The Philip DeFranco Show - The Alan Ritchson Situation Just Got Worse...For the Guy He Beat Up & Today’s News

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Starting point is 00:01:46 Take control of your well-being and book an assessment today. Medcan. Live well for life. Visit medcan.com.com slash moments to get started. New body cam footage of the Allen Richardson Street Fight just dropped and it paints a very different picture. A quadruple amputee cornhole champion was just arrested for murder. Elizabeth Warren's questioning Mr. Beast. Someone won 93% of their bets on secret military strikes while the president's son's invested in the platform. Saudi Arabia is pushing Trump to escalate in Iran. And Trump's trying to get the Supreme Court to throw out your mail-in ballot, even though he mailed in this year.

Starting point is 00:02:16 We're talking about all of that and even more on today's brand new Philip DeFranco show you daily dive into the news. I hope you having a good Tuesday. But let's start with this. The Star Reacher got into an actual street fight with his neighbor in a Nashville suburb. There's even video of it. And the neighbor, it may. that he started it. So Alan Richson, the guy who plays Jack Reacher on the Netflix show, he just starred in War Machine. Though I will say he'll always be Thad Castle to me. Remember Blue Mountain State?

Starting point is 00:02:37 Oh man, we're getting old. He lives in Brentwood, Tennessee, an upscale neighborhood south in Nashville. And he's back in the States after filming back-to-back movies in Australia and New Zealand. And according to a neighbor named Ronnie Taylor, this all actually started on Saturday when he said that he saw Richson speeding through the neighborhood on a motorcycle and causing a disturbance. Taylor apparently flips him off, Richson returns the gesture, and to day one. But then on Sunday, Taylor says that he spotted Richson on the motorcycle. motorcycle again. And this time, there were two individuals there are believed to be his young

Starting point is 00:03:02 sons also on motorbikes. And Taylor says that he told Richson, can you fucking stop this, please, with then things going sideways. Now, here's the thing. There are two videos. One video that was put out by TMZ shows Richson's green Kawasaki on the ground and shows the actor appearing to hit Taylor multiple times while they're on the grass of a front lawn. And you see two others on motorbikes, those are believed to be Richson's sons. They're just watching from the street. And so in addition to going, oh wow, this is really happening. You're left wondering, how did this start? And so that then brings us to the other video that shows Taylor stepping in front of Richson's motorcycle in the middle of a residential street. But Taylor caused Richson to crash, and so you have Richson saying from the ground,

Starting point is 00:03:35 the video continues from there, but here's also a very big thing. Taylor himself admitted to TMZ that he started the physical confrontation. He said, I did push him because he was coming towards me on his bike. He did it again for a second time. I pushed him a second time. I think the second time he got off his bike and it kicked the crap out of me. With TMZ also reporting that Taylor dared Allen to hit him, while Richson was still on the ground after the crash and that Richson tried to leave the scene

Starting point is 00:03:59 before Taylor shoved him. So just to recap, the neighbors stepped in front of a moving motorcycle, caused a crash, admitted that he pushed Richson twice, dared him to fight, and then he went to TMZ about it. You know, ultimately we're gonna see how this plays out. You had the Brentwood Police Captain Steve Pepin confirming to USA Today that officers responded to the area

Starting point is 00:04:16 just before 2 PM on Sunday after several witnesses called 911. And he said that we are aware of the incident, we are investigating and no arrest has been made. With the investigation expected to continue for the next few days, As far as Richson, he stayed completely silent for the most part. Well, Taylor gave multiple interviews to TMZ and the videos were spreading everywhere.

Starting point is 00:04:32 He was quiet, but then Tuesday morning, he just posted an image to social media with no caption. It was a quote, reading, never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake. So we post that, he doesn't add any context, really didn't address the situation directly, but it's kind of obvious. You see that he's posting this right after his neighbor

Starting point is 00:04:48 gave multiple public statements that included, admitting that he shoved Richardson first and dared him to fight, it kind of makes the implication pretty hard to miss. And as most legal experts will tell you, when you're involved in a potential legal matter, speaking publicly, it just creates risks, including self-incrimination. So whether you think Richson was right here, or he handled it well or poorly, the aftermath, right, that the strategy there, it's pretty clear. Let the other guy keep talking.

Starting point is 00:05:09 So we wait to see what happens there. I gotta pass a question off to you. What are your thoughts here? Is Richson in the wrong here? Is Taylor in the wrong here? Both? I'd love to know your thoughts. Especially because online, people are all over the place.

Starting point is 00:05:19 I mean, some even saw what they think is a MAGA hat behind Taylor and his interview and they were like, okay, I don't need to know anything else. Yeah, let me know what you think. And then this actually, not the only wild story that people are picking apart online right now. Because another thing we got to break down is that a quadruple amputee cornhole champion was just arrested on murder charges over a fatal shooting.

Starting point is 00:05:36 And if you're wondering how he could have done that, he actually previously posted video showing how he's able to use firearms. So the man in question here is Dayton Weber. And when Dayton was only 10 months old, his arms and legs had to be amputated to treat a serious bacterial infection that he contracted. So he's been a quadruple amputee ever since, teaching himself to write, drive,

Starting point is 00:06:02 and play cornhole, which he's currently a pro at. He was even previously named the best cornhole player in the state of Maryland, and now he's in the American Cornhole League, which is apparently a thing I didn't know about until today. And he's also the first quadruple amputee to compete in it. So he's been featured on ESPN, written blogs, for the Today Show and become a very prominent player. And today's in the news because police officers

Starting point is 00:06:19 in La Plata, Maryland, arrested him for shooting a passenger in his car. But according to a release on their website, officers were flagged down by two witnesses who said that they were in the back seat of a car when the driver Dayton shot and killed a front seat passenger during an argument. Dayton allegedly pulled over and asked the witnesses to help pull the victim out of the car,

Starting point is 00:06:34 but they refused and fled the scene, and Dayton apparently fled as well with the victim still in the car. And then, fast forward two hours later when a person called 911 to report a body found in a yard around 15 miles away from where the incident allegedly took place. When the police got there and they found the victim, Bradrick Michael Wells, he was pronounced dead. With him then arresting Dayton, who was at a hospital in Virginia seeking treatment for an unspecified medical issue, and he's now awaiting extradition back to Maryland where he'll be charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and other related offenses. And understandably, this story has really blown up because, well, as this local news anchor put it,

Starting point is 00:07:04 the big question is, is how did someone with no hands allegedly shoot someone? That was a question that was quickly answered as people started finding old YouTube videos from an account believed to be his where he shows himself shooting guns. So the story just kept getting bigger and bigger from there, with a lot of people just kind of shocked that there's a video showing that he's capable of shooting a gun because most people saw the original headline and were like, huh? And for their part, the American Cornhole League released a statement saying that they're aware of the allegations against Dayton and quote,

Starting point is 00:07:27 Our thoughts are with those impacts and including the family and loved ones of Bradrick Michael Wells, saying at this time, this remains an active legal situation. We respect the judicial process and will not comment on specific allegations or details while proceedings are ongoing. But the next up from that, let's talk about a story that feels like it was made in a madlib generator. Senator Elizabeth Warren is afraid that Mr. Beast might start pushing crypto to kids. And so she sent him a letter demanding information about his plans to expand into financial services after he acquired a platform called Step. And in that letter, she notably didn't accuse Mr. Beast or his company of any wrongdoing, but, she did say, Beast Industries is primarily an entertainment and consumer product company, and any foray into financial services, particularly services aimed at children, must be done with great care and in compliance with the law. Because for context, Step is an app designed to help kids and young people get a head start on their finances. And Mr. B said that he joined forces with them because, quote, nobody taught me about investing, building credit or managing money when I was growing up and saying, I want to give millions of young people the financial foundation I never had. But also, you have people pointing to the fact that the platform has faced some controversy in the past, previously announcing plans to become the

Starting point is 00:08:27 the first financial app that will allow both teens under 18 and young adults to buy, sell, hold, and receive crypto. And while teen crypto investments had to be overseen by parents, Step ended up quickly backing away from that product, with Warren noting, despite Step's careful claims that crypto investing by minors was only with the permission of a parent or guardian, Step published resources encouraging kids to pressure their parents into crypto investments, saying they published a video called How to Talk to Your Parents About Investing in Crypto, and it was targeted at kids whose parents want nothing to do with crypto.

Starting point is 00:08:54 In that video, apparently, quote, coaches children on how to convince their people. parents to let them make investments their parents may not want and include specific scripts. And then Warren also noting that Stapp previously targeted tons of social media videos to teens by discussing teen's side hustles and summer jobs and would then also push posts encouraging crypto investments. So now with that company in Mr. B's hands, you have Warren seeming a little skeptical. Reportedly around 40% of his viewers are between 13 and 17 and the vast majority are younger than 25. And he would Warren also arguing that the company has no reported experience in financial services and banking products and dadding, Beast Industries, corporate history raises concerns about

Starting point is 00:09:25 its ability to manage a financial technology company, particularly one targeting children and teens. With reporting to the fact that its current CEO has brought in in 2024 to professionalize the company because prior to that, there was no chief human resources officer or general counsel. And then you had Warren also noting that Mr. Bees had faced backlash in 2024 run a report accused him of insider trading and misleading investors over crypto. Something that she found especially troubling, considering this is not the only crypto and fintech partnership that he sought out lately. Earlier this year, Beast industry has got a $200 million investment from Bitmine immersion technology is the leading Ethereum Treasury company in the world. And that as he also filed a trademark

Starting point is 00:09:58 application for Mr. B's financial, which could offer loan products like credit cards, but it also mentioned crypto. And Zewd-Woren closing a letter by saying, given Step's history of highlighting volatile investments to teenagers, Mr. Donaldson's primarily young and very loyal audience and the allegations concerning Mr. Donaldson's prior actions with cryptocurrencies, I write to request further information on Beast industry's plans for Step. And she then demanded that he and a CEO answer about a dozen questions by April 3rd, asking what kind of changes he'll make at Step, allow crypto investments and more. And with all this, I'll say for their part, a Beesan industry spokesperson told the New York Times that they look forward to engaging with Warren

Starting point is 00:10:30 and added, our primary motivation behind this deal is to improve the financial future of the next generation, saying now that we've completed the transaction and have ownership control, we're examining all existing offerings and marketing approaches to ensure that Steps' future is developed thoughtfully and deliberately. And then there's more we've got to dive into in just a minute, but first let me thank a sponsor and say, you know, there is a unique kind of denial where my body says something's wrong and I just keep moving. Not because, you know, I don't care about my health. I very, I really do. But the problem, but the problem, but the problem, This process just feels like an obstacle course for no reason.

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Starting point is 00:11:40 a top rated doctor today. That's ZOC, doc,c, dot com slash fill. This message is sponsored by Zock Doc. But then, diving right back into the news, someone on Polly Market is when 93% of their five-figure bets on unannounced U.S. and Israeli military strikes against Iran. They placed bets hours before operations nobody was supposed to know about. They made nearly a million dollars. And the guy whose son is invested in polymarket and advises its competitor, he killed two investigations into both platforms that we're going to talk about. Now first, as far as how we got here since the Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on sports betting in 2018, you've seen most states legalizing it. But still, it's illegal in two huge states,

Starting point is 00:12:17 California and Texas. And so the big platforms like draft kings and Fandul, they're shed out of those markets. But then here's where it gets mess. Right, gambling is regulated by the states, but prediction markets are regulated by the feds. Specifically, they're regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission because their contracts are legally considered commodities, not casino bets. And that distinction is given platforms like Polymarket and Cali a loophole to operate in states where traditional sports betting's banned, even though they arguably offer the same product. Right, half of Polymarkets trading, it's sports betting, and for Calci, that number's around

Starting point is 00:12:44 90%. And well, normally, the federal government would clamp down on that, we also don't live in normal times. Especially, given the Trump connection, right? Donald Trump Jr. is investing. in polymarket through his venture capital firm and serves as a paid advisor to Kalshi. Hell, Truth Social announced its own crypto-based prediction market in October. So not the most surprising thing to see the Trump administration ending two Biden-era investigations into a polymarket and Kalshi last year, and then it approved polymarket to operate

Starting point is 00:13:08 in the US, even though Americans had already been accessing the site through VPNs. Right, we're in this situation where the president's family is financial stakes in both platforms, the administration has killed the probes into both, and now the CFTC, they're actively arguing in court that only the federal government should regulate those markets, It's not the states that are trying to crack down on it. And that's big because the states, they're not just sitting there. Just last week, you had Arizona prosecutors charging Kalshi with violating its ban on elections and sports betting,

Starting point is 00:13:31 a 20-count complaint. And then days later, you had a Nevada district judge siding with state gaming regulators and temporarily blocking Kalshi from offering sports bets there. And then also that same day, a class action complaint in Georgia accused Kalshi of breaking state law as well. But Trump's CFTC, they've jumped into these cases to argue that it should have exclusive authority over prediction markets.

Starting point is 00:13:48 But then also with this, I'll say there's been pushback in Congress, where lawmakers in both chambers, including, and Republicans have proposed legislation to rein the platforms in. But the latest bill coming from Republican John Curtis of Utah and Democrat Adam Schiff of Californian, they're calling it the prediction markets are gambling act, and it would ban any platform regulated by the CFTC from offering sports and casino-style event contracts. But also, a big thing here is that the sports gambling angle is just a piece of it. One of the bigger issues is that polymarket lets users bet on wars, natural disasters,

Starting point is 00:14:15 and the deaths of high-profile figures. On the way, it's Senator Chris Murphy putting it this way. Asking, what does it do to our soul when questions of life and death become a commodity, that we trade? What does it do to us spiritually when we can make money off of famine or a humanitarian disaster? The answer is that it robs us of a moral core that is essential to being a human. But then it also goes beyond the moral question because some people appear to be profiting off of these bets through insider knowledge. Right, you had bubble maps and analytics company that tracks blockchain transactions identifying one trader who's made nearly a million dollars in 2024

Starting point is 00:14:42 from dozens of suspiciously well-timed polymarket bets that correctly predicted U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran. These were unannounced operations and this person went 93% of five-figure bets on Iran. Bets placed hours before Israeli strikes in October, 24, hours before U.S. air strikes on nuclear facilities last June and hours before the joint surprise attack in February. And with this, you had Bubble Maps' CEO telling CNN, all of this is strong signaling of insider activity based on the amount they made, the markets they bet on, the timing of their trades, the success rates of these trades, and the fact that they are connected on chain. This is pretty suspicious in my book. And that's just one account. You had the Guardian reporting that eight

Starting point is 00:15:18 Polymarket accounts all created around March 21st, bet a total of nearly $70,000 on a ceasefire by March 31st, a bet that would return them nearly $820,000. And all of these accounts also placed a winning bet on Trump's initial strikes against Iran and they haven't bet on anything since. So also there, you had experts telling the Guardian that these bets bear the signals of insider trading. And noting that all of the accounts bought at market price rather than trying to get a better deal and some appear to belong to a single investor trying to conceal their identity. And so ultimately we're in this place where the question isn't whether the system is broken. I think The actual question is whether anyone with the power to fix it actually wants to, because right

Starting point is 00:15:52 now, the people in charge are the same people seeming to make money from it. But then also, you know, as you have people on Polymarket betting big on the war ending, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, they're reportedly pushing Trump to keep it going, encouraging him to put boots on the ground and actually considering joining the fight themselves. Meanwhile, Iran says that there are no negotiations. Trump says that there are 15 points of agreement and he might personally control the straightover moves with whoever the next Ayatollah is. Marines are on the way, the 82nd airborne might be next, and Israel just announced that it's expanding its

Starting point is 00:16:20 occupation of southern Lebanon. So there is a lot, and we should talk about what is actually happening versus what the president is saying. Starting with, you know, we already knew that Saudi Arabia's patience was running thing. Last week, you had the Saudi foreign minister saying after Iranian attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure, Saudi Arabia's patience with Iranian attacks is not unlimited. Any belief that Gulf countries are incapable of responding is a miscalculation. And since then, the Saudis have reportedly told the US that they are ready to strike Iran if their own power and water plants are targeted. They've also reportedly agreed to let American forces use an airbase in Western Saudi Arabia, potentially reversing an earlier claim that they wouldn't allow their facilities or airspace

Starting point is 00:16:53 to be used for attacks on Iran. According to multiple reports, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bonesaw has been pushing for Trump to continue this war, arguing that the American-Israeli military campaign presents a historic opportunity to remake the Middle East. He's even reportedly argued that the U.S. should consider putting troops in Iran to seize energy infrastructure and force the government from And while analysts have suggested that MBS probably would have preferred to avoid the war entirely, now, you know, he's worried that if Trump pulls out, Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Gulf, they'll be left dealing with an emboldened, furious Iran on their own. And the UAE, they appear to be in a similar position with their leaders reportedly pressing

Starting point is 00:17:23 Trump and regular phone calls to finish the job and destroy Iran's military capabilities before moving on. The UAE is also debating whether to send its own military into the fight, and they're already cracking down on Iranian-owned assets in the country. So one of the things we're seeing is that Israel may no longer be the only one whispering in Trump's ear about keeping this war going. Now that's said, you know, the Gulf states in Israel, they're not fully aligned. Netanyahu, he's pushed for military action that could force the collapse of the Iranian regime from day one.

Starting point is 00:17:45 And Trump, he's sometimes sounded supportive of that goal, but also the American military is focused on degrading Iran's missile and naval capabilities. Intelligence officials have also been skeptical that Iran's government will actually be driven from power. Even senior Israeli officials have reportedly said that Iranian protesters would get slaughtered if they tried to rise up because the Revolutionary Guard Corps is the upper hand. Netanyahu has continued pushing forward anyway. And then also there's a deeper strategic split. You have analysts arguing that Israel would be fine with a failed Iranian state, one too consumed by its own chaos to bother Israel. But Saudi Arabia, they'd see that as a nightmare because militias and remnants of the military could keep attacking Saudi oil infrastructure with nobody to rein them in. Though also with this, I have to note that the Saudi government has denied that MBS is pushing to prolong the war, saying in a statement,

Starting point is 00:18:25 the kingdom has always supported a peaceful resolution to this conflict even before it began. With that, then bring us to the negotiations. Right after threatening to obliterate Iran's power plans if they didn't reopen the straight-of-hormuz within 48 hours, Trump backed down and he, pushed the deadline five days. And a really big thing is that he claimed that there had been very good and productive conversations, heading toward a complete and total resolution.

Starting point is 00:18:44 But then Iran, they publicly said that there was no negotiation whatsoever and they accused Trump of making it up to lower energy prices and buy time. And then Trump's attempts to explain who he was negotiating with, it didn't help his credibility. The top person, don't forget.

Starting point is 00:18:58 We've wiped out the leadership phase one, phase two, and largely phase three. But we're dealing with the man who I believe is the most respect and the leader, no, not the Supreme Leader. We don't, well, nobody's ever, nobody heard of the second Supreme Leader of the Sun. Nobody, we have not heard from the Sun, but the people that seem to be running it, and they seem that based on really fact, because things they've said have taken place.

Starting point is 00:19:26 And then when asked to name the person, he said, I can't. I don't want them to be killed. Would you know, raises obvious questions, given that Israel, the ally that Trump started this war with, has been the one killing Iran's leader. But then with this, as far as what is actually happening, there does appear to be a small grain of truth buried under Trump's nonsense. Talks are reportedly happening, but they're indirect Egypt, Pakistan, and Turkey are acting as intermediaries between Trump envoy, Steve Whitkoff and Iran's foreign minister. Iran initially denied any contact and then admitted that the US had sent messages through some friendly countries and that points from the US were being reviewed.

Starting point is 00:19:58 But the talks haven't exactly been very good and productive. Iran's demands reportedly include a new system for the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran could charge ships passing through, similar to how Egypt, charges for the Suez Canal. They also want guarantees that the war won't restart and end to Israel's attacks on Hezbollah, the closure of American military bases in the Gulf, and compensation for war damage. Which is something that's interesting to see

Starting point is 00:20:18 when you also have Trump telling reporters. We have major points of agreement, I would say almost all points of agreement. Many, like 15 points. 15 points. Well, they're not gonna have a nuclear weapon. That's number one. That's number one, two, and three.

Starting point is 00:20:34 They will never have a nuclear weapon. Now currently, it's believed that he kind of pulled that number at a thin air. He also suggested that Iran would give up its enriched uranium, which would be a massive departure from Iran's position. Right, currently there's no sign that's true, especially given the leverage that Iran has with the straight right now. Which on that note, when asked who had controlled the straight under this alleged deal, he said, maybe me?

Starting point is 00:20:54 Me and the Ayatollah, whoever the Ayatollah is. But then also, as we see Trump talking about resolution, the military buildup that we're seeing, it tells a much different story. Last week, the U.S. redirected assault ships carrying 2,500 Marines from the Pacific. They then deployed another roughly 2,500 additional Marines, and now senior officials are reportedly weighing a deployment of a combat brigade from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division. Troops that could be involved in a ground operation. All while, U.S. and Israeli air strikes have not let up, and neither have Iranian retaliatory strikes.

Starting point is 00:21:21 In fact, today, Iranian missiles caused extensive damage to at least three residential buildings in Tel Aviv, injuring at least six people. And that is the Israeli military claiming that one of the missiles carried a warhead weighing roughly 100 kilograms, something that they said we have not yet encountered in the war. Which if true, it's another sign that Iran can still inflict serious damage across the region. So then with all this, you have Aaron David Miller, a former State Department mid-east negotiator, now at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, writing on X. Trump's war choice has not accomplished his military goals.

Starting point is 00:21:47 Iran can still attack the Gulf and manipulate the straits. No nukes, no enrichment. Good luck with that. A singularly incompetent use of America's power. And then, connected to all of this is Israel's ongoing invasion to Lebanon. Right, today you had Israel's defense minister announcing the military would expand its occupation of southern Lebanon, and another minister openly called for annexation. Oh, wow, this offensive alone has killed over a thousand people and displays more than a million according to the Lebanese government.

Starting point is 00:22:09 The IDF chief of staff said that the campaign has only just begun. But for now, that is where we are. We'll see how this continues. And, you know, there just continue to be so many angles to look at this kind of broader conflict from. And then there's more we've got to dive into in just a minute. But first, let me thank a sponsor and say, you know, you ever get one of those spam calls that somehow knows your name and address? And it makes you wonder if your toaster sold you out. At this point, you know, it feels like your personal information is just floating around the internet, like party favors for creeps and scammers.

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Starting point is 00:23:49 Then, diving right back into the news, we need to talk about how the Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday that could land thousands of ballots in the garbage in the next election and just get Trump one step closer to ending mail-in voting. And all of this is going down while he seemed to be pretty resistant to letting up on the SAVE Act as airport lines spill out the door. Because you see, during the pandemic, Mississippi, passed a law that allowed a five-day grace period for mail-in ballots as long as they were postmarked by Election Day. But the right, they pushed back on that with the Republican National Committee and the Mississippi Republican Party filing a lawsuit to invalidate it. And the Fifth Circuit Court, they decided that the ballots must be filed and received by Election Day shooting down the mail-in grace period. And so then we fast forward from that and oral arguments before the Supreme Court, you had Mississippi Solicitor General Scott Stewart arguing against the ruling.

Starting point is 00:24:30 The Fifth Circuit was wrong to rule otherwise. This court should reverse. Left-leaning justices like Katanji Brown Jackson seemed to argue in support of keeping the grace period as well. The day fixed for the election of the president, end quote, that that's the day on which the electors will vote and transmit their votes and that the president of the Senate would receive their votes at a later date. So this concept of casting one's vote versus the receipt of the vote was very early on distinguished.

Starting point is 00:24:59 And this demonstrates that whether you call it to elections or not, the casting of the votes can happen, temporally, separately from the receiving of the votes. Then, you had the Justice on the Right seeming poised to uphold the lower court's decision, calling out what they saw as contradictions and Stewart's arguments and questioning how the grace period could undermine confidence in election integrity. But then also you had people like Paul Clement who argued in favor of cutting the grace period facing questions around states' rights and voting.

Starting point is 00:25:26 Right liberal Justice Kagan saying that ballot receipt deadlines were something that was a state function, saying that Congress wrote the statutes this way where, with respect to all elections, the states were setting their own receipt deadlines. And you had some of the other left-leaning justices seeming to agree. Because it seems to me that we have a very long history of states having a variety of different ballot receipts, receipt deadlines to include after election day. However, you're seeing people not too sure that those arguments were enough to save the law. And the stakes here, they are very high. There are at least 28 other states in DC that have similar laws. And that includes battleground states like Nevada. So you have people worried about how this could

Starting point is 00:26:02 upend mail-in voting on a national level. And it And at least until early June, we don't know which way it's gonna go, which, by the way, that is less than six months away from a midterm election that feels like life or death for the Democrats. Right, and with all this, you have defenders of the voting grace period saying, you know, this case is about whether millions of voters will be disenfranchised through no fault of their own, saying that this would toss away valid ballots cast by eligible voters for no other reason than the U.S. Postal Service failed to deliver them by Election Day, something that is often entirely out of the voters' control.

Starting point is 00:26:29 But then also, you have people like Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruders saying, elections must end on election day, which is why the RNC led the way in challenging this harmful state law. And some Republicans have also said this prevents elections from dragging on for days and weeks after voters have cast their ballots, causing confusion and undermining our elections. But that's also pretty hard to take from the party whose leader has been peddling voter fraud conspiracies for the better part of a decade, and also still mail-in voting. And it's time that the Republicans get tough and stop it, because the Democrats want it, it's the only way they can get elected. because with men and women's sports and with transgender for everybody and open borders and all of the horrible thing.

Starting point is 00:27:07 And now the new thing is they love crime. Right, and Trump's been known to reject mail-in voting for seemingly made-up reason. You can never have a real democracy with mail-in balance. And we, as a Republican Party, are going to do everything possible that we get rid of male-in-vallel. It's so corrupt where some people get five, six, seven ballots delivered to them. And of course, all of this, it's connected to just, his obsession with losing the 2020 election. But all of this, again, as you have the Washington Post reporting,

Starting point is 00:27:34 that he mailed his ballot for Florida's special election between Emily Gregory and John Maples today. And that's not an outlier thing. He also mailed his ballot back in 2020, which also leaves a weird trail for a man so adamant about the dangers that he sees in mail-in voting. Brought to my attention today that we're the only country that does mail-in voting.

Starting point is 00:27:52 Mail-in-voting. I call it mail-in cheating. But also, notably, this comes as Trump was previously trying to strong-arm the Save Act through Congress. at one point even refusing to budge on deals that could end the chaos in airports until Congress passes it. And I'm suggesting strongly to the Republican Party, don't make any deal on anything. The most important thing we can have is what's called the Save America Act. Don't make any deal on anything unless you include voter ID and you have to be a citizen to vote.

Starting point is 00:28:21 The Democrats are fully to blame with the struggle of the great American public is going through at the airports. They're going through a big struggle. right now. So this is just, it's part of a concerted effort to make voting more difficult on really all fronts. Whether it's under the guise of this imaginary voter fraud thing or the idea that we'll somehow find a batch of ballots that overturns an election after a winners announce, this really all seems more like a play against free elections than anything else. And then on top of this, of course, we're still wondering if we're gonna have to worry about

Starting point is 00:28:48 ice agents moving from the airports to the polls when the time comes as well. And then also, you know, speaking of ice agents in the shutdown, Senate Republicans are reportedly close to a deal with the Democrats to finally end all this after Trump reportedly caved on a Save Act demands, sort of. Republican leaders reportedly were optimistic about reaching an agreement after meeting with Trump at the White House yesterday. The reporters asking Senator Katie, Britt, if the GOP had a solution, and Britt responded, we do, and then added, I'm going to be working through the night, so hopefully we can land this plane. And as far as what that solution is, the exact details haven't been made public yet, but it's been widely reported that the plan would fund

Starting point is 00:29:19 almost all of the department except for ICE's enforcement and removal operations. Now, very notably here, under this proposal, enforcement and removal would not stop entirely, right? Those functions have already been funded by Trump's big beautiful bill. And other key areas would still be getting new funding like ICE's Homeland Security investigations. But denying any additional funds for enforcement and removal operations, it's been a major sticking point for the Democrats throughout this shutdown.

Starting point is 00:29:39 So depending on what we see, this could be a pretty significant compromise for them. Also, we're seeing reports that the Republican proposal would provide some guardrails the Democrats have demanded, like requiring officers to wear body cameras, among other measures. And to that point, some Democratic lawmakers have previously expressed support for a deal that could exclude funding for ICE enforcement

Starting point is 00:29:55 and removal. But there's also a big catcher that could end up being a deal breaker for the Democrats. Because there are actually two parts to the Republican scheme here. Step one, agreed to scrap new funding for ICE enforcement and removal in order to get Democrats on board and secure enough votes to reopen DHS. And then step two, immediately turn on the Democrats and pass a separate bill that funds money for enforcement and removal operations by using the budget reconciliation process,

Starting point is 00:30:16 which allows them to bypass a 60-vote filibuster. But then also, what's crazy is that scheme was initially rejected by Trump. Or with him repeatedly telling Republicans to not make a deal with the Democrats until they agreed to pass the SAVE Act. But that SAVE Act is a total non-starter for Democrats who note that voter fraud by non-citizens, it's incredibly rare, and they argue that the bill would actually prevent millions of eligible citizens

Starting point is 00:30:37 from voting because they lack necessary documentation. Which is why you had Dem leaders accusing Trump of trying to sabotage sensitive negotiations. But now, if the reporting here's true, Trump's made a complete 180 and embrace the two-part plan. And as far as why he made such a significant shift in such a small amount of time, it appears to be in part because GOP leaders

Starting point is 00:30:53 promised him that they would also include elements of the SAVE Act and their future reconciliation But that could be a tall order if it's even possible at all. Because lawmakers only use the reconciliation process for legislation directly concerning spending, taxation, or deficit reduction, but the SAVE Act is a policy proposal by nature. Now that's sad, you have some sources telling Fox News that Republicans could try to focus on the financial aspects of the Save America Act. Or things like the provision that threatens to withhold money from states that refuse to comply. But even Fox notes that an argument like that would be difficult to get past the Senate parliamentarian

Starting point is 00:31:20 who's responsible for enforcing the strict reconciliation requirements. And that is, you know, this is all developing in real time. real time. It's unclear if right now Democrats would even agree to pass a deal that excludes funding for certain ICE operations when they know that the Republicans intend to turn around and undo those changes. But then also at the same time, there's increasing pressure on both sides to reach some kind of agreement as the shutdown drags on. With airport delays getting worse and worse as TSA faces growing callouts and workers who have gone weeks now without pay. And a lot of airports are still experiencing long lines and delays, even though, you know, Trump's now deployed ice aides to more than a dozen

Starting point is 00:31:50 U.S. airports and a very controversial move that was widely condemned by Democrats. A move that reportedly appeared to have limited effect in reducing security lines as passengers reported wait times as long as five hours in Houston and lengthy delays in other major cities. Reports adding that many passengers expressed bewilderment and said the officers did not appear to be doing much. But that, my friends, you beautiful bastards, is the end of your Tuesday, Philip DeFranco show, dive into the news. Thank you for watching. I love yo faces and I'll see you right back here tomorrow for a brand new Philip DeFranco show and a brand new episode of my podcast crashing out.

The Philip DeFranco Show - The Alan Ritchson Situation Just Got Worse...For the Guy He Beat Up & Today’s News

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