Why Asmongold's Kid Shooting Ban Split The Internet

This Aspen Gold situation has blown up and divided the internet after he got banned from Twitch for saying that migrant children should be shot and then proceeded to double down.Meta's open -weight AI firestorm's gotten even bigger, but Facebook also just got caught shelling out money to neo -Nazis and AI slop farms.You also have decades of abuse getting uncovered at this prestigious art school with the Jeffrey Epstein connection making the story even darker.And you've got a flesh -eating parasite spreading through Mexico with cases now reaching the United States.We're talking about all of that and even more on today's brand new Philip DeFranco Show, your daily dive into the news starting with this.When or if you have a kid, you've got to make some really difficult decisions about how you're going to raise them.

And half the time, you'll have an idea about what you're going to do, and then you're actually in the position, you do something different.Right, so do you full helicopter parent, never let them out of your sight and stick a tracker in their skull?Or do you hand them a key, tell them, hey, stay safe, release them out into the open world to explore and gain experience?And, or is it somewhere in between, right?Because there is a very similar debate going on right now about humanity's super smart, super awkward robot children, AI models.Because on one side, you have Anthropic and OpenAI who argue that new models are dangerous and they should be securely contained and developed under strict supervision.

But then on the other side, you've got Meta, Microsoft, and Google who argue that the greater danger lies in restricting AI while the other kids on the block grow up much faster.And by the other kids, they largely mean the Chinese AI startups that have been releasing more and more powerful models at comparatively lower costs.Or because a lot of the normie -verse isn't aware of it, you've got Moonshots, Kami K3, Alibabas, Quen 3 .8 Max, and DeepSeek's V4 Flash, all of which not only rival their top American competitors, but also have one key advantage.They're open weight, right?And weights are the industry term for all the parameters, biases, or weights that govern how an AI thinks and responds.You can basically think of it like a board full of knobs and dials that let you tweak the model's personality, right?

How much of insert attribute do you want it to be?That is what open weight gives you access to.And it's a different thing than open source, which you've probably heard of before, right?Because that's where the actual source code making up the AI itself is public.So you can even rebuild it from scratch if you wanted to.But the reason that you're seeing this being such an important thing is that open weight models are typically cheaper.

They give users more freedom to model.them and they can be downloaded right to your device.instead of running off of a data center somewhere.And so over time, you've had both producers and consumers gravitating toward open weight models, especially after these recent cybersecurity breaches.And we talked about it on a recent show, but you had that open AI model going rogue, hacking into another company called Hugging Face.And actually when that happened, Hugging Face had no choice but to use a Chinese open weight model to defend itself against the attack.

Because closed models have restrictions on being used for cybersecurity.And the key thing is that this is not isolated.You've got this as also other companies' AI models have gone rogue as well.And that includes Anthropic and Meta, hence the debate over the parenting styles.Because while you have one side taking these breaches, reaches as further proof that AI needs to be even more tightly controlled by the companies that make them.The other side, they argue that everyone should be given access to these models so they can defend themselves.

And on that side, you've got Meta who just announced that it's making its most advanced model, MuseSpark 1 .2.

We're also working to make sure that everyone has a personal superintelligence agent that works 24 -7 on your behalf to improve your health, your relationships, your career, your finances, and more.

of writing in an online manifesto, everyone will have an exceptionally capable personal agent that understands you, your goals, and everything you care about.And then, seemingly anticipating the obvious concern that people might have with that, he assures everyone that it'll have strong privacy and security options, so you can just trust it to handle all your personal content.In fact, he says that it'll have a fully private mode where even Meta or any other service provider cannot see or grant access to your information.Now, whether you buy that or not, whether you believe Zuck or not, that's on you, but either way, privacy for individuals, you know, that's just one half of the equation.Another concern you're seeing is about security for the public.But because the helicopter parent critics, they warn that opening up access to these AI models for just anyone to tinker around with, it could end up getting the tools in the wrong hands.

Think people like hackers or cryptographers.bioterrorists.But you've got Zuckerberg seemingly dismissing that criticism, writing, than ever before.Though I should then also add for you that it will also empower meta -shareholders to make an obscene amount of money, most likely.Whether it be one, by convincing everybody they need a 24 -7 AI agent plugged into all their devices, and or two, because it's widely seen that a lot of the other companies are way ahead of them as far as AI agents.But either way, what you saw was Zuckerberg spending a lot of this manifesto pitching the lax approach to AI development to American policymakers.

With him claiming that any policy that slows American model releases, even by a month, could let China race ahead.And Trump, He seems receptive to that argument because he reportedly told AI developers this month that open weight models don't have to undergo voluntary safety tests.But of course, you know, getting the product out there quicker than your competitors is just one step, right?People have to actually want it.Zuckerberg's told people that he's betting on there being a huge consumer market for personal AI agents, which is a pretty big bet.Because reportedly, Meta expects to spend as much as $145 billion on AI infrastructure just this year.

And that's not only to improve its existing core products like Facebook and Instagram, it's to roll out these brand new products and hope that they pay off.And notably, after the last quarter, reportedly had a free cashflow of just $784 million.Which may sound like a lot of money to you and me, but it's also a roughly 90 % drop from the $8 .5 billion reported a year earlier.In fact, the last time that its free cashflow was this small, the company was burning money on the metaverse.And that bet obviously hasn't paid off.And so you've seen these tight numbers making a lot of investors queasy.

And so seemingly as a result, Metastock fell 10%.Though I will say, the markets maybe are showing a little more confidence in Zuckerberg since he unveiled Muse Glimmer.With the stock climbing nearly 3 % in pre -market trading.But one, where the stock is going to end a week from now.We'll see.Could be up, could be down.

And two, whether it's good for shareholders is also a completely separate question from its impact on humans.And you really have no shortage of critics out there saying there is a reason to worry.And that's for a number of reasons, including the way Amita's idea of putting AI in the hands of everyone could collide with the Facebook creator fund to create a just shit sandwich.Because we already know from reporting that AI slot farms and meme factories based in countries like India, Indonesia, Nigeria, and elsewhere, they rake in money by flooding the platform with high engagement, low quality content.a lot of that content is political, and that some of the creator fund goes to white nationalists, neo -Nazis, and anti -vaxxers.And to arguably, the more you lower the barrier for anybody and everyone to use AI and whatever they want with minimal restrictions, the more we're gonna see it get weaponized for political or financial gain.

But again, at the same time, you have others like Zuckerberg arguing that the technology is just as, if not more dangerous in the exclusive control of a few corporations and governments.So what is the better option?Or I guess, what is the least worst option?But then from that, We dive into another extremely divisive and controversial topic.And that's because you have Aspen Gold, one of the biggest streamers in America, saying that migrant children should be shot.He then got banned from Twitch, and then he made a video doubling down on his comments.

You actually had all this starting last week when Aspen spoke about a wave of thousands of migrants from Morocco crossing the border into a Spanish territory in Northern Africa.Right in that, it sparked a ton of chaos in the area, as well as a ton of misinformation online.And while discussing this, you had Aspen defending the idea of shooting migrants who illegally cross borders like this, including children.

I think they should just shoot them.Like I've said this before, like I know that it might sound like, oh, well, you shouldn't do that.I have no sympathy for for doing that.And I would do that in a second because it's the right thing to do in the long term.And there's always this this is emotional blackmail, right?Well, you can't shoot these people.

They have kids with them.Well, then don't bring your kids.If you don't want to get shot, then don't bring your kids.It's really simple.You mean you'd shoot adults and deport the kids, right?Well, I'd shoot whoever.

Yeah, I'd shoot whoever.I mean, if it's kids, women, uh, men, anybody, just shoot them.They're gonna stop coming over.Because if you don't do that, they'll use children and women as shields to get themselves over.And then they'll put more women and children at risk because they know that they can use them as collateral so they can get more of themselves over.That's the way it works.

That's the way an animal thinks, and these people are animals.

They're savages.He then had him acknowledge that his comments might sound extreme and cold, but he claimed that a country should do whatever is necessary to protect its borders.And again, arguing that by killing all migrants that come over, including kids, it'll stop adults from using children as so -called shields.And while responding to comments, he added.You say you shoot kids?

Yeah, yeah, no, that's, I mean, obviously that's what I said, right?I mean, like, that's clearly like, I mean, I mean, that's like, I don't know why, like, why would you repeat it to me as if I didn't say it?Keep the kids, deport their families?What do you think the kids do?

The kids grow up and they resent you for supporting their families to turn into terrorists.And while you saw that he had a decent chunk of his audience that he's cultivated supporting this, it also led to a ton of backlash.And so you have people writing things like, he was casually dropping genocidal rhetoric and normalizing the murder of women and children.Adding, still got his fan base on their knees saying dumb shit like he's got a point.No, the fuck he doesn't.Psychopath with a platform.

And then even when you had reports breaking that Asman had been temporarily banned from Twitch, the criticism only grew louder with something that those comments, they were so bad that it should be permanent.But then on the other side of this, you saw that his ban sparked outrage for a different reason.One, you had people saying that he shouldn't have been banned in the first place.And two, you had some saying, hey, if Asman's rhetoric landed him a ban, Hasan Piker should also be banned.You even had Elon Musk writing, why does Twitch have this double standard?Which then resulted in Hasan jumping in to try to defend himself, suggesting that the clips that Elon was using to justify a ban were taken out of context.

whereas, quote, Aspen Gold urged people to shoot and kill migrant children, which is very real.And while his supporters agreed with that take, and Aspen Gold supporters agreed with their take, there was also a fair share of people that were like, yeah, ban them both.And now one of the latest people to address the controversy is Aspen Gold.himself.Because over the weekend, you had him posting a video titled, Why I'm Gone.And there, you had the explanation partially being tied to the ban, as well as a health scare he said that he was dealing with at the same time that he went to the ER over, though it looks like it was nothing serious.

So then with that, he explained that the ban that he got from Twitch, it lasts two weeks, though he plans to appeal it.And though he doesn't know for certain, he suggested that these comments about migrants were what led to the ban.But really the part of the video that got the most attention was when he chose to double down on that narrative anyways.

I'm straight -up so I think you should shoot these people the people were saying that you couldn't do that because well there might be kids in the crowd and my Response to that is that you should shoot them.Anyway, you should do this Anyway, and it doesn't matter really what the collateral damage is You should defend your borders Especially when you're being invaded by such a massive force of people and I also referred to the people that use the human shields as animals Yeah, that's exactly what I think.I think they're f***ing animals.If you use children as human shields in order for you to invade a country or in order for you to do terrorist attacks, I think that you're a f***ing animal, and I'm not sorry for it.I want to let you know that I apologize for nothing.I meant exactly what I said, and I think that these borders should be defended with lethal force.

You then also had Aspen pointing to other situations where he thinks that children potentially being used as shields should not be spared from harm.

In a lot of gang culture, what they do is is they'll use children to commit crimes because they know the children will not be sentenced in the same way that an adult will do.If these kids were being charged as adults, the entire tool that these people were using, you know, these gangs were using of having children commit crimes on their behalf, this tool would effectively be rendered ineffective.But we don't want to do that because it makes people sad to put kids in jail.But From my perspective, the way that I see it, is that it makes me sad to see kids that were abused, that are trafficked, and that are put into these situations.I think that I really do have the most moral and ethical position on this.Because the moment that you create an

incentive, you also drive a behavior.

In this video, again, it highlights, depending on where you go on the internet, drastically different reactions.If you go into his comments, you'll see a ton of his fans agreeing with him, upset with Twitch, saying he did nothing wrong.But then you hop somewhere else on the internet and there's no shortage of people saying this choice to take those comments further and refuse to apologize, all while planning to appeal the ban.it just stoked more anger.Or with people arguing, someone going, I apologize for nothing when getting banned for advocating for the slaughter of women and children should disqualify you from appealing said ban.And tripling down and quadrupling down on killing migrant children is completely fucking deranged.

Only 14 days is not enough for this insane rhetoric.Keep him banned indefinitely.But with all that said, as all of this continues to play out, I gotta ask you, where do you land on this?Right, one, what are your general reactions to the takes themselves?Two, what are your thoughts regarding the 14 day ban?And three, Do you think that Twitch has a double standard, whether you think that other people should be banned as well, or that he's being targeted?

And then we've got to dive into this crazy Epstein connected situation, but first one.Quickly, if you haven't already, hit us with a like to keep us in your feed and subscribe if you're new here.And two, we have a quick word from today's sponsor.I want to give a shout out to all the beautiful bastards out there that have entered our weekly $500 Seat Geek giveaways.Because today's sponsor, Seat Geek, has doled out nearly $60 ,000 to you guys to get you off the couch and into the comedy club, the stadium, or concert hall since 2024.And it's been really awesome.

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We'd never leave you out.out.Add code Phil10 to your account and you're entered.So yeah, scan that QR code or click the link below and add code Phil10 and go make some memories.But then diving right back into the news, we've got to talk about the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan, right?And this place goes way back.

It was founded in the 1920s.It draws students from all around the world to attend both its boarding school and its summer camp to help launch the careers of some pretty huge names like Josh Groban and Chapel Rowan.But maybe the most, famous former Interlochen student, is Jeffrey Epstein.You had him attending when he was a teenager, and later he became one of the school's most celebrated donors.He even had a lodge named after him.Though, after his conviction in 2008, Interlochen said that they cut ties with him, they changed the name of the lodge, but also as with kind of everything else the guy touched, there was still some red flags.

In fact, you had the New York Times reporting that mingling with students at Interlochen as an alumni and a donor, that's where Epstein encountered some of his earliest victims.And in fact, the school, which had already brought in a law firm in 2024 to investigate reports of sexual abuse by faculty and staff, expanded that investigation to include the allegations against Epstein as well.And with the report, it's now been released and it is so much worse than you can even imagine.Right after two years of interviews, the reports say that roughly 70 former students described sexual abuse by nearly 50 adults who were employed or affiliated with the school from the 1950s to the 2010s.You've got a full range of allegations that these teachers were grooming, flirting with, sexually touching, and even outright having sex with these students.You've got the report reading, the information gathered during the investigation is simply devastating.

Right in it, it talked about the severe impact those traumas had on the students with, for example, one saying afterwards she was lost and just went home while all her friends were applying to other performing arts schools.And another saying, I do remember it being a pretty significant blow to my motivation to continue as a young artist.And that's just the academic impact.There's also the career side.You had many saying they didn't pursue performing arts as a full -time job because of the abuse at Interlochen.You had one saying that he decided against it because, quote, it all seems so integrated.

If you were going to pursue this, this was going to be part of the deal.You would need to be sexually involved with someone if you would continue to be a performer.And then you've got the mental health and personal relationship side of things.Many of the alumni that this law firm interviewed said they've had to seek therapy to process what happened to them.depression, anxiety, PTSD, eating disorders, substance abuse, and on and on.You have a significant number saying that they found it hard to trust people and that the abuse they faced at Interlochen, it skewed their perception of older men.

It taught them to be uncomfortable when people come onto them and poison their relationships with men altogether.And as far as Epstein's involvement in all this, you have the report including the accounts of two of the three former Interlochen students who have described having disturbing encounters with him.With one of them telling investigators that Epstein engaged in sexual conduct with her, brushing against her body over her clothes in a manner in which he indicated was accidental.And then adding that he paid her to visit him in New York while she was a student.And when she was there, he'd often put his hands on her and she described him touching her crotch.And then you had another alum saying that Epstein also paid her to go to New York after she graduated and that she had given him a massage and he quote, may have asked her to remove her top.

And then very notably, that woman's mother reportedly called the school to warn them that Epstein was preying on students.But then she said that no one from Interlochen ever followed up.As far as the school now, when this report came out, they released an overview and an apology letter saying, we are deeply sorry for the harm experienced by members of our community and extend our apologies to those impacted by abuse at Interlochen.And adding, we also want to say clearly, Interlochen will not tolerate predators or those who enable them.Saying our campus exists to protect, educate, and empower every student.And they went on to say that Interlochen is fundamentally different than it was back then.

And adding that the majority of the abuse mentioned in the report took place many decades ago, and that reports of abuse at Interlochen have significantly decreased over the past 25 years.You then also had them saying that they turned over the names of all the accused faculty to the local authorities.And they added that no one accused in the report is still employed at the school and many of them are dead.And actually, they named a few of the staff who have passed away, but who also investigators got multiple firsthand accounts of creepy pervasive behavior about.So that included Byron Hanson, who worked at the school from 1960 to 2015, Charlie McWhorter, who was a trustee from 1970 to 1999, and John Hood, who worked there from 1963 to 1979 full -time and seasonally until 2004.But then what you saw is that this, you know, saying sorry and naming a few names approach, it didn't sit well with a lot of the Interlochen alumni who were abused.

And one of those people was Paul Bush, who was a dancer who was sexually abused by his ballet teacher at Interlochen back in 2005, when he was just 16 years old.after he died.a summer as a music student at Interlochen, Paul was recruited by Thomas Clower to be a boarding student during his sophomore year of high school.Right on a partial scholarship and everything.And you had Paul telling NPR that he was over the moon about it.Saying, the summer students, they dreamt of getting a spot as a boarding student, that it felt like his prayers had been answered.

Saying, a lot of my desire was to prove that I was enough, that I was good enough and that I was worthy of love.And so that he said, it put him in the perfect condition for someone to prey on him.And as Paul tells it, Clower began showering him with attention and became increasingly increasingly involved in his life.They'd meet one -on -one, Klauer would email him inappropriate questions about his personal life and sexual activity, and Paul said that he let a lot of the creepy behavior slide because, quote, But then one day, Klauer brought both Paul and another student over to his house, and they all watched a movie together, with Paul describing Klauer throwing a blanket over the two of them and then touching his thighs and genitals while the other student was sitting right there, saying, Offender Registry and Interlochen, they fired him.But for Pauly, said that the trauma went beyond just that incident.In the aftermath, he was interviewed twice by investigators from the Sheriff's Department, and he was grilled about his sexuality, and he became a social pariah for his last two years at Interlochen, saying, I was never integrated back into the community.

I was always looked at as different.While he went on to dance professionally for over a decade, he struggled with mental health issues, including PTSD and substance abuse.As this topic of abuse at Interlochen has gotten more and more attention, You have Paul placing the responsibility solely on the school, saying it's the lack of aftercare, let alone that it happened 69 other times with other people.The fact that the Predator was on the campus to begin with is all Interlochen's responsibilities.He and many of the other alumni, they're still waiting for some sort of real accountability.You've got Paul saying the school's apology letter doesn't even come close to that, adding, they get to say case closed.

That is completely unacceptable because guess what?My life is still open.And then before I let you back out into the world, let's cram in some more news you need to know today.And we'll do it quick, starting with this boat captain that just got arrested.Because he had a boat capsizing in New York Harbor this weekend, killing a mom and her five -month -old, with the boat flipping around 10 times.Saturday night near the Statue of Liberty.

And it could have been so much worse, but luckily, when it happened, there was another boat nearby.So they were apparently able to call for help and get 12 survivors on the boat as officials arrived on the scene.And while the response was huge, right, the fire department, the NYPD, the Coast Guard, it was actually the police divers on the scene who eventually found 27 -year -old Sarah Sanchez and her daughter, Antonella Garcia, in the water.And while they were both taken to the hospital in critical condition, They ultimately didn't make it.Well, we're still waiting on details on what exactly caused the boat to flip.Apparently part of it looks like it was because the captain, Manuel Hernandez, had 14 people on board when the boat was only big enough to hold about a dozen.

So now he's been charged with 13 counts of reckless endangerment.Actually, the police are also investigating whether or not he was working under an illegal charter that night.But then also in the news, you've got the Trump administration getting ready to pay a total of $300 million in grants for cities that are willing to cut what they're calling progressive ideologies on policing.They want those cities to fall in line with direct support for federal immigration enforcement, tighten up on anti -homelessness laws, and provide treatment for people on the streets with mental health problems.And apparently you've got cities like D .C.

and Memphis being called the model cities for all this.And so with those changes, next month, the Justice Department is announcing up to four finalist cities who will split that money.But then with all this, you have some leaders saying this money is just an enticement to get them to give in to Trump's ideological interests.Because apparently to get the grant, they have to be evaluated by senior political appointees from the Justice Department instead of something legal experts say is more politically correct.like a peer review process.Also, they have to have documented buy -in and support across their local governments as well.

And then on top of that, you're also seeing some more logistical reasons that people are skeptical.Right, and one example is we don't know if accepting the grant means that they'd have to also let the National Guard in if Trump made that call.And if he does, it also sounds like those recipient cities would be the ones who would have to pay for it down the line.And so that's why you have legal experts saying that forcing those cities to preemptively flip the bill for future unspecified federal interventions in their own backyards is unprecedented.But with all that, you have the DOJ saying, hey, there are already some cities that are interested, although they haven't said specified which ones.And so you're gonna see next month how this all plays out.

And more importantly, how the people of those cities react.And then you've also now got the news that former NBA center, Inez Cantor -Freedom is the latest.pro to officially declare for the 2027 WNBA draft.And I say latest because you have him along with former NBA first rounder, Royce White, saying that they're joining the women's basketball league by claiming that they're entering the draft as transgender women.But really everyone knows that this is a deliberate political pressure campaign, a political stunt targeting the WNBA's eligibility policy.Because even these two are not exactly hiding it.

You have them pointing out that while the WNBA's collective bargaining agreement states only women can play the 400 page document, never actually defines the term or set specific guidelines on self -identification.It seems like this whole standoff exploded after Indiana fever guard, Sophie Cunningham, publicly voiced support for barring biological men from women's sports.And actually all of this has now resulted in WNBA commissioner, Kathy Engelbert, sending a memo to all teams saying that they were forming a task force to address trans athlete eligibility.But notably that seems to be a decision in the hands of the league itself and not the players because the players association issued a statement declaring that they refused to be used as political pawns.So that's not to say that players and even coaches haven't supported trans athletes on their own.And they have, but also this is one of those issues that no matter what the WNBA decides here, what they do, there's then just going to be another blow up.

And in the meantime, Cantor and White, they're facing praise and criticism.Those against trans athletes think that they're making a good point about how is they see it.It's ridiculous to let trans players play.But then on the other side, you have many saying that it comes off as an absurdist example for a few reasons.The first being that this is just a bridge that the WNBA has never actually had to cross.There are no trans athletes in the league, none intending to enter other than supposedly Cantor and White.

But those two seem clearly not happy.not serious though, hey, if they seriously transition, I recant that statement.But overall for many here, it comes off as a culture war stunt that's meant to distract from the really bad things that are happening right now, or just a way to troll and grift.And then also you've got the news that your taco Tuesday might've just turned into a serious biohazard.Right in that, because you now have Taylor Farms issuing a massive recall across over 20 states for prepared foods containing jalapenos because of potential salmonella contamination.And so far over 340 people have actually gotten sick and that number is expected to rise.

And if you're thinking, hey, no big deal, I'll just avoid Taylor Farms stuff.like Chipotle.and Qdoba, they have to pull their peppers and it's also going way beyond just them.Turns out Taylor Farms provides produce to pretty much everyone in every grocery store.So the recommendation right now is to just avoid anything with jalapenos.And while the products affected have a best -if -used -by date of up to August 16, the good news, at least if you believe it, is that Taylor Farms does not expect this to be a problem after that.

Right, because the CDC and FDA traced the outbreak to co -citrus distributors who Taylor Farms bought from, and the two are no longer working together because of this.And a huge thing is to say this has been like a few bad months for Taylor Farm, that not only is an understatement, because they were also tied to the massive cyclospora outbreak that got thousands sick, but also for many Americans, this feels larger.These recalls have become increasingly common.Just this month alone, you've had multiple produce outbreaks, not to mention the FDA just issued recalls of pastrami and corned beef linked to listeria, as well as over 12 ,000 pounds of bacon.And it does end up kind of holding up when you have many blaming the Trump administration for cutting funding across the board.Because while outbreaks, they're always more common in the summer, right?

It's hot and the conditions are perfect for the bacteria is to thrive, Trump hasn't made things easier.His administration has cut reporting requirements on at least five different pathogens, including cyclospora.So tracking exactly how bad this year is, is a bit harder, although we do know that there does seem to be at least a small spike so far.But also tracking whether that's because of Trump's policies or just it being a really unlucky year, to be super confident about that, it would probably take months of research to get a better idea.And then last up today, there is a parasite that has been eating people alive in Mexico, and it's made its way now into the United States.But you have officials saying it is under control, at least for now.

so don't freak out.And if you haven't heard about this, they're called screwworms, the larvae of screwworm flies.And those flies lay eggs in the wounds, inflamed tissue, and mucous membranes of anything warm -blooded.And when those hatch, the babies start chowing down on flesh.And you've actually had the US, Mexico, and Central America fighting against them for decades.They were declared eradicated in the U .

S.back in the 60s.And then Mexico got rid of them in 2003 and Panama in 2006.And Panama was maybe the most important because it was like a biological barrier for the flies that kept them from getting out of hand.But the barrier seemingly got breached in 2022.From there, Mexico started seeing animal cases rise by 2%.

and then human cases started creeping up as well.And you have what started out as three new cases a week in 2025, growing to more than nine cases a week by early this year.And while Mexico has had six screwworm -related deaths since this new outbreak, it's unclear as of right now how much they actually contributed to each death, since there were other health issues at play in some of those other cases.But whatever the case there, the U .S.also got its first animal cases back in June.

And we had some blaming the Doge budget cuts, because those apparently impacted a project that was helping to keep the flies contained.you had Trump officials pushing back, claiming that there was only 10 staffers dedicated to screwworms at the start of his second term.And they claim that they've stretched that team to over 120 people.But for now, at least in the States, you only have five animal cases and officials reportedly maintaining a pretty aggressive response to prevent it from getting any worse than that.And actually the way that we fight them here and what we've done for years is really interesting.As you see, the female screwworm only mates once in her entire life.

And so what they do is they breed millions of males, they sterilize them, and then dump them out of airplanes.And because these lady flies, they're one and donners, she picks one and that's the end of the family line.And so hopefully these cases stay few and far between.But that, my friend, you beautiful bastard, is the end of today's show.Hit us with a like so the PDS stays in your feed.If you're new here, hit that subscribe button.

We'd love to have you, but I'm gonna give you back your morning, afternoon, or night.Love your faces, and I'll see you right back here tomorrow.