- Sup, you beautiful bastards.
Welcome back to the Philip DeFranco Show.
Buckle up, make sure you hit that like button,
otherwise we'll punch you in the throat
and let's just jump into it.
Starting with Ticketmaster may be the most hated company
in the world right now.
Why? Well, because I guess if you wanna go
to a Taylor Swift concert right now,
it's gonna cost you $50,000, right?
So, yesterday people flocked to Ticketmaster, so excited.
It's time to get tickets to Taylor's Eras Tour.
And they were met with absolute unending chaos,
with 2000 person long frozen cues, technical glitches,
even just straight up crashes on the site,
resulting in Ticketmaster having to release a statement
saying they've received quote,
"historically unprecedented demand
with millions showing up."
And with that claiming
that they did sell hundreds of thousands of tickets already.
And unsurprisingly, this resulted in hundreds of thousands
if not millions of angry Swifties.
Which makes sense, because not only are they ticketless,
people are trying to sell these tickets right now
for 20 to $50,000.
But the anger also wasn't just reserved for Ticketmaster.
Taylor Swift herself also receiving backlash
for agreeing to the dynamic pricing system
that Ticketmaster uses
with people saying things like, "I'm sorry
but having dynamic pricing for tickets
is 100% on Taylor Swift.
I don't care if people get mad at me for this.
She knows the demand is insane for tickets
and it literally gives Ticketmaster the opportunity
to price gouge us."
And even do everything dude, Hank Green chiming in
saying in a tweet, "Does everyone know that a good chunk
of the Ticketmaster service fee goes to the artist?
Or is that something I know because I'm in the industry?"
And later clarifying the Ticketmaster
always collects these fees, but only gives a cut
to the largest of acts.
It's not the little guys,
but a very probably Taylor Swift.
Though, like I said, a lot of the focus was on Ticketmaster
with even the likes
of Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez
choosing this moment to speak out against them
saying in a tweet, "Daily reminder
that Ticketmaster is a monopoly,
its merger with LiveNation should never have been approved
and they need to be reigned in.
Break them up."
To which someone responded,
"You couldn't get tickets either?"
But the legal and political side of this
doesn't come outta nowhere.
Last year, Democratic representatives reportedly
sent a letter to the acting chair of the FTC
asking them to revisit the 2010 merger
and saying that it has strangled competition
in live entertainment.
This also isn't like the first time
Ticketmaster has struggled to meet the demand
of ravenous pop fans.
Last December, Adele fans experienced glitches
when trying to purchase tickets.
Though at that time,
Ticketmaster blaming Amazon Web Services.
Also, Olivia Rodrigo fans reported scalpers
reselling tickets for like $9,000
when technical difficulties prevented fans
from buying tickets at lower prices.
And so with the unimaginable popularity of Taylor Swift,
the numbers get even crazier.
Yeah, main thing, if you got the tickets, congratulations,
consider yourselves lucky.
And if you didn't,
to all the Taylor Swift stans out there,
I have to say even though you have been saying it
for about a month,
in this specific situation, you are not the problem.
It's not you.
I can't speak to all the other problems though.
But also if you have any thoughts
or experiences around just this clusterfuck,
please share in those comments down below.
And then, America's finally going back to the moon,
which is wild because y'all,
it's been more than five decades
since Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the lunar surface
with those historic words.
- [Man] That's a spicy meatball.
- And now all these years later,
NASA's looking to send the first woman
and next man back there again.
With last night's Artemis One launch
being the first step toward that.
The SLS rocket, the most powerful ever built
by the agency standing at over 300 feet on the launchpad.
It's four engines and two boosters
giving it 8.8 million pounds of thrust.
Almost as much as what goes, wow.
What the fuck is that script?
(beeping)
Jesus Christ, Chris,
I asked you to give me a simple space story
for the people.
Here is the line that Chris wrote for me.
It's four engines and two boosters
can get 8.8 million pounds of thrust,
almost as much as what goes on in my bedroom every night.
Jesus Christ, Chris.
But despite its impressive size,
this was all just a test flight.
There was no crew on board,
though it was carrying the Orion spacecraft,
which will carry people during future missions.
And also a key thing with this is actually the timing.
This launch has been plagued with technical hiccups.
It was actually supposed to take off in August,
but it kept getting aborted last minute,
which is why when this countdown finally began,
you had people biting their nails.
But ultimately we watched.
- [Announcer] 3, 2, 1 boosters ignition.
And lift off of Artemis One.
We rise together back to the moon and beyond.
- With it now hurdling toward the moon
where it'll reach orbit on Monday,
circle around for a couple of weeks,
and then return to Earth. And as far as what comes next,
the second Artemis mission's gonna carry four astronauts
to the moon, but also not land.
That is scheduled for 2024.
And then in 2025, the third mission will put humans
on the moon surface for the first time since 1969,
though that data is also expected to get pushed back.
But then after all that,
Congress wants NASA to keep launching SLS rockets
once every year indefinitely
with the goal there being
to establish a permanent human presence on the moon.
Where we'll have an orbiting outpost called Gateway,
that'll support operations on the surface
and deep space explorations.
As well as have a moon base where astronauts will live
and work including a lunar cabin,
a mobile home, and a rover.
And meanwhile, all of this is happening
alongside parallel efforts from China
which is seeking to put people on the moon this decade.
With 'em also planning to build a lunar research station
complete with an orbiting outpost just like the US.
And the key notable thing here is this year
they also completed their Tiangong Space Station
which is unmistakably arrival to the ISS.
And the final thing I'll mention here
is that both countries have
and share the long term objective
of putting people on Mars,
with the moon being seen as a springboard for that,
which is also why you have so many people calling this
the second space race,
which I guess makes sense
'cause everything repeats and it kind of feels
like we're in the second Cold War right now.
So yeah, I don't know.
All this news makes me feel
like for all mankind is just predicting the future,
which by the way,
if you haven't watched that series, definitely do.
It took me like two or three years
to finally go, "Yeah, I'll watch it."
Amazing.
But with all that said,
I do wanna pass the question off to you.
What are your thoughts here around this second space race?
And then, abortions after six weeks are no longer illegal
in Georgia, at least for now.
With a judge now overturning the state's ban
ruling that it was unconstitutional.
Right, so some key things here.
Georgia's abortion law is one of the strictest
in the country banning the procedure after six weeks
before many people even know they're pregnant.
Though there are exceptions
for when a doctor deems a pregnancy medically futile
and for victims of rape and incest,
though that has to have been reported to law enforcement.
But very notably here,
that law was actually passed back in 2019, and as a result
it was blocked until the Supreme Court overturned Roe,
with the measure officially taking effect in July.
So as a result,
you had opponents of the ban filing a lawsuit.
And in this new decision,
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney argued
that because the law went against the Constitution
and Supreme Court President
when it was drafted and approved in 2019,
it is not valid, writing,
"At that time everywhere in America, including Georgia,
it was unequivocally unconstitutional for governments
federal, state, or local,
to ban abortions before viability."
So with this ruling taking immediate effect statewide,
abortion access in Georgia has now officially reverted
to its pre-ban status
which allows for abortions up to 22 weeks of pregnancy.
While this move is absolutely massive,
the key thing here is that it's for the time being.
That's the phrase that pays with this story,
because already state officials have filed an appeal
with the Georgia Supreme Court.
But if the court does uphold McBurney's ruling,
there's nothing stopping Georgia's legislature
and Republican governor from just passing more restrictions.
And that's something that the judge himself
even acknowledged in his decision
saying the same exact ban
may someday become the law of Georgia in the post-Roe world.
And so now, another key thing
is that some very prominent and powerful anti-choice groups
like Georgia Right to Life saying
the decision shows that legislative action alone
cannot be the only method to restrict abortion
and that a constitutional amendment is needed
to shield this from judicial review.
Which I think if anything serves as an important
and fantastic reminder that in every election, right,
every two years,
abortion is on the ballot in a post-Roe world, right?
At first it was about state's rights
and then after Roe got overturned
it was like state's rights?
Why not go for the whole fuckin' ball game?
It took Lindsay Graham two seconds to be like
I got a nationwide ban right here.
And those weren't even the most restrictive ideas
being proposed.
And hey, there're gonna be some people that love that idea
but also I think these midterms show
there's a lot of people that don't.
But hey, we're living through history right now,
so we're gonna have to wait to see what happens.
And of course, I'll keep my eye on it for you.
And then, I wanna take a second to thank a sponsor
of the PDS: Squarespace.
You know, I've been partnering
with Squarespace for years now, and I have to say
if you're getting your business off the ground
or creating a place to share your homemade goods,
new favorite hobby, your current obsession,
or just even have a personal blog
to get all those thoughts outta your head
no matter what you're doing, Squarespace is there to help.
And it's so easy, there's nothing to install,
patch, or upgrade ever.
And creating a beautiful website with Squarespace
is all one platform has never been so simple.
It's extremely intuitive and easy to use.
And with their mobile optimized websites,
your content automatically adjusts
so it looks great on any device.
Plus, with Squarespace, you get access
to all their marketing tools and analytics
and their award-winning customer care team
via email or live chat 24/7.
So if you wanna check it out, see why others love it,
see if it's perfect for you,
go ahead and start your free trial today
over at squarespace.com/Phil.
And when you realize you love it, which you will,
make sure you enter an offer code "Phil"
to get 10% off your first purchase.
And then the most telegraphed political move
of all time, Donald Trump, the former president,
the man who sparked the January 6th insurrection
and watched that fire burn, who tried to undo democracy
so he could stay in power,
who said of his vice president
who wouldn't go along with him undoing democracy
that he deserved it when his followers were chanting
that he should be killed, that he should be hung.
He announced that he is running for the presidency in 2024.
While not universally wanted by Republicans,
this was expected.
Right before the midterms,
he wouldn't shut up about his big announcement
that he was gonna make on November 15th.
This, even though Republicans are worried
that it's gonna hurt their chances
in the runoff election in Georgia.
But still, Trump moved on speaking from Mar-a-Lago,
which in case you forgot,
is literally the scene of a possible crime
and was raided by the FBI just three months ago.
And there, Trump delivered a long rambling speech
full of the same predictable inaccuracies
and outright lies.
To the point where it really doesn't even make sense
to play any of it.
It's exactly what you'd expect
and exactly what we've seen a million times before.
And that's something that we're gonna try and figure out
how to navigate over the next two years, right?
Even though he is not currently president,
there are certain situations and topics
and things where it's gonna be unavoidable
not to talk about him.
But at the same time,
we don't need to needlessly give oxygen
to his fires of misinformation that will always be burning.
I'm gonna try and navigate it properly.
I know that I'm not gonna do a perfect job there,
but this mindset also seemed to be something
that was embraced by much of the media last night
with broadcast news at large
basically being like, okay, you saw the announcement,
we don't need to hear the rest of the noise.
With most major networks deciding not
to play Trump's announcement in full or even at all.
NBC and CBS deciding to stick
with previously scheduled entertainment, as at ABC.
Though, that does make sense
because "Bachelor in Paradise" is way more important
than anything Donald Trump's gonna have to say.
But also, and this is a key thing here
even fuckin' Fox News cut away from the speech.
Granted it was after 40 minutes,
but it just kept going on and on and they were like,
"Okay, even we're done."
And understand, Fox wasn't the only conservative outlet
to downplay this.
In what, honestly, is an incredible troll,
The New York Post totally buried the announcement
on page 26 and ran with the headline,
and I'm not fucking kidding you,
"Florida man makes announcements."
From The New York Post?
But also it wasn't just the media
that gave Trump a lukewarm reception.
Because while you did have the usual cult members
cheering on his announcement,
there was also a resounding silence
from many Republicans who have supported him in the past,
including some of the most important players in the party.
But also, it's not like this is completely unexpected.
This comes as tons of Republicans have loudly
and openly blamed him for the party's wild underperformance
in the midterms
with voters resoundingly rejecting the extreme
and weak candidates that Trump endorsed.
And while Trump tries to deflect on this saying
what about all the people I endorsed that won?
All of those people were in locked red districts.
That's like if I endorsed AOC and I was like,
yep, one in the win column.
She got over 70% of the vote, right?
It's all about the close races,
which is why Trump's preferred candidates stood out so much
because they reportedly underperformed other GOP candidates
by about five percentage points.
That's miles and miles
of political real estate in battleground states.
I mean, just think about how many races
were insanely close this year
and came down to less than a five point difference.
Also, it appeared that there's not a lot
of excitement with donors.
Reportedly less than 24 hours after announcing his bid,
Trump's already losing some major GOP donors
and as Axios reported,
"For the first time since the January 6th Capitol riots,
there are signs former President Trump's core GOP support
may be softening among grassroots conservatives
who stood with him through thick and thin."
Which also appears to be something backed by public polling,
with one reason Politico-Morning Consult survey showing
that a majority of registered voters,
53% said that Trump definitely shouldn't run again.
But I would argue more importantly,
less than 20% of respondents
said that he should definitely run.
And very similar numbers were also seen
in exit polls by AP VoteCast.
And I will say as someone that believes
that Donald Trump will end up being the Republican nominee,
it really doesn't feel like the timing
of his announcement is making it any easier for him.
There are two big reasons it is probably a bad idea
and a risk for Trump to announce this
before the Georgia runoffs.
One, Donald Trump immediately connects himself
to the runoff and Herschel Walker even more than before,
which Republicans are worried will result
in more Democrats showing up to the polls.
And two, if Herschel Walker loses,
it makes it undeniable that Trump is toxic.
With many likely saying this is just a taste
of what's to come in 2024 if he's a nominee.
But possibly Donald Trump is betting
on Herschel Walker winning, which he thinks may bolster him.
Though honestly, I don't know
if it's really that thought out.
I think Donald Trump has made it very clear
that he is a selfish, egomaniacal asshole
who cares more about his future than that of the party,
which is also something we've even seen said
from former Trump fans.
I mean, even Candace Owens was recently speaking out
though I will say, and this is a key thing,
the grift is strong with many of these people,
so it wouldn't be surprising to see anyone 180.
But also regarding Trump announcing just ridiculously early,
according to multiple reports
Trump's friends and advisors say
that he made this announcement unusually early
because he wants to get ahead
of the many potential indictments that he faces
from the multiple criminal investigations that he's under.
With him allegedly hoping this will bolster his claims
of the state and federal investigations against him
are politically motivated.
An attempt to make himself look like the victim
to his core base, which even
it's not even like a stretch to say that.
Last night he said, "I am a victim."
But understand, he is not a victim here.
He's been investigated and search warrants have been served
and evidence has been found.
This is what accountability looks like.
Which by the way, I don't think
that he's going to be held accountable.
I generally believe that it's gonna come down to the people,
again, it's gonna come down to the vote.
And the people fainting now that they don't support him,
understand many, most, almost all will get in line
if he becomes the nominee.
They'll say, I don't like Donald Trump, but.
But hey, like I often say
when I give my opinion and predictions on things,
I am more than happy to be proved wrong here.
And ultimately, time will tell.
Then it's been a wild, scary 24 hours in Eastern Europe.
Yesterday we found out the Poland outta nowhere
was hit by two missiles with two people dying,
which I know we're looking
at more horrible numbers everywhere,
but this was like a fucking giant red flag
because with Poland being hit, they're a NATO member.
Any attack on a NATO member
is treated like an attack on every other member.
And initially, the intel coming out from Poland, NATO,
and the US indicated that it was two stray Russian missiles
and very unlikely to be intentional.
But here's the thing, even if it was an accident,
it would be a sign
that Russian aggression was recklessly out of hand.
It would be a huge provocation.
I mean, this got to the point where it was looking
like Poland was going to invoke Article 4 of NATO,
which is when they demand all members get together
to discuss what to do next.
And that's usually followed by a lot more troops
and weapons to the region and maybe even further action.
However, by late evening, NATO leaders,
including President Biden and Poland's president,
came out and clarified that upon further review,
it was actually likely two Ukrainian missiles.
With the Polish president even calling this
an unfortunate accident.
And it's believed that the two rockets
were part of a Ukrainian anti-missile defense system
and probably missed their target
while defending against Russia's biggest missile attack
against Ukraine,
with that attack actually being why NATO members
are still blaming Russia for this,
and the Dutch Prime Minister saying
this would not have happened
without Russia's horrific missile attacks against Ukraine.
Right, if Russia weren't just bombing any
and every civilian infrastructure, there wouldn't be a need
for Ukraine to launch missiles and defense.
The kind of thinking that if someone tried to stab you
with a knife and you tried to defend yourself,
but you accidentally clip someone else,
you wouldn't be the one to blame
because you were trying to save your life from an aggressor.
But either way, while tensions remain high
in the region right now, is it's clear
that Russia is not going to stop its war
and it is leading to collateral damage
even outside of Ukraine.
In other ways, things have calmed down a little.
Like the fact that Poland
is no longer invoking NATO's Article 4.
But that is where the good news,
or really it's not even that,
it's more the silver lining ends,
because this horrible situation keeps inching and inching
itself closer to being an even bigger fucking mess.
All because the sad little monster that is Putin
can't live with the idea that when he dies
he's gonna have no real legacy to speak of.
But that is where that story and today's show ends.
Thank you for watching, like and being subscribed
to these daily dives into the news.
And as always my name's Philip DeFranco,
you've just been filled in.
I love your faces
and I'll see you right back here on Sunday.