- Logan Paul's being called out as a heartless animal abuser
by the internet, his 17th controversy in the last 12 days.
Wizards of the Coast are about
to stab the D&D community in the back.
Southern California is being ravaged by flooding.
Biden is in trouble.
We're gonna be talking about all that
and so much more on today's "Philip DeFranco Show".
So buckle up, hit that like button,
and let's just jump into it.
The internet is furious and calling Logan Paul
a heartless abuser right now.
And I have to say, it's genuinely impressive
how many controversies he's found himself in
in just the last three weeks.
There was the religion stuff, the NFT scam allegations,
he was threatening a creator with a lawsuit
then he pulled back,
and now, we have Pearl.
Because this newest controversy starts
with a TikTok from an animal sanctuary
in Santa Clarita, California called The Gentle Barn.
And in it, they say they got a call
about an abandoned pig in a field,
that they found this pig alongside another pig
who was just dead.
They know that the pig they rescued is named Pearl,
that she was in bad shape when they found her,
and very notably, saying they were told she was owned
by a YouTuber and was later irresponsibly rehomed
but is now doing better in their care.
And adding the details, "She came to us with tattered ears
and a potentially life-threatening infection
in her uterus that has since been healed.
She's clearly been through so much trauma
that we can't begin to imagine."
And saying, "It's believed she was purchased originally
from a breeder by an influencer,"
and noting, "People often buy mini pigs or teacup pigs
for clout online, believing they'll stay small,"
but noting, "When they inevitably grow very large
and have very unexpected needs, they're sadly discarded."
With a happy ending, adding that she'll have
a happier life at The Gentle Barn.
While they never specifically named Logan Paul
in that video, tons of people speculated,
"Hey, that's the pig. Same name, same look."
And so immediately, people started calling him out.
And people were absolutely furious, including the likes
of Ethan Klein saying, "Okay, now we can all agree.
Fuck Logan Paul."
And others saying things like, "All that money
and you can't find the pet you committed to a loving home.
You used Pearl for likes and views.
I guess you got your fame so you're good, right?
You greedy, scamming, lying, piece of trash human being
that truly doesn't deserve an ounce of what you have,"
and, "People who abandon animals,
but especially those who abandon them
because they don't fit their aesthetics
deserve a special place in hell."
And others even going on to say, specifically,
that Logan is still responsible for this
even if he wasn't the one who actually abandoned Pearl.
If he gave it to someone else who then they put Pearl
in this position, it's still on him saying,
"Yeah, it's possible he rehomed Pearl
and the new owner abandoned her,
but that in itself could have been avoided
if Logan Paul properly researched mini pigs
or accepted the situation and gave Pearl
the forever home she deserves."
And to that point, you had the likes
of fellow creator Corinna Kopf tweeting
that Logan, quote, "Has a pretty bad track record
of getting animals and then rehoming them,"
saying, this "isn't the first time either."
But as for this situation with Pearl,
TMZ obtained an email that Logan allegedly sent
to The Gentle Barn, thanking them for saving her.
With Logan allegedly saying in that email
that Pearl lived with him in Encino for two years
and that she was treated like a princess,
but saying when he moved to Puerto Rico in 2020,
he couldn't bring her so she was rehomed
to a horse ranch in Santa Clarita.
And saying that from his understanding,
she had lived a good life there for 10 months
until the owner moved and rehomed Pearl
to the farmer across the street with Logan adding,
"I've heard that he called your organization to pick her up.
It's shocking and heartbreaking
to hear the state she was found.
I wanted to reach out personally
and say thank you for taking her in."
Also telling The Gentle Barn that he would love
to send a token of his gratitude for saving Pearl
and asking them if he can contribute to her care
or do anything to support the organization.
But even with that, we still see the backlash rolling in,
especially since in 2019, Logan posted a video saying
that he got a second pig.
So people are worried about that pig as well.
And Logan has done more to address this controversy,
putting out a series of tweets kind of reciting
what we saw in that email.
Then also claiming that the farmer who called the sanctuary
denies that there was a second pig found,
saying it was just Pearl.
So now we're getting conflicting information
that's getting added to the mix now.
And so with all of that taken into consideration,
I wanna pass the question off to you.
Let me know your thoughts around this story
in those comments down below.
Are you in the fuck Logan Paul camp,
or are you in the, you know what,
it's not really his fault, he tried to rehome responsibly?
Or maybe you're landing somewhere in the middle.
Any and all thoughts, I'd love to hear
from you in those comments down below.
But for me personally, this feels like
it's a weird social experiment.
Is this accidentally gonna be a weird good thing
for Logan Paul in the sense that you can have
so many controversies that people start forgetting
the previous controversies?
Because I don't think many people wake up going like,
"I need to know everything Logan Paul's doing."
Well, I mean, his fans.
And then, the rain just is not stopping here in California,
and it's just been getting progressively worse.
And I think a good way to kind of highlight
the escalation is actually using some of y'all.
Last Thursday before the show came out,
I texted all you beautiful bastards
in the SoCal area that are on the text line
813-213-4423 and said, "Hey, if it's around you anyway,
can you film what's around you?
And, you know, kind of walk us through the rain,
or the flooding, or the the issues."
And I had the edit team make a segment
that was made entirely by you.
But keep in mind, this is from last Thursday.
- Hey, Phil.
- We are reporting live for the DeFranco News Nation.
- I'm out in Santa Ana.
- Here from Irvine, California.
- I'm trapped in the valley right now.
- Here in Hollywood, California.
- So they actually just repaved this street,
and they didn't consider flooding.
- [Viewer 1] We're definitely been part of the section
of LA that's been experiencing the flood.
- [Viewer 2] These are the Verdugo Mountains,
and they're usually, well,
they're usually mountains in California
that you can see the top of.
- [Viewer 3] I work on the 13th floor of a huge building.
- [Viewer 4] I park over here, and then this is the puddle
that I have to go through to get to my parking spot.
- There are bigger puddles of water that, you know,
as a short person, I cannot really jump over.
- [Viewer 5] The sidewalk's completely flooded out.
Ah!
- You can see the palm trees dancing.
- [Viewer 2] Frankly, it looks like something
out of the Andes.
- The dark clouds loom in the distance.
- [Viewer 6] There was water coming outta the sewers
and onto the sidewalk.
- Ubers are freakin' skyrocketing right now
and so are Lyfts.
- A section down my street over there actually collapsed
and caved in, and we had a little bit of a sinkhole.
- [Viewer 7] Literally, can't get in the turn lane.
It's completely flooded.
- There's some other areas of LA
where we do not necessarily have the infrastructure
to
handle
this kind of rain.
- There have already been a few different car accidents
and stuff just, like, around the area.
So freakin' bus routes are now canceled.
- [Viewer 4] There's a drain right there,
but it's majorly flooded.
- [Viewer 8] Even saw a car hydroplane
through an intersection because they decided
to go too fast through the rain.
- The rain has been pouring all day long.
- [Viewer 9] I would not wanna park my car right there.
- More has yet to come.
- It's the first time I've been outside
'cause this is the lightest that it's been raining
these past few days, so I'm just gonna enjoy this.
Then once it starts to thunderstorm again,
I'll be gettin' my ass right back inside.
So yeah, stay safe out there, pretty please
and best of luck.
Happy New Year.
- That last note of be safe, please, if you are watching
and you're in this area, please do be safe.
Since this started, there's been at least 16 deaths,
tens of thousands are without power,
and there's been major flooding and mudslides.
And it's only gotten worse with 34 million people
under flood warnings yesterday.
That's more than 90% of the state's population
and 10% of America's with the worst hit part
of the state being the central coast
where some areas have experienced one
to one and a quarter inches of rainfall per hour.
For some context there, we are approaching the levels
of rain some of the wettest parts of the world experience
during their heavy rain months.
And if you look online, you see flooding all over the place.
Even Ellen DeGeneres showing off a flooded creek
in Montecito, which side note, do not be like Ellen.
Feels like common sense getting this close
while there's a flash flood warning, very, very risky.
Also, like I mentioned, beyond the flash floods,
rainfall in California is also a major mudslide risk
with most of the central coast communities nestled
between the coast on one side and mountains on the other.
And on top of that, there are constant forest fires
that kill the plants, which then keeps the ground in place.
In fact, it's such a problem that many coastal communities
such as Montecito have forced evacuations
over mudslide concerns.
And I don't wanna undersell them.
These mudslides are not a joke.
Montecito had one a few years ago that killed 23 people,
and exactly 18 years ago,
a major landslide hit the nearby tiny community
of La Conchita, erasing a ton of it off the map.
But also, it is not just a central coast issue either.
Rain has also moved towards LA,
leading to transplants noting that, "It's officially raining
an amount I haven't experienced in LA in my 10 years
of living here."
And it's a city that's not really built
for that kind of rain.
Not only are we seeing flooded streets,
but in Chatsworth there were two cars
that were swallowed up by a sinkhole.
And then on top of the rain, some parts are being hit
with hurricane-force winds.
And really the only silver lining here is
that despite all these risks,
this is much needed water for the state
with California heading towards
the worst category of drought.
However, really wanna hit this,
it's currently not known how much of this rainfall
is actually gonna be of use in the long run.
It's definitely gonna be helpful in the short term,
but it's also why some experts are pushing
for the state to have more systems in place
to capture the rainwater with the hope being
we have more captured rainwater.
We can use those in the summer months
and all the other times that we're not
experiencing rain like this.
But main point, please be safe out there.
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And then, Wizards of the Coast is apparently at it again.
The company is an absolute giant
in the tabletop gaming industry,
and we recently covered how it managed to piss off fans
of its popular card game Magic: The Gathering.
But this time, they're infuriating the fans
of its other cash cow Dungeons & Dragons
'cause fuck the fans, that's why.
But specifically, the the issue at hand
is that Wizards is allegedly changing
its Open Gaming License.
Currently, people and companies can make
supplemental campaigns and products
for D&D with few limitations.
And I would say that specifically is part of the reason
D&D managed to make such a comeback over the last 10 years
and helped spawn not only popular YouTube channels,
but also spinoff games like Pathfinder
which uses the basic D&D framework.
Now with each version of the change
has actually been circulating for a while now.
And based on statements by Wizards, it seems to be
at least partially true with a new license
called OGL 1.1 aiming at getting Wizards in
on the action, saying anyone making over $750,000 a year
on D&D content is expected to pay a 20 to 25% royalty
to Wizards of the Coast.
Also, I don't mean, like, you make
a video talking about D&D,
but in the community for example,
it's common for channels like Critical Role
to sell their own campaigns
and other supplemental products that use the D&D framework,
and all of that would be affected.
With Wizards justifying the change writing,
"The OGL is not going away.
You will still be able to create new D&D content,
publish it anywhere, and game with your friends
and followers in all the ways that make this game
and community so great," which is technically true,
but it hides the fact that Wizards gets a cut.
Not to mention possibly the most egregious thing,
being able to allegedly just take content.
Let's say you make a sick D&D campaign,
and you have tons of great writing that's going
alongside it.
Well, under OGL 1.1, Wizards has a "non-exclusive,
perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, sub-licensable,
royalty-free license to use that content for any purpose."
So your work, their work now.
With Wizards also defending the potential change
writing, "The Open Game License
was always intended to allow the community
to help grow D&D and expand it creatively.
It wasn't intended to subsidize major competitors,
especially now that PDF is by far the most common form
of distribution."
But that has not stopped the outrage,
and fans are hoping that with enough pushback,
Wizards is going to change course.
So some companies and creators have even pushed
an open D&D campaign with channels like Dungeon Dudes
writing, "OGL 1.1 upends an established precedent
which third party TTRPG publishers have relied on
for over two decades
and introduces stringent conditions
which in our opinion, would overly restrict
and unfairly exploit creators both large
and small if implemented as written."
However, this is happening at a time where the company is
under extreme pressure from its overlords
at Hasbro to increase profits, especially with
and after the backlash Magic has been having.
And it's entirely possible that even if it backed off,
the community would still be hurt with people saying
things like, "The thing is,
even if they drop OGL 1.1 completely
we all know how badly they tried to screw
over the community of third party creators
that have allowed their game to flourish.
We know they'd hurt all of us for the promise
of minuscule gains," which is also why it's unclear
if Wizards is actually gonna budge here.
And so that's why with this story,
and I ask this actually for both camps,
whether you're an outsider looking in kind of like myself
or you are someone in the D&D world and community,
what are your thoughts here and why?
Do you think Wizards is completely outta line here?
They're just trying to kill the little guy,
or are you in the camp that third parties
are exploiting the D&D framework
and so they should have to pay some sort
of licensing fee even if they've actually helped the company
by doing what they're doing already?
What are you thinkin' and why?
And then, the FBI needs to raid Joe Biden's properties.
That is what Republicans are screaming
from the rooftops after this new revelation.
All right, so it starts with the Penn Biden Center
for Diplomacy and Global engagement in DC,
a think tank about a mile from the White House
where Biden kept an office from 2017 to 2020.
And on November 2nd last fall,
his legal team says that they were clearing
out the space to vacate it when they discovered
about 10 classified files in a locked closet,
and adding that they immediately notified
the National Archives which retrieved the documents
the next morning.
A source told CBS that the batch
did not contain nuclear secrets
and have been contained in a folder
in a box with other unclassified papers.
Right now, we don't know yet how classified they are
and why they were there to begin with,
but Biden's lawyer says they were
from his time as vice president,
and a source told CNN they include US intelligence memos
and briefing materials that cover topics like Ukraine, Iran,
and the United Kingdom.
And so now, Attorney General Merrick Garland
is reviewing the files
and deliberately picked a Trump-appointed attorney
from another jurisdiction
to conduct an initial investigation so it doesn't appear
to be partial.
And the White House saying
that it will fully cooperate with the Archives
to ensure that all Obama administration documents
are where they should be.
And all of that is pretty much all we know for the moment,
but as you'd expect, Republicans are pouncing on this
with none other than Donald J6 Trump himself saying,
"When is the FBI going to raid the many houses
of Joe Biden, perhaps even the White House?
These documents were definitely not declassified."
As well as Congressman James Comer,
the new Chairman of the House Oversight Committee saying,
"There is a two-tier justice system within the DOJ,"
for Republicans and Democrats,
and adding that his committee's investigation
into the Mar-a-Lago raid will expand its scope
to Biden's alleged mishandling of files as well.
And here's what I'll say,
while I think there is a reasonable concern to be had here,
these two cases are not exactly the same.
First of all, Biden had 10 classified documents.
Trump had around 300.
Second, Biden's own lawyers came forward with his documents.
The National Archives had to force Trump to hand over his.
And third, Biden's lawyer appears to have returned his files
as soon as they found them.
Trump stalled for months, resisting multiple requests
from the Archives and even after being subpoenaed.
And then when Trump and his people finally gave them
15 boxes of documents, they found out he still had more
in his possession.
And understand, I'm not saying this is still a good look
for Biden.
I think there is still the legitimate question
of why if his team discovered the files just
before the midterm elections,
did they not reveal it to the public for two months?
But to compare the two situations as if they are equals
is very silly based off of what we know right now.
But again, this is just breaking.
We have to wait to see what else comes out.
And in the meantime, what we do know
is that the FBI's initial inquiry will help Garland
decide whether to appoint a special counsel
for the Biden files like he did for the Trump files.
Because, I mean, if he doesn't
and if the DOJ goes ahead with prosecuting Trump,
that could make the department look politically biased
regardless of the facts of the situation.
That's without even mentioning
that the Republicans have the House now,
and they're already planning multiple investigations
into the Biden administration including the Mar-a-Lago raid.
But hey, with this whole situation,
let me know what you're thinkin'
in those comments down below.
And then, what would happen if China
actually invaded Taiwan?
That's the question experts at the Center for Strategic
and International Studies asked in their new report,
conducting a series of 24 war games
to see how a direct conflict between the United States
and China over Taiwan might play out.
And they reported both good and bad news.
The good news is that they found
that China's conquest failed,
leaving Taiwan's autonomous democracy intact.
The bad news is that the costs on all sides were enormous.
- China would produce destruction on a scale unseen
by the United States since 1945.
US officials warned that a Chinese invasion
is a real possibility
and implied that the US would become involved
in such a conflict.
- First saying the US and Japan lose at least
two aircraft carriers, dozens of other ships,
hundreds of aircraft, and thousands of soldiers,
damaging its global position for many years
to follow according to the report.
And then there's China with its navy in shambles,
its amphibious forces broken,
and tens of thousands of its soldiers held as prisoners
of war, as well as an estimated 10,000 troops killed
with 155 combat aircraft and 138 major ships lost.
And as for Taiwan, it's believed its military
would hold its ground but not without suffering
over 3,000 casualties and losing all its frigates
and destroyers, leaving the island economy crippled,
lacking electricity and other basic services.
And it's believed all of this would happen
in a matter of weeks.
Though, the war could persist
until exhaustion produces an unstable peace
assuming, at least, that nuclear weapons
did not get involved which is always a consideration
when the US and China lock horns.
But the report also stresses that the war is not inevitable
or even probable, noting things like a Chinese invasion
would immediately disrupt many of the imports
that the country's economy depends on,
and that could threaten the CCP's political legitimacy.
Not to mention, simulations like this suggest
it might not even be successful
which will land another blow to that legitimacy.
So the report says Beijing might instead
prefer diplomatic isolation, gray zone pressure,
or economic coercion against Taiwan.
Let's hope that they're right
because, I mean, Russia's invasion of Ukraine,
it already shook the world for the last year,
and I don't think we need another one of those in 2023.
And that actually brings us to the end of today's show.
So remember, whether it be in the description
or right here, you got a bonus video,
or if you missed yesterday's show,
you can click or tap right there.
But as always, my name's Philip DeFranco.
You've just been filled in.
I love yo faces, and I'll see you tomorrow.