The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 3.19 Exposing The Dark Side of Kids TV, The Truth About Kate Middleton & King Charles & Todays Sheep News

Episode Date: March 19, 2024

He just responded as I finished today’s show… Just go to https://www.zocdoc.com/phil  and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Then find and book a top-rated doctor today!  Go to http://meundies.com/defranco to get 20% off and free shipping. ==== New drop now available at https://BeautifulBastard.com and text 813-213-4423 for secret alerts. ====✩ TODAY’S STORIES ✩ – 00:00 - “Ned’s Declassified” Cast Slammed For Mocking “Quiet on Set” Documentary 04:51 - Taiwan Man Amputates Feet For Insurance Payout 07:08 - King Charles Death Hoax Circulates Amid Royal Drama 09:55 - 30 Companies Refuse to Pay Trump’s $454 Million Bond in NY Fraud Case 13:04 - Sponsored by ZocDoc 14:15 - US Banning Last Legal Form of Asbestos Permanently 16:14 - What You Need to Know About Mark Robinson, the GOP Candidate for NC Governor 23:55 - Sponsored by MeUndies 25:03 - The Gambia Could Be First Nation to Unban FGM 27:45 - Niger Orders U.S. Troops to Leave 30:52 - Montana Man Pleads Guilty to Sheep Cloning Scheme 33:06 - Your Thoughts on Yesterday’s Show More resources on Mark Robinson: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/mark-robinson-north-carolina-facebook https://jewishinsider.com/2023/07/north-carolina-gop-mark-robinson-racism-antisemitism/ https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/north-carolina-gop-mark-robinson-worst-comments-1234984155/ https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mark-robinson-gop-governor-north-carolina-women_n_65299782e4b03ea0c0051293 ——————————   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, Jared Paolino Associate Producer on Mark Robinson: Lili Stenn ———————————— #DeFranco #DanSchneider #ArianaGrande ———————————— 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 just hit that like button to let YouTube know you love these big daily dives into the news, and let's jump into it. Starting with... We should talk about everything getting exposed, and the backlash, and the controversy surrounding Nickelodeon in the 90s and 2000s. Because among the numerous things happening with the situation, you have the cast of Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide facing backlash for mocking the serious allegations laid out in the new Quiet on Set documentary. Which, if you're unfamiliar, this new documentary explores the utterly horrifying reality of what was happening behind the scenes at Nickelodeon. I mean, some of it is literally so disturbing, I can't talk about it in this video. It'll get the video removed or just suppressed and no one sees it. You know, some of

this has been known for quite some time. Jeanette McCurdy's memoir, for example, bringing it to the forefront of discussion, which if you haven't read it, I recommend it. It's very interesting for a number of reasons. But this new documentary showed that it was potentially even worse than anyone knew. And unsurprisingly, a lot of the allegations come back to producer and writer Dan Schneider, who was pretty much like the king of Nickelodeon in the 90s and 2000s. He had two female writers alleging sexism, saying that when they were hired, they were forced to share a single salary. But them also having to deal with degrading pranks and treatment, including one incident where Schneider asked one of the women to lean over the table and pretend to be sodomized. People also pointing out to instances where he put some of the

child actors in sexualized situations, you know, like those clips where Ariana Grande squeezed a potato and poured water over herself while lying upside down on the side of a bed. Also, another all-that actor named Leon said he had to wear a costume for a fake superhero called Nose Boy, wearing a very phallic-looking nose that would shoot snot onto a female co-star. Another cast member also saying that they dealt with racist remarks and was cast in sketches to play on racist stereotypes. And overall, there was this environment where no one felt comfortable speaking out about any of these issues. You also had another child actor from All That saying she was body shame, explaining, one day the producers called my house and spoke to my parents and said, hey, Katrina's getting too fat. We already have a fat one. She

can't be the fat one. Saying she felt like she was later replaced by Amanda Bynum. Saying Dan Schneider was very much in charge of her career and rise as well as her personal life. At one point, allegedly helping her in an attempt to emancipate herself from her parents. But then in addition to all that come the incredibly disturbing allegations about child abuse, which again, in this video, we cannot lay out every detail. We have things like one production assistant named Jason Handy accused of sending a child actor an explicit photo. Police later searching his home in 2003 to find tons of CP, as well as a journal where he identified himself as a pedophile. Drake Bell also revealed that he was sexually assaulted by dialogue coach Brian Peck, who later pleaded no contest to charges pertaining to the assault

and was sentenced to 16 months in prison. Also, other concerning and weird details came out about Brian Peck, including the fact that he was pen pals with a notorious pedophile and serial killer John Wayne Gacy. And the details of both these cases are just horrifying, right? All these allegations are very disturbing. And so we've seen people reacting to this online just devastated by how horrible it all is. But then also we saw members of the cast of the old Nickelodeon show Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide going live and seemingly making jokes about it. Daniel, we told you never to speak about that. Get back in your hole, Daniel.

And give me your holes. Sorry, we shouldn't joke about this. We really shouldn't. This is awful. Why are we doing this? Because this is about us. Listen, our set was not like that. And no, it's awful.

The Drake Bell shit is a... Like, that's crazy to hear. That is... Guys, we can's crazy to hear. That is, man. Guys, we can't joke like this. Jesus. Guys, we're, sometimes humor helps us move through things, you know? 100%. And a lot of people were just horrified about how they were responding. The likes of Alexa Nicholas, who was an actor on Zoey 101 and a source in the doc saying,

Really sad and disturbing to see some other Nick stars joking around and cracking jokes around child sexual abuse on TikTok. With also Drake Bell responding saying, Ned's a classless. This is wild. Laugh it up, guys. Laugh it up. Give me your holes, really? And that's not where the fallout ended, because The Hollywood Reporter just published a sit-down interview with Dan Schneider about the documentary. But he was interviewed by Boogie, who had a role in iCarly, and he notably did appear on Dan's side. But he wanted to help clear his name, so it was very much all in Dan's court.

But he did address some claims, And regarding anyone who had a negative experience on his set, he said, I would snap at people sometimes. I would be snarky when I could have given them a nicer answer. I would not give people the time that they needed. I would be in too big a hurry to get on to the next thing I had to do. And watching that show, it made me, there were so many times I wanted to pick up a phone and call some of those people and say, I'm so sorry. And let's talk about it. And I wish you'd had a better time and I wish I could have shown you a better experience. He also discussed Drake Bell revealing that he was a sexual assault victim into that, Dan said.

And he told me what had happened. I was more devastated by that than anything that ever happened to me in my career thus far. And I told him, I'm here for you. What do you need? But there was also some denials and distancing himself from a variety of issues, saying there were adults and parents present on set that could have spoken up if they found jokes to be inappropriate, him saying he didn't have as much control. But with all this, you know, we're still seeing everything play out online. And in the meantime, I gotta ask you, what are your thoughts on the allegations

in this documentary, the reaction, the backlash, any and all things? And then, this is the dumbest, craziest news I've seen in a bit. And it starts with the question of, how much would I have to pay you to chop off your own legs? And I ask because for this young guy in Taiwan

that we're talking about today, it was $1.3 million, right? And he goes by the name Zhang. And in high school, he befriended possibly the worst person imaginable. His name's Liao. This story happens after graduation when they're both 23 years old, but apparently they reconnect, and Liao has some bad news, saying that gangsters are coming for him, and Zhang believes him. With this, Liao's like, don't worry though, I got a plan. And so the first thing they do is they buy several expensive policies for life insurance, travel insurance, and accident insurance. And then just days later, because you know,

that is not suspicious at all, they ride around on a motorbike at night, allegedly to lend some credibility to the alibi that Zhang got frostbite from the cold air. This notably, even though the temperature that night never dipped below 42 degrees Fahrenheit. But eventually, you know, they get home and that is when the insane part of this story fully begins. Because Liao allegedly restrained Zhang to a chair using cable ties, with him then submerging his friend's feet into a plastic bucket filled with dry ice. And there he sits from 2 a.m. until afternoon, enduring this pain for over 10 hours. So by the end of it, he removes his legs, or I guess what used to be his legs,

out of this bucket, and they're necrotic, they're swollen, they're a frostbitten nightmare. But of course, that is exactly what they were hoping for. With them then rushing over to the emergency room as if they just simply lost track of time riding on their motorbike. And this is going to shock you. Immediately, the doctors are like, none of this makes sense. You are the most suspicious bastards on the planet. First of all, we're in Taiwan, a subtropical country. You do not get frostbite here. Second, his legs show no shoe or sock marks. And third, his injuries appear oddly symmetrical, almost as if he, I don't know, this is crazy, left his feet in a bucket full of dry ice. And so they report the case to the authorities, but also they still have to amputate his legs below the knees,

because he genuinely needed it. Except, you know, that big insurance payout that he and his friends were hoping for, it never pops up. Because unfortunately for these geniuses, when the police searched their place, they found the plastic bucket, insurance documents, a white polystyrene box for dry ice, eight mobile phones, and a tablet computer. Also, remember those gangsters going after Liao? Allegedly, that's not even true. He just lost money trading crypto. But apparently, it was an effective lie because he was able to convince Zhang into signing a legal note obligating him to pay out $800,000 after he got the insurance payout. Though, of course, they didn't get that money because fraud. And this is often the case. The main point of this story is,

don't be stupid, stupid. And then King Charles is dead, except he's actually not. He is alive. But for a second, you maybe believe me because a lot of people have been convinced that might be the case. Especially because over the last month or so,

the royal family has lost absolute control over narratives and rumors surrounding them. There's mass speculation about Kate Middleton's whereabouts in hell. And that has just kind of extended onto Charles, people being convinced that some kind of news or update is incoming. Because Charles was recently diagnosed with cancer, people assumed that the update was that he was dead or dying.

But it turns out, at least for now, he's kicking it. With outlets like Forbes noting that any claim that BBC is holding on to some major announcement about the family is unconfirmed. But notably, the fire was still fueled after there was a fake Russian report claiming Charles was dead. That rumor getting shared on major telegram channels, including one used by a respected Russian newspaper. The rumor also made its way to a pro-Kremlin channel where there was a document made in a similar style to the one announcing Queen Elizabeth's death. This

one simply saying, the king passed away unexpectedly yesterday afternoon. And that claim just made the rounds until the channel sharing it edited their post to know that the claim was not confirmed by official sources. At that point, the news had already gone viral. So you had to have the UK's embassy in Ukraine later releasing a statement debunking it and saying, the news about the death of King Charles III is fake. Buckingham Palace also shutting it down by giving the press a statement saying that Charles is continuing with official and private business. I'm just going to assume they mean not from beyond the grave. But then also, for further confirmation, they shared a photo of him meeting Korean War veterans at Buckingham Palace this morning.

But even just the fact that any of these hoaxes claiming that he was dead got so big in the first place just shows how much control the royals have lost. That the family has completely lost control over their PR and that they have fumbled at every turn to get here. Because you got people still waiting to learn what the hell's going on with Kate Middleton. She's been MIA, family saying she's had surgery, internet not believing that, won't believe that. There's been weeks of speculation, people just saying things like, oh, she got stabbed, she's dead, she's had surgery. Internet not believing that, won't believe that. There's been weeks of speculation. People just saying things like, oh, she got stabbed. She's dead. She's divorced.

She's getting a BBL. She's with Pete Davidson now. You know what? With Pete's track record, there's a non-zero chance that's true. But then with all this, we saw yesterday TMZ sharing a video of her and William leaving a farm shop. That video apparently being taken over the weekend. While that seemed to be enough for some, not for the whole internet. Because the internet just went into conspiracy overdrive. People saying that's not her, that's

her stand-in. People saying the video's too low quality, they want an up-close 4k moving video that Middleton didn't photoshop. And even then, with the state of AI these days, could you trust it? And I'm just left kind of wondering, is there anything that can be done to put the genie back in the bottle? Because they have mishandled this at so many turns that there's just really not that much good faith there. Because there is a chance that the reality of this situation are some of the most boring truths imaginable, but they've handled things where they've just let people's imaginations run wild and given them reason to let them run wild. Like once again, I am not interested in the royal family. I think it's all just nothing. Unnecessary over-romanticized pageantry. With this, I still gotta say, there may

not be a fire, but you can't just, like, attack anyone for thinking that there is a fire when apparently someone in your fucking house left the smoke machines on. Does that land? I don't know. And then... Ahem. What would you do with a billion dollars? What would you do with a billion dollars?

What would you do with a billion dollars? Would you give it to Trump? Please. And by please, I mean you motherfuckers. When does fast grocery delivery through Instacart matter most? When your famous grainy mustard potato salad isn't so famous without the grainy mustard. When the barbecue's lit, but there's nothing to grill. When the in-laws decide that, actually, they will stay for dinner.

Instacart has all your groceries covered this summer. So download the app and get delivery in as fast as 60 minutes. Plus, enjoy $0 delivery fees on your first three orders. Service fees, exclusions, and terms apply. Instacart. Groceries that over-deliver. That is essentially what a definite sane person, Mark Levin, tweeted yesterday. Saying, why are there no Republican multi-billionaires offering to lend President Trump the funds

to file his appeal in the outrageous case in New York State? Are none of them liquid enough to help or join with others to help? This is an outrage. Because if you don't know the details right now, Trump's in a little bit of trouble. Because among other things right now, he could have his assets and real estate property

seized in a matter of days. With Trump's lawyers yesterday saying they can't get any company to pay the $454 million bond in a civil fraud case in New York while he appeals his judgment. Which notably was brought against him by the judge overseeing the case after finding that Trump had defrauded banks for years by falsely inflating the value of his real estate assets to get favorable loans and other benefits. And so in their legal filing, Trump's lawyers said that securing the full bond was a practical impossibility. Noting that they approached 30 different companies that provide bond deals and all of them refused. Because in order to get that bond, the company that would provide it would basically have to agree to pay that massive penalty if Trump lost his appeal and was forced to cough up.

So in exchange, he has to put up over $550 million in cash and other liquid assets as collateral, as well as paying a fee that could be as much as $20 million. But apparently, Trump doesn't have enough liquidity. Especially because he just finalized another $91.6 million bond in the defamation case he lost to E. Jean Carroll. So with this, we know that most of his money is in real estate holdings, which bond companies usually won't accept as collateral. And that appears to especially be true here, because literally the whole reason Trump owes money in the first place is because he fraudulently overvalued his real estate assets.

So you've got people asking, why the fuck would anyone actually agree to take those real estate assets as collateral? So with this, Trump's lawyers are asking an appeals court to pause the collection of the $454 million judgment while he appeals. With him also preemptively asking to appeal to the state's highest court if the lower level appellate doesn't rule in his favor there. But it's also unclear when that lower court would make a ruling here, and more specifically, whether it would make a ruling before this coming Monday, because that is the end of the 30-day grace period that New York's Attorney General gave

him to come up with the bond money. And also with that, it's unclear if the AG will give Trump extra time when that deadline hits. Right, technically, she could have started seizing his assets as soon as the judgment came down, but she decided to give him that extra time. Now, a big thing here is, even if the lower appeals court strikes down Trump's request, he still has some other options. Right, in addition to preemptively asking to appeal to the state's highest court, he could also move to quickly sell off a big asset or try and get help from a super rich supporter. Right, hence the Mark Levin plea. You know, all of this is coming as Trump's scrambling to raise money, especially after the E. Jean Carroll ruling dried up key reserves. Reportedly, his campaign is also currently facing some major funding shortfalls.

With a PAC that's been funding his legal fees set to run out by this summer if the current rate of spending holds. Meanwhile, his legal bills continue to mount as the four criminal trials he faces inch closer and closer. And this desperation for money could also explain why we got the news yesterday that Trump is suing ABC News and George Stephanopoulos for defamation. Claiming that the host repeatedly said that Trump had been found liable for raping E. Jean Carroll when the jury had actually found him liable for sexually abusing her. Though notably here, the judge in that case did explicitly clarify that because New York has such a narrow definition of rape, the jury's findings didn't mean that Carroll, quote, failed to prove that Mr. Trump raped her, as many people commonly understand the word rape. But that is where we are right now, and we're gonna have to wait to see what

happens. Will A or several billionaires come out of the woodwork and do something here, whether as some sort of fealty test or as a way to try to own a possible president? Who knows? But all of this is playing out in real time, especially as we get closer and closer to the general election. And then, OK, so does this sound familiar? You or someone you know has a medical issue and you need a doctor and maybe you have one. But when you call and you finally get through to the receptionist, you find out that the doctor can't see you for three weeks or more. Or you don't have a doctor and you can't find the right one for you. And this is a real thing because feeling comfortable with someone who prioritizes your health needs is important.

Also, a big thing, do they take your insurance? But guess what? The typical wait to see a doctor booked on ZocDoc is between 24 to 72 hours. Sometimes you even score same-day appointments. And I'm talking about with doctors who have verified reviews from real patients, not bots, actual people. So one, thank you ZocDoc for being a fantastic sponsor and partner of the show. And two, for giving us options. Because, y'all, ZocDoc is a free app and website where you can search and compare highly rated in-network doctors near you and instantly book appointments with them online. We're talking about booking appointments with tens of thousands of top-rated, patient-reviewed, credible doctors and specialists.

The app is so easy to use, and it's not about just finding your general practitioner. Thank you. book a top-rated doctor today. That's Z-O-C-D-O-C dot com slash phil. ZocDoc.com slash phil. And then in a historic and unexpected move, the Environmental Protection Agency just banned the last legal forms of asbestos. Which I'll say, I also found surprising that this was even done because I had incorrectly thought that this had already happened. Because it's been known for a long time that not only is asbestos really dangerous, but there's an established connection with cancer. 40,000 people in the U.S. are believed to have died yearly because of exposure to this stuff, but it's used and just completely stopped. What actually happened is we've been phasing it out over a very long time across many industries. Although notably, the EPA said that was stalled after serious delays during

the previous administration. But as far as this last ban, that'll largely go into effect after it hits the federal register. But then a handful of industries having a bigger six-month window to transition off of it, like with the auto industry, which uses it for anything that has friction. So brakes, lining, gaskets, stuff like that. With the longest exception being for a subsect of the wastewater industry that needs asbestos to make chlorine. And notably, that's chlorine that's used to clean wastewater and disinfect drinking water, both of which are vital to local communities. Which is why the EPA says it's giving them five years to transition to other existing methods. Although with that, the trade associations that represent those plans, they say five years isn't enough. They want 15 years. Now, with this ban, of course, there are a number of questions.

Things like, does this ban mean that deaths from asbestos will be a thing of the past? Well, yes, but likely not for a long time. Because asbestos-related diseases and cancers can actually take decades to manifest. While there have been long-standing bans in many industries, it's still all over the place. You know, which makes sense. It was seen as this amazing thing. It was cheap and amazingly resistant to corrosion, electricity, and heat. Also, later found out, it kills you. amazing thing. It was cheap and amazingly resistant to corrosion, electricity, and heat. Also later found out it kills you. Bad thing. One of the most common places that everyday

people would run into asbestos is where they work or they live because it's common to find in older buildings. Though also, I don't want you to freak out too much because it's only super dangerous if it's disturbed and particles fly into the air, which means the most likely way to be exposed after this is for people repairing those buildings. And it's because of that ongoing threat that the EPA is now looking at how it can tackle so-called legacy asbestos. Though that may be years down the line, and even the EPA is urging Congress to act. Because without a clear law in place, it's entirely possible that down the line another administration will just take over and decide, hey, we want to reverse the ban or just not enforce it. But in the meantime, hey, this is objectively good news. So I don't

know how good, because we're going to die from something else. I think most Americans these days are made up of like 17% microplastics. And then as we get closer and closer to the general election, of course, there are a lot of eyes on Joe Biden and Donald Trump. And that makes sense. There is a lot at stake, whether it be policy based or just democracy in general. But there are also a lot of other races at play that day. And what specifically I'm talking about today will affect 10 million Americans.

Because what we're looking at right now is North Carolina, who not only will be voting in one of the most consequential presidential elections of a lifetime, but also one of the most consequential gubernatorial elections as well. Because on Super Tuesday, North Carolina Republican voters selected current Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson as their nominee to lead the state. And that name might sound familiar because you might have seen some clips of him online in the aftermath of the primary. But beyond just these random clips, I think it's important that we do a deep dive. That we look into this man who, it turns out, is insanely dangerous and the beliefs he holds are absolutely fucking crazy. And with that, I mean, it's hard

to even decide where to begin with this guy because there's so much. But you know, let's start with the anti-Semitism because that has gotten the most attention. And that's also probably in part because his Democratic opponent is North Carolina's current Attorney General, Josh Stein, who actually, when he won that seat in 2016, became the first Jewish person to win statewide office in North Carolina and would be the state's first Jewish governor if he wins the election. A lot of Robinson's antisemitism was perfectly summed up

in this ad by his Republican opponent for governor during the primary campaign. Mark Robinson, he suggested the Holocaust wasn't real, downplayed the Nazis, promoted Hitler propaganda. That's just plain wrong. I'm Bill Graham. The Holocaust was real. Hitler was evil.

And those are things that Robinson said in Facebook posts that are still up and available to the public. With the bulk of these posts coming to light this past summer, largely thanks to the work of Jewish Insider. And while his past posts degrading various groups and spreading conspiracies has been dredged up before, these newer finds also got a ton of attention.

Especially this one from 2018 2018 where Robinson wrote, "'This foolishness about Hitler disarming millions of Jews "'and then marching them off to concentration camps "'is a bunch of hogwash.'" With the outlet also finding numerous posts over the years downplaying Nazism and complaining about the fact that we still talk about Nazis today,

arguing instead we should be focusing on the threats posed by communism, and writing in one post, so sick of seeing and hearing people still talk about Nazis and Hitler. But also beyond that, Robinson has spread anti-Semitic conspiracies, stereotypes, and Yiddish slurs. Like this 2018 post where he implied Black Panther was an evil Jewish scheme, claiming that the movie was created by an agnostic Jew and a satanic Marxist to take money from black people. Though notably, instead of money, he said shekels. And instead of black people,

he used an offensive Yiddish slur. But that same slur also used in a post where he made similar claims about how Hollywood media is controlled by Jews. And he echoed that in another post where he cast doubt on the fact that 6 million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust. And in 2019, he went on a podcast hosted by an alleged cult leader and endorsed the host's belief that Jewish bankers are one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, along with Muslims, China, and the CIA. For months, Robinson refused to apologize. But then shortly after the Israel war began in October, he finally responded, though, by downplaying his remarks while also literally declaring a week in solidarity with Israel. And he still refused to apologize, even when he was explicitly asked by reporters. We've already dealt with those things,

moved past them, and we're ready to move on to the new topics that are here today. When you say you've dealt with them, to be clear, do you apologize for writing what you wrote? I apologize for the wording, not necessarily for the content, but we apologize for the wording. So it's not surprising that just days later, Jewish Insider published even more anti-Semitic Facebook posts from Robinson, including one from 2014, where he literally quoted Hitler, and another from 2017, where he argued that it would be better for humanity to go back in time and kill baby communists than baby Hitler. Also, I gotta know, this is not all his anti-Semitic remarks. Like, that would take up its own show. And instead, I want to make sure that we hit all his other comments. Because they span a ton of different demographics that will also be directly impacted if Robinson wins. Starting

with the black community, which makes up one in every five North Carolinians. Right, this guy, who would be the first black governor of North Carolina if he wins, has repeatedly said he does not view himself as a member of the black community, writing, "'Why would I want to be part of a, quote, community "'that devalues its fathers, overburdens its mothers, "'and murders its children by the millions? "'Why would I want to be part of a, quote, community "'that sucks from the putrid tit of the government

"'and then complains about getting sour milk?' He's also made other posts and remarks echoing that sentiment, accusing the black community of creating the problems that they face. And this while also promoting white pride and downplaying white privilege and white nationalism. Though again, this is just the tip of the iceberg. He's also called black people monkeys and apes

and a bunch of other shit I'm not gonna even try to repeat on this show. Also for a guy that is tired of people talking about Hitler, he likes to compare people to Hitler by comparing Al Sharpton to Hitler. Also making some time to degrade major black leaders, saying the 1960s civil rights movement was crap, that MLK Jr. is a communist.

He's also repeatedly referenced slavery to make his claim. Comparing prominent black leaders and artists to house slaves who kept the masses of slaves compliant and in control. Recalling black democrat slaves who don't know or care who their masters are. And again, like, there's just some super crazy stuff. Like saying that the descendants of black slaves are the ones who should be paying reparations to white people. Or Robinson joking that Black History Month is held during the shortest month of the year because it is, quote, a history of people who have achieved so little. And again, I could go on and on here, but that would be a whole video. I'm going to try and get a bunch of links for you in the

description down below. Because again, he's firing at a lot of different groups. According to Post Viewed by Talking Points Memo, he's also mocked Asians, Muslims, Mexicans, Haitians. And then, of course, there are his comments about the LGBTQ plus community and women. In 2014, he said that homosexuality would lead to pedophilia and, quote, the end of civilization as we know it. Also, in 2021, he said in a sermon that gay people are inferior to straight people and that gay people are equivalent to cow shit, maggots, and flies. He also made multiple comments back in February disparaging trans people,

saying at one event that trans women should be arrested for using the ladies room. Then going even further at another event and saying trans people should just find a corner outside somewhere. And then also in a shocking turn of events, his views on women are no more progressive. And shortly after he won his primary, we saw this clip from 2020 going viral. I absolutely want to go back to the America where women couldn't vote. Do you know why? Because in those days we had people who fought for real social change and they were called Republicans. Beyond that, he's repeatedly said that a woman's place

is the home and condemned feminists and feminism, which he claims were created by Satan. Saying at one point that feminists are just as bad, if not worse, than racists. He's also just said some absolutely despicable shit about women in politics and media. Like there is a running list that I'm gonna link down below.

Because again, I'm trying to condense all this. There is more. We haven't even touched the conspiracy shit. And like with a lot of this, he's not hiding it. He is proud. Saying during a speech last year, I'm going to tell you right now, conspiracy theorists are 42 and 0. We're undefeated right now, folks.

And in addition to the anti-Semitic conspiracies we've already touched on, which seems like a lifetime ago, Robinson has also promoted some of the timeless classics. Like saying he wouldn't be surprised if the moon landing was faked and the 9-11 was an inside job. But then also you got your lesser knowns, but still honorable mentions like the music industry is being run by Satan and the Illuminati. Also saying the Boko Haram schoolgirl kidnapping in Nigeria was orchestrated by George Soros. He also pushes the New World Order stuff a lot.

Also with that, claiming that shows like American Idol and Chopped, that those are signs of the New World Order. Because they have a judgment format, I guess. But that dovetails into the final deepest level of crazy, which is the really dangerous shit and active inciting of violence. Like Robinson's claims that media coverage of mass shootings is part of the conspiracy to bring about the New World Order, or his implication that the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting that killed 50 people may have been fake, or his false accusations that Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg was just a paid actor. I'm also going even further and calling Parkland survivors spoiled, angry, know-it-all children, spoiled little bastards and media prostitutes. His rhetoric

here also directly veered towards violence, like justifying the Kent State Massacre. We're saying that the pipe bombs sent to Obama and Clinton but intercepted by law enforcement in 2018 were fake and manufactured, but also writing, if you can't beat them, bomb yourself. And again, we're just touching on his personal views and stuff that he said. We haven't even talked about his policy views. Climate change, he says it's junk science. Abortion? He says it should be totally banned. And this guy has a legitimate shot of becoming North Carolina's governor. Right, yeah, North Carolina currently has a Democrat governor. But their legislature is red and Republican presidential candidates have won the state in the last three elections.

And also more importantly, Robinson still won the GOP primary even though a lot of this information was literally already out about him. But for now, we'll have to wait and see how things are going to play out. And then, have you noticed that your underwear drawer is like the Wild West? You've got pairs from three birthdays and two Christmases ago, pairs from five different brands with five different fits. You know, basically every morning, you have no idea what to expect. Well, with that, now that I felt the buttery soft comfort of the fantastic sponsor of today's show, MeUndies, those are all I reach for. I'm hooked, and honestly, now I just feel off wearing anything else. I even love them so much, I bought some for Linz. I mean, they're so comfortable. And I'm a huge fan of the different designs that

they offer, and I'm a fan of how durable they are. Especially as MeUndies is an all-inclusive line with a look for everyone and sizes from extra small to 4XL. There's also something for everyone, from black classics to fun, expressive prints. You can find your style and also have options mixing it up a bit. But it's also not just comfortable underwear. MeUndies has joggers, hoodies, onesies, and more. And their signature fabric's soft and warm while being breathable and stretchy. It's an ideal all-day wear. And get this, if you're not happy with your first pair of undies, no worries. It's on them. I also think it's important to point out that they use sustainably sourced materials and they work with partners that care for their workers. So go get 20%

off your first order plus free shipping at Me meundies.com slash DeFranco and get 20% off your first order, plus free shipping. That's meundies.com slash DeFranco for 20% off, plus free shipping. MeUndies, comfort from the outside in. And then, just objectively bad international news, the West African nation of the Gambia is looking to make history as the first country

to ever roll back protections against female genital mutilation. Because if you don't know, the practice was originally banned there in 2015 after an unexpected decree from the past president. And unfortunately, one, there wasn't really an explanation given for it, and two, it wasn't really enforced until last year when three men got hefty fines. Which is when a prominent imam then took up the cause to get it back,

claiming that it was an important cultural practice and religious obligation. Now, the latter of those two is hardly a consensus with fatwas or religious rulings from Islamic scholars, giving a wide range of opinions on the practice despite never being mentioned in the Quran. But it is undoubtedly a staple of life for many women in the Gambia who face the practice, which often happens between the ages of 10 and 15. The details of which are just absolutely horrific, with the FGM usually taking the form of having their clitoris and labia minora removed. And sadly, what we saw were lawmakers agreeing with the imam and 42 out of the 47 who voted on the issue said they wanted it back. And their arguments included things like,

if people are being arrested for practicing FGM, then that means they are being deprived of their right to practice religion. Which also just like, do you realize how wild that is? Like the politician is openly acknowledging that it is genital mutilation and still wants it. He didn't even try to rebrand it. Also, that's not a translation either as they speak English in their government. Also, other supporters of this argue that it's supposed to make women cleaner, which just is not true. And others saying that it's important to curb their sexual appetites, something that they also argue is necessary as husbands can't keep up otherwise. And this is the handful against the law argued things like, let's protect our women. I am a

father and I can't support such a bill. And religion says we should not harm women. And to be clear here, it's not like this is just a cosmetic thing or an easy procedure. In addition to all the other ways that this is a horrible situation, it's extremely dangerous and can actually kill someone. It can also lead to many complications throughout life. And outside the direct dangers

of things like excessive bleeding, it can cause psychological impacts from both enduring the procedure and a lack of satisfaction in their sex lives. Now, technically speaking, there are more legal hurdles that the bill needs to go through before it becomes a law, such as a review process by the government where it can recommend amendments. But the reality here is that with so many lawmakers voting in favor,

it is widely believed that the writing's just on the wall. Just further adding salt to the wound is the fact that despite this conversation being about mutilating women's bodies, they have almost no say. Literally only five of their lawmakers are women. But despite that, we've seen activists still taking to the streets to show their displeasure with the decision, both men and women protesting in front of parliament. They've also called the imam spearheading this movement a hypocrite. Right, and that because when the past president banned FGM, this imam was actually his head spiritual leader and he said nothing. Though I also, I just need to know, this is not an endorsement, right? Despite banning FGM, that president was not a good person. He was a massive dictator. He was a massive dickhead. He was also

known for killing people with hit squads on a whim. And as far as what else we're going to see, you know, internationally, this is likely going to get condemned, especially as many countries that used to do this have moved to ban the practice outright. Still not nearly enough. But they're reportedly still widely practiced in many parts of Africa, the Middle East and some parts of Asia. And then U.S. troops are getting kicked out of Niger with a spokesperson making an announcement on state television this weekend, ending a military agreement that had allowed American forces in the country and saying, The American presence on the territory of the Republic of Niger is illegal and violates all the constitutional and democratic rules.

But also with that, it is important to note that the West African nation has been ruled by a military junta since a coup last July. And the United States has been in talks with the junta for several months. With U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller saying this weekend's announcement followed frank discussions at senior levels and that the U.S. remains in touch with Niger's leaders. But this, as Niger's spokesperson put it a little bit differently, saying that U.S. officials had been condescending. Saying that their government had only met with the U.S. delegation out of courtesy. And saying that the delegation did not respect diplomatic practices such as providing information regarding the date of its arrival, the composition of the delegation, and the purpose of the visit. And whether that's true or not, it's clear that the American presence in Niger has long been way more than just a few diplomats.

At the end of this military agreement, somewhere between 650 and 1,000 American troops stationed in Niger will have to leave. And a lot of the U.S. military buildup has come in the last decade. In these satellite images, for example, you can see how the U.S. spent $100 million turning this patched desert into a fully-fledged drone base in the middle of Niger. Along with a physical presence, the U.S. has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in training Niger's military, notably some of those forces being involved in the July coup. And all of this was to support Niger and other West African countries in fighting against extremist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. And notably, it's not like that fight's over. It's just that instead of working with Western countries, Niger and many other countries in the region are now turning to

Russia for support. Actually, with that, you had General Michael Langley warning Congress about Russia's efforts to counter American influence in the region earlier this month. I would say the Russian Federation's narrative drowned out the U.S. governments in the past years. They were accelerating. The Russian Federation, not just through Wagner, stoked a lot of the instability across the Sahel. They did this through misinformation, disinformation campaigns. And to that point, you know,

it's not just the U.S. that's alleged Russian meddling has affected it. Until recently, France actually had more troops than the U.S. did in Niger. But after the coup, protests broke out against the French presence in the country, with protesters actually waving Russian flags. Eventually, like military rulers

and neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger kicked out French and other European forces. Notably, around the same time French troops were departing Niger, the junta-approved prime minister was in Moscow to talk about military and economic cooperation with Russia. And so the statement this weekend just reinforced Niger's growing ties with Russia. With a spokesperson saying the country is working with Russia to, quote, acquire military equipment necessary to its fight against the terrorists

who have claimed thousands of innocent Nigerian victims under the indifferent eye of much of the international community. Actually, with all this, you had CNN correspondent Larry Maduwo explaining on air some of the reasons why countries like Niger might choose to partner with Russia. 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, off-road suspension with available 2 inch factory installed lift kit, plus a towing capacity of up to 13,200 pounds.

You'll be ready for anything this truck month. Truck month is on now. Ask your GMC dealer for details. It won't take long to tell you Neutral's ingredients. Vodka, soda, natural flavors. So, what should we talk about? No sugar added. Neutral. Refreshingly simple. The U.S. approach to dealing with the military junta leadership has always been that we're

open to cooperating with you as long as you commit to a return to civilian rule. The Russians don't do that. Secondly, the Russians can sell weapons and other equipment to Niger much faster to tackle the terrorism issue that they're facing. And they don't have the same restrictions about human rights or a return to a civilian rule in the country. So when you're a military government in power

because of a coup, those probably sound like more favorable terms. But as far as what happens from here, we're gonna have to wait and see. And then, you know, I made a goal this year and I'm finally going to move on. By the end of 2024, the Philip DeFranco show will be the number one internet news source for all things sheep, sheep controversy, and sheep drama. We're going niche. And what better way to start this journey than with possibly one of the just generally weirdest stories of the year. Because

while much of the mainstream media is focused on the election and Donald Trump and the potential end of democracy, what's being missed by many is the DOJ just nailed an 80-year-old Montana man for illegally importing rare sheep parts into the US. And as far as why he was doing this, it was so he could make a massive hybrid clone to sell to hunting ranches between 2013 and 2021.

So essentially, this guy's master plan was to get rich as a massive science experiment. So he'd buy parts of the Marco Polo Argali sheep, arguably the world's largest sheep from Kyrgyzstan. He would then send them off to a cloning lab where they would give him 165 functional embryos, with those then implanted in a different sheep to produce a single pure genetic Marco Polo Argali named Montana Mountain King, or MMK. And MMK's semen was then used to impregnate a bunch of different sheep breeds, most of which are also notably illegal in Montana, with the hopes of making the undisputed largest sheep ever to then sell to places that hunt exotic game. And apparently, some of his efforts worked because he

was selling sheep to captive hunting ranches for years. Also making matters worse for himself is that he also forged vet documents to make it seem like MMK hybrids were legal, and he also shipped his semen across state lines to breeders across the U.S., which just raises the risks that come with hybridization. But here are the biggest issues that he faced. The sheep involved in this project are mostly illegal in Montana, as they fear for both the impact on domestic sheep as well as what could happen if the hybrids got out. Because these aren't like the domestic sheep that we're used to.

They are massive wild animals. But the thing that really screwed this guy over, it was the importation of animal parts from abroad. Because beyond just not declaring the parts to customs, the Marco Polo Argali sheep is endangered and protected by both U.S. law and international treaties so you can't just buy parts of them and the U.S. actually has another law on top of this called the Lacey Act but that's specifically prohibiting interstate trade and wildlife that has been taken possessed transported or sold in

violation of federal or state law which is actually what the guy ended up pleading guilty to last week while his two felonies have a possible five-year sentence per count because this guy pleaded and it doesn't look like he's been in much trouble before, it'll likely be way less than that under the federal sentencing guidelines. But we won't know until July. So, hey, just make sure you hit that subscribe button for the Philip DeFranco Show, and we'll keep you in the loop on all things sheep. The most important news of a news cycle. And then, finally, today we have community news and yesterday today.

For community news, there is a subsection of the audience that has gotten oddly into this whenever we do beautiful bastard drops. People end up wanting to know like what sold the best. And with yesterday's big drop taking four things out of the vault, it wasn't even close. The emotionally exhausted color swirl destroyed everything else.

Everything did well, but emotionally exhausted sold almost two to one to the closest thing. And that was the oldie but goodie, sports. The main thing, thanks to everyone that's been supporting this drop or we'll get it in the future. But then, as far as those comments on yesterday's show, there was no shortage of people pointing out my mistakes.

I think that's your guys' favorite thing to do. Which I gotta ask, as an only child, is that more older sibling or younger sibling behavior? But among those comments, we had Libra1022 saying, Whoever was holding the highlighter today, go and berserk. People saying, I thought my eyes were messed up. I thought I i was having a damn stroke i thought i was losing my mind and seeing things phil did say they have new people on the team learning curb i'm sure then we had luna rev saying i was chuckling to myself and thinking i sure hope somebody was fired for that blunder luna i love you are you insane i'm gonna fire somebody because the highlights on the last

segment of the show were off i will not try and tell you I am a good boss. I will say I am a much better boss than I used to be. The idea of firing someone over accidentally giving me like some Bowie highlighter around my eyes. That is crazy behavior. And understand, Luna, this is not me going after you. I feel like you are maybe of this mindset because you have had horrible bosses. And so I'll just leave you with a good luck out there. Also, as far as other comments on the stories yesterday.

Tyler saying, on the Medicaid taking your house story, after my grandma died, the state sent a letter saying they were going to take her house. My great grandpa, her dad, was living in the house and had been for the last six plus years helping to take care of her. He made multiple seven foot signs that he placed in the yard, shaming the state. That they were okay making an almost 80 year old man with serious health issues homeless. We took care of her in her home for years, only needing help with hospital coverage and the occasional home health aid. I don't know all the nitty gritty because I was a teen when she passed, but we kept the house. I'm still so proud of him for standing up to a stupid rule that wasn't clearly stated when she was enrolled. And the

precipice of reason saying, that Medicaid repo story is so much worse when you know that procedural medical costs are all made up and don't actually correlate to real charges. Imagine losing your house because the hospital charges you for too many $80 aspirins. And then regarding other news, we had Alyssa Southeast saying, I'm so glad you addressed the degree requirements. I was fortunate enough to find a job within my specific field straight out of college, but I lost it after a hit and run accident left me without a way to make the commute. I had to move back in with my parents, and the area that I'm in has plenty of jobs that fit my degree, but almost all of them require five plus years experience. And I only have one due to my car being total. I wish companies would realize there are plenty of people willing to put in the work to learn something they'll be using their entire career.

And Ryo Kale's sharing. I was a supervisor at a company for nearly six years and was turned down time and again for manager positions purely and explicitly stated. Because I didn't have a degree and others either did or were currently in school to get a degree. This was in spite of me being a demonstrably more skilled employee with consistently better performance and having made tools to significantly improve data and performance track. It was so bad, I decided to make a lateral move instead before eventually leaving the company. But that is where today's show is gonna end.

But don't worry, I'll see you soon. Because of course, remember as always, my name's Philip DeFranco. You've just been filled in. I love your faces. And I'll see you right back here tomorrow. You on my mind a lot. Don't need no time, watch.

I don't know how I got you in my pocket spot. Yeah, that's babe, miss you every day. tomorrow.