The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 4.4 Sad Boy Donald Trump Arrested & Charged With 34 Felonies. Pleads Not Guilty. What Happens Next...

Starting point is 00:00:00 It's today again, so let's talk about the news. Starting with what a damn scene we saw in New York today. Obviously, we knew that today was gonna be fucking historic, with Donald Trump actually turning himself in today and pleading not guilty. Also, I wanna note that I commonly say that Trump supporters, many of them, view him as a god king, and sometimes I get pushback.

Starting point is 00:00:16 But literally, today in New York, you had elected representative Marjorie Taylor Greene comparing him to Jesus. President Trump is joining some of the most incredible people in history being arrested today. Nelson Mandela was arrested, served time in prison. Jesus, Jesus was arrested and murdered by the Roman government. All right. Bye-bye. All right. Insane propagandists and Big Ed Green also getting a nice New York City welcome today.

Starting point is 00:00:42 You animal, you! Go back to the farm, you animal! They're looking for you at the sanctuary! You filthy animal! You QAnon lunatic! Hit her with the space lasers! Blast her with the f***ing space lasers! Get the f*** out of New York, you racist, sick, filthy, infected animal! Get the f*** out of here!

Starting point is 00:01:07 But the main thing is, as I was filming, Trump officially became the first president to be criminally charged, with Trump pleading not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree for his involvement in hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels. And because this is all going down as I'm filming today's show, we don't have a ton of the details just yet, with the indictment just now being unsealed,

Starting point is 00:01:23 so we're going to be taking a closer look at the specifics very soon. But this is a rapidly developing situation. Where the DA is set to speak soon, Trump's expected to do the same tonight. And while prosecutors didn't ask for a gag order today, they did raise concerns with the judge about all the threats and violent rhetoric he's been posting on social media. And to that point, there are also concerns about the crowd of Trump supporters gathered around the courthouse that he's repeatedly incited in recent weeks. So luckily, as of recording, things have been pretty peaceful.

Starting point is 00:01:42 With the same dueling protests from both Trump supporters and opponents taking place out front. Videos also showing massive squads of media outside of the courthouse. But also, key thing, there's been tons of security and police presence. But the Donald Trump insanity isn't the only thing that's taken over New York recently, with it being reported that the Ozempic craze is now taking over the New York City subway system. Right, we've talked about it on the show, how it's become this new Hollywood it drug for losing weight. The drug itself is called semaglutide, and it can be prescribed in two forms. Ozempic, which is approved for diabetes patients,

Starting point is 00:02:08 and Wegovy, which is approved for weight loss in patients experiencing medical conditions as a result of being overweight. But we've been seeing shortages of these drugs as well the Hollywood people gobble them up for more vanity-related weight loss. And now we're seeing news that there's this viral TikTok that captured what appears to be ads for these injections

Starting point is 00:02:22 at the Times Square station, showing people injecting the drug and including messages about weight loss. With these ads specifically for a telehealth company called Rho that offers them with the website saying, there's a reason everyone's talking about Wagobe and Ozempic.

Starting point is 00:02:32 They work. On average, people on Wagobe lose 15% of their weight in a year. And in response to the TikTok showcasing these Rho ads, you have people horrified saying that these ads are unethical and should be illegal. With the argument being that they shouldn't be advertised so casually.

Starting point is 00:02:44 With the person who posted the TikTok telling the New York Post that she thought that these ads could normalize these injections even though they are being misused on a wide scale. Or because there's the group of people that need them and should have access to them and then there's the people who are taking it without medical need. Or that person also telling the Independent that the backlash to those ads was a relief, explaining, I'm happy people of all sizes seem to share a resistance and wariness to mainstreaming this drug. But at the same time, if you kind of scour social media, it looks like you have this growing voice of people saying, this makes sense. But I want to pass a question off to you with this story, because there does seem to be this slowly growing voice of more acceptance. Or with it seeming like a lot of the

Starting point is 00:03:16 online conversation that's angry about this is angry because it's taking away drugs from people who need it. This kind of growing middle ground saying, yes, we agree with that. But then also posing the question of, let's say the manufacturing, the pipelines, everything gets handled. If you've been against people using this drug for weight loss, does that then change your mind if no one's impacted in a negative way,

Starting point is 00:03:34 like aside from maybe that person? Does that make you less against it if people who are diabetic and such are still getting their drugs, even if these other people are taking it? And I will say for me, then I become more torn on it. As I said before, I'm not taking it. Even once they figure out the pipelines, I won't be taking it. One, I don't like the idea of having to take a weight loss drug for the rest of my life to keep

Starting point is 00:03:52 that weight off. And two, I have a whole myriad of other health issues that, you know, I have to take into consideration a lot of things when I take a new drug. And so far, I'm going to cross my fingers here. The better diet and just living an active life has been the win for me. But with it, I do want to pass a question up to you. What are your thoughts here? And then this is the most heavily requested story yesterday, and I understand why. Right now, Republicans in the Tennessee State House are getting ready to expel three of their Democratic colleagues who joined protesters calling for gun control after the Nashville shooting. So on Thursday, hundreds of peaceful protesters gathered around the Tennessee Capitol to call for more restrictive gun laws.

Starting point is 00:04:24 But eventually, some of them making their way into the building and bringing legislative business to a halt. With state representatives Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, and Justin Pearson walking up to the podium on the chamber floor and using a bullhorn to lead protest chants with demonstrators in the gallery. No action, no peace! No action, no peace! Now you might see that and think, wow, that is a powerful moment. But Republicans saw that and went, hey, what if we compared this to the insurrection? With conservative outlets then trying to paint this as an invasion while people online went further and tried to paint it as an insurrection, calling the lawmakers insurrectionists and accusing them of storming the floor.

Starting point is 00:04:55 And it wasn't just assholes online. You literally had the fucking Speaker of the Tennessee State House, Cameron Sexton, referring to this multiple times as an insurrection. And even explicitly saying that the actions of these lawmakers were at least equivalent, maybe worse, than the January 6th insurrection. Like, I work in the news. I see false equivalencies every day, but what the fuck? None of the demonstrators broke into the Capitol and stormed the floor. The only three people who walked up there were literally members. No one was arrested or injured or fucking killed, like, during the actual insurrection, and no property was damaged. How fucking evil and soulless you have to be to try to downplay the insurrection and do this false equivalency bullshit,

Starting point is 00:05:30 or maybe it's just stupidity. It could be that. But that's also not where assholes stopped. Yesterday, Sexton confirmed that he had stripped the Democrats who walked on the floor of their committee assignments. And shortly after that, Republicans formally began the process of ousting Johnson, Jones, and Pearson, introducing resolutions that claimed the three, quote, did knowingly and intentionally bring disorder and dishonor to the House of Representatives through their individual and collective actions. As far as what happens next, the final votes for the expulsion of these three will take place Thursday, but because Republicans control the House, if they're unified on this matter, the Democratic

Starting point is 00:05:58 minority can't do much to stop them, but that doesn't make the removing of these lawmakers absolutely monumental, right? Expulsions are insanely rare. In fact, Tennessee House has literally only expelled representatives twice since the Civil War. And both times were over much more serious matters. Right, most recently a Republican representative was removed in 2016 for alleged sexual misconduct. And in 1980, the House kicked out a lawmaker who was convicted of soliciting a $1,000 bribe to kill a piece of legislation. And then, a train derailed in Paradise, Montana. But the good news is that it did not have hazardous material and no one was hurt. Instead,

Starting point is 00:06:28 it just spilled countless cases of Coors Light and Blue Moon into a nearby river. According to local officials, all the beer was contained in the derailment area with none of it floating downstream. But 25 cars derailed on the train, seven of which were reportedly stuck in a century old tunnel. And the location of the derailment has made cleanup a hard one with a spokesperson for Montana Rail Link saying that it can only be accessed by boats across the river or traveling up the currently blocked tracks. As far as the cause of the derailment, they don't know. But. But the reason that I mention this story is I think there's a big question out there of how common are these derailments? Because since the Ohio disaster, there seems to be at least one

Starting point is 00:06:59 headline a week announcing another one. So the question is, are we just paying closer attention to them, or are they actually happening more frequently? Well, according to the Federal Railroad Administration, there were 1,164 trained railways across the country in 2022, amounting to about three per day. And while that number has been trending downward recently, the number of accidents per mile has actually been increasing. And railway workers say that as the industry faces widespread job cuts, rail travel gets more and more dangerous. After the East Palestine disaster, though, rail safety has seen a renewed push, so much so that the Association of American Railroads

Starting point is 00:07:27 recently announced the entire freight rail industry is pursuing new safety measures, including an increase in heat sensors, training for local first responders, and more confidential reporting for safety issues. So hopefully with this renewed safety effort for trains, we see some positive results. But again, one of the reasons I wanted to talk about this

Starting point is 00:07:41 is that perception is reality. And while I think it absolutely makes sense that we talk about Shireen Darrell-Mins in general, and especially stuff like we saw in East Palestine, it's also important as someone that's giving out the news to let you understand the context, the historic context of the situation. And then, I definitely know that it can be hard to work out, and exercising isn't kind of a one-size-fits-all. And that's why I want to thank the fantastic sponsor of today's show, Copilot.

Starting point is 00:08:02 You know, I've been working with my coach, Devin, since back in December, and I'm feeling stronger, my endurance is growing, and it's just helpful in everyday life. And Copilot is the doable way to start and stick with your fitness goals. I mean, between my coach and the app, it keeps me staying consistent and working harder.

Starting point is 00:08:14 And life's chaotic, so I appreciate the flexibility in the workouts. A great example is back when I hurt my shoulder for a while, Devin switched up my workout so I could keep working, but also heal. Not to mention, I love it, so I don't get bored doing the same stuff over and over again. And understand, this is not just a me thing. Over

Starting point is 00:08:27 75% of Copilot users are still working out after 100 days. That's nine times more successful than average. And the way it works is so simple. You start off with an onboarding call, you connect with a coach, you go over where you're at with your fitness, what your goals are, just anything that pertains to you specifically, and then they make customized workouts for you depending on your needs. And it's cool having a pro actually push me to my potential, and I don't even have to leave my house. So if you want to join me on a fitness journey of your own, just click that link in the description to get 14 days free with your own expert fitness and health coach. And then, while understandably the focus is on Donald Trump today, Ron DeSantis is also having himself a day. Remember when we last talked about

Starting point is 00:09:00 Disney pantsing Ron DeSantis last week? Which if you missed, quick recap, Disney spoke out against Florida's Don't Say Gay Bill, and DeSantis retaliated by taking control of Disney's special status that allowed them to govern themselves, with DeSantis appointing a new board that would have control over infrastructure, property taxes, road and fire services, and more,

Starting point is 00:09:15 for the land encompassing and surrounding Walt Disney World. And many were concerned that this board could force Disney to stay quiet regarding social issues, even in their content. But right before the legislation passed, the former board essentially handed back all the power to Disney, giving the company veto powers and final say on pretty much everything the new board could do.

Starting point is 00:09:29 And they put in a royal lives clause saying the deal is good until 21 years after the death of the last descendant of King Charles III. So they rendered the DeSantis appointees pretty much useless. And when this was finally discovered, the new board promised to look for legal solutions

Starting point is 00:09:41 to this problem, calling it, quote, a subversion of the will of the voters and the legislature and the governor. Well, Ronnie D has now ordered a state investigation to how he got owned by the mouse. Specifically, an investigation into the qualifications of the previous board's leadership, as well as any potential influence from Disney employees, in addition to the legal validity of the previous board's decision. With DeSantis going on to say,

Starting point is 00:09:59 These collusive and self-dealing arrangements aim to nullify the recently passed legislation, undercut Florida's legislative process, and defy the will of Floridians. Also outside of Ronnie's investigation, Republican lawmakers in Florida are looking for ways to handle Disney's loophole with legislation. But as of now, no one really knows what that would look like. And as for the House of the Mouse, I mean, they've stood up to DeSantis through this entire debacle. Defending the decision of the previous board saying, All agreements signed between Disney and the district were appropriate and were discussed and approved in open notice public forums in compliance with Florida's government in the Sunshine Law. And Disney CEO Bob Iger added to that yesterday after DeSantis called for the investigation, saying in a shareholder meeting,

Starting point is 00:10:32 The company has a right to freedom of speech, just like individuals do. The governor got very angry about the position that Disney took, and it seems like he's decided to retaliate against us. In effect, to seek to punish a company for its exercise of a constitutional right. And that just seems really wrong to me against any company or individual, but particularly against a company that means so much to the state that you live in. With him going on to remind people that Disney employs 75,000 workers in Florida and plans on investing another $17 billion into Disney World over the next 10 years, adding 13,000 more jobs. Not to mention all the tax and tourism that Disney generates for the state.

Starting point is 00:11:03 And to round it all off, he called Ronnie's retaliation anti-business and anti-Florida. And then in international news, if there's any clear evidence that Putin's invasion of Ukraine has backfired, it's this map right here. Because Finland has officially joined NATO today. And as you can see, its frontier with Russia is over 800 miles long, more than doubling the alliance's border with Moscow. With this, Finland becomes NATO's 31st member, breaking with more than 70 years of official non-alignment in which the country sought to balance relations with the West and with Russia. Right, and this follows a long trend of sliding westward with the Soviet Union's collapse, the annexation of Crimea, and most recently, the Ukraine war pushing Helsinki

Starting point is 00:11:35 further from Moscow. And that last event in particular shoved the country over the edge. I mean, polls showed Finnish support for joining NATO, it was only around 30% before the war, but it has jumped to nearly 80% afterwards. So today you saw NATO's Secretary General celebrating this historic move. President Putin went to war against Ukraine with a declared aim to get less NATO. He's getting the exact opposite. Adding that the alliance will not send more troops to Finland unless it requests help, but also refusing to rule out military exercises there.

Starting point is 00:12:04 And there are also many other military benefits from this, both for NATO and for Finland. First, it puts NATO right on Russia's doorstep, just 110 miles from the Kola Peninsula, where Russia keeps ballistic missile submarines and nuclear warheads. It's also where Russia's northern fleet, which patrols the Arctic, is based. Second, Finland's shores provide NATO with easier access to the Baltic states, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. Whereas before, the alliance would have to reinforce those countries through a narrow land corridor that Russia could just cut off in the event of a conflict. And third, Finland can offer valuable military assets, right? Its armed forces have huge reserves because of mandatory conscription for men, with them being well-trained and well-

Starting point is 00:12:36 equipped. Plus, they build their own fighter jets, which are exported across the globe, and its navy can strengthen NATO's presence in the Baltic Sea. But possibly most importantly is the fact that Finland is now protected under Article 5 of the treaty, giving it legal assurance of collective defense from nuclear powers like the United States in the case of an attack. And so as far as Russia's response to all this, we saw Finland's parliamentary website getting hit by a BDOS attack just before the country joined NATO today, with a pro-Russian hacker group that's reportedly acted on Moscow's order claiming responsibility, saying that it was retaliation for joining NATO.

Starting point is 00:13:03 But if anything, it looks like the alliance is only going to get bigger. Because Sweden, whose popular support for joining NATO has also grown to a majority size after Russia's invasion, is also trying to join the alliance as well. And they could actually do so as early as the next NATO summit in July. That, of course, assuming it resolves its political differences with Turkey and Hungary, who have thus far blocked its membership. But I mean, with or without Sweden, today's news marks another massive step in NATO's creeping expansion eastward since 1949. And then, this may be the dumbest, scummiest motherfucker to graze God's green earth. Right, so last month, we talked about Uganda's parliament passing a bill that would make it illegal to be gay, even giving the death sentence for so-called aggravated homosexuality. And well,

Starting point is 00:13:36 now, the country's homophobe-in-chief, Yowari Museveni, is exporting his bigotry abroad, attending a so-called Family Values Conference, where MPs and delegates from 22 African countries talked about how not gay they are. And at the end, he gives this speech claiming that Africa needs to save the world from homosexuality, which he called dangerous for humanity, saying, quote, if people of opposite sex stop appreciating one another, then how will the human race be propagated? And the Kenyan MP reportedly adding, a person proposing that there should be same-sex marriages or same-sex relationships is a person seeking to wipe out the entire humanity of the face of this earth. To which I have two things to say. The first, a question, how fucking dumb can you be?

Starting point is 00:14:11 And two, go fuck yourself, you fucking bigot. Not only is your bullshit hateful, but it just doesn't make sense. They talk about people who are gay as being just so unnatural. It's just unthinkable, but they're so afraid that gay people merely exist in society that it's going to turn straight people gay. Which, I mean, really makes you wonder, where does all that anxiety come from? Like, did they accidentally glance at a dick while they were going to the bathroom at their quarterly hate conference and they felt like a twinge of something?

Starting point is 00:14:33 And they were like, oh no, the gay agenda, it's working. If they keep this up, I might be a month away from thinking dicks taste like lollipops. Which I will also say, a lot of the conversations are framed in this Africa versus the decadent West. With one activist reporting that it pushes governments from the continent to commit the so-called African position, specifically urging Zambia, Tanzania, and Ghana, which were visited by BP Harris last week, to reject American influence in their countries.

Starting point is 00:14:54 Which, once again, is ironic, not just because Uganda's anti-LGBTQ movement was influenced by conservative American pastors like Rick Warren and Scott Lively, as we saw last time, but also because the conference itself was hosted online by the U.S. Evangelical Christian group Family Watch International, whose president spoke at the event. Not to mention that much of the opposition to Uganda's anti-LGBTQ law,

Starting point is 00:15:12 which Museveni is expected to sign, isn't coming from the West, but rather Ugandan activists. And then... Thousands of people are being evicted to save our culture. So at the center of this is the Angkor Wat Temple Complex in Cambodia, one of the most prized cultural scenes in Asia, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its temples dating back over a thousand years,

Starting point is 00:15:28 making it the country's most popular tourist attraction and bringing in some two million visitors a year before COVID. And surrounding the complex are a network of villages housing around 100,000 people who have called the place home for generations and depend on the tourism industry to survive. But in recent years, authorities have reportedly pressured them to leave in the name of protecting the site,

Starting point is 00:15:43 with officials using a mix of coercion and harassment telling people they would not be compensated if they refused to relocate. While the government cites pressure from UNESCO to preserve the complex as its rationale, UNESCO itself says that it's never called for population displacement. So now, Amnesty International is calling on the government to halt its program, with the Deputy Regional Director telling Vice, Whole communities are disappearing or breaking up. We watched one family dismantle parts of their own house and move to the main resettlement site all in one day. And that's where today's show ends. But remember, we got a lot of massive, big, developing stories. So where I'm going to leave you is with my name's Philip DeFranco. You've just been filled in. I love your faces and I'll see you tomorrow.

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The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 4.4 Sad Boy Donald Trump Arrested & Charged With 34 Felonies. Pleads Not Guilty. What Happens Next...

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