The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 2.29 The Truth About Kate Middleton, Jon Stewart vs CNN, "Chaotic Incident" or Massacre, & Today’s News

Episode Date: February 29, 2024

Download the free app here: https://mistplay.com/defranco and use code DEFRANCO50 inside the app for 50 extra points! Code expires 6/30/24. Limited quantities available & valid for new users only.  Just go to https://www.zocdoc.com/phil  and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Then find and book a top-rated doctor today!  –✩ TODAY’S STORIES ✩ – 00:00 - Teacher Fired For Having Students Sword Fight in Class 01:39 - Texas Death Row Inmate Who Maintained Innocence Is Executed 04:34 - Palace Attempts to Quell Conspiracies About Kate Middleton 08:07 - UMG Doubles Down on Stance Against TikTok 10:54 - Sponsored by Mistplay 11:49 - Company Charged For Falsely Certifying Construction Workers in NYC 14:23 - 100+ Gazans Dead in What Some Call a “Chaotic Scene” & Others a “Massacre” 18:07 - SCOTUS Takes Up Trump Immunity Case 20:28 - Sponsored by ZocDoc 21:37 - Company Planning World’s First Octopus Factory Farm 27:55 - Your Thoughts on Yesterday’s Show ——————————   Produced by: Cory Ray Edited by: James Girardier, Maxwell Enright, Julie Goldberg, Christian Meeks Art Department: William Crespo Writing/Research: Philip DeFranco, Brian Espinoza, Lili Stenn, Maddie Crichton, Star Pralle, Chris Tolve Associate Producer on Octopus Farm: Chris Tolve   ———————————— #DeFranco #KateMiddleton #BillieEilish ———————————— Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sup, you beautiful bastards! You're watching the Philip DeFranco Show, and we got a lot of news to talk about today. So hit that like button to let YouTube know you love these daily dives into the news, and let's just jump into it. Starting with, did y'all ever have a science teacher that maybe got, like, a little too excited about experiments? Like, to the point where you might have went, there's no way this doesn't violate, like, several rules. Well, even if, I would guess they did not go nearly as far as Loviata Mitchell. Because she was a chemistry teacher at Volcano Vista High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. One day, she gave her students what a school report would later describe as a lesson on metal and melding. Or to get more specific, she made them duel each other in sword fights.

And I don't mean like fencing or some fake-ass stuff. She brought real katana and rapier-style swords to school. At least, according to the lawsuit that unsurprisingly resulted from this, with her then rearranging the desks into a ring and allegedly having students square off two at a time, with her giving a two-minute timer for each fight, which apparently went fine for the first pair of kids. But then, after the second pair began their duel,

one allegedly slashed the other, a 16-year-old girl, across her forearm, wrist, and hand with the katana. And according to the lawsuit, as soon as it became clear that she had been badly hurt, the teacher screamed, quote, I'm in trouble! And ordered students to delete any videos they had taken. But one piece of evidence she couldn't cover up was the deep gash,

as well as the severed nerves and tendons on her student's hand. With the girl actually saying she had to undergo surgeries, physical therapy, and mental health counseling. Also adding that basic tasks like pressing buttons, fastening zippers, and cooking are now daily challenges. So now her family is suing the school, its assistant principal, and the teacher, or rather former teacher since she was fired two months after the incident for unknown reasons, which unfortunately for Scooby and the gang,

I don't know if we'll ever get to the bottom of that mystery. And then is this man the victim of a broken justice system or a sociopathic murderer? We're talking about 50-year-old Ivan Cantu. And he was convicted all the way back in 2001 for the double murder of his cousin and his cousin's fiance, James Mosquita and Amy Kitchen, with the couple being found shot dead inside their home in Dallas, Texas the year before.

Prosecutors allege that Cantu killed them while trying to steal drugs and cash from Mosquita, who was a drug dealer, with him pointing to a whole host of evidence and witness testimony that looked really damning at the time. But Cantu has continuously maintained his innocence for the past 24 years, claiming that his cousin was actually killed by a rival drug dealer. And since his conviction, more evidence has emerged casting doubt on his guilt. Starting with a Rolex that his then girlfriend Amy testified he stole from Mosquita, with Cantu's attorney saying the watch was

actually found later on by Mosquita's family. And then in 2022, Amy's brother admitted that he lied when he testified that Cantu confessed to planning the murders, which is absolutely huge because their testimonies were actually the most impactful on the verdict, according to the jury foreman. Also, back in 2009, testing on bloody clothing could not conclusively show that Cantu's DNA was on them. And actually now, at least three of the jurors who sent him to death row have joined calls to stay the execution, with also over 150,000 people signing a petition demanding the same. Those including Kim Kardashian, Martin Sheen, multiple U.S. lawmakers, and the EU's ambassador, all of whom argued that at the very least, Cantu deserves a retrial, if not clemency. And not just because of the new evidence, but also because he claims that his defense failed him in multiple ways,

including by not calling a single expert to refute the prosecution's testimony. But also, very notably, some of the evidence that came out post-conviction actually made Cantu look worse, like a lot worse. According to CBS, his attorneys filed a came out post-conviction actually made Cantu look worse. Like, a lot worse. According to CBS, his attorneys filed a post-trial affidavit saying Cantu privately admitted to the murders before the trial, which is something they say affected their defense strategy, with them also adding that a state-sponsored psychiatric evaluation could have shown that he was a sociopath. But then even without that, the district attorney says that he's convinced that the evidence against Cantu was still solid. Any number of things, including his fingerprint directly marked

on the magazine of the firearm that he used in the murders, the presence of the victim's DNA on the firearm that had his print on it, the victim's DNA on the bloody clothing found in his apartment. And so we ended up seeing this last Tuesday as both state and federal appeals courts denied Cantu's request to stay the execution, leaving Cantu's life in the hands of the only person who could give him a reprieve, Texas Governor Greg Abbott. And he did not do that. So yesterday at 6.47 p.m. with protesters outside, Ivan Cantu was finally put to death, with him reportedly strapped into a gurney and given a lethal injection, which also is a method of execution that is especially controversial because of the potential to cause agonizing pain.

Which actually, on that note, coincidentally, at the same time that Cantu was put to death, another death row inmate was being strapped down in Idaho. Which actually, on that note, coincidentally, at the same time that Cantu was put to death, another death row inmate was being strapped down in Idaho. Reportedly, three different medical team members tried and failed eight times to give him the lethal injection, either because they couldn't find a vein, or they could,

but they had concerns about vein quality. So they ended up attempting sites in his arms, legs, hands, and feet, but all to no avail. So he is still alive, and also very lucky, because Idaho says that it's not gonna try again before his death warrant expires,

meaning he'll have to either obtain another warrant or he's just going to keep on living. But I'll close this by bringing this back to Ivan. What are your thoughts on this specific case as well as what are your thoughts on the death penalty these days? And then where is Kate Middleton? What the hell is going on? Those are questions you've likely seen on your timeline this week, both from and for people who usually don't give two shits about the royal family. Me, I'm talking about me. The fascination about the royal family, I do not get, but this is all over my timeline. But the reason people have been sounding off is that Kate Middleton hasn't actually been seen in public since Christmas, which is generally seen as a

very weird thing for such a senior member of the royal family. With concerns starting back on January 17th, when Kensington Palace announced that she was admitted to the hospital for a planned abdominal surgery, saying that she would remain there for around two weeks before finishing her recovery at home, but also noting she wouldn't be able to pick up her duties until after Easter. With people then finding it odd that they didn't say what the surgery was, questioning if it was really pre-planned, curious about why in-hospital recovery was so long. And with this, it is worth noting, of course, that everyone has the right to undergo medical procedures in private and recover on their own time, but this also has at the same time, you know, that's not how the royal family works.

Their very crafted public image involves a lot of updates on their lives and health. I mean, we're talking about a woman who stepped out for public photos seven hours after giving birth. So a lot of people found this lack of transparency out of step, especially since the news came at around the same time we learned that King Charles was having his health issues. And still, no sign of Kate. It's weird, but again, life goes on. That is until this week, when Prince William, right, her husband was last minute unable to attend a memorial service for his godfather, with him citing a personal matter. You might think, okay, well, people cancel plans all the time.

I do. Hell, it's what I do almost half the time. I mainly just want to be invited. The going? It's debatable. But, again, we're not talking about normal people with normal lives. We are talking about the maybe most tediously scheduled and curated entity on the planet. So it raised eyebrows, with people wondering,

does this cancellation have anything to do with Kate's health? Now, notably, in that update, a palace aide said Kate's recovery continues to be going well, but that did absolutely nothing to stop rumors. And if anything else, it actually made them even worse, with Twitter absolutely lighting up this week with every conspiracy about Kate Middleton you could imagine. People wondering, you know, what could be going on? Why won't they even share a photo of her giving two thumbs up to show she's okay? Are you people saying, oh, she's getting plastic surgery?

She's dead. She and Will are separating. A Spanish journalist claiming she was actually in an induced coma. I mean, the list of things goes on and on. This also is people were saying, you know, if she really is just recovering from surgery and the palace is protecting her from the press,

then they argued that shows a double standard in the royal family, right? And that's because Meghan Markle previously said that when she was dealing with suicidal thoughts, she was actually denied care from the firm because it wouldn't be good for the institution. Saying reps told her that there was nothing they could do to protect her.

And that's in line with claims Prince Harry's made that the family refused to help the two of them as they dealt with relentless and racist tabloid attacks. But this is now, Kate is apparently getting incredibly private care. A bunch of walls are being put up around her to prevent any tabloid from seeing her, which is why you have people saying things like,

the last two months have shown everyone that the royal family could have protected Princess Diana and Meghan Markle. They chose not to. And with all this, people just slamming the royal family and the institutions around it. And again, people saying at the very least, it's odd. Noting that even the king has been photographed since we learned that he's dealing with cancer treatment. And so with all the theories and the outrage spreading online, this morning you had a spokesperson basically telling HuffPost that everyone needs to shut the fuck up, saying Kensington Palace made it clear in January the timelines of the princess's recovery

and we'd only be providing significant updates. That guidance stands. And still claiming that she is doing well. But to the growing number of conspiracy theorists, that kind of just sounded like the palace saying, we told you we locked Kate in a dungeon. She remains in said dungeon. What do you want from us?

And so with this, you had people saying, a statement like this is exactly how you stir up more speculation, not stop. And so, yeah, that's a story. There's a massive rabbit hole of even more speculation out there. It is a wild one. So for those of you that care about this, I absolutely would love to hear from you what your thoughts are about this whole situation. But again, as far as myself, it's been very fascinating to watch the reaction, but I just still I just it's maybe it's just a me thing. Just don't get the infatuation around the royal family. Maybe I'm just a dumb heathen. I don't know. And then Universal Music Group is fisting TikTok. What

is wrong with my brain? UMG is doubling down on its fight against TikTok. There's now multiple stories this week showing that this feud is going absolutely nowhere. Starting with the fact that UMG is now removing even more music from the platform, which if you missed that news, UMG actually pulled its catalog from TikTok around a month ago, and that over issues regarding artist compensation, AI protections, and more. And then this last Tuesday, they went even further, not only taking down songs that it owns recordings to, but publishing rights as well. Because music ownership and contracts, they're super complicated. And actually, multiple people and labels can have claims on one song for different aspects of it. And as places like Variety explain, this latest

wave impacts music made in collaboration with UMG-contracted songwriters. And UMG's writers include some very big names. We're talking Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, SZA, Bad Bunny, and more. Now, it's like NPR noting that a few songs that were previously available, like SZA's Kill Bill, Doja Cat's Paint the Town Red, and even Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas is You,

they're now starting to get taken down as part of this phase. And of course, it's coming after music from people like Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and Olivia Rodrigo already got the ax. So this dent that already exists is now just getting bigger and bigger. The source is telling Variety that UMG actually has a claim to the majority of songs on TikTok. So you have TikTok saying that the number is closer to 30%. And also regarding TikTok, yet again, they condemned UMG in a statement. Saying it's working on removing songs written or co-written by those tied to UMG's publishing arm,

but adding, their actions not only affect the songwriters and artists that they represent, but now also impact many artists and songwriters not signed to Universal. But UMG is showing no signs of backing down. With its CEO, Lucien Grange, speaking during an earnings call yesterday, further condemning the company. Saying there must not be free rides for massive global platforms such as TikTok that refuse to meaningfully address issues around AI, platform safety, or pay their fair share for our artists and songwriters' work, with them then even kind of minimizing the role TikTok has in the music industry, saying, I mean, let's put this into perspective. Apple, Amazon, Spotify, YouTube, all the social categories, the fitness categories, digital radio, Sirius, Pandora, iHeart. TikTok is one. It's not a material part of the multidisciplinary jigsaw where we promote and market our music globally.

In this, as UMG's chief digital officer, Michael Nash, also brushed off how the company is being impacted by all this, and saying there could be a shift to places like YouTube Shorts, noting that half of TikTok's users also use other short-form platforms, and notably those monetized at a higher rate, so that could make up for revenue loss. But this also while they claim that there's been no discernible negative impact on digital business overall, and adding, in fact, we have seen a slight uptick in terms of frontline consumption and catalog consumption over this short period of time. And all of this as they noted in their earnings call that quarterly revenue rose. With that, largely thanks to the likes of Taylor and a handful of other artists like the Rolling Stones and Drake.

So with the money hoes apparently not stopping, at least not yet, it's really not surprising to hear that sources tell Variety that people don't expect a resolution with TikTok to be quick. But I stress, this is still early days. What I think we're kind of witnessing is a game of digital chicken. It's just a question of who blinks first and what the compromise will be. And if not that, how big is the wreck and who gets hurt the most? And then I think most of you beautiful bastards know that one of the ways that I unwind is, you know, giving myself a little gaming time. I find it relaxing. And now I also find it rewarding thanks to the sponsor of today's show, Mistplay. Because Mistplay is a loyalty app for gamers. Whether you're looking for a little help

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We're one of the largest providers of job site safety training for construction workers in New York City. In fact, between December of 2019 and April of 2023, they certified more than 20,000 workers, saying each of them had completed 40 hours worth of safety courses. And that certification is necessary for construction workers. But those 40 hours of training, they're not recommended. They are required by law in order to work on major construction sites, including most mid and high-rise projects. But the problem here is that according to a new indictment from the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, the workers certified through Valor never actually received any training. In fact, according to prosecutors,

Valor and its executives ran a massive scheme, selling thousands of safety certifications to paying customers without providing the necessary training, with them reportedly charging between $300 and $600 a piece for safety cards and certificates. And at one point, prosecutors say Valor's president and founder even expressly told his employees via email to make up a safety card for 40 trainees who didn't already have one. And the company's training director once offered to provide a 40 hour training certificate to someone the very next day. So unless they have a fucking time machine or they're throwing these construction workers into the hyperbolic time chamber, seems like obvious fraud. But the main thing, the math ain't mathin'. That's also what district attorney Alvin

Bragg recognized, saying you can't do 40 hours of training in under 24 hours. And adding, New York City construction workers have one of the most dangerous jobs in the city. Fraud has dire consequences. Fraud can mean life or death. And according to prosecutors, this scheme has cost at least one person their life, with Yvonne Frias slipping off the scaffolding on a residential building back in 2022, falling roughly 15 stories and landing on a sidewalk shed. And this, as notably from the 40 hours of training from Valor, it would have included eight hours of fall protection. And so the company filed the necessary paperwork saying Yvonne had taken the courses, but he never actually did. So now Valor has been charged with recklessly endangering the life of Yvonne Frias. And along with six executives, including the president, the company

is also being charged with enterprise corruption and criminal possession of a forged instrument, which notably could land some executives in prison for up to 25 years if convicted. And that it also doesn't stop there. 19 other people, including a foreman of the New York City Housing Authority, were charged with acting as brokers for Valor, meaning they connected people with the company. However, and this is a big thing, those that actually got these fake certifications,

they will not be facing charges. With Bragg saying, those that were perpetuating this scheme and making the thousands and thousands of dollars are the centerpiece of this indictment. Though notably, that does not mean they are totally in the clear. Because according to the Department of Buildings Commissioner, James Otto,

the fake certifications Valor issued will be suspended and potentially revoked entirely. In effect, saying that all 20,000 certifications done by Valor can be revoked with a push of a button. And urging anyone who got their training through this company to get retrained immediately. And then, some are describing what happened in Northern Gaza this morning as a chaotic incident, while others are calling it a massacre, all of which has led to the Palestinian death toll now crossing 30,000.

Making things even more tragic today is that we're talking about starving people who were just trying to get aid. And before we can even get into the story itself, there was a controversy over the headlines. We saw many outlets calling it an incident or something similar. Then that led to massive viral posts of people editing headlines to fix how it was presented, as well as Jon Stewart tweeting, note to CNN, a chaotic incident is college kids storming a basketball court, not a massacre at a food line, which we saw many supporting, but also at the same time, we saw people angry at Stewart's characterization. But I'm arguing things like he was, quote, using your platform to amplify Hamas propaganda before all the facts are in. But just to start off here, all of this is still ongoing, it is still developing, and there are a few versions of events that clearly show how

differently people see what happened. So let's start with the undisputed facts. First off, over a hundred people were killed after a mob swarmed an aid convoy. Secondly, we know that people rushed the convoy in order to get a chance at supplies, especially because it was the first major one in about a month, which isn't surprising as there's a lot at risk as fighting continues, public order is falling apart, there's difficulties coordinating with the Israeli military, and desperate people fight for supplies. And finally, at some point, Israeli soldiers on tanks near the convoy opened fire, resulting in Gazan deaths. But for each side and different sources, we have different details. Some outlets ran with the headline that, quote, dozens killed in attack

on crowd waiting for aid, or that it was a massacre, which is what Hamas's health ministry first reported. And this version of the story goes that after a large crowd started to run on the convoy on al-Rashid Street, Israeli tanks opened fire and started to run over corpses. And in footage from Al Jazeera, you can hear gunfire. Every journey I take leaves a lasting impact. Traveling the world only makes me realize just how much more there is to explore. No one builds a legacy by standing still. Start your journey at Remover.com. From commutes that become learning sessions to dishwashing filled with laughs,

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Visit pcfinancial.ca for details. With that allegedly resulting in the crowd and truck drivers freaking out and running over each other, which altogether resulted in at least 104 dead and 750 wounded. The entire thing condemned online and internationally, and the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which operates in the non-Hamas-run West Bank, tweeted, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and expatriates condemns the massacre in the Nebulusi Square in Gaza and calls for an immediate ceasefire as the sole means to protect civilians. However, all this is the IDF offered a different version of events. They claim that once the crowd got wind of the convoy, it was rushed by a ton of people and

turned into, quote, a violent gathering where, quote, during the incident, dozens of Gazans were injured as a result of pushing and trampling and saying that after this, a large crowd approached the nearby troops who then felt threatened and opened fire. It's said to be at first warning shots and then shots aimed at people's quote lower bodies. This presumably because it would be slightly less lethal. And in the end, they claim that only about 10 of the casualties were caused by them and the rest by the crowd. And with that, the IDF releasing that aerial footage we saw earlier of people surrounding the trucks and taking supplies, as well as showing trucks driving through the crowds. And so because of that, like if you look online, you see people

tweeting things like, there was no massacre of Palestinians in Gaza today, saying you'll be hearing that there was, it's propaganda. Palestinians trampled each other as they fought for the aid that the IDF sent in, knowing that Hamas was going to steal it like they have stolen all aid. Though notably, a U.S. envoy to the U.N. has pushed back on Israel's claim that Hamas has been stealing food aid, saying about a week ago that they have provided no evidence of that. And what's more, U.N. officials and human rights groups have also accused Israel of holding up essential aid. And meanwhile, you had others arguing that neither side's footage clearly shows what order the events happened in. They're saying the aerial drone footage doesn't indicate if this happened before or after Israeli gunfire. They're saying while Al Jazeera's footage

shows trace arounds flying over the crowd, most people are pretty calm and still walking off with supplies. Though also with this, you had some arguing that even if Israel's version of events is true, quote, Israel is blocking food and starving them. Israel is, as is always the case with an illegal occupation and blockade, entirely responsible. And again, all of this is still developing in real time. With one of the most recent developments being Israel's national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gavir. He's now pushing for all aid to stop, claiming that it endangers Israeli lives. But again, to stress this, as I'm recording, everything is still developing. While we wait to see what other information comes out, what more evidence we get, I, as always, would appreciate to hear your take on this in those comments down below. And then, Trump just won. Even if he loses, he still won.

Because the Supreme Court just handed him a lifeline. Because they disagreed to hear Trump's claim that former presidents are immune from criminal prosecution for actions they took while in office. Right, and as we've talked about before, that stems from Trump's argument that he's immune from being federally prosecuted for his attempt to overturn the 2020 election. Which very notably is an assertion that two lower courts have already struck down. But here's the key thing. Even if the Supreme Court agrees with the lower courts and they say, oh yeah, this is an open and shut case, Trump's claim holds no water. It's the timing of all this that matters.

Because in agreeing to take up this case, the justices set arguments for the week of April 22nd. And until then, they delayed his trial in that case. Which was literally set to start next week on March 4th, making it the first of the four criminal cases against Trump to go before a jury. And this is, it's currently unclear how the Supreme Court's decision to take up Trump's defense will impact the other cases, right? Because he's raising similar immunity claims in most of those as well. Now, notably here, this timeline is faster overall when you compare it to the court's regular calendar, right? Other cases the justices agreed to take on this month won't be heard until next fall,

and decisions won't be made until 2025. It's all so faster than Trump had requested, with him asking the high court to go forward with their usual slow pace and only consider the case after a full review from the US Court of Appeals for DC. But still, you have experts saying this enormously helps Trump, and this has been his plan all along.

Delay, delay, delay as long as he can, and preferably until after the election, because that is arguably more meaningful to Trump than any kind of final ruling the justices make here, because their decision to hear this case at the end of April indicates that the court will make a ruling in late June, though technically the justices could make their ruling

within a matter of days or weeks. And there is precedent there, though the Supreme Court doesn't really care about precedent, right? It's what the Supreme Court did in the Nixon-Watergate case, making the decision just 16 days after oral arguments. And if the court did move incredibly fast, it could set up a trial in the federal insurrection case by late summer or

early fall, which would be in the heart of election season, but still before election day. But if the conservative majority of the Supreme Court, which once again, Trump appointed a third of the current Supreme Court, does not expedite his decision, it is uncertain if a trial could actually be scheduled or more importantly, completed before the election. And if a jury doesn't make a ruling before the election and Trump ends up winning, he can direct his justice department to dismiss the case or even try to pardon himself if he's charged. Which again, is why I say even if Trump loses with the Supreme Court here, if they do not move at a historic pace, Trump still wins. Which again, is why this is such a big win for Trump. Because even if the

Supreme Court goes, oh yeah, those other courts got it right, Trump loses here. The delay is the purpose. The delay is the win. But for now, we're gonna have to wait to see how all this plays out. And then, you know, no matter how you look at it in general, compromise is just a part of life. And I'm a true believer that compromise is a great path to happiness, but you should never have to compromise when it comes to your health. And this starts with finding the right doctor for you. Someone you feel comfortable with, prioritizes your health needs, and a big one will know before you book if they take your insurance. And well, thing is, I've got you covered, or actually, the fantastic sponsor of today's show, ZocDoc, has you covered. Because ZocDoc is a free app and website where you can search and compare

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Is it okay to kill and eat an octopus? Think about it. Decide your answer. Don't comment yet. And then see if you change your mind at all with this news story. Because the reason that we're talking about this today is because there's this plan to build the world's first ever industrial scale commercial octopus farm. With this coming from a Spanish seafood company called Nueva Pescanova. And its plan is to build the farm on over half a million square feet along a dock in the Canary Islands.

Also, before you try to correct me, octopuses is actually the correct term. Though octopi is also recognized and accepted. And hey, whether you prefer pusses or pi, God bless. Because again, the point of this story is this facility would produce octopuses in its own breeding system and keep them in communal tanks. And then as they grow,

the company would transfer them to bigger pools. But then specifically using the species of common octopus, also known as octopus vulgaris. Because apparently they're less picky eaters, so they're better suited for captivity. And the company is looking to harvest about a million of them every year, according to documents seen by the BBC. But all of this has to work just right, because octopuses are notoriously hard to breed. Because if you don't know, they're extremely solitary creatures, and they don't take kindly to being densely packed together in tanks. Which is why previous attempts to farm them have ended in disaster, with them becoming aggressive

and even self-mutilating or eating each other. Also, notably, those farms weren't done at a commercial scale. So you have Nueva Pescanova claiming it doesn't have those same problems. So the company argues that the fact that it's able to do it at all is proof that it's creating the right environment for them. Things like good water quality, temperature, and lighting. So right now, you have the company fighting its way through a web of red tape, permits, and licensing requirements, including its biggest hurdle, an environmental impact assessment ordered by the Canary Islands government. Because critics argue that concentrated aquaculture, it produces pollution and disease that could contaminate the wider ocean. Which is one reason why since 2019, when Nueva Pescanova first announced its plans, animal welfare groups have waged a protest war against the project, with a PETA where these intelligent,

complex individuals are confined to a life of deprivation and misery. So recently another group sent a letter to the president of the Canary Islands, urging him to oppose the farm, with around 75 organizations and experts signing that. Then on the other side, you have Nueva Pescanova putting forth several arguments in its favor.

First, the worldwide demand for octopus is growing rapidly. So arguably the farm is only filling that need. And according to the company, the market, which is already valued at some $3 billion, that'll grow by over 20% from 2022 to 2028. Secondly, they say that octopus is a popular part of many cultural cuisines around the world, from Spain, Greece, and Portugal to Mexico, and especially East Asia. And third, and this is one of the big ones, the company says that it will actually help conserve the species, because it claims that more seafood coming from the farm would ease fishing pressure on wild populations. But to all those, the critics have counter-arguments,

saying that by increasing supply, the companies would bring down prices and actually increase demand, not just billet. Also, they argue that culture is no excuse for cruelty, and regardless, cultures change all the time. And finally, saying even if the farm does reduce fishing for wild octopuses, they're carnivorous apex predators, so it'll need to feed them with something. And arguably, that creates the risk of overfishing other species like crabs and clam instead. Ben Williamson, the U.S. Director of Compassion and World Farming, telling NPR, it's estimated that it would take at least three pounds of wild-caught fish to produce one pound of farmed octopus. So it's completely unsustainable in that respect. But to that, Nueva Pescanova

responded that it's already solved that problem, with the company saying it is a diet formulated based on byproducts and discards from fishing as well as raw materials of marine origin certified as sustainable. Its efficacy and assimilation has already been demonstrated and it is a circular economy solution that helps to avoid having to resort to fishing wild animals to feed the octopus.

But they are sustainable or not, advocates argue that it is immoral to kill them, much less factory farm them simply because they're so uniquely smart. With an evolutionary biologist telling the BBC, we have an example of an organism that has evolved to have an intelligence that is extremely comparable to ours. This is potentially how it would look if we were ever going to meet an intelligent alien from a different planet. Because if we didn't know, octopuses can use tools, solve puzzles, and even recognize human faces. They can also change their

color and texture to camouflage themselves and even mimic other predators. With many not only trying to escape aquariums, but some actually succeeding. Hell, they even decorate their dens with shiny stones, shells, and other ornaments seemingly just for aesthetic purposes. Or like, just for the vibes. Which, just fun fact, tell it at a party. That's actually what inspired the Beatles to write the song Octopus's Guard. But more to the point.

A team of experts reviewed more than 300 scientific studies and concluded that octopuses feel pain, pleasure, and a range of emotions. Which actually even led the UK to legally recognize them as sentient beings in 2022. And so for advocates, that makes Nueva Pescanova's project all the more concerning, right? Because the company actually plans to kill the animals by submerging them in water kept at around 26 degrees Fahrenheit, or in other words, freezing them to death, which is a method that many experts say is cruel. And they cite studies that show that it causes a slow and stressful death, with one professor saying it would be more humane to just club them over the head instead. But Nueva Pescanova,

they claim that proper handling avoids any pain or suffering to the animal. And this is they also dispute whether these creatures are actually smart, saying in a statement to NPR, the fact that octopuses have evolved a strong ability to protect themselves against potential predators or environmental hazards due to their physiology does not make them more intelligent or sensitive than other animals. In fact, there is no scientifically validated knowledge about the, quote, intelligence of the octopus, or whether it is more or less intelligent than other species already bred. With the company warning against projecting human traits onto the animal. Which is something that octopus catchers like this one say we've been doing through modern culture.

We've anthropomorphized the octopus through movies and other stories that are spread. But for some people, intelligence isn't really what matters here. For them, what it ultimately boils down to was put best by John Oliver. Octopuses are spread. But for some people, intelligence isn't really what matters here. For them, what it ultimately boils down to was put best by John Oliver. Octopuses are cool. And so thanks to videos like his, numerous books and documentaries like Netflix's My Octopus Teacher,

octopuses have been having a bit of a moment, as NPR put it. You know, I kind of get it. These blue-blooded aliens, they have three hearts, eight brains, depending how you look at it, and no skeleton, which means they can squeeze their gelatinous bodies

through even the tiniest crack or hole, right, at least as long as it's wide enough for their beak, which is the only hard part of their body. Because two-thirds of their neurons are in their arms, they can multitask like a motherfucker. Also, when I say multitask, I don't just mean doing one thing with one arm and something else with another, which they do. I also mean that they both feel and taste with the same suction cups. Then on the other side of this debate, you have people saying, okay, I get they're fucking cool, but also octopus tastes real good. But whichever side of this debate you land on, pretty much everyone agrees that we need to better conserve this extraordinary species, especially because today humans catch 10 times the amount of octopus

we did in 1950. With that, you can think not just the enormous number of new mouths to feed, but also the staggering economic boom experienced in countries like China, Japan, and South Korea since the late 20th century. And then also, of course, you can't talk about declining marine ecosystems without mentioning climate change, which when it comes to octopuses specifically, they are especially sensitive to warming water temperatures. But with all of that said, it brings me back, one,

to the initial question that I asked you, as well as two, what are your thoughts on this proposed octopus farm in particular? And then finally, we have announcements and yesterday, today. As far as announcements, just to give you a heads up, for an increasing number of reasons,

you should join the text line over at 813-213-4423, especially because I have a new drop over at beautifulbastard.com dropping on Monday morning, with members of the text line getting access first, and also some of the things we're dropping, there's only gonna be a few hundred, with including all this fantastic, beautiful, comfy goodness. I just wanted to give you a heads up. But then, as far as yesterday's video, there were a lot of y'all sound and all. Starting with first, the conversation around Ariana Grande, where there was a big debate around did she just have a mic drop moment, made a massive statement, or was she just kind of playing victim? And specifically with this one, some of y'all were writing essays. Which I will say, as someone that loves the conversation, I personally appreciate it.

I just want you to know you are not getting college credit for it. Amanda Julian saying, I believe a lot of the criticism with Ariana is because of Spongebob's wife commenting on the matter. The wife characterizing her family as collateral damage and Ariana as not a girl's girl really humanized the wife and newborn baby. After that, it was easy for people to recognize what appears to be a pattern with Ariana getting together with people who are already in relationships and also finding lyrics in her songs that indicate she pursues people in relationships. Ariana is getting upset for what seems to be justified criticism. All the commentary I've seen have criticized both Ariana and Spongebob,

but Ariana has gotten the spotlight because she is wildly more famous than Spongebob. Her song, Yes, Anne, just added fuel to the fire, with Ariana seemingly making it clear that she has no remorse for the damage and pain she's caused. In this interview, she makes it sound like she is a victim of unjustified hate rather than justified criticism. I think most people see Ariana's husband and Spongebob's wife and baby as victims, not Ariana. Though I will say it wasn't just the Ariana Grande story that got people a-in'. Or dive into the new potential Arizona law, got a lot of people talking. You want Arizona Republicans wanting to make it a law where if just someone is on your property, you can kill them. And there we have people like the New Guinea

singer saying, former AZ AGO employee here, a large part of my job was both teaching human trafficking education and taking constituent calls. I remember the rancher case vividly because I was on phone duty when the news dropped and received the most death threats on that day, despite the fact that the Santa Cruz County attorney was to handle that case. And cases like that are very rarely handled at the state level. Things to note about that case. One, the migrant was unarmed. Two, there was speculation that the migrant and the rancher had known each other. And three, the rancher knew full well the migrant was unarmed. But on the human trafficking argument, the Republicans are shoehorning in there. It's bullshit and they know it. Yes, Arizona, last I checked, was 12th in the nation for trafficking.

However, a larger majority of our trafficking happens to Arizona residents by Arizona residents and very rarely has anything to do with the traffickers being non-U.S. citizens. They are solely using this human trafficker argument to push the racist propaganda and demonizing Mexicans. And what's it 50 saying? As a resident of Arizona, we already have laws in place to be able to protect ourselves when we are in immediate life-threatening danger. Proposing a law to allow one to kill for the crime of trespassing is too far regardless of the justification. Imagine you're driving and make a wrong turn, now you get to die because some guy is scared of your mere presence?

That is an absolutely insane idea. Which is something we saw those Arizona sheriffs saying yesterday as well. We also had Siphon saying, One overlooked issue with the proposed bill is that many farms utilize unregistered immigrants. That law could allow those who employ unregistered immigrants to threaten people under the guise of trespassing if they don't get what they want. Law enforcement knows and understands that immigrants are a huge part of labor for those sorts of jobs. This honestly sounds like something a representative blurted out while they were drunk and they decided to draft it. Either that or political theater at its dumbest.

And then the last interesting bit I'll talk about from the comments. We're all speaking on disability employment rates going up. There was kind of a mishmash of different takes. I'm like Randomuch sharing, I have autism and ADHD. The work from home movement was heaven sent. Being able to avoid traffic, control the temperature, light and noise in my environment has made me happier and more productive. And then to Turkey, hitting on the long COVID aspect of what we talked about yesterday. Saying my mom ended up with long COVID. She was previously a chef and worked in educating in the culinary world. After long COVID, she was left unable to exert any excess of energy, getting winded from walking up the stairs.

Obviously no longer able to work in a kitchen setting where you stand and move the entire time. Now working wherever she can to fill the void of her once accomplished almost 15 year long career. She's had to totally pivot and rework what she can do to make money. Often working a bunch of different small gigs while my stepdad had to pick up extra jobs too. Not to mention my mom only just recently was granted disability benefits after fighting for it in court. It's great to know that others were able to pivot online, but I feel for my mom knowing you can't make a virtual dinner for someone. But then also different takes like the potato AD sharing. I have a few chronic conditions that make it impossible for me to work. I'm currently filing for SSI and I can tell you right now that the

reason there are so many disabled people working is because the government is doing its best to keep as many people from receiving these benefits as possible. They deny you a lot in hopes you'll give up and just find a job you can manage to do, which is basically just unlivable wages. They want everyone to break their bodies in the workforce. But that is where today's show is going to end. Remember, because it's Thursday, it's a little bit different. My name's Philip DeFranco. You've just been filled in. I love your faces, and I'll see you right back here on Monday.