← The Daily Beans
The Daily Beans
Sense Of Urgency (feat. Ezra Levin; John Fugelsang)
01:08:09
Friday, May 15th, 2026 Today, Donald Trump is poised to steal $1.7B from the Treasury to pay his allies prosecuted under Biden including the January 6th insurrectionists; the Supreme Court restores mail access to mifepristone pending appeal with Thomas and Alito dissenting; Trump Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks has abruptly quit amid reports that he traveled abroad to solicit sex workers; emails show that FBI Director Kash Patel’s Hawaii trip included a ‘VIP snorkel’ at the USS Arizona; Trump’s Reflecting Pool repairs are garbage, over budget, and behind schedule; the Trump administration has paused Medicare enrollment for hospice providers; a Trump-appointed judge says the DOJ has ‘proven unworthy’ of trust in a blistering trans care case ruling; and Allison Delivers your Good News.
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It's no surprise that newsmakers try to manipulate the audience. They want you to believe that they are the one holding the line, and they'll use any trick they can to get you there. But don't let them fool you. Get Unspun I'm Amanda Sturgel. I've been a reporter, and today I teach future reporters to cut the spin and think critically about what newsmakers say. My podcast, Unspun, shows you how to know when you're being manipulated by the news, learn to spot the tricks, and how to make up your own mind about what's true. So if you're tired of being fooled by the news, subscribe to UNSPUN today. Unspun because you deserve the truth. MSW Media.
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News whispering
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daily beans daily beans
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daily beans.
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Daily beans. Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Friday, May 15, 2026. Today, Donald Trump is poised to steal $1.7 billion from the treasury to pay his allies that were prosecuted under Biden, including the January 6th insurrectionists. The Supreme Court has restored mail access to mifepristone, pending appeal, with Thomas and Alito dissenting. Trump Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks has abruptly quit amid reports that he had traveled abroad to solicit. Emails are showing FBI Director Kash Patel's Hawaii trip included a VIP snorkel at the USS Arizona. Trump's reflecting pool repairs are garbage, over budget and behind schedule. The Trump administration has paused Medicare enrollment for hospice providers, and a Trump appointed judge says the Department of Justice has proven unworthy of trust in a blistering Transcare case ruling. I'm your host, Alison Gill. Hey everybody, Dana's out today. She'll be back next week. Thank you for hanging in with me solo. Later in the show, though, I'm going to be speaking with co executive director, co founder of Indivisible Ezra Levin about some political action taking place this Saturday against the gutting of the Voting Rights Act. And these events are all around the country, but there also will be flagship events at Selma and Montgomery, Alabama. Also in the show, we're going to be talking to John Fugelsang because it's Fegelsang Fridays here on the Daily Beans. But there's some really, really disturbing breaking news as I'm recording this. It's from ABC and it basically says here, I'll just read directly from the article to you. Trump is expected to drop his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS in exchange for the creation of a $1.7 billion fund to compensate allies who claim they were wrongfully targeted by the Biden administration. The commission overseeing the compensation fund would have total authority to hand out 1.7 billion in taxpayer funds to settle claims brought by anyone who alleges they were harmed by the Biden administration's, quote, weaponization of the legal system, including the nearly 1600 individuals charged in connection with the January 6th capital attacks, as well as, potentially, entities associated with Trump himself, like maybe the Trump Organization or his sons. Now, while the settlement is expected to be agreed upon in the coming days, sources caution that the final terms will not be set until they are officially announced. In addition to a public apology from the irs, the compensation fund is believed to be the main condition for Trump to drop a series of legal actions he filed against the federal government, including the $10 billion lawsuit related to the 2019 leak of his tax returns and his $230 million in legal claims related to the search of Mar A Lago. The settlement terms are expected to prohibit Trump from directly receiving payments related to those three legal claims. However, entities associated with Trump are not explicitly from filing additional claims. A spokesperson for the DOJ declined to comment. The proposed fund, which could face, hopefully, significant legal hurdles, would draw money from the Treasury Department's judgment fund. And the arrangement would be an unprecedented use of taxpayer dollars with little oversight. Under the terms, Trump would have the authority to remove members of the commission running the fund without cause, and the commission would be under no obligation to disclose its procedures or its decision making processes for awarding more than 1.7 billion DOL. This is absolutely theft. I knew the $10 billion lawsuit was bad, but a judge had stepped in and said, hang on, we need an adversary here. Trump, you're basically suing yourself, the IRS, for $10 billion. And we're gonna need an amicus, a friend of the court to file something. So they went to John Gleason and several other law firms to ask for those amici for those briefs. But now, to get around that, to get around that judge who sees a problem with this, the settlement is this $1.7 billion fund. It's our money. He's taking it, he's stealing it. And it's gonna pay his friends and his businesses and probably his children. So we're gonna keep an eye on this story. But that is really, really horrific. Impeachable theft. Anyway. But there's some better news today. A huge win for Reproductive Access. The Supreme Court has extended access by mail to mifepristone. Now, as we know, Samuel Alito had put a tempor while the court decided whether to continue to allow access pending the appeal. He then extended that temporary stay. When his weird arbitrary expiration date came, he extended it. And then about 15 minutes after that second temporary stay expired, the full court granted a more permanent stay while the case gets decided on the merits, which could take up to a year. So we can take a little bit of a breath here from Mifepristone. It's still available by mail. For now, Alito and Thomas dissented, saying they would not have granted to stay and they can go fuck themselves. All right, everybody, we've got a lot of news to get to today. Let's hit the hot notes. Hot notes. First up from the Associated Press. When Kash Patel visited Hawaii last summer, the FBI took pains to note the director was not on vacation. They highlighted his walking tour of the bureau's Honolulu field office. They highlighted his meetings with local law enforcement. He's definitely not on vacation. But left out of the FBI's news releases was an exclusive excursion that Patel took days later when he participated in what government officials described as a, quote, VIP snorkel around the sacred monument USS Arizona, in an outing coordinated by the military. The sunken battleship ENTOMBS More than 900 sailors and marines at Pearl Harbor. The swim, revealed in government emails obtained by the Associated Press, comes to light amid a lot of criticism about Patel's use of the FBI plane in his global travel, which have blurred professional responsibilities with leisure activities. The FBI did not disclose the snorkeling session or that Patel had returned to Hawaii for two days after his initial stop over on the island. With few exceptions, snorkeling and diving are strictly off limits around the USS Arizona. The battleship, now a military cemetery reachable only by boat, has stood as one of the nation's most hollowed sites since Japan bombed and sank it in 1941. Marine archaeologists and crews from the National Park Service make occasional dives at the memorial to survey the condition of the wreck. Other dives have been conducted into the remains of the Arizona survivors who wanted to rest eternally with their former shipmates. Now, beyond the snorkeling excursion, it's not clear what else Patel did during his second stop in Hawaii. There's no mention of alcohol in this particular story, but, you know, keep your eye on the Atlantic, the news, the magazine, for maybe some updates from Sarah Fitzpatrick. Next up from HuffPost, U.S. border Patrol Chief Mike Banks abruptly resigned Thursday, telling Fox News it's just time. Banks reportedly told Fox News that he got the ship back on course during his tenure. His departure, effective immediately, comes amid allegations that he regularly traveled abroad to solicit sex workers, reportedly bragging about the conduct to Border Patrol colleagues. And that's according to a Washington examiner report. An investigation into his alleged conduct was terminated while Kristi Noem oversaw the dhs. The Washington examiner spoke with six current and former Border Patrol employees. He said Banks traveled to Colombia and Thailand to solicit sex workers there. I don't know how he became the chief of Border Patrol with his character, that's what one agent told the outlet on condition of anonymity. Quote, he's going to third world countries to take advantage of poor fucking women, which disgusts the hell out of me. U.S. customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott confirmed Banks departure in a statement to cnbc, saying, we thank Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks for his decades of service to this country and congratulate him on his second retirement after returning to serve during one of the most challenging periods of of border security. Next up from the Times Interior Department staff members have raised concerns about the quality and speed of the repair work that a contractor is performing on the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool in D.C. and that's according to government documents seen by the New York Times. The staff members say that bubbles and small holes have appeared in one of the layers meant to waterproof the pool. An uneven application of tinted waterproofing left the pool mottled in varying shades of blue. The documents say both issues are being addressed, but they raise the possibility that work might not be finished by the government's deadline of May 22. That would be an ironic turn of events, given the federal bidding laws were skirted, circumvented for an emergency, awarded a no bid contract because the government argued there was an urgent need and the urgent need is to have it ready for the country's 250th anniversary celebrations. Doesn't look like it's going to be done in time. Last month, the Interior Department hired a Virginia firm, Atlantic Industrial Coatings, to repair, resurface and paint the reflecting pool. President Trump said publicly he'd recommended the firm because of work it did on the swimming pools of one of his golf clubs. However, Trump did an about face early Tuesday, distancing himself from the company. I didn't give out the contract. Interior did it to a contractor. I don't know. I've never used him before. That's what Trump put on Truth Social. Sure, buddy. Atlantic Industrial Coatings has never previously held a federal contract. According to a public database, the firm was given a no bid contract to waterproof and paint the pool. Last month, the government closed off all other competition for that work by invoking a power that can only be used in urgent situations that would bring serious injury to the government. The Trump administration has not said what that injury would have been, instead saying Trump wanted to move fast so it could be done by the 250th. The documents seen by the Times, which have not been reported, cast doubt on that timeline of May 22. It's supposed to be done by then. Although the refurbishing contract was awarded April 3, as of Sunday, only about 35% of the surface has been coated. That's according to a government document. Another key task that the vendor must complete is replacing leak prone joints between the pool's slabs. That was listed as 0% complete. There's 12 days left to the deadline. Already, the contract with Atlantic Industrial Coatings has cost much more than Trump originally promised. This is our money, the president said last week the work would be done for 1.8 million. In his social media post early Tuesday, he increased it to 5 million or 6 million, but public records updated as of Friday show that it's going to cost at least $13.1 million. Next up from CBS, the Trump administration is enacting a six month moratorium on new Medicare enrollments by hospice and home health agencies to target fraud, effectively putting a hold on new hospice and home health agencies. Quote, there will be no new hospices or home health care open in this country, said the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz in a press conference Wednesday alongside J.D. vance. If you have the program now, you can keep it. You can go to the ones that already exist. We're not taking away any services, but there'll be no new ones, no licenses granted until we can figure out a better way of working across the government. Great. Right in the middle of the baby boom retirement, we're going to stop adding hospices. The moratorium will entail targeted investigations, advanced analyses of data and a swifter removal of providers that are suspected of committing fraud nationwide, the Department of Health and Human Services office, the inspector general, reported. In 2023, suspected hospice fraud amounts totaled an estimated $198 million. Vance also announced Wednesday that the Trump administration will be deferring $1.3 billion in reimbursement for California's Medicaid anti fraud unit and warned all 50 states to crack down on Medicaid fraud or risk losing funding for their anti fraud units. What happens when we crack down on the fraud and find all sorts of Republican senators like Rick Scott. Guilty. Are you going to prosecute them? Todd Blanche Fuck you. Trump says California hasn't taken fraud very seriously, and Vance clarified that Medicaid recipients in California will continue to receive funding. Next up from the Advocate A federal judge appointed by Trump issued a blistering opinion Wednesday night accusing the Trump administration's Justice Department of appalling behavior, including misleading the courts, manipulating the judicial system and targeting transgender youth through what she concluded was an unlawful effort to obtain deeply sensitive medical records. In a 24 page ruling, Rhode Island U.S. district Judge Mary McElroy quashed a federal subpoena seeking years of records connected to gender affirming care for minors at Brown Health's Rhode Island Hospital. She also barred the DOJ from obtaining, retaining or disseminating any identifying patient information tied to that subpoena. The opinion reads like a warning flare from the federal bench about the government's conduct. The discrepancy, quote, between the honorable conduct expected of a federal Prosecutor and the DOJ's tactics in this case is unsettling. That's what she wrote from the opening paragraphs. McElroy identified identified the case as a breakdown in trust between the judiciary and the nation's most powerful enforcement agency. Quote, the United States Department of Justice possesses immense prosecutorial authority and discretion. As citizens, we trust federal prosecutors when wielding this awesome power against a state, a company, or certainly against vulnerable children. We assume that we'll play fair and be honest with its counterparts and the judiciary. But the DOJ has proven unworthy of this trust at every point in this case. Now, subpoena at the center of the dispute demanded records for every minor patient who received gender affirming care at a Rhode island Hospital since 2020, including names, Social Security numbers, addresses, diagnoses, clinical histories and family information. The Justice Department claimed the records were necessary for an ongoing investigation into violations of federal drug laws related to the off label prescribing of puberty blockers and hormone therapy. But McElroy dismantled that legal theory in extraordinary detail, noting that federal courts, including the 1st U.S. circuit Court of Appeals, have long recognized that physicians may legally prescribe FDA approved drugs for off label use. You can't investigate a hospital for prescribing drugs off label. It happens all the time. That's what doctors are there for. Quote, the off label prescribing conduct at the core of the DOJ's theory is not illegal under the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. That's what the judge wrote. And she concluded the subpoena, quote lacks a congressionally authorized purpose and was issued for an improper purpose in bad faith. But the ruling goes beyond the subpoena's legality. Judge McElroy, again a Trump appointee, accused the DOJ attorneys of concealing information from courts, misleading opposing parties, and strategically steering the case to a more favorable judge in Texas. According to the ruling, Rhode Island Hospital had spent months negotiating with federal prosecutors over the subpoena's scope and possible compliance. Yet while those discussions were ongoing, DOJ attorneys quietly filed an enforcement action in the Northern District of Texas for hospital in Rhode Island. And that's before Judge Reed o', Connor, a conservative jurist who's become a favored venue for Republican legal challenges. Judge McElroy concluded the government intentionally concealed that movement from the hospital. Quote, this omission leads the court to conclude this request was a subterfuge to prevent Rhode Island Hospital from realizing that the DOJ had decided to go to Texas for an order compelling production of the very records they had been discussing for months. In a pointed footnote, Judge McElroy noted that O' Connor himself has previously referred to the Justice Department as a frequent forum shopper. Quote, it's clear that the DOJ has done so here, she said. Judge McElroy pressed DOJ attorneys during a hearing about why they sought enforcement in Texas rather than Rhode Island. Quote, you chose Justice o' Connor in Texas, she said during the hearing, according to a Rhode island courant. That's. The Rhode Island Courant is a publication. Quote, just be honest enough to admit it. The opinion also accuses DOJ attorneys of making misleading factual claims to the Texas court. Federal prosecutors claimed Rhode Island Hospital had not communicated with the government since February of 2026 and. But McElroy found that assertion clearly misleading, if not utterly false, because the DOJ lawyers had continued corresponding with the hospital until late April. Quote, this reckless disregard for duty of candor owed to a federal court is appalling, she said. And at another point, she criticized DOJ leadership for allowing a junior attorney with only six months of legal experience to field questions about the department's conduct while the senior officials remained silent. They sat there and said nothing. Quote, the administration has publicly characterized gender affirming care for minors as abuse, directing the DOJ to bring its practice to an end and celebrated when hospitals curtailed such programs as a result of this subpoena campaign, she said. Seven other federal courts reviewing similar DOJ subpoenas have likewise concluded the investigations appear improper. Now, the judge has also revealed that DOJ attorneys acknowledged during oral arguments and that investigators intended to locate and question both children and their caregivers as part of their investigation. McElroy ended her ruling with a warning that extended beyond this single subpoena fight. Quoting another recent federal opinion criticizing the Department of Justice, she said, the long standing judicial presumption that DOJ can be trusted with little doubt about its intentions and stated purposes, no longer holds. It is regrettable that this is now the case. All right, everybody stick around. We're going to have John Fugal saying, followed by Ezra Levin, and then we'll have the good news. Be right back after these messages. We'll be right back. Hey everybody. So I ended up trying Honey Love because I was really frustrated with bras and shapewear that always felt like some kind of compromise. Either they were supportive and uncomfortable or comfortable and not especially useful. Honey Love was better than I expected right away. They covered all the bases. The fit was smooth. It's still amazing. I love it. The silhouette is gorgeous, the support is real and you don't spend all day slipping around or needing to be pulled back into place. And that's why it's become part of my regular wardrobe instead of something I only wear when I have to. So now you'll understand why we want to thank Honey Love for sponsoring our show. Use our exclusive Link to save 20% off honeylove@honeylove.com DailyBeans what HoneyLove gets right is that it doesn't treat comfort like an afterthought. It is the main event. Their shapewear is built to move with you instead of sliding down the second you sit, walk or try to enjoy your night. And the targeted compression doesn't just squeeze you, it shapes in a way that's flattering and actually wearable. I also love the practical details, especially the opening in the panty area that makes bathroom trips easier, right? And on the bra side, honeylev uses wire free bonding technology to create real lift without sacrificing comfort. Huge win. I'm not dying to get out of my bra at the end of the day. Super comfy and their lingerie inspired design details and the soft, high quality fabrics. The whole line just feels polished, smart, comfortable and amazing. So treat yourself to the most advanced bras and shapewear on the market. Use our exclusive link to save 20% off honeylove@honeylove.com DailyBeans that's honeylove.com DailyBeans after you check out, they're going to ask where you heard about them. Please support our show and tell them we sent you experience the new standard in comfort and support with Honey Love. So One Skin got my attention because it led with science about skincare. The company was founded by PhD longevity researchers who started with a question that's a lot more interesting than most Beauty Copy if many visible signs of aging are tied to damaged senescent cells, why not try to reduce those cells instead of just layering products on top of the surface? That research led to the OS 1 peptide. It's One Skin's proprietary peptide, which is designed to switch off those damaged zombie cells and and address skin aging in a more direct way. Since I started using One Skin, my skin looks calmer, it's smoother, it just looks healthier overall. And one of the first things I noticed was better hydration. It snaps back, which was something I've needed. And what surprised me the most is how easy it is to use for something grounded in this much science and research. It fits into my routine without making it complicated. And I love that. I like that it supports collagen, it helps strengthen my skin barrier and gives my skin a better chance to recover, all without turning skin care into a whole project or or like a second job. And that it's also backed by real data is important. Oneskin has an extensive lab and clinical support team, including four peer reviewed clinical studies, more than 10,000 five star reviews, and recent Bloomberg recognition. It proves you don't need a giant lineup to get healthier looking skin. So born from over a decade of longevity research, OneSkin's OS1 peptide is proven to target the visible signs of aging. It helps you unlock your healthiest skin now and as you age. And for a limited time, try OneSkin with 15% off using code Daily Beans at OneSkin co. DailyBeans that's 15% off at OneSkin co with the code DailyBeans. After you purchase, they'll ask where you heard about us. Please support our show and tell them we sent you. You'll be glad you did. 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? From crazy disasters and from tasty scandals to enlightening and surprising heartwarming tales, we explore the moments where people behave badly and sometimes beautifully. We've got naughty politicians, cultural chaos, and a deep love for the Pacific Northwest, including Bigfoot. It's thoughtful, irreverent, occasionally serious, and always entertaining. Let's fall down the rabbit hole. MSW Media Foreign. Hey everybody. Welcome Back. We're going to get to an Ezra Levin interview in a minute, but first it's Fugal Sang Fridays on the Daily Bean. So joining us is the host of tell me everything on SiriusXM progress channel 127. That is weeknights at 9pm Eastern, 6 Pacific. You can also catch him on the John Figelsang show podcast. He's New York Times bestselling author of the Separation of Church and Hate, working on his second book, In a Cave, Writing all the Time. Please welcome John Feegelsang.
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Thank you. It's a pleasure to keep you all from Ezra. Thank you. That's great. I am not in fact better than Ezra, but I get to go first. Thank you. Dr. Gill.
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Jonathan. Ezra, Nice pop culture reference.
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Well, maybe nice. Can I just tell all the kids listening before we start? I had the privilege of watching Dame Allison Gill and Dame Dana crush it at the El Rey the other night. What a great show. I was so honored to be a part of that bill. Just sublime. You do these political benefits all the time, you know, as a comedian and they're always well intentioned. The people are all great and the shows are just a mess, a total yard sale. The band and the people are talking during the comedians and it's always this silent auction is always a nightmare. Alison, what a gorgeous event. This was just great.
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It truly was. I have to thank Steve Pearson and you know, Blue Wave California for putting it together. Incredible stage management.
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Really.
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Shout out to Megan. Just really a well run show from top. When they told me that all of those people. Andy Richter, Lisa Loeb, Rufus Wainwright, Lawrence Juber.
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Lawrence Juber, you.
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Did I say Andy Richter already?
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Andy Richter was great. He was great. Gene Smart was great. Gene Smart, I mean, Lawrence Juber.
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When I saw that lineup and then they're like, I'm like, how long is this show? They're like 90 minutes. I'm like, you sure they kept it to 90 minutes?
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Man, it was tight. It was tight. And listen, I love Lawrence Juber. I mean I grew up listening to him. He wings, you know. But like watching this man just seduce the entire room. They had no idea, most of those folks who this old guy with the white hair was. And he just picked up his guitar and covered the who instrumentally We Won't Get Fooled Again. And my God, he made it a small room. Rufus Wainwright was beautiful. Lisa Loeb was just great. And I mean you and Dana were so hilarious. It was a great crowd. The kind of thing that makes you excited to get out there and Whore yourself for Democrats. That's what it was.
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Thank you. Makes it all worthwhile.
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Really does.
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Yeah. No, I had an incredible time. A lot of imposter syndrome happening there, so.
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Oh, me too.
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I'm really honored to just be in that room with all of those incredible people. You told me that it was. Who was it? Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson in 1997.
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In 1997, Willie Nelson opened for Bob Dylan on that very stage. So I. And you know, I have. I think I've told you I have big issues with imposter syndrome. I think because all my friends have it and I don't, and I just want it to blend in, so I pretend to have imposter syndrome so they'll think I'm one of the gang and I'm so terrified they're gonna realize I'm faking it.
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So you have imposter imposter syndrome.
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Yeah. So it was an awkward night for me on many levels, but just a great crowd and who knows, maybe we can get some Democrats elected in California.
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That would be fantastic. That would be amazing. So thanks to everybody who came out to that. We know there were tons of beans listeners in the audience, and I'm glad we got to see a lot of you afterwards, after the show. Thanks for coming, saying hi. All right, so what's on your mind this week, my friend? Let's talk about the first Commandment for a minute, if we can.
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Sure.
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No false idols before me.
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Which one? Yeah. No gods before me. Well, can I tell you. Wow. America is a Christian nation. That's what they keep saying, right? That's what I keep hearing with this nine hour federally blessed revival meeting coming up this weekend, starring all of these right wings politicians who think the Sermon on the Mount was too woke. Nine hours of public prayer, which goes against the Constitution and against Jesus. Remember in Matthew 6, 5, Jesus says, Don't trust anybody who's praying out there in public to be seen. He says specifically, if you're gonna pray, you go into a closet and you pray in secret as your father is in secret. This is how Jesus gives the words to the Our Father prayer. So right away we talk about how these guys are against the founders. They're against Jesus too. And this is Christian nationalism. They believe in religious liberty for one religion. So when I saw this statue, this giant golden cankles being worshiped in Florida, I mean, Allison, I mean, it looks like Moses came down from Mount Sinai and discovered the Israelites were worshiping a casino manager from Queens. It was like so nakedly Idolatrous. So ridiculously against everything the Bible says. And all these clergy, they're saying we're not worshiping him. Well then where's Scott Baio? Where are the shitty celebrities? Why is it all clergy there, all the pastors who spent the last 10 years saying that we've turned away from God because Target sold rainbow T shirts. All these people who want the ten Commandments in schools and they're literally having this ribbon cutting ceremony for a golden idol. The symbolism was the most perfect thing I've seen. Not a hospital, not a shelter, not a food bank, not a monument to the poor, the sick, the immigrant, the peacemaker, the hungry. A gold plated statue at a golf resort for a billionaire lech who tear gassed a church for a photo op with a Bible he's never read. And every one of these frauds lined up to personally wipe Trump's behind with pages of the New Testament. I mean, I mean, it takes a lot to shock me at this point. Dr. Kill. This was like the Roman Empire was like, whoa, guys, turn it down. You're making Caligula feel uneasy. And they're just doing it.
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You're embarrassing Caligula.
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But this has been the entire history of shitty Christianity since Rome took over the startup. It's been these clergy people in funny hats and robes and now just bad suits who will trade everything Jesus commanded in that book they wave around for proximity to power. It has always been easy for imperial Christianity to justify war and violence against civilians because they bring in clowns like these pastors, Robert Jeffress, to sanctify their violence and bless it in the eyes of the mouth breathers. And that's your get out of Jesus free card. And they've done it for 1700 years and it's still bullshit and needs to be called out.
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A
Yeah, and I mean, just for a little background here too, this wasn't the first time there was a gold Trump statue back at an old CPAC in 2018 or 2019 or something like that.
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C
You're right.
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So this has happen before. But I think my favorite part was one of the MAGA guys who was posting about it on Twitter had to put a caveat at the bottom saying this is not a golden cast.
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They're all saying that. Could you believe it? Yeah, no, that's why I call it the golden Cankles to be polite. But yeah, I mean, all of them and all these guys that say America is a Christian nation. These are the same guys who always treat the actual Christ teachings like optional software updates. Like, they just click the terms and conditions box and never actually read it. They don't want Christianity as a faith. They want it for branding power. That's it. That's why even atheists need to call these people out for revoltingly fake Christianity, because all they are, all they are are Roman crusaders in Jesus drag. And the number one key to breaking the grip of these blaspheming bubbas is calling out their revoltingly fake Christianity from the hegseth down.
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A
Yeah. Which is what, you know, I think one of the goals was with the separation of church and hate. Met with much success. My dad.
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C
Oh, well, thank you. I wanted to catch on more because my next book's all about the fake Christians and the history of fake Christianity. And what we're seeing now has been going on for 1700 years. And again, the media's never gonna really call them out. The Democratic Party never really gonna call them out. There's some good Democrats on the issue, but it's gonna come to the rest of us. I am so tired of their bogus camouflage.
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A
Yeah, agreed. All right, let's shift gears, please, and talk about. This is probably one of the more interesting woke things the administration has done over this last week. You know, War Powers Resolution allows you to go 60 days. And so what Donald Trump has done is he has said epic fury is over and now commences Operation Sledgehammer. So you can start the 60 day clock again. And I just find it very interesting yet people who want to dead name trans people and legalize them out of existence are totally fine changing the name of this war and having it go by a new name.
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C
Well, the war transitions to an excursion, and then the excursion transitioned to a blip. So they're trans violent, all of them. And again, this is all how they get around the Constitution, the same way they try to get around the New Testament. They want what they want when they want it, and there are no adults in the room.
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A
So when can we have Democrats read into laws a little bit differently to make sure we can use the maps that we've enacted by the will of the voters? Why are we so beholden to the letter of the law and not trying to come up with some new great theories? For example, in Virginia, the referendum, they were saying, I know where you're going with that. The Supreme Court said that they didn't post the referendum for 90 days on courthouses and in public for 90 days. But the actual original amendment they're trying to reform here, the one that creates the commission to draw the Maps. The nonpartisan commission was also not posted for 90 days on any courthouses. So why doesn't the legislature just say, oh, well, that original amendment is null and void anyway, here's our new map. Let's use it. I don't understand why. Why we have such a hard time on our side with interpreting things to benefit the people.
- [32:57]
C
You mean why we bring the best logic and morality to a knife fight? Is that what you're saying? Yeah. I'll go you one better. My favorite theory I've heard. And again, God bless Joe Biden. If only he had known, maybe he would have used those immunity superpowers John Roberts gave him. He could have prevented a lot of this from happening if he'd been as willing to defecate all over the law as Donald Trump has been. But my favorite movement, and again, we've talked about this a lot, the Democrats who are gonna, I think, excel in fundraising and votes this year are gonna be the ones who promise massive accountability. And the Virginia state legislature, you know, they have the power to reform the laws about when judges have to retire. And there's actually a movement saying that they can just change the retirement age right now, force people to retire and then appoint new judges and go ahead and do it.
- [33:50]
A
Is that they've decided not to do that. They've decided not to do that, and instead they're.
- [33:54]
C
Yeah, it's dirty. It's something. It's what Republicans would do. So they can't do it.
- [33:57]
A
They're going to focus on 20, 28 instead.
- [33:59]
C
Exactly. So there you go. I mean, like, they're not there yet. And I think a lot of people are ready to see Democrats fight back just as hard, because Democrats are fighting for the will of the people and Republicans are fighting for white supremacy. I mean, these. Tennessee, 40% black. Alabama, 40% black. And they're making sure there will be no African American representation. I mean, Republican or Democrat, because they're gonna take away the voting power of all black folks in all Confederate states. These ridiculous hayseed motherfuckers are so committed to showing why we needed the Voting Rights Act.
- [34:37]
A
Yeah, yeah. And here's the thing, too. Like back. And I talk about this all the time when I'm talking about court reform. Talk to Rep. Olshewski about it. Talked to Ellie Mistahl this week about it, about court reform. When you think about the fact that just this past December, when the Democrats sued in Texas, saying we need to go back to our old map, the Supreme Court of the United States said, sorry, guys, it's December. The primaries are right around the corner. We don't have time for you to go back to the old map. So we're going to use the Republican map now. They're coming into Alabama, Louisiana, you know, and stopping elections. Yeah. While after they've already started. So in December, we were too close to the primaries to have a Democratic map. But now, in the middle of primaries, when you've got 40, 50,000 votes that have already come in, it's totally fine.
- [35:23]
C
Why? That would be like saying we can't appoint Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court when there's an election coming a year from now, but we can't appoint Amy Coney Barrett when the election has already begun. Exactly. They believe in one thing, their own power. That's what Democrats fail to call them out on. They don't believe in the Constitution. They don't believe in the Bible. They believe in the gospel of me, me, me. And these Republicans are outside stealing the catalytic converter off of democracy with a blowtorch. I think the Democrats who are gonna win are the Democrats who stop acting like this is a normal policy disagreement, like maybe we can find bipartisan common ground on whether elections should be allowed to continue to exist. We're way past that now, and I'm really excited to see how much fight this brings out. And I can't wait to see who's running the Democrats in the Senate after Election Day.
- [36:14]
A
Yeah. And I'm glad to hear the party and the party leaders, Hakeem Jeffries, et cetera, say. All right, well, all the gloves are off. We're not gonna unilaterally disarm anymore. We're gonna get rid of all of our state constitution amendments that ban gerrymandering in one way or another, and we're gonna take the gloves off for 20, 28. I wish they would have done that 10 years ago.
- [36:34]
C
Yeah. Hope they mean it. There's a lot they could do right now. And it's not about fighting dirty, you know, it's about fighting for America. It's the same thing, the same logic of calling out these Hegsets and Trumps and Vances as fake Christians. It's not attacking religion. It's defending religion from the people who hijacked it. And playing hardball back against these Republicans is not hijacking the law or democracy. It's defending it against these thugs. That's all Virginia voters and California voters wanted to do. And the Republicans just issued an edict in their states and said, we're gonna carve all this up and take away the black vote. California and Virginia were democracy, and that's what the Republicans hate. They say they hate government. They don't. They love government. What they hate is one person, one vote.
- [37:19]
A
Yeah. And it just bums me out that Virginia's like, yep. And they've thrown up their hands and they say, well, we're not gonna do anything here, but we're gonna go ask the Supreme Court. Really? You're gonna go ask the Supreme Court?
- [37:28]
C
Yeah. Let us know how that works out. Great.
- [37:30]
A
Do you remember when. Do you remember when. I think it was Sidney Powell wanted to sue ahead of January 6, wanted to go to the Supreme Court and sue to make sure that Mike Pence could throw the votes out.
- [37:43]
C
Yes, of course.
- [37:43]
A
And everybody around her was like, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. If we go to the supr. No, then we can't get Mike Pence to throw the votes out. It's better to ask for forgiveness than permission, so let's not do that. So why is Virginia going to this Supreme Court?
- [37:59]
C
Conspiracy was always in place to just
- [38:01]
A
get a no, and then they.
- [38:02]
C
This court's worse than that court. This court's worse than that court. Exactly.
- [38:06]
A
Yeah.
- [38:07]
C
But that's the racket. Right? And that's why I want to thank all these Confederate gerrymandering people who've stopped pretending they're not racist. It's so refreshing. I mean, they're just making sure. And we make a mistake when we say they're taking away the black vote. It's something more insidious than that. They're letting black folks vote. They're just taking away any power their votes might have. By taking an area like Memphis and chopping it in threes, where the city gets. Parts of the city gets swallowed up by much larger suburban majority white conservative districts. I mean, black folks are still allowed to vote. They've just taken away any power their vote might have. And that's the dirtiest part of all of it.
- [38:45]
A
Well, these are dumb people who are bad at math. And they've also just diluted their votes
- [38:50]
C
by doing that, They've diluted their own votes. And, you know, like, we're gonna see an America where there. There's. I mean, there's not gonna be any more Republican congressmen from California, and there's a lot of conservatives in California. I think they should have representation. But this is the game that Donald Trump told Texas to run with, and it's the game the party has adopted. They don't care about anything but their own power. That's their only priority. And the fact is they're doing this and cheating because they know how deeply unpopular they are, how unpopular their policies are, and they know how much more unpopular they'll be by November. And they also know based on 2018-22 that a lot of folk aren't gonna come down from the mountain and cast a ballot when Mr. Trump isn't on it this year. So they're cheating out of pure desperation. And it still might not work.
- [39:35]
A
Yeah, yeah. And you've gotta remember, senators, the Senate racists have nothing to do with these maps. And you just pissed off a bunch of people, so.
- [39:42]
C
Exactly right. And again at the same, they're gonna do the SAVE act to try to do to women what they're doing to black voters right now, too.
- [39:47]
A
Oh, 100%. And that, you know, that's why they wanna use the language that women were given the vote. No, no.
- [39:55]
C
Yeah, they were given the vote.
- [39:56]
A
We got it, we took it. And that's what they're doing now to black voters. Again. This isn't new. None of this is new. And they're using Reconstruction amendments to fucking justify it.
- [40:07]
C
Yeah, that's why they have to have a nine hour prayer event. Cause it takes that long to explain to people why Jesus would totally support taking away the black vote. And ice raids and tax cuts for hedge funds. Takes that long to convince the mouth breathing goobers.
- [40:22]
A
All right, well, my friend, thank you. It's always good to see you. It was really wonderful to see you in person. I know we don't get to hang out that often, so that was a treat. I appreciate it and hopefully I'll get to see you again soon.
- [40:31]
C
Thank you. I've missed you. I'll call you on my Trump phone sometime this week. It's supposed to arrive. I heard it's gonna come any day.
- [40:37]
A
Oh, cool. I might be busy eating my Trump steak.
- [40:39]
C
Okay. You know, I'll fly over on Trump Airlines to see you and I'll bring my Trump Bible as well.
- [40:44]
A
Well, great. We can read the parts of the Constitution that they wanted to just include in that anyway.
- [40:50]
C
In merch we trust. Thank you, Dr. Gill.
- [40:52]
A
Thank you, my friend. Everybody in this administration knows that, especially Kash Patel, who we could talk about next week. But thank you so much for being here, everybody. Check out Tell me everything on SiriusXM progress channel 127 weeknights, 9 Eastern, 6 Pacific. And pick up your copy of the Separation at church. Come on, you people, step up if you haven't already. You're going to absolutely love it or you know, go to get it from a library.
- [41:14]
C
Please come read my book and see why I'm getting such a much more pious level of death threat this year. It's really inspiring.
- [41:20]
A
Pious level of death threats, my friend. It's always good to see you everybody. Stick around. We'll be right back with co founder, co executive Director of Indivisible Ezra 11. We're going to talk about the mobilization against those trying to steal the black vote this Saturday, May 16th. It's a national event but the two big events, Selma and Montgomery, where it all started. So stick around. We'll be right back. Back.
- [41:42]
B
I'm Brian Caram and I've spent decades covering politics. Now I'm taking you behind the scenes one interview at a time.
- [41:50]
A
Join us as each week Brian confronts
- [41:52]
C
the issues that matter, posing the questions
- [41:54]
A
you wish you could ask.
- [41:56]
C
No filter, no agenda, just the truth.
- [41:59]
B
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 where curiosity will lead us to the facts.
- [42:14]
C
Subscribe now on your favorite podcast platform and remember, when you want answers, all
- [42:19]
A
you have to do is just ask the question. Hey everybody, welcome back. So after the Supreme Court ruling that killed what was left of the Voting Rights act, something that, that John Roberts has been trying to decimate since he got into his robe, Republican controlled states have escalated their attacks on black voters, basically demonstrating the need for the Voting Rights act in the first place. And this Saturday, no kings is joining all roads lead to the south for national protests against attacks on voting rights. And joining us today to discuss is the co founder, co executive director of Indivisible, Ezra Levin. Hey Ezra, how are you?
- [43:02]
B
Hey, Alison. Other than the fascism, I'm great.
- [43:05]
A
Yeah, we gotta get shirts, man, we gotta make shirts. Aside from the fascism, I'm great. So let's talk about this because you know, they wasted no time. I remember back in December, the Supreme Court said, sorry Democrats, we can't go back to the old maps because it's December, the primaries are right around the corner. It's just too late to go back to them. We have to use this Republican map with these five new Republican seniors seats. And now they're going into Louisiana, Alabama, you know, other southern states, South Carolina, they're trying Tennessee, they've split Memphis up into three things and they are allowing this to happen even though primary elections are underway and people are voting and the Supreme Court's like, oh, yeah, no, it's okay when Republicans do it. So talk about what we're doing this Saturday and what indivisible is doing this Saturday.
- [43:52]
B
Look, you name it. John Roberts did not just come to this decision recently when he was a junior lawyer in the Reagan administration. We're going back 40 plus years. He made his name by writing memos about how the VRA should be gutted. So I think we should recognize this isn't a recent fight. This is a fight that this country has been waging, gosh, since the Civil War. It's the grand and great grandkids of the Confederacy. It's the kids of the segregationists who are now engaged in systematically attacking brown and black power in the South. And if you think they're just coming from brown and black power, you got another thing coming. This is an unholy alliance between corporate class and the billionaires and the Epstein class and the racists of the south to concentrate power in the hands of everybody but normal, everyday Americans. And they're coming for black and brown power first because that's the first target. And they're coming after the rest of us from here on after. So we've got to show up in solidarity and especially for the folks who are not part of those communities. For. Can I speak to the white folks in the audience? This is not a time to think, oh, wow, they're attacking brown black power. That sucks for them. But at least they're not coming after me. No. If we are going to save representative democracy in this country, we need to link arms together. We need to treat an attack on one like an attack on all and organize against this. That's how we actually sustain pluralistic democracy in this country. So, look, I'm going to be out in Montgomery with tons of other people. If you're not in Montgomery, in the surrounding area, there are going to be buses from Florida, they're going to be buses from Georgia. People are going to come out there to protest and make a point that we're not just accepting this. I would highly, highly recommend folks go to no Kings, Idaho, join up with Black Voters Matter and many other organizations who are leading this tonight. There's going to be a call at 7:00pm Eastern Time tonight. We're going to be going over what you can do to be part of this fight. But if you've ever asked yourself, would I marched across Edmund Pettus Bridge with John Lewis, would I have been part of the fight for the Voting Rights act Originally back in 1965, your answer is what you're doing right now, so do it.
- [45:52]
A
Yeah. And I mean, just to see, you know, I think a lot of people don't understand that there are people who are alive today who bled for access to the ballot box. And so talk a little bit. You mentioned some of the coalitions. There's tons of coalitions and groups organizing for this event on Saturday, including faith leaders, movement organizations, community members. Talk a little bit about the massive coalition that's just building. And, I mean, this was announced recently, but this has grown exponentially in just such a short amount of time. People are really upset.
- [46:26]
B
That people should be upset. Look, we're talking about whether we have a democracy in this country or not. We're talking about whether we have the right to vote or not. We're talking about whether politicians get to choose their voters or voters get to choose their electeds or not. I mean, this is foundational to democracy. We are in the 250th anniversary of the founding of this country, and this is a country founded on rejecting a king. But we're not in the 250th anniversary of the founding of a pluralistic democracy in this country. That democracy that was constructed in the streets of Selma, that was constructed on the Edmund Pettus Bridge 61 years ago, that was constructed when LBJ gave way to the civil rights organizers and others all across the country to push through the Voting Rights act and guarantee that people can actually exercise their freedom to vote. That is what's under attack right now. It's not under attack. Look, they've killed the vast majority of the Voting Rights Act. And so the question is, what is the democracy we have now and how do we organize together? And for folks who are feeling hopeless, for folks who say, well, Trump is in the White House, the Republicans are in the House, the Republicans are in the Senate.
- [47:23]
A
It.
- [47:24]
B
They have the damn Supreme Court. They have state supreme courts. Hell, in Virginia, they just overturned the will of the people to draw new maps. The Republicans on that court, to overturn it. Look, this is not the worst off we've ever been when it comes to democracy. This regime is acting out of a sense of fear and anxiety. It is not acting out of a sense of strength. If you believe you are powerless, you are. But it is simply not the case that they have all the cards. If we organize, we will win. But it means we gotta organize. It means that you've actually gotta get out of your comfort zone, get offline, find your community, organize with them, find the faith leaders, find the union members, find the teachers, find the nurses, find the civil rights leaders, find the immigrant defense folks in your community and link arms and start organizing. That's how we build a democracy that actually works for us.
- [48:13]
A
Yeah. And I think the message has to be one of urgency. I know a lot of Democrats, Democratic leaders, Virginia Democrats, you just brought up up what had happened in Virginia are kind of throwing their hands up and saying, all right, we're going to prepare for 2028, but we have an election coming up in November. We have Republican controlled states that are stopping their elections mid election after the vote, votes, tens of thousands of votes have already come in. This is urgent and I think that we, you know, what you're doing here, what these co, this coalition is doing here, is trying to send the message to our elected leaders that this is, you know, to just to talk about the urgency, to show the urgency of this situation, like, oh, we'll get to it in 2028. We do have a really great chance of flipping the House and maybe even flipping the Senate this year, but it could be so much bigger if we did things now. And so talk about that sense of urgency and why we're doing this now.
- [49:08]
C
Gosh.
- [49:08]
B
One of the things that frustrates me the most, Alison, is during this period over the last 16 or 17 months, you'll see some elected, even electeds on our side side who say in response to something horrific that this regime does, yeah, that is bad. That's why you've got to remember to go vote in 17 months, in 15 months, in 12 months, in 7 months. And I can't tell you how much that does not meet the moment we are going to vote. Don't get me wrong. But you know what else is going to happen? Donald Trump is going to threaten from now until the election to sabotage the results of the election. The Republicans in the former Confederacy are going to gerrymander the hell out of their state seats and out of their congressional seats. They are attacking democracy now. They are preparing to undermine the results now. And if we don't show up and start organizing now, we just wake up on election day. It may be too late. Do not, yes, by all means vote, by all means, get out the vote. By all means register voters. But do not look at this attack on our democracy and say, oh, in a few months I'm really going to get active. Do not expect that if you don't show up for those under attack now that you'll be able to just magically build a winning pro democracy coalition. Some number of months in the future. If you want that coalition, look at your brothers and sisters under attack now. Go to help them now. Go to organize with them now. That is how you actually build a lasting coalition. You treat an attack on one like an attack on all. You form those alliances now and you build for the future.
- [50:26]
A
Yeah. And the crux of this event is in Alabama. And I want you to talk about the 9am and the 1 to 5pm at these locations in Alabama. Talk about the historical significance of that. But also I want to remind everyone this is a nationwide event. So can you talk a little bit about that the flagship, where this is going to be centralized and that it is a nationwide event.
- [50:47]
B
So I would recommend for folks coming in from across Alabama or from across the south or from out of town, I would focus in on the Montgomery event, which is at the state capitol in Montgomery, Alabama, 1:00pm to 5:00pm I'll be there. A lot of indivisibles from across the state, across the region are going to be there. A lot more folks, faith leaders, as you said, community leaders, civil rights advocates and heroes are going to be in Montgomery. That the Selma protest, which is historically significant because that's where the fight reached its crescendo for the voting rights act 61 years ago when John Lewis marched across that bridge along with thousands of other folks trying to make the point that we are not going to just put up with segregation and voting rights suppression from now until kingdom come. We're going to fight for a real pluralistic democracy. And they forced the hand, not just of the folks in Selma, not just the folks in Alabama, but the entire US Political system took note and said, okay, finally we will give way. We will guarantee this right to vote. It did not just come automatically. It did not become because some Democratic politician in the White House or elsewhere said, this is the thing I'm just going to do with my own volition. It came because people have organized, because people organized together across lines of differences. But in defense of democracy, it came together in Selma to make that point and wake up the nation and drive the legislation forward. Look, the path out of this is not just protest, but protest is a path to where we're going. Protest and organizing and coalition building is how we get to the legislation that will define the next version of American democracy. We should be clear eyed about this. The Voting Rights act has largely been killed. Roe has been killed. Unions have been eviscerated by attacks by the right. There has been a systematic attempt to undo the progress done by everybody From FDR to LBJ to Obama, that's real. The question is, what do we do about it? And it's not just going to produce itself for us. It's not going to just come to us. We got to organize. If there's one lesson that we've learned from the civil rights movement, it's that mass, nonviolent, organized people power works. It changes what's politically possible. It's pushing issues on the agenda that were not on the agenda, and it forces through and overcomes barriers so that we can actually build a democracy that produces for us. So I think Selma is very instructive. We try to learn from the lessons of the civil rights hero that brought us the democracy that we, we knew for the decades afterwards. And we try to take those lessons and use that to build the next version of democracy that we need. That's only going to happen, though, if a lot of people get out of their. Out of their rooms, out of their living rooms, into their communities and start organizing where they are. So if you're anywhere near Montgomery, come out, be part of this. If you're not, please go. Go check out Black Voters Matter. Go check out nokings.org get plugged into the planning that is happening not just now, now, but in the months to come. Because, look, I think we're going to win this election in November, Alison. I think we're going to protect the results of this election in November. I think we're going to walk away with the House and the Senate, and then, you know what, Allison? Democracy hasn't been saved to that point. You still got a fascist in the White House. You still got corporations and billionaires who are controlling what's on the agenda. If you want change, it's not just to elect good enough to elect the right people. You got to organize and push them to do the right thing. So I'm interested not in just what happens in November, what happens on January 3rd when Democrats take the gavel in the House and the Senate? Where do the subpoenas fly? What's the first bill that's introduced? And what's on the agenda in 2029 when we have the House, the Senate and the presidency? That's going to be determined by the work that we do right now.
- [54:08]
A
Yeah. And looking ahead to, we've had kind of Court reform week here on the Daily Beans, talking with people who are pushing for amendments for term limits on the Supreme Court or for adding seats to the Supreme Court or doing a senior status or jurisdiction stripping because, you know, nothing that we pass once we get everything back is going to make it through particular Supreme Court. And so that is, again, you know, what this builds toward. And so I appreciate all the work you're doing. Everybody. Check out nokings.org you can get information on Selma and Montgomery and anything that's going on in your area, you can set up your own in your area. If there isn't one where you're at. That's the coolest thing about this particular coalition. And you know, I really appreciate you coming on today. Is there anything else that you want to say before we get out of here today?
- [54:56]
B
Today we're going to win, Allyson. We are going to win because there are more of us than there are of them. There are more pro democracy Americans than there are fascist Americans. Our ideas are more popular and they are going to win. We just have to do the work to bring them to the forefront of the agenda and build the political power to get them through.
- [55:11]
A
Awesome. All right, thank you. Co founder, co executive director of Indivisible Ezra levin. Check out nokings.org and everybody stick around. We'll be right back with the good news.
- [55:20]
B
I'm Brian Caram and I've spoken spent decades covering politics. Now I'm taking you behind the scenes one interview at a time.
- [55:28]
A
Join us as each week Brian confronts
- [55:30]
C
the issues that matter, posing the questions
- [55:32]
A
you wish you could ask.
- [55:33]
C
No filter, no agenda, just the truth.
- [55:37]
B
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 question for curiosity will lead us to the facts.
- [55:52]
C
Subscribe now on your favorite podcast platform and remember when you want answers, all
- [55:57]
A
you have to do is just ask the question. Everybody, welcome back. It's time for the good news. Who likes good news?
- [56:10]
C
Everyone.
- [56:11]
B
Then good news everyone.
- [56:26]
A
And if you have any good news good trouble suggestions you want to just maybe share a funny story with us? Tell us if you had a wonderful experience at the El Rey Theater last Tuesday night. We would love to hear about that. You can write in, I don't know, know a shout out to a loved one, a spouse or maybe a small business in your area or a non profit. You want us to know about self. Shout outs are also great. Tell us why you're awesome because you are. And all you got to do to get your stuff right on the air is attach a photo of like anything really. It can be your pod pet. We can try to guess the breeds of your shelter pup. If you want, you can attach a random photo of an animal on the Internet. That works too. Anything at all, adoptable pet in your area, what you're making, creating. Maybe you're growing something in your garden. Maybe you got a nice sunset. You got chickens, Send us your chickens. Goats, let us see them. You got baby pictures, we want to see those too. Anything at all, send it to us dailybeanspod.com click on Contact. First up is your good trouble. And of course, this Saturday, all roads lead to the South. The no Kings Coalition, faith leaders, movement organizations, community members from across the country are gathering in Alabama, sacred ground in the fight for civil rights, to confront the coordinated assault on our right to vote and demand a future where every vote counts and every community has power. This is Saturday, May 16th. It's at 9am at the Selma faith leaders gathered at the Edmund Pettus Bridge for prayer. At 1 to 5pm Montgomery National Mass rally at the Alabama State Capitol. And there are going to be actions across the country in support of actions in Montgomery and selma. Head to nokings.org for more information. All right, first up from Karen R. Pronoun. She and her I'm part of the modern quilting community and want to give a shout out to Sarah Ruth who organizes hundreds of quilters to make quilts that she then raffles off with all of the money going to causes we all believe in. Right now she has a raffle of 14 quilts made by over 200 quilters with all proceeds going to the Trevor project. It's an incredible organization. We've raised over $37,000 so far. We hope to break the $50,000 mark. The raffle closes this Sunday the 17th. You can find the raffle at her website on Instagram at ruthlesslyhandmade. That's her. That's her IG handle. And you can also check out ruthlesslyhandmade.com the photos below are of the eight quilts currently up for raffle. And for my podpet tariff, a picture of my 16 year old former feral street cat. Formal feral street cat. Slight. No. Do I have that right? Slightly. Yeah. Okay. And yes, he's every bit of an orange menace, but we love him. Oh my, he's handsome. That is a man cat face for sure. I love his little mouth. He's very serious. And these quilts are gorgeous, y'. All. So head to ruthlesslyhandmade.com or go to Instagram and look up ruthlessly Handmade. Karen, thank you so much. What a great like little good trouble segment for us. All right, next up from Jess Pronouns she and her queens owe the beans in a follow up story about the Waterton School board voting to not allow Waterton Wind Symphony to perform A mother of a revolution. Minocqua Brewing Company. Man, I love this. Brewing company continues to lead the resistance in amazing fashion. Per their Facebook page, Minocqua Brewing have spoken to a rep and invited the symphony to play their concert in its entirety in the beer garden of our Madison Tap Room. We will sell tickets to this show. All ticket sales will be donated to the music program for the school and we guarantee a minimum thousand dollar donation. Stay tuned. We're gonna raise the roof. There's gonna be a link in the show notes to this information about this event and to the entire Leguminati. If you aren't already following supporting Minocqua Brewing, get to it. We'll have a link to an Aqua brewing company in the show notes as well. Well, for pod pet tax, please accept half of our pack of blanks telling MAGA to off. Are these like tiny little. They look like Do Dobies, but there's tiny. Are they miniature Doberman pinschers perhaps? Let's see. These are Min pins. Yes. O o got it right. I got it right. Oh my gosh. They're adorable. They're adorable. Oh, thank you so much for this, Jess. This is incredible. And yeah, if you We've been following the amazing resistance of the Minocqua Brewing Company. I think since Trump 1.0. You gotta check them out. We'll have a link in the show notes. Next up, Kathy pronouns she and her hi AG and dg Longtime resident of Thomas Massie's district here. I understand why Massey is confusing to so many people since he's getting so much press for being a stopped clock. That's right. Twice a day. Rest assured, he's not so much a Republican as a very hardcore libertarian. He thinks there should be no gun regulation, no public health measures, no social programs, no support for education, science or the arts. The only role of the government is to provide a defensive military and oppress women and the LGBTQ plus people. His rating with the HRC is 0%. Having said that, his primary opponent, who happens to be a prominent farmer in my county, is a puppet for Trump. And as bad as Massie is, the other guy is worse. But please don't praise Massey. Yeah, that's what I was saying the other day, Kathy. I'm like, he's a awful dude. He is good on opposing the war in Iran and supporting Epstein victims something none of us here in Kentucky can understand, but he is basically a really shitty person. For my pot bat tax, I'm including pictures of some of my badass friends at their weekly protests in front of the state Republican headquarters in Frankfurt. Thanks to both of you for all you do to keep us informed and motivated. What a great photo. I love this. Stop the War. No Kings, no Criminals. Trump Chaos Helps Putin Vote Against Trump's Enablers Kathy, thank you so much for this. I 100% agree. Massey's a giant piece of Just because he's right on Epstein and right on the war doesn't mean he's right anywhere else. All right, next up, Chuckles pronoun She and her My friend from junior high drove here to Sacramento for a big Planned parenthood event on May 13. They had workshops and talks. They shared their personal stories, hers about her cool as trans kid and the topline care he got at Planned Parenthood. I said, you got to send all this news of this day to Beans Talk and also tell them how all through the 90s I went to Planned Parenthood. They always got my love Canal back to clear waters and they never judged me for it. Unquote. My friend said she would not be sharing this info with you. Oh no, Should I have read that shout out to her because she's the reason I listen to the Beans? I was woefully ignorant and avoidant, but I love this whole podcast and the good news at the end especially helps me take it all in. Thank you. Here's Peanut as a puppy puppy. And more recently, oh my gosh, Peanut. Hello. Hello baby dog. Chuckles thank you for that.
- [63:24]
B
What?
- [63:24]
A
It sounds like a cool event, by the way. All right, next up, Cynthia pronouns she and her good day AG and dg. Just wanted to share something that can only bring joy. The Cowlitz Tribe in the Pacific Northwest have gone live with their Beaver Kit Cam Cuteness Overload attached as a screenshot. To give you a taste, here's the link and we will have the link in the show Notes the Cowlitz Beaver Kit cam live on YouTube. They are baby otters and you can watch them on their live webcam. Thank you so much Cynthia. Oh my God, they're so cute. All right, Aaron pronouns he and him. I took my wife Leanne to see Dana for Mother's Day. The show was an absolute blast. We got seats pretty close to the front and Dana and Kim and Janan were all hilarious. For years around this time, I've gone to sing karaoke with friends of mine at a Huge room full of gay bears for our birthdays, which are only a day apart. And it tends to be one of the only big queer things I tend to do. I'm bi. The last two years, I haven't been able to make it out because of scheduling conflicts. But let me tell you, this show more than made up for missing it. Leanne crocheted these two rainbow sea otters. Oh, this is the. This is the otters. Okay, we've got it. Leanne crocheted these two rainbow sea otters for Dana because she loves how they hold hands. And we're lucky enough to catch her for a second in the hallway to give them to her before she went to the VIP meet and greet. Sold out, by the way, instantaneously. By the way. People drove all the way from OKC and Austin to see her show. And we'll definitely be in the crowd. Look at the otters. We'll definitely be in the crowd again next time Dana's in town. There they are. All right, I'm gonna make sure Dana gets this because she's out today. I know she was asking who it was because she didn't stop to get the names of the people who g her the precious otters. But now y' all can see them too. Thank you so very much, Aaron, for sending this in. Next, Rosalie pronoun. She and her dear Allison and Dana. I'm huge fan girl was over the moon. I got to meet you at the California blue wave event. I'm an avid listener of the beans and watch beans Talk regularly. And I wholeheartedly appreciate all you do to keep us informed and keep us sane, make us laugh, and most importantly, give us hope for a better future.
- [65:31]
B
Sure.
- [65:31]
A
I've attached our photo from last night and photos of my two besties, Bailey a blank and Gracie a blank. Oh, there we are. That was so much fun. Thank you so much for this, Rosalie. I'm going to guess that that is a chihuahua and a pitbull. So let's see. Let's see what we got here. We've got. Oh, a chiweenie. Oh, I was half right, right? I should have guessed by the long body. And Gracie is indeed a bully. Beautiful babies. Rosalie, thank you so much for coming. We really appreciate you. Next up, Adrian, also an ag pronoun. She and her hello, luminous, laugh inducing ladies of the beans. My good news is I got to see Allison and Dana host California Rising at the El Rey theater. Last night I wore my daily beans T shirt. I remember that. So a lovely legume. Also, named Allison introduced herself as we waited to meet AG&DG after the show. I remember Allison as well. Well, I'm mad at myself for not getting a pick with John Fugalang as I chatted with him briefly and he's every bit as awesome in person as he seems to be on the pod, this one and his own. Isn't he Adrian? He's just so fantastic. As you'd expect, they knocked it out of the park and all the performances were fabulous, including Iman Jordan who handled a music cue mishap like a champ. Yes he did. He got up and he did some improv song while they figured it out. The audience was fired up. I hope the donations rolled in. Californians, we know what to do. Attaches evidence of said meet and greet. God, I'm short. You can't even see me. Pointing to the Daily beans logo and one of Abby Cat from Monday. It was her 15th birthday. She's so cute. She looks like a tortie, but I assure you she's 100% goofball. There we are. I love it. Absolutely fantastic to meet you Adrienne. Also my mom's name. And there was another Allison that she was chatting with who we also got to to me. Next up, Lori Pronoun. She and her Good Morning Queens. The California Rising concert was awesome. I was the old lady in the white shirt in the first few rows screaming my face off with my kids, my husband and a theater full of the best damn people I could ever hope to be around. We live about three hours from la rural Kern County. Very red town and I didn't realize how badly I needed to be surrounded by like minded people until I was sitting in that room for a few hours. I didn't feel isolated. I felt hopeful. I felt like we were still here, still loud, still fighting, still capable of joy. You two were on. The music was incredible. The talent on that stage was mind blowing. John Fugelsang's rapid fire political truth bombs were a thing of beauty. But the moment I'll never forget came from my husband who has stage five Alzheimer's. My son asked him what he thought of the show and he gave a full throated awesome. That's the biggest, brightest reaction I've seen from him in a very long time time. I've been telling my kids about the wonders of Allison and Dana for years, but that night they finally got it. They saw what this community means. They saw what you two helped create. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you do. Your good works Are what make America who she is. To my two favorite mention, love and light forever. And now my PowerPoint. Meet Stanley. Stanley, no PPT podpet tax. I thought it was PowerPoint. That's how long I worked for the fucking government, right? Meet Stanley. Stanley is loving, funny as hell. Little p I T A we adopted from the Bakersfield Animal Shelter where he had spent most of his first 10 months. He was terrified of the world when we found him, but he's blossomed into one of the most loving dogs I've ever had. His DNA results are ridiculous and I actually requested a do over because he looks nothing like the top breed Stanley is, apparently. And then we have a big black box here covering up the breeds because of course he is is love. Lori from Kern County. Oh, my goodness. Okay. Hmm. I mean, it looks like a terrier, like a soft coated wheat and terrier schnauzer. But if it looks not like a chow chow, maybe there's a. I don't know, a husky. I'm trying to think of, like, what the opposite of this dog looks like. There's a lot of breeds in here. I'm just gonna go in here. Chihuahua, Shih tzu, poodle, Pomeranian, border collie, cattle dog, Great Pyrenees German shepherd, and Fijian street dog, because of course he is.
- [69:55]
C
Wow.
- [69:57]
A
How big is this dog? That's a cool dog, I'll tell you that. Thank you so much, Laurie, for sending that in. I'm so glad that you were able to make it to the show and had an incredible time. It was one of my favorite things that we've done as well. Well, so thank you for the kind words. Thanks to everybody who came out. Thanks everybody who sent in the good news, please continue to send it to us dailybeanspod.com click on contact. Thanks to Ezra Levin for joining me today and of course, the amazing John Fugal saying, always appreciate you coming in on Fridays. I will see you all over on the Beans Talk. And until Monday, we'll be back here. Please take care of yourself, take care of each other, take care of the planet, take care of your mental health and take care of your family. I've been ag and nimsa beans. The Daily Beans is written and executive produced by Allison 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 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? From crazy disasters and tasty scandals to enlightening and surprising heartwarming tales, we explore the moments where people behave badly and sometimes beautifully. We've got naughty politicians, cultural camp chaos, and a deep love for the Pacific Northwest, including Bigfoot. It's thoughtful, irreverent, occasionally serious, and always entertaining. Let's fall down the Rabbit Hole MSW.