The Shocking $200k LEGO Scandal Twist No One Saw Coming & The Joe Rogan Measles Situation is So Bad

PDS Published 06/03/2026

• Joe Rogan Boosted “Toxic” Measles Treatment

  There's a Joe Rogan situation that's actually getting worse, faster than even experts expected. These Reckless Ben $200K LEGO scandal updates really expose what's going to happen next. From a UK teen who died from a stab wound while handcuffed that sparked mass outrage, to everything you've seen around Spencer Pratt—it's just going to get crazier.

  We're talking about all of that and even more on today's brand new Philip DeFranco Show, your daily dive into the news.

  So buckle up, hit that like button, and let's just jump into it.

  Starting with: while the United States was at the peak of its largest measles outbreak in decades, Joe Rogan was actively driving people to dangerous and unproven treatments.

  And that's not me shit-talking or speculating.

  That is literally the finding of a newly released medical study by the JAMA Network.

  Last year, the US saw the most reported measles cases, outbreaks, affected states, and deaths since 1992.

  And that's kind of insane because until 1989, doctors routinely recommended a second dose of the measles vaccine for kids who were 4 to 6 years older, about three years after the first dose.

  So we're talking about levels that really haven't been seen ever since kids were given proper immunity to the disease.

  Since the outbreak last year, measles cases have still remained historically high.

  Just by the end of May, the CDC reported a total of just under 2,000 cases, which is insane because they're just a few hundred lower than the under 2,300 for all of last year.

  And we're not even halfway through the year.

  At the current rate, 2026 could easily surpass 2025 if the current trends continue.

  You've got experts left and right believing that the US is on track to lose its measles elimination status this fall.

  Then also, you have this new JAMA study specifically focusing on the peak of last year's outbreak around February and March, when transmission was the highest.

  During the absolute height of the outbreak, there was an influx of prominent public figures who were pushing people to take vitamin A or cod liver oil, which contains high levels of vitamin A, as a treatment for measles.

  Before we even get into the Rogan clips, I want to be very clear here.

  There are no proven treatments for measles. All you can do is manage the symptoms once you get it.

  But there's also a very simple way to prevent measles. And this—it might be crazy, it might shock you—is the measles vaccine.

  One dose is 93% effective against measles.

  And two doses are 97% effective.

  CDC data shows that more than 90% of confirmed infections in both 2025 and 2026 were among people who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown.

  Then you compare that to vitamin A, which is essentially an unproven treatment, at least in developed countries like the United States.

  There are some very limited studies that show vitamin A can be an effective supportive measles therapy for children in lower-income countries who are malnourished and have vitamin A deficiencies.

  But there's not actually much evidence that it's effective in higher-income countries like the United States, where less than 1% of the population has a vitamin A deficiency.

  In fact, ingesting too much vitamin A can actually be toxic.

  That's because of the way our bodies store vitamin A. It accumulates in the liver and other tissues, and in very serious cases that toxicity can cause vomiting, muscle weakness, liver damage, and potentially even damage to the bones and brain.

  In late March last year, at the height of the historic outbreak, Rogan spread dangerous misinformation about vitamin A during an interview on his podcast with Dr. Suzanne Humphries.

  She's a well-known vaccine skeptic who wrote an incredibly controversial book called Dissolving Illusions that Rogan has repeatedly touted.

  "But doctors should be recommending those things too. Like they're good too. Like vitamin D, super important. You know, vitamin A, super important."

  "And one of the things that you talked about in the book is that, I think this is really important when you're talking about the measles vaccine."

  "You were saying that either if you get an infection with measles, just a natural infection, or if you get the vaccine, you're still going to get depleted of vitamin A."

  "Like if you get vaccinated for the measles, you should be taking vitamin A as well. Your body's going to get depleted just by getting that shot. They don't tell you that."

  That episode alone on YouTube reached 2.7 million people.

  So that's not including all the other places the podcast shows up, or even clips.

  And by no means was that the only time he spread false information about measles to his millions of followers.

  Just a few weeks before discussing Humphries' book on another episode, he dramatically downplayed the severity of the disease while seemingly confusing it with chickenpox.

  Though they didn't talk about vitamin A during that episode, he did explicitly undermine the effectiveness of the measles vaccine, falsely claiming that people mostly stopped getting the disease because sanitation and nutrition improved.

  "They all had dropped off, and then the vaccines got included."

  "Speaking of the current thing, which is a controversial infection that everyone got when I was a kid."

  "And what happened was you'd get sick for a few days and then you'd be immune for life."

  "Yep."

  "Yeah. And they're making it look like everyone's dying from measles."

  "Like, you know, if you're dying from measles, you're sick. You're already compromised."

  "Which is exactly what happened with COVID, right?"

  I need to quickly note that basically all of that is insanely wrong.

  First of all, Rogan was born in 1967, when measles vaccines were already widely distributed. So it's simply not true that everyone was getting measles when he was a kid.

  Measles also is not a minor infection.

  Up to 40% of people who get measles develop complications.

  And about 1 in 5 unvaccinated people in the United States who contract the disease have to be hospitalized.

  You also had a lot of people, and even a Community Note on that clip, saying that Rogan seems to be confusing measles with chickenpox, which is crazy because that one is generally a minor illness for kids and didn't have a vaccine when he was growing up.

  But Rogan is not the only high-profile figure who was spreading misinformation during that time period.

  You also had snake wrangler and penis-cutter-offer RFK Jr. in the mix.

  A big thing here is that he had just been confirmed as the nation's top public health official and was repeatedly pushing vitamin A and cod liver oil as treatments for measles even as kids were dying.

  In early March of 2025, he wrote an op-ed for Fox News where he said that the CDC had updated its recommendation to support the administration of vitamin A to treat measles, claiming that:

  "Studies have found that vitamin A can dramatically reduce measles mortality."

  This new JAMA study found that during the time Rogan, RFK Jr., and other public figures were pushing vitamin A, there was a dramatic increase in online searches for the terms "vitamin A measles" and "cod liver oil measles."

  And what all these guys were pointing out seems to have had a harmful physical impact.

  As the researchers noted, between January and March of 2025, America's poison centers reported a 38.7% increase in vitamin A exposures.

  Adding that this trend may have been influenced by public figures who increasingly promoted vitamin A to treat measles.

  So with that, one of the things this highlights is how much power Rogan has to influence the health decisions of real people.

  And sometimes in ways that have incredibly serious consequences.

  I mean, literally just three weeks ago we did a whole story about how a totally separate JAMA study found that prescriptions for ivermectin skyrocketed after Joe Rogan and Mel Gibson touted it as an effective cancer treatment.

  But again, like vitamin A for measles, there's currently not a lot of real evidence suggesting that ivermectin is beneficial as a cancer treatment.

  In fact, some experts say it could actually be toxic to humans or even interfere with cancer treatments that have been proven effective.

  And so while we're going to have to wait and see if the measles situation continues to get worse as more and more people tout random bullshit, this does end up being another example—and a data-driven example—that words do have an impact.

• Patreon Refuses to Take Down Reckless Ben’s Account

  But also, Rogan is not the only creator or YouTuber whose videos are having a serious impact on the real world.

  Because, among other things, you have 911 dispatchers across the state of Utah now begging people to please stop calling them about LEGOs.

  For example, Central Utah 911 complained that over four consecutive hours last Saturday, dispatch handled nearly three times its normal workload, averaging 106 calls per hour compared to 39 for a typical Saturday.

  And the majority of those extra calls were about a guy who will not give up until he gets some LEGOs back.

  Benjamin Schneider.

  Or, as a lot of people know him now, Reckless Ben.

  And if you have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm going to link to my last two videos on it in the description. It is worth the ride.

  But the TL;DR for today:

  Another guy by the name of Brian signed a deal with a local Bricks & Minifigs franchise in Oregon to sell his dad's $200,000 LEGO collection. They would then sell it piecemeal out of their store, and he'd get 65%.

  The thing is, after a dispute over the franchise, Bricks & Minifigs corporate seized the store, kicked out its previous owner, and sold it to new owners.

  But then also with that, Brian claims that they stole his LEGOs and refused to recognize the contract signed by the previous owner.

  Then in comes YouTuber Reckless Ben to try to get those LEGOs back.

  And things have just spiraled out of control, with Ben drawing up increasingly outlandish schemes to expose Bricks & Minifigs and force them into court.

  Eventually, he goes to Utah to serve legal papers to the store's new owners.

  But then things go off the rails.

  We're talking about things like Ben's car getting searched for heroin, his Airbnb being searched for stolen LEGOs—ironically enough—and eventually he and his crew being arrested for stalking, trespassing, and disorderly conduct, among other things.

  Among other things, you have Ben kind of pointing to a conspiracy, since the store's new owners are Mormon and the police are reportedly part of the Mormon community.

  So he reportedly flees to Mexico.

  Bricks & Minifigs sues.

  The police release body-camera footage from their interactions with him, supposedly for the sake of transparency.

  But they also redact numerous parts, claiming it was to protect the alleged victim, the store's new owner.

  But you have Ben accusing them of redacting those parts because they show the cops not finding any stolen LEGOs at his Airbnb.

  And again, even this is just scratching the surface.

  I'll link below, but this gives you a good idea why Utah police have been getting slammed with angry callers demanding justice for Ben.

  And the thing is, though, the only agency that's actually involved in the situation is the American Fork Police Department.

  At least two other agencies have pleaded with people to stop calling them, saying they have nothing to do with this controversy.

  You had Central Utah 911 giving, I think, the lengthiest statement, also asking people to remember that there are real people answering these phones.

  Saying:

  "Over the weekend, dispatchers were yelled at, cursed at, threatened, and subjected to ongoing harassment for circumstances completely outside of their control."

  Then adding:

  "Imagine needing to report a house fire, a serious crash, a heart attack, or a crime in progress and being placed on hold because every available line is tied up by callers seeking information that dispatch cannot provide."

  Though also, to be clear here, Ben did not tell people to call.

  In the meantime, you've got Bricks & Minifigs going the legal route.

  In fact, both by suing Ben and by going after a source of his income.

  Because according to Patreon, last week Bricks & Minifigs submitted an official takedown request for all accounts and content affiliated with Reckless Ben.

  With them citing the restraining order and preliminary injunction against Ben.

  And then instead of Patreon kind of doing the text-screenshot response that we often see on social media, the CEO and co-founder of Patreon, Jack Conte, posted a video announcing their decision.

  "So after an extensive review and investigation by Patreon's Trust and Safety team, we have in fact unfortunately determined that Bricks & Minifigs can stuff it."

  "We're keeping Ben's page up."

  "And if Bricks & Minifigs doesn't like that, they can sue Patreon."

  And so we're going to have to wait and see what happens with the whole Bricks & Minifigs situation.

  But I don't know if corporate there realizes just how big of a situation this has become.

  Not only does it seem like they're alienating people who are super into LEGO, but the brand itself seems to be getting wrecked for normies as well.

  All while, just on YouTube, Reckless Ben has gone from, I think, around 426,000 subscribers to now over a million subscribers since this whole thing started.

  So he is getting a bigger audience to keep the heat on.

  And that's without other people reporting on it.

  Again, for now, we're going to have to wait and see how this plays out in the online world, the court of public opinion, and then, of course, the real courts.

  Because nothing in that world is ever guaranteed.

• Scott Pelley Fired from CBS

  But then also, you've got Patreon apparently standing up for their people.

  As a matter of principle, we're seeing CBS doing the exact opposite.

  Because remember that dramatic showdown between one of its most standout reporters, Scott Pelley, and the network's new leadership?

  Well, it came to a climactic end last night.

  After Monday, when Nick Bilton met with the 60 Minutes staff to introduce himself and Scott Pelley gave him a brutal verbal thrashing.

  Pelley reportedly said that Barry Weiss is murdering the show, that she has no qualifications and barely knows what she's doing.

  He then reportedly grilled Bilton about the recent firings, asking:

  "Why do you even take this job knowing you're never going to be welcome?"

  The two sparred back and forth, and you had the staff behind Pelley laughing in Bilton's face and applauding as he left the room.

  Well then, things got even spicier because yesterday there was a second meeting.

  This time between just Pelley, Bilton, Weiss, and CBS News leadership.

  With that reportedly meant to find a path forward after Monday's fireworks.

  Sources say the meeting turned contentious again and ended with no clear resolution.

  With Pelley later telling The New York Times that Weiss wouldn't answer his questions about why the network had fired its employees.

  And so he left.

  Then later that night, Bilton delivered the big news.

  Pelley was fired.

  Effective immediately.

  He wrote:

  "One of the first things I did in my new role was call you to talk and invite you to meet."

  Saying it was a profound disappointment:

  "That you rejected that overture and chose ambush."

  Adding:

  "Yesterday, you hijacked my first meeting with staff to disparage me, my qualifications, and my intentions with remarkable incivility and contempt."

  And:

  "I welcome a diversity of viewpoints and respectful debate among the team."

  "But this was nothing more than a performative display of hostility enacted in front of the staff instead of a civil, private conversation."

  He continued:

  "You have demonstrated that you have no interest in contributing to the future success of the show, or approaching my new tenure with a mind open to collaboration and progress."

  Now for Bilton to just fire someone like Pelley, who's been at CBS since 1989 and has become one of its most respected and outspoken voices, that's already explosive on its own.

  But also, Pelley is not going out quietly.

  He's 68 years old, seemingly has nothing to lose, and he's pissed.

  So you had him putting out a vicious statement condemning what he described as the purge of CBS by Bilton, Weiss, and Ellison.

  Writing:

  "For my part, new management has instructed me to inject falsehoods and bias into politically sensitive stories."

  "I've been told to include assertions that are unverified to date."

  "In every case, I have managed to ignore these instructions or refuse."

  He also added:

  "Recently, politicians have been invited to choose correspondents for interviews on the broadcast."

  "Politician control over 60 Minutes interviews is not how this is supposed to work."

  Adding finally:

  "Incompetence and unprofessionalism in the new management have wreaked havoc."

  "In a case involving one of my stories, the entire program came within 19 minutes of not getting on the air."

  "The collapse of values at the top has become undeniable."

  "The leadership of 60 Minutes is no longer recognizable."

  "The principles I hold dear are gone."

  "And so I must leave as well."

  And so we'll have to see how the remaining staff at 60 Minutes and CBS as a whole react.

  But already this morning, you had Weiss apparently trying to stem the bleeding.

  With Weiss defending the decision to fire Pelley on a newsroom editorial call.

  Reportedly saying:

  "I'm only interested in working in a newsroom that is built on trust and mutual respect."

  "We cannot do our work without it."

  Then adding:

  "Despite our attempts to engage with Scott Pelley and to find a way back, unfortunately we weren't able to do so."

  "And so we had to part ways."

  "I did not want that to happen."

  "But that's the path that he chose."

  But then in response to that, you had Pelley clapping back again.

  Saying:

  "Barry Weiss knows what she said is not true."

  "At no point during the Tuesday meeting did anyone suggest that there could be steps taken by either side that would lead to a resolution."

  "Weiss and the president of CBS News were openly hostile from the outset."

  "Firing was raised by the president within the first 15 minutes."

  "No CBS executive at any time suggested a way back."

  "To say so now is disingenuous."

  "And they know it."

  And so that is probably the end of all the controversy and drama at CBS News.

  And I'm sure everything's going to be hunky-dory from here on out.

  Then there's more that we've got to dive into in just a minute.

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  Trump-backed candidates lost a primary for the first time this year.

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• Republicans Likely to Advance in CA Governor & LA Mayor Races

  A Republican might actually be leading the race to be California's next governor.

  And MAGA supporters are already baselessly accusing the Democratic Party of cheating.

  And those are just some of the big takeaways from elections that took place across the country yesterday.

  We'll start with Iowa, which is a state that Republicans have effectively dominated for at least a decade.

  That said, this year you have Democrats thinking they can be competitive in three of its four House races, its Senate election, and the contest to replace the state's retiring Republican governor.

  It's actually that governor's race where you had the Trump-endorsed candidate, Congressman Randy Feenstra, losing, which is kind of huge.

  It marks the first time that a Trump-backed candidate has lost his or her primary since the 2026 primary season got underway in March.

  So I'll say he's possibly the highest-profile candidate to lose a Republican primary with Trump support since as far back as 2017.

  That said, it was a close race.

  Feenstra lost by less than a single point to Zach Nunn, a businessman and farmer whose slogan is "Iowa First."

  With Nunn now going up against Democrat Rob Sand in November.

  And Rob Sand is actually a serious contender because he's won statewide office before.

  He's the state auditor and the only member of his party currently holding a statewide elected office in Iowa.

  So it's an uphill battle for Democrats, but one that they think could work for them.

  Actually, the same appears to be true in the Senate race there.

  Josh Turek, a Paralympic gold medalist backed by allies of Chuck Schumer, easily defeated progressive candidate Zach Wahls.

  And so Turek is going to face Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson in the general election to try to replace Senator Joni Ernst, the retiring two-term Republican.

  But again, he's got his work cut out for him.

  It has been almost 20 years since Iowa elected a Democrat to the Senate.

  All of that as we're seeing a very different situation in California, a state long dominated by Democrats, with some Republicans thinking they might actually have a chance.

  Though there, I would argue, depending on the race, some are completely delusional and others actually could have a chance.

  Also, to understand where we're going, you need to understand California's primary system.

  Because in California, all candidates, regardless of party, appear on a single ballot open to any registered voter.

  Then the top two candidates move on to the general election, even if they're from the same party.

  The state also sends a ballot to every active registered voter.

  Those ballots continue to get counted for up to a week after Election Day, as long as they were postmarked on or before Election Day.

  So with California, it's not uncommon for several days or more to pass before races are officially called.

  That said, based on the votes that had been counted so far, Republican Steve Hilton—the former Fox News host who also served as a political adviser to former British Prime Minister David Cameron—was actually leading the field to replace current Governor Gavin Newsom.

  Democrat Xavier Becerra, who served as Secretary of Health and Human Services under Joe Biden, was right behind him in second place.

  Then you had another Democrat, billionaire Tom Steyer, in third place.

  And then dozens of other candidates trailing far behind, including Barack Obama.

  But not that Barack Obama.

  And so if everything holds here, Becerra is very likely going to be the next governor of California.

  Because Becerra had actually been polling in the single digits.

  And then former Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell was the favorite.

  But then all of a sudden, he had a scandal, with several women—including a former staffer—accusing Swalwell of everything from sexual harassment to sexual assault.

  Swalwell then suspended his campaign and resigned from Congress, though he denied the criminal and assault allegations.

  Actually, I'll say, funny enough, Trump might have accidentally saved the Democrats in California.

  Because Trump ended up throwing his support behind Hilton instead of the other leading Republican, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco.

  At times, they were the top two candidates in polling.

  There was a whole scenario where maybe they would be the two advancing to the general election.

  Of course, the Trump endorsement was going to siphon votes away from the other Republican.

  Then, of course, pending hell freezing over, it's still California.

  They're going to go Democrat, at least at the statewide level for governor.

  That said, there is a big question mark around Los Angeles.

  Because current Mayor Karen Bass led the pack there, winning almost 35% of the vote according to the latest results.

  But she did not get an outright majority, which is needed to claim victory outright.

  So she's going to be advancing to a runoff.

  Against Spencer Pratt.

  A registered Republican who won around 30% of the vote.

  Now, you probably know him from appearing on the early-2000s reality show The Hills.

  He's kind of a celebrity candidate.

  He also lost his house in the 2025 Palisades Fire.

  And he's made Bass's response to the wildfires a major focus of his campaign, promising to completely overhaul how the city handles natural disasters.

  Then also, another thing he's focused on in LA is homelessness, which he argues is really more of a drug problem.

  So right now, it's looking like Pratt is not only getting the Republican vote—especially as Trump's preferred candidate—but also picking up a number of independents and even Democrats who are tired of the Democratic establishment in Los Angeles.

  And while I personally wouldn't vote for Spencer Pratt, this is something I've been telling people ever since they started seeing he was running and scoffing at it.

  Like:

  "Can you imagine if he made it to the general?"

  A lot of people do not understand how much Democrats in Los Angeles do not like the Democratic establishment.

  A lot of people did not mess with Karen Bass before her controversies.

  It's why billionaire Rick Caruso seemed like he had a chance in 2022.

  And again, that was before the additional baggage.

  But as far as Pratt actually winning in a general election, I'd still list him as an underdog.

  But we'll see.

  There's a lot of time between now and Election Day.

  I mean, Pratt has built up support pretty quickly.

  But then also, while we're on California, I have to mention that we're seeing Trump supporters right now recycling the election fraud narrative, seemingly in preparation for what comes next.

  For example, last night you had NBC's Steve Kornacki explaining how California's mail-in voting system could affect the way the results for the mayor's race come in.

  "The final piece of the puzzle that we won't know tonight is the late-arriving vote-by-mail."

  "And we're talking about probably like a third of the vote in Los Angeles."

  "We're probably not going to be getting that until tomorrow, and maybe days after tomorrow."

  "And there's certainly a ton of precedent here that that late-arriving vote-by-mail is going to be significantly more Democratic-friendly than all of the other vote."

  And with that, you've had several MAGA-friendly accounts pointing to this phenomenon and even sharing that exact clip to argue that Democrats are preparing to steal the election.

  With people pointing to commentators like Tim Pool and Benny Johnson, saying that they're amplifying that narrative.

  And actually, that brings us to another story that right-wing voices are amplifying right now.

• U.K. Protests Police for Handcuffing Murdered Teen as Political Tensions Rise

  This one, I'll say, involves a tragic case in the UK where the family of a murdered teenager is begging the community not to use their son's death to stoke division across the country.

  But with that, last night the streets filled with protests, outrage, and chaos.

  This stems from the December killing of 18-year-old Henry Novak, who told police that he had been stabbed and couldn't breathe.

  But the police responded by handcuffing him and telling him that they didn't believe him.

  And that's as the person responsible was standing nearby just watching the whole thing play out.

  That person, 23-year-old Vikram Degla, was just sentenced to life in prison for the murder.

  When police initially responded to the crime, Degla falsely told them that he had been the victim of a hate crime, and they treated Novak as the aggressor.

  Now, newly released body-camera footage showing this has sparked outrage across the country.

  Body-camera footage excerpt:

  "My dad's—he keeps dropping side to side, so I'm just trying to keep him set up."

  "He's got him."

  "I don't know him."

  "He was on the bin on the other side of this gate."

  "He's jumped over these things and stuff like that."

  "What's your name, mate?"

  "Has anyone been hurt other than him?"

  "Yeah. He's grabbed my brother. He took my turban off."

  "He's grabbing my head."

  "Are you injured?"

  "Yeah."

  "I've got swelling."

  "Can you literally just step back a little bit for me?"

  "Someone flagged these down, right?"

  "Let's get you out of there, shall we?"

  "Oh, I was in bed asleep."

  "Yeah."

  "We need to find someone to grab his other arm."

  "I'm running around the corner."

  "What's happened to you?"

  "Right."

  "You've been stabbed? Whereabouts?"

  "I think you have."

  At that point, police officers begin handcuffing Novak behind his back.

  The BBC cut the audio from part of the footage because of its distressing content.

  But when the audio returns, officers can be heard saying:

  "He's been stabbed."

  "In the face."

  "Oh no."

  "But we have to check, don't we?"

  "What's your name, mate?"

  "At the moment, you are under arrest for assault."

  "You do not have to say anything..."

  With this, Hampshire Police released a statement saying that within three minutes of interacting with Novak, officers began performing CPR.

  They added that they are:

  "Sorry we couldn't save Henry."

  And noted that he was handcuffed and arrested as he lost consciousness.

  They also argued that there was likely nothing officers could have done to save him because his wounds were deep and internal, and he had extensive internal bleeding.

  As far as what actually happened and what led up to Novak's death, Degla claimed that Novak had intentionally barged into him while they were passing each other on the street.

  The sentencing judge said that was a lie.

  Instead, the judge found that the two had some form of interaction while passing one another, and that Novak perhaps cheekily made a comment asking if Degla was a "bad man" after noticing that he had a knife sheath.

  Novak was apparently filming on his phone as he said this and told Degla that he was a bad man.

  He then took out his phone.

  After that, events become less clear.

  But the judge said there may have been a physical struggle over the phone.

  And during that struggle, Degla's turban may have been knocked off or pulled off his head.

  After that, Degla deliberately stabbed Novak in the chest.

  There's also been debate about the weapon used.

  Degla said he was carrying a religious knife, which Sikhs are legally permitted to wear. It's known as a kirpan.

  But Degla was also carrying a second, much larger dagger.

  And that was the weapon he used in the killing.

  This week, he was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years.

  Currently, there's an investigation into how police handled their interactions with Novak.

  You also have a lot of people who are incredibly upset and disturbed by the body-camera footage, seeing officers dismiss Novak while he was dying.

  You also have members of the Sikh community strongly condemning the killing.

  Some even told the BBC that before this murder, Degla had been banned from a place of worship over his behavior.

  Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the body-camera video "harrowing" and said there are serious questions for the police to answer.

  Novak's family has also condemned the police response, saying that their son did not die with dignity.

  But they also emphasized that they do not want his death used to create further division, hatred, or violence.

  And they made that plea because many right-wing figures in the country have focused on race.

  Specifically, the fact that Novak was white and his killer was not.

  One of the loudest voices right now is MP Nigel Farage, who says this was an example of anti-white discrimination and prejudice.

  He compared Novak saying "I can't breathe" to the murder of George Floyd and argued that UK leaders were more outraged about Floyd than this case.

  Saying:

  "Proof, if ever there was any, that we're living in a two-tier culture in this country."

  "Where the rights and privileges of white people matter less than those of ethnic minorities."

  He added:

  "Henry's family have responded to this in just the most extraordinarily dignified way."

  "But I suggest the rest of us respond to this with pure cold rage."

  "We need a change in culture."

  "Enough of anti-white prejudice."

  "A promotion of the idea that white lives matter just as much as black lives."

  You've also had others, like Elon Musk, posting footage from the case and writing:

  "The West has created an utterly evil state religion where an accusation of racism is the greatest offense that can be committed, even worse than rape or murder."

  And:

  "If police show up at a crime scene and a British boy is bleeding out, and an immigrant says the British boy is racist, the cops will cuff the dying British boy."

  You're also seeing the case used to spread anti-immigration messages.

  For example, far-right MP Rupert Lowe wrote:

  "Innocent young men and women are being put through the most unimaginable pain because our country has failed to do what needs to be done."

  "Children have to be sacrificed to death in order to appease foreign cultures that have no place in our country."

  "I have had enough of all of it."

  "We're going to look back in anger."

  "I urge you all to do the same."

  Last night, major protests erupted in Southampton, resulting in 11 officers and one police dog being injured.

  The demonstration reportedly started with a few hundred protesters outside Southampton Central Police Station.

  Speakers at the rally said things like:

  "This isn't about race. This is about justice."

  "The white boy who did nothing was handcuffed."

  "The murderer in possession of a knife who stabbed someone five times wasn't even handcuffed."

  But then things quickly escalated.

  Two people were arrested.

  Police reported that chairs, cans, flares, rocks, and anything else nearby were thrown at officers.

  Some protesters could be heard shouting:

  "Shame on you!"

  "Shame on you!"

  "Shame on you!"

  But then on the other side, you have leaders across the country condemning not only the violence but also the right-wing politicians they believe helped fuel it.

  People pointed to Farage telling supporters to respond with rage and Lowe telling people to look back in anger.

  With that, you had people like Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood saying:

  "Misinformation and inflammatory commentary is making a dreadful situation worse."

  Adding:

  "We cannot allow this murder to turn communities against one another."

  "We must condemn those who seek personal political profit from tragedy."

  Officials also noted that a police officer unrelated to the case had to relocate after being misidentified and receiving death threats.

  Others more directly blamed Farage for the unrest.

  The Conservative Party leader said that Farage saw this as an opportunity to grandstand.

  You also had Prime Minister Starmer arguing:

  "Exploiting this tragedy to create grievance and division would be wrong in any circumstances."

  "But to do it when the family are expressly saying 'please don't' is unforgivable."

  "It shows exactly who he is."

  But for now, we'll have to wait and see what happens with these protests and with the situation at large.

  Then we've got even more that we need to talk about.

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• DOJ Investigating George Santos for Betting on Himself Through Kalshi

  Then for our final block of the show today, we've got more news you need to know.

  Starting with the fact that less than a year after being released from prison, George Santos is being investigated by the Department of Justice and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission for placing a bet on himself.

  Yeah. Sounds like a Santos thing.

  He allegedly went on Kalshi and placed bets predicting that he would not go to the State of the Union address.

  Then he purposely skipped it to collect the payout.

  In the lead-up to the address, he actually posted on social media as if he was gearing up to be front and center.

  Writing:

  "I'm going to be there for the State of the Union in the gallery. Guys, just chill. Trolls, chill."

  Santos even posted asking his followers what kind of suit he should wear.

  And at the time, you had traders putting millions of dollars on who was going to be there.

  So these posts from Santos sent betting on him through the roof.

  Then when the day came, he was nowhere to be found.

  Instead posting on Twitter:

  "Watching the State of the Union from an airport TV was not part of the plan. FML."

  And it appears that he pocketed tens of thousands of dollars from those bets.

  Now reports say that Kalshi actually caught the trades.

  They froze his accounts and pushed the case to the DOJ and the CFTC.

  But also, since this news broke, Santos has been saying that any investigation is news to him.

  While he wouldn't confirm or deny whether he had a Kalshi account, he did say that he would be reaching out to the company's co-founder directly about all this.

  Adding that the co-founder is:

  "A fellow Brazilian who I know personally."

  Even though there's at least one source saying that's not true.

  But whatever the case may be, Santos seems to be brushing it off.

  Making a post saying:

  "I hate to disappoint, but I don't engage with rag reporting anymore."

  "Business as usual on my end."

  "Haters."

  So for now, we'll have to wait and see what comes from the investigation.

  And whether Santos here is just bluffing and putting on a brave face.

  Though maybe he's just counting on Trump pardons, considering Trump already commuted his previous sentence.

• Blanche Confirms That Trump Administration Won’t Move Forward With Slush Fund

  Also, speaking of sketchy situations and people, it is now official.

  Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has confirmed that the Trump administration is cutting the slush fund.

  Right?

  That roughly $1.8 billion fund that many believed was going to go to people like the January 6 rioters.

  With Blanche saying that the reason for the fund was that:

  "There were a lot of people in this country who had their government weaponized against them."

  Adding:

  "Those reasons remain as important as they were before."

  "But we are not moving forward with the fund."

  But that is also not the full story.

  Because even though they're dropping this fund that very likely was just going to go to Trump allies, Trump and his family are still going to get to keep their protection from IRS audits.

  That agreement was being negotiated around the same time as the slush fund.

  But technically, it's separate.

  So this ends up kind of being another Trump special.

  Everyday people—who are not the people watching this show and staying tuned into the news—are going to hear about the $1.8 billion fund.

  And then all of a sudden it's gone.

  They're not going to see what's happening with the other hand, which is Trump getting protection from the IRS.

  And also, just for context, that's a huge payday for Trump.

  He's saving roughly $100 million from just one IRS investigation that he was facing.

  It's almost like there's a reason it's illegal for the president and most other executive officials to decide when to start and stop IRS audits.

  So, yeah.

  People are saying this could potentially be a breach of the Constitution's Emoluments Clause, which says that the president can't receive personal financial benefits from holding office.

  However, you have Blanche—who just so happens to be Trump's former personal defense attorney—doubling down and insisting that the deal is normal.

  Saying:

  "Any time the IRS settles with an individual taxpayer or another company, as part of the settlement it's standard, it's typical, to get rid of past and ongoing audits."

  You have critics responding:

  "Of course he's going to try to justify it. He's the one who signed off on it."

  And then..

• Trump Proposes New Tariffs on Trading Partners Accused of Forced Labor

  As far as our final story today, you have Trump cashing out from the Oval Office while also appearing to drain America’s trading partners.

  He is reportedly looking to put at least a 10% tariff in place for 59 countries plus the EU, accusing them of forced labor practices.

  Saying it creates a dynamic where American workers are forced to compete globally on an unlevel playing field.

  But a lot of the countries targeted by his administration have pushed back against those accusations.

  A spokeswoman for the Chinese foreign ministry said there is no such thing as forced labor in China.

  Though the UN and multiple human rights organizations have found strong evidence of forced labor in certain sectors.

  The EU also defended itself, with a spokesperson saying it is fully committed to cutting out goods made with forced labor from global supply chains.

  And adding that it has already entered a joint agreement with the United States to work together to protect labor standards.

  Now you’ve got Trump’s camp calling on a legal play known as Section 301 to slap a 12.5% duty on imports from places like China, Brazil, and the UK.

  While partners like the EU, Canada, and Mexico are looking at around a 10% import tariff.

  And there are reports saying Section 301 is being used as the mechanism to keep tariff policy going after the Supreme Court pushed back earlier this year.

  They said Trump had overstepped when using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose tariffs broadly on trading partners.

  So now, following that ruling, a legal basis was needed to rebuild the tariff structure.

  And this appears to be the workaround.

  With analysts saying it’s a convenient way to re-establish that tariff framework.

  And overall, experts are calling the situation a kind of lose-lose scenario in global trade tensions.

  And that wraps the final story for today’s show.