Placeholder Image

Subtitles section Play video

  • - We've got huge concerning updates

  • on the deep fake scandals,

  • monsters are setting aid for earthquake victims on fire,

  • the Supreme Court may be about to destroy the internet

  • as we know it

  • based on their decision around section 230,

  • there was another huge hazardous chemical spill.

  • We're gonna talk about all that and so much more

  • on today's brand new Philip DeFranco show.

  • So, buckle up, hit that like button.

  • And, very quickly, quick announcement,

  • I have heard your pleas,

  • so we'll be leaving up until the weekend

  • all the new stuff we've been dropping

  • over at BeautifulBastard.com.

  • I go through the texts,

  • I saw the screw you,

  • I don't get paid till Friday, texts.

  • I'm gonna give y'all a little extra time if you wanna snag

  • the I Love Naps gear,

  • because people will come and go,

  • but naps will always be there for you.

  • emotionally exhausted on an absurd number of colorways,

  • but also the classics.

  • And, screw it,

  • I'll even let you get some of the Go Easy On Yourself gear.

  • Yeah, grab any and all that you want while you can,

  • 'cause I run that company like a chaotic idiot.

  • With that said, let's just jump into it.

  • We've got a big update regarding

  • that deep fake porn controversy

  • we talked about a few weeks ago, right?

  • That whole thing got a big spotlight on it

  • when a streamer by the name of Atrioc

  • was caught with an open tab to a deep fake porn website,

  • which notably hosted explicit deep fakes

  • of very high profile female streamers,

  • including his colleagues.

  • And, in addition to the general outrage and disgust,

  • you had some of the women

  • that have been featured on that site

  • like QT Cinderella speaking out

  • about how just fucked up deep fake porn is.

  • And, with that, vowing to sue the creator of the website

  • even after they took the site down.

  • But, the update there is, no,

  • apparently that's not gonna happen.

  • But, they're reportedly telling NBC News

  • that the legal framework for a potential path forward

  • is disheartening and adding,

  • "every single lawyer I've talked to

  • essentially have come to the conclusion

  • that we don't have a case."

  • There's no way to sue the guy.

  • And, that's apparently because,

  • while many states have laws regarding revenge porn,

  • only a handful have laws specifically regarding deep fakes.

  • And, this as,

  • even though that website was taken down,

  • those videos made without her knowledge or consent

  • can still be spread around the internet like wildfire.

  • Which also I think the unfortunate side effect

  • of that news breaking

  • is this may embolden those who want to do this.

  • Though, to those people,

  • I would warn not only is that fucked up

  • and I think wrong,

  • it's important to remember there was a time

  • where there were not laws against revenge porn.

  • The story also makes me think for a second

  • about just how fucking weird the internet is

  • and also what a weird place it must be

  • to be a female content creator,

  • and because you have all these photos and videos

  • that you didn't even fucking make

  • being spread all over the internet,

  • but at the same time,

  • on mainstream social platforms,

  • you have consensual photos being over moderated, right?

  • There were things like another massive streamer, Pokimane,

  • dealing with Instagram removing one of her photos

  • over "sexual solicitation".

  • And, oddly it pertained to a photo

  • that was posted back in July.

  • It was her in a pink blazer.

  • And, apparently the platform had an issue with her caption,

  • "anybody need a sugar momma?"

  • And, apparently all that violated the rules of the site.

  • because you cannot facilitate, encourage,

  • or coordinate sexual activity on Instagram.

  • So, something to keep in mind

  • the next time you post on social media,

  • anyone want to get filled in together.

  • But, also I think the issue on Instagram

  • isn't just female focused.

  • I think it it's scale focused.

  • And, the reason I say that is because the number of people

  • I've seen get banned on like Twitter and other platforms,

  • 'cause they made a punch you in the throat joke,

  • which, if you're new here,

  • is like an inside joke between me

  • and all you beautiful bastards, right?

  • Algorithms not taking into context or jokes or any of that.

  • But, back to the main story,

  • I will say personally

  • I am disappointed that there's apparently

  • no legal path forward,

  • because while I know there were a myriad

  • of different opinions on the topic,

  • I think at the very least

  • I think there's an argument and a case for harassment.

  • And, then we've got big Dhar Mann updates to talk about,

  • because we're seeing him double down

  • on his fight against the allegations

  • that have been levied against him and his studio.

  • We talked about this last week,

  • he's a massive creator,

  • some of his videos getting hundreds of millions of views,

  • videos that are normally about moral

  • and inspirational lessons.

  • But, a number of his actors ended up actually protesting

  • over what they said was inadequate pay among other issues,

  • things like there was a toxic culture at the studio,

  • and if you spoke out about it,

  • you were fired.

  • And, saying when they tried to address this

  • and to have a meeting with Dhar Mann,

  • they couldn't,

  • instead only getting a meeting

  • with the head of production and HR.

  • Now, for his part,

  • Dhar Mann says he pays his actors well

  • and says that these allegations are false,

  • saying that he has feedback forms

  • and other means for actors to bring up problems.

  • And, we're starting to see more updates to this story,

  • like with one of the actors, Dylan Harris.

  • He posted a video claiming that Dhar Mann

  • threatened him with legal action.

  • - If you want to keep threatening to sue me,

  • guess what, dude?

  • I really love playing chess.

  • - And, then including screenshots of emails

  • with the subject line,

  • "Confidential and Privileged Settlement Communications,

  • Cease and Desist Regarding Dhar Mann",

  • though one of those screenshots did notably say

  • that because Dylan had deleted a post in question,

  • the team would no longer be pursuing action.

  • And, it's also worth noting that the TikTok we just showed

  • about the cease and desist is no longer on Dylan's page,

  • but that's also not where this story ends,

  • because Dhar Mann is continuing to defend himself

  • and proclaim his innocence,

  • versing things like this TikTok

  • of what appears to be people for Dhar Mann Studios

  • patting him on the shoulder to comfort him

  • while the song "We Are Family" plays.

  • And, then more concretely,

  • in an Instagram post yesterday, he said,

  • he is saddened for those affected

  • by everything going on

  • and for the various misleading stories that have spread,

  • saying he and some of the original actors

  • who have been with the studio since the start

  • are working together to get through this.

  • Also claiming that the actors who were protesting

  • haven't worked with the studio in years

  • and they only represent a small percentage

  • of the thousands of actors

  • that have been in Dhar Mann videos.

  • And, regarding that meeting that was mentioned,

  • he said that the formal meeting request

  • would start with production and HR,

  • not him,

  • and claiming he was never told to

  • or supposed to attend that meeting,

  • and saying the actors were asked

  • to put their concerns in writing,

  • but instead they came to our studio to disrupt production,

  • causing stress to crew members and actors,

  • and claiming certain protestors

  • even spread false information

  • to hurt the studio, my family, and me.

  • That's the reason why I have not met with these individuals.

  • And, again,

  • saying the claims against unfair pay are misinformation,

  • saying he recently came up with plans

  • to improve the studio's booking system,

  • boost communication,

  • and give out more consistent hours and pay.

  • But, while all this is happening,

  • the protestors have not stopped,

  • even holding a press conference with ABC7 News yesterday

  • where they reiterated a lot of their issues.

  • - If you're gonna profit off of these morals,

  • you need to at least give the people

  • that are working underneath them

  • the respect of what you're preaching.

  • - There are just basic elements

  • to running a motion picture company

  • that are not being met.

  • - So, who's lying?

  • Who's telling the truth?

  • What is going on?

  • We're gonna have to wait to see what all comes from this.

  • And, while we wait,

  • I'd love to know your thoughts

  • on what the answers to those questions are.

  • And, then a bunch of garbage people just burned aid

  • for earthquake victims, right?

  • So, this just happened in Germany at a Turkish supermarket

  • where a huge pile of donations,

  • including canned food and clothing,

  • was collected for the Turkey, Syria earthquake.

  • But, late one night,

  • these two dumpster bros come over

  • and light the stash on fire

  • with one of them also throwing a Turkish flag into the fire

  • suggesting they may have had xenophobic motives.

  • Were those sentiments possibly on the rise,

  • given that the German government

  • just announced plans to ease visa restrictions

  • for earthquake victims with relatives in the country.

  • Now, as far as the fire,

  • firefighters took two hours to extinguish the flames.

  • And, according to a police estimate,

  • the damage reportedly totals over $20,000,

  • which is just an out of nowhere unnecessary gut punch

  • for the survivors and everyone working around the clock

  • to save lives,

  • especially since we're continuing to see the death toll rise

  • going from 36,000 on Monday to 41,000 today.

  • And, this as millions have been left homeless

  • and much of the region sanitation infrastructure

  • has been damaged

  • and health authorities are desperately trying to prevent

  • a disease outbreak, right?

  • But, because the devastation from the earthquake

  • was so widespread,

  • you've got tons of people who haven't even showered

  • or cleaned off since the earthquake.

  • As well as there're being a shortage of cleaning water

  • and toilets making cholera and typhoid more likely.

  • But, still, despite all of this devastation,

  • we're still seeing amazing stories of survival

  • emerge from the rubble,

  • like these two brothers who are trapped under debris

  • for around 200 hours,

  • staying alive by rationing body building supplements,

  • drinking their own urine,

  • and swallowing gulps of air,

  • or stories coming out like a father and daughter

  • who were stuck for 209 hours before being rescued.

  • And, so again,

  • if you can and want to help out,

  • I'm gonna link to places where you can donate

  • in the description.

  • And, for those touched by this tragedy,

  • I wish you the best of luck.

  • My heart goes out to you.

  • And, then...

  • Y'all, what's going on?

  • There has been yet another hazardous chemical spill.

  • Right over the last few days,

  • we've been covering the train carrying hazardous materials

  • that derailed in Ohio,

  • prompting officials to do a controlled burn,

  • we've also been seeing other trained derailments,

  • and now we're seeing

  • the second major chemical spill in a month

  • after a truck carrying nitric acid

  • was involved in a crash on Interstate 10

  • in Tucson, Arizona yesterday,

  • with nitric acid being a highly corrosive material,

  • often used in manufacturing fertilizer and explosives.

  • And, according to the CDC,

  • exposure to it can cause irritation to the eye, skin,

  • and mucus membrane.

  • It can also cause delayed pulmonary edema, pneumonitis,

  • bronchitis, dental erosion.

  • And, as far as what we know about this crash,

  • actually very little information has been released so far,

  • including what caused the accident.

  • We've seen government officials

  • saying that the incident involved

  • a commercial truck tractor hauling a box trailer

  • that rolled over killing the driver.

  • A hazardous materials response unit,

  • the Tucson Fire Department,

  • and a number of local police departments

  • responded to the scene

  • closing off I-10.

  • And, actually,

  • as of recording,

  • the busy freeway is still shut down in both directions.

  • The Arizona Department of Public Safety

  • also evacuated all people in a half mile perimeter

  • around the area

  • and ordered those within one mile to shelter in place.

  • With a few hours later,

  • the shelter in place order being lifted,

  • but then it was reinstated again

  • at around 5:00 AM local time,

  • with the department advising

  • that anyone within the one mile perimeter turn off heaters

  • and or air conditioning systems

  • that bring in outside air,

  • and adding that,

  • while crews were attempting to remove the load

  • from the commercial vehicle,

  • gassing occurred,

  • and then, a few hours after that,

  • the shelter-in-place order was actually extended

  • to those within a three mile perimeter of the spill

  • with the agency saying recovery

  • and mitigation efforts on the hazardous materials

  • experienced temporary setbacks overnight

  • due to weather condition,

  • and saying crews have now removed

  • the material from the truck

  • and are utilizing dirt to mitigate further off gassing,

  • but, very significantly here,

  • it also said that those who have been evacuated

  • should expect to remain displaced

  • until approximately midday.

  • Though it's unclear if evacuees

  • will want to go back to their homes later today anyway,

  • especially given the height and concern

  • around the Ohio spill.

  • And, then did you know that two outta three guys

  • will experience some form of male pattern baldness

  • by the time that they're 35?

  • Maybe you have that friend,

  • that family member that's dealing with hair loss,

  • and, well,

  • thanks to the sponsor of today's show, Keeps,

  • you don't have to just sit around

  • and wait for that to happen.

  • Whether you're looking to prevent hair loss,

  • stimulate hair growth,

  • or just take better care of the hair that you have,

  • Keeps has you covered.

  • Keeps helps you stop hair loss before it's too late

  • with a scientific and affordable approach to treatments

  • that are up to 90% effective at reducing

  • and stopping further hair loss.

  • And, in addition to clinically proven treatments,

  • Keeps has an award-winning

  • all natural thickening shampoo and conditioner system.

  • And, you can get these products delivered

  • directly to your door,

  • meaning no more going in person to the doctor's office

  • for your prescription,

  • saving you both valuable time and money.

  • Hair loss stops with Keeps.

  • So to get your special offer,

  • go to keeps.com/defranco

  • or just click that link in the description,

  • that's keeps.com/defranco.

  • And, then the Supreme Court could fundamentally change

  • how the internet works

  • and content creators could be totally screwed, right?

  • In just a few days,

  • the high court is set to hear a landmark case

  • that has the potential to change

  • the last two plus decades of content moderation policy

  • as well as upend the business practices

  • of big tech as we know it.

  • So, details,

  • the case in question is called Gonzalez v Google,

  • and it focuses on Section 230,

  • the Communications Decency Act.

  • And, as we've talked about before,

  • Section 230 is a 1996 statute

  • that protects social media platforms

  • for being liable for the content that users post.

  • So, not only does it shield them from lawsuits

  • over what's posted on their sites,

  • but it also safeguards them from being sued

  • when they take down posts.

  • But, as battles over content moderation

  • have grown in recent years,

  • Section 230 has come under fire.

  • And, with Gonzalez,

  • this may be the tipping point.

  • The case was brought by the family

  • of a 23 year old US citizen who was killed in Paris

  • during a 2015 terrorist attack by the Islamic State

  • with the family arguing that Google,

  • YouTube's parent company,

  • aided in embedded terrorism,

  • because its algorithm recommended Islamic state videos

  • recruiting members and inciting violence.

  • But, and this is the crux of their claim here,

  • Google's algorithmic recommendation

  • should be considered as their own form of content.

  • So, Section 230,

  • which only shields platforms

  • from the content of third parties,

  • doesn't apply.

  • Now, notably here,

  • similar cases alleging that social media companies

  • have supported terrorist content

  • that led to actual attacks

  • have been dismissed by courts for years.

  • And, this case itself was actually dismissed

  • by a lower court.

  • But, very notably,

  • this conservative Supreme Court

  • has decided to hear the appeal.

  • And, because of that,

  • I really cannot understate how much is at stake here.

  • So, to get a better idea

  • of how serious the impacts all this could be,

  • we talked to Eric Goldman,

  • a professor at Santa Clara University School of Law

  • who specializes in internet law,

  • and is an expert on Section 230.

  • And, he told us that the Court's decision

  • to take up this case

  • is especially consequential,

  • because there's past precedent for Section 230

  • applying to those algorithmic recommendations.

  • And, that's the crux of Google's argument

  • against this case.

  • - The main legal argument against the plaintiffs

  • is that Section 230,

  • by its own terms,

  • made no distinction between algorithmic recommendations

  • and other ways that services gather, organize,

  • and promote third party content.

  • So, it's just a pure statutory argument.

  • You read the text,

  • it doesn't say what the plaintiffs are saying,

  • they're having to manufacture arguments,

  • why it should say what they're trying to say.

  • Section 230 has applied uniformly to that

  • for the last 25 years.

  • And, so the plaintiffs are really asking

  • for a dramatic and unprecedented change

  • to how we think about Section 230.

  • - Professor Goldman also saying

  • that another one of Google's central arguments

  • is that this ruling could have such a massive

  • and devastating impact on the internet,

  • that the Supreme Court can't ignore the policy implications.

  • Now, as far as what would actually happen

  • if the justices rule in favor of the plaintiffs,

  • well, Goldman says that it's actually hard

  • to anticipate just how big this ruling will be,

  • because it depends on a number of factors,

  • which we will actually get to a bit later,

  • but he did give us a general idea.

  • - The short story is,

  • one possible conclusion,

  • is that the Court will say,

  • if the services take efforts to promote user content,

  • they lose Section 230.

  • They can still host it, they can still gather it,

  • but they...

  • If they do anything to promote it,

  • they will no longer have this legal shield.

  • In a situation like that,

  • then the internet starts to look a lot more

  • like Google Drive or Dropbox,

  • where people upload content,

  • there's a hosting function,

  • the services give them a URL,

  • and then we all have to do our own work

  • in order to get an audience for our content.

  • That would just change the internet at its very core

  • how we think about the internet.

  • And, that would be a bad outcome.

  • - And, if the Court decides that algorithmic recommendations

  • aren't covered by Section 230,

  • social media platforms would be stuck in what Goldman calls

  • the moderator's dilemma,

  • where they're essentially a force to choose

  • between all bad options,

  • first, because they'd be liable

  • for all content they recommend,

  • they'd have to moderate everything

  • with extreme precision and perfection,

  • but that's essentially impossible for these companies.

  • And, if they actually tried to do this,

  • it would likely result in them over blocking

  • and potentially censoring anything

  • that anyone says is defamatory,

  • because to not do so at risk lawsuit after lawsuit.

  • The second option

  • would be to go the complete opposite direction,

  • provide no moderation at all.

  • And, if they end up getting sued,

  • basically they would just argue willful blindness, right?

  • If I never tried, I never failed.

  • Well, that was an argument

  • that lawyers told clients to make

  • before Section 230 existed.

  • It hasn't really been tested in court since,

  • but if a judge did rule in favor of such a claim,

  • it would basically give social media companies a blank check

  • to allow offensive and violent speech to run wild.

  • And, then there's a third option.

  • - The third note is to say, I can't win this game.

  • I can't do it perfectly.

  • I can't let everyone have their say,

  • because I'm gonna be overrun by garbage content.

  • And, the only way then to win that game

  • is not to play at all.

  • And, so that's the real stakes I think in this case.

  • - With Goldman saying he thinks

  • that the more likely outcomes

  • are some combination of the first and third options,

  • the platforms will be forced

  • to regulate content super intensely or shut down altogether.

  • Which, key thing here,

  • would be absolutely devastating for content creators.

  • And, actually to illustrate exactly how bad this could be,

  • Goldman gave us a helpful example

  • of what the world would look like on our own platform here.

  • - So, the one likely scenario is that YouTube

  • would scale back any recommendations at all.

  • It would simply reduce the ability

  • of users to find the content that they think is relevant,

  • make it harder for them to do so.

  • That's not really a good business experience

  • for the users of YouTube.

  • One other possibility is that YouTube could say,

  • instead of reducing recommendations,

  • they'll keep doing recommendations

  • like they have in the past.

  • They'll just constrain the number of people

  • who are allowed to publish on YouTube in the first place.

  • - But, the people who would be allowed to publish

  • are only those who YouTube decides

  • are not legally risky, right?

  • And, obviously only a small percentage of creators

  • would get that privilege

  • and everyone else would kind of

  • just get kicked off the service.

  • - From that perspective,

  • one likely scenario of any change to Section 230 here

  • is that we're gonna see "the rich get richer",

  • the people who already have audiences

  • and already have power in the marketplace of ideas,

  • they're gonna continue to get the same kind of treatment

  • in the...

  • That they've got in the past.

  • It's everyone else, the small players,

  • the people who could become big influencers in the future,

  • but haven't gone that far yet.

  • They may never get that chance,

  • because the doors will be closed to them.

  • - But, also,

  • with all this,

  • let's be clear,

  • this isn't just something that's going to apply

  • to Google and YouTube.

  • This would impact all social media companies

  • that host third party content

  • and are currently protected by Section 230.

  • And, just in case you thought the story couldn't get worse,

  • it does.

  • While those are some scenarios that Goldman says

  • are likely to come out of this whole ruling,

  • Gonzalez isn't the only case where the Supreme Court

  • could totally upend the internet.

  • Literally one day after they hear Gonzalez,

  • the justices are set to consider a very similar case

  • called Twitter v Taamneh,

  • with that focusing on whether platforms

  • are liable for terrorist related content

  • posted by their users under federal anti-terrorism law.

  • And, very notably hear,

  • Goldman says that content monetization

  • is at play in these cases, right?

  • Because, lower courts have said

  • that paying terrorists for content could violate the law.

  • And, if that's upheld,

  • there's a possibility that companies like YouTube

  • would have to stop monetizing content,

  • because they can't manage the risk,

  • or at least very significantly pair down

  • who gets monetization.

  • And, then actually even beyond those two cases,

  • there are two others that the Supreme Court could take up

  • regarding new laws in Florida and Texas,

  • laws as it aim to ban social media companies

  • from taking down certain political content or accounts

  • among other wide ranging regulations.

  • And, just at the end of January,

  • the justices asked the Biden administration

  • to weigh in on the cases,

  • effectively delaying a decision to take them up,

  • at least for now.

  • But, it's widely believed that the Court

  • will have to consider these matters eventually,

  • and even possibly in the next term beginning this October.

  • And, all four of these have the potential

  • to completely change the internet.

  • - Just assume for a moment,

  • this is like a package of bad ideas.

  • So, it's not just one bad idea.

  • There's a lot going on there.

  • In other words,

  • for the internet to look like it does today,

  • we have to win all four of those cases perfectly.

  • And, those are really long odds

  • that make me very, very nervous.

  • - Right?

  • And, to that last point, Goldman noted,

  • we really don't know where the justices

  • are going to fall on this question, right?

  • Justice Clarence Thomas has written a couple of statements

  • criticizing Section 230,

  • but because this issue cuts across partisan lines,

  • Goldman says he really has no idea

  • where the other justices will land.

  • And, while it's unknown

  • when or if the Court will take up

  • the Florida and Texas cases,

  • we will have an answer on both Gonzalez and Taamneh

  • by the end of the term in June.

  • - So, basically I'm marking June 30th

  • is basically that the RIP internet date

  • that I'm gonna have a little head stone carved for.

  • - So, hey,

  • I guess mark your calendars.

  • But, on that,

  • cheery note,

  • the way I wanna close this out is what are your thoughts?

  • What do you make of all this?

  • And, then I wanna take a second to thank

  • one of the fantastic sponsors of today's show,

  • Hello Fresh.

  • Hello Fresh gets farm fresh, pre-portioned ingredients,

  • and seasonal recipes delivered right to your door,

  • making healthy, eating at home fun, easy,

  • and affordable.

  • And, with there fast and fresh options,

  • you can get dinner ready in 30 minutes or less.

  • Yeah, fast and fresh recipes

  • are the newest meals that you can cook in under 15 minutes

  • with great options like falafel, power bowls,

  • and steak and potatoes with bearnaise,

  • which by the way,

  • bearnaise sauce on everything, please.

  • That's right, you stan musicians,

  • I stan condiments.

  • And, y'all, it's easy to customize select meals.

  • You can swap out proteins and sides

  • and upgrade to your favorites,

  • including organic chicken and organic ground beef.

  • And, no matter your lifestyle or meal preferences,

  • Hello Fresh has recipes

  • sure to please everyone at your table,

  • even for the pickiest of eaters.

  • And, I know that because Hello Fresh comes in clutch

  • for me and my family

  • and I really don't wanna undersell that point,

  • because, for me,

  • oh,

  • it's so frustrating to make a meal

  • and then a child not eat it.

  • This has genuinely made it so much easier,

  • especially because the pre-portioned ingredients save time

  • and the recipes are consistently good.

  • It makes putting a home cooked meal on the table,

  • not only delicious,

  • but I would say more importantly, easy.

  • So, make meals easier and better tasting

  • by going to hellofresh.com/phil65

  • and use code Phil65 for 65% off,

  • plus free shipping.

  • And, then this is a fun story,

  • 'cause I gotta get on an airplane soon.

  • There have been way too damn many close calls

  • involving airplanes recently.

  • In fact, there have been so many

  • that the acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration

  • just issued a rare safety call to action

  • for the industry, right?

  • In a memo,

  • acting FAA administrator, Billy Nolan,

  • said he would form a safety review team,

  • convene a safety summit,

  • and order a review of aviation safety data

  • to see whether there are other incidents

  • that resemble ones we have seen in recent weeks.

  • Now, notably here,

  • Nolan did not flag any specific instances,

  • but there have been multiple ones

  • that have made the headlines in recent weeks.

  • But, there's so much random crazy bullshit

  • happening right now,

  • very possible you missed it, right?

  • There have been a handful of events

  • that a National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson

  • said presented a significant risk of a catastrophic outcome,

  • with the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board

  • currently investigating those.

  • The first, which we talked about at the time,

  • took place at JFK Airport on January 13th

  • when an American Airline's jet crossed runway

  • right in front of a Delta Airlines flight

  • that was getting ready to take off.

  • Then, just under two weeks ago,

  • a FedEx cargo plane

  • almost landed on top of

  • a Southwest Airline's passenger flight

  • at Austin Bergstrom International Airport.

  • This after an air traffic controller

  • had cleared the FedEx jet to land on the runway

  • where the Southwest plane had been cleared to take off.

  • The NTSB saying those two planes

  • came within just 100 feet of each other.

  • And, according to the Washington Post,

  • the NTSB said just yesterday

  • that it's investigating two other situations

  • involving United Airlines flights

  • at airports in Hawaii,

  • with one of those incidents taking place in Honolulu

  • and was very similar to the events

  • in Austin and New York, right?

  • A cargo jet operated by the company Cessna

  • and a United Passenger airplane.

  • While there's been very little reporting on this,

  • according to the post,

  • the FAA said an air traffic controller

  • told the United crew to stop on a taxiway

  • before reaching the runway,

  • but the aircraft just crossed instead,

  • with the Cessna stopping about 1,170 feet

  • from the United jet.

  • And, then that other Hawaii United episode

  • was totally different,

  • with this one actually happening back in December.

  • But, there's only been extensive news coverage of it

  • in the last 48 hours or so.

  • And, that was a United flight full of passengers

  • taking off from the Maui Airport

  • climbing for about a minute

  • and then just taking a sudden nose dive,

  • though luckily not crashing,

  • but coming just 775 feet above the Pacific Ocean.

  • So, I think it's a good thing that the FAA

  • is taking action here,

  • but also notably this comes at a time

  • where the FAA is facing growing scrutiny,

  • not only because of what we just talked about,

  • but because of that insane incident last month

  • when a key safety bulletin system went down

  • prompting the agency to ground all flights nationwide

  • for the first time since 9/11.

  • And, regarding that,

  • last week,

  • representatives on the House Transportation Committee

  • expressed their concern that the FAA

  • had not responded quickly enough

  • to safety and management issues

  • that have existed for a while now.

  • And, to that point,

  • timing's always important with these stories.

  • Nolan just so happened to issue a safety memo

  • one day before he was set to testify

  • before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science,

  • and Transportation

  • regarding the safety bulletin system outage.

  • Although that hearing is taking place

  • as we're recording today's show,

  • so we're gonna have to wait

  • to talk about that tomorrow at least.

  • But, unfortunately,

  • whatever happens there,

  • it's really unclear

  • how they're going to make this situation better.

  • And, that's in part

  • because there's a huge fundamental barrier here,

  • the total lack of stable leadership, right?

  • Many federal lawmakers have argued

  • that the biggest obstacle the FAA faces

  • is the fact that it hasn't had a permanent leader

  • since the last administrator stepped down

  • back in March.

  • And, all these recent issues just underscored that.

  • And, President Biden

  • has actually nominated Phillip Washington,

  • chief executive of Denver International Airport

  • to head the agency,

  • but the Senate hasn't confirmed him,

  • because there are concerns about his qualifications.

  • And, so you take all of that

  • and it's why we're gonna obviously keep our eyes

  • on this story.

  • And, then churches and drugs,

  • let's talk about 'em,

  • because Vice recently published the article

  • where they interviewed the founder

  • of the Divine Assembly,

  • a church based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

  • And, they are just one of the growing number of churches

  • that worship psychedelics like mushrooms, peyote,

  • and others.

  • With the Divine Assembly

  • not providing the drugs to their 5,000 members

  • or telling people how they should host mushroom ceremonies.

  • It goes through other spiritual experiences

  • like meditation rooms, mushroom growing courses,

  • and ice baths.

  • Notably, the Divine Assembly's founder

  • is both a former state legislator and an ex-Mormon

  • who has also acknowledged their strange set of circumstances

  • saying,

  • I think a lot of people look at what we do

  • if they come out of organized religion

  • and they say, this is bullshit.

  • These people are just using the idea of religion

  • to get around drug laws,

  • and saying,

  • I wish they could see inside my mind, inside my heart,

  • and just see the changes that have happened,

  • and are happening,

  • and just see how I am seeing the divine

  • on a daily hour by hour basis.

  • And, to his point,

  • it's not quite that easy to circumvent drug laws.

  • There are only three religious organizations

  • that have legal exemption to use drugs in their practice.

  • And, while the rest

  • believe that they're protected under religious freedom,

  • their use is still technically illegal.

  • But, reportedly they can be legally defensible

  • if the churches prove that they are sincere

  • in their use of drugs as a religious experience,

  • as well as taking safety measures

  • to protect their congregation.

  • Well, that may sound easy enough to you,

  • the Divine Assembly specifically

  • fights to keep their group informal,

  • so they don't actually tell people how to worship

  • in any capacity.

  • And, according to a New York based attorney

  • who wrote a guide for churches like this

  • to navigate the law,

  • the Divine Assembly's dedication to being non-dogmatic

  • and a lack of protocol

  • could make it harder for them to defend themselves.

  • But, she also added,

  • there has to be an understanding

  • that religion is an incredibly broad spectrum

  • and that there are going to be leaders who say,

  • this is how I believe,

  • which is to not force beliefs upon someone.

  • However, another key thing,

  • their founder,

  • after his years as a legislator,

  • is on good terms with law enforcement,

  • even reportedly informing them

  • that the Divine Assembly uses

  • a Schedule One controlled substance.

  • Also saying he's not concerned about being pursued

  • for their drug use,

  • but did mention that the church

  • will not defend any individual members arrested.

  • And, when talking about this,

  • it's important to note,

  • we've seen churches like this

  • be on the receiving end of law enforcement before,

  • like the Zide Door Church in East Oakland

  • that was raided by police in 2020.

  • Though that isn't quite the one-to-one comparison,

  • because Zide Door did distribute mushrooms and cannabis

  • to their congregation in exchange for a donation

  • unlike the Divine Assembly.

  • But, for now,

  • we're gonna have to wait to see what happens

  • with this church specifically,

  • and also the continued rise of churches like this.

  • Personally, I'm of the opinion of,

  • if you're a grown adult,

  • your brain is done growing.

  • I think if you have medical supervision,

  • you should be able to take mushrooms.

  • And, if that happens,

  • in let's say a church of some sort,

  • cool.

  • I'd rather a church use their tax exempt status

  • to help try to expand someone's mind,

  • let them look into themselves,

  • see how they're connected to other human beings,

  • rather than, let's say,

  • spend hundreds of millions of dollars

  • lobbying to keep rights from people,

  • because they were like born gay or something,

  • or who hide and move predators in their flock.

  • And, then we've had another prime minister tapping out,

  • though technically this is a first minister,

  • but the sentiment's the same.

  • For just a few weeks ago,

  • we talked about

  • New Zealand's prime minister, Jacinda Arden, resigning,

  • saying she's burned out,

  • didn't have enough in the tank to do the job.

  • And, most Americans were like, wait, what?

  • You're just willingly letting go of a position of power?

  • That's a thing?

  • Well, now Scotland's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon,

  • has just done the same thing.

  • Well, she didn't specifically cite burnout

  • as a reason for resigning.

  • It's pretty clear she's exhausted, right?

  • Sturgeon's been Scotland's

  • longest longest serving first minister.

  • She's also the first woman to ever hold the position.

  • She's been in politics since '99,

  • leading the charge for Scotland's independence from the UK,

  • guiding the country through the COVID-19 pandemic

  • as first minister.

  • But, today announcing that she was stepping down,

  • though she made sure to mention

  • that her decision was not in response

  • to the latest political pressure,

  • this after recent controversies regarding gender reform,

  • instead saying that her reasons were rooted

  • in her own personal struggle

  • with whether she can continue to do the job well.

  • - To be clear, I'm not expecting violins here,

  • but I am a human being as well as a politician.

  • My point is this,

  • giving absolutely everything of yourself to this job

  • is the only way to do it.

  • The country deserves nothing less,

  • but in truth,

  • that can only be done by anyone for so long.

  • For me, it is now in danger of becoming too long.

  • - Though I do think it's important to note

  • and it is a key thing here

  • is that her approval ratings right now

  • are reportedly the lowest they have been

  • since she has taken office.

  • But, regardless,

  • many political figures in Scotland

  • as well as UK have applauded Sturgeon

  • in her historic service

  • as far as ministers.

  • And, so right now as we move forward,

  • there are a number of unknowns,

  • starting with who the hell's gonna replace her.

  • However, Sturgeon said that she'll continue to serve

  • until someone else is elected.

  • Also, the push for Scotland's independence

  • is hanging in limbo.

  • People really don't seem to know what that looks like

  • without Sturgeon's leadership,

  • though there she did mention that she doesn't intend

  • to fully leave politics

  • and will still fight for the cause,

  • saying that the support for Scottish independence

  • needs to be solidified and grow.

  • And, that is where today's show ends.

  • Thank you so much re a part of my daily dives

  • into the news for you.

  • My name's Philip DeFranco,

  • you've just been filled in.

  • I love your faces and I'll see you tomorrow.

- We've got huge concerning updates

Subtitles and vocabulary

Click the word to look it up Click the word to find further inforamtion about it