The Philip DeFranco Show - The Kash Patel Bestiality Situation Exposed a Bigger Problem

Episode Date: September 16, 2026

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Why was Cash Patel really defending beastiality in front of Congress? You've got Candice Owens jumping into the mix as Erica Kirk and Charlie Kirk's parents are about to sue Utah over his murder. And what's really going on with this new huge impeachment effort against Pete Heggseth and this new vote on the Epstein files? We're talking about all of that and even more on today's brand new Philip DeFranco show you daily dive into the news, but really quick, two amazing announcements. One, it's been brought to my attention that I have now officially been on YouTube for 20 years. And so just let me say whether you've been with me for two days, two months, or two decades. Thank you so much for being a part of this amazing community. It changed my life in ways I do not feel worthy of but always strive to be.

And many of y'all gave me community when I had none, and I hope that I provide that for you. And then part of that I feel like is top of mind because the second thing I wanted to mention is that the tour has been going amazing. I've been getting to meet so many of y'all, talk a little, take some picks. And of course, that's an addition to the full show. All of them up to this point have been fantastic. This last run was San Francisco, Phoenix, and Denver. Amazing. And not this weekend, but next, I'll be in Atlanta, Chicago, and St. Paul, Minnesota.

And then the weekend after that, we closed the thing down in Washington, D.C., and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. And while Chicago, that's already sold out if you are in or around or want to go to any of those other places, go to crashing outtore.com right now. Top link in the description, top link in the comments.

And while I cannot wait to see a bunch of y'all there, there's a lot we gotta talk about today, starting with this. So the director of the FBI stood in front of Congress to defend victims of bestiality, and he wasn't not talking about the dogs. And while you might have heard about this, we've got to dive into it.

So to start, last month, CBS reported that in June, the FBI revised its hiring policy to remove three automatic disqualifications. Stealing from an employer, paying for sex, and engaging in beastiality. With sources clarifying that last one, saying a history of beastiality or animal cruelty no longer automatically disqualify someone so long as the conduct occurred before the applicant turned 18. And now an FBI spokesperson said that the change is limited to a narrow set of circumstances, such as when a person was sexually abused with animals as a child.

But you also had sources telling you outlet that the new policy doesn't distinguish between beastiality that was coerced and bestiality that was done willingly. And so when you would cash Patel testifying under oath, the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday, this was the first thing that they asked him about. We did not want to punish victims of bestiality, victims who were trafficked. Not victims of bestiality, applicants who have engaged. Do you disagree with that? Applicants who've engaged in beastiality means they were victims of beastiality because they were forced to do so. And at this FBI, we are not going to criminalize and prevent victims from

serving the United States of America and the premier law enforcement agency in the world. Tell me what it said before. It automatically disqualified any individual who participated on either side of it. Obviously, we are never going to hire the criminals. The side of what? The bestiality? Yes. So you disqualified the animal?

Well, I don't think we have great canines, but we're not going to disqualify it. I understand. Why would you even get into bestiality? We are not into beastiality, but a lot of these individuals... I know you're not. Why do we want to lead with my chin and get into beastiality? the end of Beastiality. That was my initial response, Senator.

But they then explained to me and showed me cases in which people were forced into it and had applied to the FBI. And so I thought they should be considered. It's not an automatic disqualification. And then if you go online, the reactions that you see, they end up being people just bewildered like Dick Durbin and John Kennedy. Or people popping off like, how many victims of beastiality could we possibly be talking about to warrant an FBI policy chain?

Asking, has there been some rash of disqualified applicants who were forced to have sex with goats? This is too bizarre. As well as people saying, I have empathy for the admin staff fielding all the email and phone traffic with beastiality related questions directed to Cash Patel. Any animal off limits? What's an acceptable number of encounters? Will there be a separate bathroom for the bestiality crowd? Right. And then we saw that when Wired reached out to the FBI for clarification, the agency responded. The FBI has had a number of applicants in previous years who suffered sexual abuse in their past, causing questions about prostitution, beastiality, or other similar issues to affect their background check process through zero

fault of their own. And adding it is false to suggest criminal behavior like this is no longer disqualifying at the FBI, saying any applicant who has engaged in criminal sexual acts like those referenced would, of course, not be eligible for employment, and it is ridiculous to suggest otherwise. You also had former FBI agent James Davidson, who now leads the non-profit FBI integrity project telling CBS, deciality is clearly a potential indication of a more serious emotional issue, and even in a circumstance where it is not, the pool of candidates should be extensive enough that the criteria should certainly not be eliminated. But also, of course, under Trump, the FBI has lost or fired thousands of career employees, so in their letter to Patel, Senate Democrats wrote,

Having dangerously thinned the FBI's experienced workforce for reasons it had nothing to do with performance, you are now asking the American people to accept without explanation that the resulting shortfall justifies admitting applicants with histories of employee theft, paying for sex, or bestiality. Also, speaking of one of the other things, Patel addressed the paying for sex part. It's not if you frequented a prostitute. It's if you were a prostitute. If you're, yes, the victim, forced into it. But that is then contradicted by CBS's report, which, that the new policy covers people who paid for sex fewer than three times more than 10 years ago.

And the report also says that applicants will not be disqualified so long as they stole for an employer more than three years ago and Patel never even tried to explain that one. But ultimately, it was kind of the only time a Republican asked him any uncomfortable questions yesterday. And the rest just kind of generally glazed him for crime stats that he kept repeating. And whenever a Democrat took the stage, he dodged and deflected like a karate white belt with yellow stripes. Right, doing the dear leader, Tango, refusing to say who won the 2020 election, he refused to comment on a Russian oligarch, bankrolling Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding. He refused to admit that he fired agents just for working on Trump cases. Right, at one point, Patel even clutching his pearls. Like,

how dare you speak on my beloved? Right, because he got pressed about the FBI investigating the New York Times journalist who reported that Patel had a SWAT team protecting his girlfriend. Your agents interviewed your girlfriend about Mrs. William, Ms. Williamson's reporting. Is that true? Why are you talking about my loved ones who have been threatened based on the- I did not ask you? It's a yes or no question. I'm going to answer it. I'm going to take your failure to answer as an affirmation. We are not. Stop falsely attacking me and my loved ones.

I am not. We have seen multiple people threaten our lives. I'm asking yes or no question. I'm not making an attack. Right now, you are stonewalling this committee for asking simple questions of accountability on how you're using government resources to go after reporters.

Still also was it much more helpful when Peter Welch grilled him about his personal trips using an FBI jet to his girlfriend's house. to the Olympics, to a Texas hunting resort called the Boondogel Ranch. How many days off a year do you take? Because I took four this year. How about your trip to?

I go where I want to go after delivering the most prolific crime reduction in U.S. history. You take 180 days off a year and you can put up all the posters you want and all the lies you want, but everybody sees you for the complete and total fraud that you are.

But there was also one moment where his non-answer actually told is kind of everything that I think a lot of people need to know. Can you commit to this committee that you will not send FBI agents to the polls on election day. The FBI will follow the law.

If there's a reason to go there because there's been a violation of law, we will, otherwise we won't. Do you pledge that you will not in any way interfere in the will of the American people when they go to the polls in November? I pledge unequivocally that I will not participate in your charade of lies. And then, you know, speaking of people who have exposed themselves as embarrassing and competent characters, you really shouldn't have gotten any place in the government, we then have to talk about Pete Heggshead, right?

Because in the now latest instance of juicy intro Republican drama, Kentucky Representative Thomas Massey had a fun little surprise for his colleagues when he introduced articles to impeach Hegsa. With him telling reporters, I didn't give anybody a heads up. And when they found out I was doing the Epstein Discharge petition, they canceled two weeks of Congress. And I think if they found out I was going to do this, they might have canceled even more days.

And what you saw specifically, I was on the House floor yesterday. He introduced eight articles of impeachment. They were over the Iran war and over a number of other things, including the kidnapping of ex-Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, the administration's boat strikes in the Caribbean, and Hegssess's alleged suppression of free speech. Secretary of Defense, Peter Hegeseth, by such conduct, has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to civilians, the lawful conduct of United States military operations, the integrity and credibility of the United States Armed Forces,

and the Constitution, if allowed, to remain in office, and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with his duties and the rule of law. Also, you had massied a statement doubling down, saying Secretary Hegeseth is breaking the law and must be held accountable. And adding, if we are to remain true to our oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, Congress must not turn a blind eye to Secretary Hegsseth's unconstitutional and illegal actions. And actually, this just said, as is reporting this, Mike Johnson has now canceled Thursday votes, meaning that House members are heading out for an early recess and avoiding voting on this impeachment. Or with Johnson telling reporters, it's a publicity stunt by someone who wants attention. And saying it will immediately be tabled, of course.

Or which is code for it's not going to happen, saying we will probably do it when we come back, but it's a stunt. Claiming Secretary Hegseth has done an extraordinary job, the Department of War. We're in the middle of international conflicts right now, and we should not be playing games with national security. And Republican leaders reportedly insisted that this decision had nothing to do with Massey's call for impeachment, which would have hit the floor by Thursday. So just a crazy coincidence, I guess. And you know, if any Republican was going to do this, it is not surprising that it was Massey. Massey's been known to be one of the loudest Republican critics of the Trump administration. Right, as he referenced to those reporters, he helped lead the effort to get the Epstein files released, all of that, leading to Trump, really push him for him and successfully getting him primaried. And actually, Hegset was a part of that. Hegsett campaigned with his approach. opponent Ed Galrain last May. Also I say a big key thing here is that Massey is not the only

Republican who's pissed at Hexon, right? You've got lots of people who are just not thrilled with his handling of Iran, his completely disastrous management of the Pentagon, his relentless, disturbing focus on hormones and beards. And so earlier this month, you had Republican Senator Tom Tillis, as North Carolina calling on Trump to replace Hegset after Dan Driscoll stepped down as Army Secretary, saying, I have never witnessed more inept management of the brave men and women who serve our country, saying he is intimidated by competence and retreats to ginning up culture wars instead of soberly attending to the vital work of our national defense and the health and well-being of our fighting force. But for now, you've got the White House standing by their guy, right, with Attorney General Todd Blanche giving this response to reporters yesterday.

Congressman Thomas Massey today introduced articles of impeachment against Secretary Heggsett. Who did? Thomas Massey. Oh, okay. For allegedly violating the war powers resolution. So the first question is Secretary Heggseth is doing a phenomenal job. And the Secretary of War doesn't just go off and do things. So he follows the law. And so the DOJ plays a role in that

and we play an active role and making sure the laws comply with it. Which I will say, I think phenomenal job is a very interesting review of a guy who, in addition to waging and incredibly unpopular war in Iran that has also taken part in bombing a school full of children has managed to be involved in nonstop scandals since taking office.

Are we talking about the genius who accidentally texted about his war plans in a group chat with an Atlantic journalist? The guy who blocked a bunch of women and black service members from getting promoted. The guy who's so obsessed with rejecting whoken and embracing traditional man that he circled all the way back around promoting gender-affirming care and the form of testosterone

testing and new grooming standards. And in fact, that's what he's busy with right now as a member of his own parties trying to impeach him. Higgs Sess Pentagon is focused on finding troops who embody the secretary's specific brand of masculinity to serve as the backdrop for his next speech. Commanders are now reportedly being asked to nominate troops who meet Hegsets' waste to height requirements and also exhibit quote unquote impeccable grooming standards. If some of the same, elected, they'll get to attend Hague Seth's State of the Force address later this month, perhaps after they've had their testosterone checked. That's right, gentlemen.

You could be crowned Hegseth's he man, pretty boy at 2026. Yes, that should be the focus of the military right now. As Trump's war of choice makes everything expensive and draws the world into chaos. Yes, we deplete our stockpiles for negative gain. I mean, this man is part of the reason why internationally, China is now looked on more fondly than America. And while this impeachment, I don't think it would have actually been successful, especially with the Republican-controlled Congress, it would have put lawmakers on record over Heggseth's leadership. Right, it also ends up serving more negative PR for the party at a time where we're less than 50 days out from the midterms. You've got more and more Americans unable to look away. Right, this Hegset and Trump and Republican Party gaslighting, it can't keep up with the realities of people getting swamped with. And all of it becomes harder to look away at the price tags of things. Right. And thanks to a new report, we know that this, it's cost about $33.4 billion dollars up to mid-June and could cost about $2 billion more per month for as long as it goes on. That's your tax money, that's this country's debt, that could be going to actually helping people here.

And while you've got the administration shouting, woke this, woke that, I just want someone that's awake behind the wheel of this country, homie. Because grandpa creepy touch and drunk uncle, they haven't been doing a great job. And then there's even more we got to dive into in just a minute. But first, let me thank a sponsor. Because one thing that I've learned when life gets busy, that I'll just grab something quick, it's how you accidentally end up eating like a college student again. And for me, between this crashing out tour, this show, the podcast, everything else going on in my life, I've been trying. trying to get back to meals that feel like actual meals with sustenance. And that's why I love today's sponsor Factor.

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But then, Devin, right back into the news, Charlotte Kirk's family is apparently gearing up to Sue, saying that his assassination was the result of, quote, stunning failures and reckless decisions at the university where he was speaking. Because at this point, I think we're all familiar with the events at September 10, 2025. Charlie Kirk was shot and killed from a nearby rooftop while speaking at Utah Valley University and or for some people, whatever Candace Owens is currently saying.

And you've got Tyler Robinson currently facing the death penalty on his charge of aggravated murder after turning himself in a day later. But now you also have Kirk's family apparently looking to hold university officials at least partly responsible for his death. Or their attorneys filing a notice of claim against the university, its police department, and actually the state of Utah itself yesterday with a mile long list of allegations that they say contributed to Kirk's death. Starting with the venue itself, the filing says a university, officials walked Charlie into a fishbowl that day with tall buildings surrounding the quad where he was speaking Something you have the family saying is made worse by the fact that the university had no written plan for security They didn't hold a briefing or meeting to discuss security beforehand and they weren't using standard public practices like bag checks or metal detectors

And you would the filing adding indeed the UVU parties planning was so deficient that when mr. Kirk was shot First responders were not available and mr. Kirk was transported to Timpanogos regional hospital in a private vehicle not an ambulance and that was in addition to what's been described as the incredible understaffing for an event this size right there were three thousand people there and reportedly only six university law enforcement officers. With the university, even reportedly shooting down the police chief's request for more security, which then means that the TPUSA security team that joined Kirk that date was reportedly bigger than the team of cops meant to protect the event. So you have the family saying that the university officials could have brought in officers

from other local departments to help fill the gap, but they chose not to. But then also, maybe the biggest thing to highlight here is the rooftop security or rather lack thereof. Because officials with Turning Point USA, they reportedly flagged the rooftops as a risk to the UVU police, saying if students could access that, they wanted to have some security up there. To which, the UVU police chief Jeffrey Long reportedly responded, I got you covered. But reportedly and seemingly clearly, the rooftops were not in fact covered. And you have the family saying that this particular failing is made worse by the fact that A, the cops should

have thought about it beforehand, especially in light of the 24 assassination attempt of Trump. And B, they had actively warned the police about this risk and it still was not addressed. Leading the family's counsel, Brett Parkinson, to say that Kirk's death was, quote, entirely preventable and in fact would not have happened had the state of Utah and UVU followed through on their stated security promises, which included protecting the rooftop. surrounding the quad where Charlie was speaking. Saying those failures not only robbed Charlie Kirk of his life, but also robbed his family of their husband,

father, son, and brother with impacts that will compound for the rest of their lives. Now with all this, it is important to reiterate this is not a lawsuit, but I'll say yet. And I say that because this is a necessary first step. Utah law requires a plaintiff to notify government defendants of a claim of loss for a lawsuit to be considered. So we may, and I would say very likely, we'll be looking at a wrongful death lawsuit on the horizon.

Though currently, we don't know what kind of damages the family would be seeking. And as far as the university's response to the whole thing, said that they were aware of the claim and that they would address it, quote, consistent with our established processes. And you had a university spokesperson adding, our focus remains on supporting our campus community. Also, I think it's worth noting that shortly after Kirk's death, the university promised that it would be seeking out an outside review of the event and the school's response. But we haven't actually gotten those findings yet with the university's new president telling the Salt Lake Tribune. When we get the report, it will be very comprehensive and it's just taken time to get it to that point. And then actually, regarding that report, you had Candace Owen's popping up.

Because you had her sharing her take on this whole notice, acclaim thing to her massive audience. But they're taking to Twitter after the news broke today to say that she's hearing that Turning Point USA is actually trying to get ahead of that report, saying they are blaming UVU for failures that were actually specifically requested by their security team. Saying more on this later. You also had a adding to Turning Point USA is the one who insisted the quad was used for Charlie's speech at UVU despite the security risks. And then you had to quickly undercutting any role that Charlie's widow, Erica, may have had in this process. By saying that this claim and any wrongful death lawsuit that follows were actually Charlie's parents idea, and they had to pressure Erica to get on board.

So on all fronts, you've got more to come. But then all of that, it brings us to another. The controversy that's been making headlines for a long time, and that's the Epstein file. And that's because Thomas Massey, he's getting closer to potentially releasing some of those withheld documents. And that's as, there's also a few other major efforts in Congress to put the Epstein issue back in the spotlight. But starting with Massey, his discharge petition is reportedly just one Republican signature away from forcing the House to vote on part two of his Epstein File's Transparency Act. With Massey, introducing it last month alongside Rocahanna, and just like with

the first round of legislation, it's been this uphill battle to get the four Republicans needed to sign on. But yesterday, you had Massey announcing that Representative Ralph Norman joined he and Nancy Mace and signing, meaning that they just need one more member of the party to step up. So as it stands, the petition has 197 signatures, but once they get that fourth Republican, it'll likely be pretty easy to get the remaining Democrat to fill it out. But you've got Massey saying that this is a race against time, which is now especially true with all the stunts that Mike Johnson's pulling with this early recess, I mentioned. And a refresher for what's in this bill is that it would allow state attorneys general,

members of Congress, and victims to sue the U.S. Attorney General for unlawfully withholding and redacting files that were previously required to be released. Right, then it also gives victims the right to obtain full records concerning themselves and enforces compliance to existing laws by subjecting the FBI and DOJ to criminal penalties for knowingly concealing any files. Right, and even though this DOJ, they've butchered its initial release of the Epstein files.

Massey still having to resort to just so many different tactics to get people in his party to join him. Telling Auxios that he and Nancy Mace, they're actively targeting either retiring Republicans and members in vulnerable districts, really anyone who might not have a ton to lose if they cross Trump. And they're also trying to have conversations with Lauren Bobert, who was one of the four people

who signed the first time. And that's as you've got Massey not being the only member of Congress that's trying to get justice when it comes to Epstein and his victims. Right, because just yesterday, you had Democrat Ayanna Presley introducing a bill that would give financial relief to sexual assault survivors. And more specifically, it would create a restitution fund in the judicial branch for survivors whose rights were violated by the federal government, including those abused by Epstein and

Galane Maxwell. And as far as why she's focusing on providing financial help, it's because on top of the other horrors that come with sexual violence, it can also create a pretty hefty economic burden. Right? I mean, between medical and therapy bills, miswork, legal fees, and more. One study previously estimated that the lifetime cost of being a victim of rape, It's over $120,000. And with this, you had Presley saying during a press conference.

And for too many survivors, the trauma is compounded by another profound injustice and violation. The very system that was supposed to deliver accountability fails them, has failed us. When the government violates a survivor's rights, there must be a remedy. There must be accountability. And there must be a pathway toward healing. You've also had Danny Benska, survivor of Epstein's abuse, speaking on this issue from her perspective, adding, Three decades of institutional failure. Three decades of survivors being asked to carry the consequences of decisions made by the very government that was supposed to protect us.

As an Epstein survivor, I speak to our case. However, this is so much bigger than Epstein. When our government fails to protect one group of survivors, it sends a message to, every survivor of sexual abuse, assault, and exploitation. And while in Presley's home state of Massachusetts, there's actually already a victim's compensation fund, nothing similar exists federally, meaning that people like Epstein's victims,

they fall through the cracks. Notably, this is not the only new bill that's aimed at helping victims. Right, so on the other side of the aisle, you have Republican James Comer introducing legislation that would void any NDAs that prevent individuals, including victims, from providing information about sexual abuse.

And a key thing is that this would apply to existing agreements and Comer introduced it after finding roadblocks during the Oversight Committee's Epstein investigation. What we've learned during this investigation is there were a lot of rules that prevented victims of sexual abuse from coming forward. One of those would be if you signed a non-disclosure agreement. We don't want a piece of paper to prevent any bad person from getting away with any type of crimes. Part of the purpose, Jake, of this investigation is to understand how the government failed the victims of Epstein and try to figure out ways to prevent this from ever happening in the future.

And actually NDAs, they're currently at the center of this whole thing between the Oversight Committee and Epstein-Man associate Leon Black. And while Black, who notably denies any wrongdoing related to Epstein, actually sat for a transcribe interview with the committee back in May, he just walked out and refused to speak about NDAs that he had entered into with the women also tied to Epstein. And so he had the panel subpoena him to turn over the documents, but he responded by suing them and then didn't attend a scheduled appearance with them earlier this month. So actually, as yesterday, you had the committee unanimously voting to recommend that he be held in contempt to Congress for refusing to cooperate, which then not only created sort of another Epstein side controversy, but again, highlighted the holdups that NDAs can create in these kinds of situations, which is then why Comer and others in the committee felt that this legislation is necessary. And in fact, on top

of it voiding NDAs in these cases, it also defines grooming in federal law for the first time and establishes a duty to report it. And so one of these things, you know, it's getting the most attention. We're going to have to see where all of this goes, whether it be what comes from Comer, the one from Presley or Massey's second part of the Epstein Files Transparency Act. And then there's even more that we got to dive into in just a minute. But let's take a quick breather and thank a sponsor. Your email inbox might be one of the most revealing things that you won't. I mean, think about it, receipts, travel plans, password reset, subscriptions, accounts that you forgot you even made, all sitting in one place. Which is why I like the way today's sponsor Proton

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and just a few clicks. You can even keep using your existing Gmail address through ProtonMail while you transition. So if your inbox knows basically everything about your life, it might be worth choosing an email service designed to know as little about you as possible. So hey, get ProtonMail for free at proton.me slash Philip DeFranco or just scan that QR code to get started today. And then diving back into the news for your final block today, let's cram in some more news you need to know before I let you go. Starting with the fact that Canada is now officially trying to break up with North America and the European Union? They seem to really be wanting to be the rebound after they teased Ottawa as a spot for its first ever associate member. A European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen broke the news during her state of union address

and suggested that it could grant Canadians visa-free work rights across 27 European nations, Plus, deeper integration on defense, AI, and critical minerals. And it's very easy to see why the EU's pushing for this now, and in the past, this was borderline unthinkable. The U.S. and Canada, they went from being extremely close partners to reluctant friends at best. And in Canada, they're now looking for new powerful friends. And I don't mean militarily, although this would be part of it as well, with Canada being able to ditch the U.S. for defense and tap into the EU's 150 euro billion defense procurement

fund. But really, this is for trade. And almost 70% of Canada's exports, they're sent to the U.S. and base stiff tariffs. But if they could shift more of that to the EU, it'd be a huge win to not be as dependent on America. And there's already a free trade agreement with the EU, so this associate member status would just expand work opportunities and access to key resources. And it's important to note, this is a key thing. Canada is very big on just being an associate member and not a full on one. It seems like they don't like that becoming a full EU member means giving up certain sovereignty.

So they're want more of a friends with benefits situation. And while the two, they're still flirting with the idea, the devil, it'll be in the details, not to mention that membership, that process, it normally takes years. Just the suggestion that this is going to happen is still a massive geopolitical shift that could permanently rewrite North American trade. Also in other news, The federal government just spent $9.5 billion paying over 100,000 federal employees to stay home and literally not work. And somehow, we were saving money the entire time. But according to a new report from the government accountability office, paid administrative leaves skyrocketed by 435% between 2023 and 2025. And as far as why, well, it's Trump and Elon Musk's doge.

Where they push the deferred resignation program, which offered roughly 140,000 federal workers full pay and benefits through September just to resign. And that single voluntary buyout program, it accounted for $6.7 billion of the total bill, with critics slamming, the move, noting the sheer irony that a program pitched a slash government waste ended up lighting billions of dollars on fire. With then, one of the key things being that most of those agencies then had to quietly rehire tens of thousands of the workers in similar positions to cover critical staffing shortages. So people were paid to take time off until they left their jobs and then others had to be hired to fill those gaps, which then brings up the question why it wasn't the first group just left alone,

right? Because while that sounds too logical, you have the Office of Personnel Management defending the map, right? With OPM officials arguing with the multi-billion dollar price tag, it was a necessary one-time severance expense to downsize the federal workforce and claiming that it will ultimately save taxpayers $20 billion every single year going forward. Though many, including experts, they don't trust the administration's math. And as for so many reasons, including our national debt and federal spending, have skyrocketed during Trump's second term. With more and more people by the day realizing the cuts, they were never meant to save money, they were political theater. They were done to inflict fear and hardship on perceived enemies and also to be put into campaign ads, all while hiding the fact that the Trump Republican

government, they racked up more and more bills. And depending on the programs, we've been finding that government spending can actually be a good thing depending on the program. And in general, it's all just a mess. And then the final bit of news today is that ICE just snatched a minor out of a car and beat him into the concrete before detaining him and another minor all while they were apparently on their way to enlist into the Marines. He's a minor! He's a minor!

He's a minor! So they're only 17 and we don't have video of anything before this point. But one of them, Luis Sochoa, is saying that it all started when they stopped to record those ICE agents detaining some other people near an elementary school in Alamo, Texas. But then at some point, the agents turning on them and they went from recording an arrest to being arrested themselves. And so in the process, Ochoa claims that he was pepper-srayed and video show the other teenager taking blow after blow straight to the head while he's already pinned down on the street. And then you have Ochoa saying that he eventually ran away, tried to get help from a nearby restaurant, but the agents caught up to him pretty quick and took them both into custody. And at some point in all this, he also apparently told the agents that he was a U.S. citizen.

One of them allegedly responded, I don't give a damn, your parents can't help you now. With the men being held for about eight hours before being released without any known charges, you've got Ochoa's mom saying that that was one of the most frightening moments of her life because she feared that her son was being taken to Mexico. And now that they're out, she's saying that Ochoa is reconsidering his plans to enlist. And you had her asking, how are young men supposed to serve a country that doesn't even uphold their rights? And that, my friends, beautiful bastards, is the end of your Wednesday show. But also, if you've got the time, you should definitely check out today's brand new episode of crashing out. Because we do, and often fun and engaging. And I like to think, uh, appealing way. So go check that out,

go enjoy. And I'll see you right back here for another dive into the news tomorrow. Love your faces.