The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 5.16 HE LIED?! The Truth About Kai Cenat and iShowSpeed, Sickfluencers, Viral Video Sparks Investigation

Starting point is 00:00:00 Sup, you beautiful bastards. Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco Show. It's Tuesday, May 16th. You're watching the best damn news show out there, and let's just jump into it starting with... The internet right now is going at what many have called the latest Karen. With this incident that happened at a New York City hospital being recorded, going viral. And in it, you see a white staff worker struggling to take a city bike from a black teen, with him telling her to stop, that he paid for it. This is my bike, it's on my account. You hear her yelling for help as she then tries to grab his phone,

Starting point is 00:00:25 telling him not to touch her, to which he replies that she's the one touching him. But they're then throwing in that he's hurting her fetus and yelling, my unborn child. Meanwhile, you have the teenager's friend shouting at her to stop, and then eventually another hospital employee approaches, at which point she appears to start sobbing.

Starting point is 00:00:38 With that work, they're then telling her just choose another bike. So she then gets off, but then the teenagers rip her a new one for those tears. How you stop crying? Not a tear came down, miss. And so with the video getting tens of millions of views, you got people outraged. Also the hospital reportedly looking into the incident. Also civil rights attorney Ben Crump has now gotten involved, accusing the woman of weaponizing her

Starting point is 00:00:56 tears and calling her actions dangerous. But ultimately that's the limited information we have on this right now. Of course, we're going to keep our eyes on this and I will keep you up to date. But in the meantime, what are your thoughts here? And then in absolutely massive online entertainment and business news, two of the biggest streamers in the world, iShowSpeed and Kai Sernett are now launching an exclusive show together on Rumble. And with this, there's been a lot of speculation about how much money the platform must have thrown at them, especially after another streamer by the name of Aiden Ross said that the platform that he streams on exclusively, Kik, offered them $40 million each, which then caused people online

Starting point is 00:01:24 to speculate, oh, this deal must've been so much bigger, or maybe it just allowed them more freedom, especially because while according to reports, this show is exclusive to Rumble, they'll still be allowed to make their own content on their home platforms, YouTube for iShowSpeed and Twitch for Kai. But regarding Aiden's claim there,

Starting point is 00:01:37 Kai actually responded rather quickly, saying that Aiden was lying. I did not turn down chat. That's not a actual leak. That's not, okay? That's actually cap on my soul, on my, on my soul, that is cap. Even if that was an offer, why even talk about it? Which if true is, yes, incredibly weird of Aiden Ross,

Starting point is 00:01:58 but also still not in the top 10 dumbest things that he's done. But this move for the two, it seems to make sense even without us knowing what the money is. While massively successful, both streamers have faced some turbulence on their platforms. Speed was reportedly on his final strike on YouTube after previous bans. Kai was recently temporarily suspended from Twitch. In fact, on top of that, Speed has been permanently banned

Starting point is 00:02:14 from Twitch himself. This appears to be more of Rumble kind of repositioning themselves. It's historically been thought of as the right wing YouTube. Whereas now it seems like they're more and more trying to be seen as the like generally anything goes platform. Where you have these massive creators who don't necessarily feel the most comfortable

Starting point is 00:02:28 on their home platforms, feeling like, hey, anything goes here. We're safe probably no matter what. But as far as if it's gonna be a win-win success or these two just get in a nice little bag, we're gonna have to wait to see. But the one thing you can say for sure is the space has been general becoming interesting right now

Starting point is 00:02:41 as kick and rumble seem to be throwing around money. And then, have you heard about or do you watch sickfluencers? That's something that people are talking about today because Vice put out a piece noting that there are tons of people who have gone massively viral and got these huge followings online by sharing content about their chronic illnesses. Also with that, so have people who are allegedly either exaggerating or totally making up their illnesses. And the obsession around this is mess, right? There's a whole subreddit called Our Illness Fakers. We see a lot of discussion of what moderators call Munchausen by internet, as well as related

Starting point is 00:03:07 conditions and toxic chronic illness influencers for whom evidence suggests they may be lying, feigning, or exaggerating illnesses and medical crises for attention and or profit. Munchausen by internet is actually something of a real phenomenon with Vice actually pointing to a 2021 study that explored it. And that study noting, what is particularly worrying is the ease with which the deception can be carried out online, the difficulty in detection, and the damaging impact and potential danger to isolated victims, which can be troubling because 33% of Gen Z trust TikTok influencers over doctors because there's a relatability with their personal experience, which is why you had the report adding that people can take advantage of that trust, which, quote,

Starting point is 00:03:39 ensures that individuals seeking both the clout and public sympathy that comes with having chronic conditions can latch onto trending illnesses for a stream of positive attention and even financial rewards. But also with this whole situation, the people so intent on calling out illness fakers are heading down a slippery slope. Because some of these people are clearly dealing with mental health struggles, not to mention, should they be wrong? By throwing out baseless accusations that others latch onto, they're making an already horrible situation worse. Especially when we've seen like in other verticals, like true crime, for example, instances where people are more motivated

Starting point is 00:04:06 to prove themselves right rather than discover the truth, which is why I understand and sympathize with the intent, but I worry about the ramifications of the misfires. So I mean, this isn't necessarily a new thing. I mean, hell, the whole reason the Philip DeFranco show even exists today is because back in 2006, Rush Limbaugh mocked and accused Michael J. Fox of exaggerating his Parkinson's,

Starting point is 00:04:23 a disgusting and hateful claim that inspired me to make my first news video. So the need to be thoughtful and careful here, it's paramount. And then all drugs could be decriminalized in Washington state if the state just sits back and does nothing right now. Because the government actually got itself into this situation back in 2016. That's when a woman by the name of Shannon Blake was convicted for having a handful of meth in her pocket. But she argues, hey, I didn't know I had the drug on me. These were a friend's pair of jeans. So in 2021, the case actually goes all the way up to the state Supreme Court. And there, in addition to ruling in her favor, they also ruled that the state's

Starting point is 00:04:50 felony drug possession law is unconstitutional in the process, saying the legislature can't penalize her without proving she had a guilty mind. So with that, you saw thousands of pending drug cases dropped, lawmakers rushing to pass a temporary fix, with the resulting law making drug possession a misdemeanor and requiring police to give at least two treatment referrals before pressing charges. But on this coming July 1st, that law is set to expire, which means personal possession of all drugs would be decriminalized. We're talking fentanyl, meth, heroin, it's all on the table. And so now lawmakers are scrambling to make sure that doesn't actually happen. But very key thing, they failed to strike a deal before adjourning late last month after Democrats voted down a compromise bill 55 to 43, with a liberal

Starting point is 00:05:23 wing of the party outright opposing any effort to recriminalize drugs, the more conservative Democrats and Republicans fighting over how tough to make the law. So what you end up seeing is the governor calling a special session in the House, reaching a tentative agreement on Monday, one which would allow up to six months in jail for the first two offenses and up to a year after that, with police also encouraged to divert cases toward treatment instead, though critics there argue that without a lot more funding for those services, there's nowhere to divert them to, which is actually very similar to the problem faced by the only other state that's decriminalized personal possession of drugs, Oregon. They passed that measure there back in 2020, and so far the record's mixed, though this in large part

Starting point is 00:05:53 because of bureaucratic failure to usher drug users into treatment, which is why some point to the state as evidence that decriminalization doesn't work, whereas others argue it can work if you pair it with sufficient treatment resources in there, pointing to Portugal. But for now, as July 1st gets closer and closer, we'll have our eyes on Washington to see what they do. What sort of compromise bill do they shit out? Because until it actually happens, who knows what it's going to look like? The only thing we know for certain is someone's going to be pissed off. And then with basketball, playoffs, hockey, baseball, and concerts all in full swing, there is always an event for everyone and you're not going to want to miss out. And even nicer,

Starting point is 00:06:23 how about getting $20 off just by using my code Phil for tickets for any of these events? All thanks to the fantastic sponsor of today's show, SeatGeek. With over 28 million downloads, SeatGeek is the number one rated ticketing app with Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, and Drake going on tour. You need SeatGeek right now. Listen, y'all, I use it for everything. Whether it be a massive thing like the Super Bowl or I want to watch some soccer or I catch LAFC out here, catch some comedy, maybe a musical. I mean, Linda and I, sometimes we just open the app and we're like, let's see what we could do. And I feel good using them because SeatGeek wants to make sure that you're getting a good deal. So when you're on the app, look for the green dots. Green means good deal, red means bad. And every

Starting point is 00:06:54 ticket's backed by their buyer guarantee. And SeatGeek is the only site that lets you return your tickets ahead of the event with swaps. That's $20 off your first purchase with promo code Phil. So make sure you click that link in the description to download the app. And then how much do you think a get out of jail free card costs, right? A pardon. Well, apparently that'll run you about $2 million, according to a new $10 million lawsuit being brought against Rudy Giuliani by a woman who claims to have worked for him. Right?

Starting point is 00:07:14 This is Noelle Dunphy. And she claims that Giuliani explicitly told her that the $2 million would be split between he and Donald Trump and claiming he said that the request would go through him rather than the office of pardon attorney. So that wouldn't be subject to Freedom of Information Act requests. But that's also just kind of the tip of the iceberg. There was a range of things where you had some things that were bad but not illegal, like Dunphy saying that Giuliani claimed Jewish men were inferior due

Starting point is 00:07:33 to natural selection, or that he said that African Americans and Hispanics had a culture that encouraged them to hit women. Also saying he was apparently very anti-LGBTQ plus and used slurs, although it appears he enters a he doth protest too much territory, with him apparently claiming he was the only man in his friend group that wouldn't sleep with another man no matter how much money was offered. Which I mean, I would call bullshit on. We've seen the other things Rudy would do for money. But also with this, there were other allegations ranging from probably illegal to definitely, such as knowingly lying about the 2020 election being stolen to allegedly sexually assaulting Dunphy. And we might soon get a much better idea of Dunphy's claims because apparently she recorded many of the allegations. So apparently she said the part about the pardon wasn't

Starting point is 00:08:07 recorded, which is why I'll say, you know, we're obviously going to keep our eyes on this. If you'd like to read into more, because I can't touch on everything that was alleged, this was a 70 page lawsuit. So I'm going to link to it down below if you want a deeper dive on this. Also, as far as Giuliani, he has denied all the allegations. And so for now, we wait to see what evidence materializes and goes public. Though the evidence shows he even did half of the illegal stuff that it alleges, he's not going to be in for a good time. And then, if you're surprised about what's happening at our southern border right now, you are not alone.

Starting point is 00:08:31 It's been nearly a week since Title 42 restrictions at the southern border were lifted. And many, including myself, expected it to be an absolute mess, with more migrants than the U.S. could handle attempting to cross the border. Hell, even President Biden two days before predicted, quote, it's going to be chaotic for a while. And that prediction was seemingly becoming true, with about 10,000 migrants crossing the border just before Title 42 expired. With conservative talking heads quick to try and make it look like an apocalyptic event, you're the RNC even sending out an email on Friday saying the only way the administration's plan is working is if the plan is chaos. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas should resign.

Starting point is 00:09:01 But the reality we saw this weekend is it is not as nearly as crazy as everyone thought it would be. Though I do want to be clear, the amount of crossings is still considered high compared to normal times, right? About 6,300 on Friday, 4,200 on Saturday. But that is so much less than expected. And in some areas, there were actually slowdowns. Around Sunday, only 20 people were waiting to cross the border at Gate 42 with the border wall in El Paso. Or if you look at the crossing at Matamoros, only 200 people who had requested asylum showed up for their appointments, which is far less than the 800 that they had prepared for. So right now, it's believed that the doom and gloom leading up to Title 42's expiration actually helped authorities and non-profit groups over-prepare and allow them to manage the influx

Starting point is 00:09:35 of migrants. With Mayorkas even speaking on this and explaining, we have been planning for this transition for months and months. While noting it is too early, adding, the numbers that we have experienced over the past two days are markedly down over what they were prior to the end of Title 42. Although there, Mexican groups don't think that is particularly efficient. With one activist, for example, pointing out that there are still about 6,000 people in Tijuana shelters waiting to score one of the CBP appointments that become available daily. So a key thing with this, understand the situation is not over. Overall, the administration still fears that things could get out of control quickly. And while it has been nowhere near as horrible as expected,

Starting point is 00:10:05 we're still probably like a week or so out from understanding if this is going to get much worse. And then, I cannot believe I'm about to say this to you, but the IRS may have actually just done a good thing. According to three current and former government officials, the IRS has built a free digital tax filing prototype program, with a pilot program reportedly set to be available

Starting point is 00:10:20 to a small group of taxpayers in January for the 2024 tax season. And key thing, this government software could actually disrupt the multi-billion dollar tax prep industry. With Gabriel Zucker, an associate policy director for tax benefits at the advocacy group Code for America saying, there's something very important about the fact that even beyond making it easy and beyond making it free, this is something you could do directly with your government. Now, some other key things. Last year, the IRS received $15 million to look into a direct filing program from the Inflation Reduction Act.

Starting point is 00:10:45 But the IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel had previously told Congress that they would wait until after they had a recommendation from a think tank studying a direct filing system to pursue its own program. And that report? That's not due until later this week. So if they already have a prototype, it's going to make some lawmakers very, very unhappy. With Republican Senator Mike Crapo on the Senate Finance Committee saying, this suggests a predetermined outcome and flies in the face of previous commitments Commissioner Wofel made to publicly consult Congress on a potential free file solution and for the IRS to not act without explicit legal authority. Also very notably with this program,

Starting point is 00:11:12 it would reportedly allow filers to ask for help from customer service reps and secure online portals, which is another key thing because it's another method that would make it competitive with massive tax prep companies, who, by the way, shockingly didn't respond well to this news. With the chief executive of FileYourTaxes.com saying, is there a need for government to come compete with and change a functioning private sector industry? And an Intuit spokesperson saying, a direct-to-IRS e-file system

Starting point is 00:11:32 is wholly redundant and is nothing more than a solution in search of a problem, and that solution will unnecessarily cost taxpayers billions of dollars. But here, I feel inclined to give you a friendly reminder. Intuit literally just settled a $141 million lawsuit to settle claims on misleading more than 4 million Americans and diverting them away from free options to premium paid ones. Now, of course, because our legal system's fucking stupid, they didn't have to admit fault in that settlement,

Starting point is 00:11:54 but it becomes pretty obvious that the reason they have an issue here is that they would stop making money by notably usually fucking Americans. I don't doubt that this new system could cost taxpayers money. It's just the taxpayers in question are them. But this is still a developing situation. So make sure you subscribe so you can stay in the loop. And then if you think the interest rates in America are bad,

Starting point is 00:12:12 oh my God, Argentina just raised their interest rate to 97% as it struggles with inflation. 97% right for some context, some comparison. Our markets lose their shit when it gets raised to over 5%. But what's also crazy with Argentina is that super high interest rate isn't actually that much higher than their previous rate of 91%. And the country has been struggling with rampant inflation, which currently sits at about 100% per year, with really only Zimbabwe and Venezuela having it worse. But most devastatingly for them, despite these aggressive moves to combat it, analysts actually think that it's too little too late, because you usually don't see the effects of that for like two to three months. And actually with that, the timing of all this is notable

Starting point is 00:12:46 because you have an election there coming in October. We also know there's going to be some guaranteed change, though it could be surface level because incumbent President Alberto Fernandez isn't seeking reelection. And that actually brings us to the end of today's show. But do not worry because one, if you're still hungry for some news, I got you covered here and in those links in the description. And two, I'll have more for you soon because my name is 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 5.16 HE LIED?! The Truth About Kai Cenat and iShowSpeed, Sickfluencers, Viral Video Sparks Investigation

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