The Trump Curse

Summary

The Daily Beans – Episode Summary
Episode Title: The Trump Curse
Date: July 7, 2026
Hosts: Allison Gill (AG), Dana Goldberg (DG)
Podcast: The Daily Beans (MSW Media)

---

Episode Overview

This episode delivers the latest progressive political news with AG and DG’s trademark candor, snark, and empathy. The main themes include fallout from new sexual assault allegations against a prominent Democratic Senate candidate, ongoing political corruption and scandals involving Trump and other Republican leaders, and developments in immigration and detention policy. The hosts also cover Mitch McConnell’s mysterious health crisis and engage with listeners’ good news, blending heavy topics with moments of community and humor.

---

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Graham Platner Allegations and Political Fallout (13:32–18:00)

• Sexual Assault Allegations:
  Politico reports that Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner faces rape allegations from an ex-partner. Notably, Rep. Ro Khanna and Sen. Ruben Gallego have both rescinded endorsements and called for his withdrawal from the race.

  • “Graham Platner should drop out of the race. I am withdrawing my endorsement.” – Ro Khanna, Twitter (14:00)

• Wider Impact:
  David Hogg, the Maine Democratic Party, and podcast hosts also call for Platner’s withdrawal following his history of troubling conduct, including remarks about military sexual trauma and a Nazi-linked tattoo.

• Procedural Deadline:
  Maine law allows Democrats to replace Platner if he drops out by July 13; party must choose a replacement by July 27.

• Personal Notes:
  AG explains her personal connection and past decision not to endorse Platner due to his derogatory remarks about survivors of military sexual trauma.

---

2. Trump’s FIFA Interference and the “Trump Curse” (04:46–08:19, 13:32–17:31)

• Trump Calls FIFA:
  Trump allegedly called FIFA to request reversal of US player Baligan’s red card, injecting political influence into international sport.

  • “He ruined it. He put his stupid little fingers in the FIFA World Cup cookie jar.” – AG (07:17)

• Host Response:
  Both hosts share frustration, noting this interference taints US team victories and sets concerning precedents for future sporting events. The incident sparks international reactions—with other national teams now questioning tournament fairness.

---

3. Student Loan Forgiveness and Judicial Pushback (04:52–05:46)

• Federal Judges Block Trump Rule:
  Two federal judges strike down Trump-era changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, which would have disqualified certain non-profits on political grounds.

• Host Analysis:
  AG and DG denounce attempts to politicize student loan forgiveness and praise judicial intervention.

---

4. Immigration & Incarceration Policy Developments (18:00–23:23)

• New ICE Family Detention Center:
  Trump administration to open a 528-bed holding facility in Louisiana for families and children, aiming to accelerate deportations.

• Private Prison Sales:
  CoreCivic sells two major California immigration detention centers to the federal government for $1.5 billion, but retains operational contracts.

  • “They're using our taxpayer money to overpay private prison companies... for these ICE facilities.” – AG (22:41)

• Concerns Raised:
  Hosts and experts highlight dangers of expanded detention, lack of oversight, and for-profit motives.

---

5. Republican Leadership Scandals (23:29–27:44)

• Tommy Tuberville’s Abandoned Promises:
  Tuberville, now running for Governor of Alabama, still hasn’t fulfilled his promise to donate his Senate salary to veterans.

  • “Three years into a six year term, the Republican hasn't kept his promise, but he intended to eventually follow through.” – AG (25:00)

• Mitch McConnell’s Health and Speculation:
  Amid rumors following a heart attack, McConnell’s office refuses to clarify if he’s conscious. Speculation grows as conflicting statements emerge.

  • “A spokesperson for Mitch McConnell wouldn’t say Monday whether the guy’s fucking conscious or not.” – DG (26:01)

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Baligan’s Red Card and Trump’s Interference:
  “I hate that he fucking ruins everything he touches.” – DG (06:46)

• On Platner’s Downfall:
  “For me, it was what he said about military sexual trauma survivors on Reddit... he specifically attacked my film... belittled all of us.” – AG (17:15)

• On For-Profit Prisons:
  “This is fucking for profit prisons. I’m telling you people. That’s what they’re doing with this stuff.” – DG (22:41)

• On McConnell Speculation:
  “There’s been rumors and there’s been sources that say he’s been unconscious since his heart attack...” – DG (26:21)

---

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Kick-off & Quick Hits: (01:08–04:09)
• News Quick Shots (Fang/Epstein, Student Loans, FIFA): (04:09–08:19)
• Hot Notes (Platner/Allegations): (13:32–18:00)
• ICE Facility & Prison Sales: (18:00–23:23)
• Tuberville’s Broken Promises: (23:29–26:01)
• McConnell Health Update: (26:01–27:44)
• Good News Segment (Listener Letters, Photos, Community): (28:46–41:48)

---

Listener Engagement & Good News (28:46–41:48)

• Community Feature:
  Listeners submit stories and photos: pets, travel, activism, and World Cup memories inject warmth and humor into the closing segment.

  • e.g., Len goes paragliding in San Diego; Dr. Worm recounts 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

• Activism Tip:
  Hosts encourage listeners to attend town halls during July recess to hold representatives accountable.

---

Closing Tone & Takeaways

The hosts balance serious coverage of political misconduct and regressive policies with moments of shared resilience and community joy. Their unapologetic language (“I hate that he fucking ruins everything he touches”) and sharp wit transform the podcast into a uniquely engaging progressive news space.

---

Transcript

[A]

Hi, I'm Frances Collier. And I'm Angela V. Shelton.

[B]

And we're Frangela.

[A]

You know what you mean in your life. The Final Word podcast.

[B]

Yes, you do.

[A]

That's right. It is the final word on all things political and pop cultural, where we

[B]

make real news, real funny, where we inspire you so you can resist. Subscribe and get a new episode of

[A]

the Final Word podcast each week. It's the news we think you need to hear. That's right. We think you need to hear it.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It's what we say.

[C]

So.

[A]

That's right. And because all we do is give. Every Thursday, you can listen to our hysterical podcast, idiot of the Week. We round up the stupid. Because you know what?

[B]

Somebody has to.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

All we do is give. MSW media.

[A]

News. We're swearing. Daily beans. Daily beans. Daily beans. Daily beans.

[B]

Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Tuesday, July 7, 2026. Today, Democrats have started pulling their endorsements of Senate candidate Graham Platner after new allegations of sexual assault emerge. Trump called FIFA to ask them to suspend the red card sanction against Baligan. A federal judge halts Trump's rules on federal student loan forgiveness. Judge Sullivan has ordered Katie Fang to respond to Todd Blanche's non answer on the Epstein files case. A private prison company has sold two California detention centers to the government. A new ICE facility could speed up deportations for families and children. Mitch McConnell's office will not confirm that he's conscious. And Alabama's Tommy Tuberville hedges on whether he kept campaign promises to veterans. I'm Alison Gill.

[A]

And I'm Dana Goldberg.

[B]

Oh, happy Tuesday, my friend. How are you?

[A]

And to you I am okay. You're getting through the day. Getting through the day.

[B]

Yeah. A lot of news today. A lot of things going on. A lot of fast paced things happening back to back to back. Before we get into it, I just want to first of all welcome all of our new patrons. We've had a ton of people sign up to support us as members of the Daily Beans and MSW media, maybe so they can get in on that election night watch party action that's happening on November 3rd. If you are interested in becoming a patron, getting that invite and also being invited to this Thursday's happy hour call, which is July 9th at 5:00pm Pacific, 8:00pm Eastern. And by the way, Andy McCabe will be there. Harry will be there. Dana, you'll be there. I'll be there. The gang's all there for this happy hour and to get an invite to that and the Election night watch party and all of our other stuff and ad free early episodes of the Daily Beans and Unjustified. Just head to patreon.com mullershirote or patreon.com thedailybeans I think is another way to get to it. Just search for the Daily Beans. You'll find us. And also, didn't you just recently have a pretty amazing dugout for your Patreon happy hour?

[A]

I did. It's a small but mighty crew. Right now I'm building my dugout. So I know a lot of you become patrons of Mueller. She wrote of the Daily Beans and MSW media. My Patreon is a little bit different. It's the dugout and we are the dissenters. It's a very separate thing. And we had a lovely, honestly, it was a lovely Zoom. It was just about 11 or 12 people as people are starting to know what day of the month it is and things like that. But we literally had this like it was when the Supreme Court decisions came down. So we had this group therapy moment where I just said, you know, if anyone wants to talk, just talk. And a lot of people did. We've got three veterans out of 11 people that were in there. So anyway, if you'd like to become a part of the Patreon the Dugout, get in on those Zoom meetings once a month. You'll have early access to tickets to my shows. We'll announce them to you before anyone else. If you come in at higher levels, you get swag. You can just it whatever suits your needs. So it's danagoldberg.com and just hit the Patreon and you can sign up there.

[B]

So amazing. Thank you, my friend. All right, we have a lot of news to get to, so let's do some quick hits. And to make a long story short, all right, first up, Katie Fang. Our good friend Katie Fang, who I spoke to on the latest episode of the Breakdown this past Sunday. You can find that episode and that chat at Mueller. She wrote.com she just posted on Blue sky just in. Judge Emmett Sullivan has ordered me to respond, honor, before July 13th to Todd Blanch's quote, I'm not turning anything over move from last week in my lawsuit over the Epstein files. And then Todd Blanche has until July 20th to reply to what I file. And I believe his confirmation hearings take place on the 15th, 16th, 17th, sometime around there.

[A]

Oh, boy.

[B]

So he'll be right in the middle of this when all that's going on.

[A]

All right. And from the Associated Press, a Pair of federal judges struck down a Trump administration overhaul to a public service forgiveness program for student loans, ruling Tuesday in separate cases in favor of advocates who said the program risks becoming a tool for political retribution. Last year, the Trump administration moved to add new eligibility rules that would strip the benefits from workers whose employees are deemed to have, and I quote, substantial illegal purpose, whatever the that means. The overhaul targeted non profits and government organizations that support causes that are at odds with fascism, otherwise known as the Trump administration's priorities.

[B]

Yeah, so good for that judge. Yeah. They were basically saying, used to be if you worked for a non profit, you could apply for federal student loan forgiveness, which means you make 10 years of payments and then the rest of your loan is forgiven. And he took away, like, all the non profits that he doesn't like.

[A]

Such bullshit.

[B]

Mm. So the judge said, no, you can't do that. You're turning it into a political tool. Next up from the Associated Press. The White House made a call to FIFA to ask Gianni Infantino to review Folairan Baligan's red card, according to a person familiar with the call who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the corruption. We will have more on Baligan's participation after the match as we record this. It's about an hour before kickoff happens, and that match is with Belg tonight between Belgium and the U.S. men's National Team.

[A]

Did you see Ted Cruz's video?

[B]

No.

[A]

Oh, my God. He's like, you know what? I just want to thank the president for getting rid of that red card. And then Trump looks really like, shut the fuck up. And then he starts laughing, and you can hear someone go, well, that was awkward or something. Or that's interesting. Something like that. And he's like, that's why that Peace Prize was sitting there for so long. But literally gave him direct credit. Thank you for getting rid of that red card.

[B]

My God.

[A]

I know. I just. Why do you have to fucking taint this for us? Like, you know what? We scored down a player with 36 minutes left in the game against our last opponent. Like, either let them win fair and square. You know, if FIFA was going to take it away on their own, fine. I just. It's so tainted now, Alex, because if the US Wins, they're going to blame it on, you know, Trump fixing this thing. And then if we lose, we should have lost without him in. We still had 11 players on the field, but it just. I. I hate that he fucking ruins everything he touches.

[B]

He Ruined it. He put his stupid little fingers in the. In the FIFA World cup cookie jar.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And now, like, the only way to get a clean win that won't have, like, a cloud over it is for them to bench Baligan, you know? And that sucks for this young man who. That you and I have discussed. And a lot of people might disagree. That red card was bullshit. The var. Red card was bullshit. And if it was actually, like, properly within the rules, turned over without this trump, you know, and Infantino, like, sticking their corrupt hands all over it, it's just. It fucks it up for everybody. And it puts this team and it puts the Baligan, like, in shit.

[A]

It also opened up a can of worms because now I think it was England or someone else's team came forward and said, wait a minute, you're reversing red cards? My boy just got this yellow card for something. And a yellow card isn't a red card in the sense that you don't get immediately expelled from the game, but if you two yellow cards back to back, it equals a red card.

[B]

Yeah. In fact, when I was watching Mexico and in England last night, and congrats to England. Mexico's my team. But when the English player got a red card, I put out on blue sky, I was like, mo. Maybe the king will make a call. It's gross. It's ruining things. Just leave shit alone, man. Just come on. Yeah, there's some. That's just sacred. Just get. Keep your. Anyway, anyway, we'll see what happens at the match. We'll talk about it tomorrow. So the corruption is just disgusting. Anyway, we have a lot more news to get to, but we have to take a real quick break. So everybody stick around. We'll be right back. Hey, everybody. I like looking good. I like fashion. I care about stuff. I might, you know, at home, I wear mostly my. You know, my yoga clothes. So when I go out, I like to dress it up a little bit. I do not always like the process required to get there, though. Shopping takes time, styling takes energy, and somehow, summer always adds 10 more things to my plate. But Daily look gives me a better answer. A real personal stylist who helps build outfits that fit my life, my taste, and the version of myself I want walking into the room. So if getting dressed feels harder than it should, it's time for our sponsor, DailyLook, the number one highest rated premium personal styling service for women. For 50% off your first order, head to DailyLook.com and use code DAILYBEANS. Now. Daily look is For anyone who wants to look better without turning shopping into a second job, you get your own dedicated personal stylist who curates clothes based on your body shape preferences and lifestyle. It's not an algorithm guessing what you think you might want to look like from a template. These are real personal stylists and you get the same stylist each time. So every month they get even better. And with Daily look, you can try on 12 premium pieces, up to 12 per box right at home. That means you can build outfits for the office, summer brunch, vacation dinners, date nights, or just running errands around town. The setup is easy. You fill out the style quiz, share your price and lifestyle preferences, and Daily look sends up to 12 hand selected items to your door. You buy what you love, send back what you don't, and shipping is free both ways. Some of my latest pieces from Daily look are a nice top and some slacks that were perfect fit for the dinner plans that I had that evening. I looked put together, polished and fun and relaxed. So feeling good helped me relax and enjoy the new place we had been meaning to try out. So it's time to get your own personal stylist with Daily Look. Head to DailyLook.com to take your style quiz and use code daily beans for 50% off your first order. Once again, that's DailyLook.com for 50% off. And make sure you use our promo code DailyBeans so they know I sent you one last time. DailyLook.com, promo code DailyBeans. So I love the idea of being a meal prep person. I admire the little containers and the drive and the preparedness, but I'm just not one of those people. I admire them so much though, I'm far too busy. Home Chef is how I keep real meals in my life without pretending I'm gonna spend Sunday chopping vegetables for three hours. It keeps dinner simple, balanced and genuinely delicious. Home Chef makes cooking simple in the exact way I need it to be. Simple, right? Fresh food shows up at your door, recipes are easy to follow, the meals taste great. There are weekly deliveries help keep your fridge stocked, cuts down on grocery runs and eliminates that whole what are we having for dinner spiral. No long shopping lists, no complicated prep, and best of all, it's easy to clean up afterwards. It gives you actual like real meals without forcing you to spend all evening in the kitchen. I recently had their French onion gnocchi with garlic bread. It was so delicious, nice and comforting, warm and toasty. The mushrooms and the sauce went perfectly together. Home Chef makes it easy to get restaurant quality meals and I just can't get enough of them. So people really love it too. Home Chef is rated number one by users of other meal kits for quality, convenience, value, taste and recipe ease. And for a limited time, Home Chef is offering you 50% off and free shipping for your first box, plus free desserts for life. Just go to homechef.comdailybeans that's homechef.com dailybeans for 50% off your first box and free dessert for life. Homechef.com dailybeans must be an active subscriber to receive free dessert.

[C]

Hello, Martin Sheen here, and it seems to me that no day of the week is without its endless barrage of bad news. Even on Sunday. For God's sake, let's change that. What do you say? Together, let's make Sunday immune to bad news. Available now every Sunday, Season three of the Martin Sheen Podcast with yours truly, Martin Sheen has begun. Yeah. Ten brand new episodes are already underway. So join me, Martin sheen, for a 20 minute journey as I share my personal stories, a bit of poetry and insightful reflections that will encourage you to take a deep breath and enjoy a relaxing moment. Of course, it's important to know and understand what's happening in the world, but I also believe there's nothing wrong with taking a step back to find strength and clarity. And Lord knows we need that now more than ever. A moment of thoughtfulness and calm may be rare these days, but it doesn't have to be. So what do you say? You want to take back your Sundays? So do I. And guess what? I've already done it with the Martin Sheen Podcast, Season three, available now. Don't mess with my Sunday. And thank you for listening, everybody.

[B]

Welcome back. It's time for the hot notes. Hot notes. All right, first up from Politico content warning everyone for sexual assault. As I feared, Graham Platner is facing rape allegations. Harry Dunn and I go over the allegations and the corroborations and all the evidence in detail on tomorrow's episode of cleanup on aisle 45. But the fallout has been really fast. So for here, we're going to talk about this. Politico report that Rep. Ro Khanna and Senator Ruben Gallego have rescinded their support of Graham Platner Monday, with Khanna additionally calling for the Democratic nominee to drop out of Maine's Senate race. It's a significant reversal from two formerly staunch Democratic defenders of Platner following a Politico report that a woman who Dated. Platner said he forced her to have sex with him five years ago. We call that rape where I live.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Platner has denied these are allegations, by the way. Platner has denied them, but he also posted on social media he was taking time to reflect on the best path forward for his candidacy. Quote, I've been very clear that sexual assault or violence against women is a red line. That's Ro Khanna. That's what he said on Twitter and said these allegations are very serious and credible. Graham Platner should drop out of the race. I am withdrawing my endorsement. And in his own social media post, Gallego, a Democratic senator from Arizona, called the allegations troubling and deeply serious while announcing he would no longer back the progressive Oysterman. The announcements from the two prominent Democratic members of Congress come amid growing calls for Platner to drop out and condemnations of his behavior, including Senator Martin Heinrich, Democrat from New Mexico. Leaders of the main Democratic Party in the aftermath of POLITICO's story about the allegations have urged Graham Platner to drop out. The Maine Democratic Party Jenny Racicote, a 41 year old Maine resident, said Platner entered her home uninvited five years ago and forced himself on her despite her repeatedly telling him to stop. She said she cut off contact with him after that, telling him that his actions that night were not consensual. Quote, these allegations are horrific. Full stop. That's former Democratic National Committee vice chair David Hogg on Twitter. Graham Platner needs to drop out and let a strong Democratic replacement run. Pod Save America co hosts Tommy, Dan Pfeiffer, Jon Favreau, who brought Platner onto the show as he navigated the fallout of his Nazi tattoo or Nazi linked tattoo, also called on him to drop out Monday. Democrats can still replace Platner on the ballot, but only if he chooses to drop out before the July 13 deadline outlined in Maine law. If he were to drop out, the state Democratic Party will have to choose his replacement by July 27. Veterans for Responsible Leadership has pulled its endorsement track. APAC has pulled its endorsement. Like I said, Maine Democratic Party has asked him to withdraw and Citizens United has backed out. This is all happening over the course of the last few hours, Dana.

[A]

I mean, listen, I wanted Graham to be the guy that takes down Susan Collins, but it's just like one fucking thing after another. And this is a very serious allegation. I just, you know, it's one of those things where you're like, okay, how much can be like, oh, he didn't know what the tattoo was. He got it removed. He didn't know what this was. He said that about trans people. Now he's grown. I'm like, eventually you just have to say, this guy seems to not be what we need for the state. I just. It's just disappointing. I really hope that they can get it together and get Susan Collins out of there.

[B]

Yeah. And for me, personally, I know a lot of people were like, the Nazi tattoo was the last straw. But for me, it was what he said about military sexual trauma survivors on Reddit, you know, a dozen years ago.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

When he specifically attacked my film that I was in, the Invisible War, Oscar nominated documentary about military sexual trauma, and called us the R Slur and said that, you know, we just get drunk and have regrettable sex and cry rape the next day, et cetera, et cetera.

[A]

Oof. I'm so sorry.

[B]

Just belittled all of us. And that was real hard for me. So I made a commitment. First of all, I had Andrea Laflamme come on the show. She was a candidate and I interviewed her. But also, you know, once he won the primary, I said, look, I can't endorse him. I'll do everything I can to attack Collins. Yeah. But just personally for me, I was incapable of. Of that endorsement. So, yeah, here we are.

[A]

I appreciate your words, my friend. This one is from the Associated Press. The Trump administration plans to open a 528 bed holding facility for migrant families and unaccompanied children next to an airport hub, positioning itself to speed up deportations. The fact that they have unaccompanied children in these fucking holdings. I don't trust any of these adults.

[B]

By the way, remember when I called them tender age facilities?

[A]

The location in Alexandria, Louisiana, would remove logistical headaches caused by wrangling children from foster homes and shelters across the country and not having anywhere to put them during final preparations for flight.

[B]

Can't just leave them in foster care. Leave them at the.

[A]

That whole sentence is just so fucking irritating.

[B]

By the way, there's 800 things wrong with.

[A]

Yeah. Those obstacles were apparent last year when Guatemalan children were awoken at night and given almost no time to get to Harlington, Texas, where they waited on an airport tarmac for hours. A federal judge prevented their deportation, but the chaotic episode illustrated the challenges authorities face because they don't have anywhere to put families and children near the airport. U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement is calling the Alexandria facility, and I quote, staging area, not a detention center, and says people would only be there for a few days at most. It's also not a fucking reality show. However, several immigration advocates expressed concern that children could be held at the new facility for weeks or months, which happened at other federal immigration holding sites. These advocates are also concerned about oversight and they say the facility represents a departure from how the government manages those children. And I quote, it's expansion of the deportation system in ways we haven't seen before. This is Leisha Welsh. She's the chief legal counsel at the nonprofit Children's Rights. She went on to say, there's just as much that could go wrong with this facility. Yeah, and by the way, in a related story from Calmatters, the private prison company Corecivic, they have sold two of the largest immigration detention facilities in California to the U.S. department of Homeland Security in a deal worth $1.5 billion. Since what the company announced Monday, Corecivic said it anticipates that the sale of the Ote Mesa Detention center in San Diego county and the California City Detention Facility in Kern county will bring the company an estimated net proceeds of approximately $1.1 billion.

[B]

I wonder how much stock Donald Trump owns.

[A]

Just follow the money.

[B]

By the way, that Otaya Mesa Detention center is just a few miles from my house.

[A]

Yeah. Now. The sale closed on July 2, according to a recent filing with the U.S. securities and Exchange Commission, with the federal government paying 739.2 million for the 1,994 bed Otay Mesa facility and about 732.6 million for the newly opened 2,560 bed California City facility. The two properties were sold under separate purchase agreements signed and completed on the same day. Corecivic said in a news release that it expects to continue running the day to day operations of both facilities under existing management contracts with the U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement. The company acknowledged in its filing that the terms of those contracts could be renegotiated. Now that the federal government owns both properties outright, there's no guarantee CoreCivic, by the way, will keep its operating contracts. The company said that in its SEC filing. The California City contract runs through August of 2027 and the OTE Mesa contract runs through December of 20, with an option to extend for five more years. California law allows state and local officials to inspect immigrant detention centers and Democratic leaders have drawn attention to conditions at both sites. Since President Trump began his second term. Eight ICE detention centers are operating within the state, up from six since Joe Biden left office. The Ote Mesa facility has been at the center of an ongoing legal fight over local health inspections. San Diego county officials sued the Federal Government and CoreCivic in March after claiming health inspectors were blocked from a full inspection under 2024 state law. A federal judge later granted county health officials access to the detention center. California City opened last year in eastern Kern county. That's about 100 miles north of Los Angeles and a site the company previously operated as a state prison. The company also disclosed that it's having ongoing talks with ICE about selling the federal government additional detention facilities. This is fucking for profit prisons. I'm telling you people. That's what they're doing with this stuff.

[B]

They're using our taxpayer money to overpay private prison companies.

[A]

Absolutely.

[B]

For these ICE facilities.

[A]

Yeah. And those discussions, by the way, are in early stages of these new facilities of a deal and it may not close, so we'll see what happens there. But Maryland based Core Civic said the proceeds from the sale, which would be about 1.1 billion, as I said, after taxes and transaction costs, could go toward paying down its bank credit and retiring 238.5 billion in senior notes coming due in 2027. Any remaining funds are earmarked for further debt reduction or possibly stock buybacks.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

Sounds like some double dipping to me too.

[B]

238.5 billion in notes coming due today owe 240 billion dollars.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Jesus. All right, thanks for that story next from Ms. Now, around this time six years ago, then candidate Tommy Tuberville made a rather specific promise during his first ever run for elected office. I stand with our veterans and I'm going to donate every dime I make when I'm in Washington, D.C. to the Veterans of the state of Alabama. That's what he said. Months later, the former college football Coach won his U.S. senate race and headed Capitol Hill, though he didn't seem especially eager to keep his promise. In fact, the Washington Post reported in 2023 at roughly halfway, at the halfway point in Tuberville's first term, that he'd apparently failed to honor his pre election pledge. The Senator explained at the time that he's made contributions through his charitable organization, the Tommy Tuberville Foundation. But the Post found that since he arrived in Congress, the foundation has spent very little on charitable causes and none of the leading veterans charities in Alabama would confirm receiving donations from Tuberville since his career began in 2021. When the post asked whether Tuberville has failed to keep his campaign promise to veterans and whether he still intends to follow through, a spokesperson told the newspaper Coats is in the process of reforming the foundation and he'll keep his promise to the veterans of Alabama. In other words, three years into a six year term, the Republican hasn't kept his promise, but he intended to eventually follow through three years later. Tuberville, perhaps best known for imposing an unprecedented blockade on military promotions in 2023 in response to the rule that my op ed and the Washington Post created, by the way, to grant leave for abortion care for military people for active duty service members. That was what my op ed was about in the Washington Post. And in response to that, Tommy Tuberville says to Biden and the SecDef at the time, if you don't rescind that rule, so I'm not having any military promotions. Remember, one guy had a heart attack because he was doing like three jobs. Anyway, Tuberville is giving up his Senate seat to run for governor of Alabama even though he doesn't live there, lives in Florida. So it seems like a good time to check in and see whether he ever got around to keeping his words to veterans. Now, the Lagniapp Daily newspaper in Mobile reported last week that Tuberville foundation treasurer couldn't say whether the senator had kept his promise. Quote, coach has to live with that himself. I know what he said and I know what he promised me. And the people heard that. That's Chester McKinney. I'm not trying to cover for him. He said. Interesting figures.

[A]

This next story is sort of ridiculous. It's from the Huffington Post. A spokesperson for Mitch McConnell wouldn't say Monday whether the guy's fucking conscious or not. There's been rumors and there's been sources that say he's been unconscious since his heart attack. He's been in there since June 14th.

[B]

Yeah. David Pakman and Laura Loomer have. We have well placed sources that have told us he's unconscious.

[A]

Yeah. This is since he had that heart attack and he was found unconscious. Received CPR for cardiac arrest and I quote, Senator McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support he's receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital. This is what the spokesperson said, which is the same statement the office put out last week. Said the senator continues to improve and is working closely with the staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate out of session. McConnell's 84. He has weathered a series of health scares in recent years, including multiple falls and moments of freezing up. He's unable to talk. The former Senate majority leader is not seeking reelection in November. No shit. But this is just wild. There's so many people that are like, I Talked to Mitch McConnell today and I went and saw him in the hospital. We've been working on blah, blah, blah. And I think they're all full of it.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, like, what if we. I was like, what if he was unconscious? Like, what would that even look like politically? Like, he. There would need to be, if he's unfit to serve, if he's incapacitated, there would need to be an election to replace him, wouldn't there?

[A]

Also, I would really love to know if he isn't conscious and there's been anything signed, any discussions that have happened in the last three weeks, who the fuck is having them.

[B]

That's a very good point, my friend. Very, very good point. All right, that is our news today. That's the hot notes. Thank you so much, everybody. We've got good news. Listeners submitted good news that we're going to get to, but we have to take another quick break. Stick around, we'll be right back. History is messy. It's weird, wild, and anything but boring. Rainy Day Rabbit Holes is a history podcast about unhinged stories that make you stop and ask, wait, is this real life?

[A]

From crazy disasters and tasty scandals to enlightening and surprising heartwarming tales, we explore the moments where people behave badly and sometimes beautifully.

[B]

We've got naughty politicians, cultural chaos, and a deep love for the Pacific Northwest, including Bigfoot.

[A]

It's thoughtful, irreverent, occasionally serious, and always entertaining. Let's fall down the rabbit hole.

[B]

MSW Media, Everybody. Welcome back. It's time for the good news. Who likes good news?

[C]

Everyone?

[B]

Then good news, everyone.

[A]

Good news.

[B]

Good news. And if you have any good news, it can be anything. It can be small. It can be big, amazing news. It could have happened this week. It could have happened 40 years ago. Doesn't matter. We want to hear about it. Maybe it's a fun story you like to tell when you're hanging out with your friends. Maybe something that you hear in our Good News submissions will make you think of something that happened to you back in the past and you can write in about it. Or you can maybe even just send in a hi there and hello and a photo of your pet. Anything at all. You can even do a shout out to like a spouse or yourself or a nonprofit or a government program that's helped you or a loved one. Send it to us dailybeanspod.com click on contact. You can also send us your Good Trouble suggestions. We absolutely love getting those from you. And all you got to do to get your stuff on the air is attach a photo. It can be anything. It can be your pod pet tax which is a photo of your pet. We can try to guess the breeds in your shelter pup if you want. You can also send in a random animal on the Internet photo. It doesn't matter. Like if you don't have a pet, you send an adoptable pet in your area. You can send photos of inanimate objects that you enjoy. Send photos of your family Baby pictures. Your baby pictures show us what you looked like in the 90s. Like it can be anything at all. Send it to us dailybeanspot.com, click on Contact. First up is your Good Trouble Good Trouble Attend a July Recess Town hall this comes from the five calls app. The House of Representatives is in recess from July 3 to July 13, while the Senate is in recess from July 2 to July 13. This time is allotted for members of Congress to work in their districts and engage with their constituents. It's also the perfect time to hold public town halls and hear their constituents concerns live and in person. Your representatives work for you. You should insist on regular, frequent opportunities to discuss their positions, platforms and how their legislative agendas will affect you and those close to you. Town halls are a critical tool for holding representatives accountable for their actions and ensuring that they hear their constituents needs and concerns. Attend a scheduled town hall or if your congressional members refuse to hold one, request an in office meeting to discuss your concerns. Or you can do what we did here in San Diego when Darrell Issa wouldn't do a town hall and we did one in his stead. We did an absentee town hall for him and it was a lot of fun. We had Sarah Jacobs come in and speak. It was a good time. So you can find your reps and senators and how to contact them with a link that we're going to put in the show. Notes also everybody, a reminder. Our next Patreon Zoom will be this Thursday, July 9, 5pm Pacific time. Patrons look for the Zoom link in your inbox. It might go to your junk mail or you can look at a post. Find the post on the Patreon site and we're going to send those out at noon Pacific on Thursday, July 9th. And as you know, we're doing the Trevor Project fundraising thing all month long. So if you haven't yet, just give a couple [e-mail] beans it's an incredible organization. They do amazing work for LGBTQ youth.

[A]

Thanks so much Alison. This is her Marianne Pronoun she and her. Greetings, beans queens. Nothing too important to share today. Just a quick appreciation note for all the content you provide to keep us truthfully informed, I've included pics of some of my favorite furry friends, and I hope they'll bring a smile to everyone's face. The first is my absolutely adorable, oh so cuddly grand kitten, Preston. The second pick of is our good boy. Zeke is on the left and is a blank. And Linus on the right. It's a blank. Keeping an eye on that sketchy UPS guy dropping off our packages. Keep on fighting the good fight and oh, yeah, Donald Trump.

[B]

Nice, beautiful kitty. All right, look at these dogs.

[A]

Looks like a black.

[B]

It's a black lab without a tail. So like a lab rottweiler or a lab, maybe. I don't know. Oh, unless the tail. No, he does have a tail. It's just hidden.

[A]

Ah, but there's something else in there. Is he a pity mix?

[B]

He's muscly, so maybe a staffy or a pity. Let's see, let's see. Pity lab. Look at you go.

[A]

And on the right, I can't even

[B]

guess, Linus,

[A]

because it looks like he's pretty muscular too. So I'm not sure.

[B]

Maybe part pity there, but I don't know what else is in there. Like a Australian shepherd or some sort of cattle dog. Let's see, he's a terrier healer mix. Interesting. I wouldn't have guessed that at all.

[A]

Same. Nor did we. Yeah,

[B]

we lived up to our own expectations.

[A]

I wouldn't have guessed that. And I did not.

[B]

Fantastic.

[A]

Hello and goodbye.

[B]

I saw the shine on my forehead and kept on trucking. All right, next up from harbor living pronouns, she and her hello beanie babes. My partner and I broke our own rule of no holiday travel to visit Philadelphia for the 4th. Yes, there was a heat wave. Yes, it was way too crowded. The trip was bittersweet since the main reason I wanted to visit was to witness Washington's house before they took down the rest of the slavery exhibit.

[C]

Mm.

[B]

I'm proud of the heroes that placed information about what was going on for everyone to see. With all that is wrong, it's good to know our country has outstanding people who will continue to fight for our rights and get the information out there. You two included two photos. One of the exhibit on the 4th of July and the other pic of our now 7 year old Zoe, who still doesn't understand the meaning of zozo. No, no. Pretty sure her breed is obvious. Oh, she's a beautiful golden.

[C]

She is.

[A]

Oh my God. Oh cutie.

[B]

Look, somebody's post. Activists have posted signs on the yeah on the exhibit. Thank you so much for that. Harbor Living. Appreciate you.

[A]

Yeah. All right. From Dr. Worm. Dr. Pronouns are Dr. She and her 2010 World cup memories. As promised in my comments on Beans Talk. I went back to South Africa in 2010 to level up a relationship with a dude. But then I left that dude like a month into coming back because you know, dudes, I was sad. So sad I almost came back home. But then I said to myself, self, you can't leave South Africa before the first African hosted World Cup. So I stayed and it was amazing. I could write a book about that World Cup. I lived blocks from a stadium but never attended a game. I had a little month long romance with a sweet and really hot Algerian man. I had a weird cultural shock moment when the US fans, the USA fans rolled in. I bonged a beer through a vuvozella and was like, oh yes, it's my people. My vuvazella was my partner in crime. I could go on and on. It makes me so happy to hear how many commentators being interviewed now have said that the 2010 was one of their faves and best fucking right it was. South Africa showed out. They need to embrace that vibe again and cut out the xenophobic shit. But that's another comment thread. I'm so grateful to relive the 2010 stories and moments cause it's World cup time again. Truly one of the most amazing experiences in my life. Pixar watching and eating. LOL with my vet school friends. I'm the white lady with a mouthful of food. Me and my bestie, Surprise. Enjoying a game at the local public watch party. By the way, Dr. Worm, this is such a cool fucking picture.

[B]

Oh my goodness. I mean, look. I know now this takes me back. I was in Germany in 1990. The World cup was held in Italy, but West Germany won the World cup in 1990.

[C]

Wow.

[B]

And I was there and it was insane. That is when I first started really getting into World cup stuff. I was 16. I think that's amazing.

[A]

No, keep going.

[B]

Oh. And it was just the Berlin Wall had just come down, but it was still West Germany. It was still West Germany and they won. They won that year.

[A]

Mine's not as cool, but I remember my 2019 Women's World cup that I was in Lyon and when we took it in 2019 against the Netherlands and the Netherlands, man, they were holding their own until the final. Until the finals, it was just awesome. And heat wave in France, but we made it through. But being at the World cup, there's really nothing like it. And it's. It's a pretty extraordinary sports experience. I love that so many of us have had it. Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

For sure. Yeah. I don't think that Trump had to make any calls to help the women's team. Their record for World cup championship more

[A]

than any other country, I believe in the world.

[B]

Yep. I think that's true. Yeah, I think that is the case. Thank you for that memory. I love these photos. I think Dr. Worm was at our. We met Dr. Worm at our gala in Chicago.

[A]

I think so, too. Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

All right, next up from Ed Pronouns. He and him. Buongiorno, Beans Queens.

[A]

Buongiorno.

[B]

Something that came to me in Florence today.

[A]

Oh, I love Florence.

[B]

Art is foundational, as necessary as food and shelter. Art reaches inside you and rearranges the furniture. And if you pay attention, art can teach you things about yourself. On the first Sunday of every month, all the national museums and galleries are free of charge because the Italians understand that art is foundational. We walked into the Museum de Vecchio quite by chance and went into a gallery room showing some works by David Puma, whom I knew nothing about. And his art is not within a thousand miles of what I would describe as my taste. But yet I stared at a painting of colorful flamingos and I couldn't see through the tears. And I hope this feeling lingers so I can see what furniture has been rearranged by this art and what it tells me about me that's so wonderful.

[A]

Ed, this is a really beautiful submission. You're an incredible writer.

[B]

Yeah. Picture it as that little flamingo and the stunning Tuscan countryside. May they bring you joy or peace or contemplation or something undefined. Oh, look at this painting.

[A]

It's really beautiful. I can see why you were so mesmerized.

[B]

Oh, and there's Tuscany.

[A]

I know. I want to spend more time in Tuscany.

[B]

Me, too.

[A]

All right, next up from Victor Pronouns. He and him. I have been a listener for some time and know you love cute, cuddly animal photos. About a month ago, I created a new Instagram account to practice my wildlife photography skills. Before I take a once in a lifetime trip to South Africa, I thought you might enjoy seeing my daily post to spread a little joy in beauty in this often too dark world. Thanks for bringing us the news. With swearing a needed addition during this administration's horrific rain, I've added a Shot of Robin, our tripod foster fail cat, as my pod pet tariff. And there is going to be a link to Victor's Instagram, so if anyone wants to follow. And there's already some really gorgeous shots.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

On your Instagram.

[B]

Created a sampling for us.

[A]

This is fantastic, Victor. I am going right now to Instagram because I love photography.

[B]

Clickety click, followdy followed. And the cat is amazing, by the way. Thank you so much, Victor. This is awesome. All right, next up, Len pronouns he and him. Good morning, beans Queens. I am writing from the Amtrak on my way back to Chicago. My week in San Diego has come to an end, and I'm happy to report that I went paragliding.

[A]

That's right.

[B]

That's right. You were going to do this off La Jolla Shores not once, but twice at Torrey Pines Glider Port. And it was awesome. So, as promised, here are a couple of photos. I'm also including a link to a playlist of YouTubes from the second flight, which was even more wonder than the first. So we'll have a link to that in the show notes. So now that I've ticked that off my bucket list, let's all work on the second one. 8647. Thanks for inspiring me and doing all that you do to keep us sane. Len, look at that.

[C]

No.

[B]

Oh, Len. I. I live right here. I should do this. That's like 10 minutes from me. I should go do this.

[A]

Absolutely. I want to do this. Actually, it's one of my. One of my things, because I used

[B]

to skydive, but I'm not. I'm not about that life anymore.

[A]

No, I skydived once, and I'm like, once is good. Because after that, I become a statistic. And no, thank you. Like, I landed, I'm safe. Everything's fine.

[B]

Yeah, but this looks.

[A]

And I did it in Tahiti. I don't mean this. So we. I went skydiving in shorts and a T shirt. The video is actually kind of amazing because the guy that was I tandem with, his name was Oliver. Oliver. And he had the hairiest arms that I've ever seen in my life. So Oliver's army is in every single shot because he's holding the GoPro and his hairy arm and my smiling face.

[B]

Incredible. Yeah. We used to go to Cocoa beach when I was stationed in the Navy in Florida. Back when you were 20 and your bones were made of rubber and you had no fear. Yeah.

[A]

No kidding, man.

[B]

This looks beautiful. Thank you so much, everybody. Please send in all of your amazing photos, vacation photos, whatever it is, we would love to see them and all of your good news. Send it to us dailybeanspod.com click on Contact. Do you have any final thoughts today my friend?

[A]

Not today.

[B]

Me neither. Everybody will be back tomorrow. Until then, please take care of yourselves, take care of each other, take care of the planet, take care of your mental health and take care of your framily. I've been ag, I've been DG and them's the Beans. The Daily Beans is written and executive produced by Alison Gill with additional research and reporting by Dana Goldberg. Sound design and editing is by Desiree McFarlane with art and web design by Joelle Reader with Moxie Design Studios. Music for the Daily Beans is written and performed by they Might Be Giants and the show is a proud member of the MSW Media Network, a collection of creator owned podcasts dedicated to news, politics and justice. For more information Please visit msw media.com MSW Media.

[A]

I'm Brian Caram and I've spent decades covering politics. Now I'm taking you behind the scenes, one interview at a time.

[B]

Join us as each week Brian confronts the issues that matter, posing the questions you wish you could ask. No filter, no agenda, just the truth.

[A]

We're not here for sound bites. We're here for substance. Join me, Brian Caram every week as we cut through the noise and get straight to it. This is Just Ask the Question for Curiosity will lead us to the facts. Subscribe now on your favorite podcast platform

[B]

and remember, when you want answers, all you have to do is just ask the question.