- Today we're talking about why the Canadian wildfires
and the hellscape being witnessed in New York
and now more of the country may be about to get worse.
The Supreme Court dropping a surprise landmark decision,
why creators and fans are saying Twitch
is lying to their faces.
The shocking Trump indictment news
at the center of his new meltdown.
We're gonna be talking about all that in so much more
in today's brand new "Philip DeFranco Show,"
your daily dive into the news.
But first, I unfortunately just need to address something.
If you're one of the people messaging me saying, Phil,
why did you not upload a video yesterday?
We did, it's just that several hours after we uploaded it
and people watched like normal,
and it was actually trending to be one of our best videos
in the past two weeks, YouTube decided to suppress it,
stop recommending it, and even age gated the video
with it appearing to be connected
to the LGBTQ story that came outta Glendale.
So cool, YouTube, thanks so much for that.
And two things for you.
The first being, if you haven't seen that video
I'll link to it down below
but you can still find it on the channel page.
It's just not being recommended in the other places.
And two, it's part of the reason we launch this.
If you're in United States or Canada,
text me at 813-213-4423.
It's my text line.
I let you know when shows go up.
I also text about other stuff.
It causes a fuck ton to use the service as much as we do,
but it has become unfortunately a necessity,
because we've been getting hit more, at least on YouTube.
With that said, let's just jump into it,
starting with, I think Canada's really lucky right now
'cause if Donald Trump was still president,
I think there's like a 33% chance he would've played around
with the idea of nuking these forest fires.
Like yeah, we drop a nuke, the shockwave happens,
(blows) like blowing out a candle, bing, bang, boom, done.
But instead, in reality today
you have the smoke continuing to spread,
the US National Weather Service issuing air quality alerts
for virtually the entire Atlantic seaboard,
with a list of cities blanketed in this Bladerunner ass air
including not just New York but also Philadelphia, Boston,
DC, and even creeping into parts of the Midwest and south,
which is why you're seeing schools
shutting down outdoor activities,
airlines canceling flights, the MLB calling off games.
And while obviously with this,
everyone's got different life situations,
everyone's handling the situation differently,
not everyone can hunker down indoors while this lasts,
with that, we're seeing this similar
but also different kind of divide.
I mean yesterday in a TikTok I was joking around
saying because there are some experts saying
people maybe need to wear masks,
that there are gonna be people going out and protesting
by breathing directly from tailpipes.
And obviously while that was hyperbole
you did have climate deniers like Steve Milloy
who was on Trump's EPA transition team
telling Fox News viewers, hey, the smoke ain't that bad.
- Look, the air is ugly, it's unpleasant to breathe,
and for a lot of people they get anxiety over it.
But the reality is there's no health risk.
We have this kind of air in India and China all the time,
no public health emergency.
- Now, to be very clear,
that is complete and utter bullshit.
It's important to mention that as fast as possible
otherwise that bullshit will spread
faster than the wildfire he's wrong about.
Experts warn that wildfire smoke can harm anyone,
even healthy people if they breathe in
the particular matter it carries.
And those with heart or respiratory problems or long Covid
and the elderly, children, pregnant women
are the most at risk, which is also why naturally
with this situation, one of the most obvious questions
is when is this nightmare gonna be over?
Because in part it depends on the weather patterns
which are often unpredictable,
but also their forecasts expect the wind to shift directions
over the weekend, bringing cleaner air to the northeast.
But then I have to note, don't 100% count on it,
'cause new currents could push smoke further west
into the interior Northeast and Ohio Valley on Friday.
So long as fire keep burning in Canada
the risk that fresh batches of smoke
will drift across the border remains dire.
So on that front, Biden sent 600 firefighters
and support personnel up north
to help Trudeau battle those flames.
But also 44 new fires broke out just yesterday,
and this specific fire season is especially hot and dry,
meaning that we're likely to see more over the coming week,
which we also just found out is gonna be worse
because meteorologists declared
the arrival of El Nino today.
The key thing,
that's one or two months earlier than expected,
with a climate scientist saying there's a 56% chance
it'll be considered strong,
and 25% chance it reaches supersize levels.
So basically the summer's gearing up
to be a brutally hot one,
which of course is great for wildfires.
Ultimately where I'm gonna leave you with this is,
hey, if there's smoke in your area
you probably already know what to do, but just in case,
or maybe you live with a partner
that needs to hear what you say,
but from another person for you to go,
oh yeah, we should do that.
It's recommended you stay indoors,
get an air purifier, keep your windows closed,
make sure the filter in your AC is clean.
Also, if you don't have an air purifier,
you can make one at home using a box fan and an air filter.
And if you have to go outside, wear a mask,
unless you're vehemently anti mask,
in which case just take very deep breaths
while you're outside 'cause you obviously know something
the experts just don't understand.
Also, on the note of masks, getting one's gonna be easier
if you're a New York now,
and that 'cause Governor Kathy Hochul tweeted
that 1 million M 5s will be available
at state facilities like metro stations and state parks.
The main thing, stay safe out there,
and in those comments down below,
let me know how the apocalypse is treating you.
And then, I wish Twitch could just keep it story straight.
So earlier this week the streaming platform
unveiled restrictive rules regarding branded content
where among other things they wouldn't allow
burned-in video display or audio ads,
restricting the size of onscreen logos,
things that tons of streamers said would essentially
kill their ability to make money.
And understandably they faced tons of backlash
and calls for boycots, with them then responding,
"Today's branded content policy update was overly broad.
This created confusion and frustration."
And describing what they did as wanting
to "clarify our existing ads policy."
But then yesterday they released a new statement
saying "Yesterday we released new branded content
guidelines that impacted your ability to work with sponsors
to increase your income from streaming.
These guidelines are bad for you
and bad for Twitch, and we are removing them immediately.
We will not prevent your ability to enter
into direct relationships with sponsors."
Now it's also worth noting there
that there was a fact checking box
from Twitter saying that the terms of service
still state that Twitch users/streamers
may not insert embedded advertisements or banner ads.
And yeah, it appears that some of the rules regarding that
remain in the terms of service.
But the branded content policy page has been updated
to get rid of the limitations regarding burn-ins.
But even with all that, you had a lot of top creators
from the platform firing back.
Top streamers like MoistCr1TiKaL say
"Thanks for doing the bare minimum of walking back
the worst change you've ever thought of.
I think the trust is gone though, you've shown you're more
than willing to fuck your platform for some extra clams
so I'm expecting another greedy policy change
within the next six months."
You also had less aggressive reactions
like that from Karl Jacobs who wrote,
"I along with tons of others would love
to discuss this sort of stuff before becomes so big
that you need to backtrack on it."
As well Asmongold, who's one of the loudest voices
speaking out against it, just responding "W, Thank you."
And with that, he was not the only one saying thank you.
In fact, rival company Kick said thank you,
seemingly not for the backtrack,
but for the controversy in general, tweeting,
"We just doubled our all time 24 hour signup record,
shoutout to that other website for the boost."
And then the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat in the finals,
hockey, baseball, concerts all in full swing.
There's always an event for everyone
and you're not gonna wanna miss out.
And even better, how about getting $20 off
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And then, ChatGPT accused a man of embezzlement,
and now OpenAI is getting sued for it.
You might remember how recently we talked about ChatGPT,
not quite ready to be a lawyer.
You recently had that situation where it just made up cases,
but also now apparently it just changes
the content of existing cases,
because as far as the details here,
an editor-in-chief of a publication about guns
was reporting on a real case in Washington state.
And so we asked ChatGPT to summarize
the Second Amendment Foundation v. Ferguson,
a case accusing A.G. Bob Ferguson of abusing his power
by chilling the activities of the foundation.
And the editor provided the AI with a link to the case.
But then ChatGPT allegedly spit out a summary
saying that the case was actually
about the foundation's founder suing Georgia radio host
Mark Walters for defrauding and embezzling funds
as the foundation's CFO and treasurer.
But Walters, very importantly,
was never the CFO of the foundation
and he doesn't even work there.
So he has now sued OpenAI for defamation,
with the lawsuit saying, "Every statement of fact
in the summary pertaining to Walters is false,"
and adding that the AI generated, quote,
"a complete fabrication that bears no resemblance
to the actual complaint,
including an erroneous case number."
And if this case dies or if this case moves
is going to be massively important,
because if this is even remotely successful,
we're talking about one case
that could turn into a flood of lawsuits.
And then the Supreme Court just made
some big and unexpected moves,
with the very conservative high court making the unexpected
ruling to back black voters and voting rights
in a racial gerrymandering case against Alabama.
The justices upholding a lower court ruling
to toss out Alabama's congressional map
and order the state to draw a new one
on the grounds that the map discriminated
against black voters and violated the Voting Rights Act,
in a surprise five to four decision.
And this because the map was drawn
so that out of its seven districts
only one had a majority of black voters,
even though nearly a third of voters in the state are black.
And so this decision marks a major win
for voting rights advocates who were concerned
that the conservative court,
which has expressed skepticism over key parts of the VRA,
would gut the landmark legislation
that is so essential to equal rights.
But that also wasn't the only ruling
the Supreme Court handed down today,
though arguably it was the most important
in terms of, you know, democracy and basic human rights.
Though also the other case had a lot of eyes on it
but for very different reasons,
with that one involving a trademark dispute
between Jack Daniel's and a dog poop themed toy
that parodies its bottles, you know,
two equally important Supreme Court cases.
But here what we saw was the high court ruling unanimously
in favor the whiskey maker.
And the heart of this case centered around the battle
between trademark rights and free speech,
with the justices striking down a ruling
from a lower court that had said that the toys
were clearly a parody and thus protected
under the first amendment.
And specifically the lower court cited
a frequently used trademark law precedent
that allows artists to use another's trademark
when it has artistic relevance
and as long as it doesn't mislead consumers.
But very notably here, the Supreme Court ruled
that its ruling was narrow, refusing Jack Daniel's request
that they throw out the trademark precedent entirely.
And that would've been an absolutely massive move
because it would've made it much easier for companies
to sue over trademark use, including parodies.
But for now the case will be handed back down
to lower courts for further consideration.
And then, it really looks like Donald Trump might actually
be indicted and soon, because yesterday we saw numerous
media outlets reporting the federal prosecutors
in the Mar-a-Lago documents case have informed
Trump's legal team that he's the target
of their investigation.
And while we might hear that and think, well duh,
the whole probe is about whether Trump improperly
kept classified documents and obstructed justice
when the government tried to get them back.
But that specific word target is actually
a technical term that the DOJ defines
as a person to whom the prosecutor
or the grand jury has substantial evidence
linking him or her to the commission of a crime.
And while notifying someone that they are a target
is not required, DOJ policy encourages it
in appropriate cases so that people
who are likely to be indicted have a chance to testify
before the grand jury in their probe.
So when this happens, it is often but not always
a strong indication that they will be charged,
or in other words, this is by far the clearest sign yet
that Trump is going to face federal charges,
which, yes, would add to his string of firsts,
making him the first president
to ever be federally prosecuted.
Now with all that,
as far as how Trump has responded to all this,
as of recording, he's only commented on the situation
before it was widely picked up by mainstream media.
It was actually far right sources and allies
of the former president that first reported
Trump's legal team had been notified
he was a target likely to be indicted.
And when the New York Times directly contacted Trump to ask
if he had been told he would be indicted,
he responded that it was "not true."
But when The Times specifically asked
if he had been told he was a target
they said Trump did not actually respond directly,
instead just telling reporters they have to understand
he isn't in direct contact with prosecutors,
with him also repeating the claim that he was not told
he will be indicted in a post on Truth Social.
But again, specific words, specific situations.
Being told you are a target is not the same
as being told you will definitely be indicted,
but also of course it's Trump, so we have to take
everything he says with the grain of salt.
The timing of the situation is also key,
with it coming as it's been widely reported this week
that the document probe is winding down
and charging decisions will be announced soon.
While there's been mixed reporting
on when Trump's legal team was notified
that he was a target, the news comes a few days
after his lawyers went to the DOJ for a meeting
with the lead prosecutor, special counsel Jack Smith.
The source is describing that meeting as a last ditch effort
to fight off charges against Trump.
Notably, since that meeting Trump's been going absolutely
batshit crazy about the investigation on social media
which seems to be a good indication
that he knows something's about to go down.
And very notably, numerous high profile witnesses
including former top Trump aides have also testified
before grand juries in DC and Florida recently,
with NPR explaining that the apparent pacing
of witness testimony could signal
that special counsel Jack Smith's probe
is nearing a conclusion.
And actually on the note of the grand jury in Florida,
literally no one knew that existed until a few days ago,
with numerous outlets reporting on its existence
for the first time only on Tuesday.
And that being confirmed by a former Trump aide
who said he testified before the Florida jury yesterday,
though notably, it remains a mystery why prosecutors set up
a second jury in Florida when the one in DC
has been at the center of the investigation from the get-go,
with legal experts speculating that the move means
that the DOJ is considering bringing some
or all of whatever charges they end up leveling
against Trump in Florida rather than DC.
And that appear to be backed up by sources
who talked to the Washington Post,
with the outlet reporting yesterday that the prosecutors
are planning to bring a significant portion of any charges
stemming from the possible mishandling
of the classified documents at Mar-a-Lago,
with the supposed reason for this move being
that the bulk of the conduct at issue in the investigation
occurred in the Southern District of Florida,
with the report noting that the sources also say
this approach does not rule out the possibility
of some charges such as perjury
or false statements being filed in Washington,
and that's because normally it's legally required
to bring charges where they took place.
But this case is very complicated.
For taking documents from the White House in DC,
he could be charged in the capitol,
but keeping them in Mar-a-Lago
after the government demanded they be returned
might be something more appropriate
to charge him with in Florida.
And all this really matters,
because where prosecutors ultimately decide
to bring charges creates some very high stakes.
Charging Trump in Florida would mean
he'd have both a jury pool and judges
that are more favorable to him than in DC.
What's more, if charges are brought
in DC his team will likely fight to move them to Florida
on the grounds that it's the more appropriate venue.
And again, the timing of all this
is very important for another reason,
the timeline for the 2024 election,
where right now Trump is the frontrunner
for the Republicans, which on that note,
me being the nosy little bitch that I am,
I just wish I could take a peek into the heads
of all the other Republicans who are running for president.
Like they all have said what they have said publicly
but how much do they kind of secretly wish
that something happens with Trump?
Because with how the polling is right now,
DeSantis is the closest thing to another top frontrunner,
and none of them really having a meaningful shot
to strip away any of Trump's diehard voters
unless he's no longer an option.
And that brings us to the end of today's dive into the news.
Thank you for being a part of it.
And do not worry, 'cause my name's Philip DeFranco,
you've just been filled in.
I love yo' faces and I'll see you Sunday.