The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 12.4 United Healthcare CEO Killed in Targeted Attack, Wicked Lawsuit, Georgia Protests, Hannah Kobayashi,

Episode Date: December 4, 2024

Just a wild wild day... Just go to http://www.vessi.com/defranco and get up to 40% off!  Go to https://sundaysfordogs.com/phil to get 50% off your first order of Sundays for Dogs!  Use code “PHIL” for $20 OFF your first SeatGeek order & returning buyers use code “PDS” for $10 off AND your chance at weekly $500 prizes! https://seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/PHIL Daily Dip newsletter subscribers can win up to $1,000 in SeatGeek credit so make sure you’re subscribed: https://www.dailydip.co  – ✩ TODAY’S STORIES ✩ – 00:00 - CEO of UnitedHealthcare Fatally Shot in Manhattan 02:50 - Mattel Sued For “Wicked” Dolls With Adult Site on Packaging 04:11 - Joe Rogan, Taylor Swift Top Spotify Wrapped 05:16 - Sponsored by Vessi 06:13 - Investigation Finds Dozens of Law Enforcement Leaders Illegally Sold Firearms  09:25 - What We Know So Far About the Hannah Kobayashi Case 14:51 - Sponsored by Sundays for Dogs 15:48 - South Korean Lawmakers Move to Impeach President  17:49 - Police in Georgia Accused of Human Rights Abuses Amid Mass Protests 21:28 - Sponsored by SeatGeek 22:01 - Your Thoughts on Yesterday’s Show ——————————   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 #Wicked #UnitedHealthcare ———————————— 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 Wednesday, December 4th. There is a lot of news to talk about today, but the first thing we have to talk about today is that the CEO of UnitedHealthcare was shot and killed in a premeditated attack in Midtown Manhattan.

It all happened early Wednesday morning with the CEO, Brian Thompson, walking outside the Hilton Hotel on 6th Avenue as he was arriving at an investor conference, and the suspect then shooting him in the back and in the leg, coming up from behind. And with all this, you had police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, saying at a press conference.

The CEO of United Healthcare was shot and killed in what appears, at this early stage of our investigation, to be a brazen, targeted attack. This does not appear to be a random act of violence. It appears the suspect was lying in wait for several minutes. Now, even though it appears to have been targeted, the motive as to why remains unclear because as of this morning, the suspect was still at large. The authorities saying the shooter fled on foot at first, then on an e-bike and was last seen in Central Park. With the NYPD also tweeting out images of the person being sought in this

investigation and encouraging anyone with information to contact them. There's even up to a $10,000 reward for information regarding the homicide. Now, as far as more details around what we're seeing, you had some outlets noting the police presence was already high in the area because of the Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller Plaza. And as of now, with that, it'll go on as planned with a massive security presence. And all of this is reports say that it appears Thompson was unaware that he was in any danger as he had no security detail. However, you also had the New York Times reporting that he had recently received several threats, though the nature of those threats are still being investigated. With it also being reported, this is actually fairly common for CEOs of healthcare companies because of their line of

work. And his wife telling NBC News that there had been some threats, basically, I don't know, a lack of coverage. I don't know details. I just know that he said that there were some people that had been threatening him. And for some additional background on Thompson and UnitedHealthcare, the company is the largest private health insurer in the country, with the AP also noting that the company is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans in the U.S., with Thompson having been with the company since 2004 and being the CEO since 2021. You also had the company saying in a statement this morning, Brian was a highly respected colleague and friend to all who worked with him, adding, we are working closely with the New York Police

Department and ask for your patience and understanding during this difficult time. Our hearts go out to Brian's family and all who were close to him. And this is the company that's based in Minnesota. You had leaders from the state sending condolences as well. However, with that, I will say online, with his death trending very high, you have many people doing the opposite

of sharing condolences. And with that, even though again, the motive is technically unclear right now, you have some saying that it is shocking that cases like this do not happen more frequently, given how often Americans are hurt by the healthcare and insurance industry. And this is others pointed specifically to backlash UnitedHealthcare has faced recently regarding controversial claim denial, as well as pointing to a hack on a company owned by

UnitedHealthcare that put a lot of strain on doctors, hospitals, and patients. But with all that said, you know, for now, the manhunt is underway. And on top of looking at potential threats, you have investigators also reportedly looking at the possibility of disgruntled or recently fired employees, as well as looking at potential threats, you have investigators also reportedly looking at the possibility of disgruntled or recently fired employees, as well as looking at social media and interviews with family members to get any other insight. But then in some quickie entertainment news,

we start with Wicked, because remember how Mattel had to apologize and recall its Wicked dolls after the boxes included links to a porn site? Well, apparently that apology was not enough because now they are facing a lawsuit. All because of course the boxes for Mattel's dolls for characters like Linda and Elphaba linked to wicked.com rather than wickedmovie.com. Two

drastically different websites. And so now we're seeing this mom in South Carolina filing a class action lawsuit because she says she purchased a doll for her minor daughter who ended up going to that site and saw some things. With the lawsuit specifically saying the daughter witnessed hardcore full-on nude portographic images depicting actual intercourse. And going on to say plaintiff's minor daughter immediately showed her mother the photographs and both were horrified by what they saw. In the lawsuit, adding that the mom would have never purchased the toy if she knew that there was a defect of this nature on the box. And with that, claiming that on top of experiencing emotional distress, they also did not get a refund. And as far as how much money is being sought, they are seeking $5 million for people in the United States who purchase the dolls with X-rated boxes. And so we'll have to wait to see what happens,

but I just, this is, this part's just my opinion. I have a really hard time believing this really happened. It feels like a cash grab in one that Mattel opened themselves up to. But like when you actually look at the packaging and you see where this microscopic URL is, I just have a really hard time believing that this actually happened. But once again, tell me the mistake, they themselves. They opened their wallet here. But hey, that's the situation, my personal take on it. And whether you agree or disagree with me, I'd love to hear from you.

But then possibly the biggest entertainment news of the day, Spotify Wrapped has arrived. Right at that time of year that Spotify lets you know what you've been listening to over the course of the year. And then everyone's sharing left and right. And what we're seeing is, you know, for top global podcasts this year, no surprise,

Joe Rogan again at the number one spot, followed by Alex Cooper's Call Her Daddy. Though what is interesting with those two is that this year they're no longer Spotify exclusive podcasts. So even though they're now being listened to or watched on other platforms, they're clinging to that top spot, which also really isn't too surprising.

I mean, they're so big, there's a reason that they interviewed presidential candidates, which on that note, this past weekend with Theo Vaughn was also in the top global podcasts. And then when it comes to music, shocker, at the top, who could have guessed? This little known artist by the name of Taylor Swift. Her being like the music Thanos, she is inevitable, having a pretty untouchable 26 billion plus streams. And again, that is just on Spotify. But yeah, Spotify users, feel free to share what you're

listening to, especially if it involves the Philip DeFranco show on Spotify. But yeah, Spotify users, feel free to share what you're listening to, especially if it involves the Philip DeFranco Show on Spotify. And I would share mine with you, but I'm one of those disgusting Apple Music people. And we technically got our version of wrapped earlier this week, it's called Replay, but no one cares about those.

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Well, of course, it's very illegal unless you have the proper license or jump through a series of onerous hoops. But what if I were to tell you there's another way to get your hands on one without doing any of the bullshit and the government doesn't even have to know? Where all you gotta do is find a connection on the inside,

right, someone with access to every firearm under the sun and little to no oversight. Or in other words, a cop. Right, because CBS News investigated this and they uncovered at least 50 cases of law enforcement illegally selling guns over the past 20 years. We're talking sheriffs, captains, lieutenants, and chiefs of police pocketing the cash hand over fist

from transactions done online, through dealers, out of their homes, or out of the backs of their cars. With these cases happening throughout 23 US states, Puerto Rico, and DC. And some of the things we're seeing is like one ridiculous case where you had a three person police department in a small town in Iowa asking regulators for 90 machine guns,

including, I'm not fucking with you, an M134 Gatling minigun, with the police chief there then being convicted and sentenced for personally profiting off the sale of those weapons earlier this year. Then in another case, we saw a police chief, mayor, and village trustee in New Mexico smuggling automatic weapons and tactical gear

to a Mexican cartel. And in fact, while this may be news to you, this is a known thing in the criminal world. Criminals are even out there talking on social media and online forums about how to entice law enforcement into trafficking them weapons. And this is of course, even if they're not being sold directly to criminals,

which they sometimes are, simply putting more guns onto the streets can lead to more violence. So illegal sales or personal profit, they're only a small part of a much bigger problem. Because it turns out that when police departments upgrade their arsenals or people retire, they often resell their old weapons to firearm dealers.

Great practice, which is done legally, open, and at times proudly by police chiefs that tout it as a cost-saving measure for the government. It's often seen as a good option opposed to just melting down the equipment like this. But then with this, you had CBS News, The Trace, and Reveal speaking to over 160 state and local law enforcement agencies

to get a sense of the whole scale of this. And they found that at least 145, or around 90%, had resold guns on at least one occasion between 2006 and 2024, with records from 67 agencies showing they had resold more than 87,000 firearms in total, a number that is also likely a significant undercount as many agencies records were incomplete

or heavily redacted. But then, as you might've guessed, we see those guns resurface months or years later in the hands of drug traffickers, gang members, murderers, basically, you know, the best and brightest of our society. With federal data even showing that from 2017 to 2021, nearly 26,000 guns were traced from American crime scenes back to government agencies,

law enforcement, or the military. Now with that, I want to note that many of those may have been simply lost or stolen, not sold legally or illegally. But I will also tell you that when the General Services Administration Inspector General looked at guns that were reported missing over a 15-year period,

they found that more than two-thirds were in fact sold or traded, including Uzis and grenade launchers that were never recovered. Something that it turns out became even easier in 2017 after Trump revoked an Obama-era executive order restricting the military from delivering equipment to law enforcement agencies. With that, including armored vehicles and grenade launchers. But in general, right, to get their hands on military grade weapons, police need permission from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, or you know, the ATF. Thing is though, it wasn't until last year that the agency began vetting every machine gun application

to confirm the request came from legitimate law enforcement bodies. And with that, a half a dozen ATF officials told CBS they typically don't assess the appropriateness of the weapons for a department or track where they end up. But yeah, isn't that a fun thing to learn about today? I thought it might be. But then, now weeks after her disappearance,

police say they now have an idea of where Hannah Kobayashi is, but Hannah's family isn't so sure. Right, and for those that are unfamiliar with the case, Hannah's this 30-year-old Hawaiian woman that's been missing since November 11th. And with that, we have a pretty clear idea of what the few days leading up to her disappearance looked like.

Where we know that on November 8th, she was on a flight from Maui to New York City with a layover in LA. Her family saying that she had plans to stay with an aunt in upstate New York and to take pictures at a DJ show in Brooklyn. But then, Hannah didn't board her connecting flight and the next day she was spotted at a bookstore in LA

and she made a couple of Venmo transactions to unidentified people. Then on the 10th, she shared a photo on Instagram of the LeBron 22 trial event at a Nike store. In fact, a YouTube video went up showing her at the event. Right, and then we get to the 10th, she shared a photo on Instagram of the LeBron 22 trial event at a Nike store. In fact, a YouTube video went up showing her at the event. Right, and then we get to the 11th, the last day that anyone heard anything from Hannah before she disappeared.

With her reportedly texting her mom to tell her that she never made it to New York and sending a couple concerning messages to a friend, reportedly saying things like, "'Deep Hackers' wiped my identity, stole all of my funds, and have had me on a mind fuck since Friday. And I got tricked pretty much into giving away all of my funds."

And following that second one up with, "'For someone I thought I loved.'" And with that, you had her sister, Sydney, saying that some of the last messages that Hannah sent seemed out of character for her, right? Using words she normally wouldn't. And this, a surveillance video caught her at a downtown LA Metro station near crypto.com arena

with some unidentified guy, and then boom, she's gone. But then a few days later, on the 15th, the LAPD missing persons unit making a poster about Hannah's disappearance and the Maui PD saying they were assisting in the search as well. And that's also when Hannah's family made a GoFundMe with them promising to use the funds

for feeding search teams and media campaign to maximize awareness and supporting their family among other things. But then after that, Hannah's aunt, Laura, giving an interview with CNN saying, "'Our mind is now going to, you know, abduction, "'and I hate to say the word, but you know, traffic. "'We're doing the best that we can,

but the family at this point is having to come to the reality that those things could be a possibility. And just a few days after her disappearance, Hannah's father, Ryan Kobayashi, traveled to LA to help look for her, telling CNN at the time, "'Hannah loved to travel. "'She loved photography, art, music. "'I wasn't too close with her growing up.

"'We haven't had contact for a while. "'I'm just trying to make up. "'I'm trying to get her back. "'That's my main focus.'" With Ryan then spending 13 days searching before he was found dead, with the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner ruling his death a suicide.

And the family then saying in a statement, "'The search for our beloved Hannah must continue with the same love and determination that Ryan would have wanted. We need your help. We need your strength. Our family needs you. The search for our dear Hannah must continue

with unwavering hope and determination. She is still out there, and we believe that together we can bring her home." What we ended up seeing was that Ryan's death really kicked this story into high gear. The attention around Hannah's disappearance, it exploded. Countless headlines and internet slews looking to get to the bottom of this, Find Hannah. Reddit pages popping up titled, Find Hannah Kobayashi, with people sharing links and updates and many many theories out there that I'm not gonna dive into. But I mean, even real private investigators picked up on the case and they dove into it. But it wasn't until now that we got a real substantial update

with the LAPD classifying Hannah as a voluntary missing person. With them saying that they have video surveillance from US Customs and Border Protection, which shows Hannah crossing the border into Mexico alone on November 12th. They also went on to say that Hannah requested her luggage from her missed flight to New York to be sent back to LAX, where she picked it up on November 11th. But they're then taking

her bag to Los Angeles Union Station, where she bought a ticket to take her to the US-Mexico border. And all of this is notably the person that she was seen with by the Crypto.com arena was reportedly found and cooperated with police, and they were able to verify his story. And you had investigators adding that before leaving Maui, Hannah wanted to disconnect from modern technology, with Lieutenant Douglas Oldfield of the LAPD saying, "'We just know that she did not have her phone "'after she left LAX. "'We know she doesn't have her phone on her.

"'For what reason? "'We can't say for sure.' "'But what we do know is that at this point, "'the LAPD says that Hannah left the country "'of her own volition,' with the chief of the LAPD, "'Jim McDonald, adding, "'To date, the investigation has not uncovered "'any evidence that Kobayashi is being trafficked

"'or is the victim of foul play. "'She is also not a suspect in any criminal activity. She has a right to her privacy and we respect her choices, but we also understand the concern her loved ones feel for her. And finally here is saying that they wouldn't be pushing the investigation past the border, but will likely get a notification

if Hannah comes back to the States. Right, and with that, they implored Hannah to reach out to her family or the US embassies so that people know that she's safe. Now, notably with all this, this was not the ending that many were hoping for or expecting. In fact, what we actually ended up seeing

were a number of people online getting angry with Hannah after this update, saying things like, I have zero empathy for Hannah Kobayashi. If you wanna leave, let your family know. She selfishly left the country and pretended to be missing. Her father took his own life

while the police spend so much time looking for her. This also as others turned their vitriol towards the family. With, for example, Hannah's sister, Sydney, saying on Facebook that she had to pull down the page that she made to help find Hannah because they were getting death threats. And all of this is there have also been calls for the GoFundMe donations to be returned.

But then in addition to all that, there are some that just aren't buying this latest update at all. By saying that things don't add up and there has to be a missing piece to the puzzle. And some of those people include Hannah's family with Sydney saying that their family wasn't shown the video that supposedly proves Hannah walked over the border.

And their family attorney adding, "'They just reached this conclusion "'without showing them any footage. "'It takes a lot more digging and investigation "'to be able to say it's voluntary.'" And the skepticism here, it extends outside of the family with, for example, a private investigator and former FBI agent saying that the LAPD

should release the video from the border. Saying, I think it's entirely possible that the LAPD misidentified a person in this video with all the other border crossings. "'As such, I'm calling on LAPD "'to release the video publicly. "'The family will know if it's entirely possible that the LAPD misidentified a person in this video with all the other border crossings. As such, I'm calling on LAPD to release the video publicly. The family will know if it's Hannah. With that, you also have Sydney adding that even if it is Hannah in the video, there are still more sinister possibilities to be explored. Saying the LAPD say that they have seen her alone, but that doesn't discount the fact that someone could be watching her from afar, knowing how big this case has gotten and maybe

controlling her or telling her what to do. So now, despite the LAPD's findings here, you have Hannah's family promising to continue looking for her. With them even reportedly planning on sending searchers into Mexico. Then breaking from the news for a second, I think most of you can relate when I say

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went down yesterday with South Korea in a segment that I will call one flew over the cuckoo's nest. Because quick recap, President Yoon there declared martial law with him accusing the opposition of plotting an insurgency and trying to overthrow the free democracy. So seemingly he was like, not if I do it first. With the seeing the opposition and even members of the president's own party quickly urging him to lift the order and vowing to block it.

And quickly thousands of protesters filled the streets demanding that Yoon resign and 190 of the 300 member National Assembly quickly gathered with all of them voting to pass a resolution demanding that Yoon lift his order. And very notably there, they gathered despite the military blocking the entrance. With some, including the 60 year old leader of the South Korean Democratic Party, climbing over a fence to get into the building.

And then finally, not long after, we saw President Yoon bowing to the pressure and lifting his martial law decree. And just like that, the craziest six hours in Korean politics, at least in a long time, came to an end. Except, of course now, we are seeing all the fallout. Right today, we saw protests continuing, demanding that the president resign

and even calling for his arrest. And in fact, with this, the country's defense minister has already tendered his resignation, saying he would take full responsibility. But senior aides to the president, including his chief of staff and national security advisor, also resigning, and then if Yoon doesn't go willingly, he might have to go unwillingly.

Right in that, because we also saw today South Korea's opposition lawmakers beginning impeachment proceedings against him. And with that, saying that the president should be charged with crimes of rebellion. Notably, there are at least two thirds of the assembly needs to vote for impeachment. So what that means is that at least eight members

of the president's own party would need to vote against him. And at least as of recording, it is not clear if that will happen with his party vowing to oppose the move. But if enough people were to break ranks, Yoon would be suspended while the constitutional court is given 180 days to consider his case, with then at least six of its nine members

needing to vote to impeach him to be removed from office. Though a very important thing there is that the court currently has three vacancies, and it's not clear if the court would take up the case before those vacancies are filled. And then finally, if Yoon resigns or he gets impeached, the government will have to hold an election within 60 days to vote for a new president,

who will then start a fresh five-year term. But while we wait to see what happens, I'd love to know your thoughts here, especially if you live in or have friends or family in South Korea. And then we need to talk about why thousands of people in the country of Georgia have been taking to the streets every night for nearly a week now. Because they are protesting a decision by the ruling Georgian Dream Party to suspend talks with the EU regarding eventual membership until 2028. Because notably, EU membership is one of the few goals

that an overwhelming majority of Georgians agree on. This is something that's reportedly supported by around 80% of the people there. So with all that, not shocking that these protests are just getting more and more intense. I mean, right, every night we're seeing riot police using water cannons and tear gas and the protesters? They've been throwing fireworks at police officers

and building barricades on the capital city's main boulevard. And as of shooting this video, nearly 300 protesters have been detained, with 26 people, including three police officers, ending barricades on the capital city's main Boulevard. And as of shooting this video, nearly 300 protesters have been detained with 26 people including three police officers ending up in hospitals as well. As far as the individual accounts, we're seeing things like one man telling the BBC

how he was repeatedly kicked in the head even after he had been knocked unconscious saying, "'When I opened my eyes a third time, "'I couldn't feel my legs or hands. "'I couldn't even move my head.'" And then as far as updates today, one of the main opposition party is saying that one of its leaders has been detained now

by police after being beaten unconscious. And the party sharing a video showing the man being carried by the arms and legs by several men down some steps. And the key thing with all this is, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Where the Georgian official tasked with defending the rights of citizens is now accusing police of inflicting torture on people after they've been arrested.

I'm also saying in most cases, they've received serious injuries in the face, eye and head area. And adding the location, character and degree of the injuries create a credible impression that the police use violent methods against citizens in order to punish them. Intentional severe violence for the purpose of punishment

constitutes an act of torture. But also with that, now that we are clear on where the situation currently is, we also need to talk about how we got here. Right, because if around 80% of people in a country support a thing, how is chaos happening? Well, you see, back in October, the Georgian Dream Party won 54% of the vote,

keeping its majority in parliament. But the opposition accused the party of rigging the vote with Russia's help. And in fact, observer groups documented violations, including ballot stuffing, voter intimidation, and bribery that they say could have swayed the election. With, for example, two Western firms commissioned by the opposition to carry out exit polls reporting that the outcome made no statistical sense. And all of this leading to the country's president, the leader of the

opposition, refusing to recognize the result and now saying she will not leave office until a legitimate parliament convenes to choose another president. And then, along with all that, last week you had the European parliament adopting a resolution condemning the elections in Georgia as quote, neither free nor fair, and calling for a redo under international supervision, which then triggered the Georgian Dream Party's decision to suspend talks with the EU.

And the prime minister saying, the ill-wishers of our country have turned the European Parliament into a blunt weapon of blackmail against Georgia. Though this notably, as the Georgian Dream Party has and continues to claim, that it ultimately aims to join the EU. But I mean, now more than ever, the opposition and other critics say that's just bullshit. By saying the decision

to suspend talks about joining, it's just the latest proof that the country is decisively moving toward Russia. With the earlier evidence said to be things like the passage of the foreign agent and anti-LGBTQ plus laws that the EU said went against its principles. Things that ultimately led to the EU halting the country's accession before any of this even happened. And regarding all this, we've seen examples like one Georgian political analyst saying about Georgia Dream, they got overconfident. They declared themselves victorious in an election, got used to ignoring Western opinions,

decided they could ignore the protest. They thought they could do anything. But this notably is they are not showing any sign of backing down. What we're seeing is the party framing this as a power grab and accusing the opposition of planning an uprising similar to Ukraine's 2014 Maidan Revolution,

or which actually started as a mass protest movement and then led to the ousting of the country's pro-Russian president and ultimately is a key chapter in explaining what's happening in Ukraine today. And to that point, the Georgian Dream Party campaigned heavily on the idea that getting closer to the West would see the country dragged into the war in Ukraine. Although a key thing is that Russia invaded Georgia

before it invaded Ukraine, right? I mean, like literally as this is happening, it's still illegally occupying 20% of the country's territory. But for now, we wait and watch to see what will happen. And finally today, I have a congratulations for you. And let's talk about yesterday. Starting with a congratulations to Daniel R,

the latest SeatGeek prize winner, who just won $500 in a weekly SeatGeek giveaway towards his choice of SeatGeek tickets. But they're looking like Daniel's gonna be going to see Tyler, the creator. And for the rest of y'all, that's right. SeatGeek and The Daily Dip are still giving away up to $1,000 in tickets,

and you should definitely enter today if you haven't already. You just add code PDS to your SeatGeek app profile for a chance at the weekly $500 prize, no purchase necessary. And $1,000 prizes are available to Daily Dip subscribers who add code PDS newsletter, doubling entries and winning. So get in on it.

It is a no-brainer. But then, like I said, let's talk about yesterday with some comment commentary. Starting with y'all's comments about South Korea. We all sharing things like, "'My sister is in South Korea for school. "'I text her if she was good. "'She responded, yeah, we're good. "'Homie just throwing a hissy fit, cause he lost.'

"'Others sharing, living in Korea, "'I slept through this all and woke up like, what? "'I found out because my Canadian friend texted me "'to ask if I was all right.'" As well as people sharing, as someone living in South Korea, the most confusing part of all this to me was that we get emergency alerts

automatically sent to our phones if it's a little bit wet or slippery outside, but absolutely nothing for literal emergency martial law. Like if you slept through it and don't check the news first thing in the morning, you'd still have no idea it had happened. I only found out about it when friends and family from back home started messaging me to check I was okay.

And finally, we had people like Preston saying, "'As a Korean American, the moment I knew this coup had failed was when I saw the military trying to take over the National Assembly Building. The special forces all had the same exact faces of fear and shame, the same one I had when my mother yelled at me as a kid. Also, I will say, looking at those comments yesterday, there were a fair share about that whole, oh man, those poor families only bringing home $800,000 a year who qualified for financial aid for New York private schools.

So with that, I'll start with the people that pointed out the organization of yesterday's stories. With Z saying, the story about the people with disabilities making 25 cents to $3.75 an hour, followed by a financial aid for families making 400,000 to 800,000 annually is simply peak dystopia. We also had Ryan saying, well, if those people who make 800,000 a year would peak dystopia. We also had Ryan saying, well, if those people who make 800,000 a year

would cut back on their avocado toes daily Starbucks and pull themselves up by the bootstraps, they could afford something that costs less than 10% of their annual income. Also, yesterday I shared when I went to public school that it felt like all my history teachers were also always the basketball coaches. But there, y'all were sharing things like,

my husband is currently the history teacher, the head basketball coach, an assistant football coach, and the assistant baseball and an assistant track coach. But then bouncing back, people kind of just staring at a private school that costs 60,000 plus a year and just going, what? With M. Leavitt saying, the tuition is three times what it costs

for an entire college education every year. That's crazy. So there you had some pushing back saying, it's more or less on par with Ivy League in terms of cost. And with that, there was a fair share of back and forth regarding private and charter schools and the public school system out there. With Untied Shoes, for example,

saying the other reason that there is such high demand for private schools is that public schools are broken to shambles in the city. And claiming especially as Mayor Adams funneled more money away from the school's already paltry budgets to cops that play Candy Crush on the subway platforms while they get that sweet overtime pay. For many families, the choice is either to put their kids

in New York City charter and private schools or move outside the city, Long Island, Westchester, New Jersey, to public school districts that get better funding. And we saw some replies there like, "'Oh yeah, I'm a school counselor in upstate New York "'and I talk to counselors from New York City "'and it's a really crappy situation

"'with how the New York City system is run.'" Like they have the Department of Education in every school and parents get teachers they don't like arrested and there are like no protections for any staff. And it's just a cesspool of nepotism and people wanting it to not be their problem. But that my friends is the end of your Wednesday evening, Thursday morning dive into the news.

I am gonna go into a dark room and play Bellatro on my phone for just an obscene number of hours. But I will see you right back here tomorrow. Cause honestly, the Philip DeFranco show is the only constant thing you can count on in the world. Death, taxes, and the Philip DeFranco show.