- Sup you beautiful bastards
welcome back to the Philip Defranco show buckle up,
hit that like button and let's just jump into it.
Hey all first, up today
let's talk about douchebag of the day
and it's a story that involves Fezco now understand
Fezco is not our douchebag
but he is at the center of a story
that has the most ridiculous headline
I've read in a little bit.
That reads dog is dumped in North Carolina Shelter
because owners said it might be gay.
And no matter how stupid you think this story is
it gets worse.
So Fezco is described as a four to five year old mix
very cute by the way and he was apparently returned
for no other reason and quote
Fezco apparently humped another male dog
and the dog's owner assumed the canine
was a "gaynine" and didn't want him around
so they left him at the shelter.
The level of douchebaggery is incalculable.
Also side note not that it would even matter
dog humping isn't even always a sex thing.
In fact, according to the ASPCA it's a form of play behavior
it can also be a response to stress wick side note guys
you can't use this as an excuse
we're talking about dogs, not you.
But also if this was a stress reaction probably makes sense
'cause his owner was apparently
the biggest douchebag on the planet
I'd be stressed out too.
But Hey, it has already happened
this story can have a happy ending.
Reportedly the specific place that Fezco got dropped off
was at the Stanly County Animal Protective Services
in Albemarle about 40 miles east of Charlotte.
And if that happens to be near you maybe you want a new dog.
But man, I just, I can't get past like
that level of ignorance and or hate it's just woo-hoo
it's horrible to say, but whoever this guy is
I wouldn't shed a tear if he met the wrong end
of a baseball bat.
Then in this matters in Norway News
but enough people want me to talk about it so here we go.
Let's talk about the ACE family.
And if you're unaware of who they are
they're this YouTube blog family,
the dad in the group Austin McBroom,
his name has kind of become for a lot of people synonymous
with scamming people for money.
Other people have deep dive videos
on all of the different things I'm not gonna touch on that,
I would just say I would never partner with him
in hopes that he would actually pay me
or I would never invest in something he would do,
but like that's whatever.
But the scamming accusations are back because
they put out a video called the end of ACE family on YouTube
though, like 99% of YouTube videos click bait
they're pulling back, they're not leaving the site.
But after they got people to click the video
they announced ACE family festival, which they describe as
a mixture between Disneyland and Coachella.
Basically it looks like this massive carnival with rides
and games and an opportunity to meet the ACE family
with them selling two types of tickets
the first is $300, but it gets three people in.
The second is $500, but it gets five people in
and it guarantees a meet and greet opportunity.
Plus, this is the weirdest part to me
it's like modernization of parasocial relationships
to just an extreme.
Of the second passholder group some of those people
will be selected to be able to attend their wedding
I guess because selling $500 packages
to be able to take pictures with their kids
wasn't weird enough.
Oh fuck me, that's so creepy and trashy.
I'm sorry, I'm gonna cast the first stone.
Ah, is there anything that people won't put a price tag on?
But seemingly for most of the internet
it's not that aspect that's standing out to them
it's that people think that, you know,
this is gonna be a scam, right?
People pointing out
they have no track record of success for this,
there's also all this stuff with the other things
they've launched in the past
we have some saying,
hey this is gonna be the next fire festival.
But for me, it's just like
the next level exploitation of your family unit.
It's so fucking strange to me.
Hey, maybe it would feel different
if it was just Austin and Catherine,
but like your kids are there.
I know for like every good family vlogger, there's a family
that exploits their children for the videos.
But like this is to an extreme, am I wrong here?
Like what the is wrong in your brain?
I don't know, maybe this is like my old man moment.
Maybe this is like this is part of the new normal,
I don't know like I always try to check myself
because times change
and what you think isn't what everyone else thinks.
But hey, with this story, I'll pass the question off to you.
What are your thoughts regarding this?
Whether it be about the total event,
what they're doing with their kids or
what essentially equates to a $500 raffle to go
to their wedding.
And then now, what do you get
when you put thousands of drunk and horny teens
all in one place.
- [Male 1] Babies.
- Yes, but for today's show five people with gunshot wounds
and a very, very upset mayor.
The spring break partying scene in Miami beach
has gotten so insane the city is declaring
a state of emergency.
We've got South Beach imposing
a midnight curfew starting Thursday lasting until 6:00 AM
and remaining in effect through Saturday
with a Mayor and City Manager saying
they would ask city commissioners to extend the curfew
for next weekend.
And police going as far to say they would like
to restrict access to South Beach from non-residents
and those without business in the area after the curfew.
And like I said, this isn't coming outta nowhere
this is coming after two consecutive shootings
over the past few nights, wounding a combined five people
leading the mayor to deploy nearly 400 cops over the weekend
with him exhaustively saying
"As for the spring break crowds that have jammed
the streets of South Beach the past three weeks
we don't ask for it, promote it or encourage it
we just endure it and adding, we can't endure this anymore
we just simply can't."
Well understandably, the shootings are being investigated
they're getting the most attention
it wasn't the only violence to break out this spring break.
But reportedly since mid-February nine officers
have been injured in various episodes,
according to the chief and 37 firearms have been confiscated
over the last few days with many comparing this
to last year's spring break mayhem
which saw rowdy people getting into street fights,
destroying restaurant property and causing stampedes.
They are getting so outta hand that SWAT teams came in
with pepper bullets and law enforcement
from at least four other agencies arrived.
But ultimately that is where that story ends
and the kind of weird thing about this
is while for me this story reads like an ad for home
don't you wanna stay there?
What I've notice from the years
of covering stories like this is
this probably just gonna make that spot even more popular.
I don't get it 'cause I'm a boring, safe person but yeah,
from that, I wanna take a second to thank
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With that, including my wife and I's time in Japan.
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And then let's talk about the news
that Democrats may actually be doing something
that makes sense regarding an election.
You know, how the Iowa caucus kicks off
presidential election season?
Well, that may no longer be the case.
And I mean, this is a very real possibility
according to a new draft
of the 2024 presidential nominating calendar.
Under the proposed schedule up to five states
will be selected to hold their primary contest
before March based on a new set of rules.
But the plan listing three specific criteria
for the selection of those early nominating states.
One, the diversity of the electorate
including ethnic, geographic, union representation,
economic et cetera,
two how competitive the state is in a general election
and three the state's ability
to hold a fair transparent and inclusive process.
So essentially under those guidelines, not Iowa.
A diversity wise Iowa is 90% white.
It's no longer viewed as a swing state and under law
the state actually holds a caucus, not a primary.
And well for some, this can kind of be a whatever thing.
This is kind of massive because for decades,
Iowa, along with New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina
have just dominated the early presidential nominating races.
And as a result these states have garnered
disproportionate attention and spending from candidates.
And especially for Democrats, it may set a tone
for who's leading the races that may not represent
the places where it is most competitive.
While Republicans have generally
remained happy with the status quo,
Democrats have been pushing to change this.
An effort that was also increased
after the absolute shit show of the Iowa caucus in 2020.
But here's the thing, even though it makes sense
there could be legal issues with this plan.
For example, New Hampshire literally requires
a secretary of state by law
to schedule the state's presidential primary
before any other.
And that could complicate Nevada's effort
to take over the slot for the first primary
which has been pushing hard for.
Meanwhile you have South Carolina probably keeping its place
in the early elections
due to its diversity and primary process.
But as far as what new states we can see on the slate,
according to reports
Michigan has been frequently discussed as an option
though notably changing their primary date
would require the Republican lawmakers
who control the legislature to sign on.
New Jersey has also signaled its interest as well.
But for now we're gonna have to wait
to see what actually happens.
But yeah, ultimately I think it makes sense.
Democrats have to be a very very big tent party
and they have to appeal to the places that
unfortunately matter the most
which are swing states.
Why, because the electoral college is a thing.
Right, if you were a Republican in California
you're a Democrat in Wyoming,
you essentially have no voice
when it comes to choosing the president.
You know which way the states are gonna go
and it's winner take all.
Unfortunately it is what it is
and the popular vote does not reign Supreme.
And then let's talk about how
after four years of systemic murder, rape and repression
by Myanmar's military against the Rohingya minority
the United States finally went, oh yeah
maybe we got a little genocide going on here.
Right, so Eureka, Myanmar or Burma
is a majority Buddhist country
and the Rohingya are a Muslim minority
living in the Western Ryakin state.
And they've been discriminated against four decades.
And technically they aren't even citizens there
which makes them one of the
largest stateless populations in the world.
And things really ratcheted up back in August of 2017
when the military launched into a campaign
of brutal slaughter and violence against them
burning down entire villages
and committing crimes against humanity
with some soldiers later confessing to genocide
and mass burials having been ordered to kill
all you see by their commander
forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee
making dangerous trips through the jungles
and across the bay of Bengal
into Southern Bangladesh and a few other countries.
So there's now at least 900,000 Rohingya refugees
packed into these overcrowded camps,
more than half of them women and children
and the flimsy shelters made of tarp and bamboo.
They're vulnerable to floods and landslides
not to mention the diseases rainy seasons bring
like hepatitis, malaria and dengue fever.
And understand violence against
the remaining Rohingya in Myanmar is still happening.
Like this report of hundreds of homes
being raised to the ground just last month.
And so in front of the us Holocaust Memorial museum
on Monday, U.S. Secretary of state, Anthony Blinken
finally came out and declared the military's actions
and genocide working the eighth time
as the Holocaust of the U.S
has officially recognized a genocide.
And with Blinken saying
the evidence also points to a clear intent
behind these mass atrocities.
The intent to destroy Rohingya in whole or in part
through killings, rape and torture.
And the key thing with this is that
it goes beyond just symbolism.
There is a significance here
because by officially labeling this a genocide
it carries legal weight under international law.
So it may help intensify sanctions against Myanmar,
limit aid to the government
and affect foreign firms doing business there.
And so while understandably,
you have some applauding this move by the U.S.
you have others asking why did it take so long
with people like John Sifton
and human rights watches Asia advocacy director calling
for tougher sanctions and saying,
"For too long, the US and other countries
have allowed me and Myanmar's generals
to commit atrocities with few real consequences."
With many arguing that the answer has to do
with the Trump administration
where there was a long standing debate
within the white house about whether taking a tougher stance
toward Myanmar might backfire
and push the country into China's orbit.
With the state department conducting an examination
of the situation to determine if it was indeed genocide.
But officials say that process ended abruptly
when then state secretary Mike Pompeo became enraged
after details of it leaked.
And instead, we ended up seeing Pompeo later declare
China's treatment of Uighurs genocide prompting accusation
which was just politically motivated.
Though, understand what China is doing to Uighurs
is genocide but the farthest we saw Pompeo willing to go
regarding Myanmar was calling it ethnic cleansing
which doesn't have the same legal weight that genocide does.
Now that's said it's impossible to get into everyone's mind
you end up having to have of assume
but as to why Lincoln is changing the U.S. position now
something that it has to do with the military coup
in February of last year
that imprisoned Myanmar's civilian leader.
With Timothy McLaughlin riding in the Atlantic
conventional wisdom may suggest
that openness is a prerequisite for historic wrongs
to be acknowledged.
In Myanmar the opposite is proven true,
the military repression is forced to change of tack
eroding some of the rampant anti-Rohingya nationalism
that was ubiquitous in the country's politics
and clarifying the choices faced
by the Biden administration.
And then finally, today,
of course let's talk about your daily dose
of updates on Russia's unjustified war
starting off with the Ukrainian military saying
that it has retaken Makariv
a strategically significant town near Kyiv
expelling Russian forces.
Meanwhile, in Mariupol fighting rages
as the city continues to refuse to surrender,
with it also being reported that a senior Pentagon official
said that the Russian military has started shelling Mariupol
from ships in a major new development.
And all this coming as the Ukrainian military
is staging a strong counter offensive
to reclaim areas captured by Russia specifically
in the Southern parts of the country.
But it's also not just the military fighting back
we've also seen a lot of public defiance from civilians,
this including in many places
that Russian forces occupied early in the war
like Kherson where verified footage and photos
showed Russians soldiers opening fire
on peaceful protesters on Monday.
And Kherson specifically is very important
because Russia's control of that city
is key to its effort to take over the south
and provide strategic significance
because of its coastline and proximity to Crimea.
Also, we have renewed concerns
over Chernobyl with Ukraine's parliament saying yesterday
that forest fires have broken out
around the nuclear power plant prompting fears
that the fires could spread radiation.
We've also seen the alarming accusations
from Ukrainian and U.S. authorities
that Russia is forcibly deporting Ukrainians to Russia
this including over 2300 children
from the breakaway regions.
Though you heard the Russian embassy in Washington denying
those claims though, of course
you have to take that with a grain of salt.
Are you talking about a country
that has effectively outlawed the truth and reality.
Meanwhile, as the battle rages across the country
President Zelensky has continued his push for peace talks
and again called for direct talks with Putin
who has so far refused telling Ukrainian broadcasters
late last night that he would consider dropping
the country's bid to join NATO, which
is one of the most important Russian demands
if Russia agrees to a ceasefire withdrawal of troops
and guarantees Ukraine's security.
With him also seeming to suggest
that he would be open to discussing the status as of Crimea
which Russia annexed in 2014, as well as parts
of the breakaway Donbas region that are currently held
by Russian back separatists.
And on the note of Putin
as his war stalls out in many places Western countries
are becoming increasingly worried that he may be willing
to turn to deadly unconventional weapons.
President Biden himself warning yesterday
that the Russian leader could use biological
and chemical weapons in Ukraine.
Though, I do wanna note he did not provide any evidence
and Pentagon spokesperson has since said
that the U.S. hasn't seen any indication
that such an escalation is impending.
Still he did have Biden confirming that Russia
has used hypersonic missiles that travel faster
than five times the speed of sound suggesting
that they did so to make up for stalemates on the ground.
And very importantly, he also alerted us companies
that Russia could be preparing to launch cyber attacks
in the coming days, but beyond possible attacks
Russia may be planning.
We've also seen the country increasing
it's cracked down in descent within its own borders.
Yesterday for example, a Russian court banned meta
the parent company at Facebook and Instagram
for engaging what they referred to as extremist activities.
This after META decided earlier this month
that it would allow some calls
for violence against Russian soldiers
and under this band which notably excludes
the meta own messaging platform.
WhatsApp, the parent company will be blocked
from conducting business operations
in Russia effective immediately.
Facebook and Instagram also banned in the country
though they were already blocked
so it's not a huge change there.
But Russia also followed up that decision today
by amending an already restrictive censorship law previously
used to block Facebook in the country
and under the new changes, discrediting
the activities abroad of all government bodies
will be made illegal.
Previously the policy just applied to the military,
So now anyone who violates the amended law
by spreading false information about the invasion
can be punished with up to 15 years in prison.
Also very importantly, on Tuesday
we saw Russian court sentencing
the famous opposition leader, Aleksei Navalny
to nine years in prison on fraud charges widely viewed
as false and politically motivated.
With experts saying the new punishment for the already
in prisoned leader who has encouraged Russians
to protest the invasion is clearly just an attempt
to keep him behind bars, control the narrative
and quash any possible defiance.
But ultimately that is where I'm going to leave
this every evolving situation
and this is also the end of today's show.
Thank you for watching
I love your faces and I'll see you tomorrow.