The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 4.15 Trump's Harvard Problem Just Got Bigger, Disturbing ICE News, & Big Tate, Diddy, Weinstein Updates

Episode Date: April 15, 2025

How Harvard v Trump plays out is going to affect a lot! 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 Level up your health at http://www.TryARMRA.com/DEFRANCO and use code DEFRANCO at checkout to get up to 15% off your first order. YOUR APRIL DROP IS LIVE @ https://BeautifulBastard.com Get 10% OFF with code: "Tariffs" Subscribe for New shows every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday @ 6pm ET/3pm PST & watch more here:  https://youtu.be/aLcSsQ3bnzI?si=mC_qjVeYRoQ2wYzh&list=PLHcsGizlfLMWpSg7i0b9wnUyEZWI-25N3&index=1  – ✩ TODAY’S STORIES ✩ – 00:00 - Trump Admin Freezes Over $2 Billion After Harvard Rejects its Demands 04:32 - Updates on Trials for Andrew Tate, Diddy, and Harvey Weinstein 08:47 - Sponsored by SeatGeek 09:46 - Columbia Student Arrested; Tufts Student Case Called “Constitutional Crisis” 17:09 - China Orders Its Airlines to Halt Boeing Jet Deliveries 19:23 - Sponsored by ARMRA 20:32 - “Silicon Six” Accused of Evading Hundreds of Billions in Taxes 23:33 - TikToker Raises Over $300K for 81-Year-Old Waitress Who Couldn't Retire  26:52 - 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 #Harvard ———————————— Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Harvard's now fighting back against Donald Trump, refusing to give in to his intimidation and demands, and the president's now threatening to go even further than the $2.2 billion he already froze. ICE arrested a Columbia student at his appointment for citizenship in what many are calling retaliation for his advocacy for Palestinians. You've got huge Andrew Tate, Diddy, and Weinstein legal updates that could change a lot, and then a good news story to help 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. Harvard is now fighting back against President Trump, refusing to give into his demands, and they are quite literally paying the price for it. Because the federal government just froze about $2.2 billion in multi-year grants as the rift between the university and the president has grown,

which, you know, is an insane amount of money, even for a school like Harvard, which is already well-funded and would mean shutting down entire research teams and programs. Right, and this after the Trump administration demanded that Harvard de-platform certain speakers, ban masks at campus protests, defund pro-Palestinian groups, and do a check to make sure that no other faculty members plagiarized. With that last one, probably there because Harvard's former president was forced to resign after plagiarism accusations. Though obviously all of this is on top of Trump's normal anti-DEI crusade, kind of. You see, in the past, the administration has come out as solidly anti-diversity, but in its letter to Harvard, it's now pushing for some diversity,

saying, quote, every department or field found to lack viewpoint diversity must be reformed by hiring a critical mass of new faculty within the department or field who will provide viewpoint diversity. Every teaching unit found to lack viewpoint diversity must be reformed by admitting a critical mass of students who will provide viewpoint diversity, AKA they want conservatives to be the new diversity hires and demand that the school audits for this. And then in a statement yesterday,

the Health and Human Service Department's Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, which has to be one of the longest names for a government group, claimed that, quote, it is time for elite universities to take the problem seriously and commit to meaningful change if they wish to continue receiving taxpayer support. And what we saw was Harvard responding to all this in a few ways, such as changing its website's homepage to be a tribute to its researchers. With then, at the same time, its president writing that the university will not surrender its independence

or its constitutional rights. With him then going on to write, "'No government, regardless of which party is in power, "'should dictate what private universities can teach, "'whom they can admit and hire, "'and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.'" With the university then also responding legally with its lawyers sending out a statement

that highlighted that the school has tackled some of the issues that Trump has a problem with, like antisemitism, and they wrote, "'Harvard is committed to fighting antisemitism "'and other forms of bigotry in its community. "'Antisemitism and discrimination of any kind "'are not only abhorrent and antithetical "'to Harvard's values,

"'but also threaten its academic mission.'" With it then going on to highlight how it's disciplined people who break school policies around this and make sure that it is a, quote, "'welcoming and supportive learning environment "'for all students.'" Right, and one of the big things in this situation

is that this isn't happening in a bubble. Harvard is just the latest school that the administration has gone after. Columbia, Princeton, Cornell, and Northwestern, they've all also been targeted by the administration with similar demands. And in Columbia's case, the school actually gave into a more limited set of demands

from the administration to get back around $400 million in funding, which is coincidentally the same amount that the school refused to pay Trump decades ago when it was looking to expand. Meanwhile, Princeton had $210 million in funding frozen after its president said that the Trump administration was the greatest threat

to American universities since the Red Scare of the 1950s. And then you had Cornell and Northwestern losing access to $1,790,000,000 respectively with the Trump administration claiming it was connection to quote, several ongoing, credible and concerning Title VI investigations. Which I will say the details about what exactly happened there, they're unclear. It's also kind of unclear in general what Harvard and these other schools are going to do. Some might give in to claw back

this vital funding like Columbia did, whereas others, they might just take a stance and shut down their programs. But notably, in the meantime, we're seeing a lot of big names speaking up in support of Harvard here, like former President Obama who wrote, "'Harvard has set an example "'for other higher ed institutions, "'rejecting an unlawful and ham-handed attempt "'to stifle academic freedom while taking concrete steps "'to make sure all students at Harvard can benefit "'from an environment of intellectual inquiry, "'rigorous debate, and mutual respect.

"'Let's hope other institutions follow suit.'" Or with the general idea being that if a massive institution like Harvard, they give in to what many have called just blatant intimidation, that then really no one stands a chance and the dominoes will all fall. But then this notably playing out as you had Trump saying on Truth Social this morning, perhaps Harvard should lose its tax exempt status and be taxed as a political entity if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired supporting sickness. Remember, tax exempt status is totally contingent on acting in the public interest.

So, you know, this fight, it's not going anywhere. We're gonna have to wait to see how it plays out. And in the meantime, of course, I'd love to know your thoughts on this and those comments. But then from that and a different kind of news, what do Andrew Tate, Diddy, and Harvey Weinstein have in common? Big legal updates.

Starting with Andrew Tate, because he's set to face a civil trial in the UK in 2027 over claims of physical and sexual abuse from four women. With reports saying that their allegations stem from between 2013 and 2015. Two saying they were in relationships with Tate at the time, and two saying they were working for his webcam business. And this is one alleged that he threatened her with a gun

and said that there would be hell to pay if she didn't do as he said. And another saying that he strangled her to the point of her losing consciousness during sex. This case actually had a preliminary hearing ahead of its trial today, and it stands to be a historic trial even outside of the tate of it all.

With the lawyer for the women saying, this will be the first occasion coercive control has been brought before the high court in a civil context to decide if it amounts to an intentional infliction of harm. Right in there, adding that coercive control is a relatively recently identified form of violence and described it as a form of grooming and manipulation

where the victim becomes less and less able to respond in what might be perceived as a normal way. And this is the women are reportedly seeking damages reaching six figures, but also Tate's lawyer wasn't required to and did not attend the hearing. That then brings us to Diddy's case because he pleaded not guilty yesterday to new charges in the indictment that he's facing in New York. And notably with this new superseding indictment, he's now facing five charges, including racketeering, conspiracy, transportation to engage in prostitution, and sex trafficking. And with that, you had his lawyers recently saying, of these new charges,

"'These are not new allegations or new accusers. "'These are the same individuals, "'former long-term girlfriends who were involved "'in consensual relationships. "'This was their private sex life, "'defined by consent, not coercion.'" And notably, like every update in this case, it's starting to feel like it has higher and higher stakes because the trial is just around the corner, or at least it's

supposed to be. But according to CBS News, jury questionnaires are going to be distributed at the end of this month. And by May 5th, jurors will be questioned individually ahead of opening statements, which are set to start May 12th. But a big thing is that Diddy's legal team is reportedly trying to push back, with one specifically saying the defense might ask for a two-week adjournment over discovery issues. And we have another hearing set for Friday. So we're gonna have to see where all that goes or if it gets delayed or not. But then finally that brings us to Harvey Weinstein

because he is back in court in New York. Right, and this one has a bit more background because back in 2020, he was convicted of two sex crimes in New York. But as you might remember last year, that conviction was overturned by an appeals court who said that the judge unfairly allowed testimony of witnesses whose accusations were not part

of the indictment's charges. With that news, of course, shocking activists and advocates everywhere because at the time, his conviction was very, very huge. I mean, the New York Times calling it a watershed moment for the Me Too movement and a crucial test in the effort to hold influential men accountable for sexual misconduct, right? And then so with that, it wasn't a surprise after it was overturned that the accuser is still wanting a new trial. And that new trial, it begins this week and the jury selection starts today. And so in this case, we're going to be hearing from two of the alleged victims who testified back in 2020, as well as an additional accuser who has been added to the case. With many now questioning

what this trial is going to be like, right? Especially as you have outlets noting that this is happening at a very different cultural moment than the last one. With the last one, it was the height of the Me Too movement with Weinstein really being the face of it. But that's changed and you even had one of his lawyers telling Variety that quote, "'It's going to be a very different trial.' The mob mentality that was so pronounced at his first trial, I think has subsided.

He's going to have the trial that he should have had all along." With then Variety also saying that right-wing commentators like Candace Owens are talking about this case in a way that could sway opinion more in his favor. With people also noting the likes of Joe Rogan, who has a massive audience, even recently mentioned that he was watching her coverage

and said, I watched the first episode of that. Bro. Crazy. It's crazy. So you can't believe I'm on Harvey Weinstein's side. And all of this is playing out as you had Gloria Allred, who's representing one of the accusers in the trial,

telling CNN, it's painful to go through the process again about a traumatic event. I commend her. It does take a tremendous amount of courage. I think much of the public was aghast when the conviction was set aside. The women who testified at the last criminal trial,

they refused to be ruled by fear. Also, I wanna add, you know, part of the reason why the Harvey Weinstein story is so big is because it's not just this New York case. Right, those, they're far from the only allegations. Over 100 women have accused him of some form of misconduct, and while he has denied the allegations, he was previously convicted on sex crime charges

in California and faces a sentence there, though he's looking to appeal that as well. But also, per the New York Times, Weinstein thinks that he stands a better chance during this second New York trial, saying, "'I've been waiting for this day for a long time. "'Tomorrow, I walk into court a free man in New York "'and I expect to walk out the same way.'"

Though again, this is only in the state of New York, because like I said, he faces time on the West Coast. But for now, we'll have to wait to see how this, and really all three of these situations continue to play out. And then I've got more news for you in just a moment. But first, you know, I gotta say, it's been really cool working with SeatGeek

on the $500 weekly giveaway and seeing how y'all are using your winnings. From concerts and Broadway shows to sporting events, you guys have been absolutely crushing it. And keep in mind, you've got Kendrick Lamar and SZA, Tyler, the Creator, Post Malone, Beyonce, Chris Stapleton, just to name a few on tour. You know, if you haven't entered yet, just do it. I mean, next week's winner could be you. And for the uninitiated here, our sponsor SeatGeek, they are the number one rated live event ticketing app with over 28 million downloads and access to a wide array of entertainment to get you and a loved one out of the house.

You know, if you're new to SeatGeek, just scan the QR code and add code Phil for $20 off your first purchase. And then, hey, while you're there, just simply add code PDS to your SeatGeek account and you get $10 off other purchases. Plus, you could be one of our lucky weekly winners. I mean, that's $500 in credit towards any of SeatGeek's 70,000 events. And for everyone, you heard right. If you've used SeatGeek before, you are a SeatGeek veteran. You can still add code PDS, which gets you $10 off any purchase. Plus, again, you'll be entered for your chance at the $500 SeatGeek credit, no purchase necessary.

But then next up from that, we've got to talk about the news that ICE arrested a Columbia student and green card holder at his naturalization interview. And this with reportedly no charges, no warning, and now Trump's DHS wants him deported to Palestine. Right, so according to legal documents challenging the requests, Mohsen Madawi

was born in a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank and lived there until moving to the US in 2014. in 2014. Right in for more than a decade, he's lived here as a permanent resident with a green card, attending Columbia as an undergraduate student with intentions to graduate next month and enroll as a master's degree student at the university's international affairs school, which he's already been admitted to. And very notably here, following the outbreak of the war in October of 2023, Madawi became a leader of the pro-Palestine student protest movement, helping co-found several groups.

But per the legal filings, he stepped back from organizing in March of 2024 before students established encampments and took over buildings on campus. And in interviews at the time, he said that his decision stemmed partly from concerns about his immigration status, but also because of his beliefs as a practicing Buddhist

and his desire to build bridges with Jewish and Israeli communities at Columbia. With him also giving an interview with 60 Minutes back in December of 2023, where he spoke about seeing his best friend killed by an Israeli soldier when he was a child and emphasized that he wanted a peaceful end to the conflict, saying,

my motivation comes out of love now, not out of anger, not out of hate. And notably, after that, he became the target of hardline Zionist groups that have been seeking the detention and deportation of pro-Palestine student activists. With this, including one organization called Beitar, which tweeted a video of him back in January

and said that he was on their deport list. With his group also going on to tell the Washington Post last month that Madawi was on their shortlist of three people that they were encouraging the Trump administration to deport. Though with that, you had the Department of Homeland Security denying that ICE was working with Beitar.

But regardless, after Trump took office, Madawi began fearing for his immigration status, and he asked Columbia to help him find a safe place to live so he wouldn't be arrested by ICE agents. But the school did nothing for him, according to emails reviewed by The Intercept, which also reported that he sheltered in place for over three weeks following the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil.

And also a big thing here, the outlet which broke the story of Madawi's arrest also seemed to imply that immigration authorities intentionally scheduled his citizenship test so they could take him into custody when he arrived, with Madawi telling The Intercept that he received an email from officials earlier this month notifying him that he was scheduled for a citizenship interview, but then adding that he thought that it might be a trap because he wasn't anticipating the interview to take place until December or January, which lined up with the

expected timeline to move his green card status through the naturalization process. In fact, he was so wary that he contacted his representatives in Congress, including Senator Bernie Sanders, to inform them of the situation and ask them to intervene if necessary. And clearly, his fears were legitimate, with Sanders and other representatives issuing a statement saying that when Madawi arrived for his citizenship appointment, he was arrested and removed in handcuffs by plainclothes, armed individuals with their faces covered, and calling the move immoral, inhumane, and illegal. With video also posted online showing a handcuffed Madawi being escorted by immigration officials toward a motor car to vehicles, which took him to an undisclosed location. And as we've seen with other similar arrests, it was not immediately clear where Issa detained Madawi, leaving his family and lawyers

scrambling to locate him. Though with that, I'll say notably his legal team was able to move quickly and file a temporary restraining order to prevent immigration officials from transferring him to a more conservative jurisdiction, which is something we've seen in other cases with the Trump administration, specifically trying to move pro-Palestine detainees to Louisiana. But what we saw was a federal judge quickly granting the request to keep him in Vermont,

and his legal team was able to confirm that he was still in the state as of Monday afternoon. Now, with that, as far as what happens next, that remains unclear because, again, there haven't been any official charges brought against this man. And what's more, ICE and DHS have not made a statement or responded to requests for comments

regarding the reason for his arrest or where he's being held. But what we've seen in the petition challenging his arrest is Madawi's lawyer saying that the administration is using an obscure law that gives the Secretary of State power to remove people who pose a threat to foreign policy and national security interests of the US.

It's the same legal basis they use to detain Khalil and others who have spoken out against Israel, alleging without evidence that they have enabled the spread of antisemitism. And this is, again, right now it is unclear what evidence they have against Madawi. And so as a result, his lawyers are accusing the Trump administration of punishing him

for free speech related to Palestine in violation of his statutory and due process rights, with one telling reporters, "'Mosin Madawi was unlawfully detained today for no reason other than his Palestinian identity. He came to this country hoping to be free to speak out about the atrocities he has witnessed, only to be punished for such speech.

And to that point, legal experts have said that this represents a whole new front in the administration's efforts. By saying that it's highly unusual for authorities to arrest a legal permanent resident who hasn't been charged with a crime while at a naturalization interview. With also a professor and the director

of the Immigrants' Rights Clinic at Columbia Law School explaining, the arrest sends a chilling message, no one is safe and non-U.S. citizens must be silenced, and saying the First Amendment is supposed to protect all people on U.S. soil, regardless of immigration status. But the executive branch is pushing its authority well beyond the system of checks and balances set up by the U.S. Constitution, testing the rule of law, risking our constitutional democracy, and pushing our nation toward authoritarianism. So once again, this appears to be yet another front

for a major legal battle, especially because the Trump administration is trying to deport him to Palestine, with Madawi himself telling The Intercept that being forced to return to the West Bank would be kind of a death sentence. And then on the note of legality and testing the constitution,

that brings us to another related update that I wanna hit on today regarding the case of another student who was arrested for pro-Palestine speech, Rumesa O Ozturk. Because as we talked about before, she's a Turkish student visa holder at Tufts University who was seen in now viral security footage screaming while being arrested and loaded into a car by plain clothed and masked officers. With that shocking video getting widely condemned by many who argued it looked more like a kidnapping or abduction than an arrest. And this as you had others alarmed by the Trump administration's

reasoning for detaining and deporting Ozturk. Noting that the only reason it decided for its action is the fact that she co-authored an opinion piece in Tough Student newspaper, criticizing the university's response to the Gaza war. With the op-ed specifically calling for the university to divest from Israel and quote, acknowledge the Palestinian genocide, among other things.

Now that said, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has insisted that there are other infractions beyond the op-ed, but so far it appears that he hasn't been able to give specific examples or produce any evidence, which actually brings us to the reason that we're talking about her case today. Because you have the Washington Post now reporting

that just days before her arrest, the State Department issued a memo saying it had determined that the Trump administration had no evidence that she engaged in antisemitic activities or made public statements supporting a terrorist organization. In fact, the memo allegedly said outright that Rubio didn't have sufficient legal grounds to revoke Ozturk's student visa under the law that gives him the authority to remove people who pose a threat to national security. Now, notably here, the State

Department did say that Ozturk could be deported using a different authority that allows the Secretary of State to revoke a visa at their own discretion. But of course, one of the big things is that is not how the Trump administration has painted the arrest, right? You had Rubio and other officials repeatedly saying that she has spread anti-Semitism and supported terrorism. And so you have the post writing here that the revelation of this memo, quote, raises doubts about the public accusations made by the Trump administration as it is sought to justify Ozturk's deportation. And notably, this news came the same day that a judge in Vermont questioned whether the Trump administration would incite a constitutional crisis

by refusing to release Ozturk if the court ruled her arrest was illegal. With those comments being made during a hearing about whether to move her case from Louisiana, where she's being detained, to Vermont, where she was located when her lawyers first sued the administration for her arrest.

And notably, when the judge implied he might order authorities to move her, lawyers for the Trump administration argued that he lacked the authority to make that call because Congress has given the executive branch broad discretion over immigration. With the judge then responding, if the government then says, oh no, she can't be released because we have a detention order in immigration, which is inviolate, and she's not going to be released, then we're in a constitutional crisis. And then at one point also asking, what if she is right?

What if there was a constitutional violation in her arrest? The only remedy she is seeking is release, and you are suggesting that the court has no power to release her. Right, but for now, as the situation continues to evolve with several different cases, we'll have to wait to see what happens. But then, Trump's trade war with China just hit new heights, with Bloomberg now reporting that China just ordered its airlines

to not take any further deliveries of Boeing jets, according to their sources. And that, in addition to requesting that Chinese carriers stop any aircraft-related purchases from US companies, which of course is just the latest move in the global trade war coming after China boosted retaliatory tariffs on the US up to 125% in response to the tariffs that Trump placed on China and those can reportedly be as much as 145 percent on certain products This is a pretty big deal because this year alone Boeing has reportedly delivered 16 planes to China with 29 remaining according to one JP Morgan Analyst the deliveries themselves, they're crucial for Boeing because that's actually the moment they get paid,

right? Building the plane first and then getting the money when the finished product is delivered. So China refusing to accept the planes, it means that those deliveries just aren't going to happen. Though it is important to note that there will be some exceptions here. According to Bloomberg, there are 10 Boeing jets that are currently being prepared to enter Chinese fleets. And some of those jets, they had their paperwork and payment handled before the tariff announcement. So you had Bloomberg sources saying that those planes will be allowed to enter China on a case-by-case basis. As of recording, there haven't been any comments from Boeing or Chinese authorities, but over on TruthSocial, you had Trump himself accusing China of backing out of, quote,

the big Boeing deal that was signed during his first administration. So far with this news, we've seen the stock down for the day. And of course, this is also just the latest problem for Boeing in the last few years. Sales dropping in the face of fatal crashes and quality concerns, not to mention a labor strike, supply chain disruptions, and the increased regulatory scrutiny

because of the previously mentioned quality concerns. So yeah, we'll have to keep an eye here, but also, I mean, Trump's rapidly escalating trade war, it's set to have broader effects on more than just one company. We've also seen Bloomberg reporting that the US economy is on track to lose billions of dollars thanks to boycotts on American goods

and foreign tourists staying away. Noting there that plane arrivals by non-citizens, it dropped by 10% in March compared to last year. And looking into specifics, tourism from Germany and Denmark fell by 30%. It's down by 25% for Spain, Norway, Iceland and Austria and Canada? Air travel from Canada, it's down by 25% for Spain, Norway, Iceland, and Austria, and Canada? Air travel from Canada, it's down over 75% from last year. And that's in addition to a 32% reduction in car

travel. And then all of that is in addition to growing concerns about the US's ability to host the Ryder Cup in 2025, the World Cup in 2026, and the Olympics in 2028. But how all of this is going to play out, we'll have to wait to see. I mean, it changes week to week, day to day, moment by moment. And then I'll get to more news in just a moment. But first, you know, have you ever tried something new and immediately think, why didn't I do this sooner? Because that was me months ago after I finally took my buddy's recommendation about taking colostrum. You know, I'd heard about its benefits, stronger immune barriers, better muscle recovery. But to be honest, I was skeptical and I thought it was a little weird. I'm not going to lie there. But now,

I mean, I can't imagine my routine without it. And to get more specific, you know, I'm taking Armra colostrum, and I wanna give a massive thanks to them for sponsoring today's show. Colostrum is basically nature's OG nutrient-packed superfood that's produced by all mammals in the first 48 to 72 hours after birth. Think peptides, antibodies, antioxidants,

I mean, everything your body needs to thrive. And Armra is a physician-founded brand that's optimized this powerhouse for humans. One jar, one ingredient, over 1,000 benefits, delivering over 400 functional nutrients in a super digestible form that supports your gut, immune system, cells, and frankly, way more than I can list here. And you know, we could all use a simple tool to strengthen our body's natural defense system against environmental threats. Also great, it comes in unflavored or delicious flavors like vine, watermelon, and blood orange.

You know, I just pour this into cold water or sometimes I just take the powder straight up. Head to tryarmra.com slash DeFranco to level up your health and use code DeFranco at checkout to get 15% off your first order. Just click the link in the description or scan the QR code on screen. But then next up, you're not gonna believe this. There is a new report

from the Nonprofit Fair Tax Foundation that's accusing the six world's biggest tech companies, those baby angels, Apple, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Netflix, and Alphabet, of aggressive tax avoidance, or the so-called Silicon 6. And that small handful of corporations reportedly generating a combined $11 trillion of revenue and $2.5 trillion of profits over the past decade. And this is reportedly when you look at what other companies paid on their profits, their rates averaged out to nearly 30% in the United States and 27% worldwide. But during that same time, the foundation found that the Silicon 6,

they only paid 18.8% in combined national and federal corporate taxes on average. And that percentage actually fell to just 16% if you exclude one-off repatriation payments in the US connected to historical tax avoidance. But that means even with the 18.8% rate, the tech giants paid nearly $278 billion less than they would have under average rates

of other industries, with the foundation then explaining this gap in a few ways. First off, American corporations enjoy a tax break on foreign-derived intangible income, and of course, Silicon Valley's products are the epitome of intangible. Second, their overseas sales get taxed less thanks to lower profit margins and profit shifting to lower tax jurisdictions like Luxembourg. And then third, the companies allegedly inflated their stated tax contributions by $82 billion by including contingent taxes that they didn't expect to actually pay.

And so with all of that, you had the foundation's head, Paul Monahan, concluding, "'The Silicon Six's corporate income tax contributions are, in percentage terms, way below what sectors such as banking and energy are paying in many parts of the world.'" And adding, "'Our analysis would indicate that tax avoidance

continues to be hardwired into corporate structures.'" But this is not all corporations are the world. And adding, our analysis would indicate that tax avoidance continues to be hardwired into corporate structures. But this is not all corporations are the same level of bad, according to the report. With the finding, for example, that Netflix paid the lowest tax rate on its profits at just 14.7%, while Microsoft paid the highest at 20.4%. Though to be fair, there are legit reasons

why one company might pay a lower rate than another. So you actually have to analyze its conduct to see how it's playing ball. And notably, by that metric, Amazon reportedly comes in last. Now there, I'll say in its defense, you had an Amazon spokesperson telling the independent tax is paid on profit, not revenue. Amazon is primarily a retailer with low profit margins. So comparisons to technology companies with much higher operating profit margins are deeply flawed. But notably the foundation's analysis compared the Silicon six to companies earning equivalent profits.

So that objection is debatable. Also, you had the report noting that these tech giants, as well as the larger-than-life personalities who head them, convert their economic power into political power. You know, whether it's Jeff Bezos turning the Washington Post into a propaganda mill for exclusively pro-free-market opinion pieces, or Mark Zuckerberg realigning that his content moderation policy to suit Donald Trump's preferences, or both men, as well as people like Tim Cook, attending Trump's inauguration in January, apparently currying favor with the new administration.

And in addition to that, you're the foundation finding of the Silicon 6. They spent $115 million directly lobbying the governments in the United States and Europe in 2024. And while you know it's true that companies like Apple, they're hurt severely by Trump's tariffs, it's also true, according to The Guardian, that the White House is using the tariffs as leverage

to get the UK to cut taxes on American tech giants. With one of the key things to remember being that more tech titans than Elon Musk appear to hold sway in Washington. And there have been, and there will continue to be, new and different ways that we see all of that play out. But then let's switch gears from that and give you some good news to help keep you sane today.

And with that, I want you to meet Tammy Kahn's here. Because recently, Tammy and her son, Leo, they were out to lunch in Pittsburgh at a little place called Eaton Park. And their server just so happened to be an 81 year old woman by the name of Betty. And Tammy overheard her tell another table that she can't afford to retire.

Saying that she needs to work because her bills cost her more than the $900 a month she gets in social security. And Tammy, who's an esthetician and a TikToker decided to do something about it. And so she whips out her phone, she makes a video and she promises that every cent made on that video from TikTok's creator fund would go to Betty.

And then on top of that, she also left Betty all the cash that she had on her as a tip, a total of $40. This is for you. We heard you say you can't retire yet. I know. So we gave you a little extra. Thank you. No, I mean, I worked all my life as a waitress

and still can't retire. I'm sorry. I feel so terrible, so does he. Yeah, how old are you? Oh, I shouldn't ask that, sorry. I'm 18. I'm 81. Oh my goodness.

You look great. Thank you. You're welcome. And I can still outdo these young workers. But then here's the thing, Tammy's video absolutely blows up with tons of people flooding the comment section asking about a GoFundMe and other ways they could help.

With Tammy telling People Magazine, "'Honestly, I didn't think about a GoFundMe. I thought maybe I'd make a hundred dollars from TikTok.' But what an idea it was, because once the fundraiser was launched, it immediately took off and within a week, it made over $300,000. And this is there were additional donations

numbering in the thousands from Venmo and Cash App, another $1,000 from TikTok. Also, I wanna note that, you know, we don't have any pictures or videos of Betty because she told Tammy that she'd prefer to keep her face off camera as much as possible. You know, Tammy has respected that wish for privacy, but Tammy did also record the call that she had with Betty

to share some of the details and tell her how much had been raised after just a few days. How much is it? Right now it's at $140,000. What? $140,000? Yes. I guess I better get a financial license. I bet. I guess so, right? Oh my God. $140,000. Yeah, I know. Oh, you're, you're God. You know, also throughout this process,

Tammy herself learned more about Betty and shared more. So it turns out that Betty has been working tirelessly her entire life to support her children on her own after her husband passed away when they were young. With Tammy telling People Magazine, she's so deserving. Hearing stories from her coworkers about how giving she's been her whole life make me feel even better about what we're doing.

And the total amount that's been raised for this woman as of right now is over $330,000. And Tammy's now working with an attorney to get it set up as a trust fund so it won't impact Betty's social security. With Tammy adding there, I wanted to do this the right way. It's more complicated than I anticipated,

but it's worth it. And while right now we don't know how Betty specifically plans on using the funds, reportedly she plans on prioritizing taking care of herself and her family. And so today, you know, Tammy and Betty are bamfs of the day. Tammy for going out of her way to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for a complete stranger.

And Betty, cause she's been a hard worker. And I also just respect most of my elders. And I hope you enjoy because Tammy's right. You absolutely deserve it. But then finally today, let's talk about y'all's comments on yesterday's show and some comment commentary brought to you by beautifulBastard.com. Where if you missed it yesterday, you gotta get in on this new April drop that went live yesterday.

With a brand new, yeah, no, it's fine, everything's fine that I'm wearing, but there's also a light version. One day we'll all be skeletons, more like fun, productive, and one minor inconvenience away from losing my shit. And right now, if you use code tariffs, you'll actually get 10% off. With that said, diving into yesterday's comments, we actually got a comment I did not expect. And that is that Doug from our BAMF of the day story, he actually hit me up saying, I just watched your show when I was floored when I heard you make me your BAMF of the day. My GoFundMe has received over $15,000 in new donations today. And I'm sure a lot of it is because of you.

I can't thank you enough for your generous donation and especially your kind words and shout out on your show. With Doug then separately asking, do you know anyone from Mazda USA? My Malibu is running rough. I'm a huge fan of the CX-50, which I gotta say, no, I do not know anyone over there. My experience with Mazda has just been ruining an RX-8. But hey, I'll try to use my megaphone. If anyone from Mazda is watching, there's a cool opportunity to do a good thing and hey, get some good press. But then in addition to that, there were a lot of comments and conversation, understandably around Trump and Bukele. It was the lead story yesterday. It was a standout one. And to that, there were a lot of comments and conversation, understandably, around Trump and Bukele. It was the lead story yesterday. It was a standout one.

And with that, some of the most liked comments were saying he will deport homegrown criminals while being a 34-count convicted felon is wild as hell. America can't be a real place. Along with, took all of three months to go from we are a nation of laws to we don't like some laws, so we're going to pretend that they're not a thing. What a fricking joke. And you had Steve essentially condensing the back and forth saying quote, we acknowledge this man is not a terrorist and shouldn't be there, but I'm not going to release a terrorist from prison. I don't have the power to do that in the country

of which I am the only authority figure. Jane then responding, when two dictators can't bring this man home, I'm left wondering who can. Which yeah, it's funny when I wanna do a thing, I have all the power, but when I don't wanna do a thing, ah, my hands are tied. Or like there's a form to do the thing that I should definitely be doing,

but like we're all out of paper and or ink. And the wifi is down in the White House, so we can't DocuSign it. I don't know, I mean, maybe we'll get to it. Aloe also just saying, quote, "'It got worse' is now a permanent headline." Which yeah, I'm gonna have to start getting more specific with those.

You know, these comments, they're just a small taste of the full smattering. You can pause here if you wanna see any of the others that I'm not covering word for word. But then also in addition to that, there was a lot of really interesting conversations and interesting comments around the being declared dead falsely story.

With for example, Trey Clark saying, being declared dead can really grind your life to a halt. Saying, I share a first, middle and last name with my father and my late grandfather. When my grandfather died, a death hold was placed on my student loans because the person who did the paperwork for the loans didn't add my suffix to the forms.

I was a year delinquent on that loan because I could not give the bank money for the loan. I called the bank countless times, but I was just told the system was down because they could pull up information on what I owed. Because of this, my credit score took a massive hit that took a decade to repair. This was an administrative error on just my loan. I shudder to think what my life would have been like if I was dead to all federal agencies. How would you even start to fix that? But then also adding fun fact, being dead did not stop the collection calls.

Can't let a little thing like death stop the banks from squeezing you dry. But then the final two comments I'll hit on, one, we got a different kind of good news. We had Madison Rose saying a happy story to share. I got engaged today. I introduced my fiance to the PDS when we first started dating

and now it's part of our daily routine, which of course just confirms what I've been saying for years. The couple that gets filled in together stays together. And then finally, Attila the Dunn said, "'I like the deep dives, felt like important info "'that couldn't be normally fit into the show. "'Thanks, Phil and team.'"

Which actually brings me to an ask for those still watching the show. I'm thinking the most dedicated and or the people that accidentally left the show on. Can you share today's show? Like take the link. I don't care if you post it on X, Instagram, Blue Sky, you text it to your mom, your dad. Last week, while it was appreciated by like 60% of the audience,

it fucked us on the YouTube algorithm. If you just did that small thing, I think it would get us back into the regular flow as far as how the YouTube algorithm treats us. Either way, it's going to be fine. I knew there was a possible risk with testing something like that last week, but just throwing it out there. You know, whether you do that or you don't, that's the end of today's show. But hey, don't worry. You're going to see my dumb face again very, very soon. Because 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.