The Philip DeFranco Show - Trump's Iran Meltdown Was Worse Than You Think & The TSA Crisis Now Has An ICE Problem

Starting point is 00:00:00 Trump just tackled out of his latest threat to obliterate Iran's energy infrastructure if it didn't reopen the straightover moves, but he also only pushed the deadline back by five days, and if he does decide to follow through, the consequences could be catastrophic. And it's also not clear that we can count on another taco, especially as he may be getting just more and more desperate with each unsuccessful effort to clean up the mess he created. He's repeatedly demanded that American allies that he spent most of his presidency threatening and berating, risk the lives of their own troops by escorting commercials through the strait, with him then responding to their repeated refusal to do so. by continuing to threaten and berate them, including on Friday when you had him writing on social media. Without the USA, NATO is a paper tiger. They complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don't want to help open

Starting point is 00:00:40 the strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices. So easy for them to do with so little risk, cowards, and we will remember. Of course, it's not so easy. Right, if it was, why would the US need NATO's help? And in fact, Trump has claimed more than once that the US doesn't even need NATO's help, even while continuing to complain about not getting NATO's help. And in the meantime, to try and keep a handle on the rising prices, he's been handed out gifts to U.S. adversaries, including the one he started this war against.

Starting point is 00:01:06 This weekend, the Trump administration lifted sanctions on some 140 million barrels of Iranian oil already loaded onto vessels. And that, coming a week after the lifting of sanctions on Russian oil already at sea, and a couple of days after the easing of sanctions on companies in Belarus, a key Russian ally, often called Europe's last dictatorship. And so all of that, it's why you have people like Brett Erickson, a consultant specializing in financial crimes and sanctions telling the Washington Post. Two countries that we've spent years sanctioning are now the direct beneficiaries of a conflict the United States chose to start. The United States has spent

Starting point is 00:01:33 years building sanctions architecture specifically designed to constrict Russia and Iran. Within three weeks of this conflict starting, we're tearing it to shreds. But also with this, you had Trump claiming on Friday that his administration was actually getting quote very close to meeting its objectives as it considers winding down its great military efforts in the Middle East with respect to the terrorist regime of Iran and adding, the Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed as necessary by other nations who use it. The United States does not. If Fast, we will help these countries in their Hormuz efforts, but it shouldn't be necessary once Iran's threat is eradicated. Importantly, it will be an easy military operation for that.

Starting point is 00:02:06 And then with that, while Trump claimed that the U.S. was winding down its operations in the region, the military was actually ramping up attacks against Iranian drones and naval vessels in its latest effort to unblock the Strait of Hormuz. Not to mention, there are thousands more U.S. troops on their way, possibly to take part in a ground operation aimed at that objective. And then a day later, Trump only added to the confusion by writing in another post, If Iran doesn't fully open, without threat, the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various power plans, starting with the biggest one first. And notably, this came as strikes on energy infrastructure had already accelerated last week after Israel launched a major attack on the Iranian section of the largest natural gas field in the world. A move which led to Iran retaliating against other oil and gas facilities in the Gulf states, including the world's largest liquefied natural gas production facility in Qatar, further threatening global energy supplies and driving up fuel prices.

Starting point is 00:02:54 And then you had Trump threatening to blow up the entirety of that gas field if Iran attack Qatar again. Right, he also claimed that the US knew nothing about the initial Israeli strike ahead of time, even though multiple outlets reported otherwise. And then Iran's foreign minister threatened to do even more damage if Trump followed through, saying that his country would show zero restraint if our infrastructures are struck again. And so in response to Trump's latest threat, you had Iranian officials striking a similar tone. Right with a military spokesperson vowing that his country would strike infrastructure used by Israel, the US, and American allies, including fuel, energy, information technology, and desalination infrastructure,

Starting point is 00:03:24 and adding that the Strait of Hormuz would be completely closed until any damaged Iranian power plants were rebuilt. You then also had Iran's Speaker of Parliament warning that infrastructure and energy and oil facilities across the region will be considered legitimate targets and will be destroyed irreversibly and oil prices will rise for a long time. Then he also threatened to target buyers of U.S. Treasury bonds saying that financial entities financing the American military budget were legitimate targets. And so with all that, you had Iran spending the weekend showing that it has not been defeated yet. Right attacks continued against American allies in the Gulf with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and the the UAE, all reporting that they intercepted drone and missile attacks over the weekend. We also saw Iranian strikes increasingly testing the limits of Israel's air defense system. On Friday, for example, a missile fragment hit near holy sites in Jerusalem's old city and injured

Starting point is 00:04:05 several people. And on Saturday, two Iranian missile struck cities in southern Israel and wounded around 180 people, including a 12-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl who were both reported to be in serious condition. And you had Iranian state-linked media saying that the strikes were carried out in response to alleged attacks by the US and Israel on nuclear facilities in Iran. And then also, like a big thing with these strikes on Israel is they hit near the country's main nuclear research facility and reactor, which is meant to be one of the best protected sites in the country. So the fact that two missiles made it through, it's raised questions about how effective Israel's air defenses are going to continue to be, especially the longer this war drags on. Because so far, you have the military claiming to have intercepted more than 90% of Iran's ballistic missiles.

Starting point is 00:04:39 And that maybe largely thanks to something called the Arrow 3, an anti-ballistic missile system developed by Israel and the US. But Israeli media reported that the Arrow 3 wasn't deployed against the missiles that injured so many people this weekend. And so there are concerns that the military is starting to more aggressively conserve its stockpile of these interceptors, which are extremely costly and time-consuming to produce. Though I will say that the military has denied recent reports that it was running out of missile interceptors saying that it had prepared for prolonged combat. But also, you had a former commander of Israel's air and missile defense forces telling the New York Times, it's not a bottomless barrel.

Starting point is 00:05:09 When we intercept, we also have to think of the next day's battle. And with that, a high-ranking Israeli defense official reportedly traveled to Washington this month to ask for more interceptors and munitions, and it's not clear whether the U.S. agreed to provide more. Though also, in the meantime, another way that Iran's been trying to get around Israel's air defenses is through the use of what are known as cluster munition. They have these warheads that burst and scatter into small bombs, meaning that if they're intercepted, some of those smaller bombs can still escape and continue their descent. In Israel, they can try to intercept those too, but it is hard to hit every single one every single time, which we seemingly saw yesterday when an Iranian missile dropped cluster munitions in central Israel and injured 15 people. And with that, right, the use of cluster munitions, especially in populated areas, it may violate the laws of war due to the potential for indiscriminate harm to civilians. In fact, the US and Israel have condemned Iran's use of the weapon. for that reason. And actually, since 2008, more than 100 countries have signed an international agreement

Starting point is 00:05:57 to ban them. Though, I will say notably, nobody involved in this conflict, including the U.S. and Israel, as well as Iran, has signed that agreement, nor have any major powers like Russia, China, and India. In fact, the U.S. has actually used cluster munitions in Afghanistan and other conflicts as well, as supplied the weapons to Ukraine despite concerns over how they might be used. And with that, you know, Russia, they've also used cluster munitions during the war there. And Israel, they've used them in the past wars, including in Lebanon in 2002, and allegedly, more recently as well. And that's on top of how right now they've also been accused of using something called white phosphorus and residential areas in Lebanon, which could similarly be illegal due to the potential for indiscriminate civilian harm.

Starting point is 00:06:30 And actually, on that note, the Israeli invasion assault on Lebanon, it has killed over a thousand and displaced more than a million, according to the Lebanese government. The IDF chief of staff saying on Sunday that its campaign had only just begun, and that's as the country's defense minister revealed that he had ordered the military to step up its destruction of bridges and houses in the southern part of the country, even suggesting that they would follow methods that they deployed in Gaza. But to stick with Iran for now, in addition to attacking Israel, it's also believed to have fired two missiles at a joint American British military base in the Indian Ocean, with one missile failing mid-flight and the other getting shot down by an American warship. And the reason that this could be absolutely game-changing is we're talking about this happening 3,000 miles away from Tehran. Iran had previously said that it intentionally kept the range of its missiles below 1,250 miles because it didn't want to be felt as a threat by anyone else in the world. So if that was a lie or something has changed, it means that many more European countries and US military bases in them are potential targets. That said, I do want to say it's not clear how far such an attack could truly reach since neither missile reached its target.

Starting point is 00:07:28 And it's not even clear that the missiles carried a payload, which would have let them travel further by weighing less. And Iran has actually denied that it fired the missiles, accusing the Israeli government of staging it as a false flag operation. But it is something we need to keep an eye on because the questions here are also connected to other questions or claims. Right, things like claims from Trump and others that Iran, they had the ability to directly attack the US and that the attack was imminent, but also if they had this ability, they weren't using the ability. But all in all, with everything that we've talked about, what we do know, what's still questionable, what is known is that the Iranian regime, they're not done fighting. And so if Trump, he follows through on his threat, Iran may follow through on theirs. And the fallout with that, it could be massive. Because currently, not all, but most of the impact on oil prices and everything tied to that come down to the Strait of Hormuz. And if that reopens, the situation could potentially stabilize relatively quickly.

Starting point is 00:08:14 The relatively is the key word there, since you already have people like the head of the International Energy Agency warning that No matter what recovery is going to take some time at this point and that's also as he called the war in Iran the biggest threat to global energy security in history Worse than the oil shocks of 1973 and 1979 combined But also the widespread damage to energy or civilian infrastructure it would make that impact far greater and much longer Lastic which is why some seeing this whole situation as a massive wake-up call of yet another reason to shift to renewable energy But that shift it's not taking place fast enough to often offset these impacts if it gets worse. But then with all that said, this morning you had Trump

Starting point is 00:08:48 appearing to back down writing in a social media post. I am pleased to report that the United States of America and the country of Iran have had over the last two days very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East. And adding, I have instructed the Department of War to postpone any and all military strikes

Starting point is 00:09:06 against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five-day period, subject to the success of the ongoing meetings and discussion. With him then telling reporters that the US and Iran very strong talks and would continue them by phone today. Also claiming Steve Whitkoff and Jared Kushner were leading the talks for the US and were dealing with a top person in Iran, except he wouldn't say who that was,

Starting point is 00:09:24 only that it wasn't the supreme leader. But then with that, you had Iran publicly pushing back on the idea that there's been any real progress toward ending the war. With Iran's foreign ministry claiming, Trump's comments were just meant to reduce energy prices and to buy time for implementing his military plans and adding. Yes, there have been initiatives from regional countries to reduce tensions and our response to all of them is clear.

Starting point is 00:09:42 We are not the party that started this war, all such requests should be directed to Washington. You also reportedly had a senior security official arguing that Trump pulled back his threat to hit Iranian infrastructure after Iran's military threats became credible, saying there have been no negotiations and there are none underway. And so in the meantime, Iran's only stepped up their own threats, warning Trump against a possible boots on the ground effort, or the country's defense counsel saying in a statement, any attempt to attack Iran's coasts or islands will cause all access routes in the Gulf to be mined with various types of sea mines, including floating mines that can be released from the coast, and saying in this case, the entire

Starting point is 00:10:14 Gulf will practically be in a situation similar to the strait of Hormuz for a long time. And so ultimately, Trump may just be backing himself further and further into a corner every day. With him seemingly surrounded by Yesmen and sycophans with the world's most powerful military at his disposal and with so far no meaningful pushback in Congress, who's to say if he'll taco again? But also while we wait to see what happens there, his administration's latest moves on the domestic side, they're also prompting some serious outcry. Right in Atlanta, security lines are stretching for hours in Houston, nearly half of TSA workers called out on Friday and Trump's solution? Send ICE agents to airports. Agents who aren't trained to run, X-ray machines, screen baggage,

Starting point is 00:10:49 or basically do anything the TSA does. His own borders are admitted that they're mostly gonna be guarding doors and checking IDs. So as Transportation Secretary says, they will run the X-ray machines because they're under Homeland Security with TSA. So they also can't even agree on what these agents are actually gonna be doing.

Starting point is 00:11:04 And then you also have Trump specifically saying they'd be arresting undocumented immigrants with a heavy emphasis on those from Somalia. And then in the meantime, two pilots just died at LaGuardia and there's still no deal to end the shutdown. You know, starting with the TSA crisis, we've been covering it extensively, but it just keeps getting worse. Workers aren't getting paid. They're calling out to work jobs. It'll actually put food on the table, and security lines at airports are backed up for hours.

Starting point is 00:11:23 And you have both sides trying to blame each other. Right, Republicans blaming Democrats because they won't pass DHS funding without ICE reform. But also, you're seeing more and more people blaming Republicans and specifically Trump because they're seeing that the Democrats, they want to fund TSA. They've even tried to, but Trump ordered Republicans to refuse any deal unless the Save America Act gets passed. And so with the TSA funding, specifically, even though it seems pretty much like a fact, I'll frame this as an opinion. I'll let you be the judge, but this very much looks like it's the Republicans' fault. Oh, wow, we've got no end in sight. This shutdown could stretch well into April. Meanwhile, you're seeing things like Elon Musk offered to pay TSA salaries himself during the shutdown, which would run about $40 million a week. But rather than do that or some other thing,

Starting point is 00:12:02 Trump announced that he was sending ICE in. Or with Trump posting, on Monday, ICE will be going to airports to help our wonderful TSA agents who have stayed on the job, despite the fact that the radical left Democrats are endangering the USA by holding back the money that was long agreed to. And while that already was heavily disputed, what really set off the alarm bills was when he said that ICE agents would quote, do security like no one has ever seen before, including the immediate arrest of all illegal immigrants who have come into our country with heavy emphasis on those from Somalia. And so yeah, it really doesn't seem like this is actually about fixing security lines or helping TSA. This is about turning airports into immigration enforcement zones. All while, the biggest bottlenecks in airport security are specialized tasks like running.

Starting point is 00:12:40 X-ray machine, screening baggage, stuff that requires specific TSA training, stuff that ICE agents don't know how to do. That's why you're saying people like John Sandwegg, a former acting ICE director, saying, I find it hard to say operationally there's any basis to do this other than to use ICE again as a political wedge to try to put pressure on Democrats to end the shutdown. I think that's what this is all about. You also had Bordersar, Tom Homan, acknowledging the agents don't have the expertise, saying that they'd likely guard exit doors and check IDs, calling it a force multiplier that would free up actual TSA agents to go back to screening. But again, you then transportation secretary Sean Duffy going on the record saying that ICE Edens would know how to run the x-ray machines because they're quote under Homeland Security with TSA which I will say it's different but it's also kind of like saying a firefighter can perform plastic surgery because they're both in the medical field. But easily the bigger thing here is that the administration can even agree on whether ICE agents or door guards or machine operators. And then with all this you had the mayor of Atlanta announcing that agents would be at Hart'sfield Jackson this morning for line management and crowd control which I guess we're going to find out about in real time how that goes. And then with all of this you're seeing people like Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer calling

Starting point is 00:13:40 and disturbing and saying that ICE agents who are untrained and have caused problems everywhere they've gone lurking at our airports? That's asking for trouble. Also, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffrey saying that it was the last thing that the American people need and dadding, we've already seen how ICE conducts itself. These are untrained individuals when it comes to doing the current job that they have for the most part, let alone deploying them in close exposure in highly sensitive situations at airports across the country. And then on top of all this other airport chaos, you had a deadly crash at LaGuardia last night that's adding even more stress to the system. In Air Canada Express plane collided with a fire and rescue truck on the runway with both pilots being killed, 41 people being taken to the hospital, 39 from the aircraft, and two port authority officers from the truck. And while you have sources saying that there is no indication of foul play or terrorism, of course, the NTSB is investigating.

Starting point is 00:14:22 Now, to be clear with this, right, this is not connected to the shutdown. Air traffic controllers, they're not part of the group that's going unpaid right now. But of course, it adds to the craziness around air travel right now. And with that, LaGuardia was shut down following the crash, a full ground stop until at least 2 p.m. today. Though then connecting to everything we've been talking about, every traveler who can't fly out of LaGuardia is now going to other airports, joining those massive security lines and walking past ICE agents in the terminal. And so with all this, let me kind of condense it into two final things. As far as where we are, you have TSA workers not being paid, the president rejected a deal that would have fixed it.

Starting point is 00:14:51 His response is then to deploy immigration agents who can't do the job with specific instructions to arrest undocumented immigrants with heavy emphasis on those from Somalia. His own officials can't agree on what agents will actually do there. Two pilots also just died in a disconnected incident. at the shutdown, it could last until April and the president, he seems more focused on passing a voter restriction bill than actually paying the people who keep airports safe. And then secondly, if you're flying anytime soon, build in some extra time. And then there's more we're going to dive into in just a minute, but first let me thank a sponsor and say, you know, some of you

Starting point is 00:15:21 are paying so much for wireless that your phone bill, it looks like it should come with leather seats at a sunroof. Thanks to today's sponsor, Mint Mobile, it doesn't have to. They've made wireless easier. Some wireless companies still act like overcharging you. It's just part of the adult's experience, but I reject that. And Mint, they give you premium wireless without a premium price tag with plans starting at $15 a month. No stores, no awkward sales pitch,

Starting point is 00:15:40 just sign up and activate in minutes with ESIM from home. All plans come with unlimited talk and text on the nation's largest 5G network, which is a pretty solid combo of useful and not annoying. Plus, you also get free calling to Mexico, Canada, and the UK, which is actually useful and not one of those fake features that no one asked for. They've also got data options too,

Starting point is 00:15:57 5 gigabyte, 15 gigabyte, 20 gigabytes, so you're not stuck paying for some bloated plan that your life doesn't require. And if you want to keep your phone or get a new one, you can. Either way, switching's easy. Also, 96% of users are highly satisfied with Mintz customer care, and they back it up with a seven-day money-back guarantee. So if you like your money, MintMobile is for you. Shop plans at Mintmobile.com slash Defranco or scan that QR code. Again, that's mintmobile.com slash DeFranco. Getting ready for a game means being ready for anything. Like packing a spare stick.

Starting point is 00:16:30 I like to be prepared. That's why, remember, 988, Canada's Suicide Crisis Helpline. It's good to know just in case. Anyone can call or text for free confidential support from a train responder anytime. 9-88 suicide crisis helpline is funded by the government in Canada. Where are my gloves? Come on, heat. Any day now? Winter is hard, but your groceries don't have to be.

Starting point is 00:17:03 This winter, stay warm. Tap the banner to order your groceries online at voila. Enjoy in-store prices without leaving your home. You'll find the same regular prices online as in-store. Many promotions are available both in-store and online, though some may vary. But then, diving right back into the news, if you need a favor from the Trump administration, all you gotta do apparently is call up DHS and they will have your back, even if that means deporting your ex-girlfriend. Or just ask Paolo Zampoli, this former modeling agent who goes way, way back with Donald Trump.

Starting point is 00:17:32 Or because the way the story goes is he introduced the future president to Melani at a party in 1998 at the Kit Kat Club, he got her a visa, and attended their wedding, right with them quickly bonding with Trump over what he called their common interest. Beautiful things. But I should also mention that another thing they have in common is they are both in the Epstein files. Right, Zampoli and Epstein, they've once discussed buying a modeling agency together, and in fact, Zampoly's own wife came to the United States aboard Epstein's plane as a 17-year-old Brazilian model. Her name was Amanda Ungaro, and she'd have a romantic relationship with the then 32-year-old Zampoli for the next two decades. And in the meantime, they kept close with the Trump's attending Mar-a-Lago parties with Zampoli working for Donald Trump and real estate,

Starting point is 00:18:06 joining the board of the Kennedy Center during Trump's first term and becoming the special representative for global partnerships during his second term. Reportedly, Malani would even send birthday wishes and presents to the couple's son who's about to become a very important character for this story. Right, because by 2023, Ungaro was reportedly fed up with Zampoly's parties full of young women and his lewd text with an apparent sex worker. So she dumped him, she moved to Florida, she married another guy, and her son came to live with her, sparking a custody battle. But then last June, Ungaro and her husband were arrested on charges of fraud, practicing medicine without a license and other crimes related to their business, which was a medical spawn. Now the husband ended up getting out on bond because he had a green card, but Ngaro, her visa expired in 2019. With her telling the New York Times that she had been led on for years by Zampoly, who repeatedly promised her marriage and citizenship and then he reneged. And so according to the Times, he saw an opportunity here to win his custody battle and he pounced.

Starting point is 00:18:51 First, reportedly seeking help from Corey Lewandowski, right, the top aide to Christy Noem at DHS, and that's all he is to her. And how dare anyone insinuate otherwise, but they got no response. But then he called up David Venterla, a top ICE official, and he reportedly explained that his ex-girlfriend was here illegally and detainings her could help him get his son back. And Vandrella apparently bit, reportedly calling the agency's Miami office to make sure that agents picked up Ungaro from jail before she was bailed down.

Starting point is 00:19:14 Or with him reportedly noting that the case was important as someone close to the White House. And just like that, Ungaro was taken into custody and deported. Now, both DHS and Zampoli, they deny that she was deported as any sort of favor, and either way, it is possible, if not likely, that she would have been picked up by ICE anyway. But we'll never actually know,

Starting point is 00:19:30 and so it's just wild to see yet another example at Trump's law enforcement, allegedly being used like a personal problem-solving whether it's at airports and blue cities or in favors for friends. Plus, it's reflective of a broader trend in the way that the administration Treats parents like Ungaro. But according to ProPublica, Trump started detaining and arresting immigrant parents with US citizen children twice as often as Biden did. With the fed scooping up the parents of at least 11,000 citizen children over just the first seven months. So that means that if they kept up that pace, it'll be roughly double that number by now. So about 22,000 parents and that's likely an undercount.

Starting point is 00:19:59 Also, for whatever reason, they've especially gone after mothers, reportedly deporting about four times as many moms of citizen children per day as Biden did. And if you're one of those parents who gets arrested, you're much less likely to be let go than you were before. Because while about 30% of these cases ended in deportation under Biden, under Trump, that number has shot up to almost 60%. And as many experts have noted, that's not because they're the worst of the worst like Trump promised. Right, over half of the fathers and about three quarters of the moms have no criminal convictions in the United States except for traffic or immigration related offenses. With the polling showing that, you know, more and more people are asking things like, why are these people being forcibly separated from their kids?

Starting point is 00:20:32 for what, a speeding ticket? But also, none of these numbers should be too surprising. We know that immigration agents have been pressured to get those arrest numbers up as high as possible. And in fact, Trump's people even change the name of the document containing guidelines for how to handle parents from the parental interest directive to the detained parents directive.

Starting point is 00:20:47 And they also remove the word humane from its preamble on how to handle immigrant parents. But then, actually, the final thing that I wanna talk about today is that AI political ads are already messing with the midterms and we are still months out. Right, among other things, you had a Republican committee posting a deep fake

Starting point is 00:21:01 of a Democratic Senate candidate, reading his own tweets, video that looks completely real with nothing but a barely visible watermark disclosing that it's fake. Also another candidate posted an AI-generated version of a sitting governor's voice saying things that she never said and called it a parody. All while AI companies, they've pledged $265 million in Super PAC money to punish any lawmaker who tries to regulate him. So let's talk about what's happening, who's doing it, and why nobody's stopping it. And one of the most recent situations that actually hit Texas Senate candidate James Tyler Rico, the Democratic nominee, where this month, a National Republican Senatorial Committee posted an AI-generated video showing Tala Rico sitting at a desk, reading his old tweets out loud, and commenting on.

Starting point is 00:21:36 Oh, I remember this one. Radicalized white men are the greatest domestic terrorist threat in our country. White men. So true. So true. Oh, this one is touching. Over and over, Christians use scripture to justify bullying trans kids. I told them in my faith, God is non-binary.

Starting point is 00:21:57 So the old tweets, those are real. The video, it's not. Tyler Rico, never read them on camera. He never provided that comment. that the whole thing was generated to make him look too extreme for conservative voters. There's no big bold disclaimer, no verbal disclaimer, just a faint watermark in the corner noting that it's AI. You'd really only see it if you were looking for it, but the Republican Senatorial Committee, they say, hey, they did nothing wrong.

Starting point is 00:22:15 Right, it's always close to the group telling CNN that they just visualized Tala Rico's words, saying they used a modern tool within all legal and ethical parameters. But also, it's not just Tala Rico, this is happening across the country. Also in the Texas Senate race, Republican Ken Paxton posted a fake video of fellow Republican John Cornyn dancing with Jasmine Crockett, meant to make him look to cozy with Democrats. Then in Massachusetts, a Republican candidate running against governor or a Healy put out a radio spot

Starting point is 00:22:38 using an AI generated version of her voice saying things that she never said. Right, and that ad was framed as what her ads, quote, might sound like if she was honest. And so you had the fake Healy saying, We have accomplished so much in our first term. We have one of the highest electricity rates in the nation. Thanks to me for slapping on excessive fees

Starting point is 00:22:56 to fund my climate agenda. But she never said any of that, though the campaign that put this out defended it as parody and as a cremate and fun way to educate voters. Also in a Massachusetts state race, a representative posted an AI generated newspaper's front page showing his opponent holding hands with Zoran Mamdani,

Starting point is 00:23:11 designed to paint him as a radical leftist. So with all this, you're seeing people like the CEO of advertising firm DS Political Saying, anytime generative AI is used to create messaging or imagery that is misleading, I hope we can all agree that's a negative thing. And you're trying to be deceitful or have something that never existed,

Starting point is 00:23:25 that's a big issue. Now in the pursuit of being fair here, I'm gonna note that Democrats have used AI and political ads as well. This is not exclusive to Republican tactics. But easily, the highest profile cases right now, they are overwhelmingly coming from the right. And you have some saying that the biggest reason that this is just getting worse and worse is that the most powerful person in the country is doing it constantly. Trump uses AI to attack opponents,

Starting point is 00:23:44 promote his agenda, and stoke political flames. And, you know, reports have found that his use of technology has eroded public trust with people genuinely just not knowing what's real anymore. You even had New York Times tech reporter Tiffany Sue putting it this way. If the president sets the political tone, then candidates could be less cautious about tapping the technology. Their calculus might be that the public is becoming increasingly desensitized to AI's reality distortion effect. They're already being bombarded with fake influencers, fake celebrities, fake war reporting, what's another fake politician? The general argument is that when the president treats deepfakes is just another tool,

Starting point is 00:24:12 it gives everyone else permission to do the same. That said, some states, they've moved to regulate political deepfakes, requiring disclosure when AI is used or restricting, how it can be deployed in campaign ads. But just last week, you had Trump introducing a legislative framework that would limit states' ability to regulate AI across the board. It creates a single national policy covering child safety, intellectual property, free speech and data centers. And on paper, like a number of things,

Starting point is 00:24:32 that sounds reasonable, but in practice, many believe that whatever Trump proposes, it's not gonna go far enough and that a national standard it could actually undo the stronger protections that states have already built. Trump is definitely not alone in trying to keep AI unregulated.

Starting point is 00:24:44 AI companies have pledged $265 million for super PACs ahead of the midterms, according to the Wall Street Journal. And a lot of that money is focused on congressional race in New York, where millions have been spent in attack ads against a candidate by the name of Alex Boris. And reports have noted that the attack ads

Starting point is 00:24:57 have actually raised Boris's profile, this kind of spending can work. For crypto groups, they spent big money to get Trump into office, and that paid off. And as is often the case with AI, this is a space that we're going to have to keep watching, right? The technology is cheap. It takes minutes to use. There's barely any enforcement. The president does it, and the company's building the tools or spending hundreds of millions of dollars to make sure that nobody regulates them. That's the environment heading into the midterms. Voters are going to see videos, a candidate saying things. They never said, hear audio of politicians

Starting point is 00:25:23 making statements they never made and read fabricated headlines designed to look real. And the disclosures where they even exist, there are going to be tiny watermarks and corners that nobody reads. And so one of the big questions that voter's going to have to ask themselves every single time they see a political ad between now and November is, is this real? Because seemingly, a lot of the people that are making these ads, they are counting on you not asking. When I say you, it's probably not even really you. It's the rest of America. I think the large majority of you have at least a healthy amount of skepticism. Some, uh, more than even me. In the meantime, whether it's this final story or anything that stood out to you today, I'd love to know your thoughts, reactions,

Starting point is 00:25:57 opinions, anything in those comments down below. Because that my friend, my friend, friends, it brings us to the end of your Monday Philip DeFranco show dive into the news. For breakdowns on any individual stories, I got you covered in those links in the description. And you have more to watch right now just to click away. Whether it's my in good faith podcast and interview with Scott the Was today, or if you didn't see it, we did a special extra bonus Philip DeFranco show on the state of the economy and why everyone feels differently about it right now. It's honestly been one of the most loved things we've released in recent memory, but a lot of

Starting point is 00:26:22 people missed it because we uploaded it on Friday. 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 Iran Meltdown Was Worse Than You Think & The TSA Crisis Now Has An ICE Problem

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