The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 4.3 Andrew Tate “Free!" What Really Comes Next, WWE UFC Merger, Trump Arraignment, Musk vs NYT & More

Starting point is 00:00:00 It's a roadshow, but it's today again. So let's talk about the news. Starting with... In an absolutely massive update over the weekend, Andrew Tate has been released from jail. Though, he's not fully free just yet. Instead, what we saw was a Romanian court ruling that Tate, his brother, and the two women who were arrested alongside them can now serve house arrest. Which is why you may or may not have seen him pacing back and forth in his house over the weekend.

Starting point is 00:00:19 As well as he's now free to tweet things like, since last year I've been in 24-hour lockdown, no yard time, pacing a three-meter cell with zero electronics or outside contact, absolute clarity of mind, real thoughts, real plans, vivid pain. An addict, I prepare my body to absorb the brutal kinetics of piercing lead. As all other silencing attempts fail and stage 3 approaches, I anticipate a bullet will be the chosen utensil of pacification. I can only pray and prepare.

Starting point is 00:00:42 I will force myself to breathe the best I can, I promise. But all that said, one of the biggest things here is that with this ruling, it's final, meaning that prosecutors cannot appeal it. And this is an absolutely massive win for Tate, who really, since December, things have not gone his way. And currently it remains to be seen if we're going to see charges, since, you know, they were detained for human trafficking, rape, and organized crime. And the timing here matters, because currently they're set to be fully released at the end of this month, unless prosecutors try to hold them for another 30 days like they've been doing each month. And a spokesperson for the Tates even saying the brothers are already expecting this to happen. But again, if these prosecutors do not formally indict them within the next couple of months, they're going to be out.

Starting point is 00:01:15 And then the Virginia teacher who was shot by her six-year-old student has now filed a $40 million lawsuit. With that teacher, Abby Zwirner, alleging that administrators of Richneck Elementary School at Newport News repeatedly failed to act on multiple warnings that the boy had a gun before he shot her, and saying they did so despite the fact they knew that the child in question had a history of random violence. And while we've already heard many of the accusations laid out in the lawsuit, there are also some absolutely fucking wild pieces of information that were previously unknown to the public. We're not talking about, like, a few minor schoolyard incidents. This kid had serious patterns of scary behavior. For example, the suit says that while he was in kindergarten at Richneck in 2021 to 2022, he strangled and choked a teacher.

Starting point is 00:01:51 And then during that same school year, the kid pulled up the dress of a female student who had fallen on the playground and began to touch the child inappropriately until reprimanded by a teacher. And according to the complaint, the boy was just transferred out of Richneck and put elsewhere in the district. But then somehow he was allowed to return for the 2022-23 school year and enrolled in Zwirner's class. But even after that, this kid had to be put on a modified schedule last fall because he was, quote, pacing students around the playground with a belt in an effort to whip them with it, as well as cursing at staff and teachers.

Starting point is 00:02:15 And I mean, just two days before the shooting, the lawsuit says he smashed Zwirner's phone and called her and others an inappropriate name. Also note here, the boy's family previously said in a statement that he had an acute disability and was under a care plan that quote, "...included his mother or father attending school with him and accompanying him to class every day." With him claiming that the week of the shooting was the first one that one of the parents wasn't with him in class. But Zwirner's lawsuit claims that the reason the boy had to have a parent with him daily was specifically because of his violent tendencies. With the complaint also going on to add that the teacher's concerns about the boy's behavior

Starting point is 00:02:42 was regularly brought to the attention of Richneck Elementary School administration, and the concerns were always dismissed. And saying often when he was taken to the school office to address his behavior, he would return to the classroom shortly thereafter with some kind of reward, such as a piece of candy. So ultimately, we're gonna have to wait to see what happens with the lawsuit. But as far as the kid, Newport News Commonwealth's attorney Howard Gwynne told NBC News last month that he would not seek charges against the boy because of his age and inability to properly understand the legal system. But he did say he was still deciding whether to hold any adults criminally liable. And then in entertainment news, what the hell is going on with Twitter's verification checks? That's what many are wondering, since Twitter said it would

Starting point is 00:03:15 be ending its legacy blue check verification come April 1st. And people who got those checks to verify that they're a real person or an organization of note would be losing them. And instead, if you want a blue check, Mark, whether you're Joe Schmo or Beyonce, of note, would be losing them. And instead, if you want a blue checkmark, whether you're Joe Schmoe or Beyonce, you gotta pay for Twitter Blue. But come April 1st, those people didn't lose their blue checks. Instead, what was different was the labels associated with it.

Starting point is 00:03:31 Because you used to be able to click a check to see if a person paid for Twitter Blue or if they were a legacy verified account. Now, the line's blurred and all verified people have the same blurb, saying this account is verified because it's subscribed to Twitter Blue or is a legacy verified account.

Starting point is 00:03:43 So it doesn't tell you which is which. So you could be looking at the real Tom Hanks or a troll Tom Hanks. You figure it out. But as far as why legacy users didn't lose their checks and instead we got this weird blurb, well, there's been a lot of speculation with some saying Twitter straight up realized the only value of Twitter Blue

Starting point is 00:03:55 is duping people into thinking it's a legacy checkmark. After Elon said he was eliminating legacy blue checkmarks. And outlets like the Washington Post reporting that it might be because removing the checks would require extensive manual work. Also, you had in a now-deleted tweet, Elon Musk himself saying the platform is giving these users a few weeks of grace That is unless they say they will not be paying for Twitter blue in which case Twitter will just strike it which seems to explain What happened to the New York Times? Kinda because the New York Times was officially one of the first accounts to lose its check or the outlet previously said it would not

Starting point is 00:04:21 Pay for verification something that costs a regular person around eight dollars per month to start. Notably, organizations would have to spend $1,000 a month for theirs, and then there's other fees for all the people that work for them. And so you had the New York Times and other major outlets saying, thanks, but no thanks, we're not going to be paid. But again, as of recording, the only account to actually lose their check was the New York Times. And that, notably coming after someone shared a meme with Musk about how the Times didn't want to pay, to which Musk replied, okay, we'll take it off then. But also stripping the Times of its check clashes with an announcement Twitter made on Friday saying, actually, the top 10,000 followed companies won't need to pay for verification. No $1,000 monthly fee necessary,

Starting point is 00:04:51 we'll just hand over that shiny gold check. And with 55 million followers, the New York Times could easily make that cut, but, you know, uh, Musk. And that's not speculation, I mean, he went on this big anti-New York Times rant as well. And so now, in response to all this, you've seen tons of big names chiming in on whether they're gonna pay for verification or not. LeBron James saying he won't be spending money on Twitter blue. Jack Black saying he doesn't know if he'll keep his because it's definitely not cool to pay for it. Chris Pratt likewise saying he's torn. Explaining I care deeply about all of my followers. I'll do whatever I have to do to stay a part of their lives because I respect their attention

Starting point is 00:05:20 and I love to use it as an opportunity to talk to them when I'm doing movies and stuff. And then you have large creators like Moist Critical not specifically saying in this tweet you know what the plans are regarding his check but slamming Twitter's new changes saying what is the value of even being verified on Twitter? Well I think the answer is nothing. I think there is absolutely no value in being verified on Twitter. But of course he did note upcoming changes regarding the perks of verification including the fact that starting April 15th only verified users along with people you follow will show up in the 4U timeline. Right, which key thing, it's gonna be harder

Starting point is 00:05:48 for non-verified users to spread their reach. But with the chaos of Twitter, who knows if this is gonna change because you have Musk saying one thing and then going like, oh, I actually forgot to mention another thing. And it feels less like we're all on like this established website

Starting point is 00:05:59 and more like everyone became beta testers. But yeah, time will tell. And then, one of the biggest pieces of entertainment news. It looks like the WWE's Vince McMahon's gonna get a lot richer. And that's because shortly after coming out of retirement last year to sell the platform, he made a deal with UFC's parent company, Endeavor. And this new merged company is gonna be publicly listed. And it's worth $21 billion, with Endeavor shareholders getting 51% of the company

Starting point is 00:06:19 and WWE shareholders getting 49%. The new company will reportedly be run by Ariel Emanuel, the current CEO of Endeavor, who said of the deal, this is a rare opportunity to create a global live sports and entertainment pure play built for where the industry is headed. And the deal will also have McMahon staying on a little bit longer, which is likely to be a controversial move. Or because the WWE recently had to revise years of financial statements to include nearly $20 million in hush money payments that McMahon made to silence infidelity and sexual assault allegations. Which, of course, with these stories, I'd like to ask everyone their opinions,

Starting point is 00:06:46 but specifically, if you are a fan of the WWE, old school, new school, whatever, what are your thoughts on the news today and McMahon specifically? As well as for UFC fans, what are your thoughts with this? There's already been some built-in crossover with the likes of Brock Lesnar in the past, Ronda Rousey.

Starting point is 00:07:00 Yeah, I'd love to hear from you on this one. In business news. Yo, Credit Suisse just can't stay out of the headlines right now. With this time, Swiss prosecutors looking into its buyout deal with UBS. Right, Swiss authorities approved the deal insanely fast, with prosecutors indicating that they're looking into government employees and at least two bank execs. And they're especially interested in how certain parts of the negotiations were leaked to the press,

Starting point is 00:07:18 saying that such a leak might constitute revealing state secrets. Additionally, lawmakers are moving to implement a government panel to also investigate the deal as the merger sparked a major outcry among voters. All of this puts pressure on UBS, the bank that bought Credit Suisse, although it was already likely facing a ton of pressure, not only from the backlash of the merger, but also because it's looking to lay off

Starting point is 00:07:34 30% of its workforce, which maybe it's a bad look to spend billions of dollars when apparently you need to lay off so many damn people. And then police drove hundreds of miles to seize a little girl's pet goat. So last June, a nine-year-old girl in California had taken her goat, Cedar, to the fair for a livestock auction, a place where the animals are bid on and the highest bidder takes it home and slaughters it for meat. But after Cedar won a $902 bid, the girl changed her mind

Starting point is 00:07:55 about sending the animal to die and refused to leave the goat's sign. And before any money was given, the mother and the girl looked into terminating the contract. But the mother said she'd pay the amount to the fair that they would have made from the sale, just over $60, and they took the goat home. And expecting complications, they took it to a farm about 200 miles away. And over the next few days, the fair threatened to charge the mother with felony grand theft if she didn't return the goat. So the mom offered to pay the full amount and even got the support of the man who was trying to buy cedar. But still, the fair wouldn't budge, instead saying,

Starting point is 00:08:19 Please understand the fair industry is set up to teach our youth responsibility and for the future generations of ranchers and out to find the goat. And when he wasn't where they first went, they drive to a secondary property and they seized him despite that address not being listed on the warrant. And so now the moms filed a lawsuit against the officers alleging violations of the fourth and 14th amendments and seeking damages. And actually in an amendment, the family added the county as well as the fair and event center to the suit. Now, as far as Cedar, no one officially knows for sure what happened, but the family's attorney says they believe Cedar to have been slaughtered. And so I guess I'm sorry this story did not have a happy ending. Also, I'm all for like an agreement's an agreement, but this is like the guy doesn't even want the

Starting point is 00:09:03 goat. It's like a weird power trip trying to pose as a life lesson. And then for any of you focused on getting your business off the ground, creating a place to share your homemade goods, new favorite hobby, current obsession, or even a personal blog to get all those thoughts out of your head. I got a great solution for you, and it comes from our fantastic partner and sponsor of today's show, Squarespace. And I've been partnering with Squarespace for years now, and I have to say it's just so easy. There's nothing to install, patch or upgrade ever. And creating a beautiful website with Squarespace's all now, and I have to say, it's just so easy. There's nothing to install, patch, or upgrade ever. And creating a beautiful website with Squarespace's all-in-one platform has never been so simple. It's incredibly intuitive and easy to use. With their mobile-optimized websites, your content automatically adjusts so it looks great on any device.

Starting point is 00:09:35 Plus, with Squarespace, you get access to all their marketing tools and analytics and their award-winning customer care team via email or live chat 24-7. So go check it out. See why so many others love it. See why it's going to be perfect for you. And start your free trial today over at squarespace.com slash Phil. When you realize you love it, make sure you enter an offer code Phil to get 10% off your first purchase. Then in political news, he'll be arraigned in Manhattan on Wednesday, Sydney time, Tuesday night, New York time, becoming the first former president to face criminal charges.

Starting point is 00:10:01 He's released a video message addressing his indictment. It won't take long to tell you Neutrals ingredients. charges, he's released a video message addressing his indictment. should we talk about? No sugar added? Neutral. Refreshingly simple. 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.

Starting point is 00:10:55 Plus, enjoy $0 delivery fees on your first three orders. Service fees, exclusions, and terms apply. Instacart. Groceries that over-deliver. We are now officially a third world country. They have left us with no choice. They have declared, quote unquote, the Roman Civil War. Let's be clear, folks. This is like communist level sh**.

Starting point is 00:11:17 To the conservatives out there, make sure you vote. If you got friends, make sure they vote. If you don't have any friends, go make some friends. As I'm sure you've heard by now, Donald Trump has officially been indicted, with this making him the first ex-president to face criminal charges in American history. And while right now the indictment remains sealed, we know from sources that there are more than 30 counts relating to business fraud, including at least one felony. And all this stemming from Trump's alleged involvement in a scheme to silence adult film star Stormy Daniels with hush money payments back in 2016. Now, he's

Starting point is 00:11:44 almost certainly in New York by the time that you're seeing this, and on Tuesday, he'll be reporting to a Manhattan courtroom for his booking and arraignment. With all of that, raising a lot of questions about whether he's gonna be treated like any other alleged criminal or he's gonna get special treatment.

Starting point is 00:11:54 With that, he likely won't be in handcuffs since he'll be surrounded by armed federal agents anyways, and it's also unclear if they're gonna take a mugshot of him since everyone already knows his face and authorities are concerned that these photos could be improperly leaked. And then, after booking, instead of being held in a jail cell near the

Starting point is 00:12:06 courtroom before his arraignment like other defendants, he'll be taken through a back set of hallways and elevators to the floor where the courtroom's located and then he'll come out to a public hallway to walk into the courtroom. At which point the indictment will be unsealed, Trump will be formally charged and most likely he will be released. Though he might have restrictions on his travel. And as far as how this is expected to play out, he's expected to plead not guilty, continuing to deny he had any sexual relationship or that there was any wrongdoing with Daniels. And on Tuesday night, he plans to give a speech at Mar-a-Lago, which is probably going to be what you expect it to be.

Starting point is 00:12:32 But so far, you have sources saying that he remains surprisingly calm and focused, just playing golf at his resort, posting on social media and texting allies, which makes sense. I don't know the last time that Donald Trump was actually held accountable for anything. And throughout most of this, I think like a, a lot of people have been kind of like, I'm not going to hold my breath. And, of course, with this, you do have some speculating that this benefits him politically. I mean, the first post-indipend poll shows that Donald Trump is leading DeSantis for Republican support by 26%,

Starting point is 00:12:54 which is up 8 points from two weeks ago, with just about every Republican, including DeSantis himself, slamming the indictment and rallying behind Trump, as well as 79% of the GOP rank and file saying that the indictment was politically motivated. Plus, you got the Trump campaign saying on Friday that it raised over $4 million in the first 24 hours after the news of the indictment broke. But at the same time, you have people saying, while this may help Trump in the primaries, it won't necessarily have the same effect in the general, with some arguing that it could just be like the midterms where the most extreme candidates sweep their nominations and then get trounced in the general because they're unelectable. But on the other hand, have people forgotten about 2016?

Starting point is 00:13:27 Where you had people literally saying the same thing? Oh, the unelectable guy got the nomination. Guess the GOP is gonna have to do some soul-searching. Oh, he won. You know, there is a concern from some that this supercharges and mobilizes his hardcore base. Or the people who view him as, like, the God King. Which, I mean, on that note, we saw some jaw-dropping reactions to the statement. With groups like the New York Young Republicans Club writing, President Trump embodies the American people, our psyche from id to super ego, as does

Starting point is 00:13:49 no other figure. His soul is totally bonded with our core values and emotions, and he is our total and indisputable champion. And then on the other side, for the most part, you have top Democrats kind of quiet on the news, seemingly trying not to inflate the panic more, with some left-leaning people kind of having a so what sort of mentality and reaction, right? Some arguing that Trump probably won't even be convicted. For the record, I don't think anything's going to happen. I just want you to understand, I am an incredibly cynical person. Rich people don't go to jail like poor people do, okay? He goes to jail or he goes to the courts on his own time. You know, echoing that statement, you have some saying other investigations are more threatening, like those probing the January 6th riot,

Starting point is 00:14:25 Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents and interference in Georgia's 2020 election. But I'll pass the question off to you fellow witnesses of history. What do you think's gonna happen? What are your thoughts here? And then... The Obamas are kicking people out of their homes. Or because the construction of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago has raised rent in nearby neighborhoods, forcing long-time residents of South Shore out. So the Obama Foundation and province promise of the Presidential Center,

Starting point is 00:14:45 will help the poorest areas of Chicago and offer opportunities to residents. Also, it's estimated to bring in more than $3 billion to the surrounding community during construction and the first 10 years of operation. And the center, as the Obamas said during the groundbreaking ceremony two years ago, is supposed to be a tribute to Chicago and the South Side specifically. But since the announcement of the center's development, housing costs have reportedly skyrocketed, and the median rent price has jumped by 43%, which has resulted in longtime residents having to leave the neighborhoods, with some landlords hiking rent as much as 90%. With a professor at

Starting point is 00:15:11 the University of Chicago saying, with the development of this size and economic impact, it was unavoidable that it would have a profound effect on the local housing market and exacerbate existing affordability challenges for many low-income residents of Woodlawn and South Shore. And South Shore homeowners have said that they've had to beat away investment buyers with a stick, with more and more calls asking if they're looking to sell their homes by the day. And not only that, property listings are reportedly using the Obama Center as a selling point,

Starting point is 00:15:32 hiking up prices even further. But with this, we're seeing Chicago residents pushing back, like Dixon Romeo, a community organizer, who said that Southside residents don't want Obama's legacy tarnished by the displacement of black families, saying this is the community that sent him to the White House and we should be the community that gets to stay and benefit from the presidential

Starting point is 00:15:46 center. And so residents of the area are pushing for local legislative intervention. And at a 90% vote on a February referendum, they agree that the city should do more to create affordable housing around the Obama Center and help existing homeowners and renters in the area. The Obama Foundation also on board as well, saying that they're encouraged by the vote and adding, our hope and intention is that the people who live there now are able to enjoy the center when it comes online. There is an opportunity for this to be a success story. But as far as if this is going to be a success story, it might be up to the next mayor. Because the current mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, she lost her re-election bid back in February.

Starting point is 00:16:14 And the runoff election between two Democrats, it's set to take place tomorrow. But the good news is that both candidates have reportedly shown their support for an ordinance for the people of South Shore. And then, and I bet you didn't even know this was something you need to worry about news, Missouri wants to ban pelvic exams while a patient is unconscious. And despite unanimous votes for the ban, it's not quite law yet as the House and Senate need to reconcile their similar bills before it's on the governor's desk. So under the current law, there's nothing stopping a doctor from checking out your pelvis, anus, or prostate while you're under anesthesia. And that last part is an important distinction, because the bill doesn't always ban these exams when you're passed out and does allow medical exceptions. Like if you show up to the emergency room and

Starting point is 00:16:47 all of a sudden the doctor says, hey, I think a pelvic exam is going to help. But apparently, conducting unnecessary pelvic exams while a patient is under anesthesia is not unheard of and is actually considered a vital tool for medical students. However, it's unclear how often this actually happens in Missouri, though there does seem to be plenty of angry patients to talk to. But it's seemingly mostly happening at university hospitals, which makes sense because that's where the students would be. But under the soon-to-be law, doctors must get explicit consent to do these exams

Starting point is 00:17:09 before a patient goes under, without then being in line with what the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics recommended back in 2019. So it's not just the lawmakers who think that these exams are problematic. And any doctor who does one of these exams or supervises a medical student doing one is subject to disciplinary action by the state licensing board. But a big thing that I want to hit on here is that some of you might hear this story and go,

Starting point is 00:17:27 ah, another example of Missouri being backwards. Well, actually, here's the thing. They are in the minority here, as there are 29 states that allow these exams to take place. And according to a relatively small sample of 305 medical students across the country from 2022, 84% of students had done one of these exams, and 67% said that they never or rarely saw anyone tell the patient that it would happen. So the next time you go in to go under, maybe consider a chastity bill. And then the Chinese spy balloon that flew over the US was actually able to collect information from multiple military sites, despite the fact that the Biden administration took steps to block it from doing just that, right? That's what two current and one former senior administration

Starting point is 00:18:02 officials have told NBC News now. And according to the sources, China was actually able to fly the balloons so we could go over some of the military sites more than once, sometimes flying in figure eight formations. And the balloon was also reportedly able to transmit the intel it collected back to China in real time. Though notably here, the officials did say that instead of images, the information that China was able to collect was mostly from electronic signals that could be picked up from weapon systems of communications from personnel on base. And beyond that, they also told NBC that it could have been much worse. They're saying that China could have collected way more intel from these military sites if the Biden administration had not taken the steps to move around possible targets and actually stop them from emitting

Starting point is 00:18:35 or broadcasting signals to limit what the balloon could pick up. And when NBC here reached out to national security agencies, the Department of Defense pointed to previous statements that the balloon had, quote, limited additive value for collecting intelligence that China couldn't already get from other means. But still, the balloon was actually able to get intel from sensitive military sites. Not good news. And that's where today's show is going to end. But remember, we've got daily dives into the news every day this week, and we've got a historic show tomorrow.

Starting point is 00:18:57 So as always, my name's Philip DeFranco. You've just been filled in. I love yo faces, and I'll see you tomorrow.

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The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 4.3 Andrew Tate “Free!" What Really Comes Next, WWE UFC Merger, Trump Arraignment, Musk vs NYT & More

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