The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 2.4 Sorry. But This is Happening.. & RIP Chris Pratt Controversy, David Dobrik, Elon Musk & More

Starting point is 00:00:00 So I, I don't want to make this video, but I think that by Monday there's gonna, I just, I need to get in front of it. As of Monday, Long Hair DeFranco will be dead. And I know some of you hearing that information, it touches your ears and you're saying, "'Phil, why are you being so calm about this? "'Why don't I hear the passion in your voice?

Starting point is 00:00:23 "'This situation garners. We are heavily invested in your physical appearance, Philip DeFranco. I barely care about the news. I just watch daily because I wanna lick your greasy face. What, you go from having the same haircut for 34 years of your life to whatever that was and then that, and then we got a little calm bubble.

Starting point is 00:00:45 And now you're just gonna take it away, like it doesn't matter. Like the last four weeks of pure chaos that we had to deal with while you just blabbed about the news, that was fine. That doesn't matter. I am out of here, I am unsubscribing. Well, that is a valid response.

Starting point is 00:01:00 And so I just, all I can say is I'm sorry. This is a very serious situation. And here's today's show. Where we'll start today is with another edition of which celebrity are people trying to cancel today news with today's contestant, Chris Pratt. If you didn't see, RIP Chris Pratt was trending yesterday because there were a bunch of these tweets

Starting point is 00:01:20 just flying around the internet. They appeared to be old Chris Pratt tweets. People were sharing screenshots, calling the actor out. But as it turns out, some of the tweets were fake and some were real. Ones his team came out and said were fake were ones where it appeared that he said the N word, another where he said Muslims are scary.

Starting point is 00:01:35 With his reps telling TMZ, "'Chris never tweeted the offensive things that are being circulated today. Any suggestion that he did is not only false, but also defamatory." But there were still two other tweets that are real and still exist on his page that were circulating and getting people riled up.

Starting point is 00:01:47 Both appear to be from 2012. The first, including a photo of a Bank of America pen that says made in China with Chris captioning it. I feel like somebody smarter than me can make a joke about this. The other being about the Miss Universe pageant where he says, in a way they all look like Miss Hungry. And if you are offended by either of those two things,

Starting point is 00:02:03 really? No idea how the made in China, Bank of America thing could be offensive in any way. The Miss Hungry tweet feels like a comedic actor making a joke about the problematic diets of supermodels. And to me, whenever I see the stuff around Chris Pratt, there's a part of me that feels like to a certain degree, Chris Pratt is going through like the Jennifer Lawrence thing.

Starting point is 00:02:22 Going from a person that for a period of time was almost universally loved, and then all of a sudden something changed. Now with Chris Pratt, given a number of things, I have no doubt that we would be very, very opposed on a certain number of issues. But this stuff, the things that we're talking about today, in my opinion, are just incredibly stupid.

Starting point is 00:02:39 The actually offensive stuff appears right now to be fake, and the other stuff, once again, I just, I don't think it's serious. And then actually, because it's gonna be the last Philip DeFranco show this week until next Monday, unless something crazy happened, I'm gonna try and jam as much news as possible as quickly as possible.

Starting point is 00:02:55 So this week we learned that John Mates, the CEO of Parler has been fired. According to Fox News, he was removed January 29th by Parler's board of directors. With Mates telling the New York Times that he believes that he was fired because of a difference in opinion with Rebecca Mercer, who is a prominent Republican donor

Starting point is 00:03:08 who financially supports Parler. And according to that interview, Mates had floated the idea of restricting domestic terrorists, white supremacists, and members of QAnon from posting on the platform. With Mates adding, I got dead silence as a response and I took that dead silence as a disagreement.

Starting point is 00:03:21 Then we had the Prop 22 lawsuit that we talked about a few weeks ago failing. California voters of course voted for it last November. It exempts app-based transportation and delivery companies from having to classify their drivers as employees. As far as the now failed lawsuit, there was a group of Uber and Lyft drivers who were backed by one of the country's largest labor unions

Starting point is 00:03:37 and they alleged that Prop 22 illegally bars them from being able to participate in the state's workers' compensation program. Also arguing that the measure violates California's constitution by stripping the state legislature of its ability to protect workers' compensation program. Also arguing that the measure violates California's constitution by stripping the state legislature of its ability to protect workers who unionize. They of course filed that lawsuit

Starting point is 00:03:49 with the California Supreme Court, who decided yesterday not to hear that case, though notably they did so without prejudice, which is just their legal way of saying that the same lawsuit can be attempted in a lower court. However, at this time, it is unclear if that union backing these drivers will pursue a lower court filing, as it will likely mean a much longer legal process.

Starting point is 00:04:07 Then let's briefly talk about investment strategies because based on the news we've seen over the past week, it may just be good investment advice to do the opposite of David Dobrik and essentially short-term invest in whatever Elon Musk talks about. Also to be clear, that is not advice for me, but maybe a way that you could look at certain news stories.

Starting point is 00:04:26 Dobrik, because of two recent stories, one being that he lost a healthy five figures putting money into GameStop, as well as him opening up that he put a million dollars into Tesla, but then actually exited before its meteoric rise, saying at that time he probably missed out on $13 million in gains,

Starting point is 00:04:43 which is only made worse by the fact that it's actually even more now. And as far as Elon Musk, it just appears that he can influence crypto prices with just a single word. Right, just before midnight Pacific time last night, Musk tweeted Doge. Within a matter of an hour, the meme crypto Dogecoin

Starting point is 00:04:57 soared from 4 cents to nearly 6 cents. Which when you talk about 4 cents, 6 cents may not sound like a lot, but I mean, what you're talking about is a cryptocurrency that has about a $6 billion market cap being influenced that much seemingly from a tweet. There's probably other stuff going on. Also, if it is actually him influencing the market,

Starting point is 00:05:14 it appears that there are short-term influences, and that because the pump seemed to be short-lived with Dogecoin prices falling back down later in the day. Then jumping from crypto and stocks to just straight business news, we should talk about Senator Amy Klobuchar. This because she was recently appointed as the chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee

Starting point is 00:05:29 on Antitrust, and she's introducing a bill that could lead to massive fines for big tech companies. And this bill that she's putting forth would allow the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commissions to impose anti-competition fines of up to 15% of a company's yearly earnings, which is incredibly notable because currently the DOJ

Starting point is 00:05:44 and the FTC can only charge a max of $100 million for these types of fines. So you're talking about a potential exponentially increased penalty for big tech companies that make tens of billions of dollars each year. And on top of that, the bill would also force large companies to prove that any purchase of a smaller company does not violate antitrust law,

Starting point is 00:06:00 which, and this was surprising to me, is actually a big change because right now, that burden is actually on government and forces who need to prove that a given deal will hurt competition in order to take action against those companies. Right, so it essentially flips a lot of the initial effort and responsibility, and the bill would additionally

Starting point is 00:06:15 update statutes to forbid mergers that quote, "'Create an appreciable risk "'of materially lessening competition.'" That, because like I mentioned a second ago, mergers are currently only barred if it's clear that they'll reduce competition, which is something that can be hard to prove in the tech world.

Starting point is 00:06:28 Also, regarding big tech platforms, French President Emmanuel Macron blasted social media networks today. This over what he called their decisions to suddenly cut the mic on Donald Trump. With Axios explaining, as Macron was speaking at an Atlantic Council forum, he said, "'The decisions to ban Trump by platforms

Starting point is 00:06:43 "'like Twitter and Facebook may have seemed sensible in the short term, but did not provide a democratic answer. Also noting that other world leaders like Germany's Angela Merkel have previously raised similar concerns. With Macron going on to say, "'I don't want to live in a democracy "'where the key decisions are decided by a private player,

Starting point is 00:06:58 "'a private social network. "'I want it to be decided by a law "'voted by your representative, or by regulation, "'governance, democratically discussed "'and approved by democratic leaders.'" by your representative or by regulation, governance, democratically discussed and approved by democratic leaders. But then the question obviously becomes, well, what does that look like, Macron? Right, especially because the French president also said,

Starting point is 00:07:11 "'The new violence in our democracies, "'largely linked to these social networks, "'is now our new way of life.'" Then in lawsuit news, we should talk about Fox News facing a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit. According to the Washington Post, Smartmatic, an election technology company, has followed through on a threat

Starting point is 00:07:27 to sue the parent company of Fox News over comments made on the network suggesting that the company participated in fraudulent activities during the November 3rd presidential election. Going on to accuse Fox News of fomenting a disinformation campaign against Smartmatic. But Smartmatic saying they identified 100 false statements and implications made on Fox News airwaves,

Starting point is 00:07:45 which they claim has damaged their business and future prospects. But Smartmatic directly naming Fox News personalities like Maria Bartiromo, Lou Dobbs, Jeanine Pirro, also including Fox News guests like Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani. And as far as Fox News, they defended themselves saying, "'In response to this lawsuit,

Starting point is 00:08:01 "'they are committed to providing the full context "'of every story with in-depth reporting and clear opinion and adding we are proud of our 2020 election coverage and will vigorously defend this meritless lawsuit in court. Then in kind of a good news, concerning news situation, let's talk about COVID. Reportedly, the rate of vaccinations in the United States is accelerating around the world.

Starting point is 00:08:18 The number of people who say they're willing to get the coronavirus vaccine is on the rise. Also in the States over the last week, it appears that coronavirus infections, deaths, and hospitalizations have been falling, but you have experts showing concern because of this weekend. This weekend, if you don't know,

Starting point is 00:08:32 am I legally allowed to say what it is? There's the big game, the game where a bunch of guys wearing different color outfits run into each other. They throw the thing. They also catch the thing. There's also one special guy on each team that kicks the thing. Two different teams will special guy on each team that kicks the thing.

Starting point is 00:08:45 Two different teams will be deciding who's the best at this thing this weekend. Nailed it, sports. And specifically around this event, the reason for the concern isn't actually the game itself right in Florida. It's being reported that the NFL will be hosting fewer than 25,000 fans, which is a record low.

Starting point is 00:08:59 But instead the concern is actually small gatherings of people going inside and watching the game together, which there's a meaningful percentage who have been polled saying they plan to do this. Then when you pair that with data like in December, for example, New York announced that its contact tracing data showed that 70% of new COVID-19 cases originated from households and small gatherings.

Starting point is 00:09:16 So that's why we've seen many experts preaching caution, many saying don't do anything at all, just stay home, others trying to offer solutions like do something outside, wear a mask, bring your own snacks. But ultimately, kind of like we did around Thanksgiving and around Christmas, we're gonna have to wait and see what people end up actually doing. And then we should definitely talk

Starting point is 00:09:33 about the Canadian government now officially labeling the Proud Boys as a terrorist organization. Notably, this makes them the first country to do so with a government designating the group along with 12 others that will now be added to a list that includes ISIS and Al-Qaeda. And in the official listing for the Proud Boys, the Canadian government described the group as

Starting point is 00:09:49 a neo-fascist organization that has openly encouraged, planned, and conducted violent activities against those they perceive to be opposed to their ideology and political beliefs. And very significantly, the government also explicitly states that the group played a pivotal role in the insurrection at the US Capitol and adding,

Starting point is 00:10:04 leaders of the group planned their participation by setting out objectives, issuing instructions, and directing members during the insurrection. But then also noting that the leader of the group was arrested two days before the riot as part of an effort by law enforcement to apprehend individuals who were planning to travel to the D.C. area

Starting point is 00:10:17 with intentions to cause violence. But also, it's not just the leader of that group that has faced charges for his role in the insurrection. According to reports so far, at least 11 people with ties to the Proud Boys have been hit with federal charges from the storming of the Capitol. In fact, just yesterday,

Starting point is 00:10:30 the Department of Justice announced that it arrested and charged another member of the group with obstructing an official proceeding, aiding and abetting, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, among other things. Also, the same day, the DOJ announced that a grand jury

Starting point is 00:10:42 had handed down new charges against another member of the group for conspiring to obstruct the certification of the DOJ announced that a grand jury had handed down new charges against another member of the group for conspiring to obstruct the certification of the electoral college. But despite the continued arrests and indictments, the chairman of the Proud Boys condemned Canada's designation as politically motivated, saying there is no basis for it. It's infringement of free speech rights.

Starting point is 00:10:57 All the Canadian Proud Boys have ever done is go to rallies. They used what happened at the Capitol to push for this. But senior government officials have explicitly said their choice was not politically motivated, but rather a legal decision based on mounting evidence and intelligence. In fact, while speaking to reporters yesterday, public safety minister Bill Blair said that there was

Starting point is 00:11:12 evidence that the Proud Boys posed a security threat to Canada, citing a serious and concerning escalation to violence following the US election. Now, as for what this designation means, there are actual consequences beyond it just being symbolic. According to reports, police can now seize the property belonging to the group or its members and banks can seize their assets.

Starting point is 00:11:29 And among other things, group members may also be denied entry into Canada. And as far as the US response to this, after yesterday's designation, a White House spokesperson said that the government was already conducting its own review and would wait before making any decisions. Though of note there, while you had the former president

Starting point is 00:11:43 saying things in the past like stand back and stand by, the Proud Boys have already been designated by the FBI as an extremist group with ties to white nationalism since back in 2018. Then let's talk about that $1,400 that Joe Biden owes some of y'all. That's personally my favorite way to put it. Where's the money, Joe?

Starting point is 00:11:58 So the news there. Yesterday, the House took the first steps in moving forward with President Biden's $1.9 trillion stimulus plan. In a vote that, disappointingly, was mostly along party lines, the members adopted a budget blueprint that will lay the groundwork for Democrats

Starting point is 00:12:10 to push the package through without Republican support. While many Republicans have criticized this move, Democrats appear to be unified around Biden's go big or go home approach, by seemingly being way more inclined to just pass a big bill and immediately deliver much needed aid to the American people,

Starting point is 00:12:24 rather than draw out the process by haggling with Republicans. Who so far floated a counter proposal that is worth less than a third of Biden's plan. Though here, I think to note, according to reports, while Biden told House and Senate Democrats in private calls yesterday that he would not shrink the overall size of the bill,

Starting point is 00:12:39 he reportedly did say that he has opened and negotiating some parts of it. For example, part of the Republican counter proposal includes $1,000 stimulus checks for Americans who make under $40,000 a year, as well as $500 for each dependent. That being proposed by Republicans as an alternative to Biden's plan of $1,400 checks for Americans

Starting point is 00:12:55 who make under $75,000 and another $1,400 for dependents. While Biden has said that he will not falter on the amount here, a White House spokesperson did say Tuesday that Biden was open to narrowing the eligibility. And while no final plan has been released, according to reports, the latest proposal Democrats are considering

Starting point is 00:13:09 would send $1,400 payments to individuals who earn $50,000 or less and heads of households earning $75,000 or less. Meaning that a single parent or other unmarried adults who have dependents would still get the full amount, even if they make 75,000. Additionally, like the last rounds of direct payments, people who make more than that would still be the full amount even if they make 75,000. Additionally, like the last rounds of direct payments, people who make more than that would still be eligible

Starting point is 00:13:27 for lower checks as long as they fall under whatever income cap the package sets for phase-outs. With another key thing here being people familiar with the negotiations have said that adult dependents will also qualify for stimulus checks, which is a big deal because during the last two rounds, people over the age of 17 could not be claimed as dependent, which meant parents who had kids in high school and college,

Starting point is 00:13:44 they couldn't get the extra child stimulus payments, but the kids themselves also couldn't get their own individual checks. So with this or really anything else that stuck out to you today, I'd love to know your thoughts in those comments down below because this is the end of the show. As always, thanks for being a part of my daily dives

Starting point is 00:13:59 in the news, subscribe and like and all the good stuff. 2021 is our year and it would not be the same without you. But of course, as always, I love your faces and you've just been filled in with news that matters for people that care. I'll see you next time.

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The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 2.4 Sorry. But This is Happening.. & RIP Chris Pratt Controversy, David Dobrik, Elon Musk & More

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