gomez is the third most followed person on Instagram. And notably, these influencer brands aren't kind of one and done.

80% saying they were satisfied with their products and they'd be open to buying them again. And nearly half saying that the shopping experiences they had were actually better than traditional brands. You know, with all that said, that is a general poll. And so I want to ask you specifically, what is your personal experience been with influencer brands? And think of it as anything that like extends past something that would be deemed merch. So there, there's a gray line between merch company and an actual clothing brand. But yeah, I'd love to hear about your experiences. And also, do you relate to the polls that we're seeing here or no? Does that seem like a different planet to you? And then this news out of St. Louis is kind of wild. So at like 30 minutes past midnight this

week, two cops somehow crashed into the front of Bar PM, which is this gay bar in St. Louis. According to the incident report, the two cops drove too close to a parked car, with the men overcorrecting, losing control of the vehicle, and crashing into the bar. This is one nearby resident told Fox 2 that the officer behind the wheel said he actually tried to avoid a dog that was in the road. But either way, the bar's married co-owners, who live on the floor above, James Pence and Chad Morris, they said they heard a loud boom and they went downstairs to see what happened. And as far as what actually happened next, that's been heavily disputed. According to the police's version of events, Morris emerged from the building. He shouted profanities at the cops. With him then claiming that when one of the officers tried to calm down the situation, Morris shoved them. He then attempted to flee the scene after he was

told he was being placed under arrest, pushing a trash can at another officer. With him ultimately being arrested for assaulting an officer and resisting arrest. But the couple's story is very different. Their attorney claiming that he has video that shows Pence arriving at the scene first and identifying himself as the bar's owner. When the officer who just crashed into his building asked to see Pence's ID, Pence responds loudly, why should I show my ID? I didn't do anything wrong. With Pence's lawyer then claiming, the officer says, you don't get to yell at me. You're under arrest for disturbing the peace. Then other people who were nearby repeatedly asking the officer why he was getting arrested. He said, nobody gets to yell at me, which is not the standard for an arrest. So reportedly,

the cop puts Pence in handcuffs, at which time his husband Morris comes down and confronts them. With Pence saying, my husband did put his hand on a cop out of defense, but they had already put me in handcuffs because I wanted to know what was going on. I was told I had to ID or shut up. Also with this, you initially had Pence telling KSDK TV that he heard a cop make a homophobic remark. But there, he also later said he couldn't be certain if it was an officer and maybe not another bystander. But regardless, the lawyer claims that Morris tried to leave the scene down an alley when officers grabbed him and physically beat him off camera. And there, you had KTVI reporting that Morris was seen with an apparent black eye after he was released from jail. And as far as the

charges, his felony assault charge has now been reduced to a misdemeanor and Pence was actually never formally arrested. So for now, with these conflicting accounts, we're gonna have to wait to see how things shake out in court. And then for any of you focused on getting your business off the ground, creating a place to share your homemade goods, or even a personal blog, I got a great solution for you. And it comes from, and I want to thank the fantastic sponsor of today's show, Squarespace. I've been partnering with Squarespace for years now, and I have to say it is still so easy. There's nothing to install, patch, or update ever. I mean, creating a beautiful website with Squarespace's Fluid Engine is so easy. You just drag things where you like,

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break down what's going to happen next. Because they determined that he engaged in insurrection on January 6th. And so he's disqualified from the election under the constitutional provision that prevents insurrectionists from holding office, which, you know, we've talked about before, but to specifically lay it out under section three of the 14th amendment, people who have taken an oath to support the U.S. constitution are prohibited from holding office if they, quote, have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. And as far as why we even have that amendment, it's because of the civil war. It was meant to stop former Confederate officials from becoming members of the government they had just rebelled against. Well, obviously, that was the express purpose. You have legal

experts arguing that the rule has a broad scope. So voters have been testing that out in a number of challenges. But until now, none of those challenges actually convincing courts to remove Trump. But in their judgment, the state Supreme Court reversed a decision from a Colorado trial judge who ruled that, yes, Donald Trump did engage in insurrection, but that he actually couldn't be removed from the ballot because Section 3 doesn't include the president. The trial judge arguing that the presidency is just not included among the offices explicitly listed in the constitutional provision.

With that, because the presidential oath is different from the oaths taken by those other offices, Section 3 cannot be applied to the highest seat of power. But in a four to three vote, the Colorado Supreme Court disagrees, saying you were right, yeah, Donald Trump did engage in insurrection, but two, he can be held accountable under Section 3.

The majority writing in their decision, President Trump did engage in insurrection, but two, he can be held accountable under Section 3. The majority writing in their decision, President Trump asks us to hold that Section 3 disqualifies every oath-breaking insurrectionist except the most powerful one, and that it bars oath-breakers from virtually every office, both state and federal, except the highest one in the land. Both results are inconsistent with the plain language and history of Section 3. And then going even further, the majority address other key legal questions that have been at the heart of these Section 3 cases nationally.

Ruling that Congress is not required to disqualify candidates and that the power is well within the jurisdiction of the legal system. Saying, were we to adopt President Trump's view, Colorado could not exclude from the ballot even candidates who plainly do not satisfy the age, residency, and citizenship requirements of the Constitution. And also very notably in this situation, right, the judges who voted against this, they did so based on procedural arguments. It wasn't about whether Trump engaged in insurrection or not, saying Trump hasn't been convicted or even charged of insurrection. One of the three claiming that the court doesn't have the power to decide matters

that fall under Colorado's elections code. So I mean, right now we're in an unprecedented situation. It's also really unclear like what kind of practical impact this is gonna have. Because you know, in their ruling, the Colorado Supreme Court said it would stop the decision from taking effect until January 4th, which is right before the Colorado Secretary of State

is required to certify the primary ballot. And if Trump appeals, which of course he's gonna, that hold will stay in place until the U.S. Supreme Court chimes in. But also, here's the thing. For Donald Trump, Colorado just as a state is not important. He's getting the nomination. This is all about the U.S. Supreme Court now.

Because I really don't see a world where they don't take up this case and fast. Especially because a ruling on this case could determine similar legal battles in other states. And if they found that the Colorado Supreme Court was in the right here, I mean, there's no reason to think that other states wouldn't take this up as well. But, and this is my opinion, I personally don't believe that the Supreme Court is going to go that way. And I know it's very easy to go, well, yeah, there is a six to three conservative liberal split.

But it's not actually that simple. At that Colorado Supreme Court, all seven of the justices were actually appointed by Democrats. And still, the vote was split four to three, right? This is a divisive issue, even among liberals. And the opposition to removing Trump from the ballot, like they have multiple arguments they can play out. Whether they wanna argue that section three, for some reason, shouldn't count for the president,

which is insane. It's like, we don't want insurrectionists unless they're the president. Or they find it to be anti-democratic to have the legal process do this rather than, let's say, Congress. And hey, I could be wrong, but we're not gonna know if that's the case

at least for a few months. So in the meantime, of course, I'd love to know your thoughts on what Colorado Supreme Court did here and also just your opinions in general. And then I want you to imagine a situation where you're supposed to have something that's gonna help you with your pain

surgically implanted into your body. And then all of a sudden, this super fun thing happens. You find out it actually does nothing. It's just a little piece of plastic because this is Laura Tyler Perryman. She's the co-founder and former CEO of StimWave Technologies. And the SEC just slapped her with a $41 million fraud charge. With her complaint saying she misrepresented the device made by StimWave to investors. Saying that it was able

to treat chronic nerve pain by using electrical signals. Or the so-called peripheral nerve stimulation device. It's made up of a transmitter, an electrode array, and a receiver. And according to Perryman, the transmitter was worn outside the body in a pouch and it sent a wireless signal into the body, where notably, the receiver and the electrode were implanted. And so it would receive the signal and it would convert it into electrical currents that stimulated target nerves. But according to the SEC, the device is, quote, in reality, fake and nothing more than a piece of plastic. And understand, like, this wasn't just a concept. This device was actually implanted into real people's bodies. With the SEC saying that Perryman told investors

that it was the only effective device of its kind on the market and that it had been approved by the FDA. And the director of the SEC's San Francisco office saying, Haitians were unwittingly undergoing unnecessary surgeries to implant the non-functional component into their bodies. And so they're looking for, among other things, permanent injunctions against Perryman and a civil penalty. Also, I'll say like an interesting aspect of this story

is that a separate company actually acquired the StimWave assets last year. They still have a version of the peripheral nerve stimulation device available. And that's despite StimWave declaring bankruptcy last year and previously recalling the product. So it's going to be interesting to see how that plays out. But for Perryman, you know, we don't have a comment from her or her attorney as of now. But an unfortunate news for her, this is not her only legal trouble. She was also recently arrested in Florida in charge with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and healthcare fraud, and then also one count of healthcare fraud. And as if that wasn't enough, the indictment for the criminal securities fraud charges were sprinkled

on top, according to the SEC. So a very bad, no good week for Laura. And then we've got huge international news today because in a very bold move to secure one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, the US and its allies are now forming a multi-nation coalition to counter Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. And they're calling it Operation Prosperity Guardian. Because over the past two months, the Houthis have been relentlessly targeting ships in the Red Sea with missiles and drones. And on at least one occasion, they actually flew a helicopter onto a cargo ship and hijacked it. Now for them, they say this is an extension of their war against Israel as they claim to only target ships with links to Israelis. Though in reality, that connection has very much not been the case. Whereas obviously,

ships need protecting. In the U.S., thanks to you happily paying your taxes and us, you know, happily not having universal healthcare, has demonstrated that it is capable of keeping ships safe, at least preventing drone and missile attacks with its nearby cargo ships, something that the USS Kearney has actually done multiple times recently. Unfortunately, most of the Houthi attacks so far have just led to superficial damage to ships, but that so far, and the potential for a real disaster, has caused major disruptions to worldwide shipping. Because you might not know, the Red Sea is actually one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, and it's connected to the Suez Canal. Because of these attacks, the canal has backups, with ships obviously nervous to move on into the Red Sea.

So then to avoid those headaches and danger, you have shipping companies like Maersk opting to send their ships all the way around Africa. And that's led to a very noticeable 44% uptick in how much it costs to ship a container from China to the Mediterranean. And that's in addition to delayed deliveries. Well, in this situation with the Houthis, it really feels like, you know, they're trying to swat the hornet's nest. They should be incredibly careful. Because not to be too rah-rah fucking America, if they end up actually hitting a coalition ship with a missile or just something, the United States will vaporize them. Because one, America's done it before. And two, when you have U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, when meeting with ministers from all the countries,

justifying the coalition by saying, these reckless Houthi attacks are a serious international problem and they demand a firm international response. By firm response, he means your new home will be at the bottom of the ocean. Though for their part, the Houthis have said that they will not stop.

Writing on Twitter, this is a moral and humanitarian position that we will not abandon, no matter the sacrifices it costs us. And then, you know, growing up, my dad would say things like, Phil, don't try to reinvent the wheel. And I'd say, shut up, old man. No, I would never. Oh my God. Love and respect my father. Also, I'm like the right amount of scared of him. But it turns out that he was wrong. There's actually plenty of room to reinvent the actual literal wheel as we know it. And I was actually so intrigued by this

concept, I decided to invest in the sponsor of today's show, Global Air Cylinder Wheels, because their air suspension wheel is groundbreaking, cost-saving, eco-friendly technology designed to replace extremely pollutive rubber tires, and here's a bit about how it works. When braking, energy is stored in the cylinders and converted into kinetic energy when it starts rolling again. Reduced rolling resistance reduces energy consumption, which means less fuel burn, fewer emissions, and a significant extension of EV battery ranges. And the mechanical wheel improves driving range, eliminates flat tires, which also gets rid of the need for spare tires, making it possible to dramatically reduce pollution from rubber tires dumped into landfills and our oceans. I mean, if they can actually bring

this technology to everyday consumers, the environmental impacts could be massive. I mean, I'm usually such a cynic that it is hard for me to fully imagine the potential environmental and economic benefits of ditching rubber tires for air suspension wheels, which I mean, I'm usually such a cynic that it is hard for me to fully, like, imagine the potential environmental and economic benefits of ditching rubber tires for air suspension wheels. Which, I mean, it's also no wonder Time Magazine named them one of the best inventions of 2023. But hey, also, with this, if you want to learn more about what the future of wheels should actually look like, just click on that link in the description and subscribe to the Daily Dip newsletter to stay tuned as we track the progress. And then, hey you, are you in desperate need of a kidney? Well, boy, do I have good news for you. For just a few bucks, one of the world's private hospital groups has a secret solution for you. Take advantage of poor people from war-torn Myanmar.

Also, infomercial over. Because this is, without exaggerating, what the Apollo Hospital Group in India is now being accused of after a bombshell report by The Telegraph. Right, so Apollo, which you've probably never heard of, is based out of Chennai. And they have 70 hospitals throughout India. Though reportedly their cash-for-kidney scheme, it was only available to their most well-off clients. Right, and according to the report, the scheme revolved around Apollo's Delhi Hospital, which is one of its flagship locations. With red flags first getting raised in September last year, when a 58-year-old patient paid over $38,000 to a stranger for a kidney, with her even admitting she had no idea who the donor

was and that the entire thing was illegal, saying, I am aware that both Myanmar and India laws do not allow strangers to donate organs. But since we are in Myanmar, the agent teaches us to tell the fake story that we are relatives. And yeah, she's pretty much right. In both India and Myanmar, it's generally illegal to get an organ donation from a still-living stranger. Right, and that's because reportedly they want to discourage fake donations that are actually roundabout ways of selling organs, which is also illegal in both countries. And notably, her situation seems pretty standard for how the operations go down. And so as a part of it, you had agents finding both types, struggling people in Myanmar and rich Burmese who needed

kidneys. And then they linked them up. Brokers would also forge documents and set up elaborate photo shoots to make the would-be patients look like they were family. One undercover telegraph reporter even had doctors at Apollo's Myanmar offices blatantly admit that they do this whole scheme for patients. They pretended to have a sick aunt who needed a kidney ASAP, but didn't have any compatible family members. With one Apollo, Myanmar-based doctor telling the reporter, if none of them, relatives, is possible, we will have to find a donor. It's easy to find a donor. The undercover reporter then put into contact with an agent and a 27-year-old man who was desperate for money to help his parents.

One of the wild things, the guy said, this isn't the first time someone in the family has done this. Actually, his uncle had donated a kidney before, and that's how he got put into contact with the agent. And at this point, I got to ask you, if you were to guess how much this person got, what would you say? All right, I'm going to let you cut me open, take an organ, give it to someone else. You know, there's travel involved. How much? Because the answer here was about $3,700 in a round trip flight to India to get the surgery. And that is actually high according to a recording done by the Telegraph and the physician who's in charge of Apollo's Myanmar's operations. And that's despite the person getting the organ likely to pay upwards of $20,000. Also in this, you saw that one Apollo employee even tried kind of like some semantic jujitsu

to dodge any implication that this was an illegal sale of an organ, telling the young guy that this payment was a thank you and it's not a case of buying. It's like we respond to them for their kindness. It's illegal to trade. And the stories with this, they just go on and on. I mean, it's at a point where the Telegraph was told by those facilitating this organ donation that only 20% of organ transplants between Burmese patients are actually from relatives. And to be clear here, this is hardly an isolated problem to Apollo, right? Worldwide, it's believed that 10% of transplanted organs have been trafficked. And even the Telegraph reporting that one kidney specialist told them that patients traveling abroad for these transplants, it's hardly unheard of. And added, the majority of them are people

from the Indian subcontinent going overseas. They're coming back with kidneys. Sometimes there's a story that this was from a relative or whatever, which is obviously difficult to evaluate. But all of this may be coming to an end or more likely shifting. Because without a doubt, there's always going to be a black market for this. But for starters here, this is definitely not the first time that Dr. Sandeep Guleriya, who performs most of the surgeries, has been accused of a cash-for-kidney scam. For the last time, being by a local paper in 2016, with the doctor at the time able to ignore it by saying that it was offensive and laughable.

But now you've got the New Delhi government getting involved and vowing to investigate Apollo Hospital. And that, notably after the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization, which is a federal agency, asked them to take a look at the Telegraph's accusations. Now, for its part, Apollo has denied any wrongdoing, saying any suggestion of our willful complicity or implicit sanctioning of any illegal activities relating to organ transplants is wholly denied, which sounds like a somewhat standard legalese statement,

but also you have some saying it feels like they're setting up the doctors to take the fall, or like maybe they had a secret plot rather than this being, you know, won by an entire organization across two countries. But as far as what's going on with the Myanmar branch, it's also unclear. Especially as the military junta hasn't made any statements on the matter. And considering they're in a civil war with pro-democracy groups, they're focusing on different things. But in the meantime, you know, it's been a while since we talked about a story like this.

So I want to ask you a few questions. What are your thoughts on the situation in general that we see here? And then what are your thoughts of being able to pay people for organ donations? Are you for it? Are you against it? Why? Why not? Do you think it's something that would be abused even more than what we're seeing with

kind of the black market transplants? Also, no, I am not asking because I will likely need a kidney transplant at some point. And then finally today, let's close out the show how we always do with community slash personal stuff and yesterday today, which regarding personal stuff, I have nowhere that I really would share this otherwise. And also also i will say they are not a sponsor of the show you can tell based off of how i will characterize this product beautiful but uh useless bullshit i uh i bought this from high ground oh my god i love it but i also love two of the other keyboards i've purchased from them and i don't use any of them i'm gonna use this one that's

the lie that i'm telling myself yeah i'm I'm gonna force myself. Cause also, oh wait, wait. Oh, come on. Something's wrong with my brain. So maybe it just nerded out with me or I just wasted 30 seconds of your life. And then, yeah, let's talk about yesterday today. Cause y'all definitely had stuff to say when we talked about veterans

being kicked out of their homes. With Ms. Lexi saying, it never ceases to amaze me how poorly a country which seems to be so proud of its military and purports to be so behind them, treats their veterans. But I would argue, while infuriating, and I agree with you there, it's very on brand for America. The government sees its people like its products, one time use. But actually where we got the most comments was on the disability story.

That connecting to the census, who is going to be considered disabled or not disabled. Some of y'all like Batrick saying, the disability story maddens me so much. I already barely qualify as disabled under the current guidelines. Forget trying to actually fight for any benefits. I struggle to maintain a full-time job. I cannot take multiple part-time jobs. It's frustrating that I'm already considered to be not disabled enough to find out that I probably won't be considered disabled at all. And that will affect my life even more. And Phoenix adding sometimes being disabled feels like watching the goalposts move further and further away while your body decays. I feel for those in the U.S. who are about to get overlooked for optics.

And it's VV Tired writing, as someone who is chronically ill, I cannot tell you how frustrating that census story is. There's so much pressure to prove you're, quote, disabled enough, and it sucks they're trying to strip that label from people who need support. My chronic illness prevents me from working a traditional job, but that doesn't mean I never have the capacity to do things. I cannot tell you how many times I've had people not believe my chronic illness is real because I'm still able to go out occasionally and have hobbies. Only labeling people as disabled slash chronically ill when they physically can't accomplish anything is dehumanizing and insane. The system is not meant to actually help disabled people, and it breaks my heart for those in less privileged situations than me. But that is where your show today is going to end. As always, thank you for being a part of this.

And remember, my name's Philip DeFranco. You've just been filled in. I love yo faces and I'll see you tomorrow.