The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 12.7 Does Panera Lemonade Actually Kill People & The Harvard, MIT, Penn President's Scandal Got Worse

Episode Date: December 7, 2023

Click here https://bit.ly/469urJb and use code DEFRANCO to get 20% off your entire order of Liquid I.V.  Go to http://shadyrays.com and use code PHIL for 50% off 2 or more pairs of polarized sunglass...es. shhh this is a secret link: https://youtu.be/g1gOaaDvy1Q?si=CKxW2lA5TfvrZcpw  –✩ TODAY’S STORIES ✩ – 00:00 - Panera’s Super-Charged Caffeinated Lemonade Linked to a Second Death 04:59 - Woman Sentenced to Work in Fast Food After Throwing Burrito Bowl at a Chipotle Worker 06:47 - Ryan Reynolds Slams Spoiler Leak Photos From “Deadpool” Set 08:31 - Sponsored by Liquid IV 09:23 - Harvard, Penn, MIT Leaders Face Backlash After Antisemitism Hearings 17:27 - Biden Supports Haudenosaunee to Compete in Olympic Lacrosse Under Own Flag 19:38 - Sponsored by Shady Rays 20:42 - Venezuela’s Moves to Annex Half of Guyana 23:56 - Your Thoughts on Yesterday’s Stories ——————————   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  ———————————— #DeFranco #RyanReynolds #Panera ———————————— Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript
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Starting point is 00:00:00 Sup, you beautiful bastards! Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco Show. I got a huge show for you today. We're talking about the massive backlash and controversy we've seen with those university presidents' comments to Congress, lemonade allegedly killing people, people taking burrito bowls to the face. We even have a rare positive story today. And then there's even more. So buckle up, hit that like button if you like these long shows, and let's just jump into it. Starting with, is Panera's supercharged lemonade actually killing people? That is the question at hand, as their supercharged lemonade has now been named in a second wrongful death lawsuit in just a few months. Because back in October, you had the parents of 21-year-old Sarah Katz suing Panera for the wrongful death of their daughter. And
Starting point is 00:00:37 according to the suit, Sarah had managed a heart condition for nearly her entire life with medication and by limiting her caffeine intake. But then in September of last year, after drinking Panera's charged lemonade, Sarah went into cardiac arrest at the restaurant. She was then taken to the hospital where she suffered another cardiac arrest and died. With a lawsuit saying that Sarah may have thought that the lemonade was safe to drink and adds that Panera misled consumers by not labeling it an energy drink. Now with that, following Sarah's death, Panera released a statement saying, we were saddened to learn this week about the tragic passing of Sarah Katz. While our investigation is ongoing, out of an abundance of caution,
Starting point is 00:01:04 we have enhanced our existing caffeine disclosure for these beverages at our bakery cafes, on our website, and on the Panera app. An NBC reporting of the new language includes a notice that charged lemonade does contain caffeine and should be consumed in moderation and not at all by those sensitive to caffeine or pregnant and nursing women. However, at that time, the attorney in Sarah's case, Elizabeth Crawford, said that it wasn't enough, saying in a statement, it's misleading in the sense that it's not indicating that it is an energy drink. I'm happy that we are moving in a direction of making change, but I consider these baby steps. And now those baby steps may have not been enough, with the family of 46-year-old Dennis Brown from Florida now also suing Panera for wrongful death.
Starting point is 00:01:37 And according to that suit, Dennis had ADHD, high blood pressure, and chromosomal deficiency disorder, which resulted in blurry vision and a mild intellectual disability. The suit saying Dennis typically avoided energy drinks, but he was a frequent flyer at Panera and often stopped several times a week after his shift at a local Publix. And going on to say that on October 9th, he ordered a charged lemonade and refilled it twice before walking home. But during that walk, he suffered a cardiac arrest, was found unresponsive on the sidewalk, and was pronounced dead. And just like in Sarah's case, the attorneys argue that the charged lemonade was not advertised as an energy drink. It was served alongside drinks with less or no caffeine, and it did not have any warnings. With Crawford, whose firm is also representing Dennis' case, saying in a statement to the New York Times, Dennis is a part of a vulnerable population that should be protected, and Panera failed to protect Dennis. Dennis' family, just like the Katz family, hopes this message gets out to prevent this from happening again to anyone else.
Starting point is 00:02:21 And so these situations raise a number of questions. The first and most basic is how much caffeine is actually in this lemonade. And they're actually, according to Panera's website, a large size of the charged lemonade has 390 milligrams of caffeine in a serving, which I mean, that alone is just about the maximum amount of caffeine that the FDA recommends for healthy adults in an entire day. We should also compare it to other drinks because, you know, at least the average American I know is not like, what does the FDA recommend regarding caffeine? And so for comparison's sake, a can of original Monster Energy has 160 milligrams of caffeine. Meanwhile, an 8.4 ounce can of Red Bull has 80 milligrams. A shot of espresso has around 63 on average. And actually,
Starting point is 00:02:53 even Prime Energy, which you know has received a lot of heat for the amount of caffeine content, it has less than a large charge lemonade from Panera at 200 milligrams. But in addition to the lawsuit, something that's concerned a number of people is the amount of hype this drink has actually gotten on TikTok this year, with countless TikToks saying things like, I have great news. Look what's not behind the counter now. I'm not saying I did it or anything. If I didn't bring this to everyone's attention, would Panera still be gatekeeping this? I'm about to be so charged up. This is bad. I already had an iced latte. It's my second one of these. Maybe they should put it back behind the counter. 5 o'clock p.m. I'm about to act up. What should I get into? Should I clean the whole apartment? What do y'all think? Sounds like fun to me. I don't know. Roll to your f***ing horseshoe, my friends.
Starting point is 00:03:25 Charge Lemonade's back. And when going through these videos, you see some people pointing out that very few of these videos have actually pointed out exactly how dangerous this amount of caffeine can be. Though they do exist. In fact, some have been sounding the alarm for a while. Like back in March, before either lawsuit, one creator posted a video tracking her blood sugar after drinking a large Charge Lemonade and said, Okay, so update. I'm getting a slight headache. heart is racing and i have to go pee on top of that my blood sugar is still elevated i'm shaking i feel like crap and i think the thing that gets me the most about this is that it's available to kids if you're sipping on this all day while you're working at panera like a lot of people say that they do you are going to get insulin
Starting point is 00:04:00 resistance do not drink this thing and And Panera, do better. Then going back to Panera as far as like, will they make any more changes? It currently doesn't appear so, with Panera saying after Dennis's death that it quote, stands firmly by the safety of our products. And adding, based on our investigation, we believe his unfortunate passing was not caused by one of the company's products. We view this lawsuit, which was filed by the same law firm as a previous claim, to be equally without merit. And so for now, we'll have to wait and see. I will pass the question off to those who have actually had the drink. What are your thoughts? I personally haven't had it. I get pretty much all my caffeine just from like regular
Starting point is 00:04:30 drip coffee. But that's also after having to like wean myself down to normal caffeine levels. I remember in my very early 20s going to like a Barnes and Noble and they'd always have like a Starbucks there. I get like a venti caramel frap, some extra shots in there. Middle of the day, I just start shaking like a paint mixer. And eventually I was like, this is probably not normal. But boy, did it feel like I was getting so much work done, even though I don't know if I was actually getting more work done or I just I was like manic. I'm having so many thoughts at the same time. This is productive. Yeah. Main things. Be careful out there. And I'd love to know your thoughts. And then is this the perfect punishment for this constant debate around making the punishment
Starting point is 00:05:03 fit the crime? Because at the center of this news story today, we have 39-year-old Rosemary Hain. And her food was less than satisfying. Because back in September, she ordered a burrito bowl from a Chipotle in Parma, Ohio. When it wasn't to her liking, she thought that the best thing to do was to start screaming at the 17-year-old worker who had made it. At which point, you know, an older colleague stepped in. And that second worker generously remaking Hain's order twice, even including extra protein and other ingredients, all freshly made, notably very hot. But apparently this was not enough for her
Starting point is 00:05:30 because in a now viral video, Haynes returns and throws this burrito bowl into this poor worker's face. With that worker, 26-year-old Emily Russell later saying she was traumatized by the attack and ended up quitting her job. And as far as Haynes, she was actually charged and convicted for assault.
Starting point is 00:05:43 With a judge in her case saying, this is not real housewives of Parma. This behavior is not acceptable. And adding, I bet you won't be happy with the food you're going to get in jail. And so at first, her sentence was going to be a fine and 180 days in jail with 90 days suspended. But then, a little light bulb goes off inside the judge's head. With that, he makes an offer. He says, you can get 60 days chopped off of your jail time
Starting point is 00:06:02 if you agree to work for two months, at least 20 hours per week in a fast food restaurant. And with a deal like that, Hayne could not refuse. So now she's looking for a fast food job. And that's the question of is this is this kind of a lighter punishment or is it the perfect punishment? Because there is, yes, something beautiful about forcing yourself to be in the shoes of someone else that you fucked with. But also I have this this little inkling that if you're enough of a piece of shit to just on a random day, throw a burrito bowl in someone's face, you're probably almost always a horrible asshole. And so you should, yeah, you should go to jail. Maybe that fear of losing a quarter of your life behind bars, like that maybe makes you change your behavior.
Starting point is 00:06:38 And so, yeah, I guess my question to you is, is this the perfect punishment or is she actually getting off light here? And maybe think about it for a minute, because I'm going back and forth here. And then, Ryan Reynolds wants you to stop ruining his shit, with him specifically slamming the fact that photos have been shared from the set of Deadpool 3, showing potential spoilers as to what characters are going to be in the film. Especially because with those movies,
Starting point is 00:06:58 character reveals can be such cool moments. Or just think back to how there were rumors and reports around the last Tom Holland Spider-Man movie, but then that reveal in the movie? I hadn't heard a theater up like that since, honestly, like the end of Endgame. So naturally, Ryan Reynolds isn't a fan of any of the leaks and spoilers, and he posted on Instagram, Surprises are part of the magic of theatrical movies. And adding, it's important for us to shoot the new Deadpool film in real, natural environments using practical effects as opposed to making the movie indoors and digitally. Telephoto lenses continue to spoil surprises
Starting point is 00:07:25 and create a difficult situation for everyone. Here's hoping some of the websites and social channels hold back showing images before they're ready. And actually with that, this morning, Ryan Reynolds trying a different strategy, using internet algorithms to his advantage. Posting some photos of his own in writing, Deadpool began with a leak, so I'm joining in,
Starting point is 00:07:39 but please don't overuse the phrase Deadpool leaks because it might screw up search results if anyone is looking for Deadpool leaks or Deadpool spoilers or perhaps Deadpool scoops. With that sharing comedically edited photos where characters like Predator are on the set or where it appears Deadpool and Mickey Mouse are running a heist together. We're trying to possibly overtake any results about actual leaks from the set. We've seen fans jumping on board with their own leaks with the hashtag one where you have the Golden Girls or Pikachu appearing with Deadpool. And regarding whether that's gonna
Starting point is 00:08:04 be effective or not, we're going to have to wait to see. You know, there was definitely a time on the internet where you'd be like, well, if I don't want people to spoil something for me, I'm just going to maybe I'm going to block some words or, you know, I'm only going to follow certain accounts. But given that most social media platforms kind of don't care who you're following and they give you algorithmic feeds based off what they think you're going to find interesting, it is, I mean, harder than ever to avoid spoilers. You know, we'll see.
Starting point is 00:08:24 The good thing for me is I do not have a great memory and I don't think I'll remember anything that I have seen, at least by the time I actually watched the movie. And then I mean it when I talk about how important staying hydrated is for your body. I mean, for most of us, that's the challenge. I mean, thank goodness for our friends over at Liquid IV. This is the stuff that replenishes my electrolytes through workouts, hiking, and the heat waves LA is known for. So thank you, Liquid IV, for being a fantastic partner and sponsor of today's show. And what I love is that Liquid IV works faster at hydrating you than just plain old water and has three times the electrolytes of the leading sports drink.
Starting point is 00:08:53 Liquid IV also provides eight vitamins and nutrients for faster hydration and everyday wellness and offers up to 100% daily value of 4B vitamins, B3, B5, B6, and B12. Like I said, I usually drink Liquid IV during my workouts, but it's also great for that hydrating nightcap after a night out. With a hydration multiplier variety pack, you can easily bring these on the go and they're easy to pack for vacations. And it's also easy. You just tear, pour, shake, and drink. And did I mention it tastes great? So what are you waiting for? Just click the link down below and use code DeFranco to get 20% off your entire order of liquid IV. And then the presidents of Harvard, MIT, and Penn are in some hot water right now for their answers. Or maybe what many see is their lack
Starting point is 00:09:29 of answers to certain questions about anti-Semitism on their campuses. And this is all three women testified before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce this week during a hearing where lawmakers asked them a lot of tough questions. And while they did address many of those directly, they also have been accused of evading others. And the line of questioning that has gotten the most backlash and has gone absolutely viral came when Representative Elise Stefanik was asking the presidents about calls for the genocide of Jews on their campuses. But specifically, Stefanik asking Harvard President Claudine Gay about recent protests at the school where demonstrators chanted support for Intifada, which is an Arabic word for uprising. Also, for
Starting point is 00:09:59 some quick background here, in the context of Israeli-Palestinian conflicts, Intifada refers to some of the largest and most well-known Palestinian uprising in Israeli-occupied territories. With the first taking place between 1987 and 1993, the second happening between 2000 and 2005. And both of those uprisings involved numerous attacks against the Israeli military as well as civilians. And so since October 7th, many people have compared the events that we've seen play out to both the first and second Intifadas. And this is we've seen chants of intifada or globalized intifada becoming popular protest slogans in pro-Palestine demonstrations. But because of the historical connotations,
Starting point is 00:10:29 many people consider these chants an endorsement of or a call for violence against Israelis, with some also interpreting it as a rallying cry for harming Jews. And that includes Stefanik, who argued that these chants amount to calls for violent resistance against Israel, including violence against civilians
Starting point is 00:10:41 and the genocide of Jews. But they're going on to ask Gay if she was aware of that, and Gay answering by calling the chants thoughtless, reckless, and hateful language, and saying that they were personally abhorrent to her. And then Stefanik continued asking. Based upon your testimony, you understand that this call for Intifada is to commit genocide against the Jewish people in Israel and globally, correct?
Starting point is 00:11:01 I will say again, that type of hateful speech is personally abhorrent to me. Do you believe that type of hateful speech is contrary to Harvard's code of conduct, or is it allowed at Harvard? It is at odds with the values of Harvard. Can you not say here that it is against the code of conduct at Harvard? We embrace a commitment to free expression, even of views that are objectionable, offensive, hateful. It's when that speech crosses into conduct that violates our policies against bullying, harassment, and intimidation. Does that speech not cross that barrier? Does that speech not call for the genocide of Jews and the elimination of Israel?
Starting point is 00:11:49 You testify that you understand that is the definition of intifada. Stephanie also later went on to press the question further, asking each president a yes or no question about whether calls for the genocide of Jewish students violate their university's codes of conduct, starting with Sally Kornbluth of MIT. At MIT, does calling for the genocide of Jews
Starting point is 00:12:06 violate MIT's code of conduct or rules regarding bullying and harassment? Yes or no? If targeted at individuals not making public statements. Yes or no? Calling for the genocide of Jews does not constitute bullying and harassment? I have not heard calling for the genocide for Jews on our campus. But you've heard chants for intifada. I've heard chants, which can be anti-Semitic depending on the context,
Starting point is 00:12:32 when calling for the elimination of the Jewish people. So those would not be according to the MIT's code of conduct or rules? That would be investigated as harassment if pervasive and severe. Stefanik then moved on to pose a similar question about calls for genocide to Penn's president, Elizabeth McGill. Ms. McGill, at Penn, does calling for the genocide of Jews violate Penn's rules or code of conduct? Yes or no? There are very few things that you can be certain of in life. But you can always be sure the sun will rise each morning. You can bet your bottom dollar that you'll always need air to breathe and water to drink.
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Starting point is 00:13:40 Restrictions apply. See in-store or online for details. If the speech turns into conduct, it can be harassment. Yes. I am asking, specifically calling for the genocide of Jews, does that constitute bullying or harassment? If it is directed and severe or pervasive, it is harassment. So the answer is yes. It is a context-dependent decision, Congresswoman. It's a context-dependent decision. That's your testimony today. Calling for the genocide of Jews is depending upon the context. That is not bullying or harassment. This is the easiest question to answer yes, Ms. McGill. So is your testimony that you will not answer yes? If the speech becomes conduct, it can be harassment, yes.
Starting point is 00:14:39 Conduct meaning committing the act of genocide? And then finally she presented the question to Gay. And Dr. Gay, at Harvard, does calling for the genocide of Jews violate Harvard's rules of bullying and harassment, yes or no? It can be, depending on the context. What's the context? Targeted as an individual. Targeted at an individual. It's targeted at Jewish students, Jewish individuals. I will ask you one more time. Does calling for the genocide
Starting point is 00:15:06 of Jews violate Harvard's rules of bullying and harassment? Yes or no? Anti-Semitic rhetoric. And is it anti-Semitic rhetoric? Anti-Semitic rhetoric, when it crosses into conduct that amounts to bullying, harassment, intimidation, that is actionable conduct and we do take action. Right, and the clip of these interactions went absolutely viral, getting nearly 100 million views on X as of recording and attracting a ton of backlash. And this including from top lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. In fact, a spokesperson for the White House even chimed in to condemn these responses,
Starting point is 00:15:40 saying it's unbelievable that this needs to be said. Calls for genocide are monstrous and antithetical to everything we represent as a country. Any statements that advocate for the systematic murder of Jews are dangerous and revolting, and we should all stand firmly against them on the side of human dignity and the most basic values that unite us as Americans. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro also slammed McGill's testimony, saying that she made an unacceptable statement and that her actions were failed leadership, and adding, Frankly, I thought her comments were absolutely shameful. It should not be hard to condemn genocide.
Starting point is 00:16:07 But I'm also going on to say that Penn's board of directors needs to make a serious decision about whether she should continue representing the school. You know, many people echoed that, calling for all three presidents to resign or be fired. Some arguing they'd be absolutely punished by the schools if they made similar comments about other groups. Writing things like, On Ivy League campuses today, if you cried out, All blacks must die, you'd be suspended and canceled. If you cried out, all LGBTQ people must die, you'd be suspended and canceled. If you cried out, all Jews must die, the university
Starting point is 00:16:30 presidents will need to know about the context. But then on the other side of this, you also had some people pushing back against those criticisms. With some arguing, this is a matter of free speech and saying the Supreme Court has made rulings in support of what the president said, specifically about only taking action where there is an immediate threat, otherwise it could trample the First Amendment rights. You also had others expanding on that by pushing back on Stefanik's argument that intifada translates to genocide against Jews, claiming that it's just a call for liberation and freedom and doesn't inherently mean violence, so this isn't an actionable threat. With people saying things like, intifada means uprise,
Starting point is 00:16:58 it does not even have to be violent. To equate that with genocide is either ignorant or disingenuous. And as we saw all of this playing out, right, you had this overwhelming, huge response. We ended up actually seeing some of the presidents walking back their testimonies, kind of, with Harvard President Gay issuing a statement through the university on social media and saying, there are some who have confused a right to free expression with the idea that Harvard will condone calls
Starting point is 00:17:17 for violence against Jewish students. Let me be clear, calls for violence or genocide against the Jewish community or any religious or ethnic group are vile. They have no place at Harvard, and those who threaten our Jewish students will be held to account. We also saw Penn President McGill posting a video where she took a bit more accountability for her comments saying, In that moment, I was focused on our university's longstanding policies aligned with the U.S. Constitution, which say that speech alone is not punishable. I was not focused
Starting point is 00:17:43 on, but I should have been. The irrefutable fact that a call for genocide of Jewish people is a call for some of the most terrible violence human beings can perpetrate. In my view, it would be harassment or intimidation. In today's world, where we are seeing signs of hate proliferating across our campus and our world in a way not seen in years. These policies need to be clarified and evaluated. But ultimately, that is where we are with this mess right now. And I want to pass the question off to you. What are your thoughts on all this?
Starting point is 00:18:15 And then I can't believe I'm saying this. A good thing happened. I know I'm as shocked as you because, you know, a few weeks ago, we shared a really interesting, frustrating story about how the International Olympic Committee was refusing to allow a team of Native American lacrosse players whose ancestors actually invented the game to compete under their own flag in the 2028 Games. With that also notably marking the first time lacrosse has been included in the Olympics in more than a century. Because each of the sports the committee added to these games was meant to represent different parts of American
Starting point is 00:18:37 culture, and lacrosse is literally supposed to honor the indigenous tribes in North America that invented it. And the team at the center of all this was the Haudenosaunee Nationals, because they represent the six Native American nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, which covers areas in upstate New York and Canada where lacrosse was first created hundreds of years ago. But because they technically don't have their own National Olympic Committee, the IOC was excluding them. That's because the Haudenosaunee Nationals, right, even though they're located there, they don't compete for the U.S. or Canada. In fact, they've been allowed to travel and compete internationally as their own sovereign nation for decades. Though that also threw a few
Starting point is 00:19:04 hiccups here and there where some countries didn't accept their tribal passports. When we last talked about this, y'all, just like us, were furious. Thinking that it's bullshit that literally the people who invented the game cannot play the game at the Olympics. Especially as this, you know, wouldn't just be like, oh, meaningful. Look at the visuals of it. They literally have a men's lacrosse team that ranks third in the world out of nearly 50 international teams right now. But all of this is seeming to change because last night we got some fantastic news. Because President Biden publicly announced that he supports the Haudenosaunee Nationals to play as their own team, writing, Today I'm announcing my support for the six
Starting point is 00:19:36 nations competing in Olympic lacrosse under its own tribal flag. Their ancestors created the game. They perfected it for a millennium. Their circumstances are unique and they should be granted an exception to field their own team. With that also quickly echoed by Canada's sports minister, who threw their support behind the team. Though understand, this is not a done deal. And as far as the response to this, LA28, Olympic, and Paralympic Games have issued a kind of vague, noncommittal statement, with the organization largely reiterating past comments, saying it's excited to work with the organizing bodies to, quote, find a solution that honors the sports heritage and allows participation for Hody Nishoni lacrosse athletes while respecting
Starting point is 00:20:08 the Olympic Games framework established by the IOC. So it's not a done deal, but it's got national and now international attention at a meaningful level. The story and the situation got some juice. And so hopefully soon we'll see that the IOC makes the right decision and proves that at least in this situation, they are not a bunch of trash people. So hopefully they don't mess it up. And then, are you looking for a good gift that everyone can use that's functional, stylish, and affordable? Well, thanks to today's sponsor, Shady Race, they have you covered with premium polarized shades. With an extensive array of styles and colors, you're bound to find the perfect pair of Shady Race sunglasses. In a winter sports, their quick-swap snow lenses move easily between full sun to low-light environments.
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Starting point is 00:21:37 weekend voting overwhelmingly to annex about two thirds of neighboring Guyana and give citizenship to those living there. And this appearing to be a major political victory for President Nicolas Maduro, whose administration said that it was approved by 95% of voters. And the province in question is Esequibo, or it'll be called Guayana Esequiba if it's up to Maduro. Right, now understand this, we need to talk a little bit about the history. Because Venezuela has long held territorial claims over the region. But for decades, it recognized an 1899 international arbitration that clearly recognized the territory as Guyana's. And that stood for a very long time. And it wasn't until the 60s that Venezuela changed its mind and said, no, I want the territory. Then they also didn't do much about it until 2015 when they ramped up
Starting point is 00:22:12 efforts. A time that notably, or just coincidentally, happened to be when oil reserves larger than those in Kuwait or the UAE were found off the coast of Ezequibo. With the country moving very quickly to utilize the oil, and it's actually expected to produce more oil than Venezuela by 2025. And so for Guyana, all that oil led to major economic growth for what was a poor country and allowed it to start some much-needed infrastructure projects. Also, should mention, it's home to one of the last pristine rainforests in the world, and they're full of copper, gold, diamonds, and aluminum. And if they lost the sparsely populated Ezequibo, it would crush any hopes that they have. And so what we saw with Venezuela is at first the referendum was considered symbolic, but it's believed that Maduro plans to actually push a bill through the National Assembly to annex the region. And at least on paper, Venezuela is
Starting point is 00:22:52 moving to secure those reserves. With Maduro saying that all oil companies given a license by Guyana to operate in the territory have three months to leave. And on Tuesday, he ordered the state oil company PDVSA and the mining conglomerate CVG to immediately begin operations in the territory. Now, that being said, it doesn't look like they've actually attempted to set foot beyond the border yet, but the key word is yet. So that could just be because he still needs to at least rubber stamp the annexation with a law that'll be introduced to the National Assembly. Also, with everything that we're seeing, it's believed that Maduro could be drumming up nationalistic fervor ahead of new presidential elections, which you might think, like, why would Maduro even bother with
Starting point is 00:23:21 the pretenses? But the big thing is that he made a deal regarding drop sanctions if he promised to have an election that was overseen by foreign observers. Although notably there, there's already doubts that the election will even be remotely free. With, for example, Venezuela already issuing 14 arrest warrants against key members of the main opposition candidate for, quote, involvement in a conspiracy to sabotage the Venezuelan people's fight for Ezequibo. Though, with all this being said, there are also people that have doubts that Venezuela would actually attempt to annex the region with troops. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that
Starting point is 00:23:46 the U.S. fully supports Guyana's sovereignty over the territory. And today, the U.S. is even holding military flight exercises there, likely as a show of support. That said, you can't always count on your friends, especially when one of your friends is America going into an election year. Like, just in general, but also like, what if every four years you completely change personalities? And so Guyana has put its troops on high alert, although it's really hoping for a non-military resolution to the situation, with their president telling Al Jazeera, We would like the United Nations Security Council to issue a very strong statement to Venezuela in relation to Venezuela breaching the order of the ICJ, an order that can be enforceable.
Starting point is 00:24:18 And also warning, should Venezuela proceed to act in this reckless and adventurous manner, the region will have to respond. And that is what we're building. We're building a regional response. So for now, we'll wait and see. Is this the buildup to something really big and crazy, or is it just kind of a big show to get support? But personally, I'm of the mindset that when you have a strong man making threats, you react like that is a legitimate threat because they will look weak and stupid if they don't back it up. And then the last thing that we're going to talk about today is yesterday. Today, we're going to take a look back at yesterday's show. We dive into those comments. But actually, first, I'm going to give you two updates at the end of the show because you're obviously the most dedicated. The first is that
Starting point is 00:24:55 I realized, oh, my God, today is December 7th. That means that there's only eight more new shows coming on this channel for the rest of 2023. I'll be gone right now. The plan is from December 22nd to January 8th. I very rarely as a workaholic look forward to time off, but I am looking forward to it this time. I feel like I'm very scattered and everything in my life is chaos. So I just need to reorganize some shit. And then secondly, if you've ever won anything from Beautiful Bastard, but you're like, ah, it's a little bit too expensive. Next Monday, December 11th, I'm going to be doing the Broke Bastard belated birthday sale. It'll have mystery boxes where like the shirts that are normally $35 or $40, you can grab for $10. And there's like $75, $85
Starting point is 00:25:28 hoodies you can snag for $25. You just don't know which one you're getting. And maybe I'll go into the reasoning of why, but I got to clear out that warehouse ASAP. So I think there's even going to be things like our $20 notebooks. We're going to be selling them for $3. So do not buy anything over there until the sale goes live on the 11th. And hopefully me mentioning this is like me looking out and it doesn't feel like I'm putting another sponsor in the video. Anyway, yesterday, today, which I mean, diving into those comments, y'all were sounding off on the GTA controversy. Some of y'all calling it genuinely hilarious because they probably all think they're new and original for pretending to be outraged at kids playing GTA when two decades ago, we already
Starting point is 00:25:59 dealt with the final boss of GTA Moral Panic, Jack Thompson. Others share, and I worked at Targo when GTA 5 was released. And I mentioned to an older and, yes, conservative co-worker that I really enjoyed the game's story. She was absolutely shocked. She thought the entire point of the game was just murdering random people and cops. She had no idea that there was a story in the game, so yeah, people are believing this nonsense being thrown at games even now. And then, there was a lot of appreciation for me saying,
Starting point is 00:26:20 it's rated M, but not M for my kids. Thank you. I say one funny thing on purpose every four weeks. We also had no shortage of comments on the QAnon Queen situation in Canada. Some of y'all thanking me for bringing it up. I think as a person who lives there, I just want to add a few things for further context on the QAnon Queen story. Saying our province is incredibly right-wing. Alabama would be a good American comparison. So it's not shocking to me someone in this province supported her enough to attempt to give her a cult compound. And saying one of the leaders of the
Starting point is 00:26:43 trucker convoy mentioned at 537 unfortunately came from the southern part of our province too. supported her enough to attempt to give her a cult compound. And saying, And saying, And also saying, And also saying, And also saying, Also regarding the Taylor Swift situation, you have people saying, Anyone with two brain cells rubbed together saw that he did not run the I made that bitch famous line past her, and that was obviously the part that she took exception to. Then again, while maybe not a lot of people are actually that dumb, the people that are that dumb will definitely get on Twitter and let her know how they feel and make her think that the majority agrees. So I will say, if you think back to that time, it wasn't a few people. It was a lot of people. I mean, Taylor
Starting point is 00:27:29 Swift, hey, it was kind of at an all time high at that point anyway. And then you have like the size of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West fan base. This is pre I love Hitler, Kanye. And something that kind of just happens with hate campaigns in general is a lot of people don't genuinely care about the truth. They feel like they've been given license to shit on someone and try and ruin someone that has a much better situation than them. And I mean, that's still an issue today. I mean, we see that a lot with selective outrage. And that's something that we also have to kind of like check in with ourselves when we see something that we want to believe about people we do not like. Otherwise, you become the thing you criticize.
Starting point is 00:28:01 But that is where today's Daily Dive into the news is going to end. But of course, remember, for more news, you need to know that maybe you have missed, you should watch, you become the thing you criticize. But that is where today's Daily Dive into the news is going to end. But of course, remember, for more news, you need to know that maybe you have missed. You should watch. You can click or tap. I got links in the description. And as always, my name's Philip DeFranco. You've just been filled in. I love your faces, and I'll see you right back here next time.

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