The Philip DeFranco Show - The Brutal Zohran Mamdani Backlash Exposes a Much Bigger Problem

Episode Date: October 8, 2026

Grab Your 4 New http://BeautifulBastard.com Tees! AND just added Crews for you!Visit today’s sponsor: http://strawberry.me/defranco for 50% off your first session! It's like therapy for your career. Go to http://zbiotics.com/DEFRANCO and use code DEFRANCO at checkout to get up to 15% off your first order. Join http://PhilipDeFranco.com for a free newsletter and Ad-Free Shows!! FAQWhere did you say we could donate to Linz? http://lindsayforga.com/donate & Learn more @ http://lindsayforga.com Where can I grab merch & premium blanks? https://beautifulbastard.com/What's the Semi-Secret Phil Text Line? 813-213-4423 LISTEN TO THE SHOW iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-philip-defranco-show/id1278424954 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6ESemquRbz6f8XLVywdZ2VWATCH/LISTEN TO MY OTHER PODCAST (CRASHING OUT) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCergKLoy-Yv9zlPk3XQYK7Q?sub_confirmation=1 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2DkU87umhGH9mH1z24Bi9w?si=6sSdjhVNQjyVeBQDLiXcyg Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crashing-out-with-philip-defranco-and-alex-pearlman/id1843429519 JOIN OUR COMMUNITY 📸Instagram: https://instagram.com/PhillyDeFranco  🐦Twitter: https://twitter.com/phillyd  🎵TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@philipdefranco TODAY’S STORIES 00:00 - Mamdani Called “Traitor” and “Sellout” by Pro-Palestine Protesters at Oct. 7 Vigil 07:30 - I Go Off on a Cringe Weirdo Tech Bro 09:58 - Sponsored by Strawberry 10:53 - Kimberly Guilfoyle Begged Trump Donor to Pay Her $100,000 AmEx Bill  17:28 - Trump Sued for Spending Millions of Taxpayer Dollars on Ads Promoting Himself 22:45 - Sponsored by Zbiotics 23:48 - FGTeeV’s Duddy Gets a Visit From Police with Followers Scared For His Family 25:41 - Possible Serial Killer on the Loose in Lansing 26:47 - France Tests Upgraded Nuclear Missile Against Russia Threats THE TEAM Produced by: Cory Ray Edited by: James Girardier, Maxwell Enright, Julie Goldberg, Christian Meeks, Matthew Henry Art Department: William Crespo Writing/Research: Philip DeFranco, Brian Espinoza, Lili Stenn, Maddie Crichton, Chris Tolve, Star Pralle, Victor Sledge, Ilana Frost   ———————————— #News #Mamdani #Hasanabi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

And then there's more we gotta dive into in just a minute, but first let me thank a sponsor and say, you know, August is a great time for a reset before fall gets chaotic and my closet, it could use some adult supervision. That's where today's sponsor, Quince comes in. Quince makes fewer better pieces from premium materials, the things you'll reach for constantly. And I really like their staples like organic cotton teas and Mongolian cashmere sweaters at work all day and into the evening. Or basically, clothes that make you look put together without looking like you spend an hour planning it. Their denim and Taylor Chino start at 60 bucks with a fit, structure and quality that you'd expect from a luxury designer brand. And then you've got things like the cotton silk short sleeve crew neck sweater.

I've been wearing that thing everywhere. Though even that is when I'm not living in their performance tanks. Both are incredibly soft, they're comfortable, but also polished enough that I still feel, you know, put together without trying too hard. And personally, as someone that just, I love a deal. I love that everything at Quince is price 50 to 80% less than similar brands. They work directly with ethical factories and cut out the middlemen so you're paying for quality and not brand markups. And hey, while you're at it, they have hotel quality, bedding, bath essentials, cookware, luggage, and travel must haves. Basically, Quince is the affordable elevated one-stop shop.

So hey, upgrade your everyday by scanning that QR code or going to quince.com slash defranco for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. And they're now available in Canada and the UK as well. So that's QU-I-N-C-E dot com slash DeFranco. Quince.com slash DeFranco. You've got this Zoran Mamdani October 7 situation exposing a lot and dividing the internet. This can really gilfoyle $100,000 credit card bill scandal's insane. I award our first ever cringy weirdo of the day. You also have the cops now reportedly responding after that disturbing FGTV video.

And you've got five people dead as police now think they might have a serial killer on the loose. We're talking about all of that and even more on today's brand new Philip DeFranco show You daily dive into the news starting with this. So somehow, Mumdani, attending a peaceful vigil for October 7 victims, turned into full-on chaos with pro-Palestinian protesters shouting about how Zoran is a traitor and a sellout who is responsible for the genocide. And yeah, we're talking about the Zoran Mamdani, one of the loudest critics of Israeli politics. The same guy who just recently planted an olive tree with Palestinian families, a Gracie Mansion, and a few months ago declined to participate in New York's Israel Day parade.

And saying that decision was a political stance against Israel's genocide of Palestinian, saying he's proud to be the mayor of a city with the largest Jewish population in the country, but solidarity with a government that's committing genocide, that is a very different thing than a question of solidarity with people of a specific faith. And with that, again, we're talking about the same guy who was repeatedly called Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal and threatened to arrest him. But this, this was the energy that it was met with when he held a candle to remember the people who died on October 7.

I remember you're just saving. All you remember there was a stone woman like Moldo. Oh, I'm starting your hands are here. Some of the other chants, reportedly including Zoron, what do you say, how many kids did you kill today? As well as Zoron, you can't hide, we charge you with genocide. And while Mamdani didn't respond to the protesters, you just had him kind of standing there looking stony face. And reportedly he was standing there for more than an hour as he was shouted at. And generally you're seeing most people going, this is, this is pretty outrageous stuff to yell at this mayor.

A mayor who faces relentless criticism from some people who conflate his anti- anti-Israel and anti-Netanyahu stands with anti-Semitism. And that's why, and what we've seen is that throughout his time, as mayor, he's made a real effort to work on his relationship with the Jewish community in New York City. We're celebrating holidays with Jewish New Yorkers, meeting with Jewish leaders, and going to events like this vigil. An event that was actually organized by a pro-peace Israeli group to mourn the 1200 lives or a loss when Hamas attacked a music festival in Israel.

You also had Brad Lander, the Democratic nominee for New York's 10th Congressional District attending, with him also telling reporters that he was sad that the testimony reading was overpowered by the protest and calling it a, quote, flattening of empathy. And adding, from where I sit, Maldani is a very strong supporter of Palestinian freedom and human rights. I don't know what world leaders have done more. Because as we know, and as I've covered on the show, Israel, since that music festival, has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians, which is why you have many saying that there aren't

two sides here, that it's a genocide. So then with that, you also have people who see honoring the Israeli victims as ignoring the Palestinian victims or downplaying Palestinian pain. And actually in a press conference today, Mammani was asked about the protesters and being called a traitor, and here's what he said. And do you feel misunderstood? Um, You know, I was proud to attend last night's vigil as I did last year, to listen to testimonies from family members of those who were killed on October 7th,

and those who've been killed in the three years since. And all of whom united in a vision for peace and an end to the genocide in Gaza. And when we're speaking of that genocide, we're speaking of one that has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians. the last three years. As for those protesting me, I am the mayor of New York City and this is what I signed up for. And so as these videos from the vigil have gone viral, you have people having a lot of different reactions to this. And you had some big names that have often been connected to him like Hassan Piker sort of supporting the protesters or at least saying that he understands where they're coming from. If you want it to be frictionless, if the only

alternative that people see to Zoron's inability to address them is, you know, public demonstrations, then people are going to do public demonstrations. These people don't have the opportunity to speak to Zoron behind closed doors in these like ultra-exclusive private affairs. And you also had him writing in a tweet, he tried to participate in the most appropriate October 7th vigil and saying these protests would occur nonetheless, but would be less valid if he had offered material concessions to the anti-Zionist groups he made promises to while running, like disbanding the SRG and stopping illegal land sales and synagogues.

Right. Then with that, you would others tweeting things like, he has absolutely no incentive to deliver on the demands of the Palestine movement if we don't relentlessly make the... those demands. And so for sure, there is that side of the response, but then also a lot of the discourse that you're seeing is people saying that these protesters, they're focusing their energy on the wrong person. Some calling this specifically performative activism, saying we don't heed that sort of thing. And you've also had people like Medi Hassan, a journalist and podcaster who's been very outspoken about Palestine, weighing in and writing on Twitter. If you're protesting

and blaming Czechs notes Zoran Mamdani for the Gaza genocide, you may, you just may need to check yourself into a mental health facility. You had others saying performative leftism is so pathetic and common sense and intellectualism are literally dead. And you would all of that then getting piled on to the conversation we often see happening about how the left sometimes gets in its own way. And then with all this, you had Mamdani continuing to find himself in this, damned if you do, damned if you don't situation when it comes to speaking out on the issue. Right, because it does seem like literally anything that he says or does about this, it gets a loud negative reaction from someone. Right. I mean, earlier that same day, you had Mamdani making a statement about October

7th that wasn't received well at all by the pro-Israel side. Or with that statement reading, this day is profoundly painful for so many New Yorkers, saying it marks three years since the horrific war crimes of October 7. And adding on that day, Hamas killed more than 1,100 Israelis and abducted 251 others, saying we grieve alongside our many friends and neighbors who still carry that unthinkable loss, saying that suffering did not begin nor end that day. It instead continued through the Israeli government's devastating ongoing genocide in Gaza, in which it has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians, including more than 21,000 children. With them then going on to call out the occupation and apartheid and finishing with, to honor the dead, we must fight for a war.

world in which every person can live with freedom, safety, and dignity. And so you had some people getting angry that he dedicated most of the statement as speaking up for Palestine, saying that he should have focused on just the October 7th victims. So, for example, you had the views Alyssa Farah Griffin responding. I don't understand why the mayor couldn't simply give Jews one day to mourn the largest mass killing of Jews since the Holocaust. And he had Representative Dan Goldman, a New York Democrat, calling the statement egregious and insulting.

Telling Politico, there are 364 days of the year to focus on that. This is a day that should just be focused on what was, by all agreement, a horrific terror What the mayor's statement did today was to blame Israelis for the attack that they suffered three years ago. And so you have a lot of discourse coming out of just that one statement, and I will say this renewed backlash over comments received as anti-Semitic. It comes after Mamdani's recent announcement of a major new municipal strategy to combat anti-Semitism. We are increasing hate crime prevention funding by $26 million, or more than 800% from last year. This plan makes a $6.4 million investment in community-based organizations preventing hate violence, more than doubling last year's funding.

But our responsibility goes beyond protection. Jewish New Yorkers should feel cherished and celebrated in the most Jewish city in America. That's why we are investing millions in Jewish cultural centers and nonprofits. And so again, this is someone who's repeatedly said and tried to prove that he is not anti-Semitic, just anti-the-Israeli administration.

And with his new strategy and the statement and all of it, you can see Mom Dani trying to make both sides happy and acknowledge everyone's pain. But then also in doing that, it seems like he's making people on both sides mad. And so for now, we'll have to see where this goes and if the criticisms get louder or they calm down or if they have any sort of impact, whether in a way somehow on the ground or in future voting.

But then to jump from that to something that's a little bit different, let's test out a new little segment called Cringy Weirdo of the Day. Didn't feel quite like douchebag of the day territory with just how much everything is on fire and the scale at which it is. There was something I saw today that made me go, I think they need to take away social media and or microphones away from people that work at a lot of these AI companies. Because in a now deleted tweet, you have this guy that works for factory AI saying,

My wife, can you read our baby a book? Me, I can just play an audio book for my phone. My wife, but then it won't be in your voice. Me, I can train a voice model. Parenting hits different when you work in AI. Y'all call me David Seville the way I want to yell, Alvin. Though I am kind of glad that he tweeted this because I think more people need to understand what weirdos are at these companies. People that day in, day out give us more examples of them being just disconnected from the human experience.

And he's since deleted the tweet since most of the world was dunking on him and he's now trying to play it off as a joke. But it is also important to remember that it wasn't too long ago that OpenAI Sam Altman, he shared a similar story. Or sharing what he called a cool use case. Connect your family calendars. Tell it what your kids are into. And every morning on the drive to school, it generates a podcast. One kid's soccer game that afternoon, another kid's birthday coming up, a little news. A briefing on your children, read aloud before you drop them off. And so like I said to Sam, then, as I'm saying to Alvin, now, how about you just talk and interact with your kids. How about you have a basic human experience as a parent?

You don't need to agentify every aspect of your life, especially the most important ones. The robot dogs with guns on their head may one day line us up and shoot us all down. But for now, Alvin, Sam, any of these AI bros, maybe use the AI to help you with your schedule so you can interact with your, read a book, create a memory that you can then later play over and over

in your head when the robots use us as energy sources, like in the Matrix. You really aren't doing anything effective to combat the these are lizard people accusations. In an ideal world, the advancement of technology should allow us to have more of those real moments. Not replace you in them so you can what, raise shareholder value?

And it's this sort of shit that has me like extra concerned about AI maximalists. Because if there is a lesson in these constant weird things that we see now day in, day out, it is that they are thinking of humanity last. And that should concern all of us because we are living at a time where an increasingly few number of people

are going to be the people that usher in whatever is next. So all together, that should concern everyone. But hey, that said, there's a lot more we got to dive into in just a minute, but first, a quick break with a sponsor. Here's a weird thing about careers. You can do everything right and still wake up one day thinking, wait, do I even want to do this anymore? Because the job that you wanted five years ago might not be what you want now.

And realizing that it doesn't automatically tell you what comes next, right, which is one of the reasons I like the idea behind today's sponsor, Strawberry.combe career coaching. Strawberry. Strawberry.me matches you one-on-one with a vetted professional career coach to talk through where you are what you actually want and what might be keeping you from getting there. And something that comes up again and again in their client reviews is perspective. Where people talk about coaches asking questions that made them look at their careers differently and help them untangle what they were thinking.

Because a good coach isn't there to make the decision for you. They help you step back, see the situation more clearly, and figure out what you actually want so you can make the decision yourself and actually do something about it. So if you've been having the same career debate with yourself for months, maybe it's worth talking through it with a professional. So hey, scan that QR code or go to strawberry. to get 50% off your first coaching session. That's strawberry.

me slash DeFranco, strawberry dot me, trust me, you'll love it. And then, diving right back into the news, we've got to talk about this Kimberly Gilfoyle credit card bill situation. Because you've got this new Wall Street Journal report

that's highlighting her weird quid pro quo relationship with Trump donor and loyalist Eric Dieter. Right, and some quick background, Kimberly Gilfoyle, she's a U.S. ambassador to Greece confirmed to that position last year and she's also the former fiancé of Donald Trump Jr.

They reportedly started dating during Trump's first term, and she quickly became one of the most outspoken defenders, turning herself into a bit of a MAGA icon, which is also funny because before that, she was with Gavin Newsom. And she has taken several different swings at capitalizing on all of this new situation, launching a hair care line, fragrance products, an alcohol brand, and a med spa, before then turning back to politics by launching a consulting firm and looking for work in PR. But then, you know, she and Don Jr.'s engagement. It was called off back in 2024,

though she then was still nominated for the position of Ambassador to Greece and said to be confirmed in July of 2025. We are going to get back to that. But then we have Eric Dieter's. This guy is a diehard Trumper and he's a radio talk show host who has unsuccessfully run for Congress and governor and he used to be a lawyer. And also I say used to be very intentionally there because he was suspended by the Kentucky Bar Association twice. Where with the state Supreme Court ruling not to reinstate him back in 2021, because as the Chief Justice put it, Deeter's practice of law is not governed by Constitution or rule of law or procedure saying it is anarchy. Also in 2020, he was banned from entering a courthouse in Ohio after threatening to burn it down on social media. The suspensions from the Kentucky Bar Association cited aggressive litigation strategies, false state,

and court proceedings and filing frivolous claims. So in response to all that, he reportedly called the members of the association, quote, jokes of human excrement. And so he says he retired as a lawyer telling the journal, these rules that are written by big law to hurt people like me, screw them. I am a legal outlaw. So a match made in hell with these two.

And their connection, it started back in 2020 when Dieter's launched an event called Freedom Fest in Kentucky in response to COVID-19 medical mandates. And he reportedly paid Gilfoyle $300,000 to speak there, along with several hundred thousand dollars to Don Jr. and Eric Trump. And then actually, that's on top of the 100. $25,000 to one of Trump's political action committees in 2022. And then you had a reconnecting with Guilfoyle in 2024, trying to get her to help on a couple of serious matters

in his own life. Or with the big one being that he wanted the Justice Department to seek the extradition of an Ohio doctor who ran off to Pakistan after being charged with defrauding insurers by performing unnecessary spinal surgeries, including on children. In Dieter's, he's advising lawyers representing hundreds of former patients who are suing the doctor for medical malpractice, negligence and fraud. And so he was hoping that Guilfoyle could push the right people in the Justice Department to get the doctor extradited from Pakistan as well as open an investigation to the doctor's medical malpractice insurer who's budding heads with Dieters.

Or with them refusing payment and accusing him of abuse of litigation, blackmail attempts, and threats of violence and murder. And Dieters, he reportedly told Gilfoyle that he would pay her a million bucks if she could get him on Tucker Carlson's podcast so that he could bring national attention to the case. With her then, reportedly agreeing,

even making a few inquiries with Carlson's team, though that didn't end up going anywhere. Anyway, Carlson telling the journal that he'd never even heard of Deeters and he doesn't keep up with Gilfoil saying, a million dollars for a podcast appearance, isn't she the ambassador to Greece? This is completely nuts.

Yeah, who would have thought we'd come to a point where I readily agree with Tucker Carlson, of all people, on something. But anyway, Dieter's also reportedly asked Gilfoyle to get the lyrics of a song he wrote with a local guitarist to Kid Rock. He also asked her to set up a meeting with the incoming IRS Commissioner, Billy Long, to discuss a probe into Deeters' tax deductions. Or specifically, the IRS was looking into a deduction that Deeters claimed in 2020 related to the sale of his interest in the family business, which he said was politically

motivated. In their conversations, they became more frequent after Gilfoyle was nominated for the ambassador position, with her reportedly promising to lobby top Trump officials like FBI director Cash Patel and former Attorney General Pam Bondi. Except, key thing, she very much did not want her arrangements with Dieter's to make it to the public eye. You had her telling him repeatedly, do not put any of their deals in writing. And you would want to let you text from her reading, Eric, I really wish you would stop papering all these things. It's really dangerous and not helpful to you or me while you could just call me on signal.

You know, the text, a definitely innocent person sends to another innocent person. But then also in January 2025, you have Dieter saying that she reprimanded him again about talking to a producer on her podcast about their deals, providing another other text reading. It's unbelievable when you have a private arrangement with you that you would now CC a producer talking about money. What a nightmare. You'll literally cost me my ambassadorship stop writing. No key thing. Her concern with him writing things down, that did not stop her from asking for favors. And in the weeks, leading up to her confirmation, she started asking Deeters for additional payments. With Deeter saying that she asked him to draft her letter saying that he owed her two $50,000 back payments for consulting services and telling the journal, she was worried about

legality and she was worried about the appearances of it. And so he didn't. June of 20205, he wrote that his consulting company owed her $50,000 before your new position and wanted to engage her until her confirmation. Except he started getting itchy for his own favors, right? That same month, he reportedly sent her a photo of a printed memo saying, I have paid you $300,000 over the years. As of this memo, I have not received one favor. I am not naive or a sucker. I need results. And so then once again, Gilfoyle reportedly chewed him out for putting things into writing, though she also managed to that got a response back from long regarding Deeters' IRS situation. So maybe that's why she felt comfortable coming to him

with another request just days before her confirmation. But apparently, she had a $100,000 American Express bill that she needed handled and she needed it done in a way that wouldn't leave a paper trail. And according to the messages that Deeters provided, she was desperate writing, honey, please, I need you to get this done for me today. Saying it won't show up anywhere

if you wire money to American Express, please. Except Deeters, he didn't end up making that payment saying you're needing $100,000 urgent, unfortunately is not going to work. Saying I can't do this without getting a do But then for all her concern apparently about writing things down, her alleged response all but laid out their quid pro quo arrangements, say it. I've been calling you for over a week straight. You could be here meeting with Billy Long. But then regardless of whatever happened with this Amex bill, Gilfoyle was confirmed as the ambassador to Greece.

And so now you have a situation where, you know, given the fact that Dieter's is coming forward with this, it's raising some eyebrows. Especially after the Wall Street Journal just published an investigation into Gilfoyle's promotion of a Greek company whose lobbyist traveled with her to meetings with governments across the Balkans. Or which you had cited by Democrats on the Senate and House Foreign Affairs Committees who pushed the DOJ to investigator. And then as far as Gilfoy's response, it was ultimately kind of n-uh. Or with her attorney saying that she disputes the authenticity of the messages that deed is provided, but she also didn't go into specifics. Just saying that she had been paid to speak at events before her nomination and, quote, was owed a balance for traveling to and supporting these patriotic events.

Right, and actually, to get Kimberly's back for a second, I ask you, is this the face of someone who would lie and commit crimes? Your Honor, I ask you, actually, really, just real. question for a second. What are they doing to people's faces at Mar-a-Lago? Because a lot of the people that were subjected to, a lot of the pictures that you see, it looks like a number of people just went to a plastic surgeon's office and they were like, yeah, I don't know, fuck my shit up. Give me some combination of it looking like I had an allergic reaction slash I'm a sex doll slash maybe demon creature. But anyway, we're getting sidetracked. Your Honor, my client, Kimberly

Gilfoyle is innocent. Don't let the evidence in your lying eyes and ears confuse you. But then also, that's not where the sketchy money stuff stops for Team Trump or what we got to talk about today? Because you've got the Trump administration now being sued for using taxpayer dollars to pay for ads promoting himself. And if this sounds familiar, it's because we actually talked about this a few weeks ago. Because instead of Trump addressing the affordability crisis, dear leader, he was actually taking your hard-earned money to fund ads promoting himself. With you at my side, we will demolish the deep state. We will expel the war mongers from our government. We will drive out the globalists. We will cast out the communists, Marxist and fascists.

We will throw off the sick political class that hates our country. And since we talked about that, two top senators have said that the commercials were paid for through a $20 million contract with the Department of Homeland Security that draws from funding allocated under Trump's so-called big, beautiful bill. The New York Times reporting it, Trump himself personally instructed his budget director to use our taxpayer dollars for ads praising him and his presidency. Ads that have received massive backlash not just from Democrats, but even Republicans who argued that it violates a decades-old ban on using federal funds for publicity or propaganda.

And that, also explicitly including any ads that are purely partisan or designed to aid a political party or candidates. But you had the White House defending the ads, claiming it there are just PSAs that are clearly not political because Trump, he's not on the ballot and they don't contain a specific call to action. Right, arguing, or I think the better term here would be bullshitting that as a result, they don't actually violate the propaganda law. And in addition to, of course, you being able to see through that, you had experts hitting back at that explanation. I'm pointing out that these particular spots are different from other administration's PSAs because they aren't designed to help Americans access any specific programs. And it actually appears like there's widespread public backlash. You had a Reuters-Ips' poll finding that 86% of Americans thought that it was inappropriate to use taxpayer funds for ads featuring the president around an election. And a key thing is that included 80% of registered Republicans.

And while I don't think it's going to change the voting patterns of his most loyal supporters who even thought that this was too far, it did actually seem like all the backlash was getting to Trump because on Monday he announced a truth social that he would pay for the ads himself through a Super PAC MAGA, Inc. Though you still then had him defending the ads, claiming that they are a rather standard thing to do, and a positive promotion for our great USA that he's paying for with USA money. But then the next day, White House official said that the PAC wouldn't actually be reimbursing the government for the money it had already spent on commercials, confirming that Trump's promise would only apply moving forward. And that's very significant because that commercial has already cost you $12 million to run,

according to At Impact. And it's already been reported that Trump's already created at least 13 spots using our taxpayer dollars. And seemingly, most of them haven't even been aired yet. With this, including one called God Made Trump, another recapping the UFC fight that he hosted at the White House and multiple that seemingly brag about his various accomplishments as president, or what he calls accomplishments. And then seemingly just to dig the knife in a little deeper, literally the same day the White House said that it wouldn't be paying the government back

for the millions it already spent. Trump released a new commercial touting his military capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. This is one of the most stunning, effective, and powerful displays of American military might and competence in American history. And I think people need to understand that this is not a president that just talks and does letters and press conferences and, you know, if he says he's serious about something, he means it. And then with that, you had Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer doing his favorite thing using words, slamming Trump, arguing that his plan to pay for future ads was still illegal because federal law bans candidates and office holders from directing the spending of super pecks.

And so with that, you had Schumer calling for an investigation into Trump's actions and adding, Trump must return this money to the American people and there must be a full investigation into this gross waste and abusive taxpayer dollars. With that, then bring us to the most recent updates, which are that you now have both the DNC and the nonpartisan watchdog common cause filing separate lawsuits against Trump for these ads. And in addition to the DNC arguing in their suit that the sponsor a clear violation of the congressional ban, you also have them saying that Trump has nationalized the midterm election, made himself the center of a two-day midterm convention and repeatedly directed voters to pretend that I am on the ballot.

Also noting that the ads were rolled out as Republicans have been plummeting in the polls. With that then also echoed on the suit from common cause, which noted that the ads focus on issues and positions that Trump and Republican candidates have repeatedly pushed in the midterms. And adding so despite the White House's insistence to the contrary, common sense demands what any viewer understands. These ads are not public service announcements. They are personal publicity and political propaganda through and through. Alleging that Trump also acted illegally by using money that Congress specifically appropriated for border security.

All while, the group's senior vice president of policy and litigation told reporters that his organization doesn't actually trust that Trump's gonna use outside money for future ads. Right in pointing to the fact that the Maduro spot was released on Tuesday after Trump said that his pack would pay for the ads and arguing that it's proof that the government sponsored commercials were still being scheduled. And with that you have both suits asking federal judges to step in and stop the use of federal funds to pay for these commercials. And actually common cause also asked the judge to block the administration from airing any more taxpayer-funded ads and require them to try to recover the money that hasn't been spent yet. Though I will say, as far as from what we can tell, neither of these lawsuits would actually force Trump to reimburse the government for the money he's already spent.

And so for now, my feeling is kind of just throw this onto the Trump pile. Right, insane things outside of the norm that will hopefully be addressed sometime in the future. Because it sure as hell isn't happening with the setup that's there now. Of course, part of that change, it starts, well, for some of you now, but definitely by November 3rd. Friendly reminder, you're gonna get fucking tired of me doing this. Here are the dates for early voting when it starts for your state. Feel free to take a screenshot, but yeah, get out there and vote early, however you can, day of whatever, make a plan, go to vote.org.

Because none of this, knowing about all the dumpster fires and getting angry about all the dumpster fires matters if you do not take action. Disregard the polls and vote up and down your ballot. Right, and then from that, there's three more things we gotta dive into before I let you go, but first, a quick sponsor. I miss the age where I could make plans at 10 p.m. and the only question was like, Where are we going? Now, now I need to know, like, what tomorrow's going to look like. Because between kids, work, and everything else, future me has responsibilities.

And apparently, I'm supposed to care about that guy right now. Which is why one of the things I plan for before a night out is today's sponsor, Zbiotics pre-alcohol probiotic drink. Right, Zbiotics, pre-alcohol probiotic drink. It was engineered by PhD microbiologist to break down an unwanted byproduct of alcohol metabolism. And so just remember to make pre-alcohol your first drink at the night, drink responsibly, and enjoy your next day activities. And I'll definitely say it was a lifesaver while I was on the crashing out tour.

Or the next day, it always was like catching a fly, getting to another city, prepping for a show, or coming home, and immediately going right back into dad mode. And so, yeah, I still want to go out. I still want to have fun, but I'm just significantly more interested in not letting tonight hijacked tomorrow. And Zbiotics, they're out there doing the work. They've sold more than 14 million bottles and earned the trust to thousands, including myself. So, hey, give Zbiotics a try, and if you're not satisfied, they'll refund your entire order. No questions ask.

Just scan their QR code, or head to zbiotics.com slash defranco and use code defranco for 15% off your first order. Owning a home's amazing until your house decides to have a problem at the worst possible time. Right, like the time that our water heater failed, I walked into our garage, water was everywhere, it damaged the walls. And this was around the time I was trying to sell the place. It was like, oh, yeah, another curveball. And it wasn't just, oh, it's a mess. It's finding someone available, figuring out the repair, realizing, you know, these problems don't care about your schedule or your bank account. And that's why I'm very happy to share today's sponsor, HomeServe with you. Right, a lot of people assume that their homeowners insurance

covers every repair, but everyday wear and tear like plumbing failures, HVac breakdowns and electrical issues, they're often not covered. Right, and HomeServe, they offer plans that help cover different home systems, giving you another option when unexpected repairs happen. So choose a plan based on your needs and budget. When something goes wrong, homeserve helps connect you with local reliable professionals. Instead of scrambling to find a contractor during a stressful situation,

call HomeServe's 24-7 hotline and start the repair process. They've helped homeowners for over 20 years with a national network of 2600 local contractors and nearly 4.5 million customers. And looking back, I definitely would have appreciated. having something like HomeServe then when my water heater broke down. Say, hey, join the millions of customers who trust HomeServe. And for 50% off your first year, just go to homeserve.com slash DeFranco. And then diving right back into the news for your final block today. There's some more news you need to know and some things he might have missed. Because first up, you now have the police

getting involved in that FGTV Duddy situation that we talked about yesterday. Right after he had a lot of people getting scared that he was going to harm his family. Because of course, you have all of this coming after a recent video where he said he didn't trust his wife and kids. He called them demons. Also, he was talking about clones, witches and a bunch of other wild stuff. And he actually made a separate video addressing the comments that he was getting there, but it also seems like it only made people more concerned. And that's because at first, it sounded like he was gonna pull back on everything he said in the first post. Anything that you heard me say yesterday,

come on. You know that that's not a way that I think of my family. I love my children and my wife. With all my life, there is no strife. I feel all right because of Jesus Christ. But then, things took a turn. But one thing's for sure, a lot of y'all will you will you you think his mental health problems is actually demonic.

I don't care who doesn't believe. I've never been better in my entire life. That's Jesus Christ for you. And if you know your word, you get through any storm. It's with that. Apparently people were so worried that they actually started calling the police. The cops were outside. They talked to me.

They came to check on me. Thank you guys for calling because of everything that happened. But I am good. and it went well. We prayed together. You then, that is why following up at the post about it as well. We're all okay.

My kids are okay. I'm okay. My husband's okay. Even my dogs are okay. I have been getting calls from the local police department. You don't need to keep calling the police department anymore.

They spoke to my husband. Everything is good. But even with that, you had a lot of people still genuinely concerned and then you, of course, had others continuing to say that this could be religious psychosis, drugs, or bull.

But at least for now, you have the family publicly saying and things are under control, though there's really not much anyone else can do. Also, in very different news, there is reportedly a potential serial killer in Lansing, Michigan, and they've already killed five people so far. But this all apparently starting about a year ago when police found Gino Chenard with injuries to his face. While he was taken to the hospital, he died almost two weeks later. And then between July and September this year, the murders just kept coming.

Dennis Dumbach, Robert Smith, Daniel Lusk, Lewis Woodrow. They were all attacked and eventually died from their injuries as well. In all of those cases happened within the same mile-long stretch of a river trail in Lansing. And apparently, all these victims were home. which made them particularly vulnerable to violence. And the police saying that they believed that all of them were lying down or asleep when they were attacked. Right, and then one of the key things is that all but one who was stabbed to death died from injuries to or around their heads like the first victim. And see, then at people with this saying what it looks like is if they are connected, then there could potentially be a single offender with this.

Now with that, I'll say they've actually already charged someone in the stabbing case, but the police chief said whether or not that guy is responsible for all of this that's challenging to say right now. And adding that they're trying to approach this in the right manner so they don't unjustly pin the guy with other crimes. just because he's their main suspect right now. So while things, they're up in the air right now, you have experts hopeful that with all these murders happening in such a close proximity, that the patterns will be easier to see,

helping them close these cases as soon as possible. And then, for your final bit of news today, as you've got rumors building of a pending Russian attack on NATO, France, they just tested a sea-based nuclear missile to deliver a loud and clear message to Russia. While watching the launch, you had Emmanuel Macron saying, to be free, one must be feared, and to be feared, one must be powerful.

And he called to the message for, quote, wherever it must be received. So while France's defense minister, did not name Russia, come on. And then as far as Russia, they immediately got on the phone with reporters to complain. With the Kremlin calling it aloud and clear message, accusing Europe of being obsessed with militarizing

and said that Europe is building its whole identity around confronting Russia. Strategy that they actually called a dead end, and their closing line was problems should be solved through dialogue, not demonstrative missile launches. Which is to put it lightly a wild thing to say, when you are the one who's been invading Ukraine for years, who's test fired nuclear-capable missiles

and who even fired one at Ukraine as a warning once. It's giving Big Bad Wolf's wolf's angry, the three little pigs switched from straw to break. And also, speaking of Russia being mature, right now about 20 Finnish lawmakers say that someone keeps breaking into their homes. Well, there's no forced entry, nothing stolen. One of them found human waste that someone had left in his hotel. You've got Finland investigating it as a suspected Russian intimidation campaign. So you know, super normal, well-adjusted behavior. But that, my friends, you beautiful bastards, is the end of your Thursday show. Though, there is more for you to watch us to click away,

either right here or in the links in the description. You like my little crash-out section today. You'll love the crashing out podcast. You went on the Pope versus. AI and a lot more. Really whatever you do, I just want to say thank you for watching, thank you for like, and thank you for subscribing, and I'm being a part of these daily dives into the news. I love you, oh, faces, and I'll see you right back here next time, which will probably be Monday. Please world, do not do anything where I have to make a show over the weekend.