- 'Sup, you beautiful bastards,
hope you've had a fantastic Tuesday,
welcome back to the Philip DeFranco Show,
and two quick announcements.
First, just a massive thank you to everyone that made
yesterday's Emotionally Exhausted drop
the biggest drop we've ever had on shopdefranco.
What's crazy is it hasn't even been 24 hours yet,
and so you still have six days if you missed out.
All available for a limited time on shopdefranco.com,
and two, I'm very excited to announce
that the Philip DeFranco Show is now an official
syndicated show on Snapchat,
so if you want to make sure you don't miss this show,
or maybe some exclusives, or you want to share it
with people who don't really come to YouTube,
or for whatever reason, I advise and ask you
to go subscribe.
Link down below, or of course,
our snapcode's been right there.
But, like I said, welcome back to the Philip DeFranco Show,
buckle up, hit that like button,
and let's just jump into it.
And the first thing we're gonna
talk about today is Kanye West.
While some places are running headline like,
"Kanye West seemingly squashes beef with Kris Jenner
"following explosive Twitter rant,"
which, side note, I have a lot of big criticisms
regarding Kanye West over the past year,
but when he called Kris Jenner "Kris Jong-Un,"
and her guy "calmye west," that was the funniest thing
I had read in about a month.
But, that Kris Jenner stuff's not the bigger story today,
it actually has to do with Kanye's presidential run
and possible legal troubles.
But now, the situation has gotten to this point
where he could be facing the possibility
of an election fraud investigation
and, depending on how far this goes, years in prison.
So all of this started at the very end of last month
in New Jersey, where Kanye needed just 800 votes
on his petition to secure a spot on the ballot,
but a few days after he filed that petition,
a lawyer found that over 700 of the 1327 signatures
that Kanye had collected had issues,
including no last names listed,
people who were not registered to vote in New Jersey,
and people who didn't even live in the state at all.
And ultimately, what we saw there is last Monday,
just hours before a scheduled hearing
to determine the validity of his petition,
Kanye's team withdrew the application,
with his campaign reportedly saying in an email
that it would not question the decision
of the Secretary of State and adding,
"At this time, Kanye 2020 has no further option
"than to regrettably withdraw from New Jersey
"and cease further efforts to place Mr. West's name
"on the New Jersey ballot."
And then, later that same week,
an election board in Illinois ruled that 60%,
or nearly 2000 of the 3218 signatures
that Kanye collected were invalid.
Very notably, that decision came after it was reported
that three different whistleblowers asked the state
to take a closer look at the end of last month.
So if their findings hold, Kanye will fall
1300 signatures short of the 2500 he needed,
and I'm saying it like that because
this board's ruling is just preliminary.
The findings have to go to a hearing examiner,
who then makes a recommendation as to whether or not
Kanye should be on the ballot.
Though, historically, election wards'
preliminary decisions have had a lot of weight
on the hearing examiner's recommendation.
But now, it is widely believed that he will be
kicked off the ballot, and with what happened
in New Jersey and Illinois, we saw a number of experts
saying that Kanye should be the subject
of an election fraud investigation.
This, including the likes of political analyst,
April Ryan, who tweeted, "Two states declaring Kanye West
"ineligible to be on POTUS ballot due to faulty signatures
"could open him up to an election fraud investigation.
"I would imagine other states where reported GOP operatives
"assisted him to get on the ballot will soon be reviewing."
And actually, on the note of other states,
literally the same day that the state board in Illinois
announced the results of their review,
the Wisconsin State Democratic Party filed a complaint,
asking state officials there to keep Kanye off the ballot,
claiming that his campaign was late
in submitting their paper work, and that there were
numerous issues with those filings, including, shocker,
problems with the signatures that he collected.
According to reports, the complaint alleges
that the papers Kanye filed included incorrect addresses
for the people who circulated the petitions
and the petitions contained bogus signatures
like that of Mickey Mouse, Bernie Sanders,
and even two for Kanye West.
But also, very, very notably here,
the complaint also included affidavits from six people
who said that they were actually tricked
into signing Kanye's petition.
According to reports, one of the affidavits
is from a woman who said that she unknowingly
signed this paper outside of a Walmart
when one of Kanye's circulators told her
that her signature was needed to ensure
she was registered to vote in the general election,
with that woman adding, "If I had known that,
"I wouldn't have signed the papers, absolutely not.
"Kanye West would not get my vote
"and I think it is a joke that he is running for president."
And that allegation is actually pretty serious,
as the lawyer who collected those affidavits
for the Democratic Party told reporters,
"If the affidavits are true, crimes were committed
"by the West campaign."
Though, on the other side, you have Kanye's team
pushing back, just yesterday filing their own complaint
where they allege that the State Democratic Party
filed their complaint because they, quote,
"fear the candidacy of Kanye West and seek to silence him,"
also alleging that the party engaged in
an organized effort of harassment and intimidation
against his candidacy, and claiming they hired
a private investigator to track
and spy on his signature gatherers.
And so as far as what happens from here,
the complaints will be reviewed by
an elections commission panel made up of
three democrats and three republicans,
and they will then make a recommendation
regarding his filings and if he should
be on the ballot or not.
But ultimately, that is where we are with this story.
It will be very interesting and it is important
going into the 2020 election to find out
what happens in Wisconsin.
As far as states go in the general election,
it is a difference-maker.
Also, regarding any election fraud charges,
none have been filed yet, and ultimately,
as far as my opinion on this topic,
at the end of the day, the only thing that I think matters
is if fraud actually took place.
It feels a little weird that one of the defenses
from Kanye's camp is they sent someone
to keep eyes on us.
I see that and I'm like, "Okay, but what about
"the stuff they allegedly found?"
Yeah, that's the story as it is now,
we're gonna keep our eyes on it, and of course,
with this, I pass the question off to you.
What are your thoughts regarding this Kanye update?
Do you think that we will actually see any charges?
I'm of the personal mindset that even if there were charges,
if everything happened fast enough,
I'm pretty sure he'd get a pardon,
but that's just my gut reaction as we watch this
just transparent attempt at a spoiler campaign.
But yeah, passing the question off to you.
Also, in quickie presidential election news,
obviously less important than this Kanye stuff,
Joe Biden actually, as we were finishing up today's video,
announced that Kamala Harris will be his VP pick.
Notably, this will make Harris the first woman of color
to be named by a major party on a US presidential ticket
and potentially, she could become
the first woman vice president.
And as far as why Kamala Harris,
you had Biden saying in his announcement statement,
"I need someone working alongside me
"who is smart, tough, and ready to lead.
"Kamala is that person.
"I need someone who understands the pain
"that so many in our nation are suffering.
"Whether they've lost their job, their business,
"a loved one to this virus,"
and adding, "I first met Kamala through my son Beau.
"They were both Attorneys General at the same time.
"He had enormous respect for her and her work.
"I thought a lot about that as I made this decision.
"There is no one's opinion I valued more than Beau's
"and I'm proud to have Kamala
"standing with me on this campaign."
But yeah, the main thing here
is that this announcement has finally been made
and we are now kicking this election into a new gear.
And as far as what that gear is gonna feel and look like,
we're gonna find out very soon.
And actually, with this update,
I'd love to know your thoughts about Kamala as VP.
Let me know in those comments down below.
From that, I want to share some stuff I love today
in Today in Awesome, brought to you by Bright Cellars.
Right now, it is important to stay at home and healthy,
and that's why Bright Cellars is encouraging everyone
to skip the store and let the wine come to you.
Whether you're a seasoned vet or you can't tell
a cabernet from a rose, Bright Cellars offers
fantastic wine selections curated just for you,
delivered straight to you home, office, or wherever.
Tailoring a wine selection specifically to your taste
could not be simpler.
Bright Cellars customizes their wines
based on your answers to an easy, seven question quiz.
Not only that, each delivery includes
wine education cards with tasting notes,
pairing suggestions, wine origin,
and even the best serving temperature for each bottle.
I'm personally on my third delivery
of my Bright Cellar subscription and I am loving it,
especially because of their rating system.
You rate the wines you get after each delivery,
which then gives them more knowledge
on what you actually enjoy.
And in my personal experience,
they've been absolutely nailing it.
Best of all, right now, for you,
Bright Cellars is offering 50% off
your first six-bottle box.
So just click that link in the description down below,
take the quiz, and get started today.
And the first bit of awesome today
is that tomorrow, on YouTube.com/acw,
my podcast is back, our first guest back is MatPat,
and today, if you want a little taste,
a little distraction before I give you the whole pie,
tomorrow, I post a clip on YouTube.com/acwclips,
where we talk about the differences between
the different generations of YouTubers,
TikTokers, et cetera.
Then, we got the Honest Trailer
for "Avatar: The Last Airbender",
we also got some "Binging With Babish" burger badassery,
and yes, I said that just for the Bs,
in nature awesome, National Geographic
gave us young lions learning precision hunting,
and finally, we have a former FBI agent
explaining how to read facial expressions.
Which, on that note, if that FBI expert,
or just really anyone can tell me
what to do with my face when I'm just not thinking anything
because I consistently have this problem
where there are a number of people that,
it'll be like my wife's friends or acquaintances
that think I genuinely do not like them,
and that is almost never the case.
Does anyone else have this problem?
If you want to see the full versions
of everything I just shared,
the secret link of the day, really anything at all,
links, as always, are in the description down below.
Then, in a story I could've probably put in
Today in Awesome, we had Mia Khalifa in the news.
Mia, if you don't know, is actually Lebanese-American,
she was born in Lebanon.
With everything that's been happening there,
we talked about it yesterday, last week,
in addition to using her platform to raise awareness,
call for change, she's actually also decided
to raise money for the Lebanese Red Cross
by auctioning off those original,
infamous Mia Khalifa glasses.
As of right now, the bidding is at $100,000
and it'll be interesting to see where it lands,
what's a valid bid at the end of,
it's gonna be about four days.
Then, we should talk about this news involving
the gig economy and its future.
On Monday, a California judge ruled that Uber and Lyft
must classify their drivers as employees, not gig workers.
And that decision, which will go into effect next week
if it is not halted by an appeal,
will mean that employees for ride sharing companies
will be eligible to receive benefits,
including health insurance, paid time off,
sick leave, and overtime.
As far as Uber and Lyft's argument against doing so,
it's pretty much the same argument that they've always had,
saying this decision will cause ride costs
to increase significantly and could result in mass layoffs,
with Lyft saying in a statement,
"Drivers do not want to be employees, full stop.
"We'll immediately appeal this ruling
"and continue to fight for their independence."
A spokesperson for Uber releasing a similar statement,
saying the vast majority of drivers
want to work independently, and we've already made
significant changes to our app
to ensure that remains the case under California law.
"When over 3 million Californians are without a job,
"our elected leaders should be focused on creating work,
"not trying to shut down an entire industry
"during an economic depression."
Which, I mean, on that note,
while you have bookings for Uber Eats
absolutely skyrocketing, just between April and June,
Uber's traditional bookings were down 75%,
so there's an argument that's already been made
that in addition to the situation in general,
we are in a pandemic, business is down,
if these drivers were made employees,
we'd just have to give them the boot.
As far as the drivers here,
it's not a black and white situation.
You have some drivers that kind of do it whenever,
whenever they've got a little time,
they want to make some side change,
and then you have some people doing it full-time.
You have some saying, "Yeah, I like the freedom
of the gig economy," and then you have some
after this ruling saying, "Today's ruling affirms
"what California drivers have long known to be true,
"workers like me have rights and Uber and Lyft
"must respect those rights."
Though, with all that said, there may actually be
a third option because while yes,
this is a story in California, this is a national issue.
We've also seen this gaining traction,
which is why we've seen Uber's CEO advocating
for this third model on how to classify drivers,
arguing that there should be another way
for workers to gain protections without sacrificing
the flexibility of being a gig worker,
and in fact, yesterday, we saw him
pushing for that again in a New York Times oped,
arguing, "Our current employment system
"is outdated and unfair.
"It forces every worker to choose between
"being an employee with more benefits but less flexibility
"or an independent contractor with more flexibility
"but almost no safety net.
"It's time to move beyond this false choice.
"As a start, all gig economy companies
"need to pay for benefits,
"should be more honest about the reality of the work,
"and must strengthen the rights and voice of workers,"
with him then proposing a model that would
require gig companies to establish benefits funds
which give workers cash that they can use
for the benefits they want, like health insurance
or paid time off, adding, "Independent workers
"in any state that passes this law
"could take money out for every hour
"of work they put in.
"All gig companies would be required to participate
"so that workers can build up benefits
"even if they switch between apps."
And with all of this claiming that if this had
been a law nation-wide, Uber would have contributed
$655 million in benefits just last year,
with him also giving the example of a Colorado driver
working an average of 35 hours a week,
if they had used this system, they would have
racked up $1350 in benefits for 2019,
with him noting that's enough to cover two weeks time off
or a median annual premium for health insurance.
But even with that, of course, you'd have critics of this
saying, "Well, the key word here is 'or.'"
That driver wouldn't be able to have
premium health insurance and get two weeks off.
But ultimately, as far as what happens next here,
we're gonna have to keep an eye out for that appeal,
also in November, California voters will decide
on a ballot measure that could exempt
ride sharing companies from
converting their drivers into employees.
You know, the biggest thing being voted on in November.
Obviously I'm kidding, but actually,
the vote for the president of the United States,
obviously huge, but also as we get closer to the election,
I'm gonna try to make sure that I provide
resources so you can see what is being voted on
in your state, there's a lot of stuff locally
that's always important for you to vote on.
But, question of the main story being talked about there,
if you are an Uber or a Lyft driver,
or you're part of the gig economy,
what are your thoughts?
Do you want the freedom of being a part of the gig economy
or do you want to be an employee?
Or maybe do you land somewhere in the middle
like this third option being proposed by the CEO of Uber?
Also, for those currently using ride sharing
or who did before the pandemic,
if the prices went up, would it make you stop?
And then, let's talk about the big Coronavirus news
that is coming out of Russia today.
Today, you had Russian President, Vladimir Putin
pootin' out a statement,
claiming a vaccine against Coronavirus has been registered
for the first time in the world this morning.
"I know that it works quite effectively,
"it forms a stable immunity."
And adding, "Of course, what counts most
"is for us to be able to ensure
"the unconditional safety of the use of this vaccine
"and its efficiency in the future.
"I hope that this will be accomplished."
With Vlad also claiming that one of his daughters
has already received the vaccine.
So far, what we know is that health care workers
and teachers will be among the first to get this vaccine
and the country could have a mass rollout in October.
The vaccine, which has been dubbed "Sputnik-V,"
was developed by the Gamaleya Institute
and was funded by the Russian Direct Investment Fund.
According to the Chief Executive of that fund,
they expect tens of thousands of volunteers
to be vaccinated within the next months.
And as far as how it works, the specifics of this vaccine,
you had The Associated Press explaining
that it actually uses a different virus,
the common cold-causing adenovirus,
and it modifies it to carry genes
for the spike protein that coats the Coronavirus.
And actually, scientists in China and the UK
are working on a similar vaccine,
but all that said, as you can imagine,
with this Russian vaccine, there are concerns,
many fearing that the process was rushed
and that crucial steps in the testing were skipped.
The vaccine hasn't even actually gone through
phase three trials, which involves thousands of people,
usually quite some time, so you have a large number
of people saying, "Okay, there hasn't been
"nearly enough people, there hasn't been nearly enough time
"to plan mass distribution."
Though there are currently plans for the country
to do a phase three, as well as trials in the UAE,
Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, and maybe Brazil,
and in the meantime, the vaccine will still be offered
to volunteers who want it.
According to the AP, human trials started back in June
with 76 volunteers, half of which were injected
with the liquid vaccine, and the other half
given it in the form of a soluble powder,
and among the concerns here, you had some concerned
about the participants, as some were recruited
from the military, so there were worries
that they were pressured into receiving this vaccine,
some also concerned about the small testing size,
which is why you have experts like Peter Kremsner
telling Reuters, "Normally you need a large number
"of people to be tested before you approve a vaccine.
"I think it's reckless to do that
"if lots of people haven't already been tested,"
with other health experts saying that
releasing this vaccine so soon is unethical.
Also, on top of the lack of testing,
the concern about the participants,
Russia has also not released any data
from its initial clinical trial.
And as one epidemiology and infectious disease specialist
noted, "It is not possible to know if the Russian vaccine
"has been shown to be effective
"without submission of scientific papers for analysis."
And you know, that wasn't the first person
to note or have skepticism regarding a vaccine from Russia.
In a July testimony, you had Dr. Anthony Fauci saying...
- I do hope that the Chinese and the Russians
are actually testing the vaccine
before they are administering the vaccine to anyone
because claims of having vaccine ready to distribute
before you do testing, I think, is problematic at best.
- Additionally, this morning, you had more US officials
responding, like Secretary of Health and Human Services,
Alex Azar going on "Good Morning America,"
criticizing the speed at which
this was supposedly developed.
- The point is not to be first with a vaccine,
the point is to have a vaccine
that is safe and effective for the American people
and the people of the world.
We need transparent data and it's gotta be phase three data.
- And what he said there lines up with statements
recently made by FDA Commissioner, Steven Hahn,
who spoke to the American Medical Association
about vaccine development in the United States.
And then you also look around and see scientists
being far more cautious when it comes to
talks about vaccine timelines.
Just last week, when you had President Donald Trump
saying that we could have a vaccine come November,
and immediately you had people just shooting that down.
Among the things, you had vaccinologists telling reporters
"I don't see how that would be possible,"
also, "There's just no way," regarding a vaccine
being ready so soon.
And a big thing to understand with this story
is that vaccine hesitancy, that is an incredibly
integral point to all of this,
because it's not just the hard core,
Looney Tunes anti-vaxxers that we used to
talk about two, three years ago.
Those people trying to bring measles back like it's sexy.
The paranoia regarding a COVID-19 vaccine,
especially if one came on an expedited timeline, is there.
For example, you had this Gallup poll back in August
that found that if free, FDA-approved vaccines
were ready today, one in three Americans would refuse it.
And the numbers on this are staggered,
but if you're one of the people hoping for mass adoption,
these numbers aren't going to be comforting.
You had polling from Yahoo and YouGov
showing that back in May, 55% of US adults
planned on getting vaccinated,
but by the end of July, that fell to just 42%,
which is concerning because that percentage of people
is just not enough to protect the larger population.
But ultimately, that is where we are
with this story as of right now.
Regarding the possibility that Russia has a working vaccine,
I am hopeful, but of course, it is Russia,
and Vladimir Putin, I'm incredibly skeptical.
But ultimately, for now, we have to wait and see,
specifically looking at what happens with Russia.
How does the third phase go,
and for those who do volunteer for the vaccine,
is it great, it works, or it is a dud,
or is it the beginning of the movie "World War Z"?
Side note, sorry, Brad Pitt,
the book is so much better, read the book.
Also, finally, question I want to pass off to you.
What are your thoughts regarding this Russia vaccine?
Do you trust them, do you just think that
is he lying?
And that is where I'm going to end today's show.
As always, a big thank you to the nine of you
still here at the end of the video,
thank you for being a part of these
daily dives into the news.
Also, if one of you are new here,
definitely join the family, hit that subscribe button,
tap that bell to turn on notifications.
Also, if you're looking for more to watch,
maybe you missed yesterday's show,
or you want to watch that special clip with MatPat,
you can click of tap right there to watch that.
But, with that said, of course, as always,
my name's Philip DeFranco, you've just been filled in,
I love yo' faces, and I'll see you tomorrow.