Pearl - December 21, 2025


STOP VOTING FOR MODERN WOMEN! PLEASE!


Episode Stats


Length

13 minutes

Words per minute

174.74844

Word count

2,304

Sentence count

82

Harmful content

Misogyny

19

sentences flagged

Toxicity

1

sentences flagged

Hate speech

15

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

Former Oakland Mayor Shao Tao is back in court today facing corruption and bribery charges. We re getting a better sense of what kind of evidence the government has, and how long it may be before she and her three co-defendants go to trial. NBC Bay Area s Valena Jones has the details.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Misogyny classifications generated with MilaNLProc/bert-base-uncased-ear-misogyny .
Toxicity classifications generated with s-nlp/roberta_toxicity_classifier .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
00:00:00.000 How do women, how are they this unstable of people and get so high in society? Isn't that crazy? 1.00
00:00:06.740 What up guys? Welcome to my reaction series. Today we are reacting to why you should not
00:00:12.640 elect modern women. Back in the headlines in an uncomfortable spotlight ousted Oakland Mayor 1.00
00:00:19.700 Shang Tao in a federal courtroom today for her ongoing corruption and bribery case. We are
00:00:24.900 getting a better sense of what kind of evidence the federal government has and how long it may
00:00:29.460 be before Tao and her three co-defendants go to trial. NBC Bay Area's Valena Jones has the details.
00:00:37.240 After today's hearing, former Mayor Shang Tao left the federal courthouse in silence. This
00:00:42.640 morning, prosecutors handed over hundreds of thousands of files that make up some of the
00:00:47.700 evidence in the case against her and three other defendants. When you look at the mountain of
00:00:52.780 evidence in this case, I
00:00:54.780 think it's unlikely this
00:00:56.780 go to trial in 2025. Tao,
00:00:58.780 her longtime partner Andre
00:01:00.780 Jones and businessman David
00:01:02.780 and Andy Duong all appeared
00:01:04.780 in court today. The Duongs 1.00
00:01:06.780 Run California Waste Solutions,
00:01:08.780 a recycling company contracted
00:01:10.780 by Oakland. Each of them declined
00:01:12.780 to answer any reporter questions today.
00:01:14.780 Criminal defense expert Steven Clark
00:01:16.780 explains now the defense will start
00:01:18.780 their own investigation and interviews.
00:01:20.780 What's important here for each of these defendants is to review this material
00:01:25.760 and to see how they have been perceived by the government as involved in this conspiracy
00:01:31.520 and can they untangle themselves?
00:01:34.540 Prosecutors handed the defense 150 gigabytes of information,
00:01:38.000 including more than 250,000 files from interviews, searches, recordings, financial records, emails, and electronic devices.
00:01:47.700 They also say more is on the way.
00:01:49.860 Defense attorneys say they're hoping the rest comes soon, saying it could take months to process.
00:01:56.200 Clark explains the amount of evidence is larger than a typical case.
00:02:00.440 This is a complex case. It involves serious jail time of people that are in the public spotlight.
00:02:07.300 And I think the government did have the burden of making sure that they were detailed in the review of this case before they sought these indictments.
00:02:15.800 Last month, all four defendants pled not guilty to charges of bribery, conspiracy, and mail and wire fraud.
00:02:23.040 Prosecutors alleged Howe and Jones used her position for financial and political gain and accepted bribes from the Duongs in exchange for boosting the...
00:02:31.660 What is it with politics? I'm from Chicago, and I think, like, we got caught selling Senate seats or, like, political seats, our governors.
00:02:43.220 It's just, it does not shock me that a woman abused her power, really does. 0.85
00:02:50.380 I mean, men do it too, but women especially.
00:02:52.720 For business, Tao has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
00:02:56.480 The mayor looks forward to defending herself against these charges,
00:03:00.760 showing that there is in fact no evidence to support these charges.
00:03:05.180 And today, the federal magistrate made it clear how the former mayor will be handled in court.
00:03:10.000 The magistrate quickly correcting Taos' attorney, who has repeatedly referred to her as Mayor Shinto, with the judge emphasizing the words, former.
00:03:23.540 That's so funny.
00:03:25.300 It's going to be a war of words between the defense and the prosecution in many ways, but the judge wanted to set the record straight.
00:03:32.600 All four defendants are expected back in court in April.
00:03:35.660 In Oakland, Valina Jones, NBC Bay Area News.
00:03:38.540 we just try try try we can't even commit fraud like men do like when men commit fraud they shoot
00:03:44.620 for the stars um i just don't i just don't see us um really being able to out fraud men i don't see
00:03:52.840 it happening learning new details tonight about the drunk driving arrest of an elected official
00:03:56.900 from cook county two weeks man she couldn't put down the wine huh ago as the chicago police
00:04:01.780 department releases the police body cam video it's clear the politician wasn't shy about letting
00:04:07.720 officers know who she is how are you how you doing are you all right do you need an ambulance or
00:04:15.260 anything okay do you need an ambulance or anything let's let's walk through your car because i don't
00:04:20.360 want you to get hit by a car okay the first responding officer found 45 year old board of 0.56
00:04:25.040 yeah how nice they are even when women are doing the wrong thing like if the man does the wrong
00:04:29.400 thing they'll be like hands up get on the grip but a woman it's like they use kid gloves review 1.00
00:04:35.640 commissioner samantha steel outside her car in the middle of ashland avenue in andersonville
00:04:40.920 she was a baddie back in the day she's kind of hot for a 45 year old there's extensive damage 0.96
00:04:46.120 to sometimes used cars aren't bad guys sometimes you know you get a good deal on a used sports car
00:04:52.760 very used sports car in decent condition the front of her car after hitting two other vehicles
00:04:58.600 steel initially refused to cooperate i'm requesting your driver's license and your
00:05:04.360 your proof of insurance i'm sure you can provide me with those two things while we're waiting for
00:05:08.320 your attorney i'll wait for him and that's when steel referenced her political job okay ma'am do
00:05:13.920 you want me to handcuff you and arrest you because right now at this point you're refusing to provide
00:05:18.480 me any i am you are you realize that right yes i've been looking for the first time you know what
00:05:24.040 i don't want any of this oh my god yeah again women are used to like getting out of things 1.00
00:05:31.080 she thinks that she's going to be able to like use her elected position and get out of this and
00:05:36.560 it's not going to work you're involved in the accident you've hit several cars two after a
00:05:42.060 second what the did you think that was going to help your case officer shows up steel drops her 1.00
00:05:48.760 political clout again i'm going to help you to exit and you don't want that you don't want that
00:05:54.320 I do. I actually do.
00:05:56.800 Elected official of what?
00:05:58.720 Cook County.
00:05:59.780 Cook County. You elected which office?
00:06:04.640 What's your name?
00:06:07.000 I'm Sam.
00:06:08.040 A short time later...
00:06:09.400 Oh my God.
00:06:13.160 Oh my God.
00:06:14.680 They're like trying to get more her information.
00:06:17.580 Then they're like, what's your name?
00:06:19.040 And then she came.
00:06:20.260 The officer finds what police say is a half-empty bottle of wine.
00:06:23.540 I knew it was going to be wine, these broads. 1.00
00:06:27.260 I know white women, and white women love their wine. 1.00
00:06:30.440 In the front seat.
00:06:31.440 Are we drinking?
00:06:33.100 No?
00:06:34.720 See, don't answer any questions.
00:06:36.940 Of course.
00:06:37.500 It was half-time.
00:06:38.360 I guess.
00:06:39.040 Because I...
00:06:39.720 Well, it's right.
00:06:40.200 I'm going to have one.
00:06:40.780 She's not going to be okay.
00:06:42.320 Oh, my God.
00:06:43.140 You guys are just...
00:06:43.980 I mean, it's illegal to drink and drive.
00:06:46.780 I guess we're going to have open alcohol.
00:06:47.700 When Steele refuses to perform a field sobriety test, police take her into custody.
00:06:52.860 are you going to do feel sobriety tests or no no okay we just will not obey we will not submit
00:07:12.820 because when men get caught they really do um when men get caught i think they kind of give up
00:07:20.200 they're like okay but women just gaslight into eternity and she's not like alcohol she's been 1.00
00:07:26.620 drinking police charge steel with one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence she was
00:07:31.860 elected to the board of review in 2022 now that's the agency that hears tax appeals so all right
00:07:37.280 let's see this one in the car police say she the mayor of a burlington county town these um elected 0.97
00:07:44.660 officials are kind of like they're kind of baddies um i mean not hot but like good again used sports
00:07:51.460 cars i would say maybe not sports cars that's a little too let's face it free speech is a myth
00:07:57.540 large social media companies reserve the right to judge and punish any content creators they see fit
00:08:03.220 without due process or warning how do i know because i was demonetized for a year and a half
00:08:08.180 and i had to work my way back from the bottom to where i am today one thing that my experience
00:08:12.500 taught me is to never rely on one platform for my livelihood again which is why i created my
00:08:17.460 own website and app the audacity network unlike the larger platforms that are bogged down by
00:08:22.420 censorship and changing guidelines the audacity network is an open platform run by me for my
00:08:27.620 supporters for just ten dollars a month you can join a community that can speak their mind and
00:08:32.260 get first access to present and future projects it's also a place to find my old content as well
00:08:37.700 as to get access to live streams and videos you can only find on my website so go to the audacity
00:08:43.300 network.com to become a member or go to the apple store and google store to download the app today
00:08:48.420 i'll see you there i don't know chevy i don't know cars well enough to do these analogies but
00:08:55.460 you guys get the idea the police say she was driving under the influence with her two-year-old
00:09:00.580 in the car police say she was driving i don't know if she's white or latina but i know i know
00:09:05.620 the middle-aged moms if they're drinking and driving it's alcohol maybe i've heard um 1.00
00:09:12.420 i forgot the drug that's really popular with these middle-aged moms they miss the clubs 1.00
00:09:17.140 they miss festivals and an open container of alcohol they say was in the vehicle
00:09:22.180 tonight her family is asking for grace saying she needs help tuesday night rick is off gray hall is
00:09:28.580 joining us i can never just be i was selfish i was wrong it's always i need help story on action news
00:09:34.900 is the arrest of Lumberton's mayor.
00:09:37.300 Investigators say she was
00:09:38.900 driving impaired yesterday and
00:09:40.220 police were made aware of this
00:09:41.660 incident because of a witness
00:09:43.080 recording video showing the mayor
00:09:44.800 driving in a way that was dangerous
00:09:46.460 to other people up there on the road.
00:09:48.440 New Jersey correspondent Trish Hartman
00:09:50.280 is live force in Lumberton and Trish.
00:09:52.300 You had a chance to speak with
00:09:54.020 the mayor's husband today.
00:09:56.800 I did, and he tells me that she is now
00:09:59.380 entering treatment after this court
00:10:01.420 records say Mayor Gina LaPlaca picked 0.88
00:10:03.700 up her toddler from daycare and the child was allegedly in the car as she drove while under
00:10:08.940 the influence. Lumberton's mayor, Gina LaPlaca, has been charged with driving under the influence
00:10:15.260 and endangering a child in the car with her. Gina is someone who has struggled and is now
00:10:19.660 getting that help that she needs. I ask that everyone keep her. It's always like the typical
00:10:24.760 simp husband, the beta voice. I mean, and their thoughts as she moves forward on her 0.98
00:10:31.220 road to recovery according to court documents a witness took video yesterday of a driver
00:10:36.620 unable to stay in their lane and nearly hitting a utility pole police located that vehicle at
00:10:42.340 the home of gina how do the women how are they this unstable of people and get so high in society 1.00
00:10:49.280 isn't that crazy like i i don't know if i see the same thing happen with men i mean sometimes i
00:10:55.700 think they do coke but i feel like that's a different type of drug like men that do really
00:11:00.880 hard drugs just don't seem to be able to ascend as high as women without being 1.00
00:11:05.260 found out. Plaka, where she allegedly admitted to officers that she had been
00:11:09.640 drinking and had recently picked up her two-year-old from daycare. Court
00:11:13.680 documents also say an open container of alcohol was found in the car. Laplaka's
00:11:18.240 husband told Action News she's now seeking treatment for addiction. Gina's
00:11:21.940 a loving and caring mother and stepmother. Our oldest is a teenager, can
00:11:26.800 see all the unkind things online and uh just simply ask that you again if you didn't want
00:11:34.560 unkind things to be said i just wouldn't go into politics that's why i don't really know if women 1.00
00:11:42.400 i don't like women being in control of men i just don't like that dynamic and when you put 0.99
00:11:48.880 women in politics that's what tends to happen respect our privacy laplaca was elected to 1.00
00:11:53.840 township committee in 2020 and re-elected in 2023. She recently left her position as business
00:11:59.920 administrator for Neptune Township, her husband said, for political reasons. We spoke with folks
00:12:04.960 about the allegations against her. You don't really know what someone is going like through
00:12:10.360 behind closed doors. Anybody else, they probably like, you know, like be in jail maybe or something
00:12:16.260 like that. So I feel like. Yeah, and that's the crazy thing. Women just, we always get a slap on 1.00
00:12:20.980 risk wrist where men if they're in the same position they get a much harsher punishment
00:12:26.180 and we have no idea how many doors are just opened up for us because we're women that should be the 1.00
00:12:30.340 consequence la placa is due to appear in court on april 28th township officials and the police
00:12:38.500 department both referred us to the township solicitor we did reach out and so far we haven't
00:12:43.140 heard back yeah you're gonna be waiting the rest of your life um yeah well i'm not saying that
00:12:49.060 every single woman is a bad elected official in general i i don't like women being in charge of 1.00
00:12:55.700 men and i don't think it's really a good for women to be in those positions so that's just my opinion 1.00
00:13:01.540 on it but let me know what you think in the comments um if you could like the video and
00:13:05.540 subscribe to the channel and ring the notification bell i love you guys thanks for watching i'll see
00:13:10.260 See you next time.