The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 5.18 People Are FREAKING OUT On Shelley Lewis, Jeffree Star Cremated Backlash, Hong Kong, & More

Episode Date: May 18, 2020

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Sup you beautiful bastards, hope you've had a fantastic Monday. Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco show. Buckle up, hit that like button and let's just jump into it. And the first thing we're gonna talk about today is the story and situation that actually starts thanks to a viral video coming out of Orange County in California. So the story and this video starts with an employee at a Gelson's grocery store telling a woman recording that she is not allowed in the store unless she wears a mask. She then asked for a manager saying that she will not wear one and when the manager comes out she says, Hi, I have a medical condition that I'm not allowed to wear a mask and I'm not required by HIPAA rules and regulations to disclose that. Okay, can we shop for you?

So, um, what does that look like? I have private things I want to get, but maybe I don't want you to see. Can we shop for you? But I can't let you in the store without a mask. Okay, so where's the regulations that state that? The regulations? Yeah. Because you're discriminating against me now.

Do you know that? You're discriminating against me. I'm offering you that we can help you. No, because I have private stuff that I don't want you to see. Then you can call the corporate office, but I can't help you. Okay, well, you guys can get a lawsuit because you can't discriminate. I'm trying to help you, but I'm not going to help you. You can't.

How is that helping when you're gonna do shopping for me? I'm gonna give you my bank information She then goes on to say she doesn't want to give them her credit card to do a transaction saying she doesn't think it's safe The manager then goes to get her a card so she can call corporate and the woman keeps talking woman then identifies herself as Shelly Lewis saying that she is at Gelson's located in Dana Point She shows the sign that states the store's mask policy and says that they can shop for you which she continues to express anger at because It would involve them using her credit card. And this video leads to this very special interaction

between her and the worker that she talked to at the start who's dancing while cleaning grocery carts. But you're pretty, you're pretty chipper. You're pretty chipper. Huh? You're happy? Why not be? Why are you happy? Yeah.

Normally I'm a bartender and I wouldn't have a Gus. Yeah. Not the Gus. Well, good. I't have a Gus. Yeah. But it's not the Gus. Well good, I mean I'm glad you guys think it's okay to like infringe on people's rights here. You're infringing on people's rights. And finally the manager comes out, they give her the corporate card, and the employee thanks her for her patience before she walks off. Right, and so this video blows up, especially after a member of the DNC shared it on Twitter saying, Karen gets upset that a store won't let her shop without a protective face mask. She then tried to pretend like she's the victim

"'despite the store giving her options. "'This is pure arrogance.'" You also had a number of people arguing with her point, saying that no matter what her purchases were, they would not be private. Right, she'd still have to check out, either with a cashier or one of those automated machines with still a security camera

and the system itself would log it. Also saying that no matter what, the store would still obtain her credit card information when she pays. You also had others wondering what medical condition she had or if she really had it. Or even people saying if she had something, especially a preexisting condition that relates

to your respiratory system. Right out of all people, wouldn't she want to protect herself from COVID-19 as much as possible? Also, like we always see when someone kind of pops up in a viral video on social media, people start digging. And among the interesting things that people claim to have found, it included one tweet saying that she is a flat earther.

While all of this is very hard to verify because she never shows herself in the video, there is a bio for Shelly Lewis on the Flat Earther Conference website. That bio also linking out to a YouTube and Facebook page, both of which appear to be empty or defunct. As far as verifying if this is in fact her, I saw people pointing to the Daily Mail

using that same photo from the bio to identify her, but there I would say the Daily Mail and trusted fact checker should never really belong in the same sentence, so be wary. You know, among the other allegations here, the users on Twitter sharing old screenshots of Facebook posts that appear to be from her. Also many of these posts seem to be

against COVID regulations, against contact tracing. You also had websites like Heavy identifying her as this Shelly Lewis, noting this Facebook post and bio on the Flat Earthers site. And I mention this because this element has been a big conversation regarding this story. But again, while some places are saying this is her, it's difficult for us to independently verify that,

especially since the Facebook page is now unavailable. Now in addition to this video going viral, a lot of people having a lot of hot takes on it, which I pass the question off to you. What are your thoughts about this video and the people involved in it? In addition to that, it brought up a number of interesting questions like,

are there really medical conditions that would prevent a person from wearing a mask? And the answer there is yes, in some cases. For example, we saw this local news report coming out of Kentucky talking about people who had their PTSD triggered by wearing a mask. Yes, because they were once abused while a cloth was tied around their mouth.

Also, the University of Maryland Medical System says that people that have breathing problems or people who cannot take the mask on or off without assistance should not wear homemade masks. The New York Health Department also saying that people with difficulty breathing should not wear masks in general. But still, some doctors think that it's important for people with conditions like asthma to still wear a mask

because if they did get coronavirus, their case could be more severe. With one such doctor doing a Q&A for a local Colorado news station, advising people to wear cotton masks that are more breathable or spending as much time inside or in isolated areas as possible so a mask is not often needed.

And also telling people who struggle with wearing a mask because of allergies that it is especially important for them to wear them because they are more likely to cough, sneeze and spread droplets. Also, this now viral video is just kind of another example of the general struggles that stores have been facing. For example, Orange County where this video happened, it does not have a mandatory face mask rule county wide,

but stores there are allowed to have one themselves. And that said, some states and counties around the country do a mandatory face mask rule county wide, but stores there are allowed to have one themselves. That said, some states and counties around the country do have mandatory face mask orders. What has been found thus far is that making sure people follow those rules is not easy. If one Kroger employee telling Fox News, it gets pretty confrontational. People are getting in our faces and are really angry

with our managers and employees when it's not our rule. Yeah, that is where we are with this story. And you know, I want to pass the question off to you. There are multiple ones. If you're an essential worker out there right now, what's your experience been working with the general public? And of course the question to everyone, I'd love to know your thoughts regarding that Shelley video.

Then in a story that was requested, but it is really non-story news. And so I'll turn it into a quickie. Over the weekend online, we saw people angry at Jeffree Star, of course, massive creator, cosmetic CEO. And this because Jeffree announced his cremated eyeshadow palette and collection.

As far as why that name, Jeffree said, "'Cremated' is like my iconic catchphrase, I'm deceased." And adding, it is a double entendre. And cremated as well as being of course very dark and gothic is also a term that I like to use. And in general, while most of his fans were very excited, you saw a number of people getting very vocal about their problems with this.

With examples like, "'So you're gonna tell me Jeffree Star is releasing "'a palette called Cremated during a global pandemic "'where thousands are dying?' of people getting very vocal about their problems with this. With examples like, so you're gonna tell me Jeffree Star is releasing a palette called Cremated during a global pandemic where thousands are dying. Another saying we're in the middle of a global pandemic in which the bodies of thousands killed by COVID are being cremated.

People saying it's disrespectful, tone deaf, and I'm just gonna stop there. Of all the things you could get angry at Jeffree Star about this, this is the thing? Right, like if this was specifically targeted towards the pandemic, I could get it. But one, sorry, this finger didn't get the memo. One, it appears that this name was actually trademarked

back in September of 2019, way before a Jeffree Star or someone on his team would go, "'Hey, let's name something after the horror show "'that we're living in.'" Two, the name doesn't feel inherently connected to what we're dealing with right now. Like if it was named pandemic or COVID couture, I would get it, but it's not.

And three, I really don't know what other points to make because it feels like in general, this is just an emotional issue. And we're seeing some people having an emotional reaction based off of their life experience, their sensitivity, some going as far as to project intent on Star. And with it being a story about personal emotional reactions,

I'll say for me, it doesn't feel like that big of a deal. But that's a story, my personal opinion on it. And of course I pass the question off to you. What are your thoughts on this? Do you agree with the anger that this is tone deaf and it should be canceled? Or are you on the side of, you don't really think it's that big of a deal?

I'd love to know what you're thinking and why in those comments down below. And then let's talk about some major updates regarding global coronavirus efforts. Right, so today leaders from all over the world are gathering virtually for the WHO's 73rd annual World Health Assembly. And this is a huge deal because it's the first time

this massive meeting has been held during a pandemic of this size. And it also comes at a time when the spotlight is firmly placed on the WHO and its role during the pandemic. So there are a lot of topics for these 194 member countries to talk about over the next two days. And one of the biggest items on the agenda

was a resolution calling for an investigation into the WHO's handling of the pandemic and the origins of the virus. This has been in the works for a while now, Australia first floating the idea of an independent inquiry last month. There we saw China reject the proposal, arguing that any investigation was just an attempt

to blame them for the outbreak or politicize the situation. With China even threatening to boycott Australian goods in response to this. Also moving to cut off major imports to the country last week. But that said, this plan has started to gain momentum among international leaders. And as of today, the resolution had the backing

of more than 120 member nations. And while opening the WHO assembly this morning, we even saw Chinese President Xi make a pretty stunning reversal and announce that China was backing the plan, saying China supports a comprehensive evaluation of the global response to the epidemic after the global epidemic is under control,

to sum up experiences and remedy deficiencies. Now of course, very notably here, Xi didn't even address criticisms that Chinese officials had covered up early warnings of the outbreak in Wuhan. But ironically to many, called on other countries to step up information sharing and adding, all along we have acted with openness,

transparency and responsibility. We have done everything in our power to support and assist countries in need. With Xi even announcing that China would be giving two billion dollars to help the international fight against COVID-19. And while he didn't say what he was specifically giving that money to, he called on member nations to support the WHO and the work it's been doing,

saying, at this critical juncture, "'To support the WHO is to support international cooperation "'and the battle to save lives.'" A statement that many saw as a jab to President Trump, who withdrew US funding from the WHO last month after accusing the organization of being too close with Beijing and covering up China's mistakes as well

as failing to share information in a timely manner and generally mishandling the response to the pandemic. And while that move got a lot of backlash from global leaders, Trump has not been the only one to accuse China of covering up the virus in its early stages. He has also not been the only one critical of the WHO and its director who has been criticized

for repeatedly praising China's response to this virus. But the Trump administration has continued to be one of the most vocal critics. And during today's meeting, we actually saw Health and Human Services Secretary, Alex Azar, blasting the WHO's response to the pandemic, saying, we must be frank about one of the primary reasons this outbreak spun out of control.

There was a failure by this organization to obtain the information that the world needed. And that failure cost many lives. And also saying that the US supported the investigation and added, who must change and it must become far more transparent and far more accountable. And that said, the WHO director also seemed to hit on

some of those points about transparency and accountability in his opening remarks where he also voiced his support for the resolution saying, I will initiate an independent evaluation at the earliest appropriate moment to review experience gained and lessons learned and to make recommendations to improve national and global pandemic preparedness and response.

The director also calling for a more comprehensive global framework for pandemic preparedness, and very notably, he also warned countries against reopening too soon, saying, "'Countries that move too fast without putting in place "'the public health architecture to detect "'and suppress transmission run a real risk "'of handicapping their own recovery.'"

And the reason that's a notable statement is that, you know, internationally, the number of cases and deaths continue to rise. As of this morning, there have been over 4.7 million confirmed cases worldwide, almost 317,000 deaths. But at the same time, we're seeing more and more countries begin to reopen and more and more complications coming from that process.

For example, we look to China where a lot of people have said, hey, look what they did. They essentially smothered the fire, they're good to go now. But now more than 100 million people in China's Northeast region are being forced back under lockdown conditions because of a new growing cluster of infections.

This is a huge deal because as one report explains, this is a sign of how fragile the reopening process will be in China and elsewhere, as even the slightest hint of a resurgence of infections could prompt a return to strict lockdown. Regarding reopening, right now we're seeing tons of countries pushing to reopen. You take the United States, for example,

the vast majority of states have already begun to ease restrictions in at least some form, but you still have cases growing. As of this morning in the United States, it was reported that nearly 1.5 million confirmed cases and nearly 90,000 deaths have occurred. Though it's important to point out that not every state has been hit the same,

not every state is in the same situation as the next one. Though that is part of the reasoning of people pointing to states like Texas, saying that what's happening there is alarming. This because gyms and movie theaters there are set to reopen today, just two days after the state, which has already implemented one of the broadest reopening plans in the country,

reported its highest single day increase. Also, these widespread reopenings are not limited to just the United States. I mean, just today we saw Italy lifting many of Europe's strictest restrictions and is now allowing restaurants, cafes, clothing retailers, hairdressers, and museums to open. You got Spain and other European countries

also beginning to reopen shops and other small businesses. And interestingly, while you have former hotspots like Spain and Italy beginning to reopen, yesterday we saw it was reported that Brazil has now officially surpassed both of these countries in confirmed cases, with Brazil now reporting over 245,000 infections. But even then, according to one report,

nationwide testing in Brazil lags far behind Europe, meaning the virus could have been more widespread than what the numbers actually represent. Brazil had processed nearly 338,000 tests by the start of last week, with another 145,000 under analysis. By comparison, Spain and Italy have each run roughly 1.9 million tests.

So it's believed that the real number is a lot higher. It also comes as the second health minister in about a month resigned because of President Jair Bolsonaro's handling of the pandemic number is a lot higher. It also comes as the second health minister in about a month resigned because of President Jair Bolsonaro's handling of the pandemic. As we've talked about before, Bolsonaro has received a ton of criticism for his handling of the coronavirus,

or more accurately, his lack of handling it. He's repeatedly downplayed it, pushed against distancing and quarantine measures, even joining protests himself, calling to end distancing and bringing back military dictatorship-era policies. And even during a recent interview, when a journalist asked him about the rapid spread of the virus in Brazil,

he responded his actual words, so what? What do you want me to do? And as we see Brazil becoming a new major site of the outbreak, it also comes as we're seeing the virus spreading rapidly across other parts of Latin America. But ultimately that's where we are right now. We're gonna have to keep our eyes on this story to see, you know, where this continues to spread in other countries. What new hot spots do we get? Also, what will come from the investigation?

What happens from this assembly? There's a lot happening here. Of course, with this, I would love to know your thoughts, but it also brings us to the final story that still involves China. And this story involves a place we haven't talked about in a little bit, and that is Hong Kong. Now, of course, one of the reasons we haven't talked

about Hong Kong in so long is because the coronavirus lockdown has pretty much halted pro-democracy protests. However, what we're beginning to see now is that some of these protests are ramping back up, and this time actually among lawmakers in Hong Kong's Legislative Council. And specifically, what I'm talking about here is this scene we saw today from LegCo's House Committee. In the video, you see people clashing, some being pushed and held back, one pro-democracy lawmaker throwing papers at a pro-Beijing lawmaker, some legislators being carried out by guards. But the thing here is, this is actually the second time just this month that we've seen something like this in the House Committee.

The first actually happening on May 8th, and the reason we're seeing this happen not once but twice is because of a fight over elections and who gets to control the committee. And that, notably, is important because if a bill is passed from the House Committee, it will then go on to the main floor of the LegCo, which means that whoever leads this committee has a big say in whether pro-democracy or pro-Beijing bills will then go on to the main floor of the LegCo, which means that whoever leads this committee

has a big say in whether pro-democracy or pro-Beijing bills end up being sent to the main floor. You know, and as we've talked about before, there has been a ton of debate on just how free Hong Kong should be or how much control China should have over it. And so it's questions and arguments like these which have led to these intense protests.

And so as far as who should lead this committee, not surprising, lawmakers haven't been able to answer that. Going into elections, it was chaired by pro-Beijing lawmaker, Starry Lee. But because she was running for re-election, pro-democracy deputy chair Dennis Kwok actually took over presiding power. Now, at that time, it seemed like the cards were stacked in Lee's favor, that she would win re-election. However, Kwok then gridlocked the committee from voting on a new chair since late last year by filibustering consecutive meetings. And notably here, that's also allowed him to hold up several key pieces

of legislation. This because an earlier session of the committee insisted that no business could be handled until a new chairperson was appointed. And as it turns out, one of those bills wants to actually criminalize mocking or disrespecting the Chinese national anthem. However, what we ended up seeing here is that on May 8th,

Li said that an external legal counsel had advised her that she had the power to preside over House committee meetings. So she scheduled the bill for urgent business, meaning she planned to hold a hearing on it. But then instead of a meeting, what we ended up actually seeing is that about an hour before the House Committee was scheduled to start,

lawmakers just made a wild dash for the chair's seat to keep the vote from happening. However, she eventually made it to the seat first. She was then surrounded by security guards. That then led to physical fights on both sides, and one lawmaker was even carried away on a stretcher. You then had lawmakers accusing Li of seizing power, but she argued that as incumbent,

she had a duty to conduct the meeting and resolve the issues with Li then banishing pro-democracy members from the room and issuing warnings to them about breaching procedural laws. But then also notably there, that Anthem bill wasn't actually voted on there. Then last week we ended up seeing LegCo president, Andrew Leung announced that he was removing Kwok from presiding over the election

and replacing him with the finance committee chair, who is a pro-Beijing politician. We then fast forward to today when the house committee was scheduled to hold elections, but this scene just fell apart from there. And then this because lawmakers arrived to find the finance committee chair, Chair Chan, sitting in the chairperson's seat.

And with that, he was also surrounded by a slew of guards. And to note here, even though Liang appointed him, Chan had actually taken that seat against procedural objections by pro-democracy lawmakers We then saw that fight break out But even as the protests continued Chan called for a vote to elect a new chairperson and what we ultimately saw was Lee winning That election still even with that you had pro-democracy lawmakers saying that they will not recognize Lee is the chair with one saying As you can see that this is a illegitimate meeting without any support without any

legal grounds. And, and Chang Kien-po in fact, and exercise a legitimate power. And so we, we don't count Starry Lee as the chairman of the house committee. You also had Kwok saying they can take away the rules of procedures today, but I am sure the Hong Kong people won't forget today.

Now, as far as what happens from here, especially for that Anthem bill, it is expected to get a second reading in the committee on May 27th. And currently, LegCo is overwhelmingly pro-Beijing, so it is likely that this will pass. Right, especially because the last time we saw things getting crazy with legislators

was over that Hong Kong extradition bill. And also because it's a genuinely insane thing to do to make it illegal to mock a national anthem. And that is where I'm going to end today's show. As always, thanks for watching, liking, maybe being a part of the conversation, sharing with your friends to spread some common sense. Also, if you're new here, be sure to hit that subscribe

button and then tap that bell to turn on notifications so you don't miss my new videos. Also, if you're looking for more to watch after this video, I've got you covered. You can click or tap right there. 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. I hope you liked this video. Subscribe if you like it.