The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 9.11 The Ashton Kutcher Mila Kunis Scandal Keeps Getting Worse, Vice News Is A Joke For This, & More News

Episode Date: September 11, 2023

Get an exclusive NordVPN deal here https://NordVPN.com/phil It's risk-free with Nord's 30-day money-back guarantee!   Go Buy http://WakeandMakeCoffee.com 50% OFF select orders! This new batch won’...t last long. Catch up on our latest PDS: https://youtu.be/_oHsXKkvhzk?si=AWtmQPYtoCLiIK_R Check out our daily newsletter! http://dailydip.co/pds  Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phillydefranco/?hl=en  –✩ TODAY’S STORIES ✩ – 00:00 - Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis Face Backlash for Masterson Letter & Apology 06:11 - Vice’s Close Ties to Saudi Gov. Scrutinized After It Pulls Video Critical of MBS 08:31- Laxatives Overused Amid Hybrid Work, Travel 10:42 - Red Cross Blames Current Blood Shortage on Climate Change-Driven Disasters 12:22 - Sponsored by NordVPN 13:19 - Parents Increasingly Charged Over Children’s Fentanyl-Related Deaths 14:43 - Luis Rubiales Resigns as Spanish Soccer President 16:20 - Morocco Earthquake Death Toll Nears 2,500 17:12 - U.S. and Vietnam Mark Historic Partnership 17:55 - Yesterday, Today Comment Segment ——————————   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 #AshtonKutcher #MilaKunis ———————————— Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Today, we're talking about Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis getting exposed after they defended Danny Masterson, and it just keeps getting worse and worse. The head of Spain's Soccer Federation has resigned after their kissing scandal. Vice is accepting Saudi blood money and covering up the country's human rights abuses. And Americans are so stressed out and clogged up, we're causing a nationwide laxative shortage. We're gonna talk about all that and so much more on today's brand new Philip DeFranco show. You daily dive into the news, powered, quite literally, by Wake & Make Coffee. Discover how smooth and delicious coffee is supposed to taste at wakeandmakecoffee.com, where you can
Starting point is 00:00:28 actually grab your first bags for up to 50% off. But we've got a lot of news to talk about and break down, so let's just jump into it. Starting with this Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis situation is bad. Like they have dug a hole so deep for themselves with this Danny Masterson situation, and it appears to just be getting deeper and deeper by the day. And there's a lot going on here, so let's start at the top. Because all of it stems from Danny Masterson situation, and it appears to just be getting deeper and deeper by the day. There's a lot going on here, so let's start at the top, because all of it stems from Danny Masterson's sentencing last week. We talked about it. He received the maximum sentencing of 30 years to life on Thursday over two rape convictions. Sometime after that news broke, we later learned that both Ashton and Mila were among dozens of people who wrote to the judge in support of him
Starting point is 00:00:57 before his sentencing. In his letter, Ashton called Danny a role model and added, I attribute not falling into the typical Hollywood life of drugs directly to Danny. He has always treated people with decency, equality, and generosity. Ashton also claiming it would be, quote, a tertiary injustice in and of itself if Danny's daughter were raised without him present. Mila then calling Danny a brother figure in writing, his caring nature and ability to offer guidance have been instrumental in my growth both personally and professionally. And adding one of the most remarkable aspects of Danny's character is his unwavering commitment to discouraging the use of drugs.
Starting point is 00:01:25 His influence on me in this regard has been invaluable. And they immediately received tons of backlash for doing this. With people saying things like, This whole, but I know him and he's a nice guy, he doesn't seem like he would do that. That mentality is precisely why so many survivors don't come forward to begin with. Just because someone is nice and pleasant to work with doesn't mean that they aren't capable of abuse. As well as, the dude is a rapist and Ashton Kutcher is out here trying to convince people he's a good guy. Men need to stop backing up their homies doing fucked up shit. Makes me wonder what you're also doing if you think that's okay. Others also
Starting point is 00:01:50 bring up the fact that Ashton is the founder of an anti-sex trafficking group saying he is a vile hypocrite for trying to lead the fight against sex trafficking while also defending a rapist. People calling for an investigation to be opened into his organization and others arguing that all credibility is not just gone but incinerated. But that is not where it ended because over the weekend, Ashton and Mila made a video addressing the backlash. We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters that we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson. We support victims. We have done this historically through our work and will continue to do so in the future. Saying that Masterson's family asked them to write character letters about the Danny
Starting point is 00:02:25 that they've known for 25 years so the judge could consider that when sentencing him, but... The letters were not written to question the legitimacy of the judicial system or the validity of the jury's ruling. They were intended for the judge to read and not to undermine the testimony of the victims or re-homicide them in any way.
Starting point is 00:02:43 We would never want to do that. And we're sorry if that has taken place. And they closed the video by saying their hearts go out to all victims of sexual abuse. But all of that did not sit well with a lot of people who thought that it was a terrible apology. With people saying it seemed like they weren't sorry for what they did, but rather that the public
Starting point is 00:02:58 found out about it. You also had one of the women, Danny, was convicted of raping, speaking out, telling journalist Yashar Ali that the video was incredibly insulting and hurtful and adding, my hope is that they learn radical accountability and the importance of self-education to learn when to keep their privilege in check. Especially Ashton, who claims to work with victims of sex crimes. And as to Mila, I can only think of Time's Up. We also had a bunch of celebrities weighing in on this whole situation. People like
Starting point is 00:03:19 Christina Ricci not mentioning anyone's names directly, but writing. So sometimes people we have loved and admired do horrible things. They might not do these things to us and we only know who they were to us, but that doesn't mean they didn't do the horrible things. And to describe it, the abused is a crime. People we know as awesome guys can be predators and abusers. It's tough to accept, but we have to. If we say we support victims, women, children, men, boys, then we must be able to take this stance. And saying that she herself has known awesome guys who have proven to be abusers and has had personal experience with this. And saying that is why it is so important to believe victims because it's not easy to come forward or to get a conviction. Also, Kathy Griffin echoing some of that in a TikTok saying,
Starting point is 00:03:54 I don't really care that when they were working on that 70s show, he was like a good guy to work with. And he worked actively to keep people off drugs because he's a Scientologist. And by the way, those freaks need to go down as well. My brother, who's now dead, his name was Ken Griffin, was a pedophile. And I tried to get him caught. Now, this was my brother. So I don't want to hear about Ashton and Mila and Giovanni Ribisi and people that feel like they had to stick up for Danny Masterson because he was their bro, he was their buddy. This was my own brother. And so the situation has just continued to grow and grow with more criticism and backlash coming in, especially against Ashton. Chrissy Bixler, Danny's ex, who's one of the women who accused him but didn't get a conviction, calling Ashton out.
Starting point is 00:04:40 Posting a cryptic message on Instagram saying she knows the secrets that Danny kept for him. They're saying that she was present when Ashton called Danny in February of 2001 and heard the plan. With many noting, she seemed to be referencing the day a woman Ashton had been dating was murdered by a serial killer. An important note there being that a man has already been convicted and sentenced over that crime. Ashton actually had to testify at the trial because he was supposed to see her the night that she was killed. But reportedly, after she didn't answer the door, he peered at the window and saw what he thought was spilled wine and later left. So that's why with this new situation, you had people thinking Chrissy was trying to suggest Ashton killed the woman by bringing up this secret and plan.
Starting point is 00:05:09 Though others are saying Chrissy wasn't trying to accuse him of murder, but rather suggest, quote, that he walked into the crime scene and saw the dead body, called his team and Danny Masterson, and they told him not to report it. But there, it is very important to note that this is all speculation, right? People trying to read in between a lot of lines. There are no real verified claims about Ashton's action that night. He was never been accused of anything related to that. And like I said, a man is already behind bars. But of course, unsurprisingly, with the attention this whole situation has gotten, Chrissy's post went viral. With that then leading to a lot of other stuff getting resurfaced, right? Tons of old clips of Ashton resurfacing going viral as well,
Starting point is 00:05:39 including one from Punk'd where Ashton at the age of 25 was talking about 15-year-old Hilary Duff. Hilary Duff is in Lizzie McGuire. She also has an album out um she's going to be in a movie called cheaper by the dozen and she's one of the girls that we're all waiting for to turn 18 along with the olsen twins others also bringing up things and old interviews he did with mila saying at the very least it's uncomfortable given how young she was when the show started again this is still a developing situation there are a lot of big reactions happening. And so with that, I got to pass the question off to you. What are your thoughts regarding the whole Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher part of this story? And then, this Vice News situation is so disappointing
Starting point is 00:06:14 and disgusting. If you happen to be paying attention to Vice News' YouTube channel back in June, you may have caught a nine-minute documentary video they put out about Mohammed Bonesaw. It was titled Inside Saudi Crown Prince's Ruthless Quest for Power. But then, four days later, it magically disappeared, with it being set to private after being viewed more than 750,000 times. So that was kind of weird, but you know, they're going through a lot of stuff. Maybe someone, you know, they clicked the wrong button. Except it wasn't an isolated incident.
Starting point is 00:06:36 Not long before that, freelance writers did a story for Vice about how the Saudi state is helping families to harass and threaten transgender Saudis based overseas. And there, despite getting a good reception from the outlet's editors, they say it was repeatedly postponed and then canceled, with multiple sources telling The Guardian that both stories were pulled because senior vice management feared for the safety of its staff in Saudi Arabia. But, very key thing, others instead pointed to a partnership deal that it struck back in January with the MBC Group, a Saudi state-owned media company to establish a joint venture in the kingdom. And with that saying that as Vice has
Starting point is 00:07:03 struggled to make money in recent years, it has accepted Saudi blood money and adjusted its coverage of the country as a consequence. And the outlet's relationship with the monarchy reportedly began back in 2017, with MBS's younger brother setting up a meeting between Vice's co-founder Shane Smith and the crown prince. And by 2018, Vice had received millions of dollars through the Saudi research and media group to produce promotional videos for the kingdom. But then, when MBS chopped up Jamal Khashoggi that same year, Vice paused all work in the kingdom. Though that apparently didn't last that long, because by the time the pandemic began, Vice was helping to organize a Saudi music festival subsidized by the Saudi government. And if you didn't know about that,
Starting point is 00:07:33 it's not your fault, because for some reason, it was so surprising the outlet's name was absent from the publicity materials. And this, as contractors working on the event were reportedly presented with non-disclosure agreements. Then, further showing the change in the relationship, in 2021, Vice opened an office in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, where it was once banned from filming in 2018. And last year, Vice's former president of news acknowledged to staff in a conference call that the Saudi regime, quote, had committed atrocities and done all sorts of terrible things, but then added, we have opened an office, we're staying there, we're committed to our presence in the region. If that's a step too far for you as a
Starting point is 00:08:01 human being on a personal level, then okay, go with God. No one is forcing you to work here. With all of that bringing us to this year's partnership deal and the stories getting shelved. Also in response to those stories getting shelved, the Vice Union put out a statement last month saying, we are horrified but not shocked. Adding we know the company is financially bankrupt, but it shouldn't be morally bankrupt too. Yet, after the outlet's bankruptcy back in May and its acquisition by new investors in July, it only appears to be expanding its presence in Saudi Arabia with numerous job listings for its Riyadh office. And all of this is part of a reported larger strategy shift away from news and toward lifestyle and entertainment content. And then if you are like an increasing number of people in America right now, you
Starting point is 00:08:34 are having bathroom problems. In fact, Americans are so constipated, more constipated than ever, it has caused a nationwide shortage of laxatives. And actually, according to gastrointestinal experts, travel and hybrid working schedules can lead to irregularity. So potentially that, along with the aging population in America, the lingering physical and psychological effects of the pandemic, and a general lack of fiber consumption has caused more Americans to turn to laxatives. In fact, according to the analytics company Pattern, Amazon searches for laxative pills have tripled in the last year, with the head of the gastroenterology Associates of New Jersey saying, it's crazy to think that our collective bowel dysfunction problems have gotten so bad
Starting point is 00:09:04 that we're literally running out of stool softeners. Actually, part of the reason for these shortages is a combination of misconceptions. First, and this was actually news to me, you do not need to poop every single day, once a day in order to be healthy. According to Mayo Clinic gastroenterology professor, Dr. Brian Lacey, anywhere between three poops a week to three poops a day is actually healthy and normal. And you don't need to immediately turn to laxatives if you're feeling constipated. With Dr. Lacey recommending adding more natural fiber from fresh fruit, vegetables, and whole grains. But also don't expect to immediately turn to laxatives if you're feeling constipated with dr lacy recommending adding more natural fiber from fresh fruit vegetables and whole grains but also don't expect to be immediately running to the bathroom because you ate a kiwi because it can typically take a few days to see the effect of natural fiber but unfortunately it's also not
Starting point is 00:09:33 just constipation that's turned people to laxative right because you've got influencers and a new rise of tiktokers who have been touting them as a weight loss solution and so we've been seeing more and more teens abusing them and in fact this is such a big issue i'm gonna stop gatekeeping something real quick and you know i'm serious big issue. I'm going to stop gatekeeping something real quick. And you know I'm serious about it because I'm about to show something and I'm not getting paid for it. But you should definitely try to incorporate more fruit and veg into your diet. Because just statistically, Americans suck at consuming fiber. I was the same way two years ago.
Starting point is 00:09:57 There are a lot of ways to get it into your diet. But as a pasta-loving Italian, I have turned to bonza pasta. It sounds stupid. It is chickpea pasta. They make it in all different forms. There's four servings per box. Each serving is 18% of your daily recommended fiber. And honestly, y'all remember what I used to look like. A huge part of that, what I credit is actually consuming the right amount of fiber in a day. And then this part may just be more of a personal thing. I personally found that when I was able to like take control of the way that I
Starting point is 00:10:21 was eating and do it in like a proper healthy way, it affected every aspect of my life. And I think that's because I realized like how you do something is how you do most things. And like, think about it three times a day, every day I eat. That's the number one habit I have. All things follow that. But hopefully this little bit at the end was helpful and, or maybe insightful and not just, you know, fucking annoying, like 98% of conversations around food and diet are. And then the American Red Cross just declared a national blood shortage. But the organization, which provides around 40% of Americans' blood donations,
Starting point is 00:10:49 saying in an announcement this morning that its supply has fallen to critically low levels. I mean, we're talking about dropping nearly 25% since just early August. And they say this shortage could threaten the medical care of patients with an emergency need for blood or people with critical conditions
Starting point is 00:11:01 who depend on life-saving blood transfusions. And very notably here, as far as what is causing this, Red Cross specifically said this was driven in part by back-to-back months of worsening climate-driven disasters. And specifically noting that Hurricane Idalia caused more than 700 units of blood and platelets to go uncollected, which is also why they said they're currently tracking Hurricane Lee and its potential impacts on the Northeast,
Starting point is 00:11:19 with a warning that if the storm ends up threatening the area, it could further hamstring the organization's ability to collect life-saving blood products during that critical time. But then beyond that, the Red Cross said these climate-related shortfalls are made even worse by low blood donor turnout last month, stemming from one of the busiest travel seasons on record
Starting point is 00:11:33 and back-to-school activities. We're talking about a 30,000 donation shortfall just in August. And while Red Cross officials noted that this time of year can be usually challenging, they also noted that it's part of a broader trend of declining donors, with blood donation in general
Starting point is 00:11:44 having been more difficult since the pandemic. More people are working from home, meaning there are fewer office-based blood drives. Also, when you have issues with school staff shortages, that causes there to be less donation programs at schools. And this is a new concerning problem because, I mean, the Red Cross declared its first ever blood crisis back in January of 2022. And while this one, at least so far, is not as bad as that one, the fact that we're looking at back-to-back shortages and the things that may be triggering them are getting even worse, that's not a great sign. And so if you can donate blood, is not as bad as that one. The fact that we're looking at back-to-back shortages and the things that may be triggering them or getting even worse, that's not a great sign.
Starting point is 00:12:07 And so if you can donate blood, please consider doing so. I mean, the Red Cross says that all blood types are urgently needed, but also they're noting there is an emergency need for platelet donors and type O blood donors. So yeah, go out there, save a life. It doesn't take that much time and you get to feel superior to the people around you.
Starting point is 00:12:21 Who doesn't want that? And then, no, travel's in full swing and who doesn't wanna find the best deals out there? And well, did you know that when you're looking for the best rates on flights, hotel rooms, rental cars, all that stuff, companies may actually be increasing prices for returning website visitors,
Starting point is 00:12:33 hoping that you'll make a purchase out of fear as you see the prices rising, right? And there are things like hotels and airlines can offer cheaper tickets to people in their home country. Alternatively, prices spike when interest suddenly increases. With that, the sponsor of today's show, NordVPN, and more directly, nordvpn.com.phil can help because Nord encrypts your network,
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Starting point is 00:13:13 four months free. And that deal at nordvpn.com slash drill is only around for a short time and it's risk-free with Nord's 30-day money-back guarantee. And then a growing number of parents in the United States are now being charged with murder when their children die from fentanyl related overdoses. Exposure to even a small die from fentanyl-related overdoses. Exposure to even a small amount of fentanyl can be incredibly dangerous, especially for kids. And authorities involved in these cases say that they believe some of the kids died because they touched something containing fentanyl and then touched their eyes or mouth, with the Associated Press explaining, The drug is not absorbed into the skin, but experts say it can be lethal if as little as two milligrams about the weight of a mosquito enters the body. And tragically, those deaths have become more and more common as the opioid crisis has escalated, and that also creating a need for prosecutors to deal with these horrible cases and try to prevent more from happening. And currently,
Starting point is 00:13:50 there are around 20 states in the U.S. that have what are known as drug-induced homicide laws that let prosecutors bring murder or manslaughter charges against anyone who supplies or exposes another person to drugs that causes a fatal overdose. Now, notably here, those laws were initially designed to target drug dealers, but we're now seeing their use being expanded. Meanwhile, though, in other states that don't have those laws, prosecutors are trying more novel approaches. With that, including California, where the AP reported that prosecutors in at least three counties are turning to drunk driving laws to charge parents whose children died from fentanyl overdose. And the argument there being that people who use fentanyl know how deadly it is. So, like drunk drivers, they should know the consequences of exposing their children to their actions.
Starting point is 00:14:27 Right, and those who support this method of prosecution say it can help deter other parents from exposing their kids to fentanyl. But on the other side, you have opponents saying these parents didn't mean to kill their kids and they're just being punished for making poor choices because of their addictions instead of being offered the help they need. So that's why with his growing story and debate, especially as the opioid crisis just continues to get worse, I'd love to know your thoughts on the matter. Which camp do you land in and why regarding the potential punishments? And then I gotta ask you, what kind of world do we live in where you can't kiss a woman on the mouth to let her know, hey, I think you did a good job. Like what is this, Nazi Germany? That is essentially the reaction I've seen from a few people regarding this whole Spanish Soccer
Starting point is 00:14:54 Federation scandal. Which I mean, so much is already happening, you might have already forgotten. You know, a little bit ago at the Women's World Cup, the president of the Spanish Soccer Federation decided that it was a good idea to kiss a player to celebrate. With all that leading to a shocking turn of events to at least one person, that it was a bad idea. Because Luis Rubiales has been facing calls to resign, and he actually finally did yesterday. Although to be clear, Luis Rubiales still thinks he did nothing wrong and vowed to clear his name, saying, I have faith in the truth, and I will do everything when it's in my hands so that it prevails. My daughters, my family, and the people that love me have suffered the effects of excessive persecution as well as many falsehoods.
Starting point is 00:15:26 But it's also true that in the street, every day more, the truth is being imposed. That being said, his continued role as the president of the federation was causing major issues, and it really wasn't tenable anymore. Not to mention that he was probably on his way out anyways. And that's because FIFA itself had suspended him for 90 days pending an investigation into the matter. And that's without mentioning that on Friday, Spanish prosecutors also filed a complaint against him. Though for context, that doesn't mean charges, it's just the first step in the investigative process by authorities. Additionally, with the women's team going as far as to say that for as long as he was around, they wouldn't play any more games.
Starting point is 00:15:53 Making matters even worse for him is that Jenny Hermosa, the woman he kissed, filed a formal complaint with prosecutors despite her initially saying it wasn't a big deal. Though there, I will say it's easy to see why she'd possibly say that at the start, as she was probably in a really awkward position. She probably just wanted to get past it. But all of this, like this entire thing has turned into kind of a reckoning for Spanish soccer. The team's manager has also been let go from his position after film of him inappropriately touching female staff surface. And honestly, at the very least, this entire thing is just a good reminder to not touch people inappropriately, which I know it sounds so stupid that I have to say that. It's not complicated. And then,
Starting point is 00:16:21 news out of Morocco is heartbreaking and tragic because they got hit by a 6.8 magnitude earthquake on Friday night. With that quake being near the high Atlas Mountains in the southeast, with the large city of Marrakech being nearby, and just so far, at least 2,600 people have been killed and 2,500 injured. And unfortunately, both of those numbers are expected to rise as rescue workers continue to dig through the rubble. Which also, speaking of the workers, there's been an international effort to help. So far, Spain has sent workers, while France, the UK, the workers, there's been an international effort to help. So far, Spain has sent workers, while France, the UK, the US, and Turkey have all offered substantial rescue aid.
Starting point is 00:16:48 And when you look into this, one of the reasons the death toll is so high here is that many of the buildings aren't really up to robust codes. We're talking about remote mountain villages, which has also meant getting to those damaged towns has been extremely difficult. And that actually being something
Starting point is 00:16:58 that Chef Jose Andres, who runs the World Central Kitchen, pointed out. With him noting that while they're on the ground trying to help, they're setting up kitchens, many of the roads are blocked, so they're gonna have to deliver it by foot. And something that's a really good example of that is, you know, even though this quake happened on Friday,
Starting point is 00:17:10 military aid workers only just arrived at the town in the quake's epicenter this morning. And then the U.S. has picked up another ally, with Vietnam giving the United States a comprehensive strategic partnership, which is the highest level of diplomatic ties that they have to offer. The two will pursue strategic cooperation
Starting point is 00:17:22 as well as a semiconductor supply chain that's immune from China. They'll also trade agricultural products. And notably, the U.S. is Vietnam's largest export market, and last year it was the fastest-growing economy in Asia. Despite a shared past of war, 84% of Vietnamese have a positive view of America, with only 11% having a negative view. And the shift by Vietnam is just as much about Vietnam's anxiety over China as it is over a desire to make more money with America, especially as American investors are already increasingly looking to Vietnam because of their large swath of highly educated young people who are extremely entrepreneurial in spirit. But also, this honeymoon phase might
Starting point is 00:17:50 not last long because the U.S. says it'll continue to press Vietnam on human rights. With last year, the U.S. saying it was neither free nor fair. And then, let's talk about yesterday today, although that name doesn't work today because the last show was Thursday, but I can't call this last week today. That sounds very close to me getting sued. Yeah, so even though it's not accurate, let's talk about yesterday today. Which I gotta say, for one of the first times ever, a lot of people didn't just kind of hone in on one or two stories. People were sounding off on everything we talked about. Starting with the whole Nina Agdal, Dylan Danis, Logan Paul lawsuit situation. With a number of y'all saying things like Dylan Danis' behavior is in line with a legal defamation lawsuit and
Starting point is 00:18:24 it's an easy open and shut case for lawyers. I'm calling Dylan Dennis one of the biggest embarrassments in the MMA community, and that's saying something. People saying the level of misogyny rapidly increasing on the internet as well as being celebrated is so disgusting. But also what was really notable with all these comments is it wasn't people, like, supporting Logan Paul. With a number of y'all agreeing with the comment and sentiment that Dylan and the world in general have a wealth of things to mock and slam Logan over, and yet he decided, eh, I'm just gonna harass the fuck out of his fiance. With people saying that Dylan's doing more than slut-shaming her, he is harassing her. Then, regarding Danny Masterson getting 30 years, a number of y'all were saying you were big fans back in the day, but that you're happy about this sentencing. A rapist is going to prison and
Starting point is 00:18:59 a Scientologist is being held accountable. People saying it was really insane that Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis asked the judge for leniency in the form of handwritten letters, which obviously we ended up talking about today because that was such a growing sentiment. Then, regarding the Ruby Frankie arrest and charges, a lot of people are pointing the finger at the dad, saying Ruby's husband was a part of the taking away of his son's bed,
Starting point is 00:19:15 saying he lost bed privileges and put him in a camp that is basically torture just as much as Ruby did. People saying investigate and arrest him. That wasn't just some rogue comment. One of the most liked comments on that show was dad was equally abusive and should also be criminally charged. Kids should never go back to those sickening parents. Then regarding the Rotten Tomatoes fraud accusations, one of the
Starting point is 00:19:31 most liked comments was I stopped using Rotten Tomatoes when I saw that Nacho Libre had a bad score. That's when I knew it couldn't be trusted, which I gotta say sounds like me and Catholicism because I stopped being Catholic when I was nine years old because the priest told me that dogs do not go to heaven. And apparently I just could not co-sign. And then finally, but also surprisingly, there were a lot of comments about our bee story. Which is that the Save the Bees narrative was actually too simplistic and may actually have been a bad thing. With a number of people in that space kind of just thanking us for doing that coverage. But one of y'all also sharing a fun piece of trivia.
Starting point is 00:19:58 Saying, California almond growers were trying to expand their orchards, but a conservation group took them to court because the expansion and use of honeybees would endanger four species of bees native to California. However, the almond growers won the case because, unfortunately, California's protected species list doesn't include bees or even insects. So the conservation group appealed and looked for any way to protect these bees, and they found a loophole through California's Fish and Game Commission. Because in the CFGC's definition of fish, they included invertebrates, but didn't specify marine, aquatic, etc.
Starting point is 00:20:24 So all invertebrates are considered fish, and fish are a protected species. So the conservation group's appeal was basically fish and game says invertebrates are fish. Bees are invertebrates, so by their definition, bees are fish. And fish are a protected species. Therefore, the almond growers can't expand because they'd be endangering a protected species. And they won the appeal. So because of a vaguely written definition, in California, bees and pretty much all insects are legally considered fish and classed as protected species. Which, actually, that is something that we've talked about on the show, but you did it even better than me.
Starting point is 00:20:50 It was, that was, you kept it tight. Yeah, thank you to everyone in the comments who are now contributing to my new favorite segment. And that is where today's Daily Dive into the News is gonna end. Thank you, as always, for watching. For more news you need to know, I got you covered right here. You can click or tap, or I got links in the description. And of course, remember, as always, my name's Philip DeFranco. You've just been filled in.
Starting point is 00:21:07 I love your faces and I'll see you right back here for more news tomorrow.

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