The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 3.31 What The James Charles Controversy Exposes, PizzaGaetz, Biden Infrastructure News

Episode Date: March 31, 2021

Go to https://Stamps.com and use my code PHIL to get a 4-week trial plus free postage and a digital scale! I’M MOVING (New DeFranco Does Video): https://youtu.be/g_r_SMptnAs -- SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter!  http://www.DeFrancoDailyDownload.com WATCH Mike Birbiglia Podcast: https://youtu.be/9_KEN-lrEKQ  -- WATCH Full “A Convo With” Podcasts: https://www.youtube.com/ACW  LISTEN On The Podcast Platform Of Your Choice: http://LinksHole.com WATCH the ACW Clips channel!: https://youtube.com/ACWClips -- 00:00 - Keeping My Promise 01:42 - James Charles Allegations 05:17 - New York Legalizes Marijuana For Adult Use 06:57 - Sponsor 08:00 - Man Arrested For New York Hate Crime Attack 09:42 - Biden’s Infrastructure Plan 11:42 - #PizzaGaetz -- ✩ SUPPORT THE SHOW ✩ ✭ BUY our GEAR, Support the Show!: http://ShopDeFranco.com ✭ Lemme Touch Your Hair: http://BeautifulBastard.com ✭ Paid Subscription: http://DeFrancoElite.com  ✩ TODAY’S STORIES ✩  James Charles Accused of Flirting with Teen: https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/james-charles-faces-further-accusations-of-flirting-with-underage-teen-1544041/ New York Legalizes Recreational Weed: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/31/nyregion/cuomo-ny-legal-weed.html Suspect in NY Attack Caught: https://abc7ny.com/nyc-asian-attack-brandon-elliot-arrest-stop-hate/10461853/ Biden Unveils Infrastructure Plan: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/03/31/fact-sheet-the-american-jobs-plan/ Matt Gaetz Under DOJ Investigation: https://roguerocket.com/2021/03/31/matt-gaetz-under-investigation/  ✩ STORIES NOT IN TODAY’S SHOW ✩ Apple’s Next iOS Update Will Finally Fix a Bug That Blocks Searches of “Asian” https://roguerocket.com/2021/03/31/apple-ios-asian-search-terms/ Britney Spears Addresses New York Times Documentary: https://roguerocket.com/2021/03/31/britney-separs-responds-doc/ UK Report Faces Backlash After Saying Country Not "Structurally Racist" https://roguerocket.com/2021/03/31/uk-report-faces-backlash/ ——————————     Edited by: James Girardier, Julie Goldberg, Maxx Enright Produced by: Amanda Morones Art Director: Brian Borst  Writing/Research: Philip DeFranco, Lili Stenn, Maddie Crichton, Cory Ray, Neena Pesqueda, Brian Espinoza Production Team: Zack Taylor ———————————— #DeFranco #MattGaetz #TrishaPaytas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So I'm a man of my word, you monster! Yesterday I said, if you got that video to 135,000 likes, I would show you my teeth nubs from my medical emergency. And enough, you weirdos, completely obliterated that goal. And also if you do not want to see, you just skip to this time code because you may have the same reaction that my wife had. That's scary, I don't like it.

Or maybe you'll react like one of my boys did. What? Wait, your grownup teeth fell off. I don't like it. Or maybe you'll react like one of my boys did. Wait. Your grown-up teeth fell off. Mm-hmm. How? So here we go. I kind of don't want to show you, but take care of your teeth when you're younger, kids.

Oh, no. Also, I want to take this opportunity because I saw some people like really pumped to see this, but also people being like, don't feel like you're forced. Yeah, no, understand that I don't feel forced. I feel like this and the like button challenge, it's just friends messing around. If I actually ever felt uncomfortable, I wouldn't do it,

but I appreciate the thought. Also, I do want to take this second because I've noticed over the last two years, at least, that there's this weird trend of, especially young people flexing their veneers and their crowns and stuff like that. It should not be a flex. I a million times wish I had braces

and I took care of my teeth when I was younger because veneers and crowns, they're not forever. Like I'm gonna have to get my whole mouth worked on several times before I die, hopefully. Hopefully I live that long. And also parents, feel free to use that clip to get my whole mouth worked on several times before I die, hopefully. Hopefully I live that long. And also parents feel free to use that clip to get your kids to brush their teeth. Cause that is exactly what I'm doing with my boys.

With that said, welcome back to the Philip DeFranco Show. Maybe hit that subscribe button, that like button for me being such a good sport. Let's give it up for me. I don't get enough applause and attention. Yeah, welcome back to the Philip DeFranco Show. Let's just jump into it. First up, as I promised yesterday,

let's talk about this whole James Charles situation. Now, he has still not responded to a request for comment, but now that we have the time, let's break down the latest allegations against him. The reason I say latest is he has yet again been accused of inappropriate interactions with an underage fan. This fan, who reportedly goes by the name Jake Cherry

on TikTok, is reportedly 16 years old, and he posted two videos detailing their interactions, sharing alleged Snapchats where James called him cute. He then shared alleged screenshots of their messages where it looks like James got aggressive and angry with Jake after he apparently posted screenshots of their Snapchats on his private story, with James allegedly saying, "'What the fuck is your problem?

"'I strongly recommend that you keep my name "'out of your mouth or we're going to have a major problem. "'I'd love to remind you that you are the one "'that called me cute and said you were bisexual "'and into me.'" It also appears to show Jake claiming that they had talked about this before. James calls that a complete lie, says Jake's backpedaling because he got caught.

In another screenshot, it appears you have James accusing Jake of lying about his age and saying that he deleted the messages where that happened. Jake denies this. You see James insisting that Jake initiated the flirting, accusing him of violating his privacy, which he says is the lowest of the low.

You have Jake saying he understands and he never intended anything bad by posting their interactions and adding, if anyone says you did something wrong, I can assure you that you did not. It also appears that James shares a screenshot of someone saying in a message that James had been snapping a 16 year old

and calling him cute. James then saying, get your fucking friend in line before I do. We also see captions in both those TikToks saying, I miss you, implying Jake has since been blocked or shut out by James. But both of those videos have now been deleted. But you know, like I said,

this is just the latest of accusations. Just around a month ago, he was accused of sending and soliciting pictures from a minor, though there he denied grooming that person, saying that he was told that person was 18. But that incident also prompted two other people to speak out around that time, including a 17 year old who said that James flirted

with him online despite knowing his age, as well as another person who said that they were trying to be friends with James, but James kept asking for explicit photos and then stopped talking to him. And so what we're seeing online because of all of this, you have a lot of people angry, demanding some accountability, some consequences.

With some, including creator Trisha Paytas, tweeting that James Charles deserves prison, saying, I really hope one of these parents press charges. It's so nauseating, I'm physically nauseous, and he's so cocky about getting away with it all. With Paytas also going on to call James Charles a pedophile in multiple tweets, that he's a dangerous threat, as well as that he deserves to be banned

and stripped from all social platforms. We've also seen what appears to be a number of creators kind of having their opinion evolve on this matter, with creators like Angelica Ohls tweeting, "'Okay, I've been giving James the benefit of the doubt, "'but none, not a single one, of the guys he's been messaging "'looks 18 or older. They're all high schoolers and look like it."

Right, along those lines, you also had some questioning specifically with Jake. How did James Charles not know he was underage? And this appears to be in part because it looks like in a screenshot, James wishes him a happy birthday on what now appears to be his 16th birthday because months prior he had made TikToks

saying that he was 15. But I mean, that's kind of where we are unless more people come forward, if there are advances along some sort of legal avenue. You know, with this situation, I really hope that we can get to the bottom of it because I know some people are gonna be like, oh, it's drama.

Like these are legal claims. Because at the end of the day, depending on the reality of all these situations, let's go from one end to the other. On one end, you could have a story about someone preying on young children using their platform in that way, or on the complete opposite end, at the very least, you have a conversation of you probably shouldn't be trying

to fuck your fans because you engaged in that behavior and you didn't do your due diligence, you made yourself an easy target, right? Oversimplified, that's kind of the range that we're talking about here. Once again, and as always, I say this as someone that is welcome and open to any and all information. It's why I always reach out for comment, even though people rarely respond back.

Because if there's evidence that there's a lie, there's missing information, there are explanations that explain things away. Let's show them. But, you know, that said, that is where this story ends for now. Then, in fantastic news out of New York, if you are a fan of what my grandmother called the devil's lettuce, New York state lawmakers yesterday passed a bill to legalize recreational marijuana for people 21 and above. In addition to that, one of the biggest things with this bill, as Axios explained, is that it will expunge records for thousands of people

who have passed marijuana-related convictions. Very notably, black and brown people represented 94% of marijuana arrests in New York City in 2020. Actually, as we were recording today, we got the news that Governor Andrew Cuomo officially signed the legislation. And as far as what this means from a money, a business standpoint, it's being reported

that the state is expected to collect around $350 million in new taxes annually. As well as experts saying that this newly legalized industry there could create between 30,000 to 60,000 new jobs. And not a shocker for anyone that's been watching me any time over the past 15 years, but I think this is a good move. I mean, the decriminalization at least of marijuana

just makes sense. And I think that the legalization for both medical and recreational, it just makes sense as well. It's been unjustly demonized for years and years and years, in my opinion. And actually, because marijuana legalization has gone so mainstream, it has so much public support now,

especially compared to where we were 10, 20 years ago, I have a new potentially controversial take. I think we as a country need to very much look into the legalization of psilocybin, AKA magic mushrooms. There understandably needs to be more, but the research so far as far as helping with depression is extremely promising. And actually from a legal standpoint,

I think we talked about it late last year, Oregon actually became the first state to legalize psilocybin in any therapeutic setting, thanks to a public vote. Though technically it hasn't already started cause they have this two year period where they have to figure out how to make all of this work. But yeah, whether it be a marijuana or psilocybin

for the future, like with everything, we have to wait and see. Then in a positive update on a story we covered yesterday, which unfortunately doesn't feel like a sentence I get to say that often, the man who was seen in that security footage violently attacking a 65 year old Asian woman while yelling slurs in New York

has been caught and arrested on hate crime charges. With police saying they identified the man, 38 year old Brandon Elliott, after getting multiple tips and arrested him at his residence, which was a hotel serving people experiencing homelessness near the site of the attack. With police also saying that Elliott was actually convicted of stabbing his mother to death back in 2002,

but he was released on lifetime parole back in 2019. With the Associated Press also reporting that the parole board had denied his release twice and that his record also included an arrest for robbery in 2000. So yeah, you know, a great guy to just be releasing without proper resources or care into the community. Which is actually a thing that NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea

hit on this morning, talking to reporters and saying, When you're releasing people from prison and you're putting them in homeless shelters, you're asking for trouble. There's gotta be a safety net and there's gotta be resources for them. You just shake your head and say, what could possibly go wrong?

And this is what goes wrong. It just never should happen. But that said, as far as the specific charges against Elliot, according to reports, police confirmed that he is facing two counts of assault as a hate crime, attempted assault as a hate crime assault, and attempted assault. And as of right now, it is unclear how much time

he would serve if convicted, given that he is a parolee. As far as the victim of this brutal attack, according to the New York Times, police identified her as Vilma Cari, with her daughter telling the paper that she immigrated from the Philippines decades ago, and reportedly added that her mother was overwhelmed and not ready to talk.

But yeah, that's where we are. And I guess we'll have to wait and see what they do with the mother killer that they released onto the streets. I imagine there's gotta be a ton of questions, maybe even an investigation into how a parole board would do this. And then let's talk about Biden's $2 trillion infrastructure plan.

So you have him and his administration releasing this today. I'll link to the White House's fact sheet on this. It is a lot. Just scrolling from the top to the bottom of that page, your pointer finger could get a little bit tired. But as kind of an introduction to it, I'm gonna hit some of the top level highlights. Among other things, Biden's proposal would put $621 billion

into transportation infrastructure, such as bridges, roads, public transit, ports, airports, and electric vehicle development. Direct $400 billion to care for elderly and disabled Americans. Inject more than $300 billion into improving drinking water infrastructure, expanding broadband access, and upgrading electric grids.

Put more than $300 billion into building and retrofitting affordable housing, along with constructing and upgrading schools. And invest $580 billion in American manufacturing, research, and development, and job training efforts. The White House reportedly planning to fund all this spending by raising the corporate tax to 28%, which is a notable change,

but also kind of a meeting in the middle. Right, and that's being said because it actually used to be 35% before Republicans cut it down in 2017 to 21%. But places like CNBC also reporting that the administration also wants to boost the global minimum tax for multinational corporations and ensure they pay at least 21% in taxes in any country.

Though notably nowhere in this plan do we see a change to capital gains tax, which is notable because that is something that Biden said on the campaign trail that he would change. But as far as the thinking or maybe even perceived compromise in this situation, the senior administration official saying last night, "'Capital gains is not addressed here,'

and adding, "'The reason for that is that the focus "'of this plan is on corporate tax reform "'and reforming the corporate tax system.' And we think that is important as a matter of fairness and also important as a matter of encouraging domestic investment." Right, and so one of the ways you could possibly receive that information is that the administration is scared

of hurting the stock market, and you might be able to argue that this is their way of getting more money from corporations while not kind of hurting the retail investors that we've might be able to argue that this is their way of getting more money from corporations while not kind of hurting the retail investors that we've seen on the rise for the past two years. But like I said, this is the early stages. This is the introduction where we're gonna see plenty of speed bumps, possibly walls.

They're hoping to pass this or a version of it by summer. And so we'll see. And then, oh man, let's talk about representative Matt Gaetz. And I know he's previously said if he's ever in a scandal, he wants to call it Gaetzgate, but it feels maybe a little more appropriate to call this Pizza Gaetz. And the reason for that is yesterday it was reported

that Matt was being investigated by the Justice Department over allegations that he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl, and he paid for her to travel with him. But sources reportedly familiar with the matter saying that investigators were looking into whether Gaetz violated federal sex trafficking laws, which make it illegal to transport a minor

across state lines to engage in sex. According to the New York Times, which first broke this story, it's unclear how Gates met this girl, who is believed to have been 17 at the time of the encounters about two years ago. But you did reportedly have the sources saying that the investigation was opened in the final months

of the Trump administration under Attorney General Barr as part of a broader probe into a local Florida politician and political ally of Gates named Joel Greenberg, which I mean is standout. Greenberg was indicted last summer on numerous charges including sex trafficking of a child and financially supporting people in exchange for sex, including at least one underage girl. Now that said, he is currently pleaded not guilty

and is currently scheduled to go on trial in June, but was also reportedly sent to jail early this month for violating the terms of his bail. And it is unclear how Greenberg knows Gaetz, but the media has also surfaced at least two photos of the two together that Greenberg posted on his Twitter back in 2017 and 2019. It's also unclear how investigators on the Greenberg Pro

began to investigate Gaetz. And actually, regarding this, in an interview with Axios yesterday, you had Gaetz confirming that he was under investigation, but that the allegations are, quote, unclear, and he said he had been told very little. Also claiming that his lawyers had been informed by the DOJ that he was quote not A target but a subject of an investigation regarding sexual conduct with women and regarding what the charges could relate to Gates Responded I have definitely in my single days provided for women. I've dated, you know, I've paid for flights for hotel rooms

I've been you know generous as a partner I think someone is trying to make that look criminal when it's not." But I'm also going on to say that he is absolutely confident none of the women were underage and he denied the accusations saying, "'The allegations against me are as searing as they are false.

I believe that there are people at the Department of Justice who are trying to criminalize my sexual conduct, you know, when I was a single guy.'" And then adding a very big claim saying, "'They are rooted in an extortion effort against my family for 25 million "'in exchange for making this case go away.'"

With Gaetz also echoing that claim in a statement on Twitter where he said that his family was being extorted by a former DOJ official seeking 25 million while threatening to smear my name. Also claiming that his family was cooperating with authorities, that his dad had been wearing a wire at the FBI's direction, and claiming,

"'The planted leak to the FBI tonight "'was intended to thwart that investigation. "'No part of the allegations against me are true and the people pushing these lies are targets of the ongoing extortion investigation. With them also calling on the DOJ to quote, "'Release the tapes.'" He also, in kind of this string of quick reactions,

he did an interview on Tucker Carlson last night. And among the things he said there, I mean, he elaborated on the extortion allegations, claiming that his father, former state Senator Don Gates, got a text on March 16th from the former DOJ official, who he identified as attorney David McGee, saying that he was demanding a meeting where he asked for the $25 million

to make the sex trafficking allegations go away. Then going on to accuse the New York Times of intentionally leaking the story to ruin the investigation into McGee. Carlson also asked him what the basis of that DOJ investigation was and what the specific allegations were, and we saw this interaction.

Yeah, again, I only know what I've read in the New York times. I can say that actually you and I went to dinner about two years ago. Your wife was there and I brought a friend of mine. You'll remember her. And she was actually threatened by the FBI, told that if she wouldn't cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay-for-play scheme, that she could face trouble. I don't remember the woman you're speaking of or the context at all, honestly. Then, despite saying only minutes earlier that he only knows what he read in the New York Times article when asked when he first learned about the investigation, Gates appears

to then provide a pretty major element of the story that had been previously unreported. I really saw this as a deeply troubling challenge for my family on March 16th, when people were, you know, talking about a minor and that there were pictures of me with child prostitutes. That's obviously false. There will be no such pictures because no such thing happened. But, of course, Carlson doesn't ask him to elaborate. So it's unclear what he's referring to here or what he knows regarding the parts of the investigation. And in general, I mean, I would describe this as a relatively weird interview. He says that he's being attacked because he's a conservative,

even though the investigation was reportedly launched under the Trump administration. And he also, during this interview, brought up allegations against Tucker Carlson in a completely separate incident, which may also be part of the reason that after this interview, after the ad break, we got this sound bite.

If you just saw our Matt Gaetz interview, that was one of the weirdest interviews I've ever conducted. Now, notably, regarding Gaetz's extortion claims, right, with David McGee, the former DOJ official that Gaetz accused, McGee has absolutely denied the allegations in a statement to the Washington Post saying, "'It is completely false.

"'It's a blatant attempt to distract from the fact "'that he's under investigation "'for sex trafficking of minors. "'I have no connection with that case at all "'other than one of a thousand people "'who have heard the rumors.'" With him also adding that Gates' father did call him and ask to talk, but he declined to say

what the call was about, adding, "'If there is a tape, play the tape. "'There is nothing on that tape that is untoward. "'It is a pleasant conversation of a dad "'concerned about his son and the trouble his son was in. As of right now, what we know publicly, that's where we are. Notably, the FBI and DOJ have not responded

to media requests for comments. So, a source familiar with the matter did tell The Post that along with the probe and his sexual misconduct allegations that were underway, Gates' family did claim that he was being extorted, and the FBI separately is looking into those claims. With Axios, while not sharing them, also reporting that Gates sent them screenshots

of text messages, emails, and documents outlining the alleged extortion scheme. But for now, that's where we are. And a lot of the truth just remains to be seen because we just don't know it. You know, you have Gates seemingly trying to get ahead of this. Given his history, I don't know if he's telling the truth

or he's lying and trying to create a distraction. But I mean, that's why for now, we're gonna have to wait and see what comes from these investigations, what comes from anything that gets released. And ultimately with this story and actually anything else that stood out to you today, I'd love to know your thoughts in those comments down below

because this is the end of the video. And of course, as always, thank you for being a part of these daily dabs in the news, supporting by subscribing to the channel, liking the video, all the good stuff. If you're looking for more to watch, I get covered with more news or the behind the scenes where we're going to a new studio.

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 tomorrow.