The Philip DeFranco Show - Trump’s Charlie Kirk Fueled Free Speech Crackdown Looks Worse Than Expected & New Texts Released

Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco Show. There is, once again, a lot we have to talk about today, starting with this. The fallout from Charlie Kirk's killing has turned into a crazy political firestorm with potential dire consequences. You've got Trump and his AG now threatening a free speech crackdown. The FBI director is under fire for mungling updates with senators today grilling him. Even MAGA allies are lobbing wild accusations about billionaires and backroom threats. You know, where I'll start is with FBI director Cash Patel.

Starting point is 00:00:26 Because he faced questions from the Senate today, including about the investigation into Charlie Kirk's death. And he has faced a ton of criticism for how the FBI handled this, especially regarding his social media posts as the search for the suspect was still ongoing. We had him posting that a subject was in custody before then having to walk that back and saying that the subject was released. And many just thinking that it made the FBI look disorganized and that he was sharing information prematurely. But what we saw today is that he opened his remarks by defending the investigation, arguing at the timeline from the shooting to the FBI releasing photos of the suspect, having him in custody, was swift and adding. It's important that this FBI is transparent as possible without jeopardizing investigation. But I do want to thank the American people especially.

Starting point is 00:01:02 The mission of the FBI is for them and with them and by with and through them. And is that mission and that ethos that I brought to this investigation and so many others. And that's why that suspect is in custody. We cannot do our job without the American public. But with that, you had a number of senators making it clear they did not like how we handled it. With, for example, Senator Dick Durbin saying, Director Patel again sparked mass confusion by incorrectly claiming on social media that the shooter was in custody, which he then had to walk back with another social media post. Mr. Patel was so anxious

Starting point is 00:01:36 to take credit for finding Mr. Kirk's assassin that he violated one of the basics of effective law enforcement. At critical stages of an investigation, shut up and let the professionals do their job. Now with that, you also had others instead asking Patel for more information about the investigation in the alleged shooter. Right in there, you saw things like Patel telling Senator Josh Hawley that the FBI is looking at a discord chat that he allegedly participated in. And we're also going to be investigating anyone and everyone involved in that Discord chat. Okay, very good. I see the public reports that the Discord thread had as many as 20 additional users. It's a lot more than that. We're running them all down. Though also, before we move forward, something that Patel is getting

Starting point is 00:02:13 a lot of heat for that's not connected to the shooting is what he said here in regards to questioning around Epstein. You've seen most of the files. Who, if anyone, did Epstein traffic these young women too besides himself? Himself, there is no credible information. None. If there were, I would bring the case yesterday that he trafficked to other individuals. And the information we have, again, is limited. So the answer is no one? For the information that we have in the files. In the case file. But then going back to the core story here, right, regarding the suspect, Tyler Robinson, he was just charged with aggravated murder. And prosecutors said that they'd be seeking the death penalty here. Also, we're saying that he's facing counts of obstruction of justice

Starting point is 00:02:55 and witness tampering with officials accusing him of asking his roommate to delete tax that might implicate him. And right now, you report saying it's unclear if Robinson has an attorney to speak on his behalf. Also, as far as what else is in the filing, there are some standout things like text he allegedly sent to his roommate following the shooting where he appears to confess to the crime. Allegedly saying of Kirk, I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated out. But then also regarding the engravings, right, the messages on the bullets, he said they were all pretty much a big meme. Allegedly texting, remember how I was engraving bullets? The fucking messages are mostly a big meme. If I see notices bulge, ooh, on Fox News, I might have a stroke.

Starting point is 00:03:28 But then also, with this news, there are a lot of updates that aren't tied to the investigation itself, but rather the conversations around it. Because we've been seeing major debates playing out around free speech and whether or not people can be punished for criticizing or mocking Kirk following his death. You know, with that, yesterday we talked about a group called the Charlie Kirk Data Foundation that was flagging thousands of people that they claim celebrated as killing, and some people have even gotten fired for their remarks. And now one of the most high profile firings was Washington Post columnist Karen Attea, who announced a paper dismissed her yesterday. And on our substack, she pointed to a handful of posts. that she made in Wake, the Kirk shooting as well as the school shooting that happened in Colorado

Starting point is 00:04:02 on the same day. Post like, I wish I had hoped for gun control and that I could believe political violence is no place in this country, but we live in a country that accepts white children being massacred by gun violence, not just accepts, but worships violence. As well as for everyone saying political violence has no place in this country, remember two Democratic legislators were shot in Minnesota just this year and America shrugged and moved on. You also had some posts seeming to reference Charlie, including one that said, part of what keeps America so violent is the insistence that people perform care, empty goodness, and absolution for white men who espoused hatred and violence.

Starting point is 00:04:32 Right. And then, and the one that used his name directly, there was a reference to him previously saying that, quote, black women do not have the brain processing power to be taken seriously. You have to go steal a white person's slot. So there, whether it makes it better or not, you had people saying that it's worth noting that he was speaking about some black women, specifically not all black women. Right. And then with all that, you had a Tia, claiming that the Washington Post found those posts unacceptable and claimed they endangered the safety of her colleagues and adding, quote, charges without evidence, which I reject completely is false. They rush to fire me without even a conversation claiming disparagement on race.

Starting point is 00:05:02 And so while you've had some rejoicing that she was fired, you've also seen the post facing tons of criticism for the firing. But also, this is a conversation in a situation that has extended past workplaces. And you know, you're seeing articles like the New York Times posting this morning how the government is trying to silence Charlie Kirk's critics. With a noting that the Trump administration has long been painting, the left is dangerous. And now, quote,

Starting point is 00:05:20 Trump officials say Kirk's killing may provide the framework they need to punish liberal groups. Noting that one strategy is for agencies to try to look for organizations funding violence against conservatives or drawing links between episodes of violence and nonprofits. You also had Secretary of State Marco Rubio telling reporters today that the department is denying visas

Starting point is 00:05:36 to those who celebrated Kirk's death. But one of the things that's gotten the most attention is you had Attorney General Pam Bondi facing a ton of backlash of her comments that she made about hate speech in the wake of Kirk's death. Or because she said the following on Katie Miller's podcast during a conversation about Kirk before pivoting to hate speech more broadly,

Starting point is 00:05:51 saying, There's free speech, and then there's hate speech. And there is no place, especially now, especially after what happened to Charlie, in our society. We will absolutely target you, go after you if you are targeting anyone with hate speech, anything. And that's across the aisle. You can't have that hate speech in the world in which we live. And you knew Charlie better than anyone.

Starting point is 00:06:16 He would want everyone to unite right now. Right. And then separately you had Pam Bondi saying on Fox News. That's horrific. It's free speech, but you shouldn't be employed anywhere if you're going to say that. And employers, you have an obligation to get rid of people. You need to look at people who are saying horrible things, and they shouldn't be working with you. Businesses cannot discriminate. If you want to go in and print posters with Charlie's pictures on them for a vigil, you have to let them do that.

Starting point is 00:06:40 We can prosecute you for that. I have Harmeet Dillon right now in our civil rights unit looking at that immediately that Office Depot had done that. We're looking at that. And you know, while you had some on the right cheering this on, we also saw people on both sides slamming this. Saying things like, someone needs to explain to Ms. Bondi that so-called hate speech, repulsive though it may be, is protected by the First Amendment. She should know this. You even had right-wing Matt Walsh tweeting, get rid of her. Today, this is insane.

Starting point is 00:07:04 Conservatives have fought for decades for the right to refuse service to anyone. We won that fight. Now Pam Bondi wants to roll it all back for no reason. And hell, even Charlie Kirk, who it appears that Bondi and others are trying to use to push this stuff through. He, just last year, spoke out against stuff like this. tweeting hate speech does not exist legally in America. There's ugly speech, there's gross speech, there's evil speech, and all of it is protected by the First Amendment.

Starting point is 00:07:27 Keep America free. Now, with all that, you had Bondi later going on Twitter trying to clarify or pivot writing. Hate speech that crosses the line into threats of violence is not protected by the First Amendment. Saying it's a crime, for far too long, we've watched the radical left normalized threats, call for assassinations, and cheer on political violence. That era is over. We will never be silenced, not for our families, not for our freedom, and never for Charlie.

Starting point is 00:07:48 His legacy will not be erased by fear or intimidation. But based off of what we've seen and what we're even seeing Trump say today, it does not appear that this is about like going after terror cells and calls for assassination. This is what Trump said today when asked about Pam Bondi talking about hate speech. And what do you make Pam Bondi saying

Starting point is 00:08:04 she's going to go after hate speech? Is that, I mean, a lot of people, a lot of your allies say hate speech is free speech. You probably go after people like you because you treat me so unfairly. It's hate. You have a lot of hate in your heart. You've got the president of the United States talking about going after his critics under this guise of hate speech.

Starting point is 00:08:21 And just really quick, separate from the news, this part's my opinion. I think it is very much a bullshit argument where people are trying to go, oh, I can't believe Pam Bondi's saying this. She is in her position and she is allowed the leeway she is allowed. And you even have the president connecting to wanting to go after his critics. It's connected to Trump here. There's no legitimate criticize Bondi without criticizing Trump when he is his thumbs-upping what she's talking about. And he allows her the leeway.

Starting point is 00:08:45 Like, I get why they do that, because when you criticize the king, you get crushed, but when you criticize the general who is doing what the king's telling them to do, it's a different thing for some reason. But to just speak plainly, it feels like a bullshit coward move to just, once again, go after Bondi and not also criticize Trump here. That said, putting on my newsboy cap again, the last bit that I need to touch on here are remarks that got a ton of traction on social media last night. Because you had Candace Owens, who was a conservative figure, also a longtime friend of Charlie Kirk, claiming that Kirk's views were shifting on Israel and billionaire Bill Ackman pressured him to visit. visit the country that Netanyahu even personally reached out to him and that Kirk was even offered a ton of money to stay in line. With Owens then finally alleging that threats were made to Kirk during an intervention with Ackman in the Hamptons just a few weeks before he was killed. With that, of course, you had Ackman denying any wrongdoing writing on X. At no time have I ever threatened Charlie Kirk, turning point, or anyone associated with him. I have never blackmailed anyone, let alone Charlie Kirk. I have never offered Charlie or turning point any money in an attempt to influence Charlie's opinion on anything. Then with that, he said that he had hosted what he called sessions in which conservative influencers were invited to the to talk about a range of topics, including, but not limited to the U.S. approach to foreign policy in Israel. And depending on where you're looking in Maga World, there appears to be a divide here. For now, that is where we are, and there's a number of things we're going to have to keep an eye on here,

Starting point is 00:09:58 because there's a lot of ways that all of this could go. And of course, you know, in the meantime, yes, this is a news show, but it's also a conversation. I'd love to hear from you in those comments down below, your opinions, reactions, what you even think comes next. For the next up, in other news, you should know, that the state terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione, they've been dropped. Because this morning, you had the Manhattan judge who's overseeing the case ruling that the evidence presented was legally insufficient to support the charges of first and second degree murder under New York's terrorism statute. Right, because in the initial charges against Mangioti, the Manhattan District Attorney argued that the terrorism charge was actually warranted because the shooting of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was designed to create a spectacle. And you had the DA describing the shooting as a frightening, well-planned targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation. Now we're saying, in the ruling today, the judge noted that New York's terrorism statute requires prosecutors to prove that, that the person charged attempted to intimidate a civilian population or influence government policy or conduct. And the judge argued the prosecutors just failed to show either of those things. So now that those charges have been dropped, Mangione will no longer face the possibility of life

Starting point is 00:10:56 in prison without parole. But big thing, Mangione still faces separate second degree murder charges and other related counts in New York. And another key thing is that the ruling today it just centers around the state level charges that were filed against him in New York. Or Mangione is still facing charges in federal court, including murder through the use of a firearm and stalking. And the Justice Department has said that it's going to going to seek the death penalty. But then, in a one minute break that helps keep the show free for you,

Starting point is 00:11:18 let me say, you know, cooking, it takes 45 minutes, eating takes 10, and the cleaning, it takes forever. You know, I don't hate food, I hate the math. But today's sponsor, Huell Black Edition, is the 30 second meal that doesn't wreck my kitchen or my mood. One scoop, shake it up, done, meal handled. And it's not just food, it's actually good food.

Starting point is 00:11:35 40 grams of protein, 27 essential vitamins and minerals, plant-based, gluten-free, and the whole responsible adult package. Flavor-wise, coffee caramel, salted caramel, I think banana is the best one. That's my bias. It kind of feels like basically if Ben and Jerry's were dietitians,

Starting point is 00:11:49 this is what they'd invent. And you know, it's filling. It keeps my energy up and it costs less than $3 a meal. It's cheaper than the bad decision I'd make at the drive-thru. And Hewled just drop their new daily greens ready to drink. Sparkling, refreshing,

Starting point is 00:11:59 apple, blueberry, and peach, packed with 42 vitamins, minerals, and superfoods. Only 25 calories. Just crack it open and flex on your inner, I forgot to eat a vegetable today's self. Say, hey, if you want to eat smart, save time, and maybe trick your friends into thinking you've got it all together.

Starting point is 00:12:12 Get Hewles Black Edition. new greens product and more for 15% off your first order. To scan the QR coder, go to huel.com slash fill and use code fill with a $75 plus minimum. In your first order, it comes with a free t-shirt and shaker, which feels way more legit than just shaking powder in a cup. But then jumping back into the news, Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. That's what you've had rights groups saying, leading scholars on the subject saying, and now an independent inquiry commissioned by the UN saying.

Starting point is 00:12:38 And that is Israel is yet again ramping up its assault on Gaza, with an Israeli official also saying that they have transitioned into the next phase or the main phase of the plan for Gaza City. And that plan, it appears to be total destruction. I mean, you've got Israeli defense minister Israel Katz saying in a post on X, Gaza is burning. We will not relent and we will not go back until the mission is complete. Right. And what we're seeing, it's not surprising. The Israeli cabinet actually approved the plan to take control of Gaza City back in August. And over the past month, while also still launching air strikes and putting some troops on the ground, Israel has been telling the city's roughly one million people to leave and head south to a designated

Starting point is 00:13:13 humanitarian zone along the coast. Though a very key thing is that the situation there is as dire as anywhere else. It's overcrowded, there's poor sanitation, and there's a severe shortage of food. In fact, you've got some people who fled Gaza City into these so-called humanitarian zones, finding the conditions so desperate that they turned around and started to head back towards Gaza City in the direction of the falling bombs. Right, though with that, Israel has also attacked designated safe zones dozens of times. But in any case, the people in Gaza City, they've also recently reported an even bigger uptick and what's been described as a heavy bombardment, including a campaign targeting several high-rise residential buildings. We're seeing reports

Starting point is 00:13:45 where someone saying last night was one of the most terrifying nights and adding the explosions never stopped. Air strikes, artillery fire, drones, helicopters, they came from every direction. It felt like the whole city was under fire. And the belief among many is that this air assault, it's a deliberate effort by the Israeli military to intimidate civilians into leaving and clear path for the troops. However, you also got the IDF, as well as Prime Minister Netanyahu, claiming without evidence that Hamas uses high rises for its operations. Right. And seemingly believing that's sufficient excuse to kill or displace everyone else living in that building. And with that, you also have them claiming that this is about rescuing the remaining hostages, right?

Starting point is 00:14:17 Because there are 48 still being held in Gaza and at least 20 are believed to be alive. But also a big thing is you have many Israelis, including defense officials, worried that the Israeli assault's going to actually endanger the lives of hostages. And then as far as where the United States is, there's been no pushback, at least publicly. Instead, what you saw was Israel actually announcing that the ground defense had begun only hours after Secretary of state marker Rubio had left the country, and then he declined to say whether the U.S. supported the ground offensive, just saying it's their war. And so then also with that you have some saying that his visit, which involved visiting

Starting point is 00:14:44 contentious historical sites, was really aimed at supporting Israel's claims to East Jerusalem. Though officially, it was also there to get answers about the Israeli airstrike last week targeting Hamas negotiators in Qatar, which is a U.S. ally, and a country that's acted as a key intermediary in ceasefire and hostage release talks between the two sides. Which was a strike that Trump criticized, but also he did nothing about. And with that, you had Rubio just kind of brushing it off saying, quote, Obviously, we're not happy about it. The president was not happy about it.

Starting point is 00:15:08 Now we need to move forward and figure out what comes next. The width, I also had him suggesting that a diplomatic solution just might not be possible in claiming that while the U.S. is still trying to get a peace deal done, Hamas is, quote, a terrorist group, a barbaric group, whose state admission is the destruction of the Jewish state. So we're not counting on that happening. But still, he went to meet Qatari officials right afterward to offer reassurance and make progress on a defense deal.

Starting point is 00:15:28 But then, a State Department spokesperson saying that Rubio reiterated America's strong support for the country's security and sovereignty and discussed. our shared commitment to a safer, more stable region. Speaking of a safe, stable region, I mean, besides Gaza and besides Qatar, and just the past few days and weeks, Israel's also attacked Yemen, Syria and Lebanon, as well as been accused of sending drones against another aid flotilla with Greta Toonberg on board in Tunisia. And then also, as far as the specifics and this accusation of genocide, in this specific case,

Starting point is 00:15:55 is being made by the UN Commission of Inquiry on the occupied Palestinian territory. That was set up by the UN Human Rights Council back in 2021 to investigate the root cause of conflict in Gaza and the Israeli-Oaucer. occupied West Bank, and in a report since then, the commission found that Israel had committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, but they stopped short of declaring genocide. But again, that's until now at the head of the commission now saying, the responsibility for these atrocity crimes lies with Israeli authorities at the highest echelons who have orchestrated a genocidal campaign for almost two years now with a specific intent to destroy the Palestinian

Starting point is 00:16:24 group in Gaza. And with that, you have words from the guy who led the IDF for the first 17 months of the war, not helping out Israel's case. Right, because while speaking to residents of a community that fought off Hamas attackers two years ago, he said that more than 200,000 Palestinians, more than 10% of Gaza's pre-war population have been killed or injured since the war began. And that number is notable because it's roughly on par with the figures that were provided by Gaza's health ministry, which Israeli officials have frequently dismissed as Hamas propaganda. Though those figures have also been called

Starting point is 00:16:49 reliable by international humanitarian agencies. Similarly, while Israel's claim that as many as half of those killed have been Hamas militants, the country's own military intelligence, it reportedly has data indicating that as of May, more than 80% of the dead have been civilians. But also with that, I should know, right? The military commander, he wasn't saying this because he felt bad about it. You actually had him suggesting he wish all of this happened sooner, saying this isn't a gentle war. We took the gloves off from the first minute, sadly not earlier. And then, well, he claimed that the IDF operates according to international humanitarian law. He also reportedly said that legal advice had never affected his or his immediate subordinate's military decisions.

Starting point is 00:17:22 Right, saying not once has anyone restricted me. And he also reportedly suggested that the main purpose of Israel's military lawyers was convincing the rest of the world of the legality of the IDF's actions. But ultimately, that's where we are here, and we're going to have to wait to see what happens next. But then next up, in the news, we've got to talk about how Donald Trump is now suing what he calls one of the worst and most degenerate newspapers in the history of our country, the New York Times, as well as four of its reporters in Penguin Random House, and he's actually seeking no less than $15 billion of compensatory damages and unspecified punitive damages on top of that. You've got Trump accusing all of them of defamation and liable, claiming that they sought to tarnish his reputation, sink his campaign, and prejudiced judges and juries against him. But this is you have some reports saying that the 85-page suit reads at times like a pro-Trump op-ed with page after page of gushing praise for the president and repeated references to other lawsuits

Starting point is 00:18:10 he's filed against other media outlets. So you see things like it declaring, for example, that all across our country Americans from a wide array of backgrounds saw the truth about him and voted accordingly the same truth that the New York Times refused to recognize. And as evidence of the papers defamatory comments, the suit points to three articles in one book titled Lucky Loser, how Donald Trump squandered his father's fortune and created the illusion of success. All of which, he claims, were carefully crafted with actual malice, calculated to inflict maximum damage upon President Trump and all published during the height of a presidential election. The lawsuit claiming, the reporters knew their work was filled with repugnant distortions and fabrications, but they published them anyways, because they could not accept President Trump's win in 2016 and could not fathom his winning again by a landslide. And so instead, the lawsuit claims they started with a desired narrative, then falsified, distorted, and manipulated facts, well, otherwise accurate information was and remains available.

Starting point is 00:18:58 Right, in the suit, it disputes a number of specific claims, and I'm not going to go through all of them. But the bulk of the criticism, it's aimed at the narrative that Trump achieved his success, essentially through family inheritance, fraud, and a series of lucky breaks. But the lawsuit counters that Trump actually earned his money and fame through a mix of unique charisma, business savvy, and just sheer brilliance, and that the reporters knew or should have known this truth. Also, while it's not included as evidence, the suit targets the Times' editorial board's endorsement of Kamala Harris and calling it deranged. All of which is why the suit concludes, today, the Times is a full-throated mouthpiece for the Democrat Party. The newspaper's editorial routine is one of industrial scale, defamation, and libel against political opponents.

Starting point is 00:19:33 As such, the Times has become a leading and unapologetic purveyor of falsehoods against President Trump. Now, apparently in October, Trump's lawyers, they sent the Times and Penguin Random House, which published a lucky loser book, cease and desist letters, and now, thanks to the lawsuit, we can actually see their responses. So you've got the Times' newsroom lawyer, apparently writing, little needs to be said about the rest of your letter, which is principally a litany of personal complaints about the New York Times and its reporters, punctuated with falsehoods and premised on the deeply troubling notion that anyone who dares to report unfavorable facts about a presidential candidate is engaged in sabotage as opposed to, say, contributing to the free exchange of information and ideas that makes our democracy possible. And then, Penguin Random House, they simply responded, the fact that the authors of the book do not share your favorable view of your client's career

Starting point is 00:20:16 does not provide the foundation for a defamation claim. And by and large, what you're saying is that legal experts are agreeing with that because not only does Trump have to prove that the statements made about him are false. He also has to prove actual malice, meaning that the defendants knew that the statements were false or acted with reckless disregard for their truth. As many have noted, publishing an op-bed, reporting claims made by sources, and endorsing a candidate are all clearly First Amendment-protected activities. But of course, Trump disagrees. And in fact, he put forth his case in a truth social post, which just buckle up, read, I view it as the single largest illegal campaign contribution ever. Their endorsement of Kamala Harris was actually put dead center on the front page of the New York Times, something heretofore unheard of.

Starting point is 00:20:54 The quote, Times is engaged in a decades-long method of lying about your favorite president, me, my family, business, the America First Movement, MAGA, and our nation as a whole. I am proud to hold this once respected, quote, rag, responsible as we are doing with the fake news network such as our successful litigation against George Slopidopoulos. George Slapidopoulos, ABC, Disney, and 60 Minutes, CBS, Paramount, who knew that they were falsely smearing me through a highly sophisticated system of documented visual alteration, which was, in effect, a malicious form of defamation and thus settled for record amounts. The New York Times has been allowed to freely lie, smear, and defame me for far too long, and that

Starting point is 00:21:32 stops now. Right? Also, notably with this, this is not the first time that he has sued the times for defamation. The first was back in 2020 for an op-ed, arguing that there was a quid pro quote between the Trump campaign and Russia, and then in 2021 for an investigation into his finances, which was done by two of the same reporters in the newest suit. What you saw was that judges in both cases ultimately dismiss them as unconstitutional. And also, something important here is that even more recently, Trump has threatened to sue the Times, including last week for its reporting on the Epstein birthday letter and in June for its reporting on the bombing of Iran. But ultimately, as far as where the New York Times stands on this, after the lawsuit,

Starting point is 00:22:03 you had the paper standing tall, writing in a statement. New York Times will not be deterred by intimidation tactics. We will continue to pursue the facts without fear or favor and stand up for journalists' First Amendment right to ask questions on behalf of the American people. But ultimately, we're going to have to wait to see how this plays out, especially because it is very important to see who is kind of acquiescing when the, the Trump. Trump administration is cracking down or threatening and who is deciding to stand firm and actually stand up for what they believe. Especially as you have many legal experts saying that a number of the claims have no merit and it's really just a harassment campaign. And then I've

Starting point is 00:22:36 got even more news for you in just a minute, but first let me say, you know, my buddy downloaded today's sponsor, Rocket Money, and found out he's still paying for his ex's streaming service. But you're going to say, nothing like funding your ex's late night binges when trying to move on. You know, Rocket Money is like the financial detective that lives in your pocket. It's the Personal Finance app that helps find and cancel your unwanted subscriptions, monitors your spending, and helps lower your bills so you can grow your savings. They show all your expenses in one place, and they help cancel the ones you don't want with just a few taps, which is the second feature my buddy used.

Starting point is 00:23:04 You know, no guilt, no 20 minutes. Are you sure you want to cancel? Nightmares. Plus, Rocket Money builds custom budgets based on how you actually spend, not how you pretend to spend. Also, savings goals? It'll help stash money aside at the right time each month. And they'll even go and negotiate your bills so you don't have to. Also, you get alerts of bills spike if you're close to overspending, or even when you're doing

Starting point is 00:23:21 awesome. And all of this is Rocket Money has over 5 million users and it saved a total of $500 million and canceled subscriptions, saving members up to $740 a year when using all of the app's premium features. So, hey, cancel your unwanted subscriptions and reach your financial goals faster with Rocket Money.com.com today. That's rocketmoney.com slash PDS. RocketMoney.com slash PDS. But then next up in the news today, we should talk about how Team Trump is sanitizing, whitewashing American history. With that is what you have many saying is national parks are pulling down information about slavery and Pete Hegseth is trying to restore the names honoring Confederate leaders to military bases. And I'll start with the National Park because you're seeing reports now that multiple national parks across the country are removing signs and exhibits related to slavery.

Starting point is 00:24:03 And you've got anonymous sources because they haven't been okayed yet to talk to the media about this, saying that these removals are meant to align with an executive order signed by Trump earlier this year. Because back in March, it Trump signing that order titled Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History. And while you know a big part of that, it focused on the Smithsonian specifically, which you know we talked about numerous times over the past couple of Trump also directed the Interior Department to make sure that all public monuments, statues, memorials, etc., do not, quote, inappropriately disparage Americans past or living. And immediately, you had officials ordering agency employees to report anything. I'm talking signs or even stuff in the gift shop that might be out of compliance. And with that, you're a spokesperson defending the department's reviews, saying interpretive materials that disproportionately emphasize negative aspects of

Starting point is 00:24:42 U.S. history or historical figures without acknowledging broader context or national progress can unintentionally distort understanding rather than enriching. Well, now, Some of what we're seeing regarding recent removals include those happening at Harper's Ferry National Historic Park in West Virginia. Right, and that is where abolitionist John Brown led a raid seeking to arm slaves for a revolt. And according to documents that were reviewed by the Washington Post, Harper's Ferry's staff flagged more than 30 signs that highlight information potentially in violation of Trump's policy. And these things included racial discrimination and the hostility of white people towards people who were formerly enslaved. And you've got these sources saying that now that a park service official mark those signs as out of compliance staff at Harper's Ferry are expected to cover up or remove those signs entirely.

Starting point is 00:25:19 Right. And that's also as Philipsy are. Philadelphia's Independence National Historical Park, where the Declaration of Independence was signed, was called out in Trump's order specifically for corrosive ideology. Because this park includes the president's house site, where George Washington served his president and where he also kept slaves. And according to reports, staff had been informed that some of the information included in the president's house site does not comply with Trump's order. In that, it's been met with some pushback, including from the Independence National Historical Park's former

Starting point is 00:25:42 superintendent of 15 years, who said that trying to remove slavery from the president's house exhibit would fundamentally change the nature of the site. But possibly the most talked about order for removal is centered on scourged back. Roach is a photo that was taken back in 1863 of a formerly enslaved man with his back to the camera displaying the scars that he received before escaping slavery. Man in the photo was likely named Peter Gordon and according to historians, his picture was widely shared at the time that it was taken. But it said that northern audiences were shocked at the horrors experienced by slaves demonstrated just in this one picture. You have scholars saying that the bodies of enslaved people like Peter Gordon revealed to them realities they had

Starting point is 00:26:15 never seen with their own eyes before and in many cases it altered their political opinions about the need to defeat the Confederacy and preserve the union. And then actually, this perfectly ties into the next thing. Congress right now is trying to push back against Defense Secretary Pete Heggseth's attempts to restore names honoring Confederate leaders to military bases. Because if you don't remember, back in 2020, there was this initiative following the murder of George Floyd that resulted in name changes for nine army posts, originally named after Confederate leaders. What you saw is that they ended up being redesignated to honor, women, minorities, and other generals. And actually, during his first term, Trump vetoed the annual defense policy bill because of the renaming effort. Which I'm saying at the time, I've been clear in my opposition. to politically motivated attempts like this to wash away history, though Congress, and a shocking

Starting point is 00:26:53 display of bipartisanship, overrode the veto, and the base names were changed over the next couple of years by Congressional Commission. But now, you flash forward to 2025, Trump's back in office, and he is Pete Heggseth as Secretary of Defense or Secretary of War, whatever the hell they want to call. Super cool dude, king of Big Tough Man Land. But the main thing is that since then, the Pentagon under Heg Seth has restored the original names of these army outposts, but they changed the namesake. So for example, Fort Bragg, which was named after Confederate General Braxton Bragg, it's actually now named after private first class Roland Bragg, a World War II paratrooper honored with the Silver Star. And with this, you might remember Hegset actually faced questioning

Starting point is 00:27:25 about the move to restore the original names when he testified before the Senate earlier this year. You saw things like Senator Tim Kane from Virginia, for example, asking why the new namesakesakes, some of whom were in the room at the time, weren't worthy of having their names on an army post, to which Hegg Seth replied. This is about restoring all bases to their original names because we're not about erasing history. Now, you're seeing Congress inching towards another bipartisan an agreement to undo the undo and restore the changed names from post-2020, at least in part. Because you have the National Defense Authorization Act passing the House last week, and in it, there's a measure that if passed by the Senate, will block Hegg-Seth's name reversal efforts entirely.

Starting point is 00:27:58 And then actually, in the Senate, there's a defense policy bill that hasn't been voted on yet, but it includes a measure that would block Hexeth from renaming three bases in Virginia. And that is, there are also reportedly senators from Georgia looking to include army posts in their state as well. Now, that bill, it could be voted on later this week, or, I mean, it could skip the vote entirely and the two chambers could begin working on a compromise version that'll lead to a vote later this year. This is something to keep an eye on, because this is kind of a rare moment of bipartisanship that we're really not seeing at this time. While that, it brings us to the end of this video, you've got even more just to click away.

Starting point is 00:28:27 Because you've got my newest podcast right here for you, one with Preston Stewart, and the newest one with Maryland Governor West Moore. You've even got links in the description for you for Spotify, Apple Podcast, YouTube, and wherever else you prefer to get filled in. But whatever you do, let me just say thank you for watching. I love yo faces, and I'll see you right back here. tomorrow.

The Philip DeFranco Show - Trump’s Charlie Kirk Fueled Free Speech Crackdown Looks Worse Than Expected & New Texts Released

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