Deadly Subway Surfers Trend is Crazy, Valkyrae Drama, Kamala Harris’ Biden Problem, & Today's News
PDS Published 10/30/2024
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Subway Surfing
Subway Surfing is killing kids!
No, I don’t mean the mobile game - I’m talking about real life teenagers riding on top of real life trains going full speed. [B Roll 0:00-0:10]
Right, just this week, a 12 year old and a 13 year old saw the “Subway Surfing” trend online, so they decided to try it out for themselves, hopping on to the roof of a moving train in Queens, jumping between cars and running along the top of it. []
But when the train came to a stop, the girls lost their balance and fell between the cars. []
The younger one suffered a head injury and is in critical condition with a fractured skull and a brain bleed.
The teenager, however, fell underneath the train and died. []
Now, people have been surfing trains in New York since at least the 80s.
But in the age of the internet, kids have taken it up as a way to get views online and it’s becoming an incredibly dangerous trend in recent years. [B Roll 0:00-0:08]
And this latest tragedy brings the subway surfing death toll up to 6 just this year.
In fact, only last week, a 13 year old boy from Brooklyn died while trying to surf on the train. []
And earlier this year, a 15 year old boy hit his head on a beam and fell between the cars and died.
Many people, parents, and organizations, including New York city officials, have been working to make it stop.
Last year, the MTA launched a public information campaign in an effort to deter teenagers from hopping on top of moving trains.
And the NYPD has stepped up its efforts, as well - announcing their plan to use drones to catch surfers earlier this month.
And social media platforms have reportedly pulled down popular subway surfing videos. []
But there is only so much that New York officials specifically can do - which is what MTA New York City Transit President said, adding,
“We just have to implore parents, teachers, schools, friends, anyone that knows someone that is involving themselves in subway surfing, even thinking about it, to talk about the consequences. That should be the first part of the discussion. This is no game. There’s no reset at the end. There’s no restart when a person falls.” []
And Mayor Eric Adams adding,
“We are doing everything we can to raise awareness against this dangerous trend, but we need all New Yorkers — and our social media companies — to do their part, too. No post is worth your future.” []
With that, I will pass the question off to you - what are your thoughts here?
Especially if you live in a city where this type of thing is known to happen.
Let me know in those comments down below.
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Valkyrae Ex-Boyfriend
We’ve got some internet drama news regarding Valkyrae and voodoo.
Right, in a recent episode of her podcast, Valkyrae opens a box of gifts given to her by her co-host.
And in that box was a voodoo doll made to look like Rae’s ex-boyfriend, Michael Sherman aka Sonii - who is also a streamer.
“Rae: Is this a voodoo doll?
Alyssa: I made a voodoo doll of your ex. I hate that man.
Rae: Alyssa, that is the most deranged shit . Oh my god.
Alyssa: I was in my room, watching an ADHD documentary, making the voodoo doll in bed.
Rae: WHy does it actually look like him, bro? This is so troll.
ALyssa: Yeah.
Rae: I am actually so scared. What if it actually like harms him? Should we test it? No!” 0:00-0:37
Now, that part was clipped and shared onto the podcast’s X page and it currently has over 16 million views.
But among all those views was Sonii himself - who responded with a long post on X, calling the clip disturbing and saying that he and Rae haven’t spoken in 3 years.
Adding that their relationship was toxic on both sides and while they weren’t abusive and they didn’t cheat, they were each hurt in their own ways.
Going on to say,
“And I absolutely understand if all of this behavior is an attempt for you to heal from our toxic past.. “
And then there was some word salad about how she’s using her platform to spread hate because of the issues they had in their private relationship.
And how he wouldn’t expect that from her but people change, I guess.
Before closing with,
“Truly hope we can be above the direction in which things are currently going. I have no way of contacting you but you are more than welcome to message me if you need anymore closure.”
Now, Rae didn’t directly respond to his declaration but it doesn’t seem that silence is going to last.
Considering that the page for her podcast just announced,
“Cheater and liar episode coming soon!” []
Which Rae then shared on her own X page. []
So we’ll have to keep an out for that to see what comes of that.
But I would love to know your thoughts about this - especially if you’re a fan of either Sonii or Rae.
Let me know in those comments down below.
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YouTube Homepage Quickie
Is YouTube changing their homepage??
Right, vidIQ - a tech channel with nearly 2 million subscribers - recently shared an image on X of YouTube’s homepage looking a little strange.
Notably, there were no view counts or dates on any of the visible videos.
And he said that Big YouTube is testing out this new look. []
And it immediately gained traction - places like Dexerto also reporting that this was seemingly happening. []
And so we ended up seeing a bunch of people jumping into the replies to share their thoughts.
With one of the big complaints seemingly being the removal of dates - with people saying things like,
“I don't like that. I want to see how old a video is. Viewcount doesn't bother me, but if I'm looking for up-to-date information on something, I don't want a 6 year old video, y'know?” []
But it wasn’t just the nebulous internet responding - other creators in the tech space also shared their two cents.
For example, Marques Brownlee saying,
“Stop chasing Netflix and just be YouTube.” []
But it turns out all that reporting was fake - with TeamYouTube clarifying that this “new look” may happen, quote, “if viewers are watching YouTube with certain browser extensions enabled.” []
YouTube went on to say that if the issue keeps up after those extensions are disabled, file a report and they’ll investigate.
But I would love to know your thoughts about this - how would you feel about YouTube taking dates and view counts off of the homepage?
Let me know in those comments down below.
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Russia fines Google 2.5 decillion script
I think after this story, we can all agree that Russia is officially the funniest country on Earth.
Like yeah, they murder journalists and invade countries, but they sure know how to make a good meme.
And I say that because it’s just been reported that a Russian court has fined Google 2.5 decillion dollars for censoring pro-Kremlin propaganda. [Headline]
Which, if you’re like, the fuck is a decillion? Let me enlighten you.
That’s two, comma five, and then zero (1) zero (2) zero (3) zero (4) zero (5) zero (6) zero (7) zero (8) zero (9) zero (10) zero (11) zero (12) zero (13) zero (14) zero (15) zero (16) zero (17) zero (18) zero (19) zero (20) zero (21) zero (22) zero (23) zero (24) zero (25) zero (26) zero (27) zero (28) zero (29) zero (30) zero (31) zero (32).
Or, in case you weren’t counting there, 32 zeros, 34 digits in total.
Which equates to 2.5 trillion trillion trillion.
Right, if you take Google’s total revenue last year, 306 billion dollars, and assume they keep making that much and give literally all of it to Russia,
It would take them eight sextillion, 169 quintillion, 934 quadrillion, 640 trillion, 522 billion, 875 million, 816 thousand, 993 years and five months to pay off the fine.
Now as for how this court arrived at such a comical number, it has to do with a weird quirk in Russian law.
Right, originally, the fine for censoring two Russian outlets’ YouTube channels in 2020 was just 100,000 rubles [roobles]. [Quote, find “100,000”]
With Google getting more fines since then for banning other outlets, but even taken together, they’re just normal penalties.
Thing is, for whatever godforsaken reason, those fines double every single week. [Quote same link, find “doubling”]
So give them four years, and by the law of exponential growth, you end up with 2.5 decillion dollars.
Now of course, Google doesn’t give two fucks about this, nevermind 2.5 decillion.
Right, in its quarterly report yesterday, it said it doesn’t believe its legal issues in Russia will have a “material adverse effect.” [Quote same link]
With its parent company Alphabet enjoying a nice 5% rise in its stock price the same day. [Quote same link, find “5%”]
And although the company’s free services still operate in Russia, Google doesn’t show ads to users and recently deactivated AdSense accounts there.
With Russian authorities seizing Google’s bank accounts in response, forcing its local subsidiary to file for bankruptcy.
Links:
https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/google-fine-russia-youtube-kremlin-b2638063.html
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Election news round-up: Trump claims PA is “cheating” and sues Bucks County over long lines to get mail-in ballots, SCOTUS allows VA to resume voter purges, and more
Election Day is now less than a week away, but more than 50 MILLION people already casting ballots during early voting.
And according to the University of Florida's early-vote tracker, those millions of early voters are split pretty evening between registered Democrats and Republicans — around 39% and 36% respectively.
Right, and the reason we’re seeing such a high number of Republicans voting early is due in large part to the fact that Trump has been encouraging his supporters to vote early.
Which, of course, is a total 180 from the 2020 election when he continually attacked the exact same system.
But because of that massive influx of early voters — which has been historic in some key swing states — the process hasn’t always gone smoothly.
For example, Pennsylvania has found itself at the center of backlash and controversy after a very messy situation that left people in Bucks County waiting for hours.
Bringing about confusion and frustration, widespread misinformation, and allegations of voter suppression.
Now, to be very clear here, Pennsylvania doesn’t technically have early voting, instead, they have a process that is VERY different from most states.
A system that notably was passed by the state’s then-Republican legislature back in 2019.
So here’s how it works: instead of allowing people to vote early using voting machines, like many other states, Pennsylvania does what is called “on-demand mail voting.”
And to participate, registered voters go to their county government offices, request a ballot, and fill out an application.
That application is then reviewed on the spot to make sure the voter is eligible, and once they are approved, the ballot is printed.
A process that usually takes 10-12 minutes if all goes right.
Then, once the ballot is printed, the voter has the choice to fill it out and return it immediately on the same trip, take it home, or have it sent to their house.
But when you have a ton of people going to vote early, 10-12 minutes a person adds up.
Especially given the fact that each election office has just one single printer for the early in-person ballots.
And many lack the resources needed to cope with this surge in early voters, with Bucks County officials explaining that they have a fixed number of staff and a fixed budget.[]
So, unsurprisingly, the election offices were totally overwhelmed and unprepared to deal with the massive influx of people for many of the days that the on-demand process was underway.
With offices at times turning people away if they got into the line too late because staff wouldn’t be able to process their applications before closing, telling them to come back again the next day.
But there are only so many next days, and everything really came to a breaking point yesterday, the final day for on-demand mail voting.
Right, election officials were in a super tight spot — they only had until midnight to process all the applications for mail-in ballots.
And the Pennsylvania Department of State had asked every county to make that every voter who was in line by 5 p.m. could at least submit an application for a mail-in ballot.
So to make sure they could process everyone who got in line by 5 and still reach that midnight deadline with their limited staff and resources, Bucks County election officials had to make a game time decision.
And specifically, they decided to cut the line of people who wanted to receive their ballots immediately at 2:45 p.m.
BUT — and this is the key here — those people could still APPLY for ballots, they just couldn’t get them at that exact instant.
Which also meant they couldn’t fill them out and return them on the spot.
With Bucks County later clarifying on X yesterday that, instead, they were only given the option to receive their ballot by mail or pick it up “later this week.”
[]And adding:
“We are aware that, due to a miscommunication, individuals in line to apply for an on-demand mail-in ballot were briefly told they could not be accommodated. In fact, these voters were given the opportunity to submit mail-in ballot applications [on Tuesday].” []
Noting that EVERYONE who was in line by 5 p.m. still was able to apply for their ballot, as requested by the Department of State.
But all of this still made for a very confusing situation, with all the chaos and poor communication prompting allegations — mostly from conservatives — that people were being denied the right to vote early.
With Trump supporters and even top Trump campaign officials spreading misinformation and claiming that officials were cutting the lines early and preventing people from voting.
Alleging that Democrats were suppressing voters and accusing them of interfering in the election to prevent Republicans from voting.
We also saw a lot of Trump folks claiming that Democrats were going around pretending to be cops or election officials and telling people to get out of line, though none of those allegations have been verified.
But those main claims of voter suppression and election interference were amplified by TONS of people all the way at the top.
This including the Republican National Committee, which wrote a letter to the Secretary of the Commonwealth alleging “numerous concerning reports” from voters about polling sites closing early, not accepting voters, and not counting ballots.
But county officials have repeatedly said that these allegations of voter suppression fundamentally misunderstand how the system works because the election offices that provide on-demand mail ballots are literally not polling places.
So there is no physical way that polling places could possibly be turning people away.
With a Bucks County spokesperson explaining:
“The Board of Elections office is not a polling place. On-demand in-person mail-in ballots are not early voting. This service is offered as a courtesy to voters because we have the equipment to do so. We are happy to accommodate as many voters as we can, but the fact remains that this is not a polling place and our staff needs to be allowed time to fulfill their other duties in furtherance of carrying out the election.”
And another top county official also echoed that, explicitly saying that the confusion here has arisen because:
“political parties and organizations across the political spectrum have been misinforming voters about what On-Demand Mail-in Voting is and is not.”
But despite that, people on the right are STILL continuing to spread misleading and outright false information.
I mean, literally just today, the Trump campaign filed a lawsuit against Bucks County based on those bogus claims.
With the campaign issuing a statement saying:
“The Pennsylvania Department of State made clear if voters are in line at a county elections office by 5:00PM, the counties MUST give voters the opportunity to apply for their mail-in ballot.”
But, again, that is EXACTLY what Bucks county says it did, and as of recording, there is no evidence otherwise.
So it just seems like Trump is just trying to rile people up and get them afraid with bogus lawsuits — just like he did after the 2020 election.
But this time, it’s happening before any ballots have even been opened or counted.
But, literally as I was recording, a judge has ALSO now hit back on the county’s version of things.
Right, just this morning, the Trump campaign filed a lawsuit against Bucks County seeking to extend the mail-in ballot application deadline.
And mere hours later, a judge granted that request, extending the deadline to 5 pm this Friday, and writing in the ruling that Bucks County violated the Pennsylvania Election Code after:
“turning away voters who sought to apply for a mail-in ballot and receive one in person before the deadline.”
And ordering the county to allow anyone who wishes to "apply for, receive, vote, and return a mail-in ballot" before the close of business on Friday.
So it seems like there are contradictory understandings of how Pennsylvania’s on-demand mail-in system works and what county officials are obligated to do.
Specifically, whether they need to provide people with ballots immediately or not.
So while this extension will hopefully help voters who were confused or got wrong information by giving them more time, I doubt this is the last ligiation we will see about this law.
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Trump supporters “disgusted” with Biden calling them “Garbage” in response to rally speakers calling Puerto Rico the same thing. Polls all over the place after comments
Trump and his followers are outraged right now after President Biden called them “garbage,” leading many to think he just handed Trump a big boost at the polls.
Right, last night Biden was talking about doing a get-out-the-vote event targeting Latinos that was supposed to help Kamala Harris.
And during it, he touched on Tony Hinchcliffe calling Puerto Rico “garbage” as a “joke” during Trump’s rally, to which Biden responded: [video]
“And just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico ‘a floating island of garbage.’ Well, let me tell you something … I don’t know the Puerto Rican that I know… or Puerto Rico where I’m – in my home state of Delaware – they’re good, decent, honorable people.”
“The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.”
“His, his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable…”
This set off a firestorm with Senator Tom Cotton tweeted:
“Kamala Harris was deeply outraged by a comedian’s joke.
If she has any decency or integrity, she will condemn her partner Joe Biden’s despicable statement calling half the country garbage.” []
And you’ll actually notice that with a lot of the comments, the anger at Biden’s remarks turned into attacks on Harris and claims that this is how SHE feels.
-- which, let's be real, is politically motivated and an attempt to hurt her campaign by tying her to comments from someone not even involved with it.
Which is ironic considering that at almost the exact moment Biden was making his comment within the White House, Harris was out on the National Mall giving her “closing argument” for why people should vote for her in front of about 75,000 people.
And during that she emphszied that on almost that exact spot, Trump did one of the most divisive things a president has ever done and helped push the January 6th Insurrection while adding:
“Donald Trump has spent a decade trying to keep the American people divided and afraid of each other. That is who he is, but America, I am here tonight to say that is not who we are. That is not who we are…” 56:39-57:12
“You see, what Donald Trump has never understood is that ‘E Plurubus Unum,’’ ‘out of many, one,’ isn’t just a phrase on a dollar bill. It’s a living truth about the heart of our nation.” 57:12-57:35
“I pledge to you to approach my work with the joy and optimism that comes from making a difference in people’s lives. And I pledge to be a president for ALL Americans. And to always put country above party and self.” @1:15:58-1:16:26
None of that mattered for her critics thoug who still wanted to tie Harris to Biden’s comments.
Take Sentor Cotton, who added:
“Joe Biden called half the country… “garbage.” That’s not a gaffe: it’s what he and Kamala Harris genuinely think about you.” []
While JD Vance wrote:
“This is disgusting. Kamala Harris and her boss Joe Biden are attacking half of the country.
There's no excuse for this. I hope Americans reject it.” []
Others highlighted that this is just the latest in a line of names Republicans have been called.
But what did Trump say?
Well, he claimed that he’s running a positive campaign while Harris is running one of “hate” and adding:
“You can’t lead America if you don’t love the American People. Kamala Harris and Joe Biden have shown they are both unfit to be President of the United States.”
He went on to claim that he has the “biggest, broadest, and most important political coalition in American history.” []
Efforts by the White House also didn’t help the situation.
Right, just after Biden made his comment they were already doing damage control.
Biden quickly tweeted out:
“Earlier today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump's supporters at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage—which is the only word I can think of to describe it. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable. That's all I meant to say. The comments at that rally don't reflect who we are as a nation.”
And a spokesperson also tried to clarify that Biden was referring to the supporters themselves, just their views about Latinos.
The official White House transcript shows what I mean.
Right, there’s an apostraphe on “supporter’s” -- so instead of calling them “grabage,” they claim that he was calling their and Trump’s “demonization of Latinos” garbage.
[]Outlets followed suit and described Biden’s comments as being about the “hatred” Trump supporters have towards Latinos.
People on the right were not buying that and were infuriated by outlets like Politico for “ignoring” what Biden “actually” said in the video.
After outrage from the right, some outlets -- Politico included -- have since gone back and edited their pieces to give themselves some wiggle room.
LIke Politico’s piece now says that “according to a White House transcript…” and points out that Trump supporters don’t feel the transcript accurately reflects what was said.
[][]Harris herself also responded to the controversy when answering questions this morning, telling reporters:
"Listen, I think that, first of all, he clarified his comments, but let me be clear: I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for.”
"You heard my speech last night and continuously throughout my career. I believe that the work that I do is about representing all the people, whether they support me or not. And as president of the United States, I will be a president for all Americans, whether you vote for me or not."
Looking online it can be hard to tell how people really feel about this.
Right, there’s a lot of people outraged but also a ton of really popular posts making fun of Republican outrage over this.
They point to anti-LGBTQ, anti-immigrant, and often racist rhetoric many have used and laugh that the second they’re called “garbage” it’s a big deal.
But offline this might move the needle.
One way is that it dominated headlines and arguably overshadowed Harris’ speech she made last night.
Another is that regardless of what Biden did or didn’t say, many people BELIEVE he called them garbage… which could affect the polls.
According to Reuters, Harris was just BARELY ahead of Trump before Biden’s comments were made.
While bookmakers -- so the degens who are literally gambling on this election -- have adjusted the odds towards Trump winning because of Biden’s remarks.
I mean, we’re just days away from the election so we’ll know pretty quickly if Biden really fucked things up.
Although if Harris loses it’ll be because of just more than that.
Like there’s a real frustration among Democratic analysts that she’s failed at messaging and highlighting her successes.
But what do you think?
Is this as big of a deal as it seems?
Or do you think for most undecided voters Biden’s comments and Trump’s rally on Sunday cancel each other out?
