Is THIS The End of Joe Biden?

A slow-motion bird flu pandemic. A Supreme Court decision you didn't hear about this week. And proof that the American Dream isn't dead. It's just tired. So, so tired. That and more on this week's America Uncovered headlines. Welcome to America Uncovered, I'm Chris Chappell. A recent study published in the Annals of Neurology Journal has found that stressful life events can make you more susceptible to developing Alzheimer's later on. Wait, I cover the news. That's nothing but stressful life events. Thank goodness it just affects you later on, and my memory is still as sharp as a... whatever you call those. Speaking of things that can make you feel like you're losing your mind, deepfakes. A TikTok user posing as actor Morgan Freeman's niece posted a video that was narrated by a deepfake version of Freeman's voice. Freeman thanked his fans for bringing the video to his attention, clarified that it was a fake, that the poster wasn't his niece, and called it a scam in a hashtag. And that's how you can tell this is actually Morgan Freeman's Facebook page and not a fake account. Because only an 87-year-old man would still be using hashtags like this. This isn't the first time a deepfake has been made of Freeman. Here's one from two years ago. I am not Morgan Freeman. And what you see is not real. Several celebrities have had to clarify that deepfakes were imitating them. Like Tom Hanks, who warned an AI version of himself was being used in an ad selling a dental plan without his consent. Life really is like a box of chocolates full of artificial ingredients. The TikTok user who goes by the name Justine's Camera Roll removed the Morgan Freeman video and said it was obviously a joke. That's where you're wrong, Justine's Camera Roll. Besides choosing a name that sounds like an item at the worst sushi restaurant of all time. Given the clown world reality we're living in, it's impossible to tell when anything is a joke anymore. No matter how much we wish it were. So yes, deepfakes are scary, especially with how convincing they are. And they're not always used for jokes. More and more, they're being used in scams, which have robbed companies worldwide of millions of dollars, and experts warn it could get even worse. And some are actually calling for them to be used in politics. Like the Huffington Post, in this opinion piece, saying, the Biden campaign needs to embrace AI after his disastrous debate performance. Honestly, if the next debate is all deepfakes, it would be the worst idea I'd love to see. And here's something I wish was fake. Scientists are growing increasingly concerned over the spread of a bird flu that some are saying feels like watching a pandemic unfolding in slow motion. Well, I guess it's better than a pandemic unfolding in fast motion. Which is just me trying to stay positive. That might not be the best choice of words when discussing a virus. This new subtype of the H5N1 avian flu is causing outbreaks in poultry and dairy cows. So far, the disease has spread to 129 dairy herds in 12 US states. And as of the current situation, this strand of the flu which has been monitored since 2020 has spread to other mammals, such as house cats, alpacas, and three humans. A professor of microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania says But that could change in a heartbeat. While this all sounds scary, it's important to keep in mind that anything could get worse in a heartbeat. You could be out, minding your own business, enjoying a lovely summer day, when suddenly you learn Hollywood decided to remake Back to the Future for Gen Z. And you realize that traveling back 30 years would put them in 1994. Reminding us millennials how old and decrepit we've become. It's also important to keep in mind that while all the headlines for this story sound terrifying, that's what headlines do. When you dig into it, it's not that bleak. The USDA spokesperson explains, America's food supply remains safe, sick cows generally recover after a few weeks, and the risk to human health remains low. But then again, I can understand why people would be nervous, given how we all did with the last pandemic. Speaking of raging dumpster fires, the presidential debate. Yep, America is in great shape, and the rest of the world is definitely jealous, not judging or laughing at us in the slightest. In particular, President Biden's performance in the debate made a lot of people question his mental faculties. And now House Republicans are suing Attorney General Merrick Garland for access to the audio of Biden's interview with Special Counsel Robert Herr over his handling of classified documents. Because apparently no one in charge knows how to properly store classified documents. Can someone please get these guys a filing cabinet? Please! As you may remember, Herr didn't criminally charge Biden, but described him as an elderly man with a poor memory. I'm glad I don't have to worry about memory issues. I'm still as sharp as... whatever you call those. Last month, Republicans tried to get the audio to these interviews, but Biden blocked it using executive privilege. Now they're suing for access. My question is, why are Republicans pushing for this? Do they honestly think they're going to find anything in that interview that makes Biden look worse than his debate performance? This is like trying to subpoena Del Taco for their nutritional information to prove it isn't good for you. You don't need to see what's in there to know that. You can feel it. And while a recent USA Today Suffolk University poll showed 41% of Democrats asked said Biden shouldn't be the party's nominee after his debate performance, top Democrats are currently ruling out replacing Biden. And Biden's family is urging him to stay in the race. Which I think is a great idea. Refusing to step down and desperately clinging to your position of power, even when you're well beyond your shelf life, and it might benefit everyone around you who just retired, has never ever hurt the left before. Just ask Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Rest in peace to her. And Roe v. Wade. And after the break, the US Mine Workers Union attacks Republicans. Welcome back. The President of the United Mine Workers of America International Union condemned House Republicans for blocking a rule that would limit miners' exposure to poisonous silica dust, calling it an attack on workers. To clarify, this is miners with an E. Miners with an O don't have a union. And if they did, their biggest concern wouldn't be Republicans. It'd be Drake. Still Team Kendrick. Speaking of miners in danger, Jeffrey Epstein. A Florida judge ordered the surprise release of transcripts of the state's 2006 prosecution of Epstein for sexual assault and human trafficking. Epstein cut a plea deal in 2008 that many found suspiciously lenient. The transcripts revealed that prosecutors were aware of allegations against Epstein's years before they prosecuted him. This is shocking, is what I would say if this weren't just typical American lawfare. Of course they were already aware of the allegations they ultimately prosecuted him for. It's just that everything regarding law in the US moves more slowly than a snail with arthritis. What's really shocking is the same thing that was always shocking—that they were aware of the allegations and still gave him a sweetheart plea deal. Following the Epstein story feels like waiting for Grand Theft Auto 6. Every new piece of information that comes out isn't really new. And what we really want—namely his client list—just keeps getting delayed. Also, I wonder how many celebrities and politicians will make cameos in both. You've probably heard about the Supreme Court's decision on presidential immunity. We did a whole story about it the other day. Check it out. Then while that dominated the headlines, that wasn't the only decision the Supreme Court made this week. For example, the Supreme Court sent challenges to Florida and Texas social media censorship laws back to lower courts. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Texas Governor Greg Abbott both signed bills into law in their respective states in 2021 that would punish social media platforms for removing conservative content from their sites. These laws were challenged on First Amendment grounds. But the Supreme Court unanimously decided to send both these cases back to lower courts, as the justices decided that the lower courts failed to properly analyze the two cases before sending them on up. This is like when siblings fight. One immediately runs to tell on the other to the parents, and the parents say, have you even tried working this out on your own? Go figure this out for yourselves. We're busy. The Supreme Court also decided in a 5-4 vote to block the Environmental Protection Agency's Good Neighbor Rule, which would regulate harmful air pollution that crosses from one state to another. So does this mean I can start dumping my garbage into my neighbor's yard? I'm just kidding. I'm not going to start doing that. I'm going to keep doing that. This is what you get for blasting Macklemore at 3am, Tricia. The rule applied to 23 states, but lower court rulings had already blocked enforcement in 12 of them. Justice Neil Gorsuch explained in the majority opinion that this is why the rule was blocked—because the EPA failed to address how effective the regulation would be if it was only able to go partially into effect. While people have been losing faith in America this week...month...okay, the last couple of decades, I want to leave you all with some hope. While many think the American Dream is dead, if it ever existed in the first place, there is proof that it's alive and well. And that's... The HawkTwa girl, Haley Welch! She gave her first interview since going viral! If you don't know about the HawkTwa meme, yes, you do. Stop lying. In this interview, Welch revealed that she was waking up at 2am to go to her job in a spring factory. Now she's been able to parlay the infamy of her clip into selling SIGN HAWKTWA24 CAPS through a website for 50 bucks a pop. Which is pretty smart. But not nearly as smart as this. But did you delete all of your social media? Okay, so I deleted all my social media like 6 months ago due to like personal reasons. I never really got on it or anything like that. Oh, okay. So it didn't have anything to do with this? Oh no, I was long gone before that. 21 year old who knows social media was a mistake? She is wise beyond her years. So you see, the American dream of coming from nothing and being able to make a fortune is still real. All it takes is some luck, some grit, and some spit. While many people would have been embarrassed about this, she's turning it into a career. That's the America I know and love. And if at any point she is embarrassed by her claim to fame, she can just claim it was an AI deepfake. Speaking of AI, how can you avoid being an NPC in the game of life? I discussed this and the dangers of cult personality hidden in a video on Dragon's Dogma 2 on our other channel Gamers Unbeaten, which features short videos full of philosophy, politics, and my patented sense of humor. Actual patent pending. Check it out. American Uncovered wouldn't exist without your support. Click that orange button to support us on Patreon. All it takes is a dollar an episode, and you can set a monthly limit. Once again, I'm Chris Chappell. See you next time.