The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 6.26 Colleen Ballinger Responds to Allegations with Ukelele Song, Affirmative Action is Dead, & More News

Episode Date: June 29, 2023

Go to https://r.honeygain.com/defranco and use code defranco to  bget $5 for signing up to use Honeygain Up your tea game! Head to http://artoftea.com/defranco for 10% OFF sitewide and your Tea of The Month subscription! Use code DEFRANCO! Catch up on the latest PDS: https://youtu.be/ipGTUr2SCA8 Check out our daily newsletter! http://dailydip.co/pds  –✩ TODAY’S STORIES ✩ – 0:00 - Colleen Ballinger Addresses Allegations via Ukulele Song 04:39 - Man Accidentally Donates $15,000 to Bangladeshi GoFundMe 06:07 - Nursing Home Owners Siphoned More Than $80 Million While Neglecting Residents 07:51 - Sponsored by Honeygain 08:41 - Enlargement Procedures on the Rise 13:54 - Netflix Turns to South Korean Content Amid Hollywood Writers Strike 16:09 - School Official Convicted After Students Ate Chicken with Bits of Metal 17:27 - Sponsored by Art of Tea 18:31 - Supreme Court Rules 6-3 to Gut Affirmative Action 23:22 - Scientists Discover That Universe Is an Ocean Constantly Roiled by Gravitational Waves Our previous coverage of the Colleen Ballinger Accusations: https://youtu.be/RAHfpFglkP8 Other coverage of the allegations: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/colleen-ballinger-miranda-sings-youtube-fans-allegations-1234774947/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Kwq6HfbrbU&t=4319s  ——————————   Produced by: Cory Ray Edited by: James Girardier, Julie Goldberg, Maxx Enright, Christian Meeks Art Department: William Crespo Writing/Research: Philip DeFranco, Brian Espinoza, Lili Stenn, Maddie Crichton, Star Pralle, Chris Tolve  ———————————— #DeFranco #ColleenBallinger #MirandaSings ———————————— Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we're talking about Colleen Ballinger's sing-song on her way through allegations and backlash, the Supreme Court just gutted affirmative action, previously unshared horror stories are being shared for men who got implants that went very wrong, and nursing homes that stole tens of millions of dollars are being exposed. We're going to talk about all that and so much more on today's brand new extra-large Philip DeFranco show, your daily dive into the news, so buckle up, hit that like button, and let's just jump into it. Starting with, Colleen Ballinger has now officially responded to the allegations and the controversy around her, but she did it in a way I did not have on my bingo card. I thought, since they haven't responded to

media requests, oh, she's going to continue staying silent, or maybe she'll release like a text post on Twitter, or maybe she will make a video and she'll speak directly to camera, but she whipped out a ukulele and proceeded to sing-song her response to everything. Which, if you're coming into this situation kind of blind, I'll link down below to our previous coverage this week where we kind of just talk about the highlights. I'll also link to other resources. But it involved accusations that ranged from things like, you know, she had a group chat with fans who were mostly young teens, where it appeared, among other things, she would ask them questions about sex and discuss her sex life. As well as at live shows,

she put young fans in uncomfortable positions on stage, with many saying they felt used and exploited by her. So she starts off this now viral apology by saying, Even though my team has strongly advised me to not say what I want to say, I recently realized that they never said that I couldn't sing what I want to say. And in the hook of this song, which I'll link to this down below,

you can watch it and consume it all, but I'll save you time here. She essentially equated all the allegations to a toxic gossip train of misinformation and manipulation. Claiming some of the things said about her were not true, though not really diving into any specifics on what was false. Though she did address the relationships that she nurtured with young fans. Many years ago, I used to message my fans. But not in a creepy way, like a lot of you are trying to suggest. It was more of a loser kind of way.

Where I was just trying to be besties with everybody. It's kind of like when you go to like a family gathering, you know, and there's a weird aunt there who keeps coming up to you and going like, hey girl, what's the tea? And you're like, ugh. Acknowledging that it was weird how she would overshare with fans in the group chat, but also saying she didn't understand the boundaries between fan and friend, and adding, I haven't done that for years, you see, because I changed my behavior, and I took accountability. She then went on to discuss Miranda Singh, saying that the character and her content

were always rated as PG-13, that it's on her website. So with that saying, it was left to the discretion of parents as to whether or not their kids should watch Miranda or attend live shows. Regarding live shows, she addressed a clip from one show where a teen fan went on stage to do a yoga bit. Then Miranda spread the fan's legs open and played a fart noise. But that fan, as we talked about in the other video, saying she practically felt naked on stage because her outfit didn't have full coverage. So she was worried about what people

could see of her body. When addressing this, Colleen just simply said, I'm not a predator, even though a lot of you think so, because five years ago I made a fart joke. And with that, also saying that, of course, she's made mistakes and bad jokes and she's upset some fans feel betrayed, but she never had bad intentions. And that video was received as you might imagine it was received. I mean, there was some support. The video has 48,000 likes, but it has been widely disliked with, as of recording, 323,000 dislikes on that video. And obviously none of that takes into account the other massive reactions on other social media platforms where these videos are getting tens of millions of views. And there was a whole range of reasons. You had people saying they were disappointed, disturbed, disgusted, confused. With people

saying, you know, with how serious this feels, it's weird to respond with kind of a quirky musical moment. People saying the song is embarrassing and it minimizes the allegations and experiences of these people. Also Adam McIntyre, a fan from the group chat who had levied a lot of the accusations, saying the video showed exactly the type of evil woman she is, and saying everyone meet the real Colleen Ballinger. Some also pointing to specific moments in the video like the yoga bit fart joke, arguing that the way that she addressed this minimized the discomfort that fan felt while exposed on stage. And so we've seen tons of people saying this will go down as the worst YouTube apology video ever, though it's not really an apology video. To me, when I watch this, it felt more like someone that was saying like, fuck this whole situation

and fuck people that are a part of it. Especially when you look at moments where she's sing-songing that people don't actually care about the truth and also ending the video. What do I know? Fuck me, right? I also will say, I agree with people saying

this is kind of the worst way she could have addressed this because it's such a different and seemingly bizarre way to respond to what was happening. Like people who are completely unaware of this situation prior to watching this video in the last 24 hours are now sharing this video because they're like, you're not gonna believe why she's singing. It feels like awareness on this has become a hundred X

what it was prior to the video. And it doesn't help that toxic gossip train is a little bit of an earworm. The toxic gossip train. Like it's a little bit stuck in my head, which would be great for a regular song, but not when it makes you think about the allegations against you. Like this would be the SNL cold open if the writer strike wasn't happening. That said, as far as what happens from here, we're going to have to wait and see. And in the meantime, I'd love to know

your thoughts in those comments down below. And then this story is so awkward. This guy, Michael, he moves into a new apartment in San Francisco last year. He meets his neighbor, a Hindu priest named Jeff. And Jeff tells Michael about a relief organization that he volunteers for that provides food, clothing, and other supplies to poor people in Bangladesh. And so Mike's like, that sounds cool. Let me donate some money. And he gives $150 to Jeff's GoFundMe. But shortly afterward, his credit card company flags a suspiciously large amount of $15,000. Yeah, he donated with a typo.

So he frantically calls GoFundMe and they promise, hey, you're going to get a refund. But it's going to take three to seven business days. And until then, his absurdly large donation is going to remain top of the fundraising page. So he's like, shit, I got to call Jeff and explain the whole situation. But before he can even do that, the Facebook messages start pouring in. He's got the charity's program manager in Bangladesh just floored at this generosity, thanking him profusely. Also sending him picture after picture, literally hundreds of them of poor, hungry children, thanking him by name, literally holding signs reading Michael.

Understand, they have never gotten a donation this big before, and they can hardly believe his kindness. So of course, you got Michael back in front of his computer in San Francisco, just feeling awful about this news that he's got to break. And so once the refund goes through and all that money is all of a sudden not in the hands of Bangladeshis, he ups his original donation to $1,500 instead. But here is the not- any way awkward and awesome end to this story. He tells this incredibly awkward story on Reddit and it goes viral. And in the span of just a few weeks, people donate more than $120,000 to the GoFundMe. And that is where the story ends. It's the one good one you get. I know some of you have watched

this show for years. You were expecting another twist. No, that's it. Enjoy this feeling while it lasts. And then these nursing home owners stole $83 million and they let their patients die. That's what Attorney General Letitia James said of four different nursing homes across the state of New York. All right, let's break it down

because yesterday James filed a lawsuit accusing Centers Healthcare and its owners of stealing Medicaid, Medicare, and other funding meant for patient care. With the specific nursing homes in question all owned and operated by Centers Healthcare, and they're located in Queens, the Bronx, Westchester, and Buffalo. And according to the suit, owners Kenneth Rosenberg and Daryl Hagler, along with others, constructed an elaborate network of companies and fake contracts to pocket

$83 million in government funding over the last decade. And obviously, since that money was going in their pockets, it wasn't being used to help the residents. So as a result, the nursing homes were understaffed, and the residents were facing neglect, degradation, and death. With the AG saying, they put profit over people again and again and again while vulnerable New Yorkers were reduced to skeletons. But the lawsuit reportedly filled with testimonies from residents' families about their mistreatment at the hands of these nursing homes, including the story of a man whose bed sores turned into ulcers that ate away at him and he developed sepsis and died. And another horror story from a daughter whose mother failed to receive a colostomy bag to collect her waste, but instead was wrapped in a towel that quickly

filled with feces. And all four nursing homes have also received repeat complaints from residents and families about unsanitary conditions, including about vermin, flies, and the perpetual smell of human waste. Now, in response to the filing, a Centers Healthcare spokesperson pulled the classic deny, deny, deny, saying in a statement, Centers Healthcare prides itself on its commitment to patient care. Centers denies the New York Attorney General's allegations wholeheartedly and attempted to resolve this matter out of court. We will fight these spurious claims with the facts on our side. But for now, we're seeing the Attorney General seeking to block the nursing homes from taking new residents until they get properly staffed, that including filling the positions overseeing

the home's finances and quality of care. And James is also pushing for the owners to pay back all $83 million stolen and reimburse the AG's office for the investigation. Notably, this is not an isolated incident, with this being the fourth lawsuit against nursing homes that James has brought in the last year in her battle for nursing home reform. And then, earning a few extra bucks without doing anything, is that possible?

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a penis. But there are a few things we need to talk about. One, apparently they're getting bigger, with one recent study finding that today's average penis is 24% longer than it was three decades ago. But also two, despite that, many men seem to be more self-conscious these days about their penis than ever. And for decades, they've been trying every method under the sun to make them grow, whether it be fat injections, inflatable prosthetics, vacuum pumps, hanging weights, even snipping the suspensory ligament. But for a long time, all the available procedures

were either ineffective, dangerous, or came with many potential downsides. That is until Dr. James Ellis, a urologist whom TMZ once dubbed. Who's like the Thomas Edison of penis surgery. So when Viagra hit the market back in 1998, erectile dysfunction didn't always require a surgical fix anymore.

So Ellis brainstormed other business opportunities. And what he came up with was the PANUMA, which is short for penis new man, a cosmetic silicone implant shaped like a hot dog bun that goes just under the skin to increase penis length. With sizes ranging from large to extra, extra large, and according to him, it's reversible, so you can always upgrade if you're still not satisfied.

Despite a lot of skepticism from other physicians that something like this was even possible, he got FDA approval for the device back in 2004. And that's because of a legal loophole that allows companies to implant untested products in patients as long as they can demonstrate the devices are, quote, substantially equivalent to those already on the market.

And Ellis made the argument that his silicone block was comparable to calf and butt implants. And so somehow he convinces the government that his invention was both novel enough to deserve a patent and not novel enough to require testing before use. Though also the FDA did not clearly specify that the device was meant for the penis, instead clearing it for, quote, cosmetic correction of soft tissue deformities. But that said, he makes a modest living out of his clinic in Beverly Hills, averaging some 100

surgeries a year by 2014. But then in 2016, GQ publishes an article glamorizing the Pneuma, and after that it just takes off. Ella's doing roughly 60 surgeries a month by the end of the year. And so then his company, International Medical Devices, begins training surgeons around the country to perform the PANUMA operation. You then mix in the pandemic, business is booming more than ever, with industry advocates guessing that's due to men watching more porn, having more privacy at home to recover from the surgery, or seeing improvements in the procedure. But, and you've been waiting for it, underneath all that fame and success, some patients start talking about the dark underbelly of PANUuma. Like this guy named Mick, for example. He spoke with a reporter from ProPublica, with him saying he consulted with Ellis for about five minutes,

then signing a stack of consent forms and releases, including one saying the consultation lasted over an hour. And he actually ended up having his operation that same morning. Then, after waking up, he spent the next five days in a hotel room with his stuff wrapped in a gauze, with him saying morning erections were excruciating, sharp jolts seized his crotch whenever he peed. And when he finally removed the bandage, he was shocked to find the corners of the implant protruding under the skin like a misplaced bone. And so over the next several months, he frantically emailed Ellis saying things like, it's been about 70 days since surgery and yet it feels like a shrimp, as well as I'm so sorry for another email, but I'm freaking out about the fact I have zero sensitivity in my penis. With him a

month after that one, finally getting a hold of Ellis, who told him not to worry that the numbness would eventually subside. But Mick understandably has his doubts at this point, so he googles Ellis Penuma numb, and he finds hundreds upon hundreds of horror stories. Now, all this said, before we go forward, I do want to warn you that this next part of the story is as wild as it is disturbing. There may be some vicarious wincing, right? And that's because I got to tell you that some of the implants got infected or detached. Also, others buckled at the corners. Occasionally, some of the protrusions would break through the skin, forming holes that would fester.

Also, one man took a video of the kind of snorting crunch his penis made when air moved through a hole. With the skin between that hole and a second one eventually eroding so that a corner of the implant emerged. Also, for someone else with a protruding implant, his girlfriend said that sex felt like someone sticking a butter knife inside you. A truck driver whose penuma dug into his pubic bones that he felt like a prisoner in his own body another businessman saying it makes you look like you're always semi-erect i couldn't let my kids sit on my lap i couldn't jump on the trampoline with them i even felt like a pervert hugging my friend yet with all that ellis company kept reassuring its patients that they were healing just as expected and in some cases suggested a larger implant might solve their problems but

many critics of his entire venture had warned for years that the implant itself is the problem. Because it can be tricky to put in an implant in a place where you naturally grow and shrink. When you put foreign objects anywhere in the body, the body reacts by enveloping it in tissue. But in that specific place, it can distort shape and mobility. And then even if you get the penuma removed, as many have discovered, it may contract to seal up the space left behind. So unsurprisingly, there's this whole cottage industry that's blown up of plastic surgeons making a living just treating the victims of penile implants gone wrong.

And one of the most wild things here is that most of these men actually had at least an average-sized penis before their surgery. But because of the cultural or psychological reasons, they felt self-conscious, and people like Ellis preyed on that feeling. Which, in case you're wondering, research points to the average penis being 3.6 inches long

when flaccid and 5.2 inches when erect. Which makes it extra crazy because remember Mick? Mick reportedly was six and a half inches before the procedure, but then after getting the implant removed, he lost a full inch. And although luckily most of his sensation has now returned, it came at the cost of three years of depression, anger, and half his life savings down the drain. So that's why with this whole situation, there are now several lawsuits pending against Ellis' company. But he's also successfully fought off malpractice and product liability suits ever since the 1990s. And in his defense, Ellis argues that most of his

patients leave satisfied, saying what we're seeing is a minority of people who fail to follow post-op instructions, and claiming that the penuma has vastly improved since the early days. Which I'll just say, hey guys, if you are someone who suffers with anxiety about your penis, please, I just recommend you go to a therapist before you go to a urologist. Social media and society in general got people fucked up. Just be careful out there. Because, I mean, just covering this story makes me feel like I got traumatized. And I'm not even one of the poor bastards that had to deal with just everything going wrong.

And then, Hollywood isn't the only place dealing with labor issues in film and TV production right now. With a new report from the Los Angeles Times highlighting a plethora of issues workers in South Korea are facing. Some of which are being underscored by the writer's strike here. Because as that strike continues, it's prompted Netflix to turn to South Korea to keep content churning while productions are stalled stateside. And Netflix's choice to invest in South Korean content over the last few years has apparently not helped overall working conditions. First off, we'll start with Squid Game, because that's a show that basically everyone knows about, because it was such a mega hit, becoming Netflix's most-watched show, making history, getting multiple Emmy wins,

which would make you think, the people who made that show, they gotta be raking in that cash. Especially since that show alone reportedly increased Netflix's value by $900 million. But actually, according to the LA Times, the writer and director of that show had to forfeit IP rights in his contract so he got absolutely no residuals. So he got paid, but he claims it was just enough

to put food on the table, which is also kind of unsurprising as residuals are a major bargaining point for writers here amid the strike. And in South Korea, a lot of the creatives feel the same and are now questioning Netflix's practices, thinking that no one should have to accept a deal without residuals. Or because even though Squid Game prompted a wave of creators from the country pitching to Netflix, they have also slowly started to question how sustainable working for the company is.

With one writer telling the Times, At first, it was exciting to think that people all around the world would be able to watch my show. But now I'm thinking, so what? I'm not getting anything out of it. And production workers also have massive issues of their own with the Times adding that many crew members argue that exploitative labor practices have quietly driven Netflix's South Korean content boom. Because when making shows in South Korea,

Netflix outsources production to local partners in the country. With that, a spokesperson for Netflix telling the Times that it pays competitive rates to K content creators and its standards meet or exceed Korean law. But also there, several unnamed sources told the outlet that is not quite the case. Right, because even before Netflix, productions in South Korea were working long and crazy schedules with incredibly fast turnarounds, giving crew barely

any money and almost no time to even sleep between shoots. And while there was a tragic suicide of a producer back in 2016, prompting some improvements in working conditions, many workers told the Times that many production companies, including the ones that Netflix outsources to, do not follow those laws. The Times explaining that companies find ways to skirt the law by sort of changing the definition of what it means to be working, right? For example, some only count working time as the time the camera's rolling, meaning that staffers have done full days of prep and setup that are totally unpaid because those hours don't count. With one producer saying they had a project where they made $3,400 per month while working around 90 to 100 hours a week. You know, with all this, obviously

this is a story about South Korea. But it's also an important thing to look at as an example of why collective bargaining and why effective unions are so incredibly important. And then, Eric Goldstein got caught accepting bribes that ended up putting metal and plastic in kids' lunches. Because the thing with Eric is he was a senior official in the New York Department of Education, with him specifically in charge of the food service for New York City schools, and the owners of Sama Food Group took advantage of Goldstein's position. The food that Sama was providing had some problems, namely foreign objects

in the chicken tender. Specifically, students and staff found pieces of bones, plastic, and even metal in the chicken. When a school staff member choked on a bone in a supposedly boneless tender, Soma's chicken was pulled from the menu. However, one big paycheck to Goldstein later, and they were back. And it turns out that the same time that Soma was founded, the three owners also started another company, Range Meats, with Goldstein, who notably had a 20% share in the company that was kept secret. And according to prosecutors, a quid pro quo agreement went like this. Goldstein promoted Soma's interests and made sure that the Department of Education purchased from them. And then Soma's owners would invest in Range Meats and pay Goldstein thousands of dollars.

With all this leading to a weeks-long trial and the jury coming back yesterday convicting Goldstein of conspiracy, extortion, wire fraud, and taking bribes. All of which could land this guy in prison for up to 20 years. He's not the only one. The other three men were also convicted of conspiracy, wire fraud, and bribery. The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York calling all this a textbook example of choosing greed over the needs of our schools and the well-being of our children. Adding, today's verdict demonstrates the consequences of corruptly placing personal profit over the public interest. So the situation is not completely over because Goldstein's attorneys say they plan on appealing the verdict if the judge doesn't acquit him. And then, you beautiful bastards have heard me say this before, but sometimes doing the news, it raises my cortisol level. And few things actually help me unwind

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Jackson recused herself from the Harvard case because she had been on the school's board of overseers. And while this decision today is not in any way unexpected, it is still massively consequential. Because this ruling will completely change the admissions process as we know it, forcing both private and public universities to dramatically transform the way they select students and build diverse campuses. Because for more than four decades, affirmative action has been a core tenet of higher education and the main tool that colleges and particularly selective schools have used in the pursuit of a diverse student body. And it's actually one that's been upheld numerous times by the Supreme

Court in the past, including most recently in 2016 with a case involving the University of Texas at Austin. Though that challenge against UT Austin was struck down four to three because Justice Antonin Scalia had just died and Justice Kagan was recused. But that said, as far as the court's decision here, both the Harvard and UNC cases were brought by the group Students for Fair Admissions, which has led many lawsuits challenging race-conscious admissions, in fact, including the one the court rejected back in 2016. In the UNC suit, the plaintiffs accused the public university

of discriminating against white and Asian applicants by giving unfair preference to black, Hispanic, and Native American ones, and arguing that the race-based admissions process violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, which prohibits racial discrimination by government institutions, including public universities like UNC. Though the Harvard case was a little bit different because as a private school, Harvard is not bound by the Equal Protection Clause. Instead there, students for fair admissions claim that the university discriminated against Asian American applicants by limiting the number accepted using subjective standards to measure personality traits

such as likability, courage, and kindness. With him arguing that violated a section of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits racial discrimination in programs or activities that receive any kind of federal funding. And very significantly here before today, both UNC and Harvard actually beat students for fair admissions in federal trial courts. With the decision for Harvard even being upheld

by a federal appeals court. But this new conservative Supreme Court did not agree. With Chief Justice John Roberts writing for the majority and saying that students, quote, "'Must be treated based on his or her experience as an individual, not on the basis of race. And adding that both Harvard and UNC admissions lacks efficiently focused and measurable objectives warranting the use of race, unavoidably employ race in a negative manner, involve racial stereotyping, and lack meaningful endpoints. Now, notably,

Roberts did say that the court's decision should not prohibit universities from, quote, considering an applicant's discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise. But it's also unclear how exactly they would do that. I mean, even in the dissenting opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that the line seems to imply that universities can consider race in application essays, which he also condemned as nothing but an attempt to put lipstick on a pig. Roberts also hit back on that in his opinion, writing, despite the dissent's assertion to the contrary, universities may not simply establish through application essays or other means the regime we

hold unlawful today. Also, on the note of Sotomayor's dissent, it was scathing. With a justice who has said she is an example of affirmative action working, asserting that the devastating impact of this decision cannot be overstated. And continuing, today, this court stands in the way and rolls back decades of precedent and momentous progress. Claiming the decision

cements a superficial rule of colorblindness as a constitutional principle in an endemically segregated society where race has always mattered and continues to matter. But they're going on to accuse the majority of further entrenching racial inequality in education and arguing that equal education opportunity is a prerequisite to achieving racial equality in our nation.

With that, specifically pointing out how many leaders in America went to competitive universities because of affirmative action and adding that the majority ignores the dangerous consequences of an America where its leadership does not reflect the diversity of the people. Also of note here, both Sotomayor and Jackson took issue with the fact the majority included an exception for military academies in their decision by allowing them to still practice race-conscious selection. And that, coming after a debate over whether the military should keep affirmative action based on the argument that

it would be bad for the military if leadership did not represent the diversity of rank-and-file troops. While Sotomayor said this was an arbitrary line to draw, you had Jackson pointing out the hypocrisy, saying, The court has come to rest on the bottom-line conclusion that racial diversity in higher education is only worth potentially preserving insofar as it might be needed to prepare Black Americans and other underrepresented minorities for success in the bunker, not the boardroom. Which, one, wow, and two, as far as what happens from here, it's unclear. Though we do have some idea from the nine states that have already banned affirmative action before the decision. With it being found overall that Hispanic and Native American students were underrepresented

in states with bans, with them also finding that multiple states have seen declines in Black, Hispanic, and Native American students at their most selective public universities. While less selective universities did see a rise in those populations as a result, experts argue that's not the point. They're saying that the main argument for affirmative action as it was before today being that it gives minority students a leg up the most selective schools. And as one study on the long-term impacts of the California ban found, black and Hispanic students who attended less competitive schools had worse outcomes than those who do. Things like lower graduation rates, graduate school enrollment, and income. But also, it's believed that this could go beyond just enrollment.

Whether it be other parts of the college ecosystem as well as just out there in the world. It could have an impact on businesses diversity efforts with one expert explaining. Although this case deals with education it's likely employers are going to have to reassess their policies just to make sure they're handling affirmative action issues properly. For example federal contractors are required to have affirmative action plans. That's almost 100% going to be challenged now. It's really less of a question of will there be ripple effects it's just how many and how big will they be. And then. One second.

Can you can you hear that? Listen to that. That's definitely not me, but rather the hum of the universe. Which on its face may not sound like much, but this marks a major breakthrough for astrophysics. So for a very long time, we stupid humans believed that space was just this big empty container. That time simply moved forward like a clock. But then Einstein came along and was like, pfft, losers! Space and time are actually one thing called space-time. And gravity is the effect of large objects warping the very fabric of space-time. With him adding that dense objects accelerating through space create gravitational waves that ripple out across the universe.

Right, and keep in mind, that was in 1916. We couldn't even confirm his theory until 2015, when scientists detected gravitational waves for the first time from two black holes that collided 1.3 billion years ago. But now we know that the universe is constantly humming with background gravitational waves rolling through the cosmos like an ocean. That's because for the past 15 years, scientists in North America, Europe, India, Australia, and China have been listening closely to our galaxy using some of the world's most sensitive telescopes. And specifically listening to nearly 70 pulsars, a type of neutron star that emits radio waves in a steady pulse.

With the researchers guessing that since gravitational waves stretch and squeeze the fabric of space-time, those distortions would make the pulsar signals arrive a little later or earlier than expected. Also, when I say late or early, I'm talking about the difference of nanoseconds. But our telescopes are so mind-numbingly precise that we can actually detect that. And yesterday, all five research teams published their independent studies at the same time announcing that it worked. With one saying, what we measure is the Earth kind of moving in this sea. It's bobbing around, and it's not just bobbing up and down, it's bobbing in all directions. And while we don't know yet for sure what's causing those waves, the leading theory is supermassive

black holes. Right, when two of them orbit each other, they churn up our cosmic ocean, sending ripples across the universe. But we don't actually hear those individual ripples. Rather, scientists think hundreds of thousands or even millions of ripples all come together to form one giant ripple. So like an intergalactic orchestra, all these super massive black hole pairings orbit each other to produce a single note. And so in the coming years, researchers are going to pick apart the data and try to pinpoint specific pairs of super massive black holes that we couldn't locate before. And they'll do that by listening for particularly loud ones, which would be closer to Earth. And so I'll leave you with the

final question of, did you get all that? Because if you didn't, don't worry, I barely do. But it's awesome and scary and beautiful all at the same time. And that is where today's extra large dive into the news is going to end. For more news you need to know, I got you covered here and in those links. But that said, my name's Philip DeFranco. You've just been filled in. I love your faces, and I'll see you Monday.