The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 9.1 The Painful Truth About This Billie Eilish Scandal, Fake Vaccine Card Problems Getting Worse, Texas

Starting point is 00:00:00 Sup you beautiful bastards. Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco show. Hit that like button, subscribe, do all the good stuff to feed those algorithm gods and let's just jump into it. And first up today, let's talk about our douche bag or rather our douche bags of the day. Honestly, there was a huge selection today

Starting point is 00:00:15 but where I'm gonna start is with this story out of New York, though in no way is it limited to New York. And I say that because prosecutors in Manhattan, New York have now said that 15 people are facing charges related to counterfeit COVID vaccine cards. With one of the most notable people being charged being 31 year old New Jersey woman, Jasmine Clifford, who is also known on Instagram as anti-vax mama

Starting point is 00:00:34 or five star jazzy. With prosecutors claiming that she sold over 250 forged cards over Instagram for $200 a pop. And to make matters worse, for 250 more dollars, Clifford would allegedly have a friend who worked at a medical clinic, fraudulently enter people into New York City's

Starting point is 00:00:47 immunization database. With that friend being 27 year old Nadeza Barkley, who allegedly did this for at least 10 people. And if this sounds familiar to you, it's because you've had everyday people, people like Michael from Tizzy Entertainment, exposing this scheme on TikTok and reporting it to the authorities.

Starting point is 00:01:00 Though you did also have a spokesperson for the DA's office saying that Clifford and others were already under investigation since back in June. And as far as the main two involved here, you have Clifford and Barkley reportedly charged with offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree and conspiracy in the fifth degree. Clifford additionally charged with criminal possession

Starting point is 00:01:15 of a forged instrument in the second degree. With prosecutors also making known that they've charged 13 individuals who purchased the cards, noting that they are all people who work in quote, "'frontline and essential employee settings' including hospitals and nursing homes. Those absolute pieces of shit. Like I know one of the main headlines today

Starting point is 00:01:29 is that Illinois woman that tried to go to Hawaii. They had a fake vaccine card, people loving it because literally on the card they spelled Moderna wrong. Yeah, fuck her, fuck Chloe. I have to imagine that if hell exists, there has to be a special place for people that are working in nursing homes, faking COVID vaccinations.

Starting point is 00:01:45 Are you talking about people working with the immunocompromised, the elderly, the people that were most trying to protect from this? I'm not saying I'd do it, but if you got hit in the face with a baseball bat, I don't know if I'd shed a tear. Then in entertainment news, we're seeing plagiarism accusations all over the place right now. And the latest person being accused is Billie Eilish. This after singer Diamond White, who has been in musicals, competed on the X Factor and released various songs and albums, sent out a tweet saying, I just found out that Some Things and Ocean Eyes by Billie was allegedly stolen from a 13 to 14 year old me. Receipts later. Then sharing two clips, which appear to be from 2013, showing a song of hers that some say sounds similar to Ocean Eyes, which was uploaded to SoundCloud in 2015. But also after Diamond shared the clip,

Starting point is 00:02:21 she said, I literally love Billie and I don't even know for sure. It could just be a bunch of coincidences. But regardless, you had tons of people speculating whether or not it was copied. Some saying the Diamond song wasn't even officially released so how could it be stolen? Others saying she'd actually performed it at one point so maybe it's possible. And while publicly Billie has not responded,

Starting point is 00:02:37 that aspect of the story kind of ends there. It's kind of just the latest example of accusations getting thrown around. With actually one of the biggest people being hit was Olivia Rodrigo. People saying that her song, Brutal, lifted from Elvis Costello's 1978 hit, Pump It Up. People also saying that her song, Good For You,

Starting point is 00:02:51 sounds a lot like Paramore's Misery Business, which actually last week we learned that Paramore was just given a songwriting credit on it. You know, all of that, it sparked this larger conversation about the difference between copying something and just being influenced by it. With even the likes of Adam Levine going on Instagram and saying that all songwriters know

Starting point is 00:03:05 that it is possible to rip things off inadvertently. It's a natural thing for it to happen. And sometimes it gets ugly and sometimes it's warranted that people take legal action. Sometimes it's not warranted that people take legal action. And I think there's definitely become more of a gray area has like reared its ugly head these days. That Blurred Lines case was a landmark case

Starting point is 00:03:25 that kind of changed the game. Now, without giving an opinion on what I think as far as how that one turned out, I do think that we should probably meet this with a little more compassion and understanding and try to find a way. All this calling out and, it's like music is a creative thing

Starting point is 00:03:41 and I just hate to see it crushed. Adding that he thinks it's actually cool when younger artists are inspired by older ones because they can then pass on that music into a new generation. And adding that he himself is actually flattered when he's ripped off and has probably ripped off others without knowing.

Starting point is 00:03:53 And funny enough, this is actually similar to what Elvis Costello said when fans told him that Olivia had copied a part of his song. Tweeting at that time, it's how rock and roll works. You take the broken pieces of another thrill and make a brand new toy. That's what I did. But from this, you also have people taking aim at Adam,

Starting point is 00:04:05 calling him a hypocrite, people pulling up a tweet from 2013, where he allegedly said, "'Ugh, recycling old art for a younger generation doesn't make you an artist. It makes you an art teacher.' But also opinions can change. Each situation is different.

Starting point is 00:04:17 We kind of paint things with a broad brush. And so what I want to do here is pass the question off to you. Where do you stand on these debates? What do you think about the specific instances being talked about here? I'd love to know your thoughts and why. But from that, let's take a second to pay some bills and thank the fantastic sponsor of today's show, Keeps.

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Starting point is 00:05:06 go to keeps.com slash Franco, or just click that link in the description down below to receive 50% off your first order. And then we should only talk about the situation and the news surrounding the death of Elijah McClain. If you're not familiar, he was a 23 year old black man. He died back in 2019. This after reports explain an investigation found

Starting point is 00:05:22 that Aurora police had no legal basis to stop McLean. The officers putting McLean in a chokehold, which actually later led to state lawmakers banning law enforcement from using that restraint technique with paramedics in this specific instance, also reportedly injecting him with 500 milligrams of ketamine and all of that before he suffered cardiac arrest

Starting point is 00:05:38 and was eventually declared brain dead. But ultimately all of that brings us to the big news today because a Colorado grand jury has now returned a 32 count indictment against the police officers and paramedics. With the state's attorney general announcing today that three officers and two paramedics have been charged with manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide,

Starting point is 00:05:54 as well as a number of assault charges. And a lot of people have been waiting a long time for this to happen. Right, this notably happening after, as Axios notes, after the local district attorney reviewed the case and determined that no charges could be filed against the police or paramedics. Then about 14 months ago, Colorado governor Jared Polis

Starting point is 00:06:09 called for the state attorney general, Phil Weiser, to investigate the death and appointed Weiser as a special prosecutor. It's what's happening with the grand jury. It's the culmination of what we've seen over the past year, but Weiser does appear to be kind of trying to put limits on expectations saying, make no mistake, we recognize that this case will be difficult to prosecute.

Starting point is 00:06:25 These types of cases always are. And on the other side of this, you have the Aurora Police Association's board of directors issuing a statement saying that its officers did nothing wrong and argue that there is no evidence that APD officers caused his death. And while all of this is happening,

Starting point is 00:06:37 and remember there are a number of charges that I didn't even get into, there's also a separate investigation into the Aurora Police and Fire Department's practices that's ongoing. So a situation that is definitely gonna make sense to track and keep our eyes on. And then let's talk about two absolutely massive pieces

Starting point is 00:06:50 of news coming out of Texas involving restrictions and bans though an important note here is it's not just gonna be a Texas issue. And so where I wanna start is that the most restrictive abortion law in America has now gone into effect today in Texas after the Supreme Court did not act on a request to block the policy by a midnight deadline. The law, which bans nearly all abortions after six weeks,

Starting point is 00:07:08 notably before many people even know they're pregnant, also does not include exceptions for incest or rape. It also effectively ends Roe v. Wade protections in the state, going against Supreme Court precedents on the matter, right? Previously, the Supreme Court has forbidden states from banning abortions before fetal viability, the point where fetuses can live outside the womb,

Starting point is 00:07:23 which is usually between 22 and 24 weeks, which is why you had providers asking the Supreme Court to block the law earlier this week, saying in the application that it would prohibit nearly all abortions in the state, arguing that the policy will quote, "'Immediately and catastrophically reduce abortion access "'in Texas, barring care for at least 85%

Starting point is 00:07:38 "'of Texas abortion patients, "'those who are six weeks pregnant or greater, "'and likely forcing many abortion clinics "'ultimately to close.'" And beyond that, this law is also unprecedented because it includes a provision that allows private citizens to sue anyone else who helps someone obtain an abortion after six weeks.

Starting point is 00:07:52 So that not only includes doctors, clinic staff, and counselors, but also those who help pay for the procedure and even Uber drivers who took the patient to the clinic. And reportedly the citizens who filed those lawsuits don't even need to have a connection to the defendant or prove any personal injury, and they're entitled to

Starting point is 00:08:06 $10,000 in their legal fees if they win. Meanwhile the defendants who win are not entitled to legal fees and it turns out that provision specifically is incredibly significant for a number of reasons including that it makes it harder for the entire law to be challenged in court. Right? Well six-week abortion bans in other states have been blocked time and time again by federal judges. The lawsuits that were able to stop those laws from going into effect were filed against the government officials who would be enforcing them on the grounds that they were violating people's constitutionally protected rights. But the Texas law actually bars state officials

Starting point is 00:08:31 from enforcing the ban and only allows these random citizens to sue providers or anyone else who aids and abets those seeking abortions after six weeks. Now, notably here, the Supreme Court or lower federal courts could still issue a stay on the law, thus halting enforcement, and in the meantime, you have abortion rights groups

Starting point is 00:08:45 saying that they'll keep fighting it. But regardless, experts say that the Supreme Court's decision not to rule in this question just yet is almost certainly going to inspire other states to write copycat bills. But also, beyond the groups challenging this new law in court, regular citizens have also begun pushing back.

Starting point is 00:08:58 I mean, already we're seeing reports of people trolling a tip line set up by anti-abortion activists to report people who got an abortion after six weeks, with tons of people just flooding the website ProLifeWhistleblower.com with fake claims as well as Shrek porn and other memes. Though I imagine for that tactic to be effective people actually have to be consistent, keep up with it rather than being a one-time thing. Meanwhile, you have pro-choice groups also organizing protests against the law in Texas. Yeah, ultimately for now we're gonna have to wait to see what happens with this law.

Starting point is 00:09:22 And I mean as we've talked about for years now, especially with these new Supreme Court judges, this always seemed to be the road that we were gonna go down. But for now we'll have to wait and see. And of course I pass the question off to you. What are your thoughts on this? Also in other news, the six week abortion ban

Starting point is 00:09:35 is not the only conservative agenda item that's going into effect in the state today. In fact, according to reports, exactly 666 laws are becoming effective as of today. Some of which you could say have been pushed through because people praise false idols. And that goes beyond the laws taking effect today, right? And in addition to all of that,

Starting point is 00:09:51 yesterday both chambers of the Texas state legislature passed the elections bill that will impose incredibly restrictive voting rules. And despite the efforts of Democrats in the state, which at one point even included fleeing the state, the bill as of recording is on Greg Abbott's desk and we should expect it to be signed very soon. And among other things, this new law will ban drive-through

Starting point is 00:10:07 and 24 hour voting, both of which are very popular in democratic strongholds of Harris County and disproportionately used by voters of color. Also places several limits on mail-in voting, including establishing strict new ID requirements for voting by mail and making it a felony for election officials to send out unsolicited ballots to voters. It also creates penalties for those

Starting point is 00:10:24 who help people register to vote or cast a ballot, a move the critics say will make it harder for people who have disabilities or need translation help to vote. And it vastly expands the power of partisan poll watchers while creating new criminal and civil penalties for poll workers. Now, as far as what happens next,

Starting point is 00:10:37 Democrats in the Texas legislature say that they plan to take legal action against the new law, but for now the state joins at least 17 other states that have imposed new election restrictions in the aftermath of Trump's 2020 loss. And the last thing that we're gonna talk about today is a very alarming international story. Because a new report from the nonprofit Access Now

Starting point is 00:10:53 and Jigsaw, which is owned by Alphabet, has found that government-imposed internet shutdowns have proliferated at a truly alarming pace. In fact, saying that over the past decade, nearly 850 intentional shutdowns by governments across the world have been recorded. And while the researchers said that the data before 2016 is kind of patchy, nearly 850 intentional shutdowns by governments across the world have been recorded. And while the researchers said that the data before 2016 is kind of patchy, 768 of those shutdowns happened

Starting point is 00:11:09 in the last five years. Just last year alone, there were 155 shutdowns in 29 different countries. And already in the first five months of this year, there were already 50 more across 21 countries. And of those countries, India is easily the biggest offender with 109 of the 850 shutdowns. Meanwhile, Myanmar has imposed one of the world's

Starting point is 00:11:27 longest recorded shutdowns with two states in the country going 19 months and counting. Also notably according to researchers, that's resulted in a $2.1 billion economic loss in Myanmar. But of course this is more than just numbers, right? As the researchers noted, shutdowns cut off hundreds of millions of people from life-saving health information, education,

Starting point is 00:11:44 and work opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic. And adding, I mean, it's obvious, but needs to be said, authoritarian regimes often shut the internet down to silence protests, sway elections, hide human rights violations, and bargain with other bad actors. And since combating the shutdowns is so hard to do at a governmental or international level,

Starting point is 00:11:59 I mean, really one of the big takeaways and recommendations that people have seen is in those countries, VPNs and proxy servers, incredibly important, right? Allowing users to route internet traffic through other countries. But I mean, even with that, one, access to a VPN is not guaranteed. And two, in some countries they're actually illegal.

Starting point is 00:12:15 And so if you're not someone that's affected by this, I mean, don't take your access for granted because for many, the fight for a free and open internet is one that will likely continue for years and years for them. And ultimately with this story or really anything else stood out to you today, I'd love to know your thoughts

Starting point is 00:12:27 in those comments down below. Also, while maybe you're leaving that comment, you hit the like button, you subscribe, join the family. But no matter what you do, my name's been Philip DeFranco. You've just been filled in. I love yo faces and I'll see you tomorrow.

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The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 9.1 The Painful Truth About This Billie Eilish Scandal, Fake Vaccine Card Problems Getting Worse, Texas

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