The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 8.6 Idiot YouTubers Hit w/ Felony Charges For Fake Robbery Prank, Charli D'Amelio, NRA Lawsuit

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey, it's Thursday. Let's test out some new intros. It is Thursday. My name is Philip DeFranco. The world is still on fire, so let's make some s'mores. No. What does that mean? Never mind. Why mess with a classic? Sup, you beautiful bastards? Hope you have a fantastic Thursday. 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 going to talk about today is just, oh, fantastic news. You have National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasters warning us today about the potential for an extremely active hurricane season in the Atlantic,

Starting point is 00:00:32 which in a pandemic is a little bit like finding out while you're being stung by a swarm of bees, someone might just be swinging a baseball bat at your face. As far as the specifics here, the agency expects between 19 to 25 named storms with three to six major hurricanes during the six month hurricane season. For comparison sake, the average season

Starting point is 00:00:48 only has 12 named storms. Also super fun, it appears that this hurricane season has a great work ethic. Getting started early, usually at this point in August, there have only been two named storms. So far there have already been nine. Though I will say if there is a, it's not really a silver lining,

Starting point is 00:01:02 but it's maybe like learning some hopeful information about the person swinging the bat. This prediction does not necessarily mean that there will be way, way more landfall. It's just kind of a base level prediction, the formation of the storms and the hurricanes. But yeah, there's that. Then in why do we keep making stupid people famous news,

Starting point is 00:01:19 let's talk about the Stokes twins. So if you're unaware, these two brothers are 23 year old Allen and Alex Stokes. They have 4.8 million followers on YouTube, over 25 million followers on TikTok. And they post things like challenge videos, pranks, whatever. And they now have been charged with felonies over a video.

Starting point is 00:01:35 With the Orange County District Attorney's Office issuing a press release saying, "'Twin Brothers' whose star in YouTube videos "'featuring pranks on unsuspecting people "'have been charged with false imprisonment' "'and swatting in connection with a pair of fake bank robberies in Irvine that resulted in their Uber driver

Starting point is 00:01:49 being held at gunpoint by police. Also noting that the Uber driver was not involved in the prank. Going on to specify that both have each been charged with one felony count of false imprisonment affected by violence, menace, fraud, or deceit, and one misdemeanor count of falsely reporting an emergency in connection with the October 15th, 2019 pranks. And both of them, if they were convicted on all counts, face up to

Starting point is 00:02:09 four years in state prison. Now, as far as the video in question, according to the Hollywood Reporter, it had more than 1.4 million views before it was set to private sometime yesterday. Though, of course, the internet is the internet. We've seen re-uploads of the prank being posted here and there, shared all over. And as far as what happened in this video, I'm going to share clips along with the description from the DA's office. So on October 15th, 2019, shared all over. And as far as what happened in this video, I'm gonna share clips along with the description from the DA's office. So on October 15th, 2019, at about 2.30 p.m., the Stokes brothers are accused of being dressed

Starting point is 00:02:31 all in black, wearing ski masks, and carrying duffel bags full of cash as they pretended they had just robbed a bank while their videographer filmed this. Going on to say they ordered an Uber and when they got in the vehicle, the Uber driver who was unaware of the prank refused to drive them.

Starting point is 00:02:49 This is weird. It's not funny. Okay, can I just take this away? Just get it off my car, please. Actually, yes. A bystander witnessed this, believing the two men had just robbed a bank and were attempting to carjack the Uber driver.

Starting point is 00:03:02 Then, according to the DA's office, Irvine police arrived and ordered the Uber driver out at gunpoint, with him later being released after police determined he was not involved. And that part is not shown in the brothers' video. Though in the video we do see in part what the DA's office claims. Police issued a warning to the Stokes brothers

Starting point is 00:03:16 about the dangerousness of their conduct and let them go. This is what's gonna get someone potentially gun stuck or someone hurt. What the, we have people stopping in the middle of the street because they're watching this, guys pulling off ski masks, throwing stuff on the ground, changing clothes. But then, according to the DA's office,

Starting point is 00:03:32 four hours later, the Stokes brothers performed the same kind of prank on the campus of the University of California, Irvine, with them noting police again received emergency calls regarding a bank being robbed. You know, with this story, there are a number of things about these brothers that just rub me the wrong way.

Starting point is 00:03:45 The fact that they would do something so stupid in the first place, that they would not immediately learn their lesson and then continue doing these stupid and dangerous things. That they seemingly think that they are above the law and also seemingly no sympathy, empathy, whatever, for other people. There's even a point in the video that they uploaded

Starting point is 00:04:02 where they're talking to other people and laughing about this poor Uber driver getting guns pulled on him. Uber driver kicked us out of the car. One minute later, there were like 10 cop cars that pulled out like guns on him. Like they're like rifles. They thought he was a getaway driver. So he got like 15 guns like,

Starting point is 00:04:17 I'm not even a part of this. So like, yeah, poor guy. And as far as the defense we've seen from the brothers, there was a point where they were talking to a cop and they were like, well, we called the non-emergency number to let people know that we were filming. That's your defense? You made a phone call saying,

Starting point is 00:04:28 hey, we're gonna be in public faking a crime in front of people who have no idea, so they are likely going to call the police? If someone calls 911 and they're like, I think a bank just got robbed, police aren't gonna go, but it might be a prank though. No, they're obviously gonna try to do the job

Starting point is 00:04:45 they've been tasked with. And these brothers are incredibly lucky that this thing that they were laughing about, this dramatic experience for this Uber driver, didn't result in someone getting shot and killed. So to the Stokes brothers, I'm not in this business to make friends, you're garbage. With this story, I had to correct myself multiple times

Starting point is 00:04:59 because they got baby faces, they're 23, I wanted to call them kids. You're grown ass men. Because you got millions of impressionable tweens thinking that you're cute, or their bar for what is clever is so incredibly low, you think that you're something special. That the rules and even normal social decency

Starting point is 00:05:13 do not apply to you. You're trash, these are not pranks. I'm very interested to see what is gonna happen to you or what sort of punishment you get or maybe don't get. It's Southern California, you never know what's gonna happen. And then let's talk about this concerning news coming out of a state that I used to call home

Starting point is 00:05:26 for several years, Georgia. If you don't know, there's just been story after story about the school reopenings in the state. So I wanted to unpack this, break it down, right? So in Georgia, the state has passed a total of 186,395 cases and 3,899 deaths. And while there have been some dips here and there, new cases still seem to be peaking,

Starting point is 00:05:43 same with reported deaths. But at the same time, schools in the area are reopening, and this has led to a number of issues. Now, part of the reason this story is blowing up is because of this viral photo, where you see just a ton of kids in a crowded hallway, many of them not wearing masks. The school in this photo is North Paulding High School.

Starting point is 00:05:57 They opened up on Monday, and there, mask wearing is not mandatory, with the district saying that mask wearing is a personal choice and would be impossible to enforce. A public stance that I think many who have been reprimanded for dress code would go, oh really? Also, you had the county superintendent releasing a statement saying that the photo lacked context,

Starting point is 00:06:12 that the kids are not in the halls long enough to actually contract COVID-19 in these crowds. Because as we all know, COVID-19 gives people a five minute headstart. I mean, sure, yeah, you have health officials noting that being that close, not wearing masks, transmission is entirely possible. But I refute and replace that reality with my own

Starting point is 00:06:30 because the other one makes me feel like a horrible, stupid person. But you know, here's the thing with this situation. There is already reason to believe that there could be infected students. Reports indicate that at least one football player at the school has contracted COVID-19. And according to Buzzfeed news, the team is not alone.

Starting point is 00:06:43 Teachers at the school reportedly said that there are positive cases among the staff, including a person who came into contact with most of the teachers while they were symptomatic. But you don't have the school confirming cases among employees for privacy reasons. With one teacher reportedly saying, "'That was exactly one week ago,

Starting point is 00:06:56 "'so we are all waiting to see who gets sick next week.'" Also with this situation, maybe you're one of the people that are like, "'Okay, if the situation's that bad "'or you have kids who are nervous, "'maybe they should just not go to school.'" It turns out it's not that simple. Virtual learning was an option for students in the district,

Starting point is 00:07:09 but the spots for that were limited and they filled up quickly, leaving some with no other choice than to attend in person. In fact, in one case, a set of parents who had a child at North Paulding saw that viral photo. They said they didn't want their son to go back. And they said that after speaking with the school about this,

Starting point is 00:07:21 they were told that anyone who chose not to go to school could face suspension or even expulsion. With reports also saying that teachers are feeling equally pressured to show up as well. But on top of all of that, after this viral photo made its way around the internet, an announcement went off at the school warning students that anyone criticizing the school online

Starting point is 00:07:36 could face disciplinary action. And in fact, as I was reporting this, Buzzfeed News reported that two students have actually been suspended for posting photos of crowded hallways. And so with that said, what I wanna say to the leadership at this school, the leadership in the district, if someone from this school or in the area shares this video, this is not them saying it. Maybe they're sharing this video with friends, family, people in the region to just let you know

Starting point is 00:07:55 what others are saying. But I just want to pass along a resounding fuck you to the people actively failing the children in Georgia. And understand, I'm not saying this to the teachers that are incredibly uncomfortable being forced into a position understand, I'm not saying this to the teachers that are incredibly uncomfortable being forced into a position here. I'm talking about the leadership that has created this scenario. Also, an important thing that I wanna hit on is that this is not the only Georgia school making headlines.

Starting point is 00:08:14 In Cherokee County, a second grader tested positive for the virus on the first day of school. Their class of 20 students will now be quarantining for 14 days. Also, just yesterday, you had officials announcing that there were three additional schools in the county with positive cases. This, including a first grader, an eighth grader,

Starting point is 00:08:26 and a kindergarten teacher. So of course, several students and staff at each of these schools having to do a 14 day quarantine as well. And it's important to note, this isn't over a long period of time. They literally just opened. So if anything, at the very least,

Starting point is 00:08:37 these stories are likely an indication of how the school year will go. There are a lot of challenges ahead and given the state of the country and in certain states, some of the problems are going to be unavoidable but the genuine don't give a fuck or the throwing your hands in the air because How can I make the situation better even though I'm in control of the situation? If anything they're going to supercharge the spread which is why you're seeing people like at the start of this week Dooley County School Superintendent Craig Lockhart telling the Atlanta Journal Constitution so long as COVID-19 runs rampant

Starting point is 00:09:04 There will be too many bodies in close quarters "'for us to coexist in a traditional setting. "'We are not ready to return to in-person schooling "'and be highly confident "'that we can protect employees and students.'" But at the same time, on the other side of this, to be fair, there are parents and students eager to get back to in-person classes,

Starting point is 00:09:18 either because they do trust their specific school district to handle things well, or because online learning has just been horrible. And I will say, as someone in the past who tried to do a semester just online, I empathize, it is so incredibly hard. You also have people like Charlene Wong, an assistant professor of pediatrics

Starting point is 00:09:33 at the Duke School of Medicine telling the AJC, there is a really strong case for trying to reopen schools because there are so many benefits, both for children, not only academic benefits, but health and social emotional health, and also for families, many of whom are trying to get back to work to restart the economy. But once again, going on to say

Starting point is 00:09:48 this is a complex situation that measures would need to be taken. And I will say at this point, I think that's kind of the most frustrating part to me. As a parent, I can see the importance of the emotional health of a child to be able to socialize. But if you have people in power and a school district

Starting point is 00:10:00 not willing to do the absolute least to get what they want, to get the kids in school in hopefully a safer manner, then how do we get out of this? Like, I just don't understand the thinking. That's like, if I wanna go back down to 180 pounds, I wanna be able to see my abs, but I'm also going to continue eating as much fast food

Starting point is 00:10:17 as I'm emotionally eating right now and not working out. The thinking just doesn't make sense, and all I see are excuses. They want the results that they're not putting the work in to get and unfortunately their failures don't just affect them. It does not just land on their shoulders. This impacts the health and safety of the people

Starting point is 00:10:31 that they are responsible for. And then let's talk about big news around an organization that, you know, people probably don't have big opinions on for or against, the National Rifle Association, right? The NRA. So what's happening is that we knew today there was gonna be a massive announcement from the New York Attorney General, right?

Starting point is 00:10:46 There were murmurings, is it Trump related, is it not? And today, what we ended up seeing is New York Attorney General Letitia James filing a lawsuit to dissolve the National Rifle Association. And as far as the reasoning here, you had New York's AG alleging that this group committed fraud. As Letitia James alleges and explains

Starting point is 00:11:00 in the preliminary statement of the lawsuit, "'For 149 years, the NRA has operated "'as a New York not-for-profit "'charitable membership corporation. "'As a 149 years, the NRA has operated as a New York not-for-profit charitable membership corporation. As a New York charity, the NRA is legally required to serve the interests of its membership and advance its charitable mission. But then going on to say, for nearly three decades,

Starting point is 00:11:15 Wayne LaPierre has served as the chief executive officer of the NRA and has exploited the organization for his financial benefit and the benefit of a close circle of NRA staff, board members, and vendors. Contrary to his statutory duties of care, loyalty, and obedience to the mission of the charity, LaPierre has undertaken a series of actions to consolidate his position, to exploit that position for his personal benefit and that of his family, to continue by use of a secret poison pill contract, his employment even after removal and ensuring NRA income for life, and to intimidate, punish, and expel anyone at a senior level who raised concerns about his conduct.

Starting point is 00:11:48 With the lawsuit then going on to claim, the effect has been to divert millions of dollars away from the charitable mission, imposing substantial reductions in its expenditures for core program services, including gun safety, education, training, member services, and public affairs. And going on to claim, during the period of 2015 to 2018, the NRA has reported a reduction in unrestricted net assets by 63 million. Right, and so specifically during those three years, the allegation is that they diverted roughly $64 million in charitable donations to reckless executive spending. With a lawsuit going on to say, for example,

Starting point is 00:12:19 LaPierre has spent millions of dollars of the NRA's charitable assets for private plane trips for himself and his family, including trips for his family when he was not present. Noting in the last five years, LaPierre and his family have visited the Bahamas by private air charter on at least eight occasions at a cost of more than $500,000 to the NRA. And on many of those trips, LaPierre and his family were gifted the use of a 107 foot yacht owned by an NRA vendor. Also, LaPierre received hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts from another NRA vendor in the form

Starting point is 00:12:45 of complimentary safaris in Africa and other worldwide locations for himself and his spouse. Also going on to say that LaPierre procured personal financial benefits for board members, vendors, and even former employees. Adding, in doing so, they violated NRA policy on contracting and business ethics, as well as legal mandates.

Starting point is 00:13:00 Keep in mind, this 169 page lawsuit just came out. I'm kind of just touching on the initial highlights here. I'll link to the whole document down below. If you're a nerd like me and you actually want to scrub through it, main thing, the suits charging the organization as a whole, as well as for top executives, including LaPierre. Now, as far as why the office is in favor of dissolving the

Starting point is 00:13:16 NRA, James responded and told reporters it's because the corruption was so broad and because of the level of waste and because they have basically destroyed all of the assets of the operation. Now, all of that said on the other side of this, you have the NRA saying they will fight back. Also seemingly trying to frame this situation as a fight about the Second Amendment

Starting point is 00:13:32 instead of specific executives at the organization. Tweeting out, this was a baseless premeditated attack on our organization and the Second Amendment freedoms it fights to defend. You could have set your watch by it. The investigation was going to reach its crescendo as we move into the 2020 election cycle. And claiming it's a transparent attempt

Starting point is 00:13:47 to score political points and attack the leading voice in opposition to the leftist agenda. This has been a power grab by a political opportunist, a desperate move that is part of a rank political vendetta. You know, while we've seen some supporting the NRA in their statements there saying, yes, this is about the second amendment. We've also seen people,

Starting point is 00:14:02 and there's been kind of more of a wide range here, people who you would expect to be anti-NRA, as well as gun owners saying, well, no, I'm concerned about this. It seems like you're deflecting. That this is about fraud and the misappropriation of funds, not the Second Amendment. Right, with some going as far to claim

Starting point is 00:14:14 that the NRA is using the Second Amendment as a deflection, a shield, to what is actually being discussed and alleged here. But with all of that said, now I do want to pass the question off to you. What are your thoughts on this lawsuit with the NRA? Do you see this as an attack on fraud, abuse as illegal conduct

Starting point is 00:14:27 of what is supposed to be a nonprofit? Or are you among those that believe that this is some sort of veiled attack on the second amendment? Where do you stand? Why do you have those opinions? And if you're willing to share, are you a gun owner yourself?

Starting point is 00:14:37 And that is where I'm going to end today's show. And to the hundreds of thousands of beautiful bastards who have made it to this point, thank you of course again for watching today's show, being a part of all of this. You make drudging through the news bearable, thank you. Also, if you're new here, definitely hit that subscribe button, join the family,

Starting point is 00:14:52 hit that bell. How'd I forget? I've been on this site for how long? Also, if you're looking for more to watch, I uploaded two news videos yesterday. Appears that both of them got hit, so that's great. But if you wanna catch up on those, you can click or tap right there to watch those.

Starting point is 00:15:02 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 next time.

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The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 8.6 Idiot YouTubers Hit w/ Felony Charges For Fake Robbery Prank, Charli D'Amelio, NRA Lawsuit

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