The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 8.11 Mia Khalifa, Biden Picks Kamala Harris VP, Kanye Election Fraud Accusations, & More

Episode Date: August 11, 2020

Get 50% OFF your first 6-bottle box https://bit.ly/BCDeFranco Bright Cellars is the monthly wine club that matches you with wine you’ll love. GO TO http://ShopDeFranco.com ! 6 Days Left for “Emotionally Exhausted” Drop! Follow me off of Youtube: https://linktr.ee/PhilipDeFranco -- 00:00 - Kanye's Signature Scandal 06:02 - TIA 07:53 - Mia Khalifa & Uber 11:59 - Russia's COVID-19 Vaccine -- WATCH Full “A Convo With” Podcasts: https://www.youtube.com/ACW  LISTEN On The Podcast Platform Of Your Choice: http://LinksHole.com WATCH the ACW Clips channel!: https://youtube.com/ACWClips ✩ SUPPORT THE SHOW ✩ ✭ BUY our GEAR, Support the Show!: http://ShopDeFranco.com ✭ Lemme Touch Your Hair: http://BeautifulBastard.com ✭ Paid Subscription: http://DeFrancoElite.com  ✩ TODAY IN AWESOME ✩ ✭ MatPat Reveals His Proudest Moment: https://youtu.be/NGO5XQh9WiU ✭ Honest Trailers | Avatar: The Last Airbender: ✭ Binging with Babish: Paunch Burger from Parks & Rec: https://youtu.be/RN8uoBwRr1k ✭ Young Lions Learn Precision Hunting: https://youtu.be/ugsJtsO9w1A ✭ Former FBI Agent Explains How to Read Facial Expressions: https://youtu.be/VAB9cUlGrRo ✭ Secret Link: https://youtu.be/q09OAOob-sU ✩ TODAY’S STORIES ✩  Why Kanye West Could Face an Election Fraud Investigation: https://roguerocket.com/2020/08/11/kanye-election-fraud/ Kamala Harris Is Joe Biden’s VP Pick https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/08/11/us/biden-vs-trump Mia Khalifa Auctions Her Glasses: https://twitter.com/miakhalifa/status/1292574223504830464 Uber and Lyft Must Classify Their CA Drivers as Employees. Here’s How That Could Change Ride-Sharing Apps: https://roguerocket.com/2020/08/11/uber-lyft-judge/ Health Officials Express Skepticism After Russia’s Announcement: https://roguerocket.com/2020/08/11/skepticism-russia/ ✩ STORIES NOT IN TODAY’S SHOW ✩ TikTok Announces First Wave of Influencers to Get Paid Under its New Creator Fund:  https://roguerocket.com/2020/08/11/tiktok-pays-first-wave-of-creatotrs/ ——————————     Edited by: James Girardier, Julie Goldberg Produced by: Amanda Morones Art Director: Brian Borst  Writing/Research: Philip DeFranco, Lili Stenn, Maddie Crichton, Cory Ray, Neena Pesqueda, Brian Espinoza Production Team: Zack Taylor, Luke Manning  ———————————— #DeFranco #KanyeWest #MiaKhalifa Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sup you beautiful bastards! Hope you have a fantastic Tuesday. Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco Show and two quick announcements. First, just a massive thank you to everyone that made yesterday's emotionally exhausted drop the biggest drop we've ever had on Shop DeFranco. What's crazy is it hasn't even been 24 hours yet

and so you still have six days if you missed out. All available for a limited time on shopdefranco.com. And two, I'm very excited to announce that the Philip DeFranco Show is now an official syndicated show on Snapchat. So if you wanna make sure you don't miss this show or maybe some exclusives, or you wanna share it with people who, you know,

don't really come to YouTube, or for whatever reason, I advise and ask you to go subscribe. Link down below, or of course, our Snapcode's been right there. But like I said, welcome back to the Philip DeFranco show. Buckle up, hit that like button, and let's just jump into it. And the first thing we're gonna talk about today is Kanye West.

And while some places are running headlines like, Kanye West seemingly squashes beef with Kris Jenner following explosive Twitter rant, which side note, I have a lot of big criticisms regarding Kanye West over the past year, but when he called Kris Jenner Kris Jong-un and her guy Kanye West, that was the funniest thing I had read in about a month.

But that Kris Jenner stuff's not the bigger story today, it actually has to do with Kanye's presidential run and possible legal trouble. But now the situation has gotten to this point where he could be facing the possibility of an election fraud investigation, and depending on how far this goes, years in prison. Right, and so all of this started at the very end

of last month in New Jersey, where Kanye needed just 800 votes on his petition to secure a spot on the ballot. But a few days after he filed that petition, a lawyer found that over 700 of the 1,327 signatures that Kanye had collected had issues, including no last names listed, people who were not registered to vote in New Jersey,

and people who didn't even live in the state at all. And ultimately what we saw there is last Monday, just hours before a scheduled hearing to determine the validity of his petition, Kanye's team withdrew the application. With his campaign reportedly saying in an email that it would not question the decision of the Secretary of State and adding,

"'At this time, Kanye 2020 has no further option than to regrettably withdraw from New Jersey and cease further efforts to place Mr. West's name on the New Jersey ballot.'" And then later that same week, an election board in Illinois ruled that 60% or nearly 2,000 of the 3,218 signatures that Kanye collected were invalid.

Very notably, that decision came after it was reported that three different whistleblowers asked the state to take a closer look at the end of last month. So if their findings hold, Kanye will fall 1300 signatures short of the 2500 he needed. And I'm saying it like that because this board's ruling is just preliminary. The findings have to go to a hearing examiner

who then makes a recommendation as to whether or not Kanye should be on the ballot. Though, historically election boards preliminary decisions have had a lot of weight on the hearing examiner's recommendation. But now it is widely believed that he will be kicked off the ballot. And with what happened in New Jersey and Illinois,

we saw a number of experts saying that Kanye should be the subject of an election fraud investigation. This including the likes of political analyst, April Ryan, who tweeted, "'Two states declaring Kanye West ineligible "'to be on POTUS ballot due to faulty signatures "'could open him up to an election fraud investigation.'

"'I would imagine other states "'where reported GOP operatives assisted him to get on the ballot will soon be reviewing. Actually, on the note of other states, literally the same day that the state board in Illinois announced the results of their review, the Wisconsin State Democratic Party filed a complaint asking state officials there to keep Kanye off the ballot,

claiming that his campaign was late in submitting their paperwork and that there were numerous issues with those filings, including, shocker, problems with the signatures that he collected. According to reports, the complaint alleges that the papers Kanye filed included incorrect addresses for the people who circulated the petitions

and the petitions contained bogus signatures like that of Mickey Mouse, Bernie Sanders, and even two for Kanye West. But also, very, very notably here, the complaint also included affidavits from six people who said that they were actually tricked into signing Kanye's petition. According to reports, one of the affidavits is from a woman

who said that she unknowingly signed this paper outside of a Walmart when one of Kanye's circulators told her that her signature was needed to ensure she was registered to vote in the general election. With that woman adding, if I had known that I wouldn't have signed the papers. Absolutely not. Kanye West would not get my vote.

And I think it is a joke that he is running for president. And that allegation is actually pretty serious. As the lawyer who collected those affidavits for the Democratic Party told reporters, if the affidavits are true, crimes were committed by the West campaign. Though, on the other side, you have Kanye's team pushing back.

Just yesterday, filing their own complaint where they allege that the state Democratic Party filed their complaint because they, quote, "'fear the candidacy of Kanye West and seek to silence him,' also alleging that the party engaged in an organized effort of harassment and intimidation against his candidacy, and claiming they hired

a private investigator to track and spy on his signature gatherers. And so as far as what happens from here, the complaints will be reviewed by an elections commission panel made up of three Democrats and three Republicans. And they will then make a recommendation regarding his filings and if he should be

on the ballot or not. Ultimately, that is where we are with this story. It will be very interesting and it is important going into the 2020 election to find out what happens in Wisconsin. As far as states go in the general election, it is important going into the 2020 election to find out what happens in Wisconsin As far as states go in the general election, it is a difference maker Also regarding any election fraud charges none have been filed yet And ultimately as far as my opinion on this topic at the end of the day The only thing that I think matters is if fraud actually took place

It feels a little weird that one of the defenses from Kanye's camp is they sent someone to keep eyes on us I see that and I'm like, okay, but what about the stuff they allegedly found? Yeah, that's a story as it is now. We're gonna keep our eyes on it. And of course with this, I pass the question off to you. What are your thoughts regarding this Kanye update? Do you think that we will actually see any charges? I'm of the personal mindset that even if there were charges,

if everything happened fast enough, I'm pretty sure he'd get a pardon. That's just my gut reaction as we watch this just transparent attempt at a spoiler campaign. But yeah, passing the question off to you. Also in quickie presidential election news, obviously less important than this Kanye stuff. Joe Biden, actually, as we were finishing up today's video,

announced that Kamala Harris will be his VP pick. Notably, this will make Harris the first woman of color to be named by a major party on a US presidential ticket. And potentially she could become the first woman vice president. And as far as why Kamala Harris, you had Biden saying in his announcement statement, I need someone working alongside me who is smart, tough and as far as why Kamala Harris, you had Biden saying in his announcement statement, "'I need someone working alongside me

"'who is smart, tough, and ready to lead. "'Kamala is that person. "'I need someone who understands the pain "'that so many in our nation are suffering, "'whether they've lost their job, their business, "'a loved one to this virus.'" And adding, "'I first met Kamala through my son Beau.

"'They were both attorneys general at the same time. "'He had enormous respect for her and her work. "'I thought a lot about that as I made this decision. "'There is no one's opinion I valued more than Beau's, "'and I'm proud to have Kamala "'standing with me on this campaign.'" But yeah, the main thing here is that this announcement for her and her work. I thought a lot about that as I made this decision. There is no one's opinion I valued more than Beau's and I'm proud to have Kamala standing with me on this campaign. But yeah, the main thing here is that this announcement

has finally been made and we are now kicking this election into a new gear. And as far as what that gear is gonna feel and look like, we're gonna find out very soon. And actually with this update, I'd love to know your thoughts about Kamala as VP. Let me know in those comments down below. Then in a story I could have probably put in

Today in Awesome, we had Mia Khalifa in the news. Mia, if you don't know, is actually Lebanese American. She was born in Lebanon. With everything that's been happening there, I mean, we talked about it yesterday, last week. In addition to using her platform to raise awareness, call for change, she's actually also decided to raise money for the Lebanese Red Cross by auctioning off

those original infamous Mia Khalifa glasses. As of right now, the bidding is at $100,000 and it'll be interesting to see where it lands, what's a valid bid at the end of, it's gonna be about in four days. Then we should talk about this news involving the gig economy and its future. On Monday, a California judge ruled that Uber and Lyft

must classify their drivers as employees, not gig workers. And that decision, which will go into effect next week, if it is not halted by an appeal, will mean that employees for ride-sharing companies will be eligible to receive benefits, including health insurance, paid time off, sick leave and overtime. Now, as far as Uber and Lyft's argument against doing so,

it's pretty much the same argument that they've always had, saying this decision will cause ride costs to increase significantly and could result in mass layoffs. With Lyft saying in a statement, "'Drivers do not want to be employees, full stop. "'We'll immediately appeal this ruling "'and continue to fight for their independence." A spokesperson for Uber releasing a similar statement

saying, the vast majority of drivers want to work independently and we've already made significant changes to our app to ensure that remains the case under California law. When over 3 million Californians are without a job, our elected leaders should be focused on creating work, not trying to shut down an entire industry during an economic depression.

Which I mean, on that note, while you have bookings for Uber Eats absolutely skyrocketing, just between April and June, Uber's traditional bookings were down 75%. So there's an argument that's already been made that in addition to the situation in general, we are in a pandemic, business is down. If these drivers were made employees,

we just have to give them the boot. And as far as the drivers here, it's not a black and white situation. You have some drivers that kind of do it whenever, whenever they got a little time, they want to make some side change, and then you have some people doing it full time. You have some saying,

yeah, I like the freedom of the gig economy. And then you have some after this ruling saying, today's ruling affirms what California drivers have long known to be true. Workers like me have rights and Uber and Lyft must respect those rights. Though with all that said, there may actually be a third option.

Because while yes, this is a story in California, this is a national issue, we've also seen this gaining traction, which is why we've seen Uber CEO advocating for this third model on how to classify drivers, arguing that there should be another way for workers to gain protections without sacrificing the flexibility of being a gig worker.

And in fact, yesterday we saw him pushing for that again in a New York Times op-ed, arguing our current employment system is outdated and unfair. It forces every worker to choose between being an employee with more benefits, but less flexibility, or an independent contractor with more flexibility,

but almost no safety net. It's time to move beyond this false choice. As a start, all gig economy companies need to pay for benefits, should be more honest about the reality of the work, and must strengthen the rights and voice of workers. With him then proposing a model that would require gig companies

to establish benefits funds, which give workers cash that they can use for the benefits they want, like health insurance or paid time off. Adding independent workers in any state that passes this law could take money out for every hour of work they put in. All gig companies would be required to participate so that workers can build up benefits even if they switch between apps. And with all this claiming that if this had been a law nationwide Uber would have contributed 655 million dollars in benefits just last year. With him also giving the example of a Colorado driver

working an average of 35 hours a week, if they had used this system, they would have racked up $1,350 in benefits for 2019. With him noting that's enough to cover two weeks time off or a median annual premium for health insurance. But even with that, of course, you'd have critics of this saying, well, the key word here is or.

That driver wouldn't be able to have premium health insurance and get two weeks off. But ultimately, as far as what happens next here, we're gonna have to keep an eye out for that appeal. Also in November, California voters will decide on a ballot measure that could exempt ride-sharing companies from converting their drivers into employees. You know, the biggest thing being voted on in November.

Obviously I'm kidding, but actually the vote for the president of the United States, obviously huge. But also as we get closer to the election, I'm gonna try to make sure that I provide resources so you can see what is being voted on in your state. There's a lot of stuff locally that's always important for you to vote on. But question of the main story being talked about there,

if you are an Uber or a Lyft driver, or you're a part of the gig economy, what are your thoughts? Do you want the freedom of being a part of the gig economy? Or do you want to be an employee? Or maybe do you land somewhere in the middle, like this third option being proposed by the CEO of Uber? And also for those currently using ride sharing or who did before the pandemic,

if the prices went up, would it make you stop? And then let's talk about the big coronavirus news that is coming out of Russia today. Today, you had Russian president Vladimir Putin, Putin out a statement, claiming a vaccine against coronavirus has been registered for the first time in the world this morning. I know that it works quite effectively.

It forms a stable immunity. And adding, of course, what counts most is for us to be able to ensure the unconditional safety of the use of this vaccine and its efficiency in the future. I hope that this will be accomplished. With Vlad also claiming that one of his daughters has already received the vaccine.

So far, what we know is that healthcare workers and teachers will be among the first to get this vaccine and the country could have a mass rollout in October. The vaccine, which has been dubbed Sputnik V, was developed by the Gamaleya Institute and was funded by the Russian Direct Investment Fund. According to the chief executive of that fund, they expect tens of thousands of volunteers

to be vaccinated within the next month. And as far as how it works, right, the specifics of this vaccine, you had the Associated Press explaining that it actually uses a different virus, the common cold-causing adenovirus, and it modifies it to carry genes for the spike protein that coats the coronavirus.

And actually, scientists in China and the UK are working on a similar vaccine. But all of that said, as you can imagine, with this Russian vaccine, there are concerns. Many fearing that the process was rushed and that crucial steps in the testing were skipped. The vaccine hasn't even actually gone through phase three trials,

which involves thousands of people, usually quite some time. So you have a large number of people saying, there hasn't been nearly enough people, there hasn't been nearly enough time to plan mass distribution. Though there are currently plans for the country to do a phase three, as well as trials in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, and maybe Brazil.

And in the meantime, the vaccine will still be offered to volunteers who want it. According to the AP, human trials started back in June with 76 volunteers, half of which were injected with a liquid vaccine and the other half given it in the form of a soluble powder. And among the concerns here, we had some concerned about the participants

as some were recruited from the military, so there were worries that they were pressured into receiving this vaccine. Some also concerned about the small testing size, which is why you have experts like Peter Kremsner telling Reuters, normally you need a large number of people to be tested before you approve a vaccine.

I think it's reckless to do that if lots of people haven't already been tested, with other health experts saying that releasing this vaccine so soon is unethical. Also, on top of the lack of testing, the concern about the participants, Russia has also not released any data from its initial clinical trial. And as one epidemiology and infectious disease specialist noted,

it is not possible to know if the Russian vaccine has been shown to be effective without submission of scientific papers for analysis. And you know, that wasn't the first person to note or have skepticism regarding a vaccine from Russia. In a July testimony, you had Dr. Anthony Fauci saying, I do hope that the Chinese and the Russians are actually testing the vaccine before they are administering the vaccine to anyone. Because claims of having a vaccine ready to distribute

before you do testing, I think is problematic at best. Additionally, this morning you had more US officials responding, like Secretary of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar going on Good Morning America, criticizing the speed at which this was supposedly developed. The point is not to be first with a vaccine. The point is to have a vaccine that is safe and effective for the American people and the people of the world.

We need transparent data and it's gotta be phase three data. And what he said there lines up with statements recently made by FDA commissioner, Stephen Hahn, who spoke to the American Medical Association about vaccine development in the United States. And then you also look around and see scientists being far more cautious when it comes to talks about vaccine timelines.

I mean, just last week when you had President Donald Trump saying that we could have a vaccine come November, and immediately you had people just shooting that down. Among the things you had vaccinologists telling reporters, I don't see how that would be possible. Also, there's just no way regarding a vaccine being ready so soon. And a big thing to understand with this story

is that vaccine hesitancy, that is an incredibly integral point to all of this. Because it's not just the hardcore Looney Tunes anti-vaxxers that we used to talk about two, three years ago. Those people trying to bring measles back like it's sexy. The paranoia regarding a COVID-19 vaccine, especially if one came on an expedited timeline, is there. For example, you had this Gallup poll back in August

that found that if free FDA approved vaccines were ready today, one in three Americans would refuse it. And the numbers on this are staggered, but if you're one of the people hoping for mass adoption, these numbers aren't going to be comforting. Right, you had polling from Yahoo and YouGov showing that back in May, 55% of US adults planned

on getting vaccinated. But by the end of July, that fell to just 42%, which is concerning because that percentage of people is just not enough to protect the larger population. But ultimately, that is where we are with this story as of right now. Regarding the possibility that Russia has a working vaccine,

I am hopeful, but of course it is Russia and Vladimir Putin, I'm incredibly skeptical. But ultimately, for now, we have to wait and see, specifically looking at what happens with Russia. How does the third phase go? And for those who do volunteer for the vaccine, is it great, it works, or is it a dud, or is it the beginning of the movie World War Z?

Side note, sorry, Brad Pitt, the book is so much better, read the book. Also, finally, a question I wanna pass off to you. What are your thoughts regarding this Russia vaccine? Do you trust them? Do you just think that, is he lying? And that is where I'm going to end today's show. As always, a big thank you to the nine of you still here at the end of the video.

Thank you for being a part of these daily dives into the news. Also, if one of you are new here, definitely join the family, hit that subscribe button, tap that bell to turn on notifications. Also, if you're looking for more to watch, maybe you missed yesterday's show, or you want to watch that special clip with MatPat,

you can click or tap right there to watch that. But with that said, of course, as always, my name's Philip DeFranco. You've just been filled in. I love yo faces and I'll see you tomorrow.