The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 4.22 Trump’s Joe Rogan Problem is Getting Worse... & Today's News

Episode Date: April 22, 2025

A sad day when besties dont see eye to eye Unbox comfort at https://rovelab.com/defranco and get up to 50% off Rove Lab products until April 28th.  Go to https://hensonshaving.com/DEFRANCO and enter... DEFRANCO at checkout for 100 blades with purchase. Note: You must add both the blades and the razor for the Henson discount to apply. WEAR YOUR FEELINGS! https://BeautifulBastard.com Get 10% OFF with code "TARIFFS" Subscribe for New shows every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday @ 6pm ET/3pm PT & watch more here:  https://youtu.be/Kv9cIVuES_Y?si=P0q9W0R7gRp2KQUY&list=PLHcsGizlfLMWpSg7i0b9wnUyEZWI-25N3&index=1  – ✩ TODAY’S STORIES ✩ – 00:00 - Trump & the Supreme Court are Barrelling Toward a Constitutional Crisis 9:24 - Sponsored by Rove Labs 10:36 - France Asks Regulators Probe #Skinnytok Tag for Harmful Effects 14:01 - Harvard Sues Trump Administration for Freezing Funds 17:22 - Sponsored by Henson Shaving 18:31 - Stocks Fall, Dollar Hits Three-Year Low as Trump Bashes Fed Chair Jerome Powell 22:43 - Viral Clip Introduces the World to Australia’s “Twinnies” Who Run Bird Sanctuary  ——————————   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  Associate Producer on Pope Francis: 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 #JoeRogan ———————————— Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:31 neutral's ingredients. Vodka. Soda. Natural flavors. So, what should we talk about? No sugar added? Neutral. Refreshingly simple. Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco Show, your daily dive into the news. As I am Philip DeFranco, and there is a lot we need to talk about today, starting with this. The fight over Donald Trump's immigration actions are only intensifying with the Supreme Court
Starting point is 00:01:12 and the administration now barreling towards what might become a full-blown constitutional crisis. Right, and so for you to fully understand where we are and where we're going, you have to first go back to Saturday when the Supreme Court issued an emergency order at like one o'clock in the morning to block the administration from deporting
Starting point is 00:01:24 even more Venezuelans accused of being part of Tren de Iragua. Because you have the Trump administration using the controversial 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport people that it claims are part of the gang. And notably, this act has only ever been used like three other times to go after people. And each time, it's been a black stain on America's history.
Starting point is 00:01:39 And this is normally a gang wouldn't be targeted under the act since it's meant to remove people working with enemy governments. Which is why to justify its use, the Trump administration has accused them of being in operation by Venezuelan dictator, Nicolas Maduro.
Starting point is 00:01:50 You know, with that, like we've talked about earlier this month, the administration began flying alleged gang members to El Salvador. With it obvious from the get-go that there's gonna be a ton of litigation around this. And in fact, the Supreme Court stepped up in early April to essentially say, what the fuck are you doing? You need to give people that you want to deport enough time
Starting point is 00:02:04 to challenge their deportations before removing them from the US. However, there were growing signs that the Trump administration was going to violate that ruling, or at least the spirit of it. Or because this past Thursday, immigration officials started issuing notices
Starting point is 00:02:15 to Venezuelans being held in a Texas detention center that read, I am a law enforcement officer authorized to apprehend, restrain, and remove alien enemies. Accordingly, under the Alien Enemies Act, you have been determined to be an alien enemy subject to apprehension, restraint, and removal from the United States.
Starting point is 00:02:29 With critics then accusing the administration of violating the Supreme Court's order because A, the letter was only in English and many of the recipients don't speak English, and B, it was given out late Thursday night, meaning that they'd have just a few hours to get ahold of a lawyer and fight the case by Friday morning or risk getting deported over the weekend.
Starting point is 00:02:45 And so what we saw was the ACLU springing into action and challenging the government's action. While the reporting I'll say is a bit hazy here, it does seem like they initially tried to go to the district court before turning to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and then the Supreme Court for help. But then at around one o'clock in the morning on Saturday,
Starting point is 00:02:58 the Supreme Court stepping in with that extremely short order that essentially blocked the government from deporting these Venezuelans. And this is notably the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals actually denied the ACLU's request, claiming that they needed to wait for the district court to make a decision before intervening outside of crazy circumstances. With them saying that they didn't feel this was a crazy circumstance, claiming the district court's order today indicates that petitioners gave the court
Starting point is 00:03:19 only 42 minutes to act and did not give respondents an opportunity to respond. And this reasoning was actually echoed later in the evening after Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas released their dissent, with their argument pretty much being that this was an unprecedented move by the Supreme Court and was hastily and prematurely granted. And quote, in some, literally in the middle of the night,
Starting point is 00:03:37 the court issued unprecedented and legally questionable relief without giving the lower courts a chance to rule, without hearing from the opposing party within eight hours of receiving the application with dubious factual support for its order and without providing any explanation for its order. Of course, as we talked about earlier,
Starting point is 00:03:51 the court told the Trump administration it needed to give people ample time to challenge their deportations and many feel that Alito's dissent, it ignores the reality that the government's actions arguably skirted that order as well as the fact that the government is willing to move people very quickly.
Starting point is 00:04:04 Not to mention that allegedly, they were already Venezuelans on buses, presumably to be sent to airports when the ACLU made its motions. Also, I will say, it's not like Alito was completely wrong in calling this unprecedented, with just one of the examples being, this administrative stay was made by the entire court
Starting point is 00:04:18 when normally they're done by a single justice who oversees that district court, in this case, the fifth is Alito's territory. And considering he dissented, it's very likely that no stay would have been issued if it was his choice. I'll also say it's extremely unusual for the Supreme Court to issue its ruling before a dissent has been written.
Starting point is 00:04:33 Normally they're released at the same time, but also considering that there were fears that people were going to get deported within hours, the court might've felt that they had to move super fast. But then notably, with all that, there is a growing narrative online among Trump supporters that the court is now overstepping its boundaries and should be ignored with some even saying things like,
Starting point is 00:04:49 "'So if the Supreme Court can overrule "'the executive branch, does that mean the executive branch "'can overrule a Supreme Court decision "'since they are both co-equal branches?' And you've got conservative radio host Jesse Kelly arguing, "'Ignore the Supreme Court. "'Arrest anyone who tries to enforce this. "'Dissolve the Supreme Court entirely if they push.
Starting point is 00:05:05 You can deport foreigners or you don't have a country anymore. There are no good choices now. And this is just one of the potential constitutional crises going on. I mean, another is the fight over due process, which underpins almost all of this, which the TLDR is that, you know,
Starting point is 00:05:18 people in America are afforded due process, which gives them a chance to fight their charges. Due process, kind of important. Otherwise the government says, "'Hey, you're this thing and that's it, you're that thing.'" In this case, without those hearings, the government doesn't have to prove anything about the people that they're rounding up.
Starting point is 00:05:31 They could just wave a magic wand and claim that someone's a Salvadoran MS-13 gang member, and therefore they need to be deported such as in Kilmar Abrego Garcia's case. You know, just today, you had a federal judge in Colorado ruling that the Trump administration must give a 21 day notice to any Venezuelan migrants detained in the state before it can deport them, with the administration then also
Starting point is 00:05:47 being required to tell those migrants in a language they understand that they have a right to challenge their deportation. With that, one of the things that we're seeing is that many Trump supporters are increasingly saying they don't think allegedly undocumented people should get that kind of due process. With, for example, last week, Vice President J.D. Vance tweeting out a defense of the administration's actions, writing, Ask the people weeping over the lack of due process what precisely they propose for dealing with Biden's millions and millions of illegals. With reasonable resources and administrative judge constraints, does their solution allow us to deport at least a few million people per year? Though with that, you've had many people pushing back, saying that argument is essentially, there's too many people to process fairly, so let's just skip the Constitution. And I mean, the fact that you have people calling
Starting point is 00:06:25 for skipping due process, it's set off alarm bells in people who otherwise support Trump, like Joe Rogan, for example, who's in this now viral clip saying. What about due process? No, that. Well, here's the problem with that. What if you are an enemy of,
Starting point is 00:06:40 let's not say any current president, let's pretend we got a new president, totally new guy in 2028. And this is a common practice now of just rounding up gang members with no due process and shipping them to El Salvador. You're a gang member. No, I'm not. Prove it. What? I got to go to court. No, no due process. And then with all that, of course, we have to talk about updates around Kilmar Abrego Garcia. You know, while he is just one man, he represents a much, much larger situation.
Starting point is 00:07:08 The latest update on his situation is that his surroundings are slightly better, at least according to court filings that the government made, because they're required to update the court every few days about Kilmar's situation. And he's now allegedly being held at a lower security prison
Starting point is 00:07:19 where he gets his own bed and furniture. Although with that, he was reportedly held in solitary confinement for weeks, which could mean no furnishings at all. With that swap apparently being done before Senator Chris Van Hollen visited him last week. Which, speaking of visits, four Democratic lawmakers just landed this week
Starting point is 00:07:32 in El Salvador to try and get Abrego Garcia out with Representative Robert Garcia saying, "'Well, Donald Trump continues to defy the Supreme Court. "'Kilmar Abrego Garcia is being held illegally "'in El Salvador after being wrongfully deported.'" And adding, "'This is why we're here, "'to remind the American people that kidnapping immigrants and deporting them without due process
Starting point is 00:07:48 is not how we do things in America. And while you're the State Department saying that Abrego Garcia is in good conditions and in an excellent state of health, these Democrats are demanding daily proof of life. This is the Salvadoran government rejected their attempts to see him, arguing that they're not in the country
Starting point is 00:08:02 in an official capacity. But then finally, with all this, we started talking about Venezuelans being held in El Salvador, and it looks like there might actually be an update on that. Because in a post on X directed to the Venezuelan president, Bukele offered an exchange. 252 Venezuelans who were deported from the U.S. and are being held in El Salvador for the same number of, quote, political prisoners being held in Venezuela. Bukele listing off the names of journalists, activists, and the family members of high-level opposition figures
Starting point is 00:08:25 in Venezuela, as well as accusing the government in Venezuela of detaining nearly 50 citizens of other nationalities, including Americans, and adding, "'The only reason they are imprisoned "'is for having opposed you and your electoral fraud.'" But then, in response, the prosecutor's office in Venezuela responding by calling Bukele a neo-fascist and saying that his comments were, quote, cynical,
Starting point is 00:08:42 with them then demanding information about the people that the Salvadoran government has detained, including their legal status and medical reports." And their statement, it came in hot saying, "'The treatment received by Venezuelans in the United States and El Salvador constitutes a serious violation
Starting point is 00:08:55 of international human rights law and constitutes a crime against humanity.'" With all this, there's still a lot of uncertainty around the specifics of Bukele's proposed swap with a big question being, are the political prisoners going to be free upon getting to El Salvador? And so ultimately, you know,
Starting point is 00:09:07 there's a lot that we're gonna have to keep our eyes on on several different fronts, but if there is just one place I can end, is how the fuck are we debating about if due process should exist? That's genuinely fucking insane. The people that are rooting for this are either not thinking about it,
Starting point is 00:09:20 or they love autocratic fascist dictator bullshit, but they don't like those words. And I find myself agreeing with Senator Chris Van Hollen when he says he is not vouching for Abrego Garcia. He's not vouching for the man. He is vouching for his constitutional rights to due process in America. If we live in a world where the government can just say you are this thing, or you're guilty of this thing, and you do not get a chance to do process, that's beyond. And as you see repeated in history over and over again, it starts with someone that the general citizenry could go,
Starting point is 00:09:50 well, those are other people, distant people. This could never happen to me and my friends and my family. I mean, we're so different. But you know, Joe Rogan is right in this avenue. One day, the people that you want in power may not be in power. Or what if you just end up being on the wrong side of the people currently in power,
Starting point is 00:10:05 because shit changes. Maybe that Bulls jersey you wear, and it's not because you think MJ is the GOAT, it's because you're a member of MS-13. Maybe that fucked up joke you said, it wasn't a joke, it was a serious thing, and actually it was a threat. Who's to say really? Not you, because fuck due process.
Starting point is 00:10:17 And as is often the case, if you don't stand up for the rights of those that you aren't aligned with, or you actively disagree with, you don't actually stand for anything except power and control. And then I've got more news you need to know in just a moment.
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Starting point is 00:11:20 right now. Starting today, you can snag up to 50% off Rove Lab products through April 28th. So forget the hassle of traditional furniture and unbox comfort at rovelab.com slash DeFranco, or just scan the code on screen today. Kick back, relax, and get up to 50% off on Rove Lab products today. But then next up from that, shifting gears to a different kind of news, something needs to be done about skinny talk. Those are words that many people all over the world are saying right now, and if you're unfamiliar, it's pretty much what it sounds like. It's a hashtag that's existed on TikTok for a while now, but it has really taken off over the past couple of months,
Starting point is 00:11:53 and it's a trend where you have people posting strict rules and advice about weight loss. Now with that, when you search for skinny talk on the app, it actually gives you a message saying you are more than your weight, and that help is out there if you have questions or concerns about body image. Then once you scroll to the videos under the tag,
Starting point is 00:12:07 you're met with mantras like- What you eat in private will always show in public. Eat only what you want to stay in your body past the taste on your lips. If you want to be small, you eat small. If you want it to be big, you eat big. Why do you eat like a linebacker and expect to look like a ballerina?
Starting point is 00:12:23 You'll then also see people posting body checks, what I eat in a day videos, content like that. With the hashtag having 56,000 posts. But really, I mean, Skinny Talk creators, they don't always use the hashtag and there are many, many more related videos. And notably, a lot of these creators, they have massive followings. But also, as you'd expect, a lot of people find Skinny Talk to be at the very least concerning. Right, arguing that it promotes disordered eating and a generally unhealthy obsession with thinness. And actually the reason that we're talking about this today is it's caught the attention of France's minister
Starting point is 00:12:49 for digital media who just reported this hashtag to the French regulator, ARKOM, and to the European Union. Where they're saying in a statement that quote, "'These videos promoting extreme thinness "'are revolting and absolutely unacceptable.'" And adding, "'Digital tools are marvelous "'in terms of progress and freedom, "'but badly used, they can shatter lives. "' The social networks cannot escape the responsibility. And actually, according to
Starting point is 00:13:08 Politico, Arcom's now working with the European Commission to investigate, given the public health risk the trend may pose. And this is going down as the commission's already opened a probe into how TikTok's algorithm affects minors. Now, as far as what TikTok has said, they say they've deleted posts and have rules against body shaming, dangerous behavior linked to weight loss, and age restrictions for content idealizing certain body types. But there, you have many things that the platform just hasn't done enough. With a scene, for example, a nurse in France starting a petition calling on TikTok to remove Skinny Talk content and that effort getting over 25,000 signatures. And this is the effects of Skinny Talk aren't just being felt in France or in Europe. We even had Rolling Stone just doing a piece noting that overall weight loss content online
Starting point is 00:13:45 has gotten mean again. We're saying that people are shifting away from body positivity and it's prompted more people to come across shaming tactics on their FYPs instead. With them then pointing to one creator with 900,000 followers who has said things like, "'You hungry at night? "'Chew on your pillow.
Starting point is 00:13:58 "'What about running? "'Run to the kitchen and eat less food.'" With the outlet adding, they're actively seeking out people who will be direct and mean can seem counterintuitive. But adding, part of the draw for Skinny Talk is that creators often publicly say out loud the thoughts people usually think to themselves.
Starting point is 00:14:11 Right in there, you had Dr. Erin Parks, the chief clinical officer of the virtual treatment center, equip explaining, this is harmful for everyone, whether you have an eating disorder or not. It is taking the depressive self-critical thoughts that exist in all of our heads and it's amplifying them. And adding, I'm worried about the long-term harm
Starting point is 00:14:26 to our brains as we're laying down these pathways. How I look is my worth and what I eat makes me good or bad and reinforcing them again and again. And while obviously a lot of these creators believe their content to be just motivational and honest, not toxic and dangerous, you had one author telling Rolling Stone that skinny talk is really just a mask off approach
Starting point is 00:14:43 towards diet culture that removes the wellness coded language that creators promoting disordered eating often hide behind. With some even comparing it to the eras of pro anorexia, Tumblr or ED Twitter. And so with all that, you know, I'd really love to know your thoughts on this trend on leaders in France taking action against it. And if you've also noticed these weight loss narratives
Starting point is 00:15:00 changing on your own feeds as well. But then next up from that today, we got to talk about Harvard now suing the Trump administration over its threats to withhold funding from the university. Because as we talked about last week, the Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in federal funds to the university after it refused to comply with a list of demands
Starting point is 00:15:15 outlined in a letter that it sent on April 11th from a new panel called the Task Force to Combat Antisemitism. And among other things, the demands outlined in this letter included instructing the school to shutter all DEI programs, change its admissions, hiring, and governance practices, and take a number of steps to crack down on pro-Palestine viewpoints as part of what they claim are efforts to combat antisemitism.
Starting point is 00:15:34 And since then, the administration has also threatened the university's tax-exempt status and ability to enroll foreign students. They're now also being reported that officials are planning to cut another $1 billion specifically for health research. But now you have the school fighting back in court and setting up a massive clash between the nation's most prestigious university and the Trump administration.
Starting point is 00:15:50 And in the lawsuit, which is filed against numerous departments and their leaders, Harvard specifically accuses the administration of violating its First Amendment rights, federal administrative procedures, and other regulations for actions of this nature, alleging that the government has been trying to, quote,
Starting point is 00:16:02 "'Use the withholding of federal funding as leverage to gain control of academic decision-making at Harvard, with the complaint then going on to claim that the administration's actions threaten Harvard's academic independence and are part of a broader effort by the government to punish Harvard for protecting its constitutional rights. And very notably here, the suit also argues that the Trump administration has failed to establish any connection between the funding freeze and fighting anti-Semitism, with them noting that Harvard has been making structural reforms to combat it on campus, but instead of engaging the school on those efforts, the administration is trying to freeze funding that has nothing at all to do with anti-Semitism,
Starting point is 00:16:35 and adding, the government has not and cannot identify any rational connection between anti-Semitism concerns and the medical, scientific, technological, and other research it has frozen. And that is something that we've also seen echoed by Harvard president Alan Garber, who said in a statement announcing the lawsuit yesterday, As a Jew and as an American, I know very well that there are valid concerns about rising anti-Semitism. With him then going on to reiterate that the school has been taking tangible action on that front, and then adding, Before taking punitive action, the law requires that the federal government engage with us
Starting point is 00:17:02 about the ways we are fighting and will continue to fight antisemitism. But they're claiming that instead, the government's demands seek to control whom we hire and what we teach. With Garber then also accusing the administration of trying to impose unprecedented and improper control over Harvard and arguing that the consequences
Starting point is 00:17:17 of the government's overreach will be severe and long lasting. With them also specifically outlining research that will be jeopardized by these freezes, including efforts to help children survive cancer, understand how cancer spreads, predict the spread of outbreaks, and reduce the risk of disease, adding, the victims will be future patients and their loved ones who will suffer the heartbreak of illnesses that might have been prevented or treated more effectively. And then further claiming that the funding freeze undermines the nation's ability to save American
Starting point is 00:17:41 lives, foster American success, and maintain America's position as a global leader in innovation. But as far as, you know, what happens from here, Harvard is now asking a judge to declare the administration's freeze as unconstitutional and order it to reverse any frozen or terminated funding. And you have legal experts saying that they have a solid case,
Starting point is 00:17:57 especially regarding allegations that the Trump administration violated laws governing administrative procedure and regulations. But as far as how the administration has responded, they've made it clear that they will not go down without a fight. The single White House spokesperson issuing a statement saying, the gravy train of federal assistance
Starting point is 00:18:11 to institutions like Harvard, which enriched their grossly overpaid bureaucrats with tax dollars from struggling American families is coming to an end. Taxpayer funds are a privilege and Harvard fails to meet the basic conditions required to access that privilege. And then I've got even more news for you
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Starting point is 00:20:41 President Donald Trump and Chair of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell. So long story short, Trump's tariffs, they triggered a Wall Street sell-off and stoked fears of an economic recession. And so to help offset impacts of the stock market, Trump wants Powell to lower interest rates. But the Fed is supposed to be insulated from politics, and for good reason.
Starting point is 00:20:56 But then, connected to that, Trump's escalating attacks on Powell then actually just adding to the market turmoil. But with that said, where things get very interesting is with a slightly longer version, because I'll start by putting out the fact that Trump himself actually nominated Powell back in 2017. With that, then followed by Trump talking
Starting point is 00:21:10 about firing the man at least once every subsequent year of his presidency. Except technically those 20 days in January before Joe Biden took over in 2021. I think he was a little busy with other stuff, we'll say. Something happened in January of 2021. I think it was like a tour, unscheduled tour, I think is what it was. But with that, what we saw was Biden appointed Powell to another four
Starting point is 00:21:28 year term in 2022. And then, you know, he didn't constantly threaten to fire him. But then, of course, the Democrats lost, Trump won, he returned to the White House, and he got right back to it. And in fact, you had the Wall Street Journal reporting last week that he had been privately discussing getting rid of Powell for months. And notably, after announcing his Liberation Day tariffs, you had him calling out Powell publicly saying it would quote, be a perfect time to cut interest rates. But a big thing is, you know, the Fed doesn't care about Trump's economic agenda,
Starting point is 00:21:52 at least not directly. Its job simply put is to keep inflation in check while maximizing employment. And over the last few years, what we've seen is it's actually been able to help bring down inflation while keeping the unemployment rate relatively low. There was the COVID of it all,
Starting point is 00:22:03 inflation ended up peaking at around 9% in 2022, but last month it was down to 2.4%, which one, stellar numbers when you look at the international community, and two, pretty close to the agency's 2% target. And that as unemployment levels have remained pretty low as well. Although I will say Trump's tariffs
Starting point is 00:22:19 have also sparked fears about that. But in any case, last week Powell noted that Trump's tariffs were quote, "'Highly likely to generate at least a temporary rise in inflation, which for the most part means cutting rates is exactly what you would not do. And he would Powell himself, suggesting there is no rush to act and that the Fed can wait for greater clarity before making any decisions. That, however, seemed to set Trump off, with him then publicly calling for Powell to be fired the next day and writing on social media, Powell's termination cannot come fast enough. With then
Starting point is 00:22:44 one of Trump's top economic advisors soon confirming that officials would continue to study the question of whether they can legally fire Powell because Powell, he has seemingly made it clear that he will not step down if Trump asks him to resign. With him, for example, speaking at an event last week and saying, our independence is a matter of law. We're not removable except for cause.
Starting point is 00:23:01 And that is very likely true, but also since it's never happened, it's ultimately somewhat unclear whether Trump actually has the authority to remove Powell. Though notably, the Supreme Court is currently hearing a case that could give the president more power to fire some federal officials before their terms are up. And so ultimately we're gonna have to wait
Starting point is 00:23:15 to see what happens there and whether it applies to the fed since we're living in unprecedented times and it appears that the theme of this administration so far has been, let's really test the limits of presidential power. You know, either way, there's no doubt that firing Powell, I mean, it would be unprecedented. And whatever Trump may think, it would very, very likely
Starting point is 00:23:31 do even further damage to the American economy. And in fact, we're already seeing how that may be true because early yesterday morning, Trump again, took to social media urging Powell to cut interest rates preemptively, with him claiming that energy costs are down, that food prices are substantially lower, and that there is virtually no inflation. And going on to say, there could be a slowing of
Starting point is 00:23:48 the economy unless Mr. Too Late, a major loser, lowers interest rates now. And over the course of the day yesterday, stocks slid, though with that today, they have mostly bounced back. You know, that whole episode, I guess, tied into the season of episodes we've had this year, it kind of shows the impact that Trump has had. And notably with that, stocks aren't the only sign of investors losing confidence in the U.S. Because when stocks slump, investors often seek out so-called safe haven assets, normally including the American dollar and U.S. government bonds. However, yesterday what we saw was that the dollar index fell to its lowest level since 2022, and bonds are being sold off as well. And instead, what we've seen are people buying up good old-fashioned gold, the most tried and true safe haven asset.
Starting point is 00:24:25 In fact, the price hitting an all time record high yesterday of more than $3,500 per ounce. And then with that, you had the IMF today releasing a growth forecast for this year that gave the U.S. the biggest downgrade among advanced economies, thanks in large part to tariffs. Of course, we're not in this alone and other countries are projected to be hit hard as well. But ultimately, we're going to have to wait to see how this plays out. But then next up today in very different news, let's talk about this viral video that introduced the world to a pair of Australian treasures. And if you've existed on the internet in recent days,
Starting point is 00:24:52 you may have seen this video at least in some capacity. And one guy, he was up there with our mom and he went up there and he was coming back down towards us and he goes, run, he's got a gun and oh our heart started to pound and i said oh mom where's mom and poor poor mom was stuck up there but apparently our brave mom she goes are you all right because he had all blood all over his face. And he goes, I'll shoot you. She goes, hey, I'm here to help.
Starting point is 00:25:27 So that is Paula and Bridget Powers talking in unison about a carjacking the other mother experience. And as this video gained traction online and people were talking about these women and their in-stereo speech, many Australians weren't too surprised. Right in that, because as it turns out, the Powers' twinnies, they're well known down under,
Starting point is 00:25:42 both for their connection with each other and their bird sanctuary. Because you see, after working with Steve Irwin briefly, Bridget and Paula branched out on their own, and they've been running the 20s Pelican and Seabird Rescue for over 20 years. And over that time, they've saved thousands of injured, orphaned, and sick native birds. And according to one veterinarian and TV host, quote, one of the true strengths the twins possess is this incredible ability to read a bird and just watch it for 30 seconds and almost know medically what's going on with it. And adding, you can go to university for years and years and not be able to do that. If there's a bird in distress or even a turtle, the twins respond.
Starting point is 00:26:13 Every single waking minute will be spent tending to that animal and they don't really rest until the patient's needs are taken care of. And looking into it, there are actually numerous examples. Like back in 2020, they found a pelican egg that was on the edge of a dam, but it had rolled away from its nest site. And in the 20s, they brought it inside, incubated it, and raised the bird for months before releasing it into the wild. You know, they take injured birds, sick ones, lost ones, any kind that you can imagine.
Starting point is 00:26:35 With Steve Irwin's father, Bob, even saying that he thinks 90% of the birds that have come into the 20s care would have died without intervention and adding. I hate to think of how many hundreds and maybe thousands of birds would be dead now if not for the 20s. But also, it hasn't always been smooth sailing for Brid intervention and adding. I hate to think of how many hundreds and maybe thousands of birds would be dead now if not for the 20s. But also, it hasn't always been smooth sailing
Starting point is 00:26:48 for Bridget and Paula. Besides the ridicule they've faced for their unique speech and identical style, they've also been battling health issues their entire life. Issues including osteoporosis, stomach issues, and heart problems. But sometimes it's just being hard to get out of bed and you actually had the 20s saying in an interview,
Starting point is 00:27:02 but we know we've got to look after our feathered friends over in our center and they need our help. And even the center itself has had issues. I mean, a couple of years ago, money got really tight for the 20s, where they were just kind of scraping by on public donations, their father's Vietnam War pension, and the occasional government grant.
Starting point is 00:27:15 And eventually that wasn't enough with the 20s Pelican and Seabird Rescue facing the very real threat of eviction. That is until a philanthropist based in Brisbane stepped in and purchased the site from the 20s landlord of 12 years, with them promising to work with them and make the site exactly what they need, and their mom sang at the time, it's pretty amazing to think that someone has come through the gate to fulfill the Twins' dream, not for a roof over their heads, but a roof
Starting point is 00:27:36 for the birds that they love saving. We would have had to end up moving or closed down, and even to move dozens of aviaries from here. What a task. And because of that generosity, the Twinnies have been able to continue their work. Work that is gravely needed, right? The urban development of the Sunshine Coast has led to countless seabirds being caught up in fishing lines, struck by propellers, or even injured by humans.
Starting point is 00:27:54 And that's without getting into the storms with tropical cyclone Alfred wreaking havoc on the native birds of Australia earlier this year and dozens of birds being transferred to the Twinnies Rehab Center. You know, with all that said, and for all their work, I wanna give Paula and Bridget the BAMF of the Day Award. But that, my friends, is the end of your Tuesday evening,
Starting point is 00:28:10 Wednesday morning dive into the news. But of course, don't worry, 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.

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