The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 3.22 I'm Quitting Social Media, Catastrophic Midwest Flooding, Students Step Up & More

Starting point is 00:00:00 Sup you beautiful bastards, hope you're having a fantastic Friday. Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco show And if you're new here on Fridays, we do things a little bit different. On Fridays I try to cover more viewer requested stories and with that said let's just jump into it. The first thing we're gonna talk about today Is well it was in the title quitting social media. About eight days ago friend of the show Casey Neistat put out a video called Goodbye social media and in the video he talks about deleting social media from his phone Twitter Instagram Facebook And you know kind of like every other time I had seen someone that talked about taking a break, disconnecting, I was really inspired by it.

Starting point is 00:00:29 I was like, yeah, maybe down the road I'll do that. But if you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you know that I finally took the dive. I deleted Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Reddit off of my phone, while still allowing myself, if it was on my work PC for a work reason during a designated time, I have access to it. And I will say, after a week of doing this,

Starting point is 00:00:45 I really recommend it. Even if you only are going to do it for one week and then you're gonna jump back, I'm personally gonna stick with it. It really has been amazing, especially after the first 48 hours where I still just, I kept feeling the need to grab my phone like I always did. Part of this was also inspired by listening to,

Starting point is 00:00:59 not an Audible sponsor today, but listening to The Shallows, What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains, because it made me realize, you know, these apps, they are making me anxious. And I could try to lie to myself and say, you know, I'm using the app at this time probably majority of the time for work, but thanks to Apple Screen Time, I was like, oh no, there's no way that I two and a half hours a day am using Twitter for work.

Starting point is 00:01:18 It also made me realize that it was affecting the way that I focus on things. I mean, how many of you right now are watching, you're really listening and also paying attention to one to three other things at the same time? And I'm not calling you out for that. I think having so much access to everything at all times, it's how we slowly shift. And I think we try to tell ourselves, well, we're really good at multitasking,

Starting point is 00:01:41 but a lot of the experiences end up being somewhat shallow, name of the book. But long story short, when I did log on to social media on my laptop, I saw a lot of people asking me how I was doing. So yeah, there it is. Also, at the risk of losing a part of the audience that watches my show, I highly recommend that you take a, you test a small hiatus from a lot of social media. And if you're having a hard time thinking, well, which app should I target? Next time you're in a conversation with someone and there is even the slightest lull and you grab your phone,

Starting point is 00:02:07 whatever apps you would normally go to. But main point, it's very fascinating that in a world where we all of a sudden have access to everything, the benefit that can be provided by setting our own limits. Then we should talk about the international news that was students all over the world skipping school last Friday to protest for stronger climate change policies.

Starting point is 00:02:22 And all in all, according to reports, there were more than 2,000 protests held in 120 countries with general estimates saying that there were nearly 1.6 million people who came out to protest. And what we saw there was a number of highly organized protests led almost entirely by teenagers who believe politicians need to do more to address climate change at an international level.

Starting point is 00:02:39 Also in connection to this, several of the young leaders of the protests published an article in The Guardian about their movement and why they are striking. And in the article they keep repeating this line, This movement had to happen, we didn't have a choice. And the leaders cite a report published by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change back in October that argued, One, that the planet would warm by over 1.5 degrees Celsius, 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, without coordinated international policies to limit greenhouse gas emissions. And two, that the impacts could prove to be much more devastating than previous studies have shown

Starting point is 00:03:06 most specifically the IPCC report said that the international community needed to curb emissions by 2030 or risk runaway warming which as you can Probably tell by the sound of it essentially means a point of no return and the students who came out to protest say they've seen the impacts in their homes and all over the world and they feel like their future is in the hands of adults who are not Doing enough to stop climate change and that they are powerless because a lot of the kids who lead this movement, who are a part of this movement It turns out they aren't even old enough to vote. And the students believe that skipping school to strike It hits on a powerful point. According to the website For the Strike, school children are required to attend school But with the worsening climate destruction this goal of going to school begins to be pointless Why study for a future which may not be there?

Starting point is 00:03:42 Why spend a lot of effort to become educated when our governments are not listening to the educated? And looking into this, it was actually really interesting to find out how what may have been the largest environmental protest ever came to be. It all started back in August of last year when 15-year-old Greta Thunberg sat in front of the Swedish parliament to protest the lack of action being taken to address climate change.

Starting point is 00:04:00 And this wasn't just a one-time thing. Greta sat in front of parliament every school day for three weeks. She was posting to Instagram and Twitter all the while and eventually she started to go viral. And then in September Greta decided that she would continue striking every Friday until Sweden implements policies that would lower climate change by 2 degrees Celsius. A goal that, if you're wondering where she got that number, is in line with the Paris Climate Accord. And Greta continued to protest and continue to post pictures to social media using the hashtags Fridays for Future and Climate Strike. And those hashtags spread and you started seeing

Starting point is 00:04:28 a lot of students begin to protest outside of their parliaments, outside of their city halls, all over the world. Effectively starting the Fridays for Future movement. Their site says the movement follows Greta's call for school strikes and also provides materials on how to strike as well as links to social media accounts and contact information for affiliated strikes

Starting point is 00:04:44 all around the world. And it's really interesting to see how like this one woman protest became this global movement, how she's been championed as a leader. So much so that last week a group of Norwegian lawmakers nominated Greta for a Nobel Peace Prize. But of course not everyone is on the movement or Greta's train.

Starting point is 00:04:58 Back in February, the office of British Prime Minister Theresa May said that the school strikes in Britain were a distraction that quote, wastes lesson time. To which Greta responded, British PM says that the children on school strike are wasting lesson time. That may well be the case, but then again, political leaders have wasted 30 years of inaction, and that is slightly worse.

Starting point is 00:05:13 Also, while we're talking about impending disasters, we should talk about current disasters. If you haven't seen, throughout the week, Nebraska, Iowa, and several other Midwestern states have been experiencing record flooding as a result of what they call a bomb cyclone. As of recording this video, at least four people have died. Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts said that it is the most widespread disaster we have had in our state's history.

Starting point is 00:05:33 74 counties have declared a state of emergency. The financial damages of the storm are also getting very serious. Ricketts estimated $1.3 billion in damages in his state alone, and because Nebraska is a huge agricultural state, experts believe that there will be millions of dollars in damages to his state alone and because Nebraska is a huge agricultural state experts believe that there will be millions of dollars in damages to farms and livestock and losses for crop and cattle in the state have already reached a combined 800 million dollars with more damage is expected also with this situation We've seen President Donald Trump approved Nebraska to receive federal disaster aid the flooding in the Midwest is part of a trend of severe weather patterns nationwide and according to a report from the NOAA Nearly two-thirds of the lower 48 states face an elevated risk for flooding through May with the report according to a report from the NOAA, nearly two thirds of the lower 48 states

Starting point is 00:06:05 face an elevated risk for flooding through May. With the report also quoting the director of the NOAA's National Water Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, who said, the extensive flooding we've seen in the past two weeks will continue through May and become more dire and may be exacerbated in the coming weeks as the water flows downstream.

Starting point is 00:06:20 This is shaping up to be a potentially unprecedented flood season with more than 200 million people at risk for flooding in their communities. And according to the NOAA, the flooding in the Midwest was made worse by the heavy rain falling on unmelted snow. Which then flooded rivers and water basins, causing them to overflow. And this isn't just a fluke or a one-time thing. Many scientists have said the bomb cyclone is connected to climate change. And this is because greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere, which warms oceans and makes the air above them more humid. Storms then pick up that moisture and eventually drop it when it gets too heavy.

Starting point is 00:06:47 And according to Michael Wenner, a senior scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the atmosphere is pretty close to fully saturated. It's got all the water it can take. And he also noted that storms like Hurricane Harvey that hit Houston back in 2017 are examples of where the impact of climate change can be seen clearly. And this isn't just limited to one place, this is part of a global trend. Just this week we saw a cyclone hit Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi with over 300 deaths reported so far in total.

Starting point is 00:07:09 And that's without touching on the damage there which has been incredibly severe with millions impacted and hundreds of thousands of people without homes. And many of which are still waiting to be rescued. And I mean while we're talking numbers, we also don't know where the death toll will land. Earlier this week the president of Mozambique said he expects the death toll to be over 1,000. And of course with any of the situations we just talked about there if you'd like to help I'll include links to resources down

Starting point is 00:07:30 below. But yeah, I guess to wrap it back to where we started I mean this is something that we need to talk about and do something about now. An overwhelming majority of experts are saying we are just gonna be seeing more and more of this and it's gonna get worse and worse. And then I actually want to talk about a story that's kind of related. You know, we're talking about the future, where we are now, what the future will look like. And according to a new survey from the Pew Research Center,

Starting point is 00:07:51 Americans are optimistic about the future, but also not in any way. When Americans that were a part of the survey were asked, you know, what do you think about America in the next 30 years? How do you feel about the future of the United States? 44% pessimistic, 56% optimistic. Okay, that's pretty close.

Starting point is 00:08:04 Will the country be more or less politically divided? Overwhelmingly 65% said more. I also don't disagree personally. Will the United States be more or less important in the world? 60% say less. And you know, given the power moves that China and others have been making and in place of the United States, not crazy. Then the depressing, will the gap between the rich and poor grow or shrink? 73% say grow. 82% believe that robots and computers will probably or definitely do much of the work performed by humans today. 85% say that by the time they retire, they expect to receive no benefits

Starting point is 00:08:31 or less benefits from social security. Diversity was also an interesting one. According to the survey, 59% of Republicans and 46% of white people said that a majority non-white population will weaken American culture. And 30% overall said American customs and values would be strengthened. And to bring it back to climate change,

Starting point is 00:08:46 which we just talked a lot about, 60% of Democrats say they are very worried about climate change versus 15% of Republicans. Yeah, there's all of that. Also, 60% of Americans think that a terrorist attack that is worse than 9-11 will happen in the next 30 years. You know, as we often have to say, and very true with a story like this, only time can tell.

Starting point is 00:09:03 With all that said though, I'd love to know your thoughts regarding the future of america you finding yourself in the more majority or more minority opinion here based off of your personal life experience do you find this to be very on or off base let me know then there were a lot of requests for this it was the donald trump john mccain news and the reason for that is this week while speaking in ohio president donald trump brought up a late senator john mccain and during speech, his remarks about John McCain went on for about five minutes. He brought up McCain's choice to not vote to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. He also criticized the work, or what he referred to as the lack of results for veterans, but what caused the most controversy were his comments about McCain's funeral.

Starting point is 00:09:37 A lot of people are asking, because they love me, and they ask me about a man named John McCain. And if you want that to tell you about it, should I or not? Yes? Yes? So I have to be honest, I've never liked him much. And I gave him the kind of funeral that he wanted, which as president, I had to approve. I don't care about this. I didn't get thank you.

Starting point is 00:10:03 That's okay. We sent him on the way, but I wasn't a about this. I didn't get thank you. That's okay We sent him on the way But I wasn't a fan of John McCain and regarding the part of his approval because I've seen a lot of people saying a lot Of different things here Trump is likely referencing the fact that he had to approve military transport for the services But yeah If you remember the funeral McCain specifically didn't invite Trump to his funeral and requested that only former presidents be in attendance But these comments were really just the latest in a string of attacks against the senator over the weekend Trump sent out a series Of tweets accusing McCain of spreading the intelligence dossier with information on his administration before the 2016 election.

Starting point is 00:10:29 Though I will say on that note, there are many that are saying that is not true, with reports saying that McCain did not hand it over until a month after the election. And also in Trump's tweets, he referred to, quote, stains in McCain's career and called him, quote, last in class. And following Trump's comments, both spoken and on Twitter, there were people that were angry. This even including some Republicans. People like Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson, of note he's condemned Trump for these kind of comments in the past, and he said, It's deplorable what he said.

Starting point is 00:10:55 That's what I called it from the floor of the Senate seven months ago. It will be deplorable seven months from now, if he says it again, and I will continue to speak out. And Senator Mitt Romney tweeting, I can't understand why the president would once again disparage a man as exemplary as my friend John McCain. Heroic, courageous, patriotic, honorable, self-effacing, self-sacrificing, empathetic, and driven by duty to family, country, and God. We also saw McCain's adopted daughter, Bridget, who often stays out of the public eye, tweeting at Donald Trump, writing,

Starting point is 00:11:23 Donald Trump, everyone doesn't have to agree with my dad or like him But I do ask you to be decent and respectful if you can't do those two things be mindful We only said goodbye to him almost seven months ago Donald Trump Even if you were invited to my dad's funeral you would have only wanted to be there for the credit and not for any condolences Unfortunately, you could not be counted on to be courteous as you were a child in the most important role the world knows We also saw Senator Lindsey Graham respond a man who once called McCain one of my dearest friends and mentor. He's an American hero and nothing will ever diminish that. I think the president's comments about Senator McCain hurt him more than they hurt the legacy of Senator McCain.

Starting point is 00:12:01 You also had the Mitch McConnells, Martha McSally, Dan Sullivans of the world tweeting in response to the comments, but also doing so without naming Trump. Now that said, not everyone was either being quiet or speaking out against Trump. There were some who defended him. For example, on a show on Fox Business, Lou Dobbs justified the president and criticized those in the GOP who were turning on him. Now, there's a reason for those nasty remarks. There's a history between those two men. And the people who were attacking, including Mitch McConnell, attacking the president for his views on John McCain is asinine. And you also have other Trump supporters who have defended the president saying that he, you know, John McCain may be dead, but we're getting the news about McCain and the dossier now, so it justifies Trump's reaction. And actually, a last minute update to this story, I thought this story was done, we were covering it from earlier in the week.

Starting point is 00:12:47 It has now popped back into the news, thanks to something that happened on Fox Business. President Trump sat down with Fox Business' Maria Bartiromo. During the interview, Maria points out that he trashed John McCain, that John McCain can't punch back. Then we see Maria ask if he feels a responsibility to bring the nation together.

Starting point is 00:13:03 And then, as what was kind of a repeated thing, he brought up a repeal and replace. He talked about the dossier again. And this happened. Not by talking about John McCain. I just said you brought up a question, Maria. I didn't bring it up. I didn't mention John McCain until you asked me a question about John McCain. Now, I could say I have no comment, but that's not me.

Starting point is 00:13:20 But you shouldn't have brought it up. Actually, I thought you weren't supposed to bring it up, but that's okay. You know, fake news. Every once in a while. It's not fake news. You just told me why you have an issue with him. It's real news. I have a very serious issue.

Starting point is 00:13:32 Yeah, there you go. Fox Business is also fake news now. If it's negative, I guess it's fake. Although regarding fake news, it should be noted that Bartiromo has denied that there were any stipulations as far as the show is concerned. So it appears that the president

Starting point is 00:13:44 may have just made that up, or he has an understanding with Fox or Fox affiliates that they're not gonna ask him hardball questions. I don't know, that sounds negative to me, so that's probably fake news too. You know, that's a story. If in any way you're surprised by this story, where have you been?

Starting point is 00:13:58 Yeah, of course, like with everything we talk about, I'd love to know your thoughts on this. And that's where we're going to end today's show. And remember, if you like this video, hit us with a like. If you're new here, you want more, hit subscribe. Also, if you missed the last Philip DeFranco show, the last Extra Morning News deep dive, you want to catch up on that, click or tap right there to watch those. But with that said, of course, as always, my name's Philip DeFranco. You've just been filled in. I love yo faces, and I'll see you Monday.

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The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 3.22 I'm Quitting Social Media, Catastrophic Midwest Flooding, Students Step Up & More

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