The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 2.28 Ukraine is Humiliating Putin, BUT Don't Celebrate Yet, Russia Meltdown, David Dobrik Secret is Out &

Starting point is 00:00:00 Sup, you beautiful bastards! Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco Show. I am still not feeling 100%, so I'm still at home, but you know, it's uh, it is what it is. Hopefully by the end of the week I'll feel good, but in the meantime I don't have a real job, so it's not like I'm gonna physically injure myself. So hit that like button and let's just jump into it. You know, the first thing that we're gonna talk about today, before we get into the depressing insanity of the real world that's affecting a lot of people and almost everyone in the very near future. Let's talk about this update around the David Dobrik, Jeff Wittek situation because the cat is out of the bag.

Starting point is 00:00:30 Last week, I said you should expect to see David Dobrik's name and face to be popping up in the news a lot more in the near future and that we were already starting to see it because we saw Jeff Wittek speaking out and it turns out that those things were actually kind of connected. Because it has now become far more public knowledge

Starting point is 00:00:43 that there is a documentary about David Dobrik and his scandals premiering at South by Southwest that is actually made by Casey Neistat. It's titled Under the Influence, and according to the description on the festival's website, it will follow one of the most precipitous rise and falls in the history of the internet in real time. With it adding, David, protected by the belief

Starting point is 00:00:59 that he's just a kid with a camera, has constantly assumed risks. Even as a story of sexual assault breaks, he's busy covering up a near-lethal accident caught on film intended to be entertainment. In the real world, these kinds of actions have life-changing consequences, but in the gold rush ecosystem of social media influence, the audience decides who succeeds and who gets banished forever. So that's why you're going to be hearing Dobrik's name more in the upcoming future, but also, apparently that is why Jeff is so angry. The thing about Casey in the film on a recent

Starting point is 00:01:23 podcast... He also made a documentary and showed me a clip recently that really pissed me off, but he did it because he respects me and he's my boy. So he showed me just to prepare me for what's coming and to prepare David for what's coming. Producer of the documentary, creator of the documentary, director, whatever you want to call it. He called me, FaceTimed me to show me the clip of the interview when David addressed the situation with the crane. And he said that it was my fault. David blamed me for the crane. He insinuated that I was crazy. I always want to push it. And I'm the reason that this happened. And I just couldn't believe that he would say

Starting point is 00:02:01 that. Not only does he not really give a f**k, but imagine you smash somebody's skull in. They take it on the chin. They don't sue you. They don't f**king press charges. I mean, I would nearly die. I came an inch from death, an inch from going blind. I'll have lifelong brain injuries and save them from f**king everything. But as far as what this looks like, what's coming, we're gonna have to wait and see. But it is relatively soon, though. It premieres at South by Southwest on March 12th, and there's an online screening a day later. And it'll be interesting to see, you know, what kind of waves does this make? Does this change public perception? Because one of the issues for me is I still do believe that David Dobrik sees himself as a victim of this situation.

Starting point is 00:02:38 That the bad things that happen, these are just things that happen to other adults who made decisions for themselves. Which I understand to a certain extent, but that would also mean that he just really hasn't learned or grown to understand the situation that he creates around him and the effect that he has on the people who want to keep him happy. Whether that means risking your health, going along with jokes that you're not necessarily okay with, or just allowing yourself to be the butt of every joke and demeaned in every episode. Yeah, ultimately with this story, I guess the questions I wanna pass off to you, one, do you think you're gonna wanna see this documentary, right, see the behind the scenes

Starting point is 00:03:09 of what was happening in the real time, both before, during, afterwards? And two, now that we have Jeff explaining why he has been speaking out, for those of you that were a little more on the fence or have kind of gone back over to David's side as we got further from the events that happened, like, does that make

Starting point is 00:03:25 you feel any different? Yes, no, why, why not? I'd love to hear from you. And then, you know how sometimes you order a pizza thinking, you know, I'll have half now and save the rest for lunch tomorrow, but then you eat the entire thing and then you melt into the couch like a bag of wet cheese and you wonder, what went wrong with my childhood? Well, we, the human race, have collectively eaten the entire pizza with some oil on top. And that's essentially what this new apocalyptic warning from the United Nations is saying. It's telling us we're all fucked if we don't get our act together.

Starting point is 00:03:48 Where the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, dropped a more than 3,500 page report detailing the effects already being felt and the catastrophic damage soon to come if greenhouse gas emissions go unchecked. The list of potential harms is long, including sea levels rising several feet and swallowing up entire island nations

Starting point is 00:04:03 as well as coastal regions. Millions of refugees forced from their homes due to drought, heat, hunger, and natural disasters, the proliferation of disease carrying insects, the eradication of coral reefs, and extinctions of species, with a 2 degrees Celsius rise in global temperatures putting 10% of all plant and animal species at high risk, with a report warning that humanity cannot afford to wait one more day to take action, otherwise we may miss the brief and rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all. And adding that climate change is already causing dangerous and widespread disruption

Starting point is 00:04:31 to the natural world and billions of people. Right, so far, humans have pumped more than a trillion tons of CO2 into the air that we all breathe since the late 19th century, and global temperatures have risen over 1 degrees Celsius. So even if we all vanished off the face of the Earth tomorrow, figurative and literal fires are still burning shit down. Like the acidified oceans that are killing fish, or the wildfires and hurricanes wrecking ecosystems. And the report stresses that climate change is not and will not impact the world equally. Poor countries will suffer the

Starting point is 00:04:54 overwhelming bulk of deaths and displacement from the worst-case warming scenarios. Which is extra fucked up when you consider how those same countries are responsible for a tiny sliver of greenhouse gas emissions compared to richer ones. Plus, they have the fewest resources to adapt to changes, so while wealthier cities like New York can likely protect themselves somewhat with infrastructure and economic aid, those in Bangladesh or Indonesia are less lucky. In a response to these findings, the UN Secretary General said, I have seen many scientific reports in my time, but nothing like this. And adding, the facts are undeniable. This abdication of leadership is criminal.

Starting point is 00:05:22 The world's biggest polluters are guilty of arson of our only home. And the report concluding that the only way to stop the worst-case scenario of global disaster is to overhaul energy systems, redesign cities, and revolutionize how humans grow food. So yeah, it's bad. But all the more reason to take dramatic action now. But from that, I want to take a second to thank the fantastic sponsor of today's show, Bokksu. Bokksu offers a great way to learn, taste, and experience Japan's vibrant culture directly from home. They deliver premium Japanese snacks, candies, and tea pairing straight from Japan to your door every month.

Starting point is 00:05:50 And by partnering with 100 plus year old family snack makers, Bokksu delivers signature authentic selections providing a Japanese gourmet journey through every month's featured theme. The first Bokksu you'll receive is called Seasons of Japan, curated by their snack experts to bring you a taste of Japan's four seasons and of what a year of Bokksu will be like.

Starting point is 00:06:06 Every month thereafter, you'll receive a new themed box and get this, March's curation is special. It's a limited edition box called Sakura Season packed with all sorts of cherry blossom themed snacks. Brenda and I loved our time in Japan and we love that each Bokksu teaches you a few Japanese phrases and comes with a culture guide that takes you through the theme, the origins of the snacks

Starting point is 00:06:21 and details on the flavors. So if you wanna try some awesome Japanese snacks, click the link in the description and use code DEFRANCO to get $15 off your first Bokksu order. And then finally today, let's talk about what's happening between Russia and Ukraine again. First up, I wanna start with the military situation in the country, but keep in mind,

Starting point is 00:06:35 even the most informed reporters right now only know the broad strokes. But in a general sense, there are reports of thousands of Russian casualties, while Ukraine has suffered up to a few hundred casualties across civilians and soldiers. And while deaths have occurred all over the country, most of them have been focused in Kyiv and Kharkiv, the country's two largest cities.

Starting point is 00:06:49 As a matter of fact, Kharkiv was hit especially hard over the weekend after it repelled a Russian advance into the city. Ukrainian forces are still in control of the city, but the recent shelling has shown a seeming shift in Russian doctrine. Before, its military at least pretended it was avoiding civilian areas,

Starting point is 00:07:01 but now it looks like there's a deliberate effort to target residential areas and critical civilian infrastructure. It's not just Kharkiv being blasted. The Kyiv metro region has also been repeatedly shelled and some areas have seen widespread destruction. Although the Russians have still struggled to make serious incursions into the city. That's just the tip of the iceberg too, as many cities have repelled Russian incursions and faced serious bombardment at the same time. But the ongoing military operations have shown the world that not only did Russia underestimate Ukraine's capabilities, it also wasn't prepared for prolonged fighting.

Starting point is 00:07:26 Right, entire armored columns are without fuel and are sitting in the middle of Ukraine waiting for gas and food. And there are an increasing number of reports that many Russians didn't even know they were being sent to fight in Ukraine. Russia probably also didn't expect so many Ukrainians to take up arms.

Starting point is 00:07:37 It's estimated that thousands of civilians have joined defense forces and have been armed by the Ukrainian government, with many others helping by preparing Molotov cocktails, which have already seen widespread use. That being said, it's not all great news for Ukraine. Satellite images show massive Russian convoys being sent to Ukraine to both reinforce forces there

Starting point is 00:07:51 as well as resupply them. But notably, both sides did agree to hold peace talks on the Belarus border, though you shouldn't have the most hope there with Ukrainian President Zelensky saying he doesn't think that that'll amount to much and that it's just a Russian ploy to play for time, though he still agreed to send a delegation.

Starting point is 00:08:04 Also, on the note of Zelensky, I mean, one of the only things that Putin has successfully done is turn this man into a war hero. Like, do you remember the coverage we did on Zelensky before he became president? How so many in the world were like, wait, so an actor-comedian who played a guy on TV who somehow became president is now running for president and actually became president? So is nothing serious in the world anymore? And then Putin pulls this egomaniacal evil shit and Zelensky has balls of steel around every corner. Like he was already popular in Ukraine,

Starting point is 00:08:33 but he's now been raised to the status of international war hero. Right, people pointing to things like his refusal to leave Kyiv despite the fighting there and being Russia's number one target. Even having refused an offer from the US government to evacuate him to safety saying, I need ammunition, not a ride. And it's hard even as an outsider, as a non-Ukrainian, to watch his speeches,

Starting point is 00:08:51 whether it be the more official kinds or one where he's just holding a phone and not feel inspired by this man speaking to his people. It's like Zelensky is proving to actually be what Putin wants to be perceived as. And so with this, Zelensky is using his newfound respect and international spotlight to try and get as much support as possible. Ukraine has asked for donations to help fund the war leading to millions being sent to the country, even Elon Musk answering a call from the government to supply them with Starlink systems to keep the country's internet going. On top of that, Zelensky has asked pretty much anyone with military training that's willing to come to Ukraine to fight. But he's also been pleading for more military and economic aid from other nations, going as far to ask the EU for fast-track membership as of this morning. I see him signing the papers and while it's unclear that the request is even going to be considered, in many ways the EU has been at the forefront of helping Ukraine.

Starting point is 00:09:33 All EU members have called for increased sanctions and closed their airspace to Russian airplanes. Yesterday you had the bloc moving forward with plans to finance the purchase of 450 million euros worth of arms for Ukraine. Also beyond the EU, I mean you look to Switzerland and Sweden, both breaking their history of neutrality. Switzerland promising to sanction Russia. Sweden offering to send weapons to Ukraine. And while weapons are obviously important in a war, sanctions might end up being what brings Russia down. But the EU, US, China, and many other developed nations have imposed extreme sanctions on Russia aimed at things like blocking access to important technologies, all the way to blocking the ability of its banks to use the world economy. Right, and that is where we're going to be talking about SWIFT again. SWIFT is a platform that makes

Starting point is 00:10:07 it easy for banks to send money to one another, and the effort from the EU, US, and Japan to remove Russia from it will be a massive blow to its economy. Plus, I mean, with already existing sanctions and the concerns about what is coming, Russia's economy is taking a massive hit right now. Their currency is essentially in a free fall. It's so bad that Russia refused to open its stock market today to stem the bleeding. Though I think it is important to note here that while all of these sanctions are aimed at stopping the government's ability to wage this war, it is important to remember how it's affecting everyday Russians. One of the things to consider is that anyone who works with a foreign company could have trouble getting paid right now.

Starting point is 00:10:37 We've already seen issues and controversies popping up with Twitch and OnlyFans involving payments cut off to Russian creators. But I mean all of this so far, it's been devastating for Russia. Putin seems humiliated, which is likely why you had Putin publicly announcing that he's putting his nuclear forces on alert. That, of course, leading to fears about the possibility that Putin's going to escalate this situation, right? Will he actually use these weapons rather than just lose? Which is something that actually led to the Ukrainian ambassador to the UN saying today, if he wants to kill himself, he doesn't need to use his nuclear arsenal. He has to do what the guy in Berlin did in a bunker in May 1945. But ultimately where I'll end this story today, because I know that I've seen a number of people saying, you know, is there a way I can help?

Starting point is 00:11:11 Like I mentioned earlier, if it's something you want to do, you can directly send money to the Ukrainian military. They made it very public on how to do so. Or if that's not necessarily your speed, there are tons of charities and organizations on the ground trying to give medical help and other resources to the civilians affected by the conflict. I'll include resources down below. Also, there are a number of celebrities that are like matching donations for certain things, like Lively and Ryan Reynolds, for example, doubling donations up to a million dollars to the UN's refugee agency. So that's a good place to start. More resources will be included down below. But if there is a final thing that I could hit on here, it's really just two things. The first being, I am furious for and in awe of the Ukrainian

Starting point is 00:11:43 people. The number who have heeded the call to defend their country. The number of people who have taken this moment to stand up against this fucking monster Putin and this needless attack. And two, I think it is important to remember that this is Putin's war. This is the Russian government's war. This is not all Russians. We've seen that with the protests that continue to grow, even though the government is threatening a crazy crackdown on them. Whether it be because they don't morally stand for this unjustified attack on Ukrainians who just want to live their lives, or if it's just because they want people to see we're not on board with Russia doing this and also ruining our country in the process.

Starting point is 00:12:17 These actions from Putin are that of a desperate, sad old man. A monster furious that the world will not marvel at his greatness. But the only legacy this monster is really going to leave is the near universal sigh of relief and cheering that follows his death. But ultimately that is where this story and today's show ends. Of course, let me know what you're thinking

Starting point is 00:12:36 in those comments down below. But as always, my name's Philip DeFranco. You've just been filled in. I love yo faces and I'll see you tomorrow.

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The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 2.28 Ukraine is Humiliating Putin, BUT Don't Celebrate Yet, Russia Meltdown, David Dobrik Secret is Out &

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