The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 9.24 NEW Joker Controversy, Trump Impeachment Whistleblower Updates, & Greta Thunberg Mocked

Starting point is 00:00:00 Sup you beautiful bastards. Hope you had a fantastic Tuesday. Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco show. As you may have noticed, yesterday we did not learn our lesson. We have made yet another XXL show today. So to show that love, if you love the big videos, be sure to hit that like button.

Starting point is 00:00:13 But with that said, let's just jump into it. And the first thing we're gonna talk about today is, you guys can stop sending me this clip that I guess blew up on Reddit. You guys are now part of the Streamy Clue. Philip DeFranco, why don't you notice me? Notice me, Philip DeFranco. I think you're so handsome.

Starting point is 00:00:34 You have a husband. That little boy has his dad's back and I respect that. So one, that wasn't actually me. If I'm on Twitch, I just use my old DeFranco games account. But also two, consider yourself noticed, hello. Anyway, moving on. And then let's talk about Joaquin Phoenix and the new Joker movie.

Starting point is 00:00:52 And so for those unfamiliar, next week Warner Brothers is releasing a film called Joker, which is a standalone film based on the Batman villain. And reportedly the movie depicts him as a failed standup comedian who's been cast aside from society, right? He starts to spiral into these violent acts that ultimately lead him to become the Joker.

Starting point is 00:01:05 And there's been a ton of buzz around this movie. It's expected to do amazing at the box office. People are even talking about a few Oscar nominations. And while the film has already been met with acclaim, it's taken top prize at the Venice Film Festival, it's also been met with some criticism. And that's because at least in part, there are many that think that the story of a man

Starting point is 00:01:21 who sees himself as an outcast dissenting into violence looks a little bit too familiar to those who perpetrate mass killings today. With some also saying that this film not only starts to glorify this violence, but also asks the audience to begin to sympathize with its creator. For example, we saw Vanity Fair's review of the film say,

Starting point is 00:01:35 "'It may be irresponsible propaganda "'for the very men it pathologizes.'" You also had IndieWire calling it "'a toxic rallying cry for self-pitying incels.'" Right, so it was already getting kind of this fair amount of controversy heading into its opening. And so the criticism around this line of thinking

Starting point is 00:01:48 is now making headlines today because the family members of the victims of the 2012 shooting in Aurora, Colorado wrote to Warner Brothers CEO, Ann Sarnoff. Which it's worth noting here, Joker actually won't be screened in the remodeled version of the theater where that tragic shooting took place.

Starting point is 00:02:00 But the letter that they wrote addresses gun violence in America, how Joker plays into it, and how the production company can take a major stand. That letter was obtained and printed in full by Variety and starts off, Dear Anne Sarnoff, We are the family members and friends of the 12 people killed at the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colorado

Starting point is 00:02:15 at a screening of The Dark Knight Rises on July 20th, 2012. This tragic event perpetrated by a socially isolated individual who felt wronged by society has changed the course of our lives. As a result, we have committed ourselves to ensuring that no other family ever has to go through the absolute hell we have experienced and the pain we continue to live with.

Starting point is 00:02:32 Trust us, it does not go away. When we learned that Warner Brothers was releasing a movie called Joker that presents the character as a protagonist with a sympathetic origin story, it gave us pause. We want to be clear that we support your right to free speech and free expression. But as anyone who has ever seen a comic book movie

Starting point is 00:02:46 can tell you, with great power comes great responsibility. That's why we're calling on you to use your massive platform and influence to join us in our fight to build safer communities with fewer guns." The letter then goes on to note that companies like Walmart and CBS have taken their own actions against gun violence and asked them to do the same, specifically requesting that they stop contributing

Starting point is 00:03:02 to candidates who take money from the NRA and vote against gun reform, use their own political clout in Congress to lobby for gun reform, and to donate to survivor funds and gun violence intervention programs. And that letter is signed by five people who either lost a relative or were related to a witness of the shooting.

Starting point is 00:03:16 And with this, the Hollywood Reporter spoke to some of the people who signed this letter. You had Sandy Phillips, who lost her daughter, say, "'I don't need to see a picture of the person "'who committed the shooting. "'I just need to see a Joker promo "'and I see a picture of the killer. And adding, my worry is that one person who may be out there, and who knows if it is just one, who's on the edge, who is wanting to be a

Starting point is 00:03:31 mass shooter, may be encouraged by this movie and that terrifies me. Though, regarding that, not everyone who worked on this letter believed that there is a correlation between film violence and real world violence. For example, Igor Volsky, executive director of Guns Down America, who advised the family members on this letter, was quoted in Variety saying, "'I generally follow the science on this stuff, "'and the science has repeatedly found no link "'between violent movies and real-world violent crime. "'That's the reality of the situation.

Starting point is 00:03:54 "'The real issue isn't violence and what Hollywood makes. "'It's that it's incredibly easy "'to obtain firearms in America.'" And you know, this debate, the concerns around this movie, were also in the past week brought to Joaquin Phoenix. For example, on Friday, The Telegraph published an interview with Joaquin Phoenix, who plays the Joker. And reportedly when he was asked about this,

Starting point is 00:04:09 he walked out of the interview and didn't come back until the writer spends an hour negotiating with the Warner Brothers PR team. The writer, critic Robbie Collins, said that he asked Phoenix, quote, "'Aren't you worried that this film might perversely "'end up inspiring exactly the kind of people it's about "'with potentially tragic results?'

Starting point is 00:04:22 And it appeared that Phoenix had never considered this angle, responding, "'Why, why would you, no, no. The writer then continues to say that Phoenix stands up, shuffles towards me, clasps my hands between his and walks out of the door. But also something that Colin noted is that as far as the question was concerned,

Starting point is 00:04:36 it quote, genuinely hadn't crossed his mind before. But also kind of regarding this line of thinking, the questions about this. Speaking to IGN in a piece that was published yesterday, the film's writer and director, Todd Phillips, defended the film's meaning, saying, "'The movie makes statements about a lack of love, "'childhood trauma, lack of compassion in the world.

Starting point is 00:04:51 "'I think people can handle that message.'" And Phoenix has also backed the film up by saying, "'Well, I think that, for most of us, "'you're able to tell the difference "'between right and wrong, and those that aren't "'are capable of interpreting anything "'in the way that they may want to. "'People misinterpret lyrics from songs.

Starting point is 00:05:03 "'They misinterpret passages from books. "'So I don't think it's the responsibility of a filmmaker to teach the audience morality or the difference between right or wrong. I mean, to me, I think that that's obvious. And as far as fueling violence, Phoenix also added, I think if you have somebody that has that level of emotional disturbance,

Starting point is 00:05:17 they can find fuel anywhere. I just don't think that you can function that way. And as of right now, that is where the story is. And as far as my reaction to it, one, I try not to judge things like movies or games until I actually experienced them. Two, I can sympathize with the families and the friends of victims that experienced this having concerns.

Starting point is 00:05:34 But also three, I have to agree with those defending the movie. I do not believe you can blame movies and video games and music for acts of violence. And also for the sake of transparency, understand I am saying this as someone that personally loves one, origin stories, but two, any kind of origin story for a villain

Starting point is 00:05:49 that makes them more human. But I think it can be this healthy reminder that the best and worst is possible of all human beings. While that can prove to be a moving entertainment piece, I think it can also serve as a cautionary tale. But also, once again, at this point, I haven't seen the movie. That said, of course, I'd love to know your thoughts

Starting point is 00:06:03 on this controversy. Then a quick update regarding the Donald Trump, Biden, Ukraine situation that we talked about yesterday. If you're unfamiliar with what I'm talking about, watch yesterday's show. According to reports from Axios, Democratic chairs of the House Intelligence Oversight and Foreign Affairs Committee sent a letter

Starting point is 00:06:15 to White House Counsel on Tuesday demanding that the Trump administration turn over documents related to the President's alleged attempts to pressure the Ukrainian government to investigate Joe Biden by Thursday. We also saw reports that Joe Biden would back the impeachment of President Trump if the White House refused to comply

Starting point is 00:06:27 with requests for information from Congress. We also saw reports that President Trump confirmed that he did withhold nearly $400 million from Ukraine, but claiming that, you know, this wasn't any kind of quid pro quo, wasn't extortion or anything related to Biden, but rather saying it's because he wanted other European nations to contribute,

Starting point is 00:06:42 saying, I want other countries to put up money. I think it's unfair that we put up the money. And people called me, they said, oh, let it go. And I let it go, we paid the money. The money was paid, but very importantly, Germany, France, other countries should put up money. And that's been my complaint from the beginning. Although regarding that, people pointed to,

Starting point is 00:06:54 as recently as yesterday, him saying that he was nervous about the money because of corruption. And then probably the biggest update to the story, like I said yesterday, there was nothing bad on the phone call with Ukraine's president, just release the transcript. You know, he said he wants to release the transcript. Some on his team, they're kind of shy about releasing it. So regarding that today, we saw Trump say that he has authorized the release tomorrow of the complete, fully declassified and unredacted

Starting point is 00:07:15 transcript of my phone call conversation with President Zelensky of Ukraine. So as I said yesterday, this will be extremely helpful since reportedly the whistleblower complaint did not have, quote, firsthand knowledge, according to some sources. So like I said yesterday this is what I've been looking for. That said according to the Axios report on this some Democrats are worried that the transcript will be treated as a replacement for releasing the full whistleblower complaint which reportedly involves a series of events beyond just the call that allegedly involves Trump and Ukraine. You also had Virginia Congressman Don Beyer tweeting not good enough. The word of a man who drew on a weather map with a sharpie and lied to the American people

Starting point is 00:07:44 thousands of times is not going to cut it. Congress must receive the whistleblower documents and hear their testimony. Which regarding the altering of a tape or a transcript, some noted that that was done to the Nixon tapes during Watergate. So we'll be waiting to see what happens next there.

Starting point is 00:07:56 And actually some more updates. This was supposed to just be a kind of a quickie mention. One, regarding the Ukraine whistleblower and this potentially being more than a phone call, it's being reported that the Ukraine whistleblower wants this potentially being more than a phone call, it's being reported that the Ukraine whistleblower wants to speak with the House and Senate Intel Committees. And two, it's being reported that as this video goes up and or right after, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Starting point is 00:08:12 is expected to announce a formal impeachment inquiry of Trump. So there's that. And then let's talk about some major updates concerning Brexit and the UK's parliament. And so before touching the updates, I always try to kind of boil down what you need to know and understand that as an oversimplification here.

Starting point is 00:08:26 You know, a few weeks ago, we told you how Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked the Queen to suspend parliament, which added another week to an already scheduled recess. And Johnson had said that he was doing this to create a quote, new bold and ambitious domestic agenda. But critics said this was actually an attempt by Johnson

Starting point is 00:08:39 to potentially go through with a no deal Brexit, which in the past, Johnson has said that he will go through with Brexit by the current October 31st deadline with or without a deal. So you then had opposition lawmakers working to stop Johnson. We saw them pass a bill that would bar him from going through with a no deal.

Starting point is 00:08:53 We also saw them pass an order for Johnson to release his private communications about his Brexit plans. And you also had Johnson not once, but twice calling for elections. Elections that would open up all 650 seats in the House of Commons three years early. Notably here, that would also have included

Starting point is 00:09:05 his own position as Prime Minister, but Johnson ended up failing to get enough votes both times. And ultimately, Parliament was suspended on September 9th, with it being scheduled to resume on October 14th. And so what we ended up actually seeing is that right after Johnson announced the suspension, you had the move being challenged in a Scottish court. There, it was ruled to be unlawful.

Starting point is 00:09:21 Following that, Johnson's government then appealed that ruling, thus sending it to the UK Supreme Court. And all of that brings us to today, where their Supreme Court voted unanimously to rule the suspension unlawful, void, and of no effect. And as far as its reasoning here, the court's president, Lady Brenda Hale, said, It prevented Parliament from carrying out its constitutional role for five out of the possible eight weeks between the end of the summer recess and exit day on the 31st of October. Parliament, and in particular the House of Commons, as the elected representatives of the people, has a right to a voice in how that change comes about. Right, and so basically what

Starting point is 00:09:59 she's saying here is that the suspension was a political move to block Parliament from debating Brexit. And also a note of massive significance here, many are interpreting that this ruling suggests that Johnson misled the Queen, though the court stopped short of directly saying that. And also, it's important to note here how unusual this entire case is. Unlike the United States, where we frequently use courts to review government decision,

Starting point is 00:10:16 that's not really the case in the UK, which is why you may have seen other news outlets calling this ruling unprecedented. Now following the Supreme Court decision, we saw Johnson respond. I strongly disagree with this decision following the Supreme Court decision, we saw Johnson respond. I strongly disagree with this decision of the Supreme Court. I have utmost respect for our judiciary.

Starting point is 00:10:30 I don't think this was the right decision. But at the same time, Johnson said that he would respect the court's decision, also saying that the UK would be out of the European Union by the end of October. This, once again, notably despite the new law barring Johnson from executing a no deal. However, and this is really big here, Johnson actually has the ability to again ask the Queen

Starting point is 00:10:45 to suspend Parliament. And today, he hinted at the possibility of doing just that. Also, following the Supreme Court decision, we saw Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, saying the Parliament will reconvene tomorrow. MPs are now expected to hold emergency debates. Another potentially big thing here is that this suspension would have essentially deleted any pending bills

Starting point is 00:11:00 that weren't passed before lawmakers left. But now those bills are back on the table, and reportedly some of those include Brexit-related legislation concerning immigration, fisheries, and agriculture. Also today we're seeing a fresh wave of backlash and calls for Boris Johnson to resign. You had Boris lie to the Queen trending on Twitter. Notably, you had multiple lawmakers calling on Johnson to resign. This including Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who said that he was inviting Johnson to be the UK's shortest serving PM. It demonstrates a contempt for democracy and an abuse of power by him. I will be in touch immediately to demand that Parliament is recalled so that we can

Starting point is 00:11:35 question that Prime Minister, demand that he obeys the law that's been passed by Parliament and recognize that our Parliament is elected by our people to hold our government to account. And I invite Boris Johnson, in the historic words, to consider his position. You also had the Scottish First Minister and leader of the Liberal Democrat Party saying Johnson isn't fit to be PM. And you also had the leader of the Brexit Party,

Starting point is 00:12:03 Nigel Farage, saying that the suspension was, quote, the worst political decision ever, though he stopped short of calling for Johnson to resign, instead saying that Johnson should fire his most senior aide, who is thought to be behind the plan to suspend Parliament. There's also talk of potentially holding a vote of no confidence against Johnson,

Starting point is 00:12:17 but really that's where we are as of filming this video. It's gonna be interesting to see what happens here. You know, when we talk about kind of like what's being said publicly, especially when it comes to the UK, it's true in general, but especially it feels like in the UK, you have to kind of take into account the theater of it all. Yeah. I mean, one of the things to understand is as all of this is happening, they're getting closer and closer to that cliff's edge. Yeah. Of course, as always, I love to know everyone's thoughts when it comes to the UK

Starting point is 00:12:39 and the EU. I especially would love to know your thoughts on this one. Yeah. For now we have to wait and see. And then let's talk about the UN Climate Summit and Greta Thunberg. We've talked about Greta on the show before. If you're unfamiliar, Greta is a 16 year old Swedish girl who has become just a massive environmental leader. Greta first gaining national attention last year when she started the Fridays for Future movement

Starting point is 00:12:57 where students and other young people all around the world would skip school on Fridays to hold climate strikes and call for global leaders to address climate change. And these events are reportedly huge. Just this last Friday, there were thousands of strikes held in more than 160 countries. According to the Fridays for Future webpage, an estimated 4 million people turned out, which, if true, would make it one of the largest climate protests ever. Greta ended up marching in the strike in New York,

Starting point is 00:13:17 this in part because she was set to give a speech at the UN Climate Summit in the city on Monday. And in fact, yesterday we did see Greta deliver a speech to the UN. My message is that we'll be watching you. FanDuel Casino's exclusive live dealer studio has your chance at the number one feeling, winning. Which beats even the 27th best feeling, saying I do. Who wants this last parachute?

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Starting point is 00:14:34 How dare you? You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet I'm one of the lucky ones. People are suffering, people are dying, entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you? You are failing us. But the young people are starting to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all future generations are upon you and if you choose to fail us I say we will never forgive you.

Starting point is 00:15:32 We will not let you get away with this. Right here, right now is where we draw the line. The world is waking up and change is coming whether you like it or not. And notably after that, Greta, along with 15 other kids from 12 countries, filed a formal complaint with the United Nations Committee

Starting point is 00:15:49 on the Rights of the Child, alleging that Germany, France, Brazil, Argentina, and Turkey have violated child human rights by failing to adequately address climate change. And after that speech, we saw a number of reactions. On one side, you had people sharing the video of Greta, praising her, and among those, you had Republican and former governor John Kasich who wrote,

Starting point is 00:16:05 what an amazing accomplishment for Greta Thunberg, who's uniting the world about the critical importance of our environment. She should be praised and viewed as an example of how change really happens from the bottom up. But on the other side of this, we also saw people criticizing Greta and her movement.

Starting point is 00:16:18 And one of the moments and comments that has really kind of gained the most spotlight on this side was while speaking on Fox News yesterday, we saw conservative commentator Michael Knowles say this. The climate hysteria movement is not about science. If it were about science, it would be led by scientists rather than by politicians and a mentally ill Swedish child who is being exploited by her parents

Starting point is 00:16:38 and by the international world. And after that, we saw this interaction between Knowles and a progressive podcast hosted by the name of Chris Hahn, who was the other guest on the show. Yeah, I mean, you're a grown man and you're attacking a child. Shame on you. She's trying to do what she thinks is right. And by the way, now, relax, skinny boy. I got this. OK, you're attacking a child. You're a grown man.

Starting point is 00:16:58 Have some. I'm not. I'm attacking. OK, when you're on television, Hahn then asks Knowles to apologize. And Knowles says this. I think the international left and her parents who are exploiting a girl with many mental illnesses. You called her mentally ill. Take it back now. She is mentally ill. Take it back now. She is mentally ill.

Starting point is 00:17:14 She has autism. Take it back now. She has obsessive compulsive disorder. She has selective mutism. You are despicable. And after that interview, we saw a number of people condemning Knowles. Some pointing out that Greta has been very vocal

Starting point is 00:17:26 about the fact that she has Asperger's, something she has embraced and referred to as her superpower. Autism organizations also condemned Noel's remarks, like the executive director of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, who said in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, "'It's absolutely unconscionable

Starting point is 00:17:37 "'to attack someone for their disability, "'especially when that person is a child. "'History is full of autistic people "'and people with other cognitive disabilities "'who were and are compelling, "'credible activists and leaders. "'Greta is a child. History is full of autistic people and people with other cognitive disabilities who were and are compelling, credible activists and leaders. Greta is a part of that tradition and our community is lucky to have her, period. We also saw Fox News later apologize

Starting point is 00:17:52 for the incident telling the Washington Post in a statement, "'The comment made by Michael Knowles, "'who is a guest on the story tonight was disgraceful. "'We apologize to Greta Thunberg and to our viewers.'" And also adding that the network had no plans to book Knowles again. But even with this, Knowles still doubled down

Starting point is 00:18:05 and defended himself on Twitter, writing, "'There is nothing shameful about living "'with mental disorders. "'Your suggestion to the contrary is not only wrong, "'but deeply offensive.' "'Did Greta's mother insult her when she wrote a book "'describing the child's struggles "'with mental and developmental disorders?'

Starting point is 00:18:17 And later adding, "'Children should never be exploited for political purposes "'and mentally ill children are particularly vulnerable.'" Like I said, that was kind of just one of the main moments that had gained a lot of spotlight. Some of the other ones that have now gained traction, you had Fox News host Laura Ingraham showing part of Greta's speech to the UN

Starting point is 00:18:30 and then comparing her to the movie Children of the Corn. Anyone else find that chilling? A time of tribulation has come. A test is at hand. The final test. I can't wait for Stephen King's sequel, "'Children of the Climate." Interestingly, that remark got a lot of backlash

Starting point is 00:18:50 from people including Ingram's own brother, who tweeted, clearly my sister's paycheck is more important than the world her three adopted kids will inherit. I can no longer apologize for a sibling who I no longer recognize. I can and will continue to call out the monstrous behavior and the bully commentary born out of anger.

Starting point is 00:19:04 You also had conservative commentator, Dinesh D'Souza, getting a lot of heat for comparing Greta to a Nazi this weekend, tweeting, "'Children, notably Nordic white girls with braids and red cheeks, were often used in Nazi propaganda. Looks like today's progressive left is still learning its game from an earlier left in the 1930s.'" And we also saw President Trump chiming in with a tweet,

Starting point is 00:19:20 which people have said seems to make fun of Greta by sharing a video of her speech on Twitter with the caption, "'She seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful people have said seems to make fun of Greta by sharing a video of her speech on Twitter with the caption, she seems like a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future. So nice to see. To which it appears that Greta responded by changing her bio to a very happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future.

Starting point is 00:19:34 Which is fantastic news for those of you that had the president of the United States and a 16 year old girl beefing and trolling each other on Twitter on your 2019 bingo card. Yeah, that's where we are with this one. And of course, I'd love to know your thoughts on it. And that's where I'm going to end today's show. And hey, if you liked today's video,

Starting point is 00:19:48 let us know, hit that like button. Also, if you're new here, you want more of these daily dives into the news, be sure to hit that subscribe button. Definitely tap that bell to turn on notifications. Also, if you're not 100% filled in, you can check out kind of this random behind the scenes video I put out yesterday,

Starting point is 00:20:01 or maybe you just missed yesterday's Philip DeFranco show, you wanna catch up, you can click or tap right there to watch either of those. But with that said, of course, as always just missed yesterday's Philip DeFranco show. You want to catch up. You can click or tap right there to watch either of those. But with that said, of course, as always, my name's Philip DeFranco. You've just been filled in. I love your faces, and I'll see you tomorrow.

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The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 9.24 NEW Joker Controversy, Trump Impeachment Whistleblower Updates, & Greta Thunberg Mocked

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