The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 7.03 Everything wrong with Ruby Franke & Life Coaching, Elden Ring Situational "Disability" Controversy &

Episode Date: July 3, 2024

Just go to https://www.zocdoc.com/phil and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Then find and book a top-rated doctor today!  Get an exclusive NordVPN deal here https://nordvpn.com/phil It's risk-free with Nord's 30-day money-back guarantee!  Use code “PHIL” for $20 OFF your first SeatGeek order & returning buyers use code “PDS” for $10 off AND your chance at weekly $500 prizes! https://seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/PHIL  Daily Dip newsletter subscribers can win up to $1,000 in SeatGeek credit so make sure you’re subscribed: https://www.dailydip.co/ GET UP TO 40% OFF @ https://beautifulbastard.com til Friday!! ==== ✩ TODAY’S STORIES ✩- – 00:00 - The Unregulated Life Coach Industry Is Ruining Lives 8:13 - YouTube AI Crackdown, AI Sent Google’s Emissions Up, Drew Gooden Speaks Out 11:49 - Sponsored by ZocDoc 12:54 - Alanah Pearce Faces Backlash After Saying Having Kids Is a Disability in Gaming 17:29 - Woman Impersonates Wife And Deceives Online Therapy Patients 20:06 - Sponsored by Nord 21:14 - OSHA Proposes First-Ever Rule to Protect Workers from Extreme Heat 24:11 - As Violence Erupts, Kenya Protesters Rethink Strategy 26:22 - Comment Commentary How to contact your Congress member: https://www.congress.gov/contact-us  ——————————   Produced by: Cory Ray Edited by: James Girardier, Maxwell Enright, Julie Goldberg, Christian Meeks, Matthew Henry Art Department: William Crespo Writing/Research: Philip DeFranco, Brian Espinoza, Lili Stenn, Maddie Crichton, Chris Tolve, Star Pralle, Jared Paolino Associate Producer on Life Coaches: Lili Stenn ———————————— #DeFranco #DrewGooden #AlanahPearce ———————————— Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sup, you beautiful bastards. Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco Show. You daily dive into the news, and man, we got a big one today. Just lots and lots we gotta talk about, big and consequential and small and weird. So you, you hit that like button, I'll hit you with the monkey, and let's jump into it.

This is a news show. Do you remember those monsters, Ruby, Frankie, and Jodi Hildebrandt? Well, there's this whole other fucked up side to that saga that we need to talk about. And if you're completely unfamiliar, I'll link to the previous coverage. But to give you a very top-level recap, is that Ruby, who's best known for the family channel 8 Passengers, was sentenced to 4 to 30 years in prison for child abuse earlier this year.

With Jodi, a life coach and Ruby's business partner, also receiving the same sentence. And the two women had initially been arrested several months earlier after two of Frankie's children were found trapped in horrible conditions in Hilda Brand's home. And since then, a ton more details have come out about the case, but many of them so horrific and despicable, I can't even talk about them on YouTube without this video getting suppressed.

Now Ruby, for her part, she has repeatedly blamed Jodi for her actions, arguing that it was Jodi who led her down this path of darkness and did so by isolating her from her family and friends. Now, of course, that's likely just an attempt to shift accountability from her own actions. But those allegations are super relevant to what we're talking about today. And that's because ProPublica and the Salt Lake Tribune recently released a wild deep dive into the totally unregulated life coaching industry that allowed Jodi Hildebrandt and others like her to perpetrate

this kind of abuse, often without justice. And the impacts here, they go way beyond just Hildebrandt. We're talking about a nationwide issue with ProPublica explaining, life coaches aren't therapists and are mostly unregulated across the United States. They aren't required to be trained in ethical boundaries the way therapists are, and there's no universally accepted certification

for those who work in the industry. You know, part of the reason there are no regulations is because there really isn't a set definition of what a life coach is. They can offer services to help people lose weight, organize their money or business, change how they parent, or improve various aspects of their lives.

And the list just goes on and on, and pretty much anyone can be a life coach. Now, one thing I wanna make super clear here, right off the bat, is that in no way am I trying to say that all life coaches are bad people, or that life coaching is ineffective. There are plenty of life coaches

who run good, clean businesses, and there are many examples of people who have been helped by them. But every industry has bad folks, and we're specifically talking about one that is totally unregulated, one that relies on the business of people who are often already vulnerable. So there's just so much room to take advantage of people and for abuse to flourish. And that potential for abuse is especially concerning given how much this industry has grown in recent years, right in the aftermath of the pandemic. But the International Coaching Federation estimating that the number of

coaches increased 54% from 2019 to 2022. And what's more is that the industry has become insanely lucrative. With the association also calculating that life coaches generated $4.6 billion in revenue just in 2022 alone. So you have this dangerous combination of an unregulated industry that almost anybody can join without a degree or a certificate and still make a ton of money. When I say basically anyone can join, I mean basically anyone. For example, in Utah, where Hilda Brandt worked as a life coach, ProPublica found numerous instances of therapists who lost their licenses for misconduct and were deemed unsafe to work with patients. But they were still able to keep working the mental health field by turning to life coach. And records from Utah's Division of Professional Licensing, DOPL, showed

that since 2010, at least 43 mental health professionals in the state had surrendered their licenses or had them revoked, denied or expired on suspension. Then searches on LinkedIn of profiles and business websites had indicated that a third of those people have continued working in the mental health field as mental health associates, motivational speakers and life coaches.

And that's even more worrisome given the fact that some of these people lost their licenses for very serious reasons. Things like drug or alcohol use, as well as accusations of inappropriate contact with patients and sexual misconduct. But very little can actually be done to prevent these people from becoming life coaches.

And there's almost nothing that can stop them or anyone else in the field for that matter from engaging in misconduct or questionable practices. Hell, you literally had the director of the DOPL telling ProPublica that when someone calls his office to file a complaint about a life coach, the agency usually has to tell that person there's nothing they can do.

Under existing laws, DOPL can't discipline life coaches. the agency usually has to tell that person there's nothing they can do. Under existing laws, DOPL can't discipline life coaches. The one rule Utah actually has that applies here is one that prevents life coaches from diagnosing clients or developing plans to manage mental health conditions. But again, it's not like these people have a license that can be taken away or suspended. So all the agency can do is cite these coaches

for what's called an unauthorized practice. The records viewed by ProPublica show that the DOPL had only cited 25 people for unauthorized practice in the mental health field in the last decade. And even then, the outlet found that these seldom used citations aren't always effective, and some life coaches have been cited for this multiple times.

Like for example, in the very disturbing case of a man by the name of Denim Slade. He had surrendered his therapy license in 2019 after two reports that he had engaged in inappropriate conduct with female clients. And so Slade decides, hey, well I think I'd be a great life coach. And then just three months after surrendering his license, he gets cited for unauthorized practice and fined $250 for advertising that he can provide

a certain therapy to treat trauma. But you know, that didn't stop him. But then a year later, he was cited for unauthorized practice again, because he kept advertising that he treated a range of mental health issues. Now, notably here, prosecutors do have the power to file charges against life coaches, but they are only allowed to bring criminal charges, meaning that the only time a life coach can actually be held accountable for bad actions is when they commit a full-blown crime. But there is no shortage of questionable or even abusive practices that don't rise to the level of criminal charges,

including those prohibited under regulations for therapists. In fact, very few meet that threshold. There have not been any criminal cases brought against a life coach in the last 10 years. So as long as a coach's actions are in that gray area, they can get away with shit they absolutely couldn't do as therapists. And that is where Jodi Hildebrandt comes in. Unlike the folks who lost their licenses, Jodi actually decided to leave the regulated therapy industry to pursue work in the unregulated world of coaching. With her first starting her self-help company, Connections Classroom, back in 2012. And there, her promotional materials really

emphasized the fact that she was a licensed therapist. But a decade later, she scrubbed all references to her credentials from her website and started advertising herself as a life coach. And that's even though she was still licensed as a clinical mental health worker. And a former client by the name of Ethan Preet saying Hildebrandt told him that she made the switch

so she wouldn't be limited by rules for therapists. But Ethan also said that she capitalized on that lack of regulation by deploying some very questionable and borderline abusive tactics that she couldn't get away with as a therapist. Ethan started working with Hildebrand because his now ex-wife wanted them to try her program when their marriage was struggling. So he shelled out a ton of money, spending more than a thousand dollars a month on Hildebrand services. Services like gaslighting and manipulation, with Ethan explaining, I would meet with her every week for almost a year, and it was always like, your wife is going to leave you. If you ever want to

see her again, you'll do what I say." And beyond that, Hildebrand also asked Ethan to cut off contact with his friends and relatives, asked him to live in a tent to humble himself, directed him to live separately from his family, and told him and his wife to stop speaking. And Ethan saying that during this time, Hildebrand had complete control,

but also Ethan wasn't alone. But there are similar stories of abuse from life coaches nationwide. Things like in 2020, a woman in California sued her life coach for convincing her to sign over her home to a nonprofit organization that the coach actually ran. Also last year, a coach in Connecticut was given probation for stealing money from a client

with a traumatic brain injury. And just this year, we see things like a life coach in Nevada being sentenced to a year in jail after stealing client money that he was supposed to invest, but instead spent at casinos. But those cases have done very little to move the needle in those states.

And you know, previous efforts elsewhere in the country, they've failed. Like one in New Hampshire that would have studied if life coaches should be regulated, and another in Oregon that would have created a voluntary registry. But now you've got many hoping that maybe Utah can change this pattern,

especially as lawmakers face pressure to act in the aftermath of the high profile Frankie Hildebrandt case. We're even seeing some lawmakers take steps to make that happen. Like with state Senator David Hinkins introducing a bill in the last legislative session, a bill that would require life coaches to register with the DOPL. It would also give the agency the power to define unlawful conduct and revoke a life coach's registration. Very notably

here, Hinkins told reporters that he drafted the legislation after the issue was brought to him by Ruby Frankie's ex-husband, Kevin. Kevin also sending a letter to the state legislature earlier this year, urging them to pass the legislation before their session ended. Writing, my life has been turned upside down. My marriage ended, my family destroyed, and my children tortured because of a dangerous mental health professional who believed she could act outside the ethical bounds of her profession by labeling herself as a life coach. Going on to add that numerous life coaches offer the same services as mental health professionals without the responsibilities of care or liabilities associated with that profession, and arguing that he has encountered many others who have had their lives, finances, and families destroyed because of the actions of

a rogue life coach. But despite his best efforts, that bill didn't make it past a first hearing, though lawmakers are expected to continue discussions when they go back in session. So as far as what happens next, we'll have to wait and see, not only in Utah, but also if it spurs similar efforts in other states or even at the national level. But one, we'll have to wait and see. Not only in Utah, but also if it spurs similar efforts in other states or even at the national level. But one, I'd love to know your thoughts on this. And two, if you wanna contact your Congress people about this, I got links for you in the description

that make it easy. And then, so YouTube, Google, and AI have been all over the news for the past few days, with even YouTube's own Drew Gooden becoming one of the big faces speaking out against AI, at least in its current form. Right among the headlines, you have people concerned about being able to remove AI generated content

that depicts them, which actually on that note, YouTube will now allow people to request AI generated content of them be taken down. Though very notably, just because you make a request, it doesn't guarantee that it's gonna get taken down. With YouTube explaining in order to qualify for removal, the content should depict a realistic, altered, or synthetic version of your likeness.

We will consider a variety of factors when evaluating the complaint. Those factors include whether or not the content has been altered, if it was disclosed to the viewers, whether the person can be uniquely identified, and if there is a clear parody or public interest value, among other things.

Another key thing is that YouTube will only accept first party claims, meaning that you'll have to raise the issue with YouTube yourself, unless you're among one of the exceptions. Or things like if the person depicted doesn't have a computer, is considered a vulnerable individual,

or is a minor being assisted by a parent or guardian. YouTube will then give the user who uploaded the content 48 hours to act on the complaint, and if no action is taken, it'll be reviewed by YouTube. And so obviously this doesn't sound like a perfect system. It does seem like they're trying to address a growing problem. Though on the note of growth,

that's another reason that Google's in the news right now. Because we just got more information on how AI is setting back sustainability goals. With them putting out an environmental report yesterday, noting that its greenhouse gas emissions went up 13% year over year in 2023, and that was a whopping 48% increase since 2019. With them saying that this was primarily due to increases

in data center energy consumption and supply chain emissions, which are things that are not gonna help them reach their goal of net zero emissions by 2030. And there, the company adding, as we further integrate AI into our products, "'reducing emissions may be challenging "'due to increasing energy demands

"'from the greater intensity of AI computing "'and the emissions associated with the expected increase "'in our technical infrastructure investment.'" But Google did also lay out a bunch of big plans to integrate AI and sustainability, both by finding ways to address its footprint and by using AI tech to address and combat climate change. But notably, this is all happening

while Google's also in the news because you have people wondering, is this move towards AI in the best public interest? Right, more and more people have come out being critical of Google's AI applications, with the most recent being YouTube's own Drew Gooden. With him just recently putting out this video that's been blowing up about all the ways

that AI has been hurting the internet and also just kind of generally sucks. It's a fantastic watch. He explains it in a really easy to understand way. He's also just funny. But among other things in the video, he starts out by calling out Google's AI search results. Remember when you could search for something on Google and the only thing they would show you was a bunch of relevant websites and results? Boring. That's not what I'm here for. I think it's much better that now they're using artificial intelligence to tell me to jump off

a bridge. Hey Google, do I need a parachute while skydiving? Nope, a regular backpack works just as well. I do think it's concerning that a website people go to for information and tend to trust for better or for worse is so willing to destroy that trust just because they thought this gimmick would make their stock price go up. You know, Drew also noting that the problems with AI, they go well past Google pointing to Facebook,

Twitter, Instagram, all having issues with AI. But then also talking about how so often these platforms just have AI bots talking to AI bots in circles, which is all part of the dead internet theory. Basically just the idea that as time goes on, the internet is turning into a place where most of the content on it is not only produced and managed by AI, but is also being interacted with by AI in this kind of

endless loop that doesn't even involve humans at all. You know, just like how this aspect goes far beyond Google, so does the sustainability issue. For example, earlier this year, Microsoft saying its emissions went up 30% since 2020 because of data center construction. You know, that should be part of the growing concern because while every time I talk about AI,

I always repeat that line of like, where the AI is now, this is the worst it will ever be. That is not true when it comes to the topic of emissions. If anything, at least for the time being, it appears that will only get worse and worse. And then, you know, being an adult, it has its high points. Like you can eat ice cream for dinner while playing graphically violent video games,

but you also have to do things like taxes and figuring out what's for dinner every night and making doctor's appointments. So with that, I wanna give a huge thanks to ZocDoc, not only for sponsoring today's show, but also having the healthcare app that makes adulting that much easier. Because ZocDoc is a free app and website where you can search and compare high quality in-network doctors and choose the right one for your needs and click to instantly book an appointment. I mean, we're talking about in-network appointments with more than 100,000 healthcare providers across every specialty.

From mental health to dental health, eye care to skin care, and much more. You can filter for doctors who take your insurance or are located nearby, who are a good fit for any medical need that you may have, and who are highly rated by verified patients. Personally, I've used ZocDoc before with success, and I'll use them again when needed. Plus, ZocDoc appointments happen fast, typically within 24 to 72 hours of booking. You can even score same-day appointments. So y'all stop putting off those doctor's appointments and go to ZocDoc.com slash Phil to find an instantly book. It's operated doctor today. That's Z-O-C-D-O-C.com slash Phil. ZocDoc.com slash Phil. And then having kids count as a disability. As a parent, I say, yes, it highlights disability to fuck. Get it? Because I had sex with my wife to make them.

Can I, can I, can I, can we restart this? And without me saying what I just said, it sounded a lot funnier in my head, but then it came out of my mouth and I was like, oh no. Does having kids count as a disability? Right, and that question is at the center of this discourse in the gaming community that started because of comments made by writer, host and content creator, Alana Pierce,

when she was talking about Elden Ring. See, because she made a video talking about people who say that the game is just too hard. And while she hit on a number of things in the video, her comments about accessibility in particular, it got the most attention. Or because there are players with a variety of different disabilities who might find themselves

facing extra setbacks if they were to play Elden Ring, with her explaining, there are long time. Nothing hits like playoff hockey. The road to the cup starts on FanDuel. Your home for live bets, all playoffs long. With new features like live SGPs, term. with North America's number one sportsbook. Please play responsibly. 19 plus and physically located in Ontario. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or the gambling of someone close to you, please contact Connects Ontario 1-866-531-2600

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Instacart. Groceries that over-deliver. Disabilities. There are situational disabilities, there are temporary disabilities. It counts as a disability where a video game like Elden Ring is concerned if you have a kid. You have a two year old, you're trying to play Elden Ring, you can't pause. That is a situational disability that you have, where the game not having the option for you to be able to pause, for example, is a hindrance for your particular disability, a situational disability. You may need to pause to stop your kid

from putting a fork into a socket, a power outlet. Alana going on to explain more about the accessibility as it relates to gaming, but just that clip by itself, it took off. And she very quickly got a ton of backlash from people who said things like, "'I've never seen my kids as a disability. Holy shit.

Elden Ring needs to be easier because I have kids.' Do you think she's the type of chick to park in a handicap zone because she thinks having kids is a disability? As well as, sorry Alana, I have two kids. They're not a disability, situational or otherwise. The use of this word in this context is insane and potentially offensive to people with actual disabilities. Or with people arguing that it's just a video game. If you choose to play a game while you're watching your kid, shit might go wrong, but it's not consequential. But this also as others defended her and what she was saying, saying Alana has been a champion of accessibility for years.

It's literally her job to understand the limitations some gamers face. As well as Alana doesn't have kids, she's citing examples of how lacking a pause button can make a game inaccessible for others. And this is other big creators in the space like Asmongold noting that the wording there, that might be why people are mad,

but it doesn't make what she's saying any less correct. I think the reason why people are mad, but it doesn't make what she's saying any less correct. I think the reason why people are mad about this is because she used the word disability and people are thinking one dimensionally about the word disability, like being in a wheelchair. But if you think about disability as something that interferes with your ability to play the game, then it makes sense. And very importantly, you have tons of people noting that she didn't make this phrase up, right? Situational disability,

that is a preexisting industry term. And that term can actually include someone who has a kid. Like if you go to Microsoft's guidebook on inclusive design regarding this, it says, "'As people move through different environments, "'their abilities can also change dramatically. "'In a loud crowd, they can't hear well. "'In a car, they're visually impaired.

"'New parents spend much of their day "'doing tasks one-handed. "'What loud crowd, they can't hear well. In a car, they're visually impaired. New parents spend much of their day doing tasks one-handed. What's possible, safe, and appropriate is constantly changing. There's actually a graphic showing examples of different disabilities, including a new parent as a situational impairment. That guidebook just hammering home

that health conditions aren't the only disabilities. It considers a disability to be any mismatched human condition. With the belief being that as gaming designers, they have a responsibility to see how their designs impact people in all sorts of different walks of life and in different situations, mismatched human condition. But the belief being that as gaming designers, they have a responsibility to see how their designs impact people in all sorts of different walks of life and in different situations,

and to create solutions when problems arise. Which is also why you had a lot of people sharing this information and writing things like, it only takes a few seconds to Google the term Alana is using. It is a thing. You can not like it, but that alone won't change anything, which is good because situational disabilities

can lead to tools that can help everyone. We also saw Alana herself responding to some of the criticism she's been facing, saying the term doesn't aim to conflate or compare these things, nor does it suggest situational debility is just as demanding as a physical or mental disability. It's just a different kind of accessibility need.

But also adding that if people really take a strong issue with the word disability being used, they can push for a new word to be used. But right now that is the actual technical term, which again, she did not invent herself. She was simply sharing what it means and it might look like. But also here's one of the shitty things. The main tweet that went after Alana Pierce, where they wrote, quote, Elden Ring needs to be easier because I have kids, which is not a thing that she said. X says that that has 24.1

million views and counting. The actual video where it's from, where you get the full context and the nuances of everything she's talking about, it's just past 100,000 views. Well, that tweet did eventually get community noted, noting one, this is a wrong quote, and two, noting that situational disability is an actual term used in development. The initial narrative and framing, it just kind of ran away like a runaway train.

But with all that now said and explained in the full context of the situation given, I'd love to know your thoughts on this whole situation. Whether it be about the debate around accessibility in general, the backlash, the words used themselves, really anything at all, I'd love to know your thoughts on this whole situation. Whether it be about the debate around accessibility in general, the backlash, the words used themselves, really anything at all, I'd love to hear from you. And then there's obvious good and bad that's come from the rise of telehealth services since the pandemic,

especially as it pertains to mental health counseling. But what we have to talk about today is just not a thing I thought would happen. Because we live in a world now where the share of providers offering telehealth services is almost 100% today, which is wild, because it was near zero pre-pandemic. But now, more than half of all therapy sessions

are done online or over the phone. But also because of this historic shift, it's prompted a lot of questions and concerns about whether telehealth should replace the real thing. And actually, so far, studies suggest that online therapy is just as, if not more effective, as in-person therapy. At least, and this is a big asterisk, for garden variety issues like depression and anxiety.

Or when it comes to more severe conditions like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, experts aren't quite sure. But the reason I'm talking about this today is because when people are tallying up the pros, like convenience, and the cons, like less physical connections, they overlook one potential downside of virtual therapy.

Your therapist might be an imposter, like some Scooby-Doo among us shit. And I say that because of today's exhibit A, Peggy Randolph. Peggy, she was a licensed therapist in Florida and Tennessee where she was supposed to see patients through the platform Bright Side Health. But for nearly two years, she allegedly helped her wife, Tammy, who's neither licensed nor trained

to perform any sort of counseling, impersonate her during sessions. Right, I mean, all we know is that Tammy was simply described in her obituary as a homemaker, meaning basically a housewife. Yet you have authorities saying she actually took online sessions so that Peggy could continue to see patients in person,

which of course is not only illegal, but dangerous. You're playing with people's mental health. If you fuck up, you can damage a person. And Tammy is said to have done this to hundreds of patients, all of whom believe that they were seeing Peggy session after session, with this whole ruse only getting uncovered after Tammy died in 2023.

With the patient only discovering the truth on social media when realizing, wait a minute, that's not my real therapist. So they took a photo of one of their sessions with Tammy and they sent a complaint to Bright Side Health. With the platform that investigating, finding that Peggy had actually given her login information to her wife, then they fired her,

and then according to a spokesperson, they refunded all the impacted patients. But then Peggy voluntarily retiring her license in August of 2023 and paying a $1,000 penalty, which actually ended up prompting the health departments in both states to drop their investigations into her. And that's even though they believe that she had broken the law most obviously

by committing fraud. Now as far as her defense, she claimed that she had no idea that her wife was treating her patients through her account. They're claiming that Tammy may have actually done it due to her uncontrolled bipolar disorder, which if true, I mean, that would be ironic. But also, I mean, it seems like a lie, right?

Because the authorities said that Peggy received compensation for the therapy services provided by Tammy. So unless she just never looked at her bank account or when she looked, she was like, I guess I'm doing such a good job, they're giving me free money. It feels like she was aware, or at the very least she certainly knew something was up.

But hey, that's a story, my opinion, and I'll pass the question off to you. What are your thoughts here? And then we all care about accessing a free internet, right? Or at least that's my running assumption. Well, if that's true about you, why don't you have a VPN yet? We're seeing states banning access to certain websites

and TikTok, of course, that future hangs in the balance. But then also more importantly, who knows what'll be next? And so personally, I use NordVPN, who's also the fantastic sponsor of today's show, to keep my digital life secure. And also, Lindsay and the kids, they love access to streaming content from all around the world. But also, more and more, I've become increasingly grateful to Nord, knowing that it's the best shot at maintaining access to information. With NordVPN enabled on your devices, your data is encrypted and flows between the device and Nord's secure servers.

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And it's risk-free with Nord's 30-day money-back guarantee. And then it is incredibly hot right now for a lot of people. But what I want to talk about right now are the people having to work in the heat. Right, and that, because the US government just took a massive historical step to try to protect workers that could save lives as the climate crisis continues to escalate. But it's just saying that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA,

proposed a rule requiring employers to take steps to protect both indoor and outdoor workers from the risk of heat illness. Well, that might sound like something that should, I don't know, maybe already exist. It doesn't, and this move is significant because it actually marks the first major regulation to prevent heat-related deaths among workers.

And if it ends up getting finalized, it's believed that this could affect as many as 35 million workers across numerous industries nationwide. But let's talk specifics. Right, for one, the proposal would set requirements for employers once the heat hits a certain threshold that factors in both temperature and humidity. And there are two different sets of rules

for two different heat thresholds. The first kicks in at 80 degrees Fahrenheit and requires that employers provide drinking water and break areas for workers to use as needed. Employers will also need to come up with a plan for returning workers to gradually increase their workload so they can acclimatize their bodies and adjust to the heat.

And then the second set of protections, they take effect at 90 degrees. With that mandating that employers monitor workers for signs of heat illness, give them mandatory 15 minute rest breaks every two hours, check in on folks who work alone every couple of hours, and issue a hazard alert reminding workers to stay hydrated. Though very notably here,

there are exceptions to these rules, right? Because every worker is not the same. We're seeing exceptions for sedentary employees, workers in indoor job sites below 80 degrees, emergency response workers, and remote employees. And another big thing is that OSHA rules do not apply to public employees, so the regulations won't be extended

to government workers or public school teachers, which is a standout thing for a number of reasons, including now many teachers are increasingly dealing with high temperatures in schools without air conditioning. So even with that, you have public health, climate, and labor advocates who have been pushing for these heat protections for years, applauding the proposal, saying that this is an essential first step

in these simple common sense reforms that can stop preventable deaths, especially since as of right now, only five states actually have these kinds of protections. And this is summer after summer have continued to break records with historic temperatures, which have also drove an increase in heat related deaths. We're seeing a big jump in workplace fatalities, but also total US deaths last year from heat, it surpassed 2200. But on the other side of this, many industry leaders have condemned these protections and vowed to fight them. Many of them arguing that the rules are just too burdensome and expensive for businesses. Others have also claimed that they already have protections for workers and these are just redundant. Though there we've seen pushback of people going, okay, so if you have these adequate rules, so you say,

then this won't cost you more money or make things harder for you. But this also is you have a number of people questioning if you have the need for these protections at all. Arguing yes, there are yearly deaths, but not that many workers die from heat exposure. Or with the being that if you use government data, that from 1992 to 2019, there was an average of 32 heat-related workplace fatalities each year. Is it that bad if it rose to 43 deaths in 2022? Which then kind of ends up being like a debate about how much 11 human lives

are worth. It could also be argued that the number would drop below the previous average because of the safety. You know, with that, I wanna pass the question off to you, especially if you're someone that's having to deal with the heat while you work. You're not remote, you're not working inside and air conditioning, that sort of stuff. But then to shift gears in massive international news, we gotta talk about Kenya,

because the protests and police crackdowns in Kenya right now are so crazy that organizers are just considering going back to the drawing board, where those protests that we talked about a couple of weeks ago over an extremely controversial spending bill, they're still going on. And actually, since we last talked about this, Kenyan President William Ruto pulled the bill

in an effort to meet protesters' demands. But ever since the government's incredibly harsh reaction to the initial protest, these have morphed from an anti-spending bill protest into an anti-government one, with protesters starting the hashtag, RutoMustGo. And this as the government crackdown has just continued with at least 39 people being killed

and nearly 400 injured so far, according to rights groups. Yesterday, it was no different when a large demonstration got organized. You know, like usual, it started relatively calm, but it quickly devolved into police firing tear gas into the crowds and getting rocks thrown at them in return. But then some of the worst parts being the random acts of violence,

like this idiot shooting the gun into the air and the looting, although there was a twist with that. Right, according to the Directorate of Criminal Investigation, "'Security forces across the country "'singled out suspect found engaging in criminal activities "'in the guise of protesting and took them to custody.'" You know, with that, I think it's important to note

that while Ruteau and his government generally distinguish between peaceful protesters and those who use it as a cover for crimes, his allies don't always do that. Right, with us seeing things like a political consultant close to Ruteau posting a video on Twitter of some looters with the caption, congratulations Gen Z for your peaceful

and democratic protests along the streets. And sarcastically adding, the police should not interfere with your moves. And this is at least 270 people pretending to be protesters and committing crimes were taken into custody across the country. And so with this situation, we've seen organizers of the demonstration split.

You know, obviously they're universally condemning the looting, but it kind of breaks down from there. Some have suggested that they bear some culpability for continuing to protest despite Routteau meeting their demands. Whereas others have accused those engaged in violence of actually being government plants. Like, you know that random gunman I showed earlier?

He just went into a group of police and no one seemed to bat an eye with one activist even telling Reuters, "'It seems the state has realized that the only way to counter this movement is by using goons to incite violence, break into people's property, loot and tarnish our cause.

And going on to say, it's time to go back to the drawing board and strategize on how best to overcome this violence and keep our protests focused on their true objectives. And that, notably, is the next big protest that's supposed to happen on Thursday. That is, assuming the relatively few calls for it to be postponed or heavily toned down

aren't listened to. But then finally today, I have a congratulations and I wanna talk about yesterday. As far as congratulations, it goes out to Diane H, who just won our weekly $500 giveaway towards her choice of SeatGeek tickets. Diane's saying she plans on seeing Gracie Abrams. And for everyone else, that's right. And just remember, SeatGeek and The Daily Dip

are still giving away up to $1,000 in tickets and you should definitely enter today if you haven't already. Just add code PDS to your SeatGeek app profile for a chance at the weekly $500 prize, no purchase necessary. $1,000 prizes are available to Daily Dip subscribers who add code PDS newsletter, doubling entries and winnings.

But then regarding yesterday's videos and your comments, we'll start with, there was a lot of comments about Project 2025. Mr. Peacemaker saying, Project 2025 has horrified me for two years. I'm happy people are finally starting to learn about it. Also, Kale the Kill saying, I've tried to explain to some friends about Project 2025,

and a lot think, oh, it's not actually gonna happen. They couldn't do that. It's too much. But we are seeing them take the first steps, and it's insane that people don't see it. And Taylor responding, that's what my mom said six years ago about abortion rights when I expressed fear that they would be taken away.

I've never needed one. I have no children. But it irks me that she continues to vote for the guy responsible for taking those rights away, rights she used to agree with. And Devin saying, Project 2025 has been lurking in my psyche for at least a year. The thought that in a year my health care, marriage, workplace protections, and maybe my freedom could be gone. I could be applying for asylum for all I know. It has made me completely check out of politics. I know how I have to vote and it's all I can do. The anxiety behind it is unbelievable.

There was also a good amount of conversation in those comments about the Red Roof Inn situation with sex trafficking and really hotels in general. Emily is saying the Red Roof Inn story is insane to me that they say that there's no way to combat the problem. I've worked at Marriott for five years and we have to take an identifying human trafficking course yearly regardless of position as Marriott standard. As well as Descent claiming as someone who used to work

in the corporate call center for Red Roof Inn, this is unsurprising. The problem is, is that nearly every RRI is franchised and there is quite literally no quality control, at least when I used to work for them years ago, on the franchise locations. Whenever corporate shut one down, office staff would even joke, imagine being so bad you get dropped by Red Roof. They are clearly aware of the problem as I had numerous calls from front desk staff asking me how to bill a three-hour stay and multiple mentions having rooms dedicated for short-term stays like that. And going on to claim,

this isn't including the locations that outright fraudulently charge customers' cards for false charges. Red Roof Inn made me hyper-vigilant in any motel now, including obsessing over the door being properly locked and checking my card for any fraudulent charges. Corporate knows what's happening and to say otherwise is an outright lie on their part.

But then finally, we'll end it on a positive comment where we talked about the Sabrina Carpenter, Chapel Roan accusations yesterday. And we had Kristen saying, "'And then there's just me choosing voluntarily "'to have Chapel and Sabrina on repeat. "'Loving these girls.'" Same, probably not as much as you.

I'm a top 20 normie. But that my friends is the end of your Wednesday evening, Thursday morning dive into the news. And unfortunately, this is the last time we're gonna see each other until next Monday. No show, July 4th, of course, we're gonna be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Caesar salad.

Also, you may not realize that it's America's birthday, so we're gonna watch some stuff get blown up. And of course, don't worry, even though every time I take a day off, something huge and possibly horrible happens, maybe that won't happen this time. See you Monday.