The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 7.27 The Real Problem With The Barbie Movie, Has Tipping Culture Gone Too Far, & Today's News

Episode Date: July 27, 2023

Click here https://bit.ly/3UQhPTe  and use code DEFRANCO to get 20% off, plus free shipping, on your next Liquid I.V. order. Or purchase the Lemon Lime Hydration Multiplier in Sugar-Free in stores at Costco  Go to http://hellofresh.com/defranco50 and use code defranco50 for 50% off plus free shipping. Catch up on our latest PDS: https://youtu.be/z6XEkJnjWmM Check out our daily newsletter! http://dailydip.co/pds  Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phillydefranco/?hl=en  –✩ TODAY’S STORIES ✩ – 0:00 - Mattel Unveils Cinematic Universe Plans 02:59 - Politicians Weigh in on Hollywood Strikes 03:44 - UPS and Teamsters Reach a Deal, Calling Off Strike 05:14 - Tip Fatigue Growing in America 06:43 - Sponsored by Liquid I.V. 07:29 - Hunter Biden Plea Deal Put on Hold 09:27 - Texas A&M Professor Suspended for Criticizing State Lieutenant Governor 11:58 - Chinese Youth Are Becoming Full-Time Children to Cope With Unemployment 13:20 - Countries Urge Return to Order in Niger After Coup 15:01 - Sponsored by HelloFresh 16:04 - Study Says Atlantic Ocean Current System Could Collapse by Mid-Century 18:01 - Laws Lobbied For by Trucking Industry Make it Harder For Crash Victims to Sue  ——————————   Produced by: Cory Ray Edited by: James Girardier, Maxx Enright, Julie Goldberg, Christian Meeks Art Department: William Crespo Writing/Research: Philip DeFranco, Brian Espinoza, Lili Stenn, Maddie Crichton, Star Pralle, Chris Tolve  ———————————— #DeFranco #MargotRobbie #Barbie ———————————— Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we're talking about the very real problem of the Barbie movie, tipping fatigue taking over America, professional children, what Hunter Biden's plea deal being scrapped means, we've got soldiers staging a coup and holding the president captive, and the incredibly disturbing news of how the trucking industry is screwing over the victims of their crashes. We're going to talk about all that and so much more in today's brand new Philip DeFranco show, you daily dive into the news, so buckle up, you beautiful bastards, hit that like button, and let's just jump into it. Starting with, we need to talk about the MCU. And I'm actually not talking about Marvel.

Though Marvel is also in the news today because Secret Invasion, their new show on Disney+, it's just got horrible reviews. And it's kind of unfortunate how Marvel has tried to do so much now that instead of having hit after hit, the quality of shows are just so all over the place. But they're not the focus today. Rather, it is the Mattel cinematic universe. Barbie just recently came out. It's been a massive success, both critically and at the box office. Which actually, regarding the movie I watched yesterday, I got three things to say.

One, while the movie wasn't geared towards me or made towards me, it was still really, really good. It definitely feels like it was meant to speak to women. Two, I don't think anyone else could have in any world played Ken as good as Ryan Gosling. Like, he just played it perfect on so many levels. And three, if you watch that movie and you were like, that is a man-hating movie, I think your victim complex is showing. It's like every message the movie tried to toss your way just went over your head.

But on the note of receiving lessons, apparently Mattel was like, okay, the lesson here is y'all want more. You like toy movie, let's make a hundred more toy movies. With Variety now reporting that Mattel essentially wants to make their own MCU with 14 properties in development right now. And those reportedly including a Polly Pocket movie by Lena Dunham starring Lily Collins, a Hot Wheels movie by J.J. Abrams,

Rock'em Sock'em Robots starring Vin Diesel, movies based on Uno, Matchbox, Thomas and Friends, Viewmaster, American Girl, and a Magic 8-Ball movie that'll probably be a PG-13 thriller. And this is you have a Barney movie being produced by Daniel Kaluuya that Mattel previously said would be like an A24 type of surrealistic film. And given Barbie's immediate success here, it's being viewed as a kind of a massive green light for Mattel. The thing is, with this news, you have a lot of people seemingly pissed off. The people saying that the studios got the wrong takeaways from Barbie's success. Writing, enough is enough. We want original movies back. As well as every single time they learn the exact wrong lesson. Instead of understanding the Barbie movie was successful because it was creative, subversive, and exciting,

and had a ton of diverse talent, they're giving us 10 years of toy-themed slop made by car commercial directors. Oh my god, how do you really feel? Right, but you have people saying that audiences are essentially being punished for enjoying the Barbie movie. Some even arguing that they'll never be able to make another successful cinematic universe. Marvel started theirs all the way back in 2008, a completely different time for the industry, and saying the novelty is gone, the stars are gone, the creativity is gone, and most importantly, the money is gone. Though, of course, the counter to that is what people say and are very vocal about doesn't always line up with what people actually choose with their dollars. So notably, all of this is being

said as the reboot, remake, sequel era is kind of causing tons of fatigue. But also, those things are seemingly not going anywhere. For example, the CEO of Paramount recently telling Variety that they won't be releasing original animation in theaters and saying their theatrical projects will be based on IP and arguing we're not going to release an expensive original animated movie and just pray people will come. But also a thing to keep in mind here is we're talking about this amid a double strike happening. Like who knows even what kind of movies we're going to get over the next 12 to 24 months. Also on the note of the strikes, we're seeing politicians getting involved with a group of democratic lawmakers from California sending a letter regarding the actor strike, urging good faith negotiations.

According to the LA Times, the letter was sent this week to both the heads of the Screen Actors Guild and the AMPTP, which represents the studios in negotiations. And in this, Representative Jimmy Gomez, Katie Porter, Adam Schiff, and a couple dozen more politicians defended the actors, saying, The contributions of these artists are indispensable to the productions that millions of Americans watch each year to be entertained. And Gomez telling the Times, We want everybody to go to the table and we want the studios to take the workers' demands seriously. And adding that the letter was made to demonstrate to the studios that Congress is watching. And Congress is not alone there, as California Governor Gavin Newsom has also offered to get involved.

With Newsom's team even reportedly reaching out to all sides of the strike to mediate and broker a deal. Though, notably, his senior communications advisor told the outlet that no groups have shown formal interest yet. And then, one of the biggest strikes in this country has seemingly been avoided, though it communications advisor told the outlet that no groups have shown formal interest yet. And then, one of the biggest strikes in this country has seemingly been avoided, though it might not be the one that you're thinking about. And that's because this week, UPS and the Teamsters union reached a tentative deal. And according to Sean O'Brien,

the Teamsters general president, the deal is worth $30 billion. And it guarantees union employees will receive a $2.75 raise now, along with a $7.50 raise over the next five years. And it'll also bump up wages for part-time workers from $16.20 an hour to at least $21 an hour. Plus, on top of the wage increases, the tentative agreement also opens up 7,500 new full-time union positions within UPS. And this deal is being celebrated by the union's leaders, with O'Brien saying,

We demanded the best contract in the history of UPS, and we got it. This contract sets a new standard in the labor movement and raises the bar for all workers. And you even had the top brass at UPS toasting the deal with the CEO saying in a statement, together we reached a win-win-win agreement on the issues that are important to Teamsters leadership, our employees, and to UPS and our customers. This agreement continues to reward UPS's full and part-time employees with industry leading pay and benefits while retaining the flexibility we need to stay competitive, serve our customers, and keep our business strong. And this is a massive deal because this prevented what could have been a catastrophic strike, with estimates saying that a UPS strike could have cost the American economy $7 billion. Because UPS handles tens of millions of packages daily, in 2022,

they delivered 24.3 million packages every single day. Now that said, the agreement still has to be ratified by the union and the voting goes through August. So technically, if the vote fails, the union could still strike. But with how happy everyone seems to be, it seems like maybe we're okay. Though, you know, if something did happen, it wouldn't be the first time someone fucked up a sure thing. I hope you're enjoying this video. But before we continue, I just, the iPhone's going to ask you a question really quick. That little interaction, at least in America, has become all too common. You bind yourself a little juicy juice or whatever, and you get hit up for a tip. So much so, there have been more than a few videos, memes, and overall internet commentary regarding tip

culture lately. And if you happen to hate it, know that you are not alone. With a recent bank rate survey finding that 66% of Americans actually have a negative view of tipping, and 30% say that tipping has gotten out of control. And instead of tipping, 41% of respondents in the survey say that companies should just pay their employees more. Which, of course, is not a new argument. That is an argument as old as tipping itself, right? It's the idea of as a consumer, if tipping is part of the expected experience, just put what that money would be into the price of the thing they're buying and pay your employee an actual livable wage. But a lot of what we're looking at now, it came from the pandemic,

right? Many customers began tipping in non-traditional spaces to show appreciation to the employees who are putting themselves at risk. Something that has been argued has made those businesses reliant on that generosity. Jonathan Murdoch, a professor of public policy and economics at NYU, saying, with businesses still preparing for the possibility of a recession, they don't want to lock into higher wages. Tipping gives them more flexibility. But some argue that this reliance on tips is having a negative effect for employees, with the director of the Food Labor Research Center at UC Berkeley saying, employers think they're being smart by using tipping instead of raising wages. But really, they're risking losing staff

because it's pissing consumers off and the employees are the ones who have to deal with it. And so with this story, I find myself just having a lot of questions and I'm hoping you guys can fill in some blanks. In general, how do you feel about tipping these days? What's your reaction to kind of the iPad being flipped around in your direction?

What jobs do you think it does and does not make sense to have tip in culture? And then, this heat wave is no joke and pretty much the entire nation knows what I'm talking about right now. So thank God for our friends over at Liquid IV. Y'all, this is the stuff that's been keeping me going through my workouts and hiking, and especially now keeping me hydrated through this heat. So thank you, Liquid IV, for being a fantastic sponsor of today's show. To get straight to the point, Liquid IV works faster at hydrating you than water alone and has three times the electrolytes of the leading sports drink. Liquid IV also provides eight vitamins and nutrients for everyday wellness and offers up to 100% daily value of essential B vitamins, B3, B5, B6, and B12. And like I said, I usually

drink Liquid IV for my workouts and on hikes, but especially now with this heat wave. And it's also easy. You just tear, pour, shake, and drink. And did I mention that it tastes great? So if you're looking to keep hydrated, click that link down below or at least use my code DEFRANCO to get 20% off plus free shipping on your next Liquid IV order. Or purchase the lemon-lime hydration multiplier and sugar-free in stores at Costco. And then, if you haven't already seen, Hunter Biden's plea deal has now been put on hold. You might remember back in June when we talked about it, prosecutors announced that Hunter Biden had reached a deal to avoid jail time by pleading guilty to two misdemeanors for failing to pay taxes, with Hunter accepting a diversion agreement that would allow him to avoid

a felony gun charge for owning a firearm while using drugs, as long as he met certain conditions like staying off drugs for two years and not buying a gun. And yesterday, Hunter Biden walked into a federal courtroom in Delaware with both the defense and prosecution teams expecting a quick hearing, expecting the judge to immediately finalize the deal. But what actually happened was three hours of chaos

and drama where the prosecution and defense argued over what it was that they had agreed to and the deal totally falling apart. With the Trump appointed federal judge, Mary Ellen Noriega, making it clear that from the get-go, she was not at all on the same page as the lawyers who made the deal. Intensely questioning both sides on every aspect of the agreement, repeatedly saying she was not going to just be a rubber stamp. And specifically, the judge saying their concerns boiled down to two main points, as well as the fact that it really did seem like the two sides had two totally

different ideas of what they had actually agreed to. The first element the judge flagged was about immunity, and specifically whether the deal would basically give Hunter Biden blanket immunity against further prosecution and the five-year investigation into his dealings. With there being major disagreements there, the prosecution saying the investigation into Hunter was still ongoing and that the deal did not prevent future charges in that probe. But Hunter Biden responding that he wouldn't agree to a deal if it didn't give him broad immunity and he could still face more charges.

And his lawyer declaring the deal null and void, claiming that that was not the deal and threatening to rip it up. And then the second overarching problem the judge raised involved the diversion agreement for the gun charge and how violation of that agreement would be handled. Right, usually it's the DOJ that verifies breaches of the diversion agreement and revives the gun charges if that were to happen. Hunter's plea deal made that the judge's responsibility and she wasn't cool with that, suggesting that this move was unconstitutional because it would give her powers that the constitution vests in the executive branch. While the defense and prosecution claimed that they were able to come together on more details

in two recesses where they could be seen arguing angrily in the hallways, the judge still ultimately sent the lawyers back to work, with Hunter Biden, who still had to enter a plea either way, pleading not guilty for now. And so as far as what happens next, you have the attorneys going back to the drawing board, and if they can't work out the structural issues in the deal, Hunter could be looking at a criminal trial. So for now, our eyes are on this and we're waiting for updates. And then we need to talk about Joy Alonzo. Because back in March, Joy,

who's a clinical assistant professor of pharmacy at Texas A&M, gave a guest lecture about the opioid crisis at the University of Texas Medical Branch, or UTMB. And at some point during or immediately after the lecture, she made a comment that many understood as being critical of Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick's policy toward opioids. And so a first-year medical student actually filed a complaint against Alonzo for allegedly disparaging Patrick.

Now, while we can't say for sure who filed the complaint, we do know one of the first-year students attending the lecture was the daughter of the person who ultimately prompted an investigation against Alonzo. With that being Dawn Buckingham, the Texas land commissioner who also happens to be a graduate of UTMB's medical school and has close ties to Patrick. She even served alongside him for six years in the state Senate and got elected to her current post with his backing. And reportedly, Buckingham called A&M's vice chancellor for governmental relations as well as the lieutenant governor himself about Alonzo.

And within hours, Patrick's office was discussing the matter with John Sharp, a chancellor of the Texas A&M system, with Sharp reportedly sending a text to Patrick saying, Joy Alonzo has been placed on administrative leave, pending investigation, RE firing her. Should be finished by end of week. Meanwhile, UTMB leaders sent an email to the students who attended Alonzo's lecture, stating that the professor's comments about the lieutenant

governor did not reflect the opinion of the university, and adding a formal censure disapproving of her remark. But the thing there is, that censure letter never actually specifies what Alonzo said to kick the whole thing off, which is also why free expression groups like PEN America argue that the censure effectively just chills all criticism of politicians. So other faculty may just self-censor to avoid crossing a line. And although the investigation failed to prove any wrongdoing by Alonzo and returned her to her job two weeks later, critics argue that the whole probe and suspension alone were a violation of her rights. Plus, for added context, all of this comes on the heels of a similar controversy involving outside pressure on the university. With that being when

A&M recruited Kathleen McElroy, a distinguished journalist and alum, to revive and lead its journalism program last month. However, she ended up actually turning down the job after her contract was rescinded and reworded three times, sliding from a tenured professor position to a one-year contract where she could be fired at will. And reportedly, that came after the university got backlash from conservatives

who took issue with her past employment at the New York Times and work on race and diversity in media. And that whole scandal leading the university's president, Catherine Banks, to resign last Thursday. So now the faculty Senate's fact-finding committee is investigating that whole shit show. But in the case of Alonzo,

the university's vice chancellor for marketing and communications is standing by its moves against her, saying that it's not unusual to respond to any state official who has concerns about anything occurring at the Texas A&M system. But what really makes the story so explosive is that it falls right at the intersection of two of the biggest political issues in Texas right now. One being the state government's intrusion into education,

though that usually is focused on things like LGBTQ identity or critical race theory. And the other being the opioid crisis with health experts criticizing lawmakers' punitive approach and instead backing a strategy focused on harm reduction. And then, did you know you could be a full-time child and that's like your job? Because that's actually something

we're seeing in China right now. Since late last year, the term full-time children has been used on social media to describe the growing trend of Chinese people retreating home to live with and work for their parents. With tens of thousands of people identifying as such online, mostly because they're fed up with the worsening job market for young people. Like one 21-year-old woman, for example, who gave up an exhausting bid to become a photographer and instead returned home to do household labor for her family. And they're doing things like getting groceries and caring for her dementia-ridden grandmother all for $835 a month, which is actually a solid middle-class wage in her area.

And many there actually see this as a great deal, considering that China's unemployment for 16 to 24-year-olds in urban areas actually hit 21% in March. They're looking at record highs. And it's all happening while other facets of China's economy have also slowed down, like domestic consumption, property markets, and the private sector. So being a so-called full-time child is just one way that the Chinese youth are choosing to lie flat, which is a popular phrase there,

which essentially means they nope out of the whole competitive grind of Chinese capitalism in favor of a simpler, slower life. But also, very notably, experts say that this trend is not a viable solution to China's unemployment problem. Really, it's just a matter of sooner or later that the discontentment from the bottom is going to bubble up, especially because if the time comes when these full-time children want to take another shot at their careers, they may end up being unemployable because they've been out of the job market for so long.

And so there's a fear that this short-term kind of solution could become a long-term problem. And for the Chinese Communist Party, whose political legitimacy rests in large part on the promise of providing material prosperity to its citizens, that's a bit of a problem. And then, in wild international news, we've got to talk about West Africa. Because a group of presidential guards in Niger staged a coup and is now holding the defiant president captive. And the soldiers saying in a televised address that they made this move for the safeguard of the homeland and have decided to put an end to the regime that you know. And saying this follows the continuing deterioration of security and poor economic and social governance.

And there, they're likely referencing the fact that there is a growing insurgency and that many of the president's policies to deal with it have been viewed as inadequate at best. Also, in addition to that, a colonel who seems to be in charge of the coup announced that all borders were closed, nationwide curfew would go into effect, and all government institutions were closed for the time being. They also notably said that the president would not be harmed, but hinted that could change if there was foreign intervention. Also this morning, a very key thing, the rest of the country's army announced that they agreed with the coup and would be backing it. And that getting a lot of praise from locals, huge crowds going out to show their support,

with people burning down the headquarters of the president's party and chanting anti-French slogans. Right, and for context there, there are former colonial power there that still has bases to help fight that Islamist insurgency. Although there have been pro-presidential crowds as well, setting the stage for some pushback. But as of right now, it's still unclear exactly who's going to be in charge, although it is at the very least unlikely to be returned to a democracy. And that's because Niger was ruled by a series of military dictatorships since gaining independence in the 1960s. And when the now former president was elected in 2021, it was the first democratic transition of power. Though notably, that has now been a short-lived experiment. And unfortunately, that follows a

trend of other Western and Central African countries lately, which have seen seven non-democratic coups since 2020. But also with this news, you had the US and other nations urging the army to release the president, some even threatening that economic aid and trade packages were reliant on the country remaining democratic. And this likely because the change,

which seems to have an anti-Western tint, that that'll lead to Russia gaining more influence in the region, something that's actually slowly been happening as groups like Wagner have become increasingly popular with their neighbors. And then, many of us out there need to make dietary changes,

be it a personal choice or on doctor's orders, but learning how to actually prepare foods to fit the new way of eating could be a challenge. And I, and I don't think a lot of people have time for that. And that's actually one of the reasons I want to thank a fantastic sponsor of today's show, HelloFresh. HelloFresh's menu features calorie-smart

and protein-smart lunch and dinner options, plus new vegan dinners to choose from, making it that much easier to reach your food goals with flavorful recipes. And I especially love that their ingredients travel from the farm to your door in less than seven days for quality that you can taste. Right, no matter where you live, you know this season you'll have the best produce picks all summer long. And HelloFresh benefits busy professionals, families, I mean, just about anyone. And with 40 recipes weekly to choose from,

you won't get bored and can always find something new. And did I mention that HelloFresh is cheaper than grocery shopping and most takeout? Plus, I gotta say, from personal experience, fast and fresh recipes that are ready in 15 minutes have been a lifesaver for me and my family more times than I can count. So y'all go to hellofresh.com slash defranco50 and use code defranco50 for 50% off plus free shipping. Yes, really, that's hellofresh.com slash defranco50 and code defranco50 to get you 50% off plus free shipping. It is honestly a no-brainer, so try America's number one meal kit today. And then, in super fantastic sunshine fun time news, our world's climate may be reaching a sudden and irreversible tipping point sooner than expected. Or at least that's the conclusion of a new study that was looking at the Atlantic current system, which includes

the Gulf Stream. It's this complex tangle of ocean currents that carries warm, salty water from the tropics to the North Atlantic, where it sinks into the floor, cools, and recycles back south. And that system is global for regulating global weather patterns, especially in the Atlantic region itself, specifically keeping Northern Europe several degrees hotter than it would be otherwise and bringing colder water to the coast of North America. But scientists have long believed that melting Arctic ice could pour new cold fresh water into the system, throwing off its balance and shutting it down entirely, which would not be a small thing. It is an event that would be catastrophic and impact every person on Earth. We're looking at dramatic cooling in the Northern Hemisphere, warming in the tropics as well as

stronger storms and floods on the East Coast of North America. Then drastically reduce snow and rainfall across the Central and Western United States, as well as India, South America, and West Africa. And then just sprinkle on top rising sea levels, melting ice sheets, and crumpling marine ecosystems. And lucky for all of us, a new study published in the journal Nature Communications predicts all of that will happen around the middle of this century. Though there's a fun little range here. The collapse could come as late as 2095 and as early as 2025. With a study coming to this conclusion by analyzing 150 years of sea surface temperature data and finding that northern temperatures have undergone bigger fluctuations and taken longer to return to

normal in recent years. Which the study's authors say are early warning signs that the system is becoming critically unstable. But there's a caveat. There are skeptics. As many have pointed out, this contradicts the most recent UN IPCC report. With that one concluding with medium confidence that the system will not fully collapse this century. And others noting that the Nature study doesn't present any new observations about the ocean. Instead, generalizing from past data from a limited region of the Atlantic. But the study's authors argue that they're using new statistical tools and data. Making their prediction stronger than past research. Which is also why some outside

scientists are worried about their findings, noting that it backs up two prior studies in 2019 and 2021 that also found a collapse could happen this century. But also, regardless of the timeline, just about everyone involved in the situation agrees that we need to phase out fossil fuels immediately to keep ourselves from going over the edge. And then, the situation is so messed up. Right now, multiple states are making it harder to bring lawsuits against trucking companies after car crashes by limiting victims' ability to sue, as well as capping the amount of money they can be compensated for if they do sue and win. And all of this stemming from a new wave of legislation in state houses that have been backed by, wait for it, trucking industry lobbyists.

Because why choose people over companies when money? A recent investigation by ProPublica found that just in the last three years, the industry has helped prompt new laws in seven states, including Texas and Florida, which notably rank among the highest in the nation for fatal truck crashes. And this also comes as truck crashes that result in deaths have been on the rise over the last several years. In fact, according to ProPublica, over 5,000 people die every year in crashes with large trucks, which is a massive increase of more than 50% compared to just a decade ago. But notably, the families of those crash victims have limited options after losing their loved ones in horrific accidents. With experts saying that the best way people can get compensated either for surviving a crash with serious injuries or for the death of a

family member is to sue the trucking company and the driver who caused the crash. Right, and that's because under federal law, the majority of truckers who travel across state lines are required to have $750,000 in liability insurance, which to some may sound like a decent amount, but that figure was actually set by Congress more than four decades ago, which if you took inflation into account would be around $2.3 million-ish now. And while there have been numerous efforts to change it, all of them have failed so far. So you have this thing set that's totally outdated. It doesn't keep pace with both the increasing number of crashes and also literally 40 years of inflation. And ProPublica explaining that lifetime medical costs

after serious crashes can quickly exhaust that amount. And adding that while companies can be ordered to pay above that limit, if the company goes bankrupt or doesn't have the assets to pay, victims may never actually receive it. And beyond that, crashes often involve more than just one victim, so payments have to be split between numerous parties and they just get watered down.

And so that's why with this, we're gonna look at a real life example that both contextualizes this really well and brings it down to the human level. Because a few years ago, NBC News spoke to a woman by the name of Jackie Novak from North Carolina. She lost her only son in an accident that also killed four others and injured over a dozen. And even though the carrier had a liability policy of $1 million, well above the federal minimum, by the time that it got divided between everyone, Jackie only got just over $100,000, which wasn't nearly enough to provide for her son's two-year-old child who she was left to raise.

But despite all that, trucking industry leaders are actually fighting to limit lawsuits and payouts, launching a widespread effort to work with state governments and lobbying to pass new laws that achieve that goal. And for their part, the industry groups and associations pushing for these laws argue that crash suits have become more frequent and more expensive, which, yeah, makes sense if crashes themselves

have become more frequent and inflation has pushed up every single cost. But they argue that that has raised their insurance prices because their premiums go up after big verdicts and settlements. With a spokesperson for one of the largest trucking industry groups, the American Trucking Associations, or ATA, telling ProPublica that this actually negatively impacts safety because companies can respond to that by cutting costs and wages, which in turn results in hiring less, which can also mean hiring less experienced drivers. But safety advocates have pushed back there by arguing that that's just the price of doing business. Car insurance

rates go up for anyone who's in a car accident, especially when it's their fault. What's more, while the trucking industry claims that these laws that they're lobbying for are going to limit frivolous lawsuits and exorbitant payouts, safety advocates told ProPublica that the policy is actually, quote, shield trucking companies from legitimate liability after crashes and disincentivize the companies from working to prevent crashes in the first place. With Mark Geisfeld, a professor of civil litigation at NYU Law and a leading expert in this field, telling the outlet, hey, we've heard these complaints about meritless lawsuits from the trucking industry groups since the 1980s. Which, wouldn't you know it, is also when the federal government started requiring carriers to have

$750,000 in liability insurance. Total coincidence, I'm sure. But Geisfeld said that the issues these groups have raised about frivolous lawsuits, it's this boogeyman. Because the legal system has ways to sanction attorneys if they intentionally bring baseless cases. And adding that most of the so-called reforms these organizations have pushed for recently, they're actually just a front for cutting back on the amount of money that they'll be liable to pay if they're found responsible in those cases. And Geisfeld arguing that cutting down those liabilities is actually what can jeopardize safety even more. Explaining the idea, ultimately, is if the businesses are forced to pay for the liabilities of their drivers, then the businesses are going to adopt safety measures to try to make sure they can do as much as possible to keep

drivers from getting into crashes. And that's obviously good for society. But that's the exact opposite of what's achieved by the laws these industry groups have been pushing. For example, Texas, which had the highest truck-related fatalities, reporting 643 deaths in 2020, they passed a law in 2021 that said that trucking companies cannot be sued for their roles in crashes unless they're first found liable in court. And that law, of course, being supported by major trucking industry players. And what's more, before that law was passed, the lawyers for survivors and families could present evidence that showed a pattern of bad practices by a given trucking company. Basic stuff that you would think is super, super relevant to the situation, right? Don't you think it matters like how many

other accidents they've been involved in? Well, that 2021 law made it so that the attorneys suing are much more limited in what they can actually present in the first trial. And so those kinds of details can only be given if they make it to the second trial. Meanwhile, in Florida, which has the third highest truck-related deaths nationally, the state legislature passed a law this March that industry groups have heavily lobbied for. And that law changed how medical bills are presented in trial so only the amount paid can be shown instead of the amount initially billed. But it also reduced the statute of limitations for personal injury cases, making it so that victims can only sue within two years,

which notably is a period of time that safety advocates say is just an obstacle to victims whose lives have been completely upended by a traumatic crash, but then being overwhelmed by both physical and financial barriers. And in Iowa, lawmakers took a totally different approach, passing a lobbyist-backed law

that limits the amount of non-economic damages awarded to plaintiffs, which are damages paid out for losses that cannot be measured easily like the loss of a child. And the only exceptions on those caps being for incredibly extreme situations, like if the truck driver was driving drunk. And while with our current news cycle, this is something that very easily flies under the radar, it's so incredibly important that we shine a light on it. Because this is not okay. This is pure insanity. And that is where your daily dive into the news is going to end today. But for more news you need to know right now,

I got you covered right here. You can click or tap or just go into those links down below in the description. And of course, remember, my name's Philip DeFranco. You've just been filled in. I love yo faces and I'll see you Sunday.