The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 3.26 NEW TRUMP TEAM LEAKS & The Hasan Elon Musk Assassin's Creed Shadows Situation Divided The Internet

Episode Date: March 26, 2025

They dared them to release it and here we are... Get 15% OFF of food that fits your health journey today at http://www.banzadefranco.com with code DEFRANCO! Use code DEFRANCO at https://incogni.com/defranco to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan. Use code “PHIL” for $20 OFF your first SeatGeek order & returning buyers use code “PDS” for $10 off AND your chance at weekly $500 prizes! https://seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/PHIL Subscribe for New shows every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday @ 6pm ET/3pm PST & watch more here:  https://youtu.be/QMo4_wJTEBA?si=f-EJYxaVBt0WlTe2&list=PLHcsGizlfLMWpSg7i0b9wnUyEZWI-25N3&index=1  – ✩ TODAY’S STORIES ✩ – 00:00 - The Atlantic Releases the Trump Team’s Full Signal Texts 11:27 - Sponsored by Banza 12:37 - Elon Musk, Hasan Piker, & Ubisoft Get in Rift Over Assassin's Creed: Shadows 17:53 - Trump Signs Executive Order Requiring Proof of Citizenship to Vote 22:04 - Sponsored by Incogni 23:14 - Academy Accused of Ignoring “No Other Land” Director After West Bank Attack 27:03 - Pilot and Daughters Survive Plane Crash After Rescue Help by Good Samaritans  28:48 - Sponsored by SeatGeek 29:21 - Comment Commentary ——————————   Produced by: Cory Ray Edited by: James Girardier, Maxwell Enright, Julie Goldberg, Christian Meeks, Matthew Henry Art Department: William Crespo Writing/Research: Philip DeFranco, Brian Espinoza, Lili Stenn, Maddie Crichton, Chris Tolve, Star Pralle, Jared Paolino  ———————————— For more Philip DeFranco: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-philip-defranco-show/id1278424954 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6ESemquRbz6f8XLVywdZ2V Twitter:   https://x.com/PhillyD Instagram:   https://instagram.com/PhillyDeFranco Newsletter: https://www.dailydip.co TikTok:   https://www.tiktok.com/@philipdefranco?lang=en ———————————— #DeFranco #DonaldTrump #Hasanabi ———————————— Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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kiddie pool. Whatever groceries your summer calls for, Instacart has you covered. Download the Instacart app and enjoy $0 delivery fees on your first three orders. Service fees, exclusions, and terms apply. Instacart. Groceries that over-deliver. The Atlantic just dropped even more secret group chat leaks, and it looks even worse for the Trump team than before as the White House is trying to use semantics to downplay what an absolute dangerous disaster this is.

The Elon Musk, Hassan Piker, Assassin's Creed situation is equal parts pathetic and funny. We need to talk about the craziness that happened with one of the Palestinian directors of No Other Land following their Oscar win. And then a good news story to keep you sane. We're talking about all that and much more on today's brand new Philip DeFranco show.

You daily dive into the news, how it's being covered, and how people are reacting to it, starting with this. The Atlantic has now released the attack plans that Trump's top team shared in that secret signal group chat, and it sure is how it looks like Jeffrey Goldberg was telling the truth. Because as we talked about yesterday, Goldberg is the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, and earlier this month, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz accidentally added him to a signal group chat in which the vice president and top cabinet officials discussed plans to strike the Houthis in Yemen. Strikes which reportedly killed at least 53 people, including children. But then Goldberg revealing all of this a couple of days ago and claiming

that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared in the chat precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing. And so right away, you had legal experts noting that this whole dumpster fire could constitute violations of the Espionage Act and the Federal Records Act, not to mention just being a breach of national security. And it's not only because Goldberg was added to the chat, but because the chat existed in the first place. Reclassified materials are not supposed to be on private messaging platforms like Signal.

But despite all that, Trump, members of his administration, and other Republican allies have downplayed the whole situation, and notably, in many cases, denying that classified information had been shared. Right on Monday, you had Hegseth calling Goldberg a deceitful and highly discredited so-called journalist who's made a profession of peddling hoaxes and then saying, Nobody was texting war plans.

And that's all I have to say about that. Also at a Senate hearing yesterday, the director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, and the director of the central intelligence agency, John Ratcliffe, were both asked about the signal chat. With Gabbard telling members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, There was no classified material that was shared. And you had Ratcliffe were both asked about the signal chat, with Gabbard telling members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, there was no classified material that was shared. And you

had Ratcliffe saying much the same. My communications, to be clear, in a signal message group were entirely permissible and lawful and did not include classified information. And finally, yesterday, you had Trump himself saying, it wasn't classified information. So this was not classified. Now, if it's classified information, it's probably a little bit different. And so then, with that, you had Goldberg and his colleague Shane Harris writing today that these statements presented them with a dilemma, or with them noting that in the initial story about the signal jet, they withheld specific information related to weapons and to the timing of attacks that we found in certain texts, with them explaining that, as a general rule, they don't publish information about military operations if that

information could possibly jeopardize the lives of U.S. personnel. So saying that is why they chose to characterize the nature of the information being shared, not specific details about the attacks. But then a very key thing is they went on to say that the statements by Hegseth, Gabbard, Ratcliffe, and Trump combined with the assertions made by numerous administration officials that we are lying about the content of the signal text, that's led us to believe that people should see the text in order to reach their own conclusion and adding, there is a clear public interest in disclosing the sort of information

that Trump advisors included in non-secure communications channels, especially because senior administration figures are attempting to downplay the significance of the messages that were shared. Also with all of that, notably, Goldberg and Harris still asked officials in the Trump administration

if they objected to them publishing the full text. With reportedly White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt sending an email response riddled with typos saying, as we have repeatedly stated, there was no classified information transmitted in the group chat. However, that does not mean we encourage the release of the conversation.

Saying this was intended to be an internal and private deliberation amongst high level senior staff and sensitive information was discussed. So for those reasons, yes, we object to the release. And then in addition to that, you had a CIA spokesperson reportedly replying by asking them to withhold the name of Ratcliffe's chief of staff,

which he had shared in the signal chat because CIA intelligence officers are traditionally not publicly identified. Though here notably, Ratcliffe also defended his sharing of the officer's identity in the hearing yesterday. I communicated the name of a CIA officer not operating undercover, completely appropriate, who does openly and routinely coordinate

with the White House as a member of my staff. But still, even with Ratcliffe saying that, the Atlantic still opted to withhold the name of the officer. You know, other than that, they say that the messages are unredacted, some of which we've seen or had an idea about before. Are you J.D. Vance, for example,

seemingly disagreeing with Trump, writing, I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now. And then with that, another takeaway being the contempt members of the administration seem to have for our allies. With Hegseth writing,

I fully share your loathing of European freeloading. It's pathetic. But of course, most notably, right, the key thing is that we now got to see exactly what Goldberg meant when he said that Hegseth shared precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing. Because on March 15th, the day of the attack,

the defense secretary sent a team update announcing, "'Weather is favorable. Just confirm with CENTCOM we are a go for mission launch.'" With them then revealing at 1215, the first strike package, F-18 fighter jets, would be launched. Then at 145, they would strike their target terrorist, and MQ-9 strike drones would also be launched.

And that was sent at 1144 a.m., 31 minutes before the warplanes were launched, and about two hours before they were meant to reach their target. You know, I just cannot really overstate how important that information is. With Goldberg and Harris, for example, noting that experts have repeatedly told them

that the use of signal chat for such sensitive discussions poses a threat to national security. With them explaining, you know, amongst other things, that if this information, especially the exact times American aircraft were taking off for Yemen, had fallen into the wrong hands, American pilots and other American personnel

could have been exposed to even greater danger than they ordinarily would face. And then also, I mean, there's more. Because you had Hegseth sending additional updates about timing and weapons packages. With then at 1.48 PM after the initial strike, Waltz sending a message containing real-time intelligence about conditions at an attack site writing,

VP building collapse had multiple positive ID. With that, reportedly suggesting that US intelligence had ascertained the identities of the Houthi target or targets using either human or technical assets. With then, six minutes later, Vance, apparently confused by Waltz's message, responding with, what? To which Waltz then responded, typing too fast, the first target, their top missile guy, we had positive ID of him walking into his girlfriend's building and it's now collapsed. And then finally, Hegseth later telling the group that the attacks would be continuing and basically saying he would keep sharing these highly sensitive operational details in a group chat with people in it that he didn't even know were there, writing,

Great job all, more strikes ongoing for hours tonight and we'll provide full initial report tomorrow. But on time, on target, and good readout so far. Also, I'll say beyond that, as everyone's now getting their hands on this, you have people pointing out some other interesting things. Right, like for example, you had the Atlantic also publishing screen grabs showing the list of people in the chat. And notably absent is Admiral Christopher Grady, the acting chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the senior military advisor to the president and the defense secretary. So with that, you had the New York Times writing,

"'It is unheard of that the Pentagon's "'highest ranking officer would not be included "'in a senior meeting on a military operation.'" Also, you know, that message from Walt about IDing the guy walking into his girlfriend's building? With that, you had one former Pentagon correspondent for CNN noting that this offers insight into the military surveillance capabilities

in this location, writing, "'You only know that if you have overhead surveillance, "'coms intercepts, or an operative on the ground.'" But then, of course, in addition to that, there is the story on the flip side, because we are already seeing the pushback from the Trump administration, with the initial argument seemingly being based

around the idea that the first Atlantic article said, "'War plans,' and this one today says, "'Attack plans.'" With us seeing Levitt, the White Atlantic article said, war plans, and this one today says, attack plans. With us seeing Levitt, the White House press secretary, writing on X, this entire story was another hoax written by a Trump hater who is well-known for his sensationalist spin. And this is you had Mike Waltz, who yesterday said he took full responsibility

for Goldberg getting into the group, also saying, no locations, no sources and methods, no war plans. But then also a Pentagon spokesperson, Hegseth himself, hitting that same note, right? Calling the whole thing a hoax and really hitting on war plans versus attack plans. But then also a Pentagon spokesperson and Hegseth himself hitting that same note, right? Calling the whole thing a hoax and really hitting on war plans versus attack plans. Right, and so with that, you know,

we've seen a number of Trump supporters agreeing with that sentiment, but then others saying, no, you're just kind of arguing semantics. Right, arguing that even if they weren't full on war plans, however you define that, they were still attack plans and experts say that them being shared in this way could have put American lives in danger. But for example, one former Pentagon official

from the first Trump administration saying that the launch times posted in the chat would have been taken from a document outlining the real-time sequence of the operation. And adding, it is highly classified and protected. Disclosure would compromise the operation and put lives at risk. Next to nuclear and covert operations, this information is the most protected. And so with that, there have been increasing calls for Hegseth to step down, including from Senator Tammy Duckworth, who you had writing on X, "'Pete Hegseth is a fucking liar. This is so clearly classified info he recklessly leaked that could have gotten our pilots killed.

He needs to resign in disgrace immediately.'" Though this also is finally of people like Lindsey Graham kind of being somewhat in the middle, but still supporting Trump, reconceding that sensitive information had been shared, but still kowtowing to Trump, writing in a statement, "'I think President Trump has handled this matter well. And then adding further, I believe that all the participants in the chat were under the impression they were using an appropriate and

secure form of communication. This will also fall into the category of lessons learned. Though again, all of this is playing out as takes like Graham's and those that have been far more defensive have been put in the category of downplaying a catastrophic fuck up, right? Numerous people with the appropriate background and experience saying there's almost no way that this was not classified information handled in such a loosey goosey way. They literally had the editor in chief of the Atlantic in the chat and doing so on a less secure platform like Signal instead of secure government channels to possibly subvert Freedom of Information Act requests and conceal damning information from the public. I mean, it's part of the reason you've seen people who have traditionally been in Donald Trump and his

team's corner, like Dave Portnoy saying, "'Heads gotta roll over this.'" Or saying, Mike Waltz, you have to lose your job. I don't like calling for people's heads. Michael Waltz, it seems like you're the guy who added him to the group chat. You have to lose your job. You should step down.

You cannot be adding random people to a group chat with this sensitive classified information just to be like, oh no, poo poo, it's on him and he should have to a group chat with this sensitive classified information. Just be like, oh no, poo poo. It's on him. He should have left the group chat instantly. This guy shouldn't have stayed in. It's on Jeffrey Goldberg for not immediately being like, hey, I should be here. No, no. It's on you for adding them. Though, of course, with that, you had people noting just Goldberg being added to the chat was just one of the several issues about what was happening. Yes, it seemingly hits on incompetence, but also it just kind of hits on the part of

that's why they got caught. But then also in addition to that, notably this was all happening as US intelligence chiefs were again, getting ready to testify before the House Intelligence Committee, where we saw Democrats with giant printouts of the messages released this morning,

and then otherwise just hammering down how much of a massive fuck up this seemed to be and pushing for the administration to acknowledge that and accept responsibility, including there being calls for Hegseth to resign. Right at one point, for example, it was pointed out that the messages released today appear to directly contradict Gabbard's claim yesterday that precise operational issues were not part of this conversation. With Gabbard saying that her answer was based on her quote, recollection or lack thereof on the details that were posted in the chat. But you know, with that, she was still claiming that this information was not classified,

even if it was extremely sensitive. It was a mistake that a reporter was inadvertently added to a signal chat with high-level national security principles, having a policy discussion about imminent strikes against the Houthis. The conversation was candid and sensitive. But as the president and national security advisor stated, no classified information was shared. There were no sources, methods, locations, or war plans

that were shared. But then at the same time, we saw that she didn't disagree that information about the timing of the attacks was classified as top secret under intelligence community rules. But she then also defended it by saying that the material was posted to the chat by Hegseth, and as secretary of defense, he is in charge of declassifying material from the Pentagon. And this is Ratcliffe, on the other hand, accused Goldberg of being deliberately false and misleading in his reporting, insisting that he didn't share any classified information, but then also seemingly ducking the question of if classified information had been shared in general.

My answers haven't changed. I used an appropriate channel to communicate sensitive information. It was permissible to do so. I didn't transfer any classified information. You know, with all of this, we're going to have to wait to see how things play out, right? Do we get more information? Is there any real fallout or accountability? All of this, of course, developing in real time.

So in the meantime, I got to pass the question off to you. What are your thoughts, opinions, and reactions here? Let me know what they are in those comments down below, because yes, this is a news show, but I also want it to be a conversation. And then I've got more news for you in just a moment. But first, so many of y'all have been so supportive of me and my health journey, so thank you for that. I've posted progress shots like these

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for 15% off with code DEFRANCO today. But then, from that, next up today, we gotta talk about the so-called anti-woke video game culture war once again sparking up because of the game Assassin's Creed Shadows. But to really get into this weird, funny place, right, I mean, it's gotten about the so-called anti-woke video game culture war once again sparking up because of the game Assassin's Creed Shadows. But to really get into this weird, funny place, right? I mean, it's gotten to the point where even the company behind the game, Ubisoft, has waded into the trenches

and they're clapping back at self-described anti-woke figures and defending creators like Hasan Piker. But to fully understand how we got here, we also have to go back a little bit. But really, if you're at all into video games and also somewhat online, you've probably at least heard about some of the controversy. Because really, ever since it was revealed that the main characters of Shadows were a woman ninja and a black samurai, the so-called anti-woke people have kind of been at the game's throat. And while there are several things that

are hit on mostly, they claim that the game is forcing the black character Yasuke into a prominent role when the game is set in feudal Japan. Now with that, Yasuke is based on an actual figure, and there's a lot of historical debate about him, but the most commonly accepted thing is that he was given at least some kind of status in Japan and likely a samurai. But you know, regardless, it's a game about a secret society of assassins and there's bound to be some creative liberties, right?

And that was all before the game actually even came out. So, you know, ever since it's released this month, we've seen figures in the anti-woke gaming sphere like Mark Grum's Kern, continuing their crusade against the game's so-called woke aspects. For example, they bashed that both characters had same-sex romance options,

and so when Hasan Piker bit a sponsor stream of the game, it was like a perfect storm for them. But they got to bash a figure on the far left and a game they currently despise, so we saw Kern tweeting out a screenshot of Hasan's sponsored tweet and writing, you can tell a lot about Ubisoft with how much money they're throwing

at terrorist platforming streamers. With then Elon Musk even jumping into the mix and writing, Hasan is a fraud. And then sellout would be more accurate. Objectively, he is promoting a terrible game just for the money. With that then turning into an unexpected back and forth with Hasan bringing up the fact that Musk paid someone

to play Path of Exile 2 for him at an extremely high level in order to look better at the game than he was writing. This bitch literally paid someone to power level his character in PoE 2. What you mean I'm a fraud? Elon, I challenge you to a duel in Elden Ring. I will cook your fat rolling ass. With that, then turning into grums, defending Elon by saying that he wasn't paid to play PoE 2

while asking how much Hasan was paid to play Shadows. To which Musk responded with this classy tweet, where he also said that Hasan had blocked him. With Hasan then defending the block, saying that he was tired of Musk's pose being all over his timeline after he bought the site. With him then suggesting that Musk should come onto his stream and later added, if Elon isn't chicken shit, he'll come on the stream. But adding, we all know he won't. He ducked Mark Zuckerberg. He ran away from Jon Stewart and now he's ducking a Twitch stream. He then also reposted clips of Musk's ex Grimes on his stream, asking him questions like, why are you so buff? And while he was live yesterday, he also joked, I'm going to have Grimes on again on the broadcast. You keep

this shit up, Elon. You keep this shit up. I'm going to have Grimes on again on the broadcast. You keep this up, Elon. You keep this up. I'm going to have Grimes on the broadcast. I'm going to have your daughter on the broadcast. You keep this up. You keep it going. I'm going to interview. I'm going to interview everybody. With that and a follow-up video to all this, Hassan actually revealing that he unblocked Musk so that Musk could reply to his challenge to appear on stream with him going on to say, my challenge is still simple. Elon Musk, come on the stream. Show everybody how not afraid you are. Except Elon Musk, you have backed away from challenges time and time again. You know, all of this was already enough to make the situation spread across people's timelines. But then things really took off when Ubisoft itself decided to join in and respond to Musk

calling Hassan a sellout whip. Is that what the guy playing your Path of Exile 2 account told you? But then Grums attempting to dunk on them, responding with an article that claims Shadows isn't the success that embattled Ubisoft needs right now. But then the social media person at Ubisoft being quick with it and posting, our game is out, which is a reference to the fact that Grums has allegedly been developing a game for years now with no tangible progress. Twitch Grums responded by making a few tweets, making fun of Ubisoft and their game by pointing out that an indie game that just came out

is doing better on Steam and claiming that their attempts to ratio him and Musk weren't successful. And there, while it is definitely true that Schedule One is doing better on Steam, a game like Assassin's Creed also relies heavily on platforms like PlayStation, Xbox, and such to do well. So that's not a huge indicator.

But then also regarding the ratio, it looks like he took the screenshot right when it happened because as of recording, it is a blowout with Musk's and Grum's tweets collectively getting 81,000 likes, whereas Assassin's Creed's clapback is sitting at 585,000. And this is they also went on to retweet their burn against Musk with a quote from their own game, which also went viral. But I mean, it's even gotten to a point where it's spawning its own popular memes and you have people claiming that the fact that the company stood up to Musk was enough for them to buy the game now rather than wait for a sale. The well of this is you have people claiming that the fact that the company stood up to Musk was enough for them to buy the game now rather than wait for a sale. The well of this is you have

some claiming that Ubisoft is buying likes and spending time on this, which is why they're in financial trouble right now. But really, we haven't seen any real proof that the likes were purchased. Not to mention that it appears that the success of Shadow has actually helped their stock. Also, with this, I'll say that it's very interesting that a social media team like for Ubisoft is doing something like this. That's kind of rare because they're at a place where they don't want to alienate potential fans and lose sales. And so you have outlets like Forbes backing this up, writing, it is very hard to get tweets fully approved for big name brand accounts. So to have Ubisoft social snap after months and months of harassment is something to

behold. Though I will say, I do think that we're going to see more and more of this in the future, especially on platforms like X, because when it comes to all the different social media companies, you know, there, yes, are a lot of similarities, but also depending on certain platforms, things thrive more than in other places. And so, you know, when it comes to X, the, I guess the primary currencies I would call it would be clapbacks and dunking on, right? X, Twitter, so much of it is essentially just people fighting. And so seemingly more and more people want brands to step up. Or when they get hit, they don't want some lawyer speak professional statement. They'd rather the brand respond, sounds like you're bitch made. Now, obviously not all brands some lawyers speak, professional statement, they'd rather the brand respond, sounds like your bitch made.

Now, obviously not all brands. You know, for now we'll have to wait to see if the fuck it will never make them happy sort of mindset is what continues to grow, or if this is more of an outlier situation. But then next up from that in the news, we got to talk about President Trump signing an executive order requiring people

to show proof of citizenship before registering to vote. Or which is notably something the executive branch really shouldn't be able to do unilaterally, but it appears that Trump is trying to exploit the Election Assistance Commission to do it. Or with that being an independent bipartisan agency that was created in Congress after the 2000 Bush v. Gore fiasco that supports local election officials

by doing things like certifying voting equipment and funding tech upgrades. And so Trump's order directs the commission to add a proof of citizenship requirement to its voter registration form, and any states that refuse to comply will be starved of federal funds. Now, notably with that, to be clear, the current form already makes you swear under penalty of perjury that you are a citizen and ask for a driver's

license number, state ID number, or social security number. You see, Trump, he wants to require actual documentary proof and only certain documents count, namely a U.S. passport, a military ID, or an ID that complies with the Real ID Act or otherwise proves citizenship. With very notably, birth certificates not explicitly being mentioned, which has led to some to presume that they won't count since Trump's already trying to divorce being born here from being a citizen by repealing birthright citizenship. Now, officially, the purpose of this order is to prevent non-citizens from voting, but the thing is, there's no evidence that non-citizens actually do vote in any meaningful numbers. I mean, in 2016, for example, the Brennan Center for Justice found just 30 cases of suspected non-citizens actually do vote in any meaningful numbers. I mean, in 2016, for example, the Brennan Center for Justice found just 30 cases

of suspected non-citizens voting out of 23.5 million votes cast or 0.0001%. I mean, hell, Trump's own Election Integrity Commission disbanded without releasing evidence of voter fraud. And then when non-citizens do vote, they tend to be legal immigrants who mistakenly believe that they're eligible. So by most accounts, it really doesn't appear

like it's something that people are getting away with, especially at any sort of meaningful scale. Right, every voter registered and every ballot cast leaves a paper trail that election officials routinely examine and registering or voting without citizenship or crimes punishable by several years in prison or deportation. But this also here is seeing Sean Morales Doyle,

a lawyer at the Brennan Center, hitting on this, telling NBC News, "'This is a crime where not only are the consequences "'really high and the payoff really low, "'you're not getting millions of dollars. "'It's not getting millions of dollars. It's not robbing a bank. You get to cast one ballot.

But what also makes this somewhat unique is that committing this crime actually entails the creation of a government record of your crime, which, you know, is just one of the reasons that critics argue that this executive order really isn't about non-citizens, right? Arguing that it's actually meant to effectively disenfranchise

tens of millions of legal citizens. And that, because for a lot of people, especially lower income folks, proving that you're a citizen can be a huge hassle. Right among other things, according to the State Department, only about half of Americans had US passports last year. Also, according to the Brennan Center, 9% of eligible voters don't have proof of citizenship

readily available. Additionally, only five states offer enhanced driver's licenses that show proof of citizenship. And then, you know, some of the other documents listed in Trump's order, like real IDs and military IDs, don't always show proof of citizenship either. But then also that's not everything the order does

because it also directs the Justice Department to sue states that accept ballots postmarked on or before election day and received afterward. With a very big thing there being that those states also get starved of federal funds. It then also bans election equipment that uses QR codes, requiring costly replacements that'll be harder to pay for without those federal funds.

And then lastly, it asks the Department of Homeland Security and the Doge team to subpoena states for their voter roles so they can hunt for ineligible voters. Which you know is a move that critics fear would let Elon Musk amplify more lies about voter fraud the same way he spread baseless claims of social security fraud. Plus there's a worry that databases might seem

like they include non-citizens when they're just outdated and those people have since been naturalized. And so if the Doge team prompts state governments to purge their voter rolls, that could disenfranchise eligible voters too. Now with this, I'll say like with virtually everything Trump's done since taking office, this order is all but certain to be challenged in the courts, especially as numerous election law experts have pointed out

that the president has almost no authority over election rules. You know, the constitution generally leaves it up to each state to determine how its elections are run, though Congress can impose some minimum standards. But even for that, it would need to pass a law, which is something that Republicans are currently trying to do with the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship,

including birth certificates. Of course, the big thing is that bill is expected to have a hard time getting through the Senate. But going back to it, as he signed the executive order yesterday, Trump suggested this was only the beginning. There are other steps that we will be taking in the coming weeks.

This country is so sick because of the election, the fake elections and the bad elections. And we're gonna straighten that out one way or the other. But for now, we're gonna have to wait to see how this plays out. Though, there are a number of people very concerned here, especially because in connection to this, people have been looking back and sharing that clip

of Trump on the election trail where he said, You gotta get out and vote. In four years, you don't have to vote again. We'll have it fixed so good, you're not gonna have to vote. And then we'll get to more news in just a moment. But you know, we've all had this experience, right? You search for something and then suddenly targeted ads are popping up everywhere. And I've definitely had those moments where I was like, is this ad targeting me because I said something to Linz out loud? It's all super weird. But yeah, you know,

main thing here, there is a massive data collection industry behind the internet and most have no idea how extensive it really is. Personal details, full name, home address, email, phone numbers being traded by data brokers without our knowledge or consent. But the good news, you have the legal right to demand these companies delete your information, but doing so yourself, it could take years. Luckily though, thanks to our sponsor Incogni, you can take control of your privacy as they reach out to data brokers for you, requesting the removal of your personal data and handling their objections. You know, data brokers, they're not just data brokers for you, requesting the removal of your personal data and handling their objections. You know, data brokers,

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But then next up today and some other big news, the Film Academy refused to support an award-winning director after he was beaten and taken by Israeli soldiers. That is what the directors of the documentary "'No Other Land' are alleging happened to their Palestinian collaborator, Hamdan Bilal." And for those who don't know,

Bilal is one of the several co-directors of the film, which won Best Documentary at the Academy Award just a few weeks ago. It's about Israeli displacement of Palestinians living in the West Bank, and it was made by a group of Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers. And on Monday, Bilal was one of three Palestinians

detained in a West Bank village. With the saying, the IDF tweeting out that a violent clash broke out after people were throwing stones at Israeli filmmakers. And on Monday, Bilal was one of three Palestinians detained in a West Bank village. With seeing the IDF tweeting out that a violent clash broke out after people were throwing stones at Israeli citizens and claiming that when the IDF showed up, people began throwing stones at them and the forces arrested three Palestinians accused of participating as well as an Israeli who was involved in the clash.

But you then also had one witness disputing that version of events to the Associated Press. And Beisel Adra, another co-director of No Other Land who reportedly witnessed the incident, told the outlet that around two dozen settlers, some masked or carrying guns, attacked the village shortly after residents were breaking fast for Ramadan. Adding that Bilal's wife allegedly heard him being beaten,

screaming that he was dying, and with that, Adra saying that Bilal was then handcuffed and blindfolded and taken into a military vehicle. With other witnesses backing up details of his account, and another one of the co-directors of No Other Land posting a video claiming to show settlers throwing rocks. Right, so understandably when this news came out, it made a bunch of headlines because like I said,

not long ago, Bilal was in Los Angeles picking up the most prestigious prize in Hollywood. And with that, you saw places like The Intercept noting that this award-winning filmmaker was the victim of the very violence his documentary depicts. And with that, the outlet also noted that settler violence, yes, it's common in the area he's from, but it's also actually increased since the Oscars.

With Audra even telling the AP, we came back from the Oscars and every day since there is an attack on us. This might be their revenge on us for making the movie. It feels like a punishment. And then, you know, with that, yesterday morning, we got the news that Bilal was released and taken to the hospital.

And in testimony obtained by the AP, he said he had gone out to film the settlers as they attacked homes and the village, but when he got back to his house, a settler who had previously threatened him showed up with two soldiers. He also denied that he threw stones and told the AP that he was blindfolded for 24 hours

and adding, all my body is pain. I heard the voices of the soldiers, they were laughing about me. I heard Oscar, but I didn't speak Hebrew. With reports also saying that settlers had attacked Jewish activists at the scene as well. Bring with this whole situation, it's prompted a ton of outrage in the film industry.

Like while Bilal's whereabouts were still unknown, a group of filmmakers signed a petition demanding his immediate release and safety. The International Documentary Association also released a statement asking for the same and further demanding that his quote, "'Family and community be informed about his condition, location and the justification for his detention.'"

With also other stations or film groups releasing similar pleas, and you had Mark Ruffalo demanding that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which puts on the Oscars, also speak out, writing in an Instagram comment, every filmmaker and Academy member should be acting together in protest.

No matter where you stand on this issue, this is an attack on our beloved art form of filmmaking. Hamdan Bilal is a political prisoner, and this is an international incident in violation of human rights. But then also, this morning, you had No Other Land co-director Yuval Abraham saying that the Academy dismissed calls to address the situation, writing, Several U.S. Academy members, especially in the documentary branch, pushed for a statement, but it was ultimately refused, saying,

And continuing, in other words, while Hamdan was clearly targeted for making No Other Land, he was also targeted for being Palestinian, like countless others every day who were disregarded. This, it seems, gave the Academy an excuse to remain silent when a filmmaker they honored, living under Israeli occupation, needed them the most. Though this, as he added, it's not too late for the Academy to change their mind and that a statement condemning the attack could still be meaningful. Now with that, I'll say that his statement has prompted tons of responses from people slamming the Academy, but also so far, the Academy has not publicly responded to the backlash with Hollywood Reporter noting that the organization has a longstanding policy of not commenting on matters outside of its immediate

purview. But for now, we'll have to see if they change their mind or if anything changes. And in the meantime, of course, I'd love to know your thoughts here. But then switching gears from that, next up for your daily good news to keep you sane, we've got a pilot and his two daughters being rescued after surviving 12 hours on the wing of their crash plane. Which is the way this story goes is that on Sunday afternoon,

a pilot took his two young girls out for a sightseeing flight in the Cannae Peninsula in a Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser. But then they didn't make it back Sunday night when they were supposed to, which prompted a family member to take to Facebook, pleading with the community to help find the small plane because it didn't have a locator beacon. And as luck may have it, one of the people who saw that post was Terry Goetz, who joined roughly a dozen other pilots

in looking for the plane on Monday morning. But Terry then heading towards a lake at the foot of a glacier when he saw the wreckage saying, it kind of broke my heart to see that, but as I got closer down and lower, I could see that there's three people on top of the wing. So he said he said a prayer, he headed towards the plane, and that's when he saw that all three people were alive and moving, even waving to him. But Terry then getting on the radio saying that he'd found them and their location was relayed to troopers. And so after roughly 12 hours and below freezing temperatures on the wing of this plane, the family was rescued via helicopter with no significant injuries, though the dad was hypothermic to some extent. And notably, according to the commander of the National Guard Aviation Unit that did the rescuing,

this was the luckiest way the situation could have turned out, saying, it was literally the best possible scenario and outcome. Ultimately, the crew of that plane were lucky because from what my guys told me, that plane was in the ice with the tail refrozen, and if that tail hadn't refrozen, it would have sunk. Now, as far as other information,

we currently don't know why the plane crashed, but according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, that area is, quote, "'notorious for its sudden, dangerous winds.'" With also a local meteorologist adding, "'The terrain helps turn the winds around, "'and occasionally they get a little squirrely.'" You know, you had Terry also agreeing

that the area can be dangerous to fly in, both with the winds and the water being whipped up into waves, saying, "'It's just a recipe for chaos and for turbulence.'" You know, the main thing here is that everyone here is safe and sound, all thanks to these BAMPs who just went out in the search of this family and those who got them off of that plane wing.

Good people doing great things and you love to see it. But then finally today, let's end with a congratulations and talk about yesterday's comments. Starting with a congratulations to Dustin, H-SeatGeek's latest weekly winner, who's using his $500 in tickets for a Washington Capitals game, which I will say, I've noticed a lot of hockey fans

out there lately, but also for everyone else, that's right. SeatGeek is still giving away $500 in tickets, and you should definitely answer today if you haven't already. I mean, just imagine being the next winner and snagging $500 towards seeing your favorite artist, sporting event, or play. And y'all, I mean, there's over 70,000 events to choose from. And all you got to do, just add code PDS to your SeatGeek app profile for a chance at the weekly $500 prize, no purchase necessary. So get in on it. It is a win-win. Hi there, I'm Ryan Reynolds, and I have a list of things I like to have on set. It's just little things like two freshly cracked eggs,

scrambled with crispy hash brown, sausage crumble, and creamy chipotle sauce from Tim Hortons. From my rider to Tim's menu, try my new scrambled eggs loaded breakfast box. But like I said, we need to talk about yesterday in some comment commentary. Right in those comments, there were a lot of conversations, obviously,

around the signal scanner. With, for example, Pink Bar a lot of conversations, obviously, around the Signal scandal. With, for example, Pink Barbarian saying, "'If a Walmart manager accidentally sent an email "'to the wrong address containing any private information "'about their employees, he would be beyond fired. "'But yet these guys share national security intel "'with a reporter and they make it seem like a oopsie daisy. "'Make it make sense.'"

Others lamenting, "'What, rich and powerful people are above accountability?' "'Never would have guessed.'" You also had others adding, the two parts that pissed me off the most are, A, their flip from when it was Hillary to when it's them. Let's hold them to the standards they were calling for. And B, the dismissal that the attacks went well,

so it was clearly fine as if they didn't get lucky and the person they added could have just as easily been an adversary. You also had Stealth saying, imagine classified chats being leaked and in all seriousness saying, someone shouldn't lose their job over it. Right in all of this is you had Sativa Divaiva saying it's worth noting that using Signal to avoid government

regulations on keeping records is literally in Project 2025. Yeah, ain't it weird how that thing keeps popping up? It's almost as if it was like a connected playbook and strategy in some regards. Right, in general, a lot of the comments kind of hit on those things, which makes sense because they're kind of, I think, in my opinion, common sense reaction. But then also, in addition to that, there were a lot of people that were happy to hear the sickle cell news, including people sharing their own situation, saying, I'm a sickle cell carrier and my sister is sickle cell. To hear that someone has been cured by medical intervention makes me cautiously optimistic that if I have kids who have sickle cell, there will be a way to cure them. And adding, even my sister, as knowledgeable

as she is about the condition, she's even a doctor, I want her to be able to do things without worrying about the limitations of her condition. I'm so glad. But then also in addition to that, there were comments around the Tesla terrorism task force situation. And generally there, a lot of the comments were making comparisons. Comments like, yeah, Tesla deserves a whole task force and even calls to brand it as domestic terrorism,

but hundreds of kids getting shot, thoughts and prayers. Though to that, I would argue it's kind of on the kids if you think about it, like if they wanted more than thoughts and prayers, maybe they should go zero to 1600 or two seconds. And then maybe while they're at it, you know, spend hundreds of millions of dollars to help get a president elected.

You ever think about that? It's kind of on them when you frame it that way. He said sarcastically, "'But that my friends, you beautiful bastards is where your Wednesday evening, Thursday morning dive into the news is gonna end." Though I'm not just leaving you out into the wilderness. Cause remember I got a brand new show for you

every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 6 p.m. Eastern, 3 p.m. Pacific. Thank you for watching. I love your faces, and I'll see you right back here tomorrow.