The Philip DeFranco Show - Trump Quietly Admits There Is No End To This War

Starting point is 00:00:00 Local news is in decline across Canada, and this is bad news for all of us. With less local news, noise, rumors, and misinformation fill the void, and it gets harder to separate truth from fiction. That's why CBC News is putting more journalists in more places across Canada, reporting on the ground from where you live, telling the stories that matter to all of us, because local news is big news. Choose news, not noise.

Starting point is 00:00:27 CBC News. Want to go electric without sacrificing fun? That's the Volkswagen ID4. All-electric and thoughtfully designed to elevate your modern lifestyle. The Volkswagen ID4 is fun to drive with instant acceleration that makes city streets feel like open roads. Plus a refined interior with innovative technology always at your fingertips. The all-electric ID4. You deserve more fun. Visit vw.ca to learn more.

Starting point is 00:00:56 SUVW, German-engineered for all. When you let Arrow Truffle bubbles melt, everything takes on a creamy, delicious, chocolatey glow. Like that pile of laundry. You didn't forget to fold it. Nah, it's a new trend. Rinkled chic. Feel the Arrow bubbles melt.

Starting point is 00:01:14 It's mind-bubbling. Mr. Beas' company just got sued. The allegations are shocking, but you also had the company firing back saying this is a clout-chasing complaint, and they dropped some screenshots. RFK Jr. spent four days in seven congressional hearings getting torched

Starting point is 00:01:25 as his own CDC just buried a study by its own scientists showing COVID vaccines are incredibly effective. The redistricting fight in Virginia is far from over as a judge who already tried to block the vote twice before and been overruled, just ruled that the Democrats violated the state constitution. And medical marijuana is finally no longer classified as equally dangerous to heroin. But first step today, we got to talk about this. Trump's new gone from saying that the war with Iran's going to be over any day to say that there's no time frame at all. And in the meantime, you have both countries locking down the street over moves, the global economic impact deepening, and the other ceasefire, right, the one between Israel and Lebanon, that's still.

Starting point is 00:01:55 hanging in the balance. With the violence continuing, despite the truth, and as Israel is accused of intentionally killing journalists and medics. But where we'll start is with the U.S. and Iran. Because the ceasefire has been extended, and here's White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt, kind of reiterating Trump's stated justification for the decision. There's obviously a lot of internal division. This is a battle between the pragmatists and the hardliners in Iran right now, and the

Starting point is 00:02:14 president wants a unified response. And with that, she essentially argued the fact that it is so difficult to negotiate with Iran because the surviving leadership is so divided, shows how effective Operation Epic Fury has been. And you had her claiming that despite Iran, alleged inability to come up with a unified response, the White House has a good understanding of the individual who will ultimately have the power to sign off on a final deal But she also wouldn't say who and then as far as when we might expect to get a decision from that individual There were reports yesterday that Trump was only giving Iran a few more days But Levitt said that Trump has not set a firm deadline for Iran to respond and then as far as Trump

Starting point is 00:02:44 He gave an even more open-ended answer telling Fox News that there was no time pressure on the ceasefire and there was quote no time frame for when the war might end And doubting people say I want to get it over because of the midterms not true we want a good deal for the amendment American people. And of course, this seems to be yet another massive shift from his initial claim that this war would just last four to six weeks and his repeated claim since then that it would end very soon. And this also isn't the only way we've seen Trump seriously walking it all back. Right, as we've talked about, his efforts to reopen the Strait of her moves have involved repeated have involved repeated threats to destroy energy and other civilian infrastructure across the country. We're talking about attacks that experts say would likely be war crimes. Also, can't forget, he threatened the death of Iranian civilization itself, which some have argued equated to a call for genocide. Also on April 12th, when he announced the US blockade of Iranian ports, he specifically said that any Iranian who fired, as peaceful vessels will be blown to hell. But since he's extended the ceasefire, Iran's attacked three ships to know the Strait of Hormuz, seizing two of them.

Starting point is 00:03:31 And now you've even had the IRGC publishing video appearing to show its forces approaching the vessels on speedboats, flying the Iranian flag, and scaling the sides with ladders. But then you had Leavitt telling Fox News that Trump didn't view these actions as violations of the ceasefire. No, because these were not US ships.

Starting point is 00:03:44 These were not Israeli ships. These were two international vessels. Levin also claimed the fact that Iran did this with only, quote, speedy gunboats, shows that they don't have control over the straits, saying, This is piracy that we are seeing on display. And the naval blockade that the United States has imposed

Starting point is 00:04:00 continues to be incredibly effective. But of course, the actual effectiveness of the blockade, it can be debated. Are you the Defense Department saying today that it had turned back 31 vessels so far? But some analysts have claimed many others have made it through, which the Pentagon's denied. And that's as it's also been increasingly targeting

Starting point is 00:04:14 Iranian-linked ships far from Iranian ports. Announcing this morning that it had carried out a maritime interdiction and ride a visit boarding of a sanctioned vessel in the Indian Ocean that have been transporting oil from Iran. And this is actually the second time the Navy's boarded a ship in the Indian Ocean this week. And that's as it's reportedly intercepted at least three others in Asia and fired at and boarded another ship in the Arabian Sea. So overall, you know,

Starting point is 00:04:32 Iran's economies definitely feel on the pressure, but some analysts say, you know, they can take it. Especially as they kind of just have to outlast Trump's willingness to withstand the pressure that it's putting on the global economy with still almost no traffic going through the strait. And this is the U.S. claiming that ships without links to Iran are free to pass, but the military isn't escorting vessels and the nearest U.S. destroyers are reportedly more than 400 miles away. And according to some, the lack of a friendly naval presence in the strait shows that the Iranians still pose a threat and you had one analyst telling the New York Times. It's not going to reassure anybody to start up shipping again through Hormuz if the U.S. Navy itself refuses to operate in Hormuz.

Starting point is 00:05:02 Though notably with that, you had Trump claiming today that the Navy would start operating in the strait in the street. And we're saying he had ordered it, quote, to shoot and kill any boat, small boats, though they may be, that is putting mines in the water of the Strait of Hormuz and adding. Our mine sweepers are clearing the straight right now. I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level. But also, as of now, it's not at all clear what Trump is saying is even remotely true. Right, he already claimed at the end of last week that Iran, with the help of the USA, is removed or is removing all sea mines.

Starting point is 00:05:27 But that ended up being among many things that he said at the time that turned out just to be, I'll say, impressively untrue, including that Iran had, quote, agreed to everything. But also, according to the Washington Post, the Pentagon told Congress this week that it could take six months to get rid of all the mines in the straight and that any such operation is unlikely to be carried out until the war ends. So there, you had a spokesperson disputing the timeline and saying that the Washington Post has made clear they care more about advancing an agenda than sure.

Starting point is 00:05:50 But also, it seems possible that Trump's announcement, it's just an effort to calm market, since the news gives one more reason to believe that energy prices are going to stay high, even if the war ends tomorrow. And then also, while the Pentagon's doing damage control, it's also dealing with chaos of its own. Because defense secretary Pete Hegeseth fired the Navy's top civilian official, Secretary John Phelan. He's a businessman that was appointed the role by Trump, despite having almost no relevant experience, except maybe for the fact that he flew on Epstein's plane in 2006. And his secretary, he had him promoting a new type of vessel to be called the Trump-class battleship.

Starting point is 00:06:17 But then also, he's reportedly clashed with other top leaders at the Penn. Pentagon, including Hegset and so now he's out. But really, he's just the latest in the shakeup at the department. This is coming just weeks after Hegsa's wartime firing of the Army's top uniformed officer, General Randy George, along with another general. And then of course, in addition to Hegseth also firing other generals as well as admirals, lawyers and many of the people whose job was basically to prevent the military from accidentally blown up a school full of little girls.

Starting point is 00:06:38 That said though, Phelan's firing is apparently unlikely to directly impact naval operations related to the war, although the confusion surrounding his dismissal could apparently make it harder for the military to replenish its stock of certain missiles and high-end air defense systems. And then you've also had some arguing that this may ultimately have other less tangible effects. Right with Senator Jack Reed, for example, the top Democrat and the Armed Services Committee arguing in a statement, this kind of disruption at the top sends the wrong signal to our sailors and Marines, to our allies, and to our adversaries.

Starting point is 00:07:03 Then also, with everything, we've got to talk about the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, because today, with the U.S. hosting a second meeting between the two sides is we're now more than halfway through the truce. Though, of course, I need to put an asterisk on that, because despite the agreement, Israel has continued to occupy parts of southern Lebanon, demolishing homes and buildings and barring residents from returning as it creates what it's calling a buffer zone about 10 kilometers deep into the country. Right, and it's also continued strikes against what it says are Hezbollah targets in the country, claiming self-defense and then you have Hezbollah firing and what it calls a response to violations of the ceasefire. The also what we've seen is that the Israeli military is capable of doing a lot more damage having killed more people since the fighting began on March 2nd. And actually yesterday it killed at least five more people, including a journalist, with Lebanese officials claiming it she and a colleague who was wounded were deliberately targeted while hiding out in a home following an earlier strike. And they also claim that the Israeli military then targeted the rescue workers trying to come to

Starting point is 00:07:50 their aid with soldiers allegedly firing at a Red Cross ambulance and a drone allegedly dropping a grenade on rescuers trying to lift the wounded journalists from rubble. And so you have many saying, you know, this could have been what's been described as a double tap operation where Israel strikes once waits for first responders to arrive and then strikes again. And that's something that we saw in Gaza. Now in Lebanon, we've even seen at least one report of a quadruple tap, where after an initial strike, Israel carried out three consecutive strikes on three sets of ambulances and medical workers. And overall, Israeli strikes in Lebanon have reportedly killed seven journalists. And that's as the Lebanese health ministry said last week that at least 100 medical workers

Starting point is 00:08:19 had been killed in more than 120 attacks in ambulances and medical facilities. And so with this latest attack, you had the Lebanese Prime Minister accusing the Israeli military of war crime. And you had the committee to protect journalists similarly saying in a statement, the repeated strikes on the same location, the targeting of an area where journalists were sheltering and the obstruction of medical and humanitarian access constitute a grave reach of international humanitarian law. But with all that, you know, while the US is facilitating the talks, so the Trump administration reportedly doesn't appear to be putting a lot of pressure on Israel. Well, we're gonna have to wait to see what happens there.

Starting point is 00:08:46 We also then have to talk about this dispute in the US that could shape the outcome of the next election. And so actually, by extension, could come back around and affect what happens in the Middle East, along with so much more. Right, because just a day after the votes came in, a Virginia judge has blocked the Democrats there for moving forward with the new district maps. With them saying that there were multiple legal issues, he criticized the ballot question, and now it's standing in the way of the Dems taking back the House. Right, but Virginia Democrats, they say they're already looking forward to defending their new maps in court.

Starting point is 00:09:09 And if they win the appeal, this could stop Trump and his tracks or lead them to investigation or impeachment. Because the Virginia Dems, they slipped by with a three-point win that could leave them with a 10 to 1 majority in the House. So that would help even the playing field in the redistricting war as it's been happening in the country ahead of the midterms. So with this vote, you had Republican leaders saying Democrats attempted to force an unconstitutional scheme to tilt congressional maps in their favor, but the court recognized it for what it is, a blatant power grab. Specifically, you had this Virginia Circuit Court judge agreeing saying that they violated the state constitution, leaving the referendum ineffective.

Starting point is 00:09:35 The judge saying Dems pushed the proposal during a special session of the General Assembly, which he says is a rule violation. He also said that the referendum was supposed to pass through two different General Assembly with a general election in between before it got to voters. And then he also claimed that they didn't follow the 90-day public notice requirement before voting started and that the question on the ballot was flagrantly misleading. But notably, the same judge has also tried to bring up legal questions to block this vote twice already and neither worked out for it. But still, it's worth mentioning that he's not the only one talking about the ballot question. Because for context, the question read, should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to allow the General Assembly to temporarily adopt new congressional districts to restore fairness in the upcoming elections while ensuring Virginia's stand. standard redistricting process resumes for all future redistricting after the 2030 census. And voters, they had mixed reactions.

Starting point is 00:10:16 What were your thoughts on the wording of the question and how did you interpret it? I would say that this particular ballot item has seen in the media an attempt to really confuse the voters. It's very disappointing that a certain party feels like that they have to result to certain measures in order to win. The wording of the question on the ballot was pretty cut and dry. It was good. It's very understandable. And even before they saw the question, you had voters complaining about the confusing messaging coming from politicians. Or we talked about it on previous shows. You had people accusing Republicans of purposely trying to confuse black voters with mailers that had photos of the clan.

Starting point is 00:10:54 Right, and there were also some misleading mailers about Obama's position on all this. So it seemed like there were a number of voters that ended up confused about what side they should be on. Again, with all that, you had Democrats coming out on top and if they keep up the track record with the appeal, they'll be moving forward. And again, while you had Republicans not happy about what happened in Virginia, you had Democrats saying, they're just fighting fire with fire. Wow, wow, wow. Totally unconstitutional and wrong. Democrats have attempted and asked Republicans

Starting point is 00:11:18 for 10 years to ban partisan gerrymandering. And for 10 years, Republicans have said no. These are the rules that they have said. So you know, we're gonna have to see what happens there, but there is one thing for sure. The next time anyone complains about anything to me, I am texting them just the clip of AOC saying, wow, wow, wow.

Starting point is 00:11:36 Just a generational clip. It's up there with Miss Rachel and I'm Donnie going wha, wow, wow, wow. 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, figuring out dinner every night, it's rough enough. Then you throw kids into the mix, and you're basically trying to manage a circus,

Starting point is 00:11:51 and it's starring meatloaf. And it's not that you don't want to cook, is that coming up with something new every single night, that's where the creative block kicks in. And these were our nights until today's sponsor, Hello Fresh came into our life. With Hello Fresh, you can cook meals that actually feel interesting again without turning it into a giant ordeal.

Starting point is 00:12:04 And they've got 80-plus recipes every month, stuff like Vietnamese, Moroccan, Caribbean, so it's not just chicken, rice, or peat. And they send you everything pre-portion, so you're not hunting down random ingredients you'll only use once and then forget about. It's basically the easiest way to cook something that feels like you actually try.

Starting point is 00:12:18 Plus, you get to experiment with ingredients like lemon grass, curry paste, stuff that you might not grab on your own. And you know, I use HelloFresh because it cuts out the annoying part of cooking and it leaves the part that actually feels worth it. So, hey, go to hellofresh.com slash DeFranco 10 FM right now to get 10 free meals plus

Starting point is 00:12:30 a free neutral bullet ultra-plus, two-and-one compact kitchen system, which is $189.99-0.99-value on your third box. Free meals applied as a discount on the first box. New subscribers only varies by plan. Disclaimer must order the third box by May 31st, 2026. But yeah, nothing hits like home cooking. Then, diving right back into the news, hey, a broken clocks right twice a day. Because just this morning, the Trump administration announced that it would be reclassifying state-licensed medical marijuana

Starting point is 00:12:53 and changing its status as a Schedule 1 drug. And of course, that's the strictest category for drugs. It includes drugs like heroin. Drugs that don't have any accepted medical use and have a high potential for abuse. So until this latest move, medical weed, it was considered more dangerous than fentanyl, which is used in hospital settings. But now, medical marijuana is going to be classified as a Schedule 3 drug, which includes much lower risk drugs like ketamine and carries fewer restrictions. Though, to be clear, I do not want y'all getting in trouble. This announcement does not decriminalize or legalize medical weed at the federal level, nor does it affect the criminal classification of recreational marijuana.

Starting point is 00:13:22 So there, you have DOJ officials saying they'll hold a hearing in June in order to consider that idea. But still, this is just an absolutely massive move that advocates have been pushing for for decades and one that's going to have a number of incredibly significant consequences. Right, first up, the reclassification will significantly expand the kind of scientific research that can be done. done on pot and its medicinal applications. It'll also open up new banking access for medical marijuana operators and give them a huge tax break by finally allowing the businesses to claim tax deductions on their expenses. Right, and it creates a new expedited registration process for state medical weed licenses in the 40 states where it's legal. So with all this, you have a ton of people saying the reclassification, it's just long overdue. Especially given how public attitudes and state level policies have both shifted in the last decade plus.

Starting point is 00:13:59 40 states have legalized medical marijuana, 24 of legalized recreational pot and a majority of American support easing restrictions on the drug. And on the note of public support, the timing here is, is also very notable because it comes just days after Trump appeared to openly complain by the slow pace of easing federal restrictions on illegal drugs. Back in December, you had Trump signing an executive order directing federal agencies to quickly ease restrictions on pot and make CBD more available. And over the weekend, he signed another order directing federal agencies to expand research and clinical trials for a handful of different psychedelics, including LSD and psilocybin. And actually during a signing ceremony at the Oval Office, which featured Joe Rogan, who's, of course,

Starting point is 00:14:30 pushed for increased access to psychedelics, Trump went off on a series of tangents that ended with him complaining to Rogan about how it was taking just too long to reschedule a certain drug. But we also didn't say which drug he was actually talking about in his disconnected rambling. And you're going to get the rescheduling done, right, please? So we get, will you get the rescheduling done, please? You know, they're, Joe, they're slow walking me on rescheduling. Okay, you're going to get it done, right? And then boom, just like magic. A few days later, administration officials suddenly rescheduled marijuana. And overall, I think this is a good move. Does it negate all the other 99% of things? No. But at least, as of now, this looks like a positive.

Starting point is 00:15:04 But the next up from that, we've got to talk about this Mr. Beast controversy. once again in the hot seat over his company's alleged culture. And this time you've got allegations of sexual harassment, retaliation, and even making an employee work while she was actively in labor. And specifically what we're talking about in this story that's now been plastered everywhere. Like it was in the New York Times is coming from a lawsuit that was filed in North Carolina by Lorraine Mavram Mattis. Where she's a Brazilian vlogger turned social media professional. The story is she lays it out in her suit. It is, it's horrifying from start to finish. So let's dive into that first. Right. Because Lorraine says that she was hired as the head of

Starting point is 00:15:32 Instagram there in 2022. She called it her dream job and said it felt surreal to get the opportunity to work there. but it didn't really take long for me to see that things were not exactly how I saw them from the outside. She found the company culture was toxic that women were excluded from meetings or told to shut up, demeaned, harassed, and overall treated poorly. And at one point her complaint says, male executives laughed and made jokes at the office about female contestants of Beast Games who complained they did not have access to feminine hygiene products and clean underwear while participating in the show. She also shared what she said were some of her own experiences and the things she said she witnessed in a video on Instagram.

Starting point is 00:16:02 From the very beginning, I was yelled at, cursed at, I was even called dumb, in front of my entire team after giving a business idea, only to have a man give the exact same idea a minute later and get praised. I was obligated to attend one-on-one meetings at the CEO's house by myself and an upstairs room only lit by a side lamp and have him here how attractive and beautiful I was. And the reason was, and I quote, you are too high of a caliber for this position. So today, I'm taking legal action, not just for what happened at the end, but for everything that happened along the way and for the toxic culture that made it all possible. Right, and that bit about the CEO is specifically referencing to former CEO James Warren,

Starting point is 00:16:46 who stepped down in 2023. And according to her complaint, Warren often made Lorraine uncomfortable commenting on her appearance a lot, insisting to have one-on-one meetings before, during, and outside of work hours, and dismissing her complaints about a male client's unwelcome advances toward her. Then even worse, is the alleged comment he made about Mr. Beast himself. Right, at one point, Lorraine claimed she'd notice some strange behavior for Mr. Beast, right, Jimmy Donaldson saying he was avoiding eye contact with her, refusing to engage, asking her to leave meetings, and even repeatedly abruptly leaving a room that she was in. So she says she went to Warren to ask about it and she says that he told her, quote, Jimmy, Mr. Bees gets really awkward around

Starting point is 00:17:17 attractive woman and I quote, Lorraine, let's say that when you're around and he needs to go to the restroom, he's not really using the restroom. Where with the implication Lorraine gathered there being that Donaldson was going to the bathroom to masturbate to her. So then thanks to that comment in Warren's own behavior, she said she went from dressing up and wearing makeup to baggy clothes and baseball caps trying to be invisible. But also with all this, Lorraine did fairly well professionally during her time with the company, saying that she was promoted twice and at one point was managing a team of 20 people. But then, in late 2023, while managing that team, she said that she and other women found themselves unable to ignore producers' unwelcome comments

Starting point is 00:17:49 about their appearance and close touching. And saying when they took that problem to their supervisor, nothing happened. So Lorraine took it to HR, complaining about the lack of action from her supervisor as well as other issues within the company culture and saying that she felt responsible for the women on her team, saying I had a woman coming to me crying saying, this is my dream. job but I just can't do it anymore. My mental health can't take it anymore. And according to Lorraine's complaint, the investigation the HR department launched was doomed from the start. She said the attorneys hired to look into the situation didn't even speak with many of the women that were involved and within two months, Lorraine was told that her claims were unsubstantiated. Then, also a kicker here is that after making that complaint, Lorraine says that she was demoted. We're saying that she was moved a social media manager for the merchandise division, which she describes as the stepchild of the Mr. Beast organization saying,

Starting point is 00:18:28 everyone says if you're in merch, that's where dreams go to die. But with that, she says, you know, she wasn't trying to make waves, especially because her and her husband wanted to have a baby soon. And so she stayed in that position and at the beginning of 2025, she informed her manager that she was pregnant and asked for maternity leave. And with that, she says that she was eventually given 16 weeks of paid leave, but claims that at no point was she made aware of her rights under the FMLA Act. And then her suit says that when she was in labor, laying in a hospital bed, her supervisor asked if she would still be attending a scheduled team meeting, saying I was so fearful of losing my job, I knew that I didn't want to give them any excuse for letting me go. And then three weeks after her daughter was born,

Starting point is 00:18:59 Lorraine says that she was asked to manage an exhibition booth, putting her on her feet for hours and to facilitate a high-profile production in Brazil versus she traveled to Brazil less than a month after giving birth. And then three weeks after she was officially back in her position, she was locked out of her email and when she finally got back in, she found a notification that she had been terminated. With the filing apparently telling her that she was too high caliber for her position, seemingly, you know, going through all of that insanity just to come back and be given the boot, it left an impact. I was at the hospital in labor in a team meeting. One week postpartum, still he used. sleeping, sleep deprived, emotionally and physically exhausted, I was already back to work. Less than a month postpartum, going through postpartum depression and I had to hop on a plane, fly out of the country to work on a main channel shoot and leave my newborn baby behind.

Starting point is 00:19:47 A time that was supposed to be protected, those moments were all taken away from me. And after everything that I went through, two weeks after coming back from what was supposed to be a maternity leave. I'm maternity leave. I was let go. Now with all this, you know, as it was making headlines, we then saw the Mr. Beast team immediately hit back with a response. Or with the official statement from the chief communications officer Gaudet-Piez reading, this clout chasing complaint is built on deliberate misrepresentations and categorically false statements

Starting point is 00:20:15 and we have the receipts to prove it, saying there is extensive evidence including Slack and WhatsApp messages, company documents, and witness testimony that unequivocally refutes her claims, and saying we will not submit to opportunistic lawyers looking to manufacture a payday from us. And as for the receipts and what they say they have proof of, you've got a Slack exchange between what looks like Lorraine and her co-worker where she tells him that she's in labor and he says, quote, oh shit, of course, amazing. You shouldn't even be checking Slack right now, sending a big hug and lots of success, enjoy the most amazing experience of your life. And then they shared what appears to be a WhatsApp message from Lorraine and it's a

Starting point is 00:20:45 conversation about the trip to Brazil after she had given birth. And in it, it appears she says, despite being on maternity leave, I feel like it would be extremely valuable to go with you to make sure everything works out smoothly and to have a Brazilian citizen on the ground with y'all for any last minute things that may arise. We also saw the company share a copy of their handbook with what looks like Lorraine's signature on it as well. Or with that handbook containing the company's FMLA policy, apparently trying to disprove the claim that she didn't know about her rights there. And then today, we reached out and you had a company source claiming that most of Lorraine's story just isn't true. Right. And so for example, they said that she wasn't demoted after bringing the complaint,

Starting point is 00:21:16 claiming that Lorraine actually asked to explore other areas in the company and she even kept her impressive salary when she was shifted to social media manager of e-commerce. Also as far as Warren's behavior and the question of was James investigated, we talked to a source with knowledge on the matter and they said that he was. With him claiming that Lorraine raised the complaint in 2023 against James. Saying the breakdown of the events was that James asked her to mentor someone. She met with them several times and said she didn't feel comfortable so she took it to HR. With him then claiming that Lorraine claimed that James Warren brushed her off. And saying when they interviewed him, he just said that Lorraine didn't have to work with him.

Starting point is 00:21:46 With them then claiming that Lorraine eventually admitted that that's what happened. But then also going back to the company's source, they held firm that the whole Jimmy gets really awkward around beautiful women situation ever happened. And they are saying that Lorraine made no complaint about it to and they claim she only brought it up after the fact in a bid to get media attention, which then also echoes the official statement that we saw from the company saying, this is an allegation fabricated for the sole purpose of sparking headlines. And saying it's also disgusting that the lawsuit is exploiting Jimmy's eye condition and Crohn's disease to medical conditions he has been publicly open about in their attempt to secure a multi-million dollar payday.

Starting point is 00:22:15 And they also said that there was absolutely no expectation for her to work while on leave, that her job was guaranteed when she came back. Saying again that she volunteered for the trip to Brazil and that she was given extra days to her leave to make up for it. And then as far as her getting fired right after coming back, you at a company source saying that it was an unhappy coincidence, saying that it had brought someone in to address the issues of e-commerce not being profitable and in the reorganization, several roles, including Lorraine's, were cut, saying that a number of men were also part of this cut and saying that she was told that it had nothing to do with her or her performance. And so kind of ultimately,

Starting point is 00:22:42 the Mr. Beast organization side of this story is that Lorraine is a classic case of a disgruntled employee using the massive audience that comes with working for Mr. Beast to prop herself up. And with that saying they're not going to let her bully them with sensationalized tales. But ultimately, that's where we are right now. And so I want to end on two different notes. The first being, very to see where this goes. I have my eyes on this because we have two very different versions of the same story. You got both sides, releasing receipts. On one side, you have Lorraine presenting a detailed account of sexual harassment, retaliation after a complaint, being forced to work through maternity leave and being terminated after what she described as a sham reorganization. It's on the other side that company's showing

Starting point is 00:23:13 messages where it looks like she volunteered for the Brazil trip, where someone who appears to be her coworker explicitly tells her to stop checking slack and assigned FMLA acknowledgement. Right, and some of this can be reconciled. People can volunteer for things that they feel pressured into. Receipts don't necessarily tell the full story of a workplace culture and can maybe sometimes show a limited context, but some of it doesn't seem like it can. Either that comment about Jimmy happened or it didn't, either she raised Warren's behavior to HR and it went down a certain way or it didn't either she was demoted or she asked for the transfer. And in theory, that's going to get sorted out through discovery and if this doesn't settle in a courtroom. Because workplace harassment cases, they often come down to

Starting point is 00:23:46 documentation, witness testimony, and patterns. And right now you've got both sides here signaling that they think they have the stronger hand, so we definitely have to keep our eyes on this. And two, it gives us kind of the opportunity to say, you know, if you or someone you, you know, is navigating pregnancy discrimination or FMLA issues at work, a better balance. They run a free legal helpline at 1-833 need, ABB, and the federal EEOC has a complaint portal at EEOC.gov. And actually, also the Times Up Legal Defense Fund at the National Women's Law Center is another resource for workplace sex discrimination cases. And I mentioned all that because, yes, this is a big story, but it's also a single story. And if I can use it as an avenue

Starting point is 00:24:19 to get the word out and maybe it helps other people that are in horrible situations, that ends up being a win because everyone should be treated well at work and feel safe and supportive. But then from that, as we begin to wind down today's show, I want to end on two things. One is our weekly congratulations and the last is the last piece of news we need to dive into. So first, let me say congratulations to Sydney, A, C Geek's latest weekly winner who just scored $500 in tickets and is going to go see Tame and Paula. Of the rest of you all, that's right, Sea Geek is still giving away $500 in tickets and you should definitely answer today if you haven't already.

Starting point is 00:24:45 You could be the next winner and snag $500 towards seeing your favorite artist, sporting event or play. I mean, there's like over 70,000 events to choose from. Just add code to Franco to your Ckeke app profile for a chance at the weekly 5. $500 prize, no purchase necessary. But then, for our final story of the day, is that, do you smell something? You suspended this pro-vaccine messaging campaign, but somehow you're spending taxpayer dollars to drink milk shirtless in a hot tub with Kid Rock. Oh yeah, that was RFK Jr's pork-looking ass getting skewered, grilled, and marinated over

Starting point is 00:25:14 four days and seven separate hearings. Now, with there just being hours and hours of testimony, I can't get through everything. But there are a handful of moments that have been grabbing a lot of attention we should talk about, right? Like when he was confronted about his own words about putting black kids to work on farms and conveniently suffered a bout of amnesia. Well, let me read exactly what you said. You said, every black kid is now just standard, put on Adderall on SSRIs, benzos, which are known to induce violence. And those kids are going to have a chance to go somewhere and get reparented. You said that if you could, you would send,

Starting point is 00:25:46 quote, every black kid, again, your words, not mine, to go live on farms and work. I have no memory of saying anything like that. Yeah, well, I actually have the recording that I can give to you, but it is absolutely what you said. I do not believe that every black good should be reparented on a wellness farm or whatever, and I have never believed that. If I said it, I apologize, but I'd have to see the transcript. Right, and here's that clip that she's talking about. It's from his election campaign in 2024.

Starting point is 00:26:14 Wellness farms, rehabilitation facilities that I'm going to start in rural areas all over the country, where people, any American can go for free, any of them who is dependent on drugs, either legal drugs or illegal drugs, psychiatric drugs, which every black kid is now just standard put on Adderall, SSRIs, which are known to induce violence.

Starting point is 00:26:41 And those kids are going to have a chance to go somewhere and get reparented. But then naturally with RFK Jr., a huge amount of the hearings, they sent it around vaccines. Which actually, speaking of those, his CDC just yanked a study conducted by its own scientists after it showed COVID vaccines to be effective. Right with the paper finding that vaccination cut the likelihood of ER visits due to COVID by 50% and of hospitalizations by 55%. But instead of publishing it in the CDC's journal last month, as it was originally supposed to be,

Starting point is 00:27:06 RFK's minions just shelved it. Remember them claiming that they took issue with its methodology, but experts say that the methods, a standard one that's been used for plenty of other studies in the past. And then regardless, they say that it's very unusual for agency leadership to just cancel a publication like this, it's already cleared the scientific review process and been given a publication date. Especially after RFK's acting head of the CDC reportedly asked the studies authors to change its design and they refused. But of course, publishing it would have contradicted RFK's efforts to restrict vaccine access, not to mention his claim that the COVID shot was the deadliest vaccine ever made.

Starting point is 00:27:36 But when he stood in front of the Senate, right, the pro-vaccine Republican Bill Cassidy fact-checked his bullshit right there on the floor. Because in support of his claim that the drop in mortality over the 20th century was due to better hygiene and sanitation and had almost nothing to do with vaccines, RFK cited two studies. CDC has actually done a real study that answers that question. It's called Guyur G-U-I-E-R-20 or 2000. There's another one that came out in 1977 that was a required reading in virtually every medical school that says the same thing. Who's the author of that one? That one was called McKinley and McKinley.

Starting point is 00:28:11 But then after doing a bit of research while others spoke, Cassidy served up the truth. I've looked up the article. The quote is, thus vaccination does not account for the importance. of the impressive declines of mortality seen in the first half of last century. The reductions in vaccine preventable diseases, however, are impressive, condensed. In the early 1920s, there are about 500, there are about a half a million annual cases before the introduction of the vaccine of the measles vaccine in the 60s. Because of vaccines, these deaths have been virtually eliminated.

Starting point is 00:28:41 So that's the complete context. I was talking about mortality, Senator. That's what they're saying. The deaths have been virtually eliminated. speaking as a physician, I will say we looked up, I looked up the McKinley McKinley articles. There's 3.5 million cases of measles per year before the vaccine came along and about 550 deaths. And then the vaccine took those to less than 100 and like zero deaths.

Starting point is 00:29:06 Also another thing that Democrats really crucified him for were the cuts to Medicaid and Trump's so-called big beautiful bill, which he just denied were even a thing. There's no gut Medicaid. Look at the CBO report from this week. Then if you go back then just do the math with me. then that means that they added three and a half trillion dollars to the deficit. You got to find a trillion dollars. You either added a trillion dollars to the deficit or you cut Medicaid by a trillion dollars. I mean, do you think the congressional budget office is lying? Yeah, but the congressional budget office-

Starting point is 00:29:30 Do you think they're lying? No, they're saying that there was this massive cut. They're saying there's a 47% increase in Medicaid. And as it turns out, RFK is technically correct here, right? Medicaid spending will still increase. But the part that he's papering over is that the spending will increase way less than it otherwise would have had, had the bill never passed. Like anywhere from $665 billion to a trillion. dollars less over the next decade. And so whether you want to call that a cut or pick some other term, the fact is that 7.5 million people are projected to lose their Medicaid coverage by 2034.

Starting point is 00:29:56 And it's not just that. Lawmakers also questioned RFK about his HHS budget request for 2027. Secretary Kennedy, do you think that NIH should fund less cancer research? One of the few agencies that's gotten a raise in the budget proposal is NCI. And that increase is less than $1 million for an institute with a CETE. $7 billion budget. Secretary Kennedy, do you think NIH should fund fewer Alzheimer's disease research grants? I think they should be funding more.

Starting point is 00:30:31 Well, NIH's own budget documents show that last year, the NIH Institute on Aging, which administers the bulk of NIH's Alzheimer's disease research funded 411 or 45% fewer new grants. And this is true for every disease in NIH's research portfolio. And then continuing on the theme of RFK Fudge in the numbers, he had this insane response to Elizabeth Warren's question about Trump's lies on drug prices. He claims that Trump RX has reduced prices by as much as 600%, 600%, which I think means companies should be paying you to take their drugs. President Trump has a different way of calculating. If there's two ways of calculating percentage,

Starting point is 00:31:21 if you have a $600 truck and you reduce it to 10, that's a 600% reduction. You know I only have five minutes. Now, y'all, let me just be very clear here. If you go from 600 to 10, that is a 98.33% decrease, not 600%. There are not two ways of calculating that. There's not alternative math here. That's just simple arithmetic.

Starting point is 00:31:41 I get that a lot of people on the other side here embrace the idea of alternative But the math here is just math. Even chat GPT when it's not hallucinating, it'll give you the right answer. Although, speaking of which, maybe it'll become the next head of the FDA anyway. AI is going to revolutionize medicine. And it may at some day, at some point, make FDA even irrelevant. Citizen, you know, I just was reading about a dog that had cancer and his owner used AI to develop a personalized treatment that cured the cancer. But putting all that silly, As many have noted, RFK kind of seemed to walk a very fine line during these hearings. Right, on the one hand, he doesn't want to upset his Maha base, but then on the other hand,

Starting point is 00:32:22 he can't upset Daddy Donald. And so in several issues, he either waffled back and forth with his answers or he just backtracked entirely. Or like when lawmakers pressed him on the measles outbreak, he endorsed the measles vaccine, but also downplayed the severity of the disease. Or like when they asked him whether he's okay with Trump's executive order increasing production of glyphosate, a cancer-ca-ca-ca-wonsu'd once sued Monsanto over and granting the company immunity from liability for its harms. And as Maha-based, they might not believe this, but RFK defended the chemical is necessary for food production,

Starting point is 00:32:49 arguing that Trump's order helps protect American national security. But despite all that, it looks like Trump's seen the poll showing that RFK's anti-vax agenda is unpopular among the general public, even with Republicans. Or because according to the New York Times, the White House has pushed the health secretary to focus less on vaccines and more on stuff like healthy eating ahead of November's midterms. And just last week, as RFK was beginning as hearings, Trump nominated Dr. Erica Schwartz, who's actually supportive of vaccines, to lead the CDC. So we'll have to see, assuming she gets confirmed, if RFK lets her extra

Starting point is 00:33:14 any power or if they inevitably clash. Though at least while at Congress, he said that he supports her nomination, but refused to commit to accepting all of her decisions on vaccines. But that, my friends, you beautiful bastards, is the end of your Thursday, Philip DeFranco Show. And I actually just have some friendly housekeeping right here at the end. First, remember, I'm taking the show on the road, though it's The Crashin Out Tour. Me and my buddy, Alex Perlman, losing our minds together with you in 12 different cities,

Starting point is 00:33:35 also maybe more soon. And you can get your tickets right now at crashingouttour.com. Use pre-sale code crashing. And we're already blown away by how many people got tickets. I hope you can come. Two, if you missed it, I actually uploaded two Philip DeFranco shows today. I had one earlier today about prior authorizations and John Ossoff joined us. And three, if you haven't seen it yet, watch this week's new crashing out episode.

Starting point is 00:33:53 But with that said, thank you for watching. I love yo faces and I'll see you right back here next time.

The Philip DeFranco Show - Trump Quietly Admits There Is No End To This War

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.