The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 4.9 Social Media Censorship, College Scam Prison Time, Allison Mack Guilty, BurgerKing Backlash, & More

Starting point is 00:00:00 Sup you beautiful bastards, hope you're having a fantastic Tuesday. Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco show and let's just jump into it. And the first thing we're gonna talk about today is a massive update around that NXIVM situation. Which I will say, if you haven't seen our deep dive into that story, I'm gonna link to it down below. I highly recommend you check it out. It is just insane. But to give you a super brief TLDR today, just so we can talk about it, NXIVM is a cult that was started by Keith Raniere where members would take classes to improve their lives. And within NXIVM, a sorority was started called DOS,

Starting point is 00:00:26 which was similar to a pyramid scheme with levels of masters and slaves. And slaves reportedly would be branded, starved, photographed naked, forced to have sex with Raniere, along with performing chores for their masters. Following multiple former members speaking out about the abusive practices and DOS, the FBI then started an investigation into the group.

Starting point is 00:00:41 And that investigation resulted in charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit forced labor against Raniere and other high up members, including actress Allison Mack. Then after they were arrested, investigators said that Mack was actually a master in DOS under Raniere, that she recruited slaves and quote, directly or implicitly required her slaves to engage in sexual activity with Raniere.

Starting point is 00:00:59 And this is true, in an interview in the New York Times, she actually took credit for coming up with the idea of branding because it was more meaningful than tattoos. And with all of that said, it brings us to the massive update yesterday where Mac pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy and one count of racketeering, saying in court,

Starting point is 00:01:14 I joined NXIVM to find purpose. I truly believe I found a group of individuals who believed as I did. I believed Keith Raniere's intentions were to help people and I was wrong. I must take full responsibility for my conduct. Mac went on to say that she was a member of the secret society and that she recruited women and collected collateral or embarrassing information to hold over the recruits and adding,

Starting point is 00:01:31 I'm very sorry for the victims of this case. I'm very sorry for who I've hurt through my misguided adherence to Keith Raniere's teachings. I know that I can and will be a better person because of this. Each of the charges she's admitted to carries a possible max sentence of 20 years in prison, but it's very likely that she's not going to receive that max according to sentencing guidelines But regarding that we're not gonna know what the sentence will be until September However, that's also not the end of this situation because the opening statements in the case against Rainier and two members of his inner circle Seagram's heiress Claire Bronfman and Kathy Russell are set to start on April 29th with all three of them having entered in not guilty Please so obviously we'll have our ears perked to see what happens there.

Starting point is 00:02:05 It'll also hopefully be clearer if Allison Mack is working with authorities in those cases. That's where we are now and with this story, I was really interested in your thoughts about kind of the blame being put specifically on Raniere. When you look for her words, she was lost, she was looking to be a part of a group. I believed Keith, my misguided adherence

Starting point is 00:02:21 to Raniere's teachings. She says she takes responsibility all while framing herself as a victim. And I wanted to know if you thought that should take away from the potential harshness of her punishment. Or no, whether you were in a vulnerable place or not, you were maybe taken advantage of because you wanted to be special. It comes down to personal responsibility and what you did to other people. And what we're talking about involves branding, blackmail, and a whole lot of fucking crazy. But yeah, I'd love to know what you're thinking there.

Starting point is 00:02:43 And then, while we're talking about people pleading guilty, we should talk about Felicity Huffman and all those other wealthy parents that were caught in that college admissions scandal. She and 13 other individuals reportedly agreed to plead guilty to charges of mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. There are also a few other guilty pleas. For example, you have Bruce Isaacson, a real estate developer, pleading guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy and one count of conspiracy to defraud the IRS. Additionally, his wife will be pleading guilty to one charge of conspiracy to commit fraud. There's also the former men's tennis coach

Starting point is 00:03:07 at the University of Texas at Austin, Michael Center. He'll be pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. And this is not the end of the situation, because as you might remember, there were 50 people that were indicted, including parents and other organizers. Although, and there's been some confusion about this, Huffman's husband, William H. Macy, has not been charged,

Starting point is 00:03:23 despite all those delicious, delicious Fargo memes. Which I will say is interesting, because according to some court documents, it appears that he was very aware of the situation. But that said, as far as the people who have agreed to enter guilty pleas, what is their punishment going to be? Prosecutors reportedly said those who have signed agreements face recommended sentences of a few months

Starting point is 00:03:39 to a year and a half in prison. For Huffman specifically, it's expected that she's going to be on the lower end of the sentencing scale. In reports, you had people mention like Manny Medrano, a defense attorney and former federal prosecutor, saying that based on 2019 federal sentencing guidelines, Huffman would most likely face from four to 10 months in prison as part of her plea, and this is in part

Starting point is 00:03:55 because she has no criminal history and the amount of money involved is relatively low. Yeah, that's where we are now. It's gonna be very interesting to see the sentencing of those who've already entered in those guilty pleas, as well as what's gonna happen with the likes of Lori Loughlin and the others who have not entered in pleas yet. According to some reports prosecutors are really only interested in Accepting deals with prison time attached

Starting point is 00:04:10 So what we were seeing was that based on the amount of bribes she and her husband paid some were saying that Loughlin could potentially face At least two years in prison But even that could change because just this morning the US Attorney's Office announced a second wave of indictments Loughlin her husband and 14 others ended up being indicted on fraud and money laundering charges. I mean, you're talking about charges that have a maximum 20 year prison sentence each. This is gonna be really, really interesting to watch. Then, in kinda quick YouTube, but also congressional news,

Starting point is 00:04:35 we should talk about that livestream. If you didn't know, today the House Judiciary Committee livestreamed their hearing on hate crimes and the rise of white nationalism. And it was in the news for a number of reasons, but one of them was because in this hearing where people were talking about hate and extremism, YouTube ended up having to disable the live chat

Starting point is 00:04:50 because of hate speech and extremism. According to reports, there were just waves of antisemitic and Islamophobic comments. And following this reportedly, a YouTube spokesperson issued a statement saying, "'Hate speech has no place on YouTube. "'We've invested heavily in teams and technology "'dedicated to removing hateful comments and videos,

Starting point is 00:05:03 "'and we take action on them when flagged by our users. Due to the presence of hateful comments, we disabled comments in the livestream of today's House Judiciary Committee hearing. As I'm recording this, the hearing is still happening, the livestream is still on, so we're gonna see other stories pop up. But I found this specific aspect of the story interesting

Starting point is 00:05:17 because it seems like an extension of something we've seen more and more. Seemingly, what we're seeing more and more is to combat bad actors, rather than just specifically targeting individual accounts. Entire experiences are being removed. In previous shows, we talked about comment sections on millions of videos being turned off. That, of course, relating to young children.

Starting point is 00:05:33 Here, an entire commenting and reacting experience removed. And this feels like something we're going to see more and more in one version or another. And I really wonder how many people just trying to have a regular conversation are going to be impacted by this in the future And as someone that encourages discussion I understand the cesspool that the comment section can become but I also I get concerned with which is killing Conversation and I understand the scale issue But I wonder if there is a different way and if that is being worked on right then in what companies under fire today news We had Burger King this because Burger King New Zealand put out a new ad

Starting point is 00:06:06 that was criticized by many users as being culturally insensitive. As far as the specifics, they released an ad for their new Vietnamese sweet chili tender crisp chicken sandwich, which featured customers attempting to eat the food with giant chopsticks. And an Instagram post with the ad

Starting point is 00:06:17 included a caption that read, "'Take your taste buds all the way to Ho Chi Minh City "'with our Vietnamese sweet chili tender crisp. "'Part of our Taste of the World range.'" And following that, a New Zealander of Korean descent, Mario Mo, took issue with the ad and tweeted out a screen recording of the clip along with a sarcastic note,

Starting point is 00:06:30 "'Okay, cool, cool, cool. "'Chopsticks are hilarious, right? "'Oh my God,' et cetera." And reportedly in a message to Huffington Post, Mo explained why she decided to call out Burger King for the ad, saying, "'Because I couldn't believe such blatantly ignorant ads "'are still happening in 2019.

Starting point is 00:06:42 "'It honestly took me a second to work out "'what the heck I was looking at. "'People of color are constantly having to deal "'with microaggressions as well as outright hatred ignorant ads are still happening in 2019 and honestly took me a second to work out what the heck I was looking at people of Color are constantly having to deal with microaggressions as well as outright hatred and it just never ends as far as most posts it blew Up as of this morning It had nearly 3 million views which also prompted others to speak out against burger King following this Burger King released a statement Apologizing writing the ad in question is insensitive and does not reflect our brand values regarding diversity and inclusion We have asked our franchisee in New Zealand to remove the ad immediately." We also saw James

Starting point is 00:07:07 Woodbridge, Burger King New Zealand's general manager of marketing, say, "...we are truly sorry that the ad has appeared insensitive to our community." Still, it is important to note that not everyone found the ad offensive. In fact, what we saw was many social media users came to Burger King's defense and argued that people were overreacting. The common theme that we saw there were people saying, you know, the intent matters. One tweet reading, "...this ad may be callous and sensitive and thoughtless, but I would not call it racist. Calling things racist when they're not diminishes its power when true racism needs to be exposed. And as far as my takeaway from this, I mean, if you've watched me for a while,

Starting point is 00:07:34 I think you've seen more and more that I don't have big reactions to what ends up being deemed by many as kind of branding gaffes. And in this particular instance, obviously, you know, everyone can see the same thing. They have different takeaways based off of their background, who they are, etc. Right, based off of my background, when I see that clip, the first thing I think isn't, oh, look at that, that's a minimization of Asian culture. My first takeaway is, look at those fucking awkward-ass white people. You know, even with that said, there are gonna be some of you that have my same opinion, others that have complete different reactions.

Starting point is 00:08:00 Ultimately, when I see a situation like this, I end up wondering, you know, is this part of the plan? Like, we already know that outrage marketing is a thing, but it's often with kind of smaller brands or niche brands. I end up wondering for such a mainstream brand, is this kind of their version of that? Where it's like, we know this is gonna be offensive to some people, but it's no blackface sweater, and people are gonna forget about this in two days. They'll probably only remember the name, which we're gonna make sound delicious. Although it's fast food, so how delicious could it really be? And then we'll move on and be successful because life at this point is just a series

Starting point is 00:08:27 of intense reactions to whatever is happening. You know, sometimes it feels like we're overly informed, overstimulated, so things don't stick, sometimes even when it's a 10. But like I said, we all receive information different situations differently, and I'd love to know your thoughts on this, whether you agree or disagree with me.

Starting point is 00:08:41 And the last thing we're gonna talk about today is massive movement around US-S.-Iran relations. If you didn't see, the Trump administration has now announced that the United States has designated Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, IRGC, as a foreign terrorist organization. And this is a massive deal because it is the first time that the United States has ever named a part

Starting point is 00:08:56 of another country's government a foreign terrorist organization. And to give you a little background, the IRGC is a military unit that was originally created after the Iranian Revolution back in 1979 as security for Iran's religious leaders. But since that time, the IRGC is a military unit that was originally created after the Iranian revolution back in 1979 as security for Iran's religious leaders. But since that time the IRGC has become Iran's most powerful security organization with the unit having an estimated 125,000 personnel that make up army, navy and air units. They control Iran's ballistic missiles and nuclear programs and they own a huge network of businesses that range from oil and gas to construction and telecommunications.

Starting point is 00:09:22 So the IRGC essentially has unlimited political influence in business, real estate, and other sectors of the economy. And the United States blames the IRGC for facilitating the deaths of US service members in Iraq and other parts of the Middle East because they have financed, trained, and given weapons to terrorist networks. In a statement released by the White House,

Starting point is 00:09:37 Donald Trump said, the IRGC is the Iranian government's primary means of directing and implementing its global terrorist campaign. This action will significantly expand the scope and scale of our maximum pressure on the Iranian regime." And adding, this action sends a clear message to Tehran that its support for terrorism has serious consequences. And Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also had a press conference on this situation and he

Starting point is 00:09:55 further elaborated on why the United States made this decision. We're doing it because the Iranian regime's use of terrorism as a tool of statecraft makes it fundamentally different from any other government. This historic step will deprive the world's leading state sponsor of terror, the financial means to spread misery and death around the world. With this designation, the Trump administration is simply recognizing a basic reality. The IRGC will take its rightful place on the same list as terror groups it supports. So you've always been picky about your produce. But now you find yourself checking every label to make sure it's Canadian.

Starting point is 00:10:31 So be it. At Sobeys, we always pick guaranteed fresh Canadian produce first. Restrictions apply. See in-store or online for details. So, what exactly does this mean? Well, as Trump said, this designation, which is set to go into effect next week, will give the United States a huge scope of actions that they can take against Iran.

Starting point is 00:10:49 This includes imposing significant economic sanctions and travel bans on the IRGC and any organizations, companies, or individuals that might have ties to it. And it will also allow the Trump administration to bring criminal charges against the IRGC and any foreign officials that aid them. And while the designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organization is new,

Starting point is 00:11:04 it is something that has been debated for years because it is highly controversial in the military and intelligence communities. The Trump administration has championed the move as a step forward in cracking down on Iran, but top Pentagon and CIA officials strongly oppose the designation. They argue that it is too strong of a hard line

Starting point is 00:11:18 and could allow Iranian officials to retaliate and justify dangerous and deadly actions against US personnel abroad, especially special operation units and paramilitary units that work under the CIA. The Pentagon and U.S. intelligence agencies are also concerned that the designation would prohibit all contact with foreign officials who may have met with or communicated with Guard personnel, which they say could severely damage diplomatic relations in the region. U.S. military and intelligence officials also oppose the designation because it sets a dangerous precedent that other countries could use against the United States.

Starting point is 00:11:42 For example, Matt Levitt, the director of the counterterrorism program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, he said that the move could prompt Russia and China to start designating US agencies and use the same actions against them that they are taking against Iran. And others, including an interagency lawyers group, have said that the designation is too vague and broad. With some US officials reportedly saying the terrorist designation could include 11 million people. And so because the IRGC itself only has around that 125,000 number, the amount of people and organizations that have quote, ties to the IRGC under the US's broad definition could be disproportionately targeted, including US allies. For example, the designation will likely apply to officials in Iraq, which is a super important US ally in the region. Iraq shares a border with Iran and the two countries are major trading partners. And so, you know, unsurprisingly, you also have senior Iraqi officials who are against the designation as well.

Starting point is 00:12:25 This because it could impose travel bans and sanctions on some lawmakers in the government who have ties to Iranian officials. And then going back to US officials, you have some who are worried that the move could encourage Iraqi parliamentarians to limit the movements and actions of 5,000 US troops who are based in Iraq.

Starting point is 00:12:36 A move that has been proposed before and is very popular in Iraq's parliament. So if they feel the US is unfairly restricting them, they could easily retaliate against the United States. It's also believed that US troops and diplomats could be banned from contacting certain authorities Which it's believed would complicate the situation and danger US operations in the region and it brings us to one of the big things of Why it matters to a lot of people it could complicate the US's efforts in stopping a resurgence of Isis According to Jeffrey Prescott a former senior Middle East director at the White House National Security Council

Starting point is 00:13:01 This isn't about taking a tough approach to Iran support for terrorism Rather it will put our service members in Iraq and throughout the region at additional risk with nothing to show in return. There is a reason that successive administrations have held off designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization, and why many of Trump's own military

Starting point is 00:13:15 and intelligence officials are said to be highly opposed to the move. The potential blowback vastly outweighs the benefits. And as far as what would happen in response, we're actually already seeing Iran retaliate against the US's designation. Following yesterday's announcement, the Islamic Republic News Agency, which is a state-run would happen in response, we're actually already seeing Iran retaliate against the US's designation. Following yesterday's announcement, the Islamic Republic News Agency,

Starting point is 00:13:27 which is a state-run news source in Iran, they reported that Iran's foreign minister called for Central Command to be deemed a terrorist organization. And according to IRNA, Zarif in its letter referred to the US military forces covert and open support for the terrorist groups in the region,

Starting point is 00:13:39 and their direct interference in terror activities, and offered the Supreme National Security Council to enlist CENTCOM in its terror list. And according to Iran's semi-official Fars news agency, offer the Supreme National Security Council to enlist CENTCOM in its terror list. And according to Iran's semi-official Fars news agency, Iran's Supreme National Security Council declared the United States a terrorist government and blacklisted CENTCOM. Fars also reported that this morning,

Starting point is 00:13:53 Iran's parliament ratified a bill that stated, quote, "'All US military, security and intelligence forces "'active in West Asia and all real and legal persons "'representing them in West Asia region "'will be declared as terrorists "'and any financial, technical training and service and logistical assistance to this group of forces is considered as collaboration in terrorist acts." That bill also aims to strengthen the IRGC. With the Iranian president who is also the head of the SNSC reportedly responding,

Starting point is 00:14:17 you want to use terrorist groups as tools against the nations of the region. You are the leader of world terrorism and other leaders in the Iranian government have threatened reciprocal action against the United States if they actually enforce the designation. This including Iran's defense minister and the IRGC general commander. Also some people in both the United States and Iran have criticized the move as an effort to help Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Starting point is 00:14:36 the day before the Israeli election. Regarding this, we saw the Iranian Foreign Minister tweet, "'Another misguided election eve gift to Netanyahu. "'Another dangerous US misadventure in the region. And speaking of Netanyahu, he also went to Twitter to actually thank Donald Trump. Saying, Although at the same time you've had others criticize Trump saying this move is hypocritical. That being because back in 2017 the New Yorker published an extensive investigative report that discovered the Trump organization had been involved in building Trump Tower Baku

Starting point is 00:15:07 Which was a hotel in Azerbaijan that never opened and was believed to be a money laundering scheme run by oligarchs with ties to Iran's Revolutionary Guard But the main thing with this story is seeing how this develops both from the US and and the Iran end Right now you have experts saying that it seems likely that Iran will take action against the United States if the designation does take effect Which it is set to do in about a week. So right now we have to wait to see what's gonna happen there. And of course that brings us to the part of this story and video where of course,

Starting point is 00:15:30 I'd love to know your thoughts on this story, anything else that stood out to you. Let me know what you're thinking in those comments down below. But yeah, that's where we're gonna end today's show. And if you liked the video, be sure to share it, Twitter, Facebook, wherever. Also, if you're not 100% filled in,

Starting point is 00:15:41 if you missed yesterday's Philip DeFranco show, this morning's deep dive, you can click or tap right there to watch those. But with that said, of course, as always, my name's Philip DeFranco, you've just% filled in. If you missed yesterday's Philip DeFranco show, this morning's deep dive, you can click or tap right there to watch those. But with that said, of course, as always, my name's Philip DeFranco. You've just been filled in. I love yo faces and I'll see you tomorrow.

Your Ad Here

The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 4.9 Social Media Censorship, College Scam Prison Time, Allison Mack Guilty, BurgerKing Backlash, & More

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.