The GTA 6 Leaks Are Getting Worse

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These new GTA 6 leaks keep coming, they're getting crazier, and you also have the internet divided on what the real scandal actually is. New evidence claims that Meta recruited a 9-year-old to promote its teen safety features, but really the problems just grow from there. You've got big new updates around the Briggs and Minifig scandal, and a politician who backed the death penalty for child sex offenders is now facing five felony charges involving a child. We're talking about all of that and even more on today's brand new Philip DeFranco show, you daily dive into the news, starting with this. You just cannot trust Mark Zuckerberg with kids. That is an actual quote we just got from an ex-Facebook engineer, and it seems to be confirmed day after day. Because you have Meta in the news for several reasons right now, and all have to do with its harmful effects on kids. Starting with this latest investigation from the Tech Transparency Project, which knows that as governments around the world debate proposals to ban social media for kids under a certain age, they're not going to be able to do that. Meta fought back with a global PR campaign, saying they were recruiting lifestyle, parenting, and mental health influencers to promote the safety of Instagram's teen accounts in countries including India, Brazil, Canada, France, Spain, and the UK. Because if you're unaware, teen accounts are meant for users between the ages of 13 and 17, and they come with stuff like privacy protections and content filters. And this was explicitly a way for Meta to be like, hey, we've got this. We're protecting kids all on our own. Pretty please, do not regulate us. Thing is, though, there are serious doubts about how well these accounts actually work for a number of reasons, including testers reportedly seeing sexual and body image content on them. And then you have things like one of the influencers that Meta recruited to promote them, it was a kid from the UAE with nearly half a million followers that appears to be just nine years old who, I mean, just way too young for the teen account. And so overall, you're seeing the situation where Meta has got this uphill climb to try to win over public opinion, and that is only going to get steeper come October. And that's because then you'll have so many pictures set to release a sequel to the social network called The Social Reckoning, and it's about whistleblowers exposing how Facebook covered up all the terrible shit that it was doing. I'm a free speech absolutist. I'm not the one who's lying, and I'm not stopping them from doing it. I'm seeing someone who is. Anxiety, depression of teenage girls got worse as a result of time spent on the platform. I don't want to be made an example of by a guy with unlimited resources. Heart, I promise you, is imminent. Enough! People around here understand that when I say no, that's the end of the debate. Side note, Jeremy Strong's just nailing that. But also, if you can't wait for the film, that's fine, because more or less, that same drama is playing out right now in a federal courtroom in Oakland with the real Mark Zuckerberg. Because for the next six weeks or so, you've got Meta and during this massive trial with a lawsuit that was brought by 29 states, and they allege three things. First, that the company made its platforms addictive to children. Second, that it misled the public about those dangers. And third, that it violated those same kids' data privacy. All of which critics argue has driven a historic price in youth depression, anxiety, and in some cases, suicide. Now, initially, the plaintiffs estimated that Meta could owe damages of up to $1.4 trillion with a T, which made a lot of sensational headlines. But since then, they've apparently lowered that number to less than $200 billion, which is about as much as Meta's entire revenue in 2025. So a lot of money, but obviously a lot less than that 1.4 number. But then also, if this sub $200 billion number is used as a benchmark for other lawsuits, then Meta could be staring down much, much bigger numbers. And so that's why some of the media have taken the California Attorney General's lead in calling this trial Meta's tobacco moment. Without referring to the huge payouts that tobacco companies had to fork over in the 1990s for deceiving customers by the dangers of their products. With that said, in their defense, Meta's spokesperson was like, that analogy is wildly inappropriate. Arguing, first of all, they reject the claim that their platforms are harmful, saying they're not. Secondly, they say cigarettes. are simply bad with no upside, saying social media clearly gives people value. And thirdly, they say they do not target children and they've done tons of stuff to protect them. But then also, they're like, hey, why are you singling us out? Arguing YouTube and TikTok, they're way more popular with kids than Facebook and Instagram. Right? Go bother them. But then you've got critics saying, okay, you're just proving the point. Tobacco companies also insisted for decades that their products were neither harmful nor addictive and that they never targeted children. Meanwhile, you've got people pointing to 1988 with Camel Launching Age Joe Camel ad campaign, which featured an anthropomorphic camel, often dressed in a leather jacket or tuxedo, chill in a bar or surrounded by adoring women. With the message appearing clear, if you smoke camel, you're hip, you're smooth, you're super masculine. I mean, look at that nose. And in fact, by 1991, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that more six-year-olds could recognize Joe Camel than could identify Mickey Mouse or Fred Flintstone. Meanwhile, many of the tobacco execs either wouldn't smoke themselves or didn't let their kids smoke. And it's the same story today with tech. You've got people like Microsoft's Bill Gates saying he didn't give his kids cell phones until they were 14. Google's Sundar Pichai remarked that his 11-year-old son still didn't have a phone. Apple's Tim Cook said, he wouldn't let his nephew on social media. Long-time Facebook board member and investor Peter Thiel said he limited his toddlers to an hour and a half a week of screen time. And last but not least, Zuckerberg himself said in 2017, If our daughters want to use this to video chat with their cousins or their grandparents, I think that that's wonderful. And I think all the research would generally support that. But I don't generally just, you know, want my kids to be sitting in front of a TV or a computer for a long period of time. And so with all this, you have the New York Times concluding about these tech executives for their job. "Without our children, tech does not play the same role it does for the rest of society. Teacher, babysitter, all-purpose distraction, and increasingly constant companion." Meta, they're going to argue that while kids do use their platforms, that's the parent's choice, right? Meta doesn't target them. But there you have the plaintiffs going, okay, well, if that's true, then why are there accounts for My Little Pony, Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig, and SpongeBob, right? Arguing that those clearly aren't meant for over 13s. And while of course, you know, Paw Patrol's not the kind of content safety advocates are actually concerned about, and Meta claims that it has safeguards in place to keep bad stuff away from kids, whistleblowers allege that for years, Meta knew its platforms were addictive, knew how to make them less addictive, and chose not to because it only cared about the bottom line. And so you have these critics saying that when the company finally did implement guardrails, it did so because of public pressure, not genuine concern. And even then, they said the measures were mostly half-assed and superficial, right? That's essentially what Meta's former engineering director, Arturo Behar, testified in the trial, saying that Zuckerberg prioritized profit, growth, and engagement over child safety. And yet I'm claiming that one of Meta's safety tools, the one that reminds users to take a break, that that was designed to fail because it's not turned on by default and reminders are easy to ignore. He also called it common knowledge at Meta that most parents do not have the time to understand the company's products or how their children use them. Even saying that Meta had the tech to flag potentially millions of users suspected to be under 13, but adopted a don't ask, don't tell policy because it would boost profits in the long term. And Behar is actually the guy who said the thing I quoted earlier, you just cannot trust Mark Zuckerberg with kids. Since then, you had during cross-examination, Meta's lawyers being like, "Okay, well, didn't you help your daughter set up an Instagram account?" And you had Behar being like, "Yeah, I did because I didn't know the risks at the time." And guess what? She made simplistic comments, including about her breasts. Now with all this, I should note that Behar, he's been a thorn in Zuckerberg's side for a while now, but he's actually testified as a key witness against Meta in four separate trials so far, one of which, the New Mexico suit, forced the company to pay nearly a billion dollars in damages. But this one in California is actually expected to be the biggest, that is, if Meta loses. Because first, the jury has to issue an advisory verdict, and then the federal judge will decide whether Meta is liable, and if so, for how much. But really what many investors fear most isn't a financial payout, it's an order forcing Meta to actually change its policies, and so for example, you had one investment banker telling The Economist, "If we didn't have infinite scroll, which endlessly loads new posts, we wouldn't have as many ads." Now, if you take a look at Meta's stock since the trial got underway, some investors seem a little skittish, but they're really not jumping ship. And there, you have analysts saying, "Well, that's probably because they're convinced that the burden of proof in the case is high enough, and regardless, Meta can appeal if it loses." Where the thinking is that there's Section 230 of the Communications Act that it can hide behind, or if that doesn't work, Zuckerberg can always try to pull some strings at the White House, which I will say is at least one point where the analogy to cigarettes does break down, because today, the tech industry that you see is uncomfortable. It's unquestionably the most powerful one on Earth. That just was not true about tobacco. Tobacco is big, but it was not the same thing. But even with all that said, it's easy to forget that the latter not only survived, it thrived. But as you had places like MarketWatch pointing out, there was no smarter time to buy up as much tobacco stock as you could than the day they settled for some $200 billion in 1998. Because since then, the bellwether stock for Philip Morris, known as Altria, it's compounded 12.3% per year compared to less than 9% for the S&P 500. Or to say that a different way, if you started with $1,000 in 1998, you would have 10,000 800-DAY if you went with the S&P or $25,500 if you bet on tobacco. So that's why you had them concluding, the agreement did not end the addiction to tobacco. It did not end the company's business model. The cost ended up borne by smokers who paid much more for their cigarettes to finance the settlement payments before many of them died from smoking cigarettes. And so with this, my thinking is, even if Meta ends up having to pay money here, money there, it's huge, it really doesn't seem like it's something that's going to kill Meta. And I also don't have a lot of faith that we will get regulation in a way that is needed because, I mean, I think we have a lot of really fucking old people in Congress that do not fully understand the internet. And there's also just so much money from the tech industry and other parallel industries that go into politics. But maybe I'm just being a cynic, who knows? Maybe they're like this close to figuring it out. And then we've got to talk about this crazy news out of Florida, but first, one, I just gotta say, I'm so excited I'm gonna see some of y'all's beautiful faces in the next 24 hours. And those, they're gonna be the first to many because my crashing out live tour officially starts Friday. August 21st and then 22nd, I'm gonna be in Seattle and Portland. Then next week on August 28th and 29th, I'm gonna be in Boston and Philadelphia. Followed by crash outs in San Francisco, Phoenix, Denver, Atlanta, Chicago, St. Paul, Washington, DC, and Pittsburgh. And so you should definitely grab your tickets right now while you can at crashingouttour.com. Let's take this thing to the next level. And honestly, it's a lot more fun than a PDS and it's still newsy. So again, get your tickets right now at crashingouttour.com. And then two, I'll be right back after a quick break. Because one thing that I've learned from traveling is that the shoes that you think you'll wear for an hour somehow end up being on your feet for like the next 12. And actually with this crashing out tour, I'm about to be reminded of that repeatedly. And thanks to today's partner, Vessi, I've got shoes ready for whatever the day throws my way. I mean, take their weekend Chelsea. They're basically built for travel days where plans keep changing. But just slip them on and go. No laces, no production, and they're comfortable right out of the box. Whether I'm traveling heading to a show or somehow walking significantly further than anyone originally advertised, I don't have to think about changing shoes. And of course, they're Vessi's, which means that they're waterproof, not just water resistant. Or which is something incredibly useful when you're traveling and forecast apparently forgot to mention the rain. And I love how lightweight and breathable they are, which is especially nice when you're traveling in August. And they're versatile enough that I can wear the same pair across different plans without packing shoes every possible scenario. With the crashing outdoor involving enough variables already, my shoes do not need to be one of them. So check out Vessi. They're just great and they're just easy. And grab 15% off your first pair at vessi.com/defranco or scan that QR code plus get free shipping, a one-year warranty, and 30-day hassle-free returns. - Hank joined BJ's Wholesale Club the day he became a father of 30. - I coach football. - Now Coach Hank saves up to 25% off grocery store prices, 30 pounds of pasta, three cases of protein bars, 75 sports drinks. - That's just pre-game. - He knows teamwork and BJ's knows savings. This is your home, Coach, home of the save. Join for just $20 at bjs.com/mesquite and save 10 cents per gallon for six months. Open soon, limited time offer, new members only. BJ's, home of the save. - Cozy season is ahead and you'll be spending way more time inside. Is your home ready? Don't worry. ♪ Wayfair, every style, every home ♪ - This episode is brought to you by TXU Energy. For the first time ever, Texans have an energy plan that combines free nights all year with daytime summer savings. It's called Free Nights in Cool Summer. You get free nights every night, all year long. Plus, a 25% bonus toward your daytime use all summer. It's a first-of-its-kind plan created for how Texans actually use energy. Discover how much more you could save with Free Nights in Cool Summer. TXU Energy, energy for everything. Visit txu.com for more information. Rep number 10004. - Then, Devin, right back into the news. We've got to talk about these Grand Theft Auto 6 leaks and all the scandal. Because there's actually a long history of GTA leaks, but what is going on right now is reaching new heights. Because you have this hacker or hackers known as CyberLeak, leaking just so much ahead of the November 19th release and ahead of the Netflix extended look that's set to premiere on August 27th. Well, right now, you have Rockstar, GTA's development studio, and Take-Two, Rockstar's parent company, scrambling to take down the leaks and put out these fires as fast as they can. A, that's been backfiring because it basically shows people that the leaks are real, and B, the social media situation is already out of control. They might be able to do some things, but the genie's already out of the bottle. Anyone can find the map of GTA 6 and images of gameplay in about two minutes, whether they're on TikTok, YouTube, or Reddit. Well, here, I'm not going to go into too much detail. The leaks are reportedly featured previous unknown details like a fuel gauge on cars and previously unseen elements like melee combat and the return of the Six Star Wanted system. But actually, at the core of this story, you have CyberLeak releasing a manifesto announcing exactly why they say they're doing the hacking and leaking. Essentially, it looks like an act of revenge or protest. They're pissed that Rockstar isn't releasing a physical disc of the game. Right, even if you purchase a box copy of the game, you just get a code. So in their statement to Rockstar, CyberLeak said, "A digital copy cannot sell out, yet publishers kept the pre-order system and stripped away its only consumer benefit. Now gamers pay early and receive nothing in return except a countdown timer and a cosmetic skim." And you even had them sharing a press release with three commandments related to their frustration with Rockstar and GTA 6, saying, "Thou shalt not sell digital pre-orders, thou shalt not sell fake single-player DLC, and thou shalt preserve single-player content." All very dramatic. Now, it looks like their original, or I'll say their latest Twitter account, that got taken down, but they also appear to be posting on another one as I'm recording. Right, and CyberLeak's current Twitter banner reads, "We do not own the games if they do not give us physical additions." With their old bio reading, "Fighting for players' rights." So at least from one angle, this appears to be the continuation or an offshoot of how much people have been angry around people not getting physical discs anymore. Because the physical disc thing, it's not a GTA thing. That is an industry trend. We've even talked about it on the show. Or you had Sony recently announcing that it was gonna discontinue physical PlayStation discs in 2028. And while fans weren't happy about that news, we're very likely gonna see more announcements like that coming in the future from other companies. But then also regarding the CyberLeak hacking, you have a number of people saying, "Well, is it really just a moral crusade to protest the lack of physical discs?" And that's because you've had many noting, and Forbes even reporting, that many of the releases have had watermarks promoting a cryptocurrency for purchase. So you've seen a rise of people going, "Oh, okay. Well, it seems like the leaker or leakers might have an ulterior motive." But then also regarding the public's opinions about CyberLeak's leaks, you've got some cheering them on and others complaining about the fact that they're spoiling the game. One person commenting, "Seriously, keep up the great work." Saying, "I totally agree with what you're doing. Big corporations have just been completely screwing over gamers lately, and we absolutely needed something like this, even though it's a GTA 6." And then you've got others saying things like, "Buddy, stop. Enough is enough. I understand that you're angry with Rockstar. You've already made it clear to them how you feel, but please stop. If the game gets delayed, believe me, a lot of people will see you as an enemy rather than a friend." Also, the thing that we're seeing is that people are reacting to and judging the leaks without fully understanding what they're looking at. Or you've got people that are up in arms with the quality of the content. There, a key thing is that CyberLeak confirmed that some of it is three years old and incomplete. Well, right now, regardless of how accurate or inaccurate they are, Rockstar, they haven't made an official statement about the leaks yet, but you are seeing groups like Stop Killing Games, which advocates for legal protections for digital games, speaking out. Saying in a Reddit statement, "This kind of act is destructive and helps no one. Worse, it risks tarnishing the reputation of our communities and our chances to make change." And they also pointed out that CyberLeak is promoting a meme coin and attaching crypto links. And they warned, "Do not send these people your money." Now, with all that said, right, is this situation gonna have some catastrophic impact on how GTA 6 performs? Personally, my gut says no, considering we're talking about one of the most successful franchises ever. And I mean that both for the core game of GTA 6, as well as the online version. And as far as is Rockstar gonna meet the hacker's demands, that seems unlikely. But there are a number of very interesting conversations being had around this. It seems like yet another example that no one, no company is ever really safe out there from getting hacked. I mean, we've got AI agents out there hacking other AI companies. Well, AI doesn't seem like it was involved here. Rockstar and Take-Two, they're massive companies. You'd assume they have some top tier protection. Also, it's gonna be interesting to see how companies respond to people that are begging for physical discs. Right, regardless what you think about the hack, it's pushed that conversation back to the forefront. And then lastly, how does this affect potentially sales down the road in November, as well as the hype or maybe lack of it regarding the Netflix event in a few days? So there, my personal prediction is that event is gonna be even bigger now. Because you've got people scrambling and scouring the internet to get all the different leaks together, and then they're gonna wanna compare it to what Rockstar puts forward to the public, right? How much of the leak was from three years ago? How does it compare? How much have we seen polished or maybe removed? And then my guess from there is that unless there is a playable and like decently playable version of the game that gets leaked, the sales of this game are gonna be like, we've never seen before or rarely have seen before. But hey, let me know your thoughts, opinions, and reactions to everything that's going down right now in those comments down below. But then actually from that, we've got to talk about the situation in real-world Florida, right? Because you just had a Florida Republican who backed the death penalty for pedophiles get arrested on five felony child sex abuse charges. Yeah, and so this guy is Michael Caruso. He's a 67-year-old married father of seven who also happens to be a close political ally of Governor Ron DeSantis, right? As far as his politics, he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2018. He served until August of 2025 when he was nearing the end of his term limits, and DeSantis appointed him as Palm Beach County's Clerk of Courts. With it appearing like he had a close working relationship with the governor who regularly praised him for supporting hardline causes in the legislature and reportedly calling him my representative after he became the only backer of controversial immigration legislation. Beyond that, you had DeSantis giving Caruso's wife, Tracy, at least three juicy local appointments. Caruso even campaigned with DeSantis in Iowa when he ran for president in 2024. And a key thing that you have a lot of people pointing to is that back in 2023, while he was still serving in the state, you had him becoming a vocal supporter of Florida's capital sexual battery law, which allows prosecutors to seek the death penalty for people convicted of sexually battering a child under the age of 12. And Caruso, he voted in favor of the bill. DeSantis, who signed it into law, reportedly called him a legend for his work in support of the legislation. But now, DeSantis says that Caruso could literally face the death penalty under that same law if convicted. Or because he's been charged with kidnapping, child molestation, lewd exhibition, luring or enticing a child, and child abuse causing mental injury. And according to the arrest affidavit, the victim is a male child under the age of 12 and a relative of Caruso who he allegedly molested multiple times from fall of 2024 to August of 2025. With this, including on a family cruise where he allegedly separated the child from his parents for at least an hour under the pretext of getting ice cream. Right as well as on a Thanksgiving fishing trip where he took the boy fishing alone at a pond. Very notably here, the report also says said that the boy's father confronted Caruso in December of 2025, and while he denied the abuse, he still warned, "Son, if you tell anyone, "I will get arrested. "I will just go away. "You tell anyone, I'm going to jail." And that was also allegedly echoed by his wife, Tracy, when the boy's father spoke to her as well, with the affidavit claiming she too warned that her husband would face a life in jail kind of thing if police were informed. But then even beyond all that, the report also said that Caruso allegedly admitted that he knew that his daughter had previously accused him of sexually inappropriate behavior, including sexual battery, and that he, quote, "acknowledged that he had showered "with all his own children." Now, Caruso, for his part, he's denied the allegations with his lawyer telling reporters, "Mr. Caruso is innocent of these allegations "and intends to vigorously defend himself "against these charges." But also, just a few hours after his arrest, DeSantis signed an executive order suspending him from office, denying that he or anyone in his administration had been aware of the allegations. And you had DeSantis also touting that 2023 capital punishment law, which he called the death penalty for pedophiles, and said that if Caruso is convicted, quote, "he's going to be in a world of hurt." Right, and with all that said, while Caruso hasn't technically been charged with a sexual battery charge, the affidavit does claim that he committed an act of sexual battery of a child under the age of 12 years. So we're gonna have to see how that plays out there, but then also, apparently, we're waiting to see if he is still going to appear on the ballot in November. Right, because he is currently running for reelection, and despite the fact that he is now literally in jail, his suspension reportedly doesn't impact his candidacy, with his lawyer telling reporters that he had no comment on his client's election plans and whether he would withdraw his candidacy and allow the Florida Republican Party to replace him. And then, actually, from that, let's cram in some more news you need to know with some quickies before I let you go. We're starting with this news and a video that's gone viral of a Detroit news anchor just crashing out on a supervisor. - I don't think you are. You're walking out really angry. Bitch. Geez, oh, Pete. Can I please finish what I'm gonna say? What the? Grow up. I'm so done with her antics telling on me. Every five seconds, I'm done. - So a lot of people have seen this. They don't know the full context. That was Taryn Asher, and while this video just blew up this week, it actually happened back in 2023, and it's been reported that apparently, this was the type of behavior that got her pulled off the air in November. Last year, she was then officially fired in June. But notably, that was also when she ended up filing a sex discrimination lawsuit against Fox Television Stations and New World Communications of Detroit, the owner and operator of her station. And you were claiming that the station manager was treating her worse than her co-anchor, Rup Raj, giving her more guest interviews, a better schedule, stuff like that. And she reportedly complained to the station manager about it, which she claims is what actually got her fired. But there, you had Fox speaking out this week, saying that her termination was not retaliatory or about her being a woman. Instead, they say it was about her unprofessional workplace behavior and outbursts. In addition to that, you have people claiming that she had a pattern of this type of behavior. For example, you had her co-host complaining to Fox's HR department in the past that she was jealous and had an issue about men versus women. But you then also have Asher's legal team denying that she had any outbursts that warranted disciplinary action or termination. And then you had them also adding that even if she did, other employees had similar, if not worse, issues and they didn't face the same consequences. And you had them specifically calling out one employee who was caught drunk driving and another who apparently had severe anger issues and violent tendencies. But both of those people apparently got to keep their jobs. Though also, whatever the case actually is, Fox is already saying that they cannot be held responsible for any discrimination she may have faced by claiming that it was contrary to their good faith efforts to comply with the law. And so as things stand now, Asher's kind of just stuck waiting for this to play out. And that's because even though she's now out of her old station, she's dealing with a six month non-compete clause that's keeping other opportunities on hold until things get settled. But she's also fighting to get out of that in the lawsuit as well. Also, you've got the news that it appears that the power of outrage has finally forced Bricks and Many Figs to pull out its checkbook over an allegedly stolen 200,000 or so Star Wars collection. So yeah, if you've been following this, they've agreed to settle with Brian Manziel and as a cherry on top, they even had to apologize. Also, if you miss this crazy train or you need a refresher, Manziel consigned his father's massive Star Wars Lego collection to a Bricks and Many Figs in Oregon. Then there was an owner swap and the collection allegedly went missing. The old owners of the new ones had it, the new owners flip flopped about whether they did, didn't, or even had to legally give them back. And the entire time Bricks and Many Figs corporate essentially made it clear they had no real idea of what they were doing. And so then walks this initially smaller, but now huge YouTuber, Reckless Ben. He comes in, he makes his viral video series. He helps get millions and millions of views. And then oversimplifying everything, it all led to a series of lawsuits, including this one. Now that said, we don't know how much the settlement's for as of right now. The Manziel's claim that the collection was $200,000, but you had YouTuber, CoffeeZilla investigating and finding it was probably considerably less, like in the 90 to $100,000 range. So, I mean, that is still a crazy collection, but it does look like maybe the Manziel's were using the most generous estimation for their stuff's value. But regardless of money, it looks like an apology was also a requirement too. With Bricks' CEO issuing an unqualified apology for the frustration while blaming the original owners because their contract was totally mismanaged. Also reportedly, the Manziel's are transferring their legal rights to the property to Bricks, which will then use it to sue the original owners. And then even there, the legal circus isn't over yet. You still have Ben facing defamation claims and the Manziel's, at least as of right now, are still a co-defendant. Well, presumably, this settlement addresses that the company was very clear that they are still going to go after him. Then also in the news, we've got to talk about how one of Dr. Fauci's former senior advisors just pled guilty to concealing official emails about COVID. And at 78 years old, he could be behind bars for five years because of it. Because you had Dr. David Morenz working with Fauci at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases during the pandemic. And he's been charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States for trying to use his personal email instead of his government email to keep messages about the origins of COVID and COVID grant research funding from the public. And a lot of those emails were between him and the president of a research nonprofit that lost funding for its work with the Wuhan lab that the Trump administration has been blaming for the start of the pandemic. And so Morenz said that he purposely diverted the emails to protect scientists from baseless charges connected to allegations of a lab leak. And there, in some of his emails, apparently he blatantly talked about plans to get around federal laws and learn how to, quote, "make emails disappear." Though since then, he called it a, quote, "misguided attempt to protect people like Fauci "from threats and to stop misinformation "about the virus from spreading." But now that it's all out there and he's pled guilty, he's gonna be sentenced in November. Right, and this is all just the latest in the Trump administration's push to link Dr. Morenz and Dr. Fauci to early chaos of the pandemic. Though right now, there's still no official evidence that scientists or health officials were involved in the research that started or spread COVID back then. So that's why you have experts saying that this is all part of a broader undermining of science and scientists in the United States and saying criminal prosecution of scientists is a classic authoritarian tactic. And then the last thing I'll mention for you today is that our national debt just hit a record high of $40 trillion, now months earlier than experts expected. But apparently, Trump's tariffs didn't help and we were already looking at spending $2 trillion more than we were expecting to make this year. But then when the Supreme Court shot those tariffs down, that put another $250 billion debt into our expected revenue of the year. And then on top of that, you have all the strains from the military spending with the war in Iran and then all the effects of said war, along with things like social security, Medicare, and interest rates from the debt itself. And it genuinely feels crazy. We just hit another record of 39 trillion just back in March. Five months before that, we were at 38 trillion. But then at the same time, you've got the Trump White House saying they've been quote, "Focused on slashing waste, fraud, and abuse in federal spending while accelerating economic growth to get America's debt to GDP ratio trending in the right direction." Though there, you know, while they say they're trying to figure all that out, all of this is trickling down to average Americans with things like groceries, gas, and mortgage, and car loans going up while wages are going down. And so that's why you have experts saying, if we want to improve our living standards, now is the time for lawmakers to put our nation on a more affordable and sustainable path. But at least as it stands now, the debt's just rising with estimates saying that we'll be at 41.1% our current statutory debt limit by as early as this winter. And so you have experts also saying, our current fiscal trajectory is plainly unsustainable. AI disruption, a recession, global war, any number of other events could quickly push us over the edge from a challenge into a full-blown crisis. So, you know, fun times ahead. But that, my friends, you beautiful bastards, is the end of your Thursday show. And I'll leave you with two things. One, I might actually have a special bonus video for you tomorrow. So if you're subscribed, make sure you have all notifications turned on. If you're new here, definitely subscribe. And two, I hope to see a bunch of y'all IRL pretty soon. Especially 'cause who knows when I'm gonna tour again? Get your tickets right now at CrashingOutTour.com. 12 cities, 12 dates. But I'm gonna let you back out into the world. Thank you for watching. I love yo faces. And I'll see you right back here next time.