The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 12.3 South Korea Martial Law Coup FAILED! Who, What, When, Where, Why Explained & 5 More Things to Know

Episode Date: December 3, 2024

So is everything just crazy all the time now?! PDS Debt is offering a free debt analysis. It only takes thirty seconds. Get yours at https://PDSDebt.com/defranco Go to http://rocketmoney.com/pds to cancel your unwanted subscriptions with Rocket Money. Get up to 70% OFF @ https://BeautifulBastard.com for a limited time to celebrate Christmas & the holiday season!  – ✩ TODAY’S STORIES ✩ – 00:00 - South Korean President Imposes Then Lifts Martial Law 03:57 - Judge Blocks Elon Musk’s Effort to Grab $50 Billion in Tesla Stock Compensation 06:42 - Sponsored by PDS Debt 07:33 - Oxford Picks “Brain Rot” as Word of the Year 08:52 - Biden Moves to End Program Paying Disabled Workers Subminimum Wage  11:38 - Families Earning $800K Qualify for Financial Aid as NYC Private School Tuition Soars 16:34 - Sponsored by Rocket Money  17:38 - Biden Makes Historic Trip to Angola ——————————   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 #YoonSukYeol #ElonMusk ———————————— Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sup you beautiful bastards. Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco show, your daily dive into the news. Today is Tuesday, December 3rd, which means you're probably burnt out or you're getting close to it. And if you're not already checked out, probably getting there.

But the world has not stopped. And in fact, there's a number of things that we should talk about today. So I'm just gonna make it consumable and then you can go about your day and hopefully not, you know. Make yourself miserable by endlessly scrolling online all day.

That sound good? No? Okay, well, fuck me then. I'm still gonna do it. Starting with the absolutely wild and shocking news that the president of South Korea has declared martial law and we're just seeing chaos erupt. Because suddenly in a late night TV address,

South Korea's president, Yoon, declared martial law, which is an absolutely massive deal for a number of reasons. I mean, it marked the first time in nearly 50 years that martial law has been declared, with it in fact being the first time since South Korea's military dictatorship ended and the country became a democracy. And this, as Yoon's declaration was incredibly restrictive.

I mean, it banned all political activities and it allowed Yoon to take command of the news media, among other measures. Now, as far as why Yoon has made this shocking and unprecedented move, it comes amid an ongoing battle with the political opposition there, because notably the opposition controls

the National Assembly and won by a landslide in the last general election, effectively making him a lame duck president. And in his speech invoking martial law, Yoon specifically claimed that the opposition was plotting insurgency and trying to overthrow the free democracy, right? Accusing them of being pro-North Korean,

anti-state communist forces and saying that martial law was needed to quote, "'Eradicate those threats.'" But this is on the other side, you had opposition leaders and others accusing Yoon of a blatant power grab. With some even going as far as to describe his efforts as an attempted coup.

I mean, just so you understand how insane this move is, even the leader of Yoon's own party condemned the move. He called it wrong. And this is you have many claiming that Yoon's doing this to lash out at the opposition, which has essentially prevented him from passing any bills. And specifically this includes next year's budget bill, which Yoon's party and the opposition

have continued to disagree over. But then also beyond that, they've been hounding him over various scandals and corruption cases, with Yoon just dismissing calls for investigations. But these cases, they include not only Yoon's top officials, who the opposition has attempted to impeach, but also his wife,

which is why we saw the leader of the opposition party condemning and vowing that the National Assembly will block the decree, saying, there is no reason to declare martial law. We cannot let the military rule this country. And adding, "'President Yoon's illegal declaration "'of emergency martial law is null and void.'" But then also, this is where things get really scary and messy.

Right, as I mentioned, the martial law order bans all political activities. And according to South Korea's semi-official news agency, after Yoon's announcement, the military proclaimed that the National Assembly and other political gatherings would be suspended. But then, despite that, we saw thousands of protesters filling the streets near the National Assembly

demanding that Yoon resign. Also a massive thing is that after the declaration, the Speaker of the National Assembly called on lawmakers to convene, and while it was reported that the military had blocked the entrance, enough of them were able to get in. Though some members reportedly had to do so

by pushing past the blockade with one even filming it. And eventually, 190 members of the 300-member assembly managed to gather, and around two hours after Yoon's martial law decree, all 190 of those lawmakers voted to block the declaration. A move that elicited cheers from the lawmakers inside and the protesters outside. But despite that majority vote,

you then had local outlets reporting that South Korean military officials had said the martial law will remain in place until President Yoon lifts it himself. Though this is both the speaker of the National Assembly and other local media outlets had reported that the martial law troops and police had begun withdrawing from the parliament building.

And protests outside were still allowed to continue. And so you had the whole country in this just weird legal standoff, right? On one hand, you had the president declaring martial law and making it illegal for the National Assembly to convene. But then you had the National Assembly saying that is illegal and convening any way to lift martial law. And then you also had the military

who seemed to be echoing what the president was saying, but then also not completely enforcing martial law, right? Because if they did, the lawmakers and protesters who gathered would have been arrested. All of which then brings us to the news that broke just as we were finishing today's show. President Yoon has lifted the martial law order, saying, in light of the National Assembly's demand

to lift martial law, I ordered the withdrawal of military forces involved in martial law operations. Adding his cabinet is meeting to accept the National Assembly's motion to proceed to revoke martial law. And not long after that, we saw the semi-official news agency reporting that the cabinet had approved

the measure lifting martial law. So now we have to wait and see what happens from here and what the fallout from this whole clusterfuck of a situation is gonna be. While we wait to see what happens there, I gotta pass a question off to you. What are your thoughts here? But then, y'all, in absolutely shocking news,

the world's coolest, probably funniest, and definitely best-looking billionaire out there, who, if he wants my Venmo account information, I'm open to giving it, he just got blocked again. Because if you haven't been following this, back in 2018, Tesla's board approved an enormous pay package of $56 billion worth of company stock from Musk, with that payout being conditional

on a series of performance goals over the following years, namely some ambitious sales and revenue targets, as well as a $650 billion market value, goals that were notably met, with Tesla now worth over a trillion dollars. Meaning that his pay package would be worth around a hundred billion dollars today. But what happened is that in 2018,

Tesla shareholder Richard Tornetta objected to Musk's compensation. With him arguing in a lawsuit that the negotiations were just unfair. And so boom, we see the first block in January with Delaware judge Kathleen McCormick siding with Tornetta. With a ruling that Musk would have to return the stock options, which notably would knock him off the pedestal as the richest man on earth.

And what she argued there is that Musk basically controlled the process over his influence over the company and had close ties to several board members. Writing, put simply, neither the compensation committee nor the board acted in the best interest of the company when negotiating Musk's compensation plan. And adding, in fact, there is barely any evidence of negotiations at all. Other than citing an incident in which Musk described an early version of the deal as me negotiating against myself. And adding, swept up by the rhetoric of all upside or perhaps starry-eyed by Musk's superstar appeal, the board never asked the $55.8 billion question.

Was the plan even necessary for Tesla to retain Musk and achieve its goals? All of which was, of course, very big news, but he still had a chance to change the judge's mind. And with that, what we ended up seeing is back in June, the holders of 72% of Tesla's shares, not owned by Musk himself or his brother, voted to reaffirm the pay package. But with the time, you also had critics pointing to past comments by Musk that arguably could have made Tesla shareholders feel like they were being held hostage. Like, for example, when he threatened to focus more on his artificial intelligence work at his other companies if he didn't get greater voting control. Or when he admitted to diverting NVID Nvidia AI chips meant for Tesla to X. With all of that bringing us to yesterday, where we saw Judge McCormick ruling again that Musk has to return the pay package as well, as calling his lawyer's reasoning fatally flawed

and at times indefensible. With their arguing there that the company can't simply swipe away the results of its previous misconduct by persuading a majority of the shareholders to approve that conduct retrospectively. And saying that if courts condone, quote, "'The practice of allowing defeated parties "'to create new facts for the purpose

"'of revising judgments, "'lawsuits would become interminable.'" And so naturally, following this, Musk used one of his other companies, X, to blast McCormick, writing there that shareholders should control company votes, not judges, as well as sharing a post calling her an activist judge at its worst.

So I will say, with this, something that's been less reported on is the fact that another part of McCormick's ruling actually favored Musk, right? Because she also flatly shot down a request by the plaintiff's lawyers to get $5.6 billion worth of Tesla stock to pay their legal fee. Instead, awarding them just $345 million in cash

or Tesla, though, you know, just is a word I use very loosely. That is a lot of money, but a lot less than 5.6 billion. But for now, we'll have to wait to see what happens from here, because of course, Tesla has vowed to appeal the ruling to a higher court. But then, taking a quick break from the news, you know, I don't know anyone who doesn't think that debt can be overwhelming,

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Take the first step to reclaim control today at pdsdebt.com slash DeFranco. But then for our next two pieces of news, we're gonna open up a dictionary. Now, the first piece of news starts with a question of, is it demure to be holding space for the Costco guys or are you DeLulu? And I ask that question because if you understood

that nonsensical sentence in really any capacity, you might have an increasingly common condition known as brain rot. The good news is you would not be alone, right? Because brain rot was just named Oxford University's word of the year, them defining it as supposed deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state,

especially viewed as a result of overconsumption of material, now particularly online content considered to be trivial or unchallenging. And while yes, a number of dictionaries pick words every single year, but this one has sparked a ton of headlines. And I imagine that's largely because there are a lot of people wondering,

is constantly scrolling on social media rotting my brain? And with that, you know, you had the president of Oxford Languages saying in a statement, brain rot speaks to one of the perceived dangers of virtual life and how we are using our free time. It feels like a rightful next chapter in the cultural conversation about humanity and technology."

And saying, "'It's especially interesting to see how younger generations like Gen Z and Gen Alpha have adopted it. These communities have amplified the expression through social media channels, the very place said to cause brain rot. It demonstrates a somewhat cheeky self-awareness in the younger generations about the harmful impact

of social media that they've inherited.'" And this notably as brain rot is not a new term. In fact, its first recorded use comes from Henry David Thoreau in 1854. It's just now the use of the word has blown up. But then with all that said, the other reason we're opening up a dictionary today is because of the word minimum,

which Merriam-Webster defines as the least quantity assignable, admissible, or possible. And the reason that is your DeFranco word of the day is because apparently when it comes to the federal minimum wage, that word loses all possible. And the reason that is your DeFranco word of the day is because apparently when it comes to the federal minimum wage, that word loses all meaning. Right, because there are legal exceptions that let some people get paid less than 7.25 an hour, and I'm not talking about prison labor.

Instead, we're talking about roughly 37,000 disabled workers currently being paid sub-minimum wages in the United States. Sometimes, I mean, we're talking literally pennies per hour. Right, and that because section 14C of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 created a program for people, typically with intellectual or developmental disabilities, to work in what are known as sheltered workshops.

Basically, just these facilities where they're segregated from able-bodied workers. And then certified employers contract with those workshops and pay the workers a per item rate or calculate pay based on productivity relative to able-bodied workers. And usually what you see is they're doing repetitive tasks like packaging, assembling, manufacturing, or janitorial work.

And as far as why this exists, when the program was first concocted during the Great Depression, its purpose was to provide jobs for injured veterans. But now what we've seen is that it's morphed into what critics have called a loophole for corporations to exploit disabled people. With for example, the Government Accountability Office

finding that from 2019 to 2021, workers in this program typically made about $3.50 per hour. That also was about 12% of them made less than a dollar an hour and some going as low as just 25 cents. I mean, literally a fucking quarter an hour. And I mean, that's even if they got what they were owed. Because outlets like the Washington Post found that at least 38% of current certified employers have cheated disabled workers out of millions of dollars in pay. And with that, the Labor

Department has ordered employers to pay over $20 million in back pay and other violations from 2009 to 2023. Also, you had the post saying they found that the program stated goal of helping its workers transition to higher paying non-surgigated work is a near total sham. With them finding over two years, only about 2% of workers made a full transition.

Now with this situation, what we've seen is that as awareness of the program has grown, so has opposition to it, with us seeing 13 states and DC already eliminating it entirely, as well as Illinois, California, Virginia, and Nevada moving to do the same, and Texas has partially eliminated the program. As far as what the impact entirely, as well as Illinois, California, Virginia, and Nevada moving to do the same. And Texas has partially eliminated the program.

As far as what the impact is, according to the Post, when states end their programs, overall employment of adults with cognitive disabilities actually increases, which kind of refutes the argument that disabled people need this program because they can't get a job without it. Unfortunately, most of the country still allows sub-minimum wages,

and Republicans in particular are unlikely to get rid of it. So what's happened is that the Biden administration spent the past year reviewing the program and today it's now proposing a rule that would phase it out over three years. With the acting labor secretary specifically saying, with this proposal, the department expects that many workers currently paid sub-minimum wages will move into jobs that pay full wages, which will improve their economic well-being and strengthen inclusion for people with disabilities in the workforce. But here's the thing, before it goes into effect, there is a public comment period

that's expected to wrap up on January 17th, which of course is right before Trump's inauguration, which means it's his administration that will have to review the comments and then issue a final rule or withdraw the proposal entirely. Which, you know, as many as saying it doesn't bode well for the proposed rule, but who knows?

We'll have to wait to see what happens. And then how good or great a country is, I think in many ways is tied to how its systems and social safety net is put into place to help those who are struggling still have access to vital things like food and housing and proper schooling. Which is why it actually warmed my heart this morning.

I know this is rare. This is a positive story. It warmed my heart to learn the news this morning that people earning just $800,000 a year are getting financial aid to send their children to New York City's top private schools. You thought it was a positive story. Dummy, how long you been watching this show?

There was a nine out of 10 chance it was gonna be negative. Yeah, I'm not even kidding. The city's private schools have gotten so expensive that families making close to a million dollars annually are qualifying for financial aid. We're talking about some of the highest earners in the country taking handouts

because these schools are charging around $65,000. And the thing about people making $800,000 qualifying, that's not something I pulled out of my ass. Le Mans Preparatory School, which charges $67,300 a year for most grades, their tuition chart literally shows that families earning up to $800,000 can qualify for at least some help

if they have three children enrolled, with households making up to $600,000 also getting aid if they have two children enrolled. And they're not the only ones, right? The Dalton School says on its website that families that earn $400,000 with, quote, "'a low to moderate level of personal assets' and have two kids enrolled might qualify for enough aid

that they only have to pay just over half of the school's $64,300 tuition." And the all-girls school Chapin, where tuition is $65,300, the average household income of families who applied for financial aid was $229,400. And I also want to be clear here, right? Just because New York City is expensive, that doesn't mean that $229,400 is standard income. Data shows not only that a family making that much would be top 1% nationwide, they would still be top 6% of earners citywide. Though despite that, financial aid officers and experts told the New York Times

that these high-earning families who receive financial aid, they shouldn't be seen as trying to game the system. With, for example, the Times explaining, it has become legitimately difficult for parents to pay full tuition, at least for more than one child, without earning close to a seven-figure household income or turning to their own parents for help,

which consultants said was an increasingly common practice. But I also think that for a lot of people, it is hard to imagine making $800,000 a year, or even half of that, and then asking your parents for money to send your kids to private K to 12 schools. But all of this also raises the question of why the hell are these schools so expensive that high earners can't even afford them if they're not gajillionaires? And well, according to the Times, the big reason is that there is just so much staff, right? It allows these families a lower student to teacher ratio. But also, it's not just like English and history teachers. These schools pride themselves on extensive offerings.

So they're hiring additional instructors for special extracurriculars like woodworking, ceramics and playwright, right? Which is very different than I think 99.9% of public schools. Like every history teacher I had in school was also the basketball coach. But also beyond that, private schools have more discretionary expenses that unlike public schools

aren't covered by taxpayer dollars. So then there's also things like the fact that pay for executives have ballooned in recent years. Like for example, you have Thomas Kelly, the head of school at Horace Mann. It is one of the single most esteemed schools in the country and he earned a salary of just under $1.6 million in 2023. That's more than double what he made back in 2014.

And according to the school's most recent tax filings, Kelly, who also teaches at the school, brought home almost $1.9 million total. And that's just with one school, which is a thing that I say, cause to give you a little comparison, the chancellor of New York City's public schools makes $414,799 for overseeing

the nation's largest school system. She's literally the highest paid employee in all of New York City. And all of this, as experts say that the costs that we're seeing with the schools, they're just going to increase. With for example, Emily Glickman, a private school consultant saying that she believes

that the annual cost per student will eventually reach $100,000 a year. And notably with that, she expects that there's gonna be a collapse in the number of middle-class students attending private schools. And actually the fact that these schools are becoming even more inaccessible to anyone

other than the ultra rich, that's super significant. Because if you don't know, or you've never even watched Gossip Girl, the actual education is only one part of this whole situation. These New York private schools, their extreme pedigree is known for educating some of the most influential people in America.

They are feeders to Ivy Leagues and other top colleges, and they build social connections most of us could only dream of. With one consultant even explaining, "'When these kids graduate from college, "'they will go to their friends' parents for jobs. "'You can't put a price on that.'" Though I would say, as we kind of just discussed,

you can put a price on that, and it's super fucking high, which is why I'm very excited to announce that every purchase made from now to Friday at beautifulbastard.com, which by the way, everything is up to 70% off on site. A portion of all those purchases will go to my new organization, Rich People for Rich People, where we sponsor a child of a family only bringing in $700,000 a year. We're talking about kids that after school, they have to go home with their just one nanny, where they're eating their after school snack on a faux marble countertop.

We're talking about kids who are expected to learn how to play on a baby grand piano and not even a concert grand piano. Living conditions, I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Also, it's stupid that I even have to do this, but for the 3% of people out there that do not understand sarcasm, Rich People for Rich People is not a real organization.

It is the general economic policy when it comes to politicians in this country, but it is not an organization that I am, I have a charge of and or will ever be in charge of. But then, taking a quick break from the news, you know, what if I told you there is a simpler way to manage your finances right from your phone? Simplifying everything, making it so easy

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So stop wasting money on things you don't use. Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to rocketmoney.com slash pds. That's rocketmoney.com slash pds, rocketmoney.com slash pds. Then we gotta talk about President Biden being in Angola. Because one, it's not only his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa as president, and it's the first time ever that a sitting US president

has visited this particular country. But also, because two, there's a lot to unpack here on why he's there now, why a lot of people are saying it's about China, and why all of it is so complicated. Right, so to start things off, you should know that Angola gained independence from Portugal back in 1975.

It then fought a decades-long civil war that was in part a proxy conflict between the US and the Soviet Union. And notably the US supported the opponents of the country's largest anti-colonial movement, which had embraced communism during the war. And also since the end of the war in 2002, China has poured billions of dollars into Angola

and the rest of the continent through its belts and road initiative. And I mean like just pouring money. Just in September, for example, the Chinese president pledged $50 billion in financial support as well as military aid. And so with that, China has also come to dominate the supply of critical minerals on the continent.

Minerals including copper and cobalt, which are essential to renewable energy technologies and electric vehicles. Within all of this, leaving some to wonder whether America can compete at all. With people like Ken O'Pallo, for example, an associate professor with Georgetown School of Foreign Service saying,

there is no competition. China has spent almost 20 years forging impactful economic ties with almost all African countries, from trade to financing for infrastructure, while the United States and its European allies mostly viewed the continent through the lens of aid and humanitarian crises.'"

Right, but notably, after Biden came into office, he was promising a new era in U.S.-Africa relations. In 2022, saying that the U.S. was all in on Africa's future and with that, pledging $55 billion in aid and investment to the continent, as well as promising to visit in the next year. But that trip ended up getting delayed twice, with it only now coming about

as Biden's on his way out of office. And that reportedly reinforcing a sentiment among some Africans that their continent is still a low priority for the United States. Which is why you add O'Pallow, right? That Georgetown professor saying, "'The message implied by the timing is hard to miss. "'Biden had the time and stamina to visit lots of places

during his four years in office, but only found time as a lame duck to visit the region. And adding, I think the timing reflects Africa's overall strategic insignificance from the perspective of Washington foreign policy insiders. But on the flip side, you also had people saying this is a real, albeit delayed effort by the United States and its allies

to start catching up with Chinese investment on the continent with Angola now getting caught up in the middle. But with that, notably both American and Angolan officials have pushed back on the idea that this is about competing with China. With for example, national security spokesperson, John Kirby saying,

we're not asking countries to choose between US and Russia and China. We're simply looking for reliable, sustainable, verifiable investment opportunities that the people of Angola and the people of the continent can rely on. So with that, what we've seen on this trip is Biden announcing various investments in global health, agriculture and security cooperation during the trip can rely on. So with that, what we've seen on this trip is Biden announcing various investments in global health, agriculture, and security cooperation during the trip.

But among other things, he's scheduled to announce a new initiative to help countries in the region prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease. And on top of that, his administration has announced a grant of $229,000 to support Angola's National Museum of Slavery, with Biden actually speaking there today

and addressing that dark chapter in American history. Because if you're not aware of the specifics, the first enslaved people in the United States were shipped from Angola in 1619. In fact, overall, almost a quarter of the nearly half a million people forced into slavery in the United States came from the western central region of Africa that includes Angola. But the big one, right, the real reason he's there, some would say, something called the Lobito Corridor. Basically, it's an 800-mile, multi-billion-dollar railway project funded largely by the United States.

And it'll connect the copper and cobalt mines of Northern Zambia and Southern Congo to the Angolan port of Lobito. And it will also ultimately aim to extend to Africa's East coast through Tanzania and therefore be a coast to coast rail link. Though also with that, you have the Biden administration saying the corridor will benefit everyone.

Saying, for example, it will encourage manufacturers to build factories along the railway because they can use it to ship goods. And then with that, it hopefully creates jobs and also saying it could allow small subsistence farmers to ship their harvest overseas rather than selling them at roadside markets as they currently do. All of which has the Biden administration describing the corridor as one of the president's signature initiatives, though it will not be complete until well after he's gone from office. And so one of the big questions is, will it survive Trump? Now notably

there, of course, challenging China is high on Trump's to-do list. With one analyst, for example, saying, "'As long as they keep labeling Lobito "'one of the main anti-China tools in Africa, "'there is a certain likelihood "'that it's going to keep being funded.'" Though, notably, some have questioned whether it'll really be all it's cracked up to be. With, for example, Michelle Gavin,

a former advisor to Obama, saying, "'The US had failed to take Africa seriously "'over multiple administrations, "'both Democrat and Republican.'" And specifically, here, saying, "'It's one project, it's one good idea, "'and I'm very glad we're doing it,' "'but adding, it's not enough.'"

Also with that, the project does not guarantee mineral access to any country. And so with Chinese firms reportedly owning 15 out of the 19 major cobalt mines in the DRC, for example, it's not clear how much the upgraded railway will affect Chinese dominance. But then also even more than that, there are questions about the human impact.

Right, for one, we know that cobalt and copper mining in this part of the country is plagued by human rights abuses and environmental issues. Also, as it stands now, African minerals are mostly exported in the raw states and refined abroad. So actually most of the money being made off these minerals is made by outside companies.

Right, I mean, the DRC, for example, it contains as much as 80% of the world's cobalt, but it reportedly only holds 3% of the battery and EV value chain, which is why with that, you have critics arguing that this corridor is another example of foreign powers stripping African nations of their resources. And you have experts at places like the Stimson Center,

a nonpartisan think tank saying, "'By focusing on extracting and exporting raw materials "'instead of supporting the development "'of clean mineral processing, "'the United States risks undermining "'the sustainable development goals "'of its partner countries across the continent "'and fueling ecological health and security crises there.'"

With them then going on to say, as currently designed, the Lobito Corridor Project will most likely exacerbate existing environmental and human rights crises in the sub-region and undermine the sustainable development goals of its target countries. And with that, these concerns are then amplified by doubts around whether Biden will heed the call of rights groups to address human rights issues in Angola specifically.

With Human Rights Watch, for example, pointing out two bills passed this year that it says severely restrict human rights. With one, for example, handing out prison terms of this year that it says severely restrict human rights. With one, for example, handing out prison terms of up to 25 years for people who participate in protests that result in vandalism and service disruptions. And the other permitting what it says is excessive government control over media, civil society organizations, and other private institutions. And then on top of all that, saying that Angolan police have been implicated in killing, sexual violence, torture, excessive use of force, and arbitrary detention of peaceful activists and protesters. With Human Rights Watch going on to say, if this first ever visit of a U.S. president to Angola is limited to strengthening business links, it will send the wrong message.

Saying instead, Biden should stand with the Angolan people and seek a public commitment by Angola's president to investigate rights violations by the security forces and appropriately hold those responsible to account. But with all that, we're going to have to wait to see where this goes, what gets brought up, and what the ultimate impact of this one African country becoming a place of competition between great powers looks like. But that, my friends, is the end of your Tuesday evening, Wednesday morning dive into the news.

Thank you for watching, and remember, my name's Philip DeFranco, you've just been filled in, I love yo faces, and I'll see you right back here tomorrow.