The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 2.15 This Disgusting Deepfake Scandal Update Will Make Things Worse & Section 230's Supreme Court Problem

Starting point is 00:00:00 We've got huge concerning updates on the deepfake scandals, monsters are setting aid for earthquake victims on fire, the Supreme Court may be about to destroy the internet as we know it based on their decision around section 230. There was another huge hazardous chemical spill. We're gonna talk about all that and so much more on today's brand new Philip DeFranco show, so buckle up, hit that like button very quickly. Quick announcement, I have heard your pleas, so be leaving up until the weekend all the new stuff we've been dropping over at beautifulbastard.com. I go through the texts. I saw the screw you, I don't get paid till Friday text.

Starting point is 00:00:28 I'm gonna give you all a little extra time if you want to snag the I love naps gear. Because people will come and go, but naps will always be there for you. Emotionally exhausted on an absurd number of colorways, but also the classics. And screw it, I'll even let you get some of the go easy on yourself gear. Yeah, grab any and all that you want while you can, because I run that company like a chaotic idiot. With that said, let's just jump into it. We've got a big update regarding that deepfake porn controversy we talked about a few weeks ago. That whole thing got a big spotlight on it when a streamer by the name of Atrioc was caught with an open tab to a deepfake porn website,

Starting point is 00:00:54 which notably hosted explicit deepfakes of very high-profile female streamers, including his colleagues. And in addition to the general outrage and disgust, you had some of the women that have been featured on that site, like Cutie Cinderella speaking out about how just fucked up deepfake porn is. And with that, vowing to sue the creator of the website even after they took the site down. But the update there is no, apparently that's not going to happen. But they're reportedly telling NBC News that the legal framework for a potential path forward is disheartening. And adding, every single lawyer I've talked to essentially have come to the conclusion that we don't have a case. There's no way to sue the guy. And that's apparently because while many states have laws regarding revenge porn,

Starting point is 00:01:25 only a handful have laws specifically regarding deepfakes. And this is even though that website was taken down, those videos made without her knowledge or consent can still be spread around the internet like wildfire. Which also I think the unfortunate side effect of that news breaking is this may embolden those who wanna do this. Though to those people,

Starting point is 00:01:40 I would warn not only is that fucked up and I think wrong, it's important to remember there was a time where there were not laws against revenge porn. The story also makes me think for a second about just how fucking weird the internet is and also what a weird place it must be to be a female content creator.

Starting point is 00:01:52 Because you have all these photos and videos that you'd even fucking make being spread all over the internet. But at the same time on mainstream social platforms, you have consensual photos being over-moderated. Or there were things like another massive streamer, Pokimane, dealing with Instagram removing one of her photos over, quote, sexual solicitation.

Starting point is 00:02:08 And oddly, it pertained to a photo that was posted back in July. It was her in a pink blazer. And apparently, the platform had an issue with her caption, anybody need a sugar mama? And apparently, all that violated the rules of the site because you cannot facilitate, encourage, or coordinate sexual activity on Instagram.

Starting point is 00:02:22 So something to keep in mind, the next time you post on social media anyone want To get filled in together. Also. I think the issue on instagram isn't just female focused I think it's it's scale focused and the reason I say that is because the number of people i've seen get banned on like twitter And other platforms because they made a punch you in the throat joke Which if you're new here is like an inside joke between me and all you beautiful bastards Algorithms not taking into context or jokes or any of that but back to the main story I will say personally I am disappointed that there's apparently no legal path forward

Starting point is 00:02:48 because while I know there were a myriad of different opinions on the topic, I think at the very least, I think there's an argument and a case for harassment. And then we've got big Dhar Mann updates to talk about because we're seeing him double down on his fight against the allegations that have been levied against him and his studio. We talked about this last week. He's a massive creator. Some of his videos getting hundreds of millions of views. Videos that are normally about moral and inspirational lessons. But a number of his actors ended up actually protesting over what they said was inadequate pay among other issues. Things like there was a toxic culture at the studio and if you spoke out about it, you were fired. And when they tried to address this and to have a meeting with Dhar Mann, they couldn't. Instead, only getting a meeting with the head of production and HR. Now for his part, Dhar Mann says he

Starting point is 00:03:21 pays his actors well and says that these allegations are false. Saying that he has feedback forms and other means for actors to bring up problems. We're starting to see more updates to this story, like with one of the actors, Dylan Harris. He posted a video claiming that Dhar Mann threatened him with legal action. If you want to keep threatening to sue me, guess what, dude? I really love playing chess. And then including screenshots of emails with the subject line confidential and privileged settlement communication cease and desist regarding Dhar Mann. Though, one of those screenshots did notably say that because Dylan had deleted a post in question, the team would no longer be pursuing action. And it's also worth noting that the TikTok we just showed about the cease and desist is no longer on Dylan's page. But that's also not where this story ends, because Darman

Starting point is 00:03:54 is continuing to defend himself and proclaim his innocence. First seeing things like this TikTok of what appears to be people for Darman Studios patting him on the shoulder to comfort him while the song We Are Family plays. And then more concretely, in an Instagram post yesterday, he said, he is saddened for those affected by everything going on and for the various misleading stories that have spread, saying he and some of the original actors who have been with the studio since the start are working together to get through this. Also claiming that the actors who were protesting haven't worked with the studio in years, and they only represent a small percentage of the thousands of actors that have been in Dhar Mann videos.

Starting point is 00:04:24 And regarding that meeting that was mentioned, he said that the formal meeting request would start with production and HR, not him, and claiming he was never told to or supposed to attend that meeting, and saying the actors were asked to put their concerns in writing, but instead they came to our studio to disrupt production, causing stress to crew members and actors, and claiming certain protesters even spread false information to hurt the studio, my family, and me. That's the reason why I have not met with these individuals. And again, saying the claims against unfair pay are misinformation, saying he recently came up with plans to improve the studio's booking system, boost communication, and give out more consistent hours and pay. But while all this is happening, the protesters have not stopped, even holding a press conference with

Starting point is 00:04:50 ABC 7 News yesterday where they reiterated a lot of their issues. If you're going to profit off of these morals, you need to at least give the people that are working underneath them the respect of what you're preaching. There are just basic elements to running a motion picture company that are not being met. So who's lying? Who's telling the truth? What is going on? We're going to have to wait to see what all comes from this. And while we wait, I'd love to know your thoughts on what the answers to those questions are. And then, a bunch of garbage people just burned aid for earthquake victims.

Starting point is 00:05:17 So this just happened in Germany at a Turkish supermarket where a huge pile of donations, including canned food and clothing, was collected for the Turkey-Syria earthquake. But late one night, these two dumpster bros come over and light the stash on fire, with one of them also throwing a Turkish flag into the fire, suggesting they may have had xenophobic motives. Were those sentiments possibly on the rise, given that the German government just announced plans to ease visa restrictions for earthquake victims with relatives in the country? Now, as far as the fire, firefighters took two hours to extinguish the flames, and according to a police estimate, the damage reportedly totals over $20,000, which is just an out-of-nowhere unnecessary gut punch

Starting point is 00:05:46 for the survivors and everyone working around the clock to save lives, especially since we're continuing to see the death toll rise, going from 36,000 on Monday to 41,000 today. And this as millions have been left homeless and much of the region's sanitation infrastructure has been damaged and health authorities are desperately trying to prevent a disease outbreak.

Starting point is 00:06:00 Or because the devastation from the earthquake was so widespread, you've got tons of people who haven't even showered or cleaned off since the earthquake, as well as there being a shortage of cleaning water and toilets, making cholera and typhoid more likely. But still, despite all of this devastation, we're still seeing amazing stories of survival emerge from the rubble, like these two brothers who were trapped under debris for around 200 hours, staying alive by rationing bodybuilding supplements, drinking their own urine, and swallowing gulps of air. Or stories coming out like a father and daughter who were stuck for 209 hours before being rescued. And so

Starting point is 00:06:27 again, if you can and want to help out, I'm going to link to places where you can donate in the description. And for those touched by this tragedy, I wish you the best of luck. My heart goes out to you. And then, y'all, what's going on? There has been yet another hazardous chemical spill. Over the last few days, we've been covering the train carrying hazardous materials that derailed in Ohio, prompting officials to do a controlled burn. We've also been seeing other train derailments, and now we're seeing the second major chemical spill in a month after a truck carrying nitric acid was involved in a crash on Interstate 10 in Tucson, Arizona yesterday, with nitric acid being a highly corrosive material often used in manufacturing fertilizer and explosives. And according to the CDC, exposure to it can cause

Starting point is 00:07:00 irritation to the eye, skin, and mucous membrane. It can also cause delayed pulmonary edema, pneumonitis, bronchitis, dental erosion. And as far as what we know about this crash, actually very little information has been released so far, including what caused the accident. We've seen government officials saying that the incident involved a commercial truck tractor hauling a box trailer that rolled over, killing the driver. A hazardous materials response unit, the Tucson Fire Department, and a number of local police departments responded to the scene, closing off I-10. And actually, as of recording, the busy freeway is still shut down in both directions. The Arizona Department of Public Safety also evacuated all people on a half-mile perimeter around the area and ordered those within one mile to shelter in place. With a few hours later, the shelter-in-place order being lifted, but then it was reinstated again at around 5 a.m.

Starting point is 00:07:39 local time, with the department advising that anyone within the one-mile perimeter turn off heaters and or air conditioning systems that bring in outside air, and adding that while crews were attempting to remove the load from the commercial vehicle, gassing occurred. And then, a few hours after that, the shelter-in-place order was actually extended to those within a three-mile perimeter of the spill, with the agency saying recovery and mitigation efforts on the hazardous materials experienced temporary setbacks overnight due to weather conditions, and saying crews have now removed the material from the truck and are utilizing dirt to mitigate further off gassing. But very significantly here, it also said that those who have been evacuated should expect to remain displaced until approximately midday.

Starting point is 00:08:11 Though it's unclear if evacuees will want to go back to their homes later today anyway, especially given the heightened concern around the Ohio spill. And then did you know that two out of three guys will experience some form of male pattern baldness by the time that they're 35? Maybe you have that friend or that family member that's dealing with hair loss, and well, thanks to the sponsor today's show, Keeps, you don't have to just sit around and wait for that to happen. Whether you're looking to prevent hair loss, stimulate hair growth, or just take better care of the hair that you have, Keeps has you covered. Keeps helps you stop hair loss before it's too late with a scientific and affordable approach to treatments that are up to 90% effective at reducing and stopping further

Starting point is 00:08:39 hair loss. And in addition to clinically proven treatments, Keeps has an award-winning all-natural thickening shampoo and conditioner system. And you can get these products delivered directly to your door, meaning no more going in person to the doctor's office for your prescription, saving you both valuable time and money. Hair loss stops with Keeps. So to get your special offer, go to keeps.com slash DeFranco, or just click that link in the description. That's keeps.com slash DeFranco. And then the Supreme Court could fundamentally change how the internet works, and content creators could be totally screwed. Right in just a few days, the High Court is set to hear a landmark case that has the potential to change the last two-plus decades of content moderation policy, as well as upend the business practices of big tech as we know it.

Starting point is 00:09:13 So, details. The case in question is called Gonzalez v. Google, and it focuses on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. And as we've talked about before, Section 230 is a 1996 statute that protects social media platforms from being liable for the content that users post. Not only does it shield them from lawsuits over what's posted on their sites, but it also safeguards them from being sued when they take down posts. But as battles over content moderation have grown in recent years, Section 230 has come under fire. And with Gonzalez, this may be the tipping point. The case was brought by the family of a 23-year-old U.S. citizen who was killed in Paris during a 2015 terrorist attack by the Islamic State. With the family arguing that Google, YouTube's parent company, aided and abetted terrorism because its algorithm recommended

Starting point is 00:09:47 Islamic State videos recruiting members and inciting violence. But, and this is the crux of their claim here, Google's algorithmic recommendations should be considered as their own form of content. So Section 230, which only shields platforms from the content of third parties, doesn't apply. Now, notably here, similar cases alleging that social media companies have supported terrorist content that led to actual attacks have been dismissed by courts for years. And this case itself was actually dismissed by a lower court. But, very notably, this conservative Supreme Court has decided to hear the appeal. And because of that, I really cannot understate how much is at stake here.

Starting point is 00:10:15 So to get a better idea of how serious the impacts of all this could be, we talked to Eric Goldman, a professor at Santa Clara University School of Law who specializes in internet law and is an expert on Section 230. And he told us that the court's decision to take up this case is especially consequential because there's past precedent for Section 230 applying to those algorithmic recommendations. And that's the crux of Google's argument against this case. The main legal argument against the plaintiffs is that Section 230, by its own terms, made no distinction between algorithmic recommendations and other ways that services gather, organize, and promote third-party content. So it's just a pure statutory argument. You read the text, it doesn't say what the plaintiffs are saying. They're having to manufacture arguments why it should say what they're trying to say. Section 230 has applied uniformly to that for the last 25

Starting point is 00:11:01 years. And so the plaintiffs are really asking for a dramatic and unprecedented change to how we think about Section 230. Professor Goldman also saying that another one of Google's central arguments is that this ruling could have such a massive and devastating impact on the Internet that the Supreme Court can't ignore the policy implications. Now, as far as what would actually happen if the justices rule in favor of the plaintiffs? Well, Goldman says that it's actually hard to anticipate just how big this ruling will be because it depends on a number of factors, which we will actually get to a bit later. But he did give us a general idea.

Starting point is 00:11:28 The short story is one possible conclusion is that the court will say if the services take efforts to promote user content, they lose Section 230. They can still host it. They can still gather it. But if they do anything to promote it, they will no longer have this legal shield. And in a situation like that, then the internet starts to look a lot more like Google Drive or Dropbox, where people upload content, there's a hosting function, the services give them a URL, and then we all have to do our own work in order to get an audience for our content. That would just change the internet at its very core,

Starting point is 00:12:05 how we think about the internet, and that would be a bad outcome. And if the court decides that algorithmic recommendations aren't covered by Section 230, social media platforms would be stuck in what Goldman calls the moderator's dilemma, where they're essentially forced to choose between all bad options. First, because they'd be liable for all content they recommend, they'd have to moderate everything with extreme precision and perfection. That's essentially impossible for these companies, and if they actually tried to do this, it would likely result in them overblocking and potentially censoring anything that anyone says is defamatory. Because to not do so would risk lawsuit after lawsuit.

Starting point is 00:12:33 The second option would be to go the complete opposite direction, provide no moderation at all. And if they end up getting sued, basically they would just argue willful blindness, right? If I never tried, I never failed. While that was an argument that lawyers told clients to make before Section 230 existed. It hasn't really been tested in court since. But if a judge did rule in favor of such a claim, it would basically give social media companies a blank check to allow offensive and violent speech to run wild. And then there's a third option. The third note is to say, I can't win this game. I can't do it perfectly. I can't let everyone have their say because I'm going to be overrun by garbage content. And the only way then to win that game is not to play at all.

Starting point is 00:13:07 And so that's the real stakes, I think, in this case. But Goldman's saying he thinks that the more likely outcomes are some combination of the first and third option. The platforms will be forced to regulate content super intensely or shut down altogether, which, key thing here, would be absolutely devastating for content creators. And actually, to illustrate exactly how bad this could be, Goldman gave us a helpful example of what the world would look like on our own platform here. So one likely scenario is that YouTube would scale back any recommendations at all. It would simply reduce the ability of users to find the content that they think is relevant, make it

Starting point is 00:13:39 harder for them to do so. That's not really a good business experience for the users of YouTube. One other possibility is that YouTube could say, instead of reducing recommendations, they'll keep doing recommendations like they have in the past. They'll just constrain the number of people who are allowed to publish on YouTube in the first place. But the people who would be allowed to publish are only those who YouTube decides are not legally risky, right? And obviously only a small percentage of creators would get that privilege and everyone else would kind of just get kicked off the service. From that perspective,

Starting point is 00:14:07 one likely scenario of any change to Section 233 here is that we're going to see, quote, the rich get richer. The people who already have audiences and already have power in the marketplace of ideas, they're going to continue to get the same kind of treatment that they've got in the past. It's they're going to continue to get the same kind of treatment that they've got in the past. It's everyone else, the small players, the people who could become big

Starting point is 00:14:30 influencers in the future, but haven't gone that far yet, they may never get that chance because the doors will be closed to them. But also with all this, let's be clear, this isn't just something that's going to apply to Google and YouTube. This would impact all social media companies that host third-party content and are currently protected by Section 230. And, just in case you thought the story couldn't get worse, it does. While those are some scenarios that Goldman says are likely to come out of this whole ruling, Gonzalez isn't the only case where the Supreme Court could totally upend the internet. Literally one day after they hear Gonzalez, the justices are set to consider a very similar case called Twitter v. Tomna. With that, focusing on whether platforms are liable

Starting point is 00:15:02 for terrorist-related content posted by their users under federal anti-terrorism law. And very notably here, Goldman says that content monetization is at play in these cases, because lower courts have said that paying terrorists for content could violate the law. And if that's upheld, there's a possibility that companies like YouTube would have to stop monetizing content because they can't manage the risk, or at least very significantly pare down who gets monetization. And then actually, even beyond those two cases, there are two others that the Supreme Court could take up regarding new laws in Florida and Texas. Laws that aim to ban social media companies from taking down certain political cons and or accounts

Starting point is 00:15:30 among other wide ranging regulation. And just at the end of January, the justices asked the Biden administration to weigh in on the cases, effectively delaying a decision to take them up, at least for now. But it's widely believed that the court will have to consider these matters eventually,

Starting point is 00:15:41 and even possibly in the next term, beginning this October. And all four of these have the potential to completely change the internet. It's truck month at GMC. Tackle the open road with added confidence in a 2025 Sierra 1500 Pro Graphite at 0% financing for up to 72 months. With an available 5.3 liter V8 engine, 20 inch high gloss black painted aluminum wheels,

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Starting point is 00:16:41 Service fees, exclusions, and terms apply. Instacart, groceries that over-deliver. Assume for a moment, this is like a package of bad ideas. It's not just one bad idea. There's a lot going on there. In other words, for the internet to look like it does today, we have to win all four of those cases perfectly. And those are really long odds that make me very, very nervous. Right. And to that last point, Goldman noted, we really don't know where the justices are going to fall on this question. Right. Justice Clarence Thomas has written a couple of statements criticizing Section 230. But because this

Starting point is 00:17:11 issue cuts across partisan lines, Goldman says he really has no idea where the other justices will land. While it's unknown when or if the court will take up the Florida and Texas cases, we will have an answer on both Gonzalez and Tomna by the end of the term in June. So basically, I'm marking June 30th is, you know, basically that the RIP internet date that I'm going to have a little, uh, headstone card for. Hey, I guess mark your calendars. But on that surey note, the way I want to close this out is what are your thoughts? What do you make of all this? And then I want to take a second to thank one of the fantastic sponsors of today's show. HelloFresh. HelloFresh gets farm fresh pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your door,

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Starting point is 00:18:21 And I really don't want to undersell that point because for me, it's so frustrating to make a meal and then a child not eat it. This has genuinely made it so much easier, especially because the pre-portioned ingredients save time and the recipes are consistently good. It makes putting a home-cooked meal on the table not only delicious, but I would say more importantly, easy.

Starting point is 00:18:36 So make meals easier and better tasting by going to hellofresh.com slash phil65 and use code phil65 for 65% off plus free shipping. And then, this is a fun story because I gotta get on an airplane soon. There have been way too damn many close calls fill 65 and use code fill 65 for 65% off plus free shipping. And then this is a fun story because I got to get on an airplane soon. There have been way too damn many close calls involving airplanes recently. In fact, there have been so many that the acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration just issued a rare safety call to action for the industry. In a memo, acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolan said he would form a safety review team,

Starting point is 00:19:02 convene a safety summit and order a review of aviation safety data to see whether there are other incidents that resemble ones we have seen in recent weeks. Now, notably here, Nolan did not flag any specific instances, but there have been multiple ones that have made the headlines in recent weeks. But there's so much random, crazy bullshit happening right now, very possible you missed it. There have been a handful of events that a National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson said presented a significant risk of a catastrophic outcome. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson said presented a significant risk of a catastrophic outcome. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board currently investigating those. The first, which we talked about at the time, took place at JFK Airport on January 13th, when an American Airlines jet crossed a runway right in front of a Delta Airlines flight that was getting ready to take off.

Starting point is 00:19:36 Then, just under two weeks ago, a FedEx cargo plane almost landed on top of a Southwest Airlines passenger flight at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. This after an air traffic controller had cleared the FedEx jet to land on the runway where the Southwest plane had been cleared to take off. The NTSB saying those two planes came within just 100 feet of each other. And according to the Washington Post, the NTSB said just yesterday that it's investigating two other situations involving United Airlines flights at airports in Hawaii. With one of those incidents taking place in Honolulu and was very similar to the events in Austin and New York. A cargo jet operated by the company Cessna and a United passenger airplane. While there's been very little reporting on this, according to the Post, the FAA said an air traffic controller told the

Starting point is 00:20:11 United crew to stop on a taxiway before reaching the runway, but the aircraft just crossed instead, with the Cessna stopping about 1,170 feet from the United jet. And then that other Hawaii United episode was totally different, with this one actually happening back in December, but there's only been extensive news coverage of it in the last 48 hours or so. And that was a United flight full of passengers taking off from the Maui airport, climbing for about a minute, and then just taking a sudden nosedive. Though luckily, not crashing, but coming just 775 feet above the Pacific Ocean. So I think it's a good thing that the FAA is taking action here. But also notably, this comes at a time where the FAA is facing growing scrutiny. Not only because of what we

Starting point is 00:20:43 just talked about, but because of that insane incident last month when a key safety bulletin system went down, prompting the agency to ground all flights nationwide for the first time since 9-11. And regarding that, last week, representatives on the House Transportation Committee expressed their concern that the FAA had not responded quickly enough to safety and management issues that have existed for a while now. And to that point, timing's always important with these stories, Nolan just so happened to issue a safety memo one day before he was set to testify before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation regarding the safety bulletin system outage.

Starting point is 00:21:10 Though that hearing is taking place as we're recording today's show, so we're going to have to wait to talk about that tomorrow at least. But unfortunately, whatever happens there, it's really unclear how they're going to make this situation better. And that's in part because there's a huge fundamental barrier here. The total lack of stable leadership. Many federal lawmakers have argued that the biggest obstacle the FAA faces is the fact that it hasn't had a permanent leader since the last administrator stepped down back in March. And all these recent issues just underscore that.

Starting point is 00:21:32 Now, President Biden has actually nominated Philip Washington, chief executive of Denver International Airport, to head the agency, but the Senate hasn't confirmed him because there are concerns about his qualifications. And so you take all of that, and it's why we're gonna obviously keep our eyes on this story.

Starting point is 00:21:44 And then churches and drugs. Let's talk about them. Because Vice recently published the article where they interviewed the founder of the Divine Assembly, a church based in Salt Lake City, Utah. And they are just one of the growing number of churches that worship psychedelics like mushrooms, peyote, and others. With the Divine Assembly not providing the drugs

Starting point is 00:21:59 to their 5,000 members, or telling people how they should host mushroom ceremonies, and goes through other spiritual experiences like meditation rooms mushroom growing courses and ice baths notably the divine assemblies founder is both a former state legislator and an ex-mormon who has also acknowledged their strange set of circumstances saying I think a lot of people look at what we do if they come out of Organized religion and they say this is bullshit These people are just using the idea of religion to get around drug laws saying I, I wish they could see inside my mind, inside my heart, and just see the changes that have happened and are happening, and just see how I am seeing

Starting point is 00:22:28 the divine on a daily, hour-by-hour basis. And to his point, it's not quite that easy to circumvent drug laws. There are only three religious organizations that have legal exemption to use drugs in their practice. While the rest believe that they are protected under religious freedom, their use is still technically illegal. But, reportedly, they can be legally defensible if the churches prove that they are sincere in their use of drugs as a religious experience, as well as taking safety measures to protect their congregation. While that may sound easy enough to you, the Divine Assembly specifically fights to keep their group informal, so they don't actually tell people how to worship in any capacity. And according to a New York-based attorney who wrote a guide for churches like this

Starting point is 00:22:59 to navigate the law, the Divine Assembly's dedication to being non-dogmatic and a lack of protocol could make it harder for them to defend themselves. But she also added, there has to be an understanding that religion is an incredibly broad spectrum and that there are going to be leaders who say, "'This is how I believe,' which is to not force beliefs upon someone." However, another key thing, their founder after his years

Starting point is 00:23:17 as a legislator is on good terms with law enforcement, even reportedly informing them that the Divine Assembly uses a schedule one controlled substance. Also saying he's not concerned about being pursued for their drug use, but did mention that the church will not defend any individual members arrested and when talking about this you know it's important to know we've seen churches like this be on the receiving end of law enforcement before like the zyde door church in east oakland that was raided by police in 2020 so that isn't quite the one-to-one comparison

Starting point is 00:23:39 because zyde door did distribute mushrooms and cannabis to their congregation in exchange for a donation unlike the divine assembly but for now we're gonna have to wait to see what happens with this church specifically, and also the continued rise of churches like this. Personally, I'm of the opinion of if you're a grown-ass adult, your brain is done growing. I think if you have medical supervision, you should be able to take mushrooms. If that happens in, let's say, a church of some sort, cool. I'd rather a church use their tax-exempt status to help try to expand someone's mind let them look into themselves see how they're connected to other human beings rather than let's say spend hundreds of millions of dollars lobbying to keep rights from people because they were like

Starting point is 00:24:16 born gay or something or who hide and move predators in their flock and then we've got another prime minister tapping out technically this is a first minister but the sentiment's the same just a few weeks ago we talked about new New Zealand's prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, resigning. Saying she was burned out, didn't have enough in the tank to do the job. And most Americans were like, wait, what? You're just willingly letting go of a position of power? That's a thing? Well, now Scotland's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has just done the same thing. While she didn't specifically cite burnout as a reason for resigning, it's pretty clear she's exhausted. Sturgeongeon's been Scotland's longest-serving First Minister.

Starting point is 00:24:46 She's also the first woman to ever hold the position. She's been in politics since 99, leading the charge for Scotland's independence from the UK, guiding the country through the COVID-19 pandemic as First Minister. But today, announcing that she was stepping down, though, she made sure to mention that her decision was not in response to the latest political pressure. This after recent controversies regarding gender reform. Instead, saying that her reasons were rooted in her own personal struggle with whether she can continue to do the job well. To be clear, I'm not expecting violins here, but I am a human being as well as a politician.

Starting point is 00:25:13 My point is this, giving absolutely everything of yourself to this job is the only way to do it. The country deserves nothing less. But in truth, that can only be done by anyone for so long. For me, it is now in danger of becoming too long. Though I do think it's important to note, and it is a key thing here, is that her approval ratings right now are reportedly the lowest they have been since she has taken office. But regardless, many political figures in Scotland, as well as the UK, have applauded Sturgeon and her historic service as First Minister. And so right now, as we move forward, there are a number of unknowns, starting with who the hell is going to replace her.

Starting point is 00:25:46 However, Sturgeon said that she'll continue to serve until someone else is elected. Also, the push for Scotland's independence is hanging in limbo. People really don't seem to know what that looks like without Sturgeon's leadership. Though there, she did mention that she doesn't intend to fully leave politics and will still fight for the cause, saying that the support for Scottish independence needs to be solidified and grow. And that is where today's show ends. Thank you so much for being a part of my daily dives into the news for you. My name's Philip DeFranco. You've just

Starting point is 00:26:08 been filled in. I love your faces and I'll see you tomorrow.

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