The Mamdani Reality Democrats Are Fighting to Hide
PDS Published 06/24/2026
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You've got the story that Democratic leadership just doesn't want, whether Trump and the retatrutide scandal and allegations were actually the less important weight-loss story, her wife saved her veteran husband and exposed a horrible situation, and eight people who prosecutors claim are part of Antifa were charged with 450 years in prison.
We're talking about all that and even more on today's brand-new Philip DeFranco Show, your daily dive into the news. So let's just jump into it, starting with this:
Socialists aren't just coming. They are here.
That is what you have a lot of people saying right now after last night's Democratic primaries, because as those results came in, it left Zohran Mamdani with what The New York Times described as "a look of pure disbelief."
With him describing the scene, saying:
"His aides clapped their hands over their mouths. He and his chief of staff hugged for a moment under the gleam of a disco ball, and everyone around them bounced, cheering as if to say, 'Was this all really happening?'"
And adding that a state representative nearby was weeping.
Right, because all three of the candidates Mamdani endorsed won their elections, and the energy in the room was nothing short of electric.
But to understand why this seems like such a big deal, you've also got to understand what the stakes were. Because Mamdani has only been mayor for about half a year. He's still building up his political capital.
As much as people love to raise people up, they love to tear them down and root for failure. And he gambled a lot on these races. Because if his preferred candidates had lost, that would've been a huge blow to his perceived clout and abilities.
It would've punctured this aura of charm and invincibility that he's cultivated around himself.
Between Mamdani's leadership, trying to do what he promised in New York, and the Knicks winning in New York, you've got people there describing it as Disneyland.
But not only did they not lose, they won big.
Two of them beat sitting lawmakers, and the third beat the chosen successor to the outgoing incumbent.
And easily the messiest race—we talked about it yesterday—was Mamdani's pick Brad Lander versus the establishment pick Dan Goldman. They'd been going hard at each other over Israel. Goldman's wife got involved. The DOJ stepped in. It was crazy.
Well, last night, Lander crushed his opponent, though he was very conciliatory in his victory speech:
"I want to say to those who cast their votes for Dan, though we have some differences, I believe strongly that we actually have so much more in common."
And:
"I want to praise him for how he responded to some of the toxic rhetoric that he and his staff faced over the past couple of days, with grace and with gratitude. That is something we need more of in our politics."
But truthfully, Lander was expected to win.
The real shock came when Claire Valdez won her race.
When it got announced—oh my God—the pop.
Also, the district she's representing is often called the "Commie Corridor," so that gives you an idea of its political leanings if the crowd chanting "DSA" didn't already do that for you.
Also, quite a fun fact: the guest DJ playing music in the background was Chelsea Manning, the whistleblower who gave evidence of U.S. war crimes to WikiLeaks.
But anyway, Valdez made it clear this wasn't about her. It was about the movement.
"And make no mistake, this victory is not mine. It is ours."
"It belongs to the UAW. It belongs to ... and it belongs to New York City DSA."
But then the biggest upset of the night came from Mamdani's third pick, the person who would make him the political Triple Crown winner: Darya Lisa Avila Chevalier.
She's a 32-year-old organizer and democratic socialist, and she narrowly beat out Adriano Espaillat, the 71-year-old five-term incumbent and chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
And not only did she go against a major establishment figure, she did so despite a social media footprint that would've sunk a lot of campaigns in the past.
You had outlets from the New York Post, Politico, and CNN reporting on posts and reposts from several years ago, much of which she's since deleted and distanced herself from.
She voiced support for abolishing borders, prisons, and police; seizing property from landlords; dissolving private health companies; and nationalizing utilities, hospitals, and pharmaceutical giants.
People also pointed out that she stated Israel doesn't exist and that most of the political theory she's read is communist.
And:
"The pyromania associated with anarchism is very intriguing to me."
Then, as the cherry on top, she once tweeted:
"Fuck Kamala Harris."
In fact, her opponents even ran an ad with that, though it may have backfired because there are a lot of leftists out there who agreed—or still agree—with that sentiment.
So despite all that history, or maybe in part because of it, she still won.
In her victory speech, she honed in on what she said she's fighting for:
"A community that deserves full investment and full funding in our childcare, in our schools, in our healthcare systems, in our babies."
And:
"I'm not concerned about that. I don't give a damn about that. I relish the challenge. And that is because I have faith."
But also, one of the big things here is that for the Democratic Socialists of America, these three candidates are only the latest chapter in the movement that began with Mamdani.
"We are showing that last June, a year ago tomorrow, was not an anomaly. It was not the end. It was the beginning."
They emphasized that last night's victory is part of a long-term project to build a coalition that does what they say the Democratic establishment simply won't:
End war, abolish ICE, tax the rich, win universal healthcare, and so on.
Mamdani, I think, has really been putting on a masterclass of political maneuvering while refraining from direct threats.
His organizers on the ground are pointing at Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries and saying:
"You're next."
You should also note that these elections weren't a universal win for the DSA.
You had more moderate candidates winning in Utah and Maryland, in no small part thanks to huge donations from AI companies and the crypto industry.
Also, in New York's 12th District, Micah Lasher defeated a number of contenders to replace retiring Representative Jerry Nadler.
And incumbent Ritchie Torres, one of the most vocally pro-Israel members of the House, fended off a challenge from progressive candidate Michael Blake.
Notably, Mamdani stayed quiet on those races. Other people did not.
One of the reactions that got the most attention came from Hasan Piker:
"I'll see you in two years. Just wait this time, Ritchie. I'm coming for you."
"You think it's sweet? Sit on that seat for the next two years. I'll see you in two, Ritchie."
"The decade of socialism. It's coming to a neighborhood near you."
"When I said we were going to let a thousand Zohrans bloom, this is what I meant."
"Hey, after tonight, my price went up. You have to be a democratic socialist if you want some of this shine."
And regarding democratic socialists, DSA membership has surged ever since the dam broke with Mamdani.
While not universal, they've steadily been picking up win after win across the country.
Getting a democratic socialist into the general for L.A. mayor, then actually getting one elected to be D.C.'s mayor last week.
Also, last fall, a self-identified socialist who isn't officially part of the DSA won the race to be Seattle's mayor.
And you've got democratic socialists aiming for congressional seats in Colorado, Florida, and Missouri this year as well.
Actually, after that, they're reportedly setting their sights on the White House.
Politico reports the group is conducting surveys at its 250 local chapters this summer to get a feel for who members think should run in 2028.
And sadly for his fans, thanks to the U.S. Constitution, Mamdani can't run for president because he wasn't born in the country.
There is, however, someone on the top of a lot of people's minds:
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
One of the questions there is that she has so far declined to say whether she's considering a bid for the presidency. Rumor has it she might instead be eyeing Chuck Schumer's Senate seat.
With all of this, there's kind of a few different places to land.
First, I should definitely note that across the board, it's not all smooth sailing for the far left from here.
Because despite all the hype from last night, it is still true that DSA-backed candidates haven't won a race outside of a major city yet.
Then, with that, you have some making the argument that the more they win, the more ammunition Republicans have to terrify older voters, as they've already been seeming to do.
"Well, it actually happened a little faster than we thought it was going to. But the entire Democrat Party has collapsed."
"Because, well, the communists have taken over the Democrat Party."
"And not just the communists. The jihadist communists, who are a red-green alliance mix of radical Islam and Marxism."
"And it is now Zohran Mamdani's party."
Also, Republicans aren't the only ones scared of the rise of the DSA. Many Democrats seem unhappy about it as well.
One example came from former DNC Chair Jaime Harrison, who tweeted:
"Say this with no ill will or animosity. If you hate the Democratic Party, then please do not run for our nomination."
"Don't use our resources. Don't rely on our volunteers. Don't use our infrastructure."
"Don't ask Democrats to invest their time, money, and energy in your campaign."
"Focus on building the party you actually support."
"Political parties aren't perfect, but they're built by millions of people who knock doors, make calls, organize meetings, and fight for the values they believe in."
"If you don't believe in the party, then don't ask its members to carry you across the finish line."
After seemingly getting such a verbal beatdown, he followed up around two hours later with:
"Let me be clear. I don't care if you're progressive, moderate, or conservative."
"I've worked with Democrats across the ideological spectrum."
"We didn't always agree, but we understood that building a stronger Democratic Party was part of the job."
"If you hate the party, you spend your days attacking it, and have contempt for all the people who make it possible, then see above."
With that, Jaime, I'd say there's two problems there.
One, you're doing that thing people do where they take the most extreme example and act like that's what everyone means.
There are millions and millions of Democrats, independents, and just people in general who think that what a lot of Democratic leadership has done over the years and decades is really stupid and fucked up.
Also, with you being part of Democratic leadership and the establishment, I understand why you would see critiques as attacks. And I'm sure there's plenty of legitimate attacks in there.
Which is why I found myself agreeing with Chris Murphy, who quote-tweeted him and said:
"Don't know, man. Who is the Democratic Party if it's not the voters?"
"Democratic voters choose candidates, not party leaders."
"And party leaders need to listen to what voters are telling us."
"And right now they're demanding our party be bolder."
Of course, politics is so nuanced that I can't even fully agree with Chris Murphy's statement, because one of the big critiques of the Democratic Party has been that leadership hasn't always embraced the will of the people when it comes to choosing nominees.
Whether it be what many saw as collusion around Bernie Sanders and efforts to tear him down, or how many Democrats felt robbed because there wasn't a primary process after Joe Biden dropped out so late.
But I do agree with the argument that a lot of Democrats want bolder politicians.
They want politicians to have more of a message and more of a goal than:
"Orange man bad."
And honestly, some of the people who've been best at communicating a message of people rising up together have been democratic socialists.
We're talking about progressive populism.
Talking about cost, healthcare, living your life, having a job, being able to get sick and get care without going bankrupt, and not getting into pointless foreign wars of choice.
Honestly, it's not a direct one-to-one comparison, but you cannot be shocked when people look for new answers to problems after all the previous answers have failed them.
It's part of the reason Donald Trump was elected in the first place.
In fact, there are people who voted for Donald Trump—or at the very least against Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris—because they wanted someone to break the system.
With people thinking he'll mess things up so badly that others will start looking for alternatives that aren't already on the table.
But hey, time will tell.
Is this rise of the DSA and this mindset a flash in the pan?
Or is it the next step in the evolution of the Democratic Party?
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But then also, whether you're nodding your head or shaking your head, leave a comment.
We then also have to talk about this other story out of New York because a woman suspected an aide was secretly abusing her husband in a state-run veterans home, so she set up a secret camera.
She exposed the whole thing.
And somehow, not only did that aide still have his job, months later he was still being paid.
Now the whole thing might have tipped off even more abuse running rampant in that facility for who knows how long.
You can see he was obviously hit with something.
Everything about this video is awful.
So this whole story begins with Albert O'Toole. He's a Gulf War veteran.
Notably, while serving in the Marines, he was caught in an explosion that gave him a traumatic brain injury. Years later, his wife Angela said he was diagnosed with a devastating case of Alzheimer's.
When it eventually became apparent that she couldn't take care of him anymore on her own, Angela checked him into a federal VA facility in Montrose, New York.
For a while, it all seemed well.
That is until he was transferred across the street to a state-run facility.
This one is not VA-run.
But then, all of a sudden, Albert started rapidly declining. He was constantly agitated.
Every time Angela visited, he was heavily medicated, and she even started noticing bruises across his body.
So that's when she's like:
"I'm gonna get to the bottom of this."
And she sets up that secret camera in his room.
What she found was straight out of a horror movie.
Caught on camera, you have Albert's aide yanking food out of his hands, slapping him, punching him, even grabbing him by the neck with both hands and slamming him back into his wheelchair.
At one point, you can even see this guy, Matthew Cox, whacking Albert over the head with the bottom of a shoe.
Then there's one part where you can't see either of them, but you can hear Albert screaming in pain.
And you're left wondering:
How do you hear him screaming and nobody comes to check on him?
Where are the other aides?
Angela said:
"I don't know how I missed it."
"I was there every single day."
"I never dreamt that this would be our life."
"I can't even sleep anymore."
"I just watch him at night on that camera to make sure nobody's hurting him."
But maybe the most infuriating part is this:
All of that happened in March.
Then in April, after Angela reported it, Cox was arrested on felony charges of endangering the welfare of a person with disabilities.
And while the State Department said he was put on leave and later fired, it turns out that up until this past weekend, Cox was still employed at the federal VA and was even still getting paychecks pending the outcome of the case.
Then after News 12 New York exposed that fact, it went viral.
You had VA Secretary Doug Collins tweeting that even though this happened outside of a VA hospital, the VA was immediately initiating removal proceedings against Cox.
But if you're thinking:
"Okay, at least it's over now."
You have to back it up.
Because News 12 also thought:
"Let's check the other patients."
"Let's see how they're doing."
"Let's make sure this wasn't an isolated incident."
Unfortunately, what they found was that over the last four years, the same home Albert was in had racked up more than 47 complaints and 25 citations.
Those included deficiencies involving restraints, medication issues, and failures to report suspected abuse, some of which had already led to people getting hurt.
Even state auditors found failures to prevent and report alleged abuse during an inspection last year.
What you have now is Angela levying even more accusations against the facility during a press conference.
She explained:
"I walked out of the nursing home around 4:00 on March 1st after putting the camera in his room."
"The abuse started at 4:15 that day."
"I wasn't even out of the room 15 minutes before the abuse started."
"That aide had been with my husband since late December, on and off, probably a good five times a week."
She also pointed out:
"The door was open."
"You hear my husband screaming."
"Nobody comes to his aid."
"Nobody checks."
"I'm sick to think how many times that happened before I caught it on camera."
She went on to say that when she reported it to the nursing home's administrator, the very first thing they told her was:
"You can't do that."
"You can't set up a camera in the room because of the privacy of Albert's roommate."
To which Angela replied:
"He hasn't had a roommate since December."
"There was nothing to worry about."
"They were just upset because I caught them."
Since then, she says:
"The reception I get from anybody there is basically, 'Like we said, sorry.'"
She also said:
"While I was in the initial meeting with News 12, they shipped him to the Bronx and dumped him there at the Bronx VA campus."
"They refused to take him back."
"So a man that has no time left lost another two months of his time."
Eventually, she successfully petitioned a judge to get Albert sent back to Montrose.
Though notably, only the state home where he was abused can take him—not the federal VA hospital next door.
One of the big things from that press conference is that Angela was flanked by a group of state lawmakers calling on New York Attorney General Letitia James and the state's health department to launch a full-scale investigation into veterans homes across New York State, especially this particular nursing home.
As one lawmaker put it:
"After not receiving the gold standard, that is a failure of the system."
"That is a failure of the state."
"And it's only because of the courage of Angela that we have been made aware of this."
So yeah, with that, we're going to see what happens from here.
But I guess we have so little good news these days that I feel like I need to crown Angela as BAMF of the Day.
Because without her looking into this, without her taking the steps that someone else needed to take, we don't get these results.
And on the opposite end of the coin, I have to send my worst wishes to Matthew Cox.
Just my take:
You're a tiny, disgusting piece of shit that should be held responsible and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
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And then there's more that we've got to dive into in just a minute.
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But then diving right back into the news, we've got to talk about how the DEA allowed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to hit the streets of New Mexico between 2023 and 2025 and intentionally chose not to do a damn thing about it.
Because that's what we're learning thanks to this absolutely shocking new investigation from the Associated Press.
The investigation drew from both government records as well as interviews with three current and former DEA agents.
Reportedly, DEA agents repeatedly monitored shipments of fentanyl pills but chose not to seize them so that federal prosecutors could bring bigger criminal cases against drug traffickers.
Now, I do want to note, while some of you are going to be saying:
"What the fuck?"
This is actually not an uncommon tactic.
Especially with what we've seen in federal cases aimed at combating drugs like cocaine.
The practice even has a name. It's called "walking the drugs."
The idea is that by allowing drug transactions to be completed, investigators can trace narcotics through the supply chain and eventually take down entire trafficking operations.
Supporters of that strategy say it actually saves more lives in the end because it allows officials to take out the heart of an operation rather than stopping every individual shipment.
But the ethics and effectiveness of that practice are a whole other conversation.
Especially because when it comes to fentanyl, walking the drugs becomes much more problematic.
Fentanyl is far more deadly than drugs like cocaine.
Just a few milligrams can be lethal.
You'll often hear people say that the amount that can fit on the tip of a pencil is enough to kill the average person.
That's why agents and experts told the AP that allowing these enormous quantities of fentanyl pills onto the streets was a risky gamble that endangered public safety.
Particularly in communities across New Mexico, especially Albuquerque, where most of the pills were headed.
You had DEA Special Agent David Howell saying:
"We poisoned our community through our own willful blindness."
"We get to say we don't really know what happened to the drugs, but we 100% got people killed."
And Howell's words carry weight because he actually filed a whistleblower complaint over the practice in late 2023.
He also flagged deaths that he believed the policy may have contributed to.
Earlier that year, Howell was part of an investigation in which DEA agents surveilled a massive fentanyl transaction.
At a mobile home park in Albuquerque, traffickers delivered 74,000 pills.
Agents chose not to seize them.
A decision Howell described as providing one fentanyl pill to every person at a football stadium.
And just days earlier, investigators also watched the same trafficking ring deliver a spare tire hiding suspected fentanyl pills.
They didn't seize those either.
Howell said that after months passed, the feds finally busted the traffickers.
But he claimed authorities were still unable to account for those earlier shipments.
Another major factor here is the timing.
This occurred during the height of the fentanyl epidemic.
The CDC estimated there were more than 76,000 deaths from synthetic opioids in 2023.
While that number has declined over the last few years, New Mexico was at the epicenter of the crisis.
Though overdose deaths fell 14% nationally last year, New Mexico saw a 21% increase.
Also regarding timing, the 2023 incident may have violated DEA policies that were in place at the time.
According to the AP, the DEA adopted fentanyl protocols in 2017 directing agents to seize or otherwise prevent the distribution of fentanyl as soon as practicable.
Those protocols explicitly stated that protecting public safety is paramount, regardless of whether seizures might compromise investigations.
Then in 2024, the DOJ rewrote the rules.
The new policy said investigators may exercise discretion in determining whether to take action to prevent fentanyl trafficking.
It allowed them to balance public safety risks against:
"The benefits to be achieved through preserving the investigation."
It's unclear exactly when in 2024 those rules changed.
What we do know is that Howell continued reporting instances of what he described as the DEA's willful failure to seize fentanyl.
Including an incident in early 2024 where agents allegedly observed separate deliveries of 150,000 and 50,000 fentanyl pills.
Notably, the Office of Special Counsel—the agency tasked with protecting whistleblowers—initially found a substantial likelihood of wrongdoing.
They took the rare step of asking the DOJ to investigate.
Then the DOJ's Office of Professional Responsibility found in 2024 that the DEA and the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Mexico had made reasonable decisions when they let the drugs go unseized.
Writing that their inaction:
"Did not pose a specific danger to public safety."
Both current and former agents said they couldn't understand how the agency reached that conclusion.
How did they determine the tactic didn't endanger the public?
Especially when fentanyl is so dangerous that it must be handled using specialized protocols.
As a result, the DEA continued allowing huge amounts of fentanyl onto the streets.
In fact, a former DEA supervisor told the AP that he and his colleagues in Albuquerque permitted millions of pills to go unseized as part of a multi-state investigation.
Howell reported in his whistleblower disclosures that agents had allowed delivery of at least 1.8 million fentanyl pills.
But supporters of the practice point to what happened next.
That investigation ended in the largest fentanyl bust in DEA history.
You might remember it.
It was announced in May 2025 by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi, who claimed the crackdown resulted in the seizure of more than three million pills.
Even then, critics remained unconvinced.
One former supervisor argued the DEA could have dismantled the organization six months earlier.
Adding:
"The amount we ultimately seized was hitting the streets every month while that case was going."
In response to the article, the DEA defended its actions, saying:
"The investigative decisions at issue were lawful, reasonable under the circumstances, and consistent with Department policy."
They also claimed descriptions suggesting the DEA knowingly allowed fentanyl into communities were false and fundamentally mischaracterized the facts.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Albuquerque argued the conduct Howell reported occurred during the prior administration.
But Howell and the former supervisor pointed out that it was Bondi—Trump's Attorney General—who announced and took credit for the historic DEA bust in May 2025.
And depending on where you're getting your news, reactions to all of this have been wildly different.
So I want to pass the question off to you:
What are your thoughts on the practice of walking drugs?
And even more specifically, walking fentanyl?
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But then next up from that, let's talk about this news that I think might be a good lesson in how internet rumors start.
Because the way this began was with a report from STAT News about Eli Lilly giving access to an experimental obesity drug to a 79-year-old patient.
The drug is called retatrutide.
If you're even remotely on fitness TikTok or those feeds, you've probably heard about it.
You've got people taking it, you've got people wanting to take it, and so far it's been shown to be very effective for weight loss.
But it is not FDA-approved.
According to STAT, Eli Lilly and the FDA allowed one person to gain access to the drug through a compassionate-use program.
This allows patients with serious and life-threatening medical conditions to access experimental drugs.
A clinician reportedly ordered it to treat someone with refractory obesity, obstructive sleep apnea, and pulmonary hypertension.
The person was reportedly 79 years old when the request was made in April.
Sources said the case drew the interest of top health officials, suggesting the recipient was well connected.
So naturally, people started doing the math.
Seventy-nine years old.
Request made in April.
Very well connected.
And people began asking:
"Is it Donald Trump?"
Even the reporters at STAT apparently did the same mental calculation.
One wrote:
"Given the demographics and the peculiar nature of the application, I asked the White House if this patient was President Trump."
And added:
"I did not get a direct answer."
The fact that the White House didn't immediately answer gave people space to run wild with the theory.
And people didn't have to look very far for supporting evidence.
Just yesterday, Trump gave remarks praising Eli Lilly:
"Because right here in Lehigh Valley, Eli Lilly has just announced a $3.5 billion investment."
"Great company, by the way."
Then Trump launched into one of his stories about weight-loss drugs.
"A friend of mine was extremely fat. Sloppy. But very brilliant."
"A brilliant businessman, but he's a slob."
"There's no question about it."
"A very neurotic person, which you need sometimes to be successful."
"But he said, 'President, I just came over here and I bought the fat drug.'"
Trump continued joking about how the drug clearly wasn't working.
And a lot of people wondered:
Who is this friend?
Others suggested Trump might actually be describing himself.
Especially because this wasn't the first time he'd told the story.
Actually, this came up one of the last times he told it because a lot of people thought he was talking about Elon Musk.
But now, with all the theories flying around, the White House stepped in and shut the rumors down.
A White House rapid-response account wrote:
"No, it wasn't President Trump."
"Some people are truly sick and deranged."
Spokespeople also slammed the reporter who said she had asked the White House for comment.
The White House Director of Communications wrote:
"How is this a real quote?"
"You're just a big idiot."
And added:
"You've certainly made a name for yourself by completely embarrassing yourself at the expense of being thirsty for clicks and peddling falsehoods."
The Deputy Press Secretary also chimed in:
"Because this has to be spelled out for Lizzy Lawrence, who has proven herself to be an unserious gossip columnist, this application was not for the president."
Though again, it appears she did, in fact, ask them prior to publishing and only got the runaround.
I do have to add, even though I didn't think it was the president taking this drug—and honestly, I don't care whether it was or wasn't—acting like people are crazy for thinking it might have been Trump is stupid.
People have eyes.
They see how he looks.
The age lines up.
The stories seem to connect.
He's also talked about making GLP-1 drugs more accessible to the general public.
So it's not the craziest leap, especially if you don't give a comment when asked for comment.
But while we're on the topic, I have to note that this isn't even the biggest controversy regarding weight-loss drugs today.
Because on the other end of the spectrum, we're now seeing reports about parents giving their young elementary-school-age kids GLP-1 drugs in a desperate attempt to fight childhood obesity.
You have doctors talking to The Wall Street Journal and saying that childhood obesity is actually very hard to fight and the consequences are severe.
Specialists are seeing high blood pressure, poor blood sugar control, and liver dysfunction in children as young as four years old.
And children dealing with issues this severe generally don't grow out of them.
One doctor added:
"I see kids who have developed Type 2 diabetes at 10, 11 years old."
"They need help so desperately."
Most GLP-1 drugs are only approved for children as young as 12 years old, though they are being tested in children as young as six.
Because of that, doctors have been prescribing them off-label, which has become controversial.
Some fear it could lead to insufficient nutrient intake and interfere with hormone growth and puberty.
Then on top of that, these drugs only really work while you're taking them.
If you stop, you're likely to gain the weight back.
And we don't know what the long-term consequences might be of starting them as a child and continuing for decades.
That's why one doctor said:
"We don't have enough evidence to safely prescribe under 12 at this point."
Adding:
"I think the potential is there for positive impact, but there are not enough studies yet."
Whatever your opinion here, this is a serious issue.
Around one in five kids in America deals with obesity.
And many parents are trying other methods first.
The Journal spoke with parents who completely changed their children's diets and enrolled them in sports.
They started family exercise programs.
Only to see the children continue gaining weight.
With that, one doctor who has prescribed these medications to children under 12 said:
"We don't know what the long-term effects could be."
"And that can be scary and unsettling."
Then adding:
"I do know that having obesity when you're seven—especially severe obesity—is very likely going to lead to reduced quality of life, premature mortality, and really not a good life."
So once again, we have a lot of things I want to hear from you on today.
What are your thoughts on any of this?
Whether it be the Trump stuff or what's happening with kids?
And then there's even more that we've got to dive into in just a minute.
-
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Let's talk about how a terminally ill child under the age of 12 was euthanized in the Netherlands for the first time since the country expanded its euthanasia laws.
Now the doctor involved could still get into trouble.
Dutch Health Minister Fleur Agema revealed the case when she presented a report from the committee that reviews medically assisted deaths of children.
While she didn't provide details about the exact age of the patient or the illness involved, because the patient was a child, the case is being referred to the Public Prosecution Service to determine whether doctors followed all legal requirements.
Two years ago, the Netherlands legalized euthanasia for children between the ages of 1 and 12.
Before that, euthanasia was only available for infants under one year old and children over 12.
With the expansion, the Dutch government stated that euthanasia is only permitted for patients experiencing unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement due to a medical condition.
They specifically noted that this can apply to illnesses such as cancer or severe cardiovascular disease.
Doctors must also follow an extensive checklist before approving euthanasia.
Among other requirements:
Parents must provide consent.
Doctors must determine the child is not under duress.
The suffering must be unbearable with no prospect of improvement.
There must be no reasonable alternative treatment available.
As for the impact, when the law was first expanded, officials estimated that only five to ten children would qualify each year.
Which is why this case is being viewed as the first of its kind.
Authorities are now reviewing it.
And if it turns out the legal requirements were not met, the doctor could face fines and up to 12 years in prison.
We should know more soon.
But in the meantime, I'd really love to know your thoughts on this situation and euthanasia in general.
-
You have eight people who prosecutors say have Antifa ties.
They just received a combined 450 years in prison after a protest turned violent.
Former Marine Benjamin Song received 100 years behind bars for shooting an officer.
Other people involved received sentences ranging from 50 to 70 years.
And the judge described their actions as:
"An assault on democracy."
According to the DOJ, during Fourth of July protests last year, these alleged Antifa operatives fired fireworks and vandalized cars and a guard kiosk at the Prairieland ICE Detention Center in Texas.
Charges included:
Rioting
Weapons violations
Explosives offenses
Providing material support to terrorists
Obstruction
Authorities identified Song as the leader of the group.
He was convicted of attempted murder after prosecutors said he yelled:
"Get out the rifles!"
Before opening fire and wounding an officer who had just arrived on the scene.
Song's attorney argued that he was firing suppressive fire after the officer aggressively drew his firearm.
The attorney also noted that the officer was struck by a ricochet.
Song could have received a minimum sentence of 20 years.
Instead, he received 100.
His attorney said they plan to appeal.
Adding:
"Aside from this day, Song has had an impeccable record."
"Former Marine."
"Good student."
"He had a lot of good qualities."
Supporters of the defendants have argued that the sentences were excessively harsh.
Song's attorney said:
"Our issue with this case has always been that this isn't a bunch of terrorists."
"This is a bunch of kids and young adults who really have a big heart and wanted their voices to be heard."
"It was never intended that anybody get hurt."
"It was never intended that any shots would be fired."
The protesters have also denied any formal Antifa connection, saying they were there to support immigrants held in the detention center.
But of course, that's not how Trump's camp sees it.
Antifa has been one of the administration's biggest targets.
Last year, Trump officially designated Antifa as a domestic terrorist movement.
Which many found controversial because Antifa—short for anti-fascist—is not a centralized organization.
It's more of an umbrella label used by various groups on the political left opposed to fascism, neo-Nazis, and white supremacists.
Experts have repeatedly noted that Antifa is not a single coordinated group.
Even so, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said:
"These sentences make clear that Antifa terrorists who attack law enforcement and federal facilities will face swift and uncompromising justice."
-
Last up today, you've got Mark Zuckerberg stepping into the prediction-market space.
He's reportedly started working on an app called Arena, which appears similar to platforms like Polymarket and Kalshi.
The major difference is that users reportedly won't be betting real money—at least initially.
Instead, they'll wager using video-game-style points.
Though sources say Meta has not ruled out eventually allowing real-money betting.
Especially because insiders have described Arena as experimental but also a top priority.
Framing it as part of a broader effort to create new types of apps built around emerging social behaviors.
With all of this, some critics are saying it feels like more than just competition.
For example, Senator Richard Blumenthal said:
"Meta copied slot machines with kids."
"Now Zuckerberg is turning his company into a prediction market."
Claiming that Meta's business model profits from addiction.
Kids, gambling, and attention.
And that's notable because Facebook and other social-media platforms have already become legitimate sources of addiction for many people.
So when you combine that with the optics of a prediction-market app, some people are understandably raising red flags.
That said, the app is still in its early stages.
Sources have emphasized that there is no guarantee Arena will ever actually launch.
But if it does, a lot of people are going to have opinions.
And that, my friend, you beautiful bastard...
Is the end of your Wednesday Philip DeFranco Show.
But the show can still go on.
Because you should definitely check out today's brand-new episode of Crashing Out with myself and Alex Pearlman.
And I will say, with just how ridiculous, stupid, and annoying a lot of things are right now, this was probably one of my favorite episodes to shoot recently.
You're definitely going to want to stay until the end.
The last 30 minutes are very interesting.
So click or tap to watch.
I've also got a link to it in the description.
And no matter what you do, let me just say:
Thank you for watching.
I love your faces.
And I'll see you right back here tomorrow.
