The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 3.6 Gavin Newsom Trans Scandal Exposes a Growing Democrat Civil War, Target DEI Boycott, & Today’s News

Episode Date: March 6, 2025

Don't miss out on a new https://beautifulbastard.com We The People Tee and hoodie or out special 50% sale on select items! Kickstart your passion project with a free trial today: https://www.Squarespace.com/Phil  & enter offer code “Phil” to get 10% off your first purchase! Watch yesterday’s show here: https://youtu.be/8lgriZ-x8ZM?si=bpKtXeffleO5Po2X&list=PLHcsGizlfLMWpSg7i0b9wnUyEZWI-25N3&index=1 ===  – ✩ TODAY’S STORIES ✩ – 00:00 - Gov. Gavin Newsom Divides the Internet After Hosting Charlie Kirk on Podcast 04:44 - Trump Preparing Executive Order that Aims to Eliminate Education Department 07:21 - Trump Delays Mexico & Canada’s Tariffs  11:33 - Sponsored by SquareSpace 12:43 - U.S. Cuts Intelligence Sharing with Ukraine 18:51 - 40-Day Target Boycott Coinciding with Lent Kicks Off 22:23 - Owner Closes Video Store, but Still Serves Loyal Customer with Down Syndrome 24:59 - 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 #GavinNewsom #AOC ———————————— Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When does fast grocery delivery through Instacart matter most? When your famous grainy mustard potato salad isn't so famous without the grainy mustard. When the barbecue's lit, but there's nothing to grill. When the in-laws decide that, actually, they will stay for dinner. Instacart has all your groceries covered this summer. So download the app and get delivery in as fast as 60 minutes. Plus enjoy $0 delivery fees on your first three orders. Service fees,

exclusions and terms apply. Instacart, groceries that over deliver. Gavin Newsom's trans scandal with Charlie Kirk just exposed an incoming Democrat civil war. Trump just suspended tariffs again. The huge Ukraine updates and Target is being hit with a massive 40 day DEI boycott over Lent. We're talking about all that and much more on today's brand new Philip DeFranco show, your daily dive into the news, how it's being covered, and how people are reacting to it, starting with this. Did Gavin Newsom just stab Democrats in the back?

Right, that is a question that many people are asking after he launched his new podcast and had Charlie Kirk on as his first guest. Which yes, by the way, if you did not know, the governor of California is now officially a podcaster with him, announcing a show last week called This is Gavin Newsom. Right, and just one of the reasons that he's on the receiving end of backlash right now is he chose to have Charlie Kirk, a right-wing influencer, on his show. You

know, Kirk is the co-founder of Turning Point USA, in addition to just being a massive, massive figure in the right-wing space. You know, since Newsom is largely seen as one of the big leaders of the Democratic Party, as someone who might want to throw his hat into the ring in 2028, some are not thrilled that Newsom chose to have this conversation with people writing, "'I will be voting for a candidate "'in the Democratic primary who doesn't promote Charlie Kirk'." As well as, who do Democrats think is the audience

for Gavin Newsom in a podcast with Charlie Kirk? Though very notably, this also is something that it's a good idea, right? When Newsom announced his podcast, he said that one of his goals was to talk to people that he disagrees with. You know, with that, you have some thinking that politicians like Kamala Harris could have learned

from this playbook writing. Everything about this, approach, guess, tone is smart. Gavin Newsom is the only Democrat who actually seems to be thinking about the last election and adapting to what he learned. As well as the thing I like about Newsom is that like Buttigieg, he not only does not shy away from talking to right-wingers, indeed, he seeks them out.

Dialogue is helpful. But some people were not thrilled with the actual dialogue itself, with the part facing the most criticism being a moment where trans athletes came up. You right now should come out and be like, you know what? The young man who's about to win the state championship in the long jump in female sports, that shouldn't happen. You as the governor should step out and say no. No, and I appreciate. But like, would you do something like that? Would you say no men in female sports? Well, I think it's an issue of fairness. I completely agree with you on that.

So that's easy to call out the unfairness of that. There's also a humility and grace that these poor people are more likely to commit suicide, have anxiety and depression. And the way that people talk down to vulnerable communities is an issue that I have a hard time with as well. So both things I can hold in my hand. And so with that, you had outlets like Politico characterizing this as Newsom, quote, "'breaking' with Democrats on this issue because he agreed with Kirk

on the fairness of trans athletes." There being people that were upset with the Newsom's rhetoric there, thinking it will not even help his cause, right? What's great about Dems agreeing with GOP transphobia is that it earns no votes with conservatives who would never believe Gavin Newsom, so it's just cravenly hateful for no political benefit.

As well as the issue with Gavin Newsom is that he stands for nothing except his own path to power. He's willing to sell anyone out if he can benefit. And this is you had a California state Senator also releasing a statement condemning Newsom's comments saying, the governor has had many courageous moments over the decades supporting LGBTQ people. This is not one of those moments.

Charlie Kirk is a vile bigot and standing with him on this issue is profoundly disturbing. And adding, the Republican strategy to eliminate trans people is to create fake moral panics, to falsely paint trans people as threats. Trans people are just trying to live their lives. Though also very notably on the other side, people didn't see Newsom's comments as so black and white

and thought that he was more riding the fence. Though also very notably on the other side of this, you had people saying, you know, what he's trying to do here is not have a black and white conversation, right? Saying that he supports trans people, defends trans people, even in the conversation that he's trying to have, saying, you know, I just,

I do not like how you're talking about this vulnerable group of people. But at the same time, offering an olive branch of, in this particular setting of trans people in sports, there is a potential issue. And notably there, according to polling, this is actually a majority opinion, even among Democrats. With a recent New York Times Ipsos survey finding that

among Democrats or people leaning Democrats, 67% said that transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete with women. There's also seeing folks pointing to moments where Newsom defended his stances on other aspects of LGBTQ rights, including a California law that prevents schools from forcing teachers to tell parents of their students

identify as LGBTQ in the classroom, meaning that teachers can choose to tell parents if they want, but they cannot be fired if they chose not to. You know, on the podcast, even though Kirk pressed him on it, Newsom defended it. The law was explicit, said, "'You can't be fired for not snitching on a kid, not just for being trans, for being gay.'"

But again, the reactions were big and varied, especially depending on where you went online. Though among those criticizing Newsom, they felt that overall he spent a lot of time caving. Writing things like, the way Charlie Kirk has Gavin Newsom sprinting to the right in this interview is something to behold. Saying Charlie didn't move an inch.

And actually because Newsom struck such a chord with his comments on trans athletes, even Kirk himself wrote, looks like the Democrat civil war is brewing. Right, and so with all this, I'd really love to know your thoughts. Whether it be you sounding off more on just the prospect of Gavin Newsom having this podcast

and what he's saying his goals from it are, and or your thoughts on the split of opinion or opinions in general regarding trans athletes in sports. But then next up from that, we need to talk about President Trump preparing to now sign an executive order that will dismantle the education department according to a draft of the order that was reportedly obtained by numerous media outlets.

And the fact that we're here, it's not really a surprise. It is something that Trump has been vowing to do for a while now. You know, his pick to run the department, Linda McMahon, also publicly committed to unwinding the agency. And so on Monday, McMahon was officially confirmed by the Senate with all Democrats voting against her nomination. And just a few days later, Trump is now moving full speed ahead. You know, with that, as far as the specifics here, according to the reports, the draft order directs McMahon to, quote, take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the education department based on the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law. And that last part is a super key thing to keep in mind because it really doesn't seem like the law will actually permit the Trump administration or any other administration for that matter to unilaterally dismantle the education department. Because the agency was created by Congress and many of its responsibilities as well as the major programs it administers, including student loans and programs for students

with disabilities, those are all written into federal law. And so as a result, legal experts widely agree that it would require an act of Congress to fully dismantle the agency or even remove key responsibilities outlined under statute. And that would almost certainly require 60 votes in the Senate to break the filibuster, which of course Democrats would never go for. I mean, hell, even McMahon herself acknowledged during her confirmation hearing, truly eliminating the department would require congressional approval.

They're also notably conceding that several programs are codified in law and can't be slashed without Congress, including several that impact students with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. And so as far as what McMahon can actually legally do, that remains unclear. Because again, the education department oversees

a ton of important initiatives, many of which are either delegated to the agency under law or would be difficult for another department to manage. Especially at a time when Musk and Trump are dramatically cutting the federal workforce, leaving many agencies understaffed to handle the duties that are already being given. So that's why we've seen many experts agree that the most likely scenario is that the Trump administration is going to make a wide range of questionably legal plays here that will inevitably be challenged in lawsuits. Where the Team Trump game plan has been, see what sticks, see what doesn't, and let's take what we can all the way up to the Supreme Court and see what happens. And this seems like the going

strategy for basically everything they've done. But with all that said, you know, as far as what actually is going to happen next, a big thing to remember is that the draft version of this order circulating right now is still that, right? Reportedly a draft version. So, you know, if everything that we've learned so far is true, it still could be subject to change, though it's also unclear if the core substance would really be altered at all. Also, as for when we'll actually see Trump signing a final version, sources initially told multiple outlets that it will come soon,

potentially even as soon as today, but there I'll note that this morning we saw Trump's press secretary responding to circulating reports in a post on X writing, "'More fake news. "'President Trump is not signing an executive order "'on the Department of Education today.'" Which begs the question, what part is she saying is fake news. President Trump is not signing an executive order on the Department of Education today, which begs the question,

what part is he saying is fake news, right? Is he signing it tomorrow or a different day, or is there no executive order? But then, next up, let's talk about it. Trump is already walking back his massive tariffs on Mexico and Canada, sort of. Because after previously issuing a one-month delay, Trump on Tuesday officially imposed 25% tariffs

on almost all products from two of our biggest trading partners. But then, just this morning, Trump announced that he has granted another one month delay for the tariffs on most goods from Mexico. With him writing on Truth Social that, after speaking to Mexican President, Claudia Scheinbaum, he has agreed to temporarily exempt Mexico

from paying tariffs on goods that trade under the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, which notably is a free trade agreement that Trump himself signed during his first term in office. Right, and notably that move coming one day after Trump announced that he would be giving US automakers who operate under the USMCA a one month exemption from complying with the tariffs

on Mexico and Canada, following a meeting with major companies. With then, after that, the Trump administration giving the public some very mixed signals about whether other industries would be exempt. Right, on one hand, you had Vice President J.D. Vance suggesting that other sectors would not get carve-outs, saying,

A number of industries have reached out to us to ask for exceptions to the tariffs. Trump wants tariffs to apply broadly. He doesn't want to have 500 different industries getting 500 different carve-outs. But then, when the press secretary was asked about other carve-outs, she said that Trump is, quote,

open to hearing about additional exemptions. And then, this morning, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CNBC that tariffs on both Canada and Mexico would likely be delayed. With him arguing that both countries, quote, have done a good job offering us ever more work on stopping fentanyl at the border. But this is the Truth Social Post announcing the exemptions for Mexico mentioned nothing about Canada. With him writing that the delay will be in place for Mexico alone until April 2nd. And adding, I did this as an accommodation and out of respect for President Scheinpaul.

Our relationship has been a very good one and we are working hard together on the border, both in terms of stopping illegal aliens from entering the United States and likewise stopping fentanyl. Thank you to President Scheinbaum for your hard work and cooperation. Now also with this, something that potentially plays into it is that this announcement comes just days

before the Sunday deadline that Scheinbaum set to announce retaliatory tariffs against the US. Because unlike Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, she held off on any immediate action until she could speak with Trump and emphasize her desire for some kind of agreement. They're also thanking Trump in a post on X Today writing, "'We had an excellent and respectful call

"'in which we agreed that our work and collaboration "'have yielded unprecedented results "'within the framework of respect for our sovereignties,' "'and adding, we will continue to work together, "'particularly on migration and security issues, "'which include reducing the illegal crossing of fentanyl into the United States, as well as weapons into Mexico. Right now, as we're recording

as far as what's gonna happen with Canada, there's been no additional news about whether they'll also be granted a similar delay for tariffs on goods under the USMCA. Because on one hand, you have Lutnick's comments from this morning about Canada being likely included, and we've also seen Canadian government sources telling the BBC that the country is expecting

an exemption of the same nature. But at the same time, you also have Trump repeatedly attacking Trudeau on Truth Social and claiming that he is trying to use the tariffs for political gain. With him, for example, in one post today saying that Trudeau is using the tariff problem, which he has largely caused in order to run again for prime minister. Which one, that's not how it works. People don't run for prime minister the same way that you run for president in the US. It's a parliamentary system. and usually the leader of whichever party has the most seats in the House of Commons after a general election becomes the prime minister.

And two, Trudeau has said that he'll step down as prime minister after his party selects a new leader this weekend. And notably, when asked during a news conference just today if he would consider staying on as prime minister in a caretaker role amid all the uncertainty with the US tariffs, Trudeau literally said, "'No, I will not be.'"

Also with this, while Trudeau said that Lutnick's comments about the likely delay for Canada was a promising sign, he added, I can confirm that we will continue to be in a trade war that was launched by the United States for the foreseeable future. For now, we'll have to wait to see what happens with Canada and if they're given the same delay as Mexico as well, as if there are any additional exemptions

that are made either in the near future or once we reach the April deadline. And thus continues the will they, won't they rollercoaster that is Trump tariffs. Which if you put it that way, it kind of sounds like a rom-com. Except instead of wondering if the rabbi and the podcaster can get together and that relationship can work,

we're left wondering if cars, aluminum, steel, a bunch of stuff Americans buy is gonna be 25% more and or if we're flirting with a global recession. And apparently, at least for this chapter, we didn't have to wait that long. Because literally as I was uploading today's show, we got the news that Trump signed an executive order formalizing the one month delay and plot twist,

the order does in fact include Canada. But still, according to the Guardian, Trump did say he was still ready to impose reciprocal tariffs on both Canada and Mexico next month. And adding, during this interim period between now and April 2nd, this makes it much more favorable for our American car manufacturers.

And then we'll get to more news in just a moment. But first, you know, let this be the year that you take that side hustle or passion project to the next level. And I know how that procrastination life goes. You know, I've been sitting on a book club idea for ages, but thanks to our friends and sponsor at Squarespace, DeFranco's book club went from a dream to done in under an hour. And seriously, like if I can do it, you can do it. Squarespace has the templates and tools that you need to create and sell content, courses, physical products, physical and digital online, or just to have a portfolio. How much you put out there, how much you utilize,

it's up to you. You just simply upload and customize your content with a powerful fluid engine editor. You can even charge one-time fees, sell subscriptions, and if you need a starting point, they've got a ton of stunning professional templates with drag and drop editing that makes site design incredibly simple,

no coding required. Right, in all of this, Squarespace has been a trusted partner of the PDS for years now. And if you still haven't given them a try, ask yourself, what's holding you back? I mean, we even leverage Squarespace for our very own Daily Dip newsletter where tens of thousands of you beautiful bastards keep up with our coverage in your inboxes, take part in daily polls, giveaways, and even access our PDS show notes with sources and links. So take the dive. Kickstart your digital space today with a free trial at squarespace.com slash phil or scan the QR code on screen. And when you're ready to launch,

just use code phil for 10% off. That's squarespace.com slash phil. But then shifting gears from that, let's talk about why you may have seen more and more people these days saying for Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump is the gift that just keeps on giving. Because while Putin has not budged on any of his sweeping

demands and prerequisites to end the war in Ukraine, you have people saying the American president just been handing him win after win. And this is we've seen leaders in Europe getting more and more worried and a little more willing to consider a future where the US isn't an ally, but an adversary. And so with all that, let's start on the American side, where senior members of Trump's team have reportedly held

secret talks with some of Zelensky's top political opponents. Right in there, we're talking about people including former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and Zelensky's predecessor as president, Petro Poroshenko. We've been reportedly speaking via back channels about the possibility of holding presidential elections after a temporary ceasefire is agreed, but before full-scale peace talks get underway. And this is notably the idea of an early presidential election is also being pushed by the Kremlin, which has wanted to get rid of Zelensky for years now. And with that, as we've talked about before, Trump officials and other Republicans have been more and more suggesting that Zelensky should step aside unless he gets fully on

board with a plan to end the war rapidly, even if it involves major concessions by Ukraine, with Trump even going as far as to call Zelensky a dictator based on the fact that the presidential election originally scheduled for 2024 never happened. Though notably there, not because Zelensky canceled the election as some have claimed, but because Ukraine's constitution states that an election can't be held while martial law is in effect.

With critics upholding elections now, claiming that they would likely be chaotic and leave out people serving on the front lines or living abroad as refugees and ultimately play into Russia's hands. Though notably there, there may be fewer Ukrainians abroad very soon. And that because the Trump administration

is now reportedly planning to revoke temporary legal status for some 240,000 Ukrainians who fled Russia's invasion of their country. With this being a part of the administration's broader effort to strip legal status from more than 1.8 million migrants allowed to enter the US under temporary programs launched under Biden. But in any case, we've seen the Trump administration

deny that it's interfering in Ukraine's domestic politics. And the parties of both Tymoshenko and Poroshenko have issued statements defending their diplomatic activities as well, as both saying they oppose holding elections now during the war. But you also had one Republican foreign policy expert telling Politico about the Ukrainian politicians.

They're all talking to Trump World, positioning themselves as people who would be easier to work with, and adding that they're people who would consent to many of the things that Zelensky is not agreeing to. Right, and all of this as Trump's people reportedly are confident that Zelensky would lose any vote due to war fatigue and public frustration over corruption. However, with that, the most recent polling shows Zelensky would still

be comfortably ahead in a race for the presidency. But that's not to say that public opinion is not shifting regarding the war. Reportedly, roughly 25% of the population supports continuing the war until Russia is fully kicked out of Ukraine. But around two-thirds are more focused on talks and want the war to end, with half of those prepared to accept major concessions by Ukraine. With the big point being, yes, there is real disagreement within Ukraine about how this war should end. But also it appears that what Trump is doing is making it far more difficult for Ukraine to come to the negotiating table from a place of strength. And that actually brings us to the second big piece of big news out of the White House. And that is on top of suspending

all American military aid to Ukraine, Trump has now paused intelligence sharing with the country. You know, just like halting the delivery of high-tech American defense systems, this has the potential to have serious consequences on the battlefield. U.S. intelligence is important to helping Ukraine both strategically in terms of understanding

Moscow's next moves, but also tactically, like, for example, by providing information on Russian troop positions for weapons guidance and targeting. With one former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense and retired CIA paramilitary officer even telling the BBC that cutting off intelligence to Ukraine will have an immediate impact on its ability to defend itself and adding,

"'There is no way to replace the capabilities "'that the US intelligence can provide "'from our European allies.'" And going on to say, this will likely inspire Russia to push harder on their efforts to take more terrain from Ukraine and away from the negotiating table. And notably with all this,

US allies are now reportedly thinking about scaling back the intelligence they share with Washington. Or with them worried that information such as identities of foreign assets could inadvertently be shared with Moscow. And these allies reportedly include Israel, Saudi Arabia, and members of the so-called Five Eyes spy alliance

that's made up with the US along with Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the UK. But this also is notably the White House is reportedly pushing to kick Canada out of the alliance. But in any case, right, beyond that, we're seeing Politico also reporting that these worries about the future of friendly intelligence sharing, they're also making their way into NATO more broadly.

Something not just due to Trump, but also more Russia-friendly European leaders like Hungary's Viktor Orban. And that actually brings us into the whole European side of the conversation. Because just a few hours after Russian drone and missile attacks targeted his hometown, killing four, Zelensky joined EU leaders in Brussels

for an emergency summit on defense. And with that, they're reportedly close to agreeing on an 800 billion Euro defense plan to increase European defense spending, all while individual countries are also taking action. But Germany, for instance, they're set to raise the country's debt ceiling to allow for higher defense spending.

And then, perhaps most notably, French President Macron has now said that his country is willing to discuss extending the protection afforded by its nuclear arsenal to its European allies. With him noting in a televised address yesterday that Russia is now spending 40% of its state budget in military spending with plans to expand its army even more, saying, who can believe that today's Russia will stop at Ukraine? And with that added, the United States, our ally, has changed its position on this war, is less supportive of Ukraine, and is casting doubt on what will happen next. And then plainly stating, Europe's future does not have to be decided in Washington or Moscow. And

you know, one of the important things to know there is that France is the only nuclear power in the European Union. You know, until now, the continent's primary nuclear deterrence, it came from the United States. And so with that, you have many worried that the US can no longer be counted on and you have countries like Poland as well as the Baltic States quickly welcoming the French proposal. Right, and this is the person likely to be Germany's next chancellor

actually already floated the idea last month. But with that, I'll say, of course, this is not a done deal, right? There's opposition within France and elsewhere to the idea, including obviously in Russia. With us seeing, among other things, a Kremlin spokesperson today casting Macron's remarks as very, very confrontational.

And then you had the country's foreign minister describing his comments as a threat against Russia and calling the idea that his country had plans to attack other European nations as stupid and delirious nonsense. Now with that, I'll say separate from the news, as far as my opinion, I don't believe Russia. You know, something I'll point to there

is we called that Russia was gonna invade Ukraine when pretty much everyone in the space was saying that's crazy. It's outlandish. It's never going to happen. They have shown time and time again, in addition to being a vicious, brutal regime, they're just one where you can't take what they're saying at face value, that they often are not good faith actors. But hey, you know, that's the news, my opinion. And then I'd love to hear your opinion, whether you agree or disagree with me in those comments down below. But then from that, let's talk about how thousands of people are giving up Target for Lent.

Because we just saw a boycott of the company starting yesterday on Ash Wednesday, and it'll last for 40 days, which is all my Catholics and yeah, we're Catholics out there know, it coincides with Lent. And this is faith and civil rights leaders are spearheading the effort

and organizer Pastor Jamal Bryant saying that roughly 110,000 people have signed up to participate. And this is you have the Washington Post reporting that many of the people boycotting are parishioners at black churches. And as far as why they're holding their money back, it comes as Target was one of the many companies to roll back its DEI initiatives

following Trump's inauguration and executive order on DEI with a website on the boycott saying, "'In recent days, we have witnessed a disturbing retreat "'from DEI initiatives by major corporations, "'companies that once pledged to stand for justice "'but have since chosen the path of compromise. And adding, these rollbacks represent more than just corporate decisions. They reflect a deeper erosion of the moral and ethical commitments necessary to build a just society. As people of faith, we cannot be silent. And because the

protest aligns with Lent, they're billing it as a corporate fast and a spiritual act of resistance that will start with Target. And this is the group's also partnering with the Black Chamber of Commerce to give participants a digital directory of 300 that will start with Target. And this is the group's also partnering with the Black Chamber of Commerce to give participants a digital directory of 300,000 black owned businesses to shop at instead of Target during this time. And notably with all this, that 40 days, it's a benchmark, but depending on how things go, it could be extended.

But seeing Pastor Bryant calling Targets rollbacks, disheartening and telling the Post, I was shocked because they made a commitment to invest in black businesses upwards of $2 billion after the death of George Floyd. And adding a company that we believed was an ally to her community suddenly had convenient amnesia under this administration. Right, and all of this is playing out as we've seen outlets noting recently that this is a pretty tricky time for Target, with the company reporting a decline in sales in February.

And while, yeah, partially that could be attributed to cold weather and a slowdown of spending post-holiday season, there have also been other recent boycotts against the company. Because we've seen other groups and consumers protesting Target and other companies that rolled back to EI measures over the last month and change. With data from Placer.ai also finding that Target saw a drop in foot traffic during the month of February. And while, yes, many other major companies also experienced this, that data showed that Target's drop was the biggest. Though again, while Target seemingly has been the most impacted, they're just one of many companies that have been targeted with boycotts lately.

We're seeing things like last week, for example, there was a one-day economic blackout for consumers, and while it's unclear how many people were participating, it was aiming to hit basically all major companies, with people there being encouraged to not shop either online or in stores, to not get fast food, and to not fill up their gas tanks. And you know, while it's hard to figure out

just how impactful a 24-hour action was, USA Today reported that some companies may have felt it, but only ever so slightly. Over the same things like one marketing intelligence firm finding that traffic at the top 100 e-commerce sites overall went down 6% on February 28th compared to a year before, and it was down 4% compared to the week before. With one analyst telling the outlet there,

"'I wouldn't necessarily call it a huge impact since negative 6% is not unheard of, but it is still a weakness. So notably as far as the big, big companies like Amazon, most firms found that its sales saw largely no change. With one even finding a 1% increase compared to the average over the last week. Though notably the group that ran that 24 hour economic

blackout, they still have other boycotts up their sleeve, including one that starts on Friday against Amazon owned companies. So it'll be interesting to see how this plays out, right? If the boycotts grow, if consumers get riled up, or if it was kind of just a pop and then it goes away. You know, with going back to the one that we're gonna see against Target,

an interesting aspect there is you had USA Today noting that Target's market share over black consumers, it's around 18%, and its core audience is millennials at around 38%. With both groups historically being seen as more likely to use their dollars on brands that align with their morals. In 40 days is obviously longer than a one day boycott.

So its potential for impact could be huge. But as far as the impact, it's gonna come down to actions, right? Words are words, actions are actions, and we'll have the next 40 days to see how it plays out. But then next up for your little spot of sunshine in my show that otherwise just stresses people out, I'd like to introduce you to David Kroening

and Christina Cavanaugh. And so the way the story goes is that David here owned the very last video store in Pocatello, Idaho. And his dad was the one that actually opened the shop when David was a kid and David kept running it despite streaming, making video stores nearly obsolete. And with that, you know, in recent years, he's been feeling the squeezes,

profits have dropped and expenses grew. So once David realized that he'd have to close, there was one question on his mind. What was he going to tell Christina? You see Christina, she has Down syndrome. She's very nearly non-verbal and she is also the video store's best customer, right? I mean, she's been coming in three times a week

for over 15 years with her mother, Tony, and it's a vital part of her weekly routine. And with that, you had Tony saying she heard David mention that he'd been thinking about shutting down for a while and telling a local news outlet. I just kept thinking, oh, maybe just one more year, one more year for the rest of our lives. They're going on to say that when she heard the news

that it was actually happening, she was devastated. And with that, she recalled the last time that one of Christina's go-to video stores had shut down with Tony saying that Christina didn't quite grasp what happened, that she doesn't understand stores closing. And when they drove to the then defunct location, Christina still tried going inside with Tony saying, her and I drive over and I let her get out of the car

and she goes up and there's nothing there and the doors are locked. She still wanted to go in and it is really heartbreaking to watch the anguish. And according to Tony, the only way Christina was able to move past that was because David's video store was still open. So she still was able to maintain an integral routine.

You know, the people at David's video store, they know and they care about Christina, right? When new hires come in, they were reportedly specifically trained on how to talk to her and what to expect. With David even telling the Washington Post, they'd been coming in for years. They were almost like family.

So a week before his store permanently closed, David got an idea, with him then outfitting an unused corner of the convenience store that he owned next door with shelves from the video store. And he filled them with roughly 200 DVDs, including the Disney movies that Christina specifically loves. With one of David's employees at the convenience store even nicknaming it Christina's Corner, and David adding,

it felt good to know that Tony could continue to bring Christina in. I wanted to do something nice for them both. I knew there had probably been some struggles over the years. And saying, I've tried to keep things looking about the same as they were, even though it's small. You know, when David first showed the new setup to Tony,

she said she was crying so hard she could barely thank him. But they're telling the post, David is such a humble person and he's usually very quiet. I had no idea he'd been worrying about how closing the shop would affect Christina. I thought, my gosh, he's been losing money, but he came up with a plan just for my daughter? Who knew this guy's heart was so big?

So David's video store continues to be a thrice weekly stop for Christina, even if it looks a little bit different now. You know, I think in a world that has primed us to be and incentivizes us for being selfish, it's lovely to see selfless everyday people out there thinking of others. So that is why David Craning, sir, you don't know me, I don't know you, but you are our bamf

of the day. But then finally today, let's talk about yesterday and some comment commentary brought to you by beautifulbastard.com, where right now, not only one, can you get our we the people are like so over it tee and or hoodie, but also two, can snag yourself any of this year's bestsellers so far, as well as three, jump in on the 50% off sale that we got running on site right now. With that, including a whole slew of awesome accessories as well as the fucking comfiest tees

and long sleeves you've ever had. But also four, even if you don't get something now, text me at 813-213-4423 to join the text line and or join the email list over on the website because we have a new mini drop coming Sunday, Monday, and I'll give you access first. That said, let's talk about your comments yesterday. With, you know, understandably, a lot of the conversations there having to do with Trump's not state of the union. With Owen saying, quote,

there will be a little disturbance, but we're okay with that, is essentially, some of you may die, but that's a risk I'm willing to take, but in economic warfare terms. And January's Child replying, whereWhere was this little disturbance during the campaign?' Saying all of his followers were told everything would be hunky dory as of January 21st." And you know what? There was no shortage of comments about the things that Trump was saying

and people getting angry about what was true, what wasn't true. There were also interesting comments and conversations being picked up around the Democrats. With for example, Kamali saying, "'These Democrats during Trump's speech need stronger backbones.'" Saying, "'The second Al Green was kicked out, they should have left in solidarity. Cardboard signs and dry erase boards

are cute for pics on social media, but if they actually wanted to show the public how not okay things are, they needed to be harsher than quips they can share on Twitter. Which I'll say, you know, I don't know about them all walking out with Al Green, but I will say Democrat politicians are, seem like they're just fucking, fucking disarray. Like I think the strategists out there that are like Dems need to just hold back, let Trump fuck up. We're going to do some jujitsu bullshit. I think that's incredibly flawed thinking that just allows conservatives to take up more and more of the zone. I think the paddles and signs feel like theater kid bullshit. I think the choose your fighter TikTok thing that's going around right now that included AOC and Crockett,

I don't know who came up with that cringe idea. But I will say I am very interested to see how a number of things that we've been seeing play out will continue to play out. And, you know, Bernie Sanders going out and just talking to people about the anger that's out there. Even seeing Sanders do a response to Donald Trump's address to Congress, even though, you know, Slotkin was the official response. I think that's smart. I think his focus on populism. And I mean, yesterday I said I'd rather be mad than sad. I think he kind of exudes that energy. And even, you know, I know he's gonna get shit

and I might even get shit for saying it. I think what Newsom's trying to do with his podcast is interesting. Like, yeah, he's gonna platform and talk to a number of people that you might fucking hate. And they may even be hopping on that podcast to try to dunk on Newsom or, you know, clip farm him. But I absolutely think that there's gonna be something

to be learned there, even if the ultimate lesson is like, that was a fucked idea, but I think it's better than just laying face down ass up like many Democrat politicians are right now. Even though I don't always follow this advice or this thinking, even though I always want to, I think it's good to just make a decision, good or bad, rather than do nothing.

If there's a time for Democrat politicians to try things out, especially regarding messaging and outreach or just anything like that. It's probably right now, that's the best time. You're furthest away from an election and you just got the shit kicked out of you. And yeah, you could say, oh, but look at the House. Like there's such a big split.

That's not a, you didn't get the shit kicked out of you. They have the presidency, the Senate and the House. You cross the goal line, you get that touchdown. No one's gonna go, yeah, they won the Superbowl, but like by like an inch. It's a numbers game, it's a power game. But anyway, today's comment commentary turned into a slight little quick op-ed, but hopefully like some said yesterday, the soapbox at the end was exactly what I needed to hear. I guess we'll see. But that,

my friends, you beautiful bastards, is where your Thursday dive into the news is going to end. I hope you have a safe, sane, fun weekend. And just remember, I got a 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 on Monday.