15 Billion Zillion

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Daily Beans – "15 Billion Zillion"

Episode Details

• Podcast: The Daily Beans
• Date: September 17, 2025
• Hosts: Allison Gill & Dana Goldberg (MSW Media)
• Theme: A rapid-fire, deeply snarky breakdown of pressing political, legal, and social news, highlighting the chaos of the week with sharp wit, righteous frustration, and doses of hope from listener-submitted good news.

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1. Episode Overview

This episode delivers an unfiltered rundown of the bewildering week in US politics, legal drama, and social justice headlines. Major topics include:

• Kash Patel’s combative appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee,
• Alarming events in Mississippi and Ghana involving civil rights,
• Massive changes to TikTok’s US operations,
• The implosion of Fani Willis’s Georgia RICO case,
• A bizarre $15 billion defamation suit by Donald Trump,
• Legal shakeups involving the Federal Reserve, terrorism charges, and community resistance in Florida,
• And, as always, a segment for uplifting community good news.

The hosts layer urgent news with biting humor and honest exasperation, aiming to keep progressive listeners engaged and informed.

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2. Key Discussion Points and Insights

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A. Kash Patel Grilled by Senate Judiciary (02:28–07:38)

• Scene: Patel appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee, transforming the hearing into “a shit show,” shoring up conspiracy theories and deflecting inquiries.
• Exchange Highlights:
  • Epstein Investigation: Patel insisted there is “no list” of Epstein clients and that Epstein “only trafficked girls to himself.”
    • Notable Quote:
      “Epstein only trafficked girls to himself.” – Kash Patel [04:32]
  • Senator Kennedy’s incredulity:
    • Notable Quote:
      (B, Dana Goldberg) "Even Kennedy, who we do not enjoy, was like, what the [bleep] are you talking about?" [04:32]
• Antagonism with Senator Booker:
  • Booker warns Patel: "This might be your last oversight hearing. As much as you supplicate yourself to the will of Donald Trump...he is not loyal to people like you. He will cut you loose." – Senator Cory Booker [06:29]
• Takeaway: The exchange typified partisan rancor and Patel’s dismissiveness, with senators openly questioning his integrity and future in his role.

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B. Civil Rights and Legal News Rapid-Fire (07:40–15:17)

• Deportations to Ghana:
  Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled she lacked jurisdiction to block deportations of African migrants, citing deference owed to the Executive on foreign affairs [07:40–08:04].
• Mississippi Hangings:
  Two apparent suicides—one Black student, one unhoused white man—spark renewed trauma and skepticism. Community activists and families see echoes of lynching and cite long-standing skepticism of official narratives [09:02–09:40].
  • Quote:
    "They've always said it was a suicide. This looks like a lynching to them." – Dana Goldberg [09:02]
• Trump-Allied Billionaires Take Over TikTok:
  A US investor consortium, with prominent Trump donors (Oracle, Silver Lake, Andreessen Horowitz), will control TikTok's US operations [09:44–11:16].
  • Concerns:
    Potential for state-run media influence and ideological suppression on major platforms.
  • Quote:
    "It’s gonna turn into state-run media." – Dana Goldberg [11:16]
• Georgia: Fani Willis Disqualified from RICO Case:
  Georgia Supreme Court cements Willis’ removal over appearance of impropriety, effectively ending the highest-profile state case against Trump [11:25–12:15].
• Lisa Cook Remains on Fed Board—for now:
  Appeals court blocks Trump from removing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook just before a crucial rates meeting, but further appeals loom [12:15–12:51].
• UN Commission Declares Gaza Genocide:
  UN body officially labels Israeli actions as genocide but notes the commission doesn’t speak for the UN itself. Pressure builds for the UN to act [12:51–13:46].
• President’s Approval Rating Tanking:
  • Net -17% (historic low); economic concerns prime among all demographics [13:46–14:40].
  • Quote:
    "You have to decide. You can't. What do you mean you're not sure?" – Dana Goldberg [14:11]
• Voter Mobilization Challenge:
  • Hosts rally listeners: “Keep hope alive. Get out and vote.”; acknowledge tougher barriers ahead [15:00–15:17].

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C. Legal Oddities and Political Moves (17:34–22:28)

• Trump’s $15 Billion ‘Zillion’ Defamation Suit Against NY Times:
  • Trump files an incoherent, image-laden lawsuit, more closely resembling “an 85-page Trump Truth Social post.” Suit targets coverage that "ruined his reputation," seeking “no less than $15 billion zillion dollars.” [17:34–19:32]
  • Quote:
    “Describing the court filing as a lawsuit is…generous. It’s like an 85-page Trump Truth Social post.” – Quoting Jesse Bernie, via Allison Gill [19:31]
  • Broader context: Trump is on a spree, suing multiple major media outlets for negative coverage—a historic escalation of presidential hostility to the free press.
    • Quote:
      "Americans have never had a president who…sued independent news organizations for publishing reports the White House disapproved of." – Allison Gill [20:12]
• Minnesota: Tim Walz Runs for 3rd Term:
  • Progressive favorite Tim Walz will seek re-election; recent state and national shifts make it a bellwether. His record and potential 2028 presidential run discussed [20:14–22:20].
• Narrowing of Mangione Case in NY:
  • Terrorism charges dropped in high-profile killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO; murder charges proceed, but judge found insufficient evidence of intent to terrorize [22:28–24:56].

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D. Community & Resistance Stories (24:56–27:38)

• Orlando Pride Protest:
  • Local business owner donates parking for artists of color as protest against DeSantis’s crackdown on rainbow crosswalks—a powerful act of allyship and creative resistance [24:56–27:27].
  • Quote:
    “If they want to erase symbols of pride and acceptance, then we’ll create even more of them. This isn’t just about paint, it’s about community visibility and love.” – Trina Gregory, restaurateur [26:38]
  • Other communities join in with alternative rainbow displays, emphasizing that regressive laws do not define the loving spirit of many Floridians.

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E. Good Trouble & Listener Good News (27:46–End)

• Call to Action:
  • The Department of Education is accepting comments on a rule that could deny public service loan forgiveness to attorneys whose work conflicts with the Trump administration's agenda. Listeners are pushed to submit comments immediately [27:46–28:43].
• Good News Highlights:
  • Listener submissions feature grassroots resistance, effective postcarding to drive voter turnout, progressive advocacy by faith communities, and acts of scientific protest at DragonCon in Atlanta.
  • Standout quote from a listener’s sign at CDC protest:
    “Have you seen movies where no one listens to the warnings from the scientists? Does it ever go well?” – Celestia Ward [39:58]
  • Numerous photos shared and joyfully described—pets, birds, community rallies, and acts of resistance—all boosting solidarity and hope.

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3. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Patel’s Testimony:
  “You are a disgrace to this institution.” – Senator [04:04]
  “I’m not in the weeds on the everyday movement of inmates…” – Kash Patel [03:39]
  “Epstein only trafficked girls to himself.” – Kash Patel [04:32]

• On TikTok Takeover:
  “It’s gonna turn into state-run media.” – Dana Goldberg [11:16]

• On Georgia RICO Case:
  “That’s pretty much going to be the end of this case. It’s over.” – Allison Gill [12:15]

• On Trump’s Lawsuit:
  “The lawsuit is like an 85-page Trump Truth Social post. It’s hilarious.” – Quoting Jesse Bernie, via Allison Gill [19:31]
  “Americans have never had a president who…sued independent news organizations for publishing reports the White House disapproved of.” – Allison Gill [20:12]

• On Community Resistance in FL:
  “If they want to erase symbols of pride and acceptance, then we’ll create even more of them. This isn’t just about paint, it’s about community visibility and love.” – Trina Gregory [26:38]

• On Listener Hope:
  “I want to take this opportunity to give a shout out to two wonderful women…They not only decided to love and not judge…they also founded an organization to build bridges between faith communities and queer folks.” – Listener Matt [35:03]

• On Science & Protest:
  “Have you seen movies where no one listens to the warnings from the scientists? Does it ever go well?” – Celestia Ward [39:58]

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4. Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Segment | |-----------|------------| | 02:28–07:38 | Kash Patel’s Senate testimony & sparring | | 07:40–15:17 | Justice Dept, civil rights, TikTok, Fani Willis case, Fed, UN Gaza report, Biden poll | | 17:34–22:28 | Trump’s NYT lawsuit, Tim Walz 2026 run, Mangione terrorism charges dropped | | 24:56–27:38 | Community resistance in Florida | | 27:46–28:43 | Good Trouble: Public service loan forgiveness rule | | 28:43–40:10 | Listener good news (grassroots efforts, voter turnout, faith advocacy) |

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5. Language & Tone

The episode maintains a conversational, irreverently witty, and often sardonic tone, balancing genuine concern and urgency with humor and hope. The hosts make liberal but purposeful use of cursing, personal anecdotes, and community shout-outs that create a sense of solidarity amid political chaos.

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6. Final Messages

• Despite relentless waves of challenging news, the hosts urge activism, community building, and voting.
• Listener stories affirm that local action, creative protest, and mutual support can drive meaningful change.

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For new or occasional listeners, this episode encapsulates the spirit of The Daily Beans: keeping progressives informed and motivated through sharp analysis, cathartic snark, and hard-earned optimism.

Transcript

[A]

MSW Media. Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Wednesday, September 17, 2025. Today, Kash Patel was questioned by the Senate Judiciary Committee and was just as unserious as you'd expect. Mississippi communities are reeling after two hanging deaths. The UN's Commission of Inquiry has officially designated what's happening in Gaza as genocide. The Georgia Supreme Court officially disqualified Fani Willis from the 2020 election RICO case. Judge Chutkan has ruled that she doesn't have jurisdiction to stop the deportees from being sent to Ghana. Trump and some billionaires are taking over TikTok in the United States. Donald has sued the New York Times for $15 billion for alleged. Well, I'm not exactly sure. A Manhattan judge has dismissed the terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione for lack of evidence. An appeals court has blocked Trump from firing Fed Board Governor Lisa Cook. Tim Walz announced he's running for a third term as governor of Minnesota. And a Florida restaurateur offers their parking spaces for artists to color in after the state painted over the Pulse nightclub memorial crosswalk. I'm Allison Gill.

[B]

And I'm Dana Goldberg.

[A]

Happy Wednesday. I guess. Hello. I don't even know how to people anymore.

[B]

Oh, my God, Angie, that was really funny. Hello. Hello to you too, my friend. I know that people love when we laugh together. So hopefully that kicked this episode off to a good start because Lord knows it's not all good news today because it hasn't been all good news in a very long time. But we are in the middle of the week.

[A]

I found a couple of good stories that we can share. And of course, we're going to have the good news at the end, which is always a wonderful way to microdose. Hope so if you have a good news story, any little good thing that's happened to you ever, even if you want to make something up about something good that's going to happen to you in the future, send it to us dailybeanspod.com and click on contact. All right, we have a big show today because we have a ton of headlines. So we're going to split this up into two segments. Let's do some quick hits.

[B]

And to make a long story short.

[A]

All right, let's kick this off with Kash Patel taking questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee. It was a shit show. It was a little more than Republicans and Patel shoring up conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirk's shooter being a Democrat. So big thanks again to corporate media for running with the antifa transgender that that's their narrative now. So Democrats did have some good questions. Adam Schiff asked about who had waived Ghislaine Maxwell's sex offender status, which Patel didn't take too kindly to. Let's listen.

[C]

She's transferred to a minimum security prison not suitable for a sex offender like herself. Who made that decision and why?

[D]

The Bureau of Prisons.

[C]

The Bureau of Decisions made it in prisons. The Bureau of Prisons decided on their own, without any consultation with Blanche or anyone else, that they were going to suddenly, after this interview, completely unrelated to this interview, completely unrelated to anything she said, move her to a prison not suitable for a sex offender. You want the American people to believe that? Do you think they're stupid?

[D]

No, I think the American people believe the truth, that I'm not in the weeds on the everyday movements of inmates. What I am doing is protecting this country, providing historic reform and combating the weaponization of intelligence by the likes of you. And we have countlessly proven you to be a liar in Russiagate in January 6th. You are the biggest fraud to ever sit in the United States Senate.

[C]

You are a disgrace to this institution.

[D]

And an utter coward.

[C]

I'm not surprised.

[D]

I'm not surprised that you continue to lie from your perch and put on a show so you can go raise money for your charade. You are a political buffoon at best.

[A]

And Kash Patel told Senator Kennedy, everyone's favorite senator, that there's no list of Epstein clients. Dana. There's no list. Epstein only trafficked girls to himself.

[B]

This one blew my mind. And even Kennedy, who we do not enjoy, was like, what the are you talking about?

[A]

Yeah, let's listen to that clip.

[B]

You're about the Epstein files. Have you. Have you seen the Epstein files?

[D]

I have not reviewed the entirety of it myself, but a good amount.

[B]

Okay. Would it be fair to say that Mr. Epstein trafficked young women, including in some instances, minors, for sex to himself?

[D]

That was specifically the allegations in the 2018 indictment in the Southern District of New York.

[B]

Okay, who else did he traffic these.

[D]

Young women to in terms of what the investigation? Again, going back to 2008. Mr. Acosta, who limited the investigation and limited the search warrants and limited the parameters of the investigation. The only thing we are able to speak to publicly because he was given a non prosecution agreement by Mr. Acosta, is that first time period from, I believe. Don't quote me on this. 97 to 2001. Ish. And then when the Trump administration courageously.

[B]

Reopened it as Cuban interrupting. But I'm going to run out of time. You've seen Most of the files. Who, if anyone, did Epstein traffic these young, young women to besides himself?

[D]

Himself? There is no credible information. None. If there were, I would bring the case yesterday that he trafficked to other individuals. And the information we have, again, is limited.

[B]

So the answer is no one for.

[D]

The information that we have in the files. In the case file.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And then Senator Booker told Kash Patel he expects that Donald's going to throw him under the bus any day now.

[C]

Mr. Patel, I think you're not going to be around long. I think this might be your last oversight hearing. Because as much as you supplicate yourself to the will of Donald Trump and not the Constitution of the United States of America, Donald Trump has shown us in his first term and in this term, he is not loyal to people like you. He will cut you loose. This may be the last time I have a hearing with you, because I don't think you're long for your job.

[A]

So there was a lot of yelling and back and forth. They had to, you know, have grassly gavel of people, you know, to stop from yelling at each other quite a bit. But, I mean, Kash Patel just. He talked about his tweets and he was like, yeah, it wasn't a mistake. Like, but I should have said a subject and not the subject. And one of the senators, like, you said, we've got our man. Yeah, that. That's not a mistake. It wasn't a mistake. And it was just. It was so ridiculous.

[B]

His response was gobbledygook. I mean, it was like, oh, and we have to make sure that we, you know, rule out people who had nothing to do with this and question. And I'm like, wait, what? What?

[A]

What?

[B]

What?

[A]

It was just a shit show. Yeah.

[B]

Also yesterday we talked about the African migrants that were deported to Ghana and then sent to their home countries. Well, Judge Chutkan has since ruled that she doesn't have jurisdiction to block those deportations, which is so unfortunate. But I also trust Judge Chutkan, and she said, mostly because the Supreme Court hasn't been clear about the deference that must been shown to the administration over foreign affairs.

[A]

Yeah. Remember that? When I saw that come out in the Supreme Court ruling, where they said the government has due regard and deference. You have to have due regard and deference for the president when dealing with foreign affairs, I was like, that's going to come back and bite everybody in the ass. Nobody's going to know what to do with that. So that's where we are from wlbt in Jackson, Mississippi. On Monday, two hanging deaths were reported in Mississippi, one in Vicksburg and the other on the campus of Delta State University. Around 7am, the body of Trey Reed, 21, a black student at Delta State, was found hanging from a tree on University campus. And in Vicksburg, the body of Corey Zucatis, a white male and Brandon resident, was found hanging in a wooded area near a casino. And according to the Warren County Sheriff, Zucatis was living in the wooded area where he was found. He's unhoused. And Zucatis's mother confirmed that with the sheriff's office, investigations into both of these hangings are ongoing.

[B]

And my dear friend, Melinda Hale. If you don't follow Melinda on Instagram, you should. She's an incredible activist. She was talking about having a conversation with her black father who was around her and Jim Crow, and they're saying this was a suicide. Of course they are. And everyone. Not your friends, but the investigators, not my friends. He is saying, no, no, no. They said that was a. They've always said that. They've always said it was a suicide. Meaning in people in the past, this looks like a lynching to them. And so I'm glad that that's the way that this is being reported. It's just horrifying.

[A]

Terrible.

[B]

Absolutely horrifying. And it brings up so much trauma.

[A]

Generational trauma for the people.

[B]

Yeah. Who are still alive during. When these. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Okay. This one's from Reuters. TikTok's U.S. operations would be controlled by an investor consortium including Oracle, Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz under a framework of the US And China that they're finalizing. This is from the Wall Street Journal. This is what they reported on Tuesday. A new company would be created to operate TikTok with US investors holding roughly 80% stake in Chinese shortholders owning the rest. This is from the report. The company would also have the American dominated board with one member designated by the US Government.

[A]

Yikes.

[B]

This all is horrifying. Andreessen is a tech billionaire that donated to the Trump campaign who said the universities will pay the price for dei, while Elon Musk, as we know, is the most vis visible tech mogul in Trump's orbit. Until he split and they broke up. Now Anderson has quietly helped shape the administration's hiring and policy decisions. Anderson described himself as an, I quote, an unpaid volunteer for the Department of Government Efficiency. And that's what he said in a December podcast episode with Bari Weiss. And as some of you know, she's actually about to take over CBS News. And she also opposes diversity, equity and inclusion. So this, this should scare people. But you're, they're going to start controlling what is released, what's not released on TikTok, who gets to post, what's going to be seen, who's going to be shadow banned. It is going to be, it's going to turn into state run media.

[A]

Yeah. So now they have Tick Tock, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

[B]

God, yeah.

[A]

Next up from the Associated Press, Georgia's highest court has declined to consider Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis's appeal of her removal from the Georgia election interference case against Trump and like 17 other people, citing an appearance of impropriety created by a romantic relationship Willis had with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she had hired to lead the case, the Georgia Court of Appeals in December ruled that Willis and her office could not continue. That's pretty much going to be the end of this case. It's over because it's going to be put in control of that one guy who will either take it for himself or just cancel it. Now, Harry Dunn and I are going to cover this more in depth on next week's cleanup on aisle 45. So now Michigan, that case is done. Most of the Wisconsin case is done. Arizona case is still going forward, but the Fulton county case is now probably done.

[B]

All right, thanks, Allison. I do have a tiny bit of good news. We'll see if it stays good news. But this is from NBC. A panel of federal judges actually blocked Trump from removing Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve's board. And that was hours before she and other top Fed officials are set to beginning a meeting about whether to lower interest rates. This is a, this is a big deal and it's an important time. Of course, Trump's likely to appeal Monday's ruling to all the way to the Supreme Court. So we'll, we'll be, we'll be following this.

[A]

Yeah. But the Supreme Court would have to intervene before the Fed board meeting, which is already underway.

[B]

Yeah, good.

[A]

So we'll see, we'll see what happens. This is from the Guardian, a new 72 page legal analysis from the United Nations Commissions of Inquiry on the occupied Palestinian Territories. And Israel today had they came up with the strongest finding by part of the UN on Gaza to date. And it accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, saying that its offensive there has been waged, quote, with intent to destroy in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. So they are calling it genocide. This commission was created four years ago by the UN's Human Rights Council. And it's staffed by three independent experts. The Commission does not officially speak for the un because, you know, that's important to note. The UN has not yet officially used the term genocide itself. It's under increasing pressure to do so. And this finding by The Commission, the UN's Commission of Inquiry calling it a genocide will put more pressure on the un, I think, to use the term.

[B]

Okay, and last in this section is from the Economist. The President's net approval rating is negative. 17%, down 2.6% points last week. 39% approval, 56% disapproval. 4 people. 4% of the people. We're not sure. We're not sure. Really? You're not fucking sure? Figure it out. For the first time, they should make them.

[A]

You have to decide.

[B]

Yeah, you got to decide. You can't. What do you mean you're not sure? For the first time, all demographics, including whites, are under 50%. Wow. The most important issues ranked are inflation and prices at number one, then jobs and the economy, followed by health, healthcare, civil rights, taxes and government spending and immigration. So underwater and everything. Everything.

[A]

This is lower than his previous lowest ever in history. So this is now the lowest in history.

[B]

Yeah. And when this happens in a normal quote unquote world, when we have free and fair elections in the midterms, this is when the presidency obviously stays the way it is, but the House and the Senate usually go very much to the party that is not in the White House when things are this bad.

[A]

Very bigly, bigly with tears in its eyes.

[B]

So let's keep hope alive. Get out and vote. We're going to get back to that. You know we are. We're going to push the hell out of it over the next year and a half, but just pretend as if this is going to happen, as if the Senate, the midterms will happen.

[A]

Yes, Always vote. Always. And. And they're going to make it harder than ever.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So anyway, that is. That's the long story short. We have a lot more to get to, but we have to take a quick break, so stick around.

[B]

We'll be right back after these messages.

[A]

We'll be right back. Hey, everybody. With school back in full swing, weeknights can be complete chaos. Instead of stressing about dinner, let Home Chef handle it. Over 35 delicious meals make family dinners simple, tasty and stress free. Users of leading meal kits have rated Home Chef number one in quality, convenience, value, taste and recipe ease. And for a limited time, Home chef is offering you 50% off and free shipping on your first box, plus free dessert for life. Just go to homechef.com dailybeans. Home Chef delivers fresh ingredients and chef design recipes straight to your doorstep. I'm talking pre portioned, simple instructions meals that actually taste like something you'd get at a restaurant. And my favorite part, they're five ingredient meals. They're perfect for when you're low on time but still want to feel like you've cooked something real. And they have over 30 weekly options, so it's easy to find meals that match your taste or your dietary needs. And it's very affordable, too. On average, Home Chef customers save about $86 a month on groceries, which is huge right now with the prices going up so fast. Now, whether you want a classic meal kit, something oven ready or what, I love quick microwave meals for busy nights. Home Chef has you covered. Dinner does not have to be stressful. And with Home Chef, it's never boring. I was looking for a hot meal for this cold weather. It's soup weather, right? But I went straight for the curried sweet potato and apple soup with non dippers. Oh, it was so delicious. It's exactly what I needed to warm myself back up. It's soup season, my favorite season. So for a limited time, Home Chef is offering you 50% off and free shipping on your first box. Plus free dessert for life. Go to homechef.com daily beans that's homechef.com daily beans for 50% off your first box and free dessert for life. Must be an active subscriber to receive free dessert. Everybody, welcome back. It's time for the Hot Notes. Hot notes. All right, first up, from Steve Bennen, who writes for Matter blog. About a week ago, for reasons that were not altogether clear, Donald Trump threatened to sue the New York Times. Evidently, the president wasn't kidding. NBC News reported President Donald Trump on Monday filed a federal defamation lawsuit. Oh, it was defamation. Okay. I wasn't clear.

[B]

Oh, get ready. For what?

[A]

Against the New York Times for its reporters and Penguin Random House over coverage of his 2024 campaign. The suit filed in the U.S. district Court for the Middle District of Florida, not the Southern District where Eileen Cannon is. That covers the area where Trump resides outside the White House. Accused the newspaper of attempting to ruin his reputation as a businessman, sink his campaign and prejudice judges and juries against him in the coverage of his campaign. The Republican and his lawyers are seeking no less than $15 billion zillion dollars. That's not a typo. It's $15 billion in compensatory damages as well as unspecified punitive damages. Among the defendants are Suzanne Craig, who's incredible, Peter Baker, Michael Schmidt, each of whom has worked at one time as analysts or contributors for MSNBC or NBC News and a Semi coherent this is funny. In a semi coherent 232 word rant published on his social media platform, the President described the Times as, quote, one of the worst and most degenerate newspapers in the history of our country, adding that the outlet has engaged in a decades long method of lying about your favorite president, me. Now, right off the bat, it's important to note that describing the court filing as a lawsuit is itself generous. As writer Jesse Bernie summarized the lawsuit is like an 85 page Trump truth social post. It's hilarious. That characterization is more than fair. Reading it, I felt a little embarrassed for the lawyers who were responsible for producing it, especially after seeing random Trump related images that seem to have been included in in this dreadfully silly document for no apparent reason. There's no reason to think the case will succeed. For that matter, Trump's attorneys should hope they avoid sanctions for having filed such an absurdity in the first place. I mean, there's pictures of his book, there's pictures like, of him at a desk, like, look at how great I am. I was on the Apprentice.

[B]

Stop it.

[A]

Yeah. Oh my God, it's so ridiculous. Benin continues. That doesn't mean the suit is irrelevant, though. On the contrary, it's a reminder of the sitting President's overt hostility toward the First Amendment and the idea idea of a free press. Let's not lose sight of the recent pattern. Trump's case against the Times comes on the heels of other civil lawsuits he brought against the Wall Street Journal, CBS News, ABC News, the Des Moines Register, and cnn, among others. The volume of cases might make it seem as if it's become routine, but the broader circumstances remain bizarre. Americans have never had a president who, while in office, sued independent news organizations for publishing reports the White House disapproved of.

[B]

That's exactly what it's about. All right.

[A]

God, it's so ridiculous.

[B]

Maybe some of you see this next story is good news. I happen to this is from NBC. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on Tuesday announced that he would seek reelection to a third term in 2026. He said, I want to make Minnesota a place where everyone has a chance to succeed in every corner of the state. This is what Walz said in an announcement video. Minnesota is one of several states that allows incumbent governors to serve more than two terms. Walz, the Democratic Party's vice presidential nominee in 2024. He joins Illinois Governor J.B. pritzker, also a Democrat that we love, in seeking a third term in 2026. Several Republican candidates have already launched their campaigns, including Rep. Kristen Robbins and Scott Jensen, who was the 2022 GOP nominee for governor. Walz was reelected to a second term four years ago, beating Jensen by more than 7 percentage points. If you don't think it's going to be higher this time, you were smoking something, girl.

[A]

I'm surprised anybody's even bothering to enter this race.

[B]

I know. Two years later, then Vice President Kamala Harris carried Minnesota with Walls on her ticket in the 2024 presidential election, but by a slimmer margin of just over 4 percentage points. Minnesota has trended slightly more in favor of Democrats in recent years, though it has long had a reputation as a swing state. Walls rose to national prominence last year as Harris running mate. We all fell in love with him in the presidential election, jumping into the campaign in August after Joe Biden suspended his reelection bid in July. Since that campaign ended, the governor has fueled speculation that he could run for president himself in 2028, when a crowded field of ambitious Democrats is expected to seek the presidency. The governor's announcement on Tuesday coincided with the date of a special legislative election to fill Melissa Hortman's vacant seat in the set legislature after her brutal political assassination this summer. That's the proper use of the word assassination, yes. Walls, who worked closely with Hortman, referred to her following her death earlier this year as a great leader and a formidable public servant who served with grace, compassion, tirelessness.

[A]

Yeah, we should have those special election results for you on tomorrow's Daily Beans. I'm glad Tim Walsh is going to run for a third term.

[B]

Me too.

[A]

Same as JB Pritzker from CBS. The state terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione that's the man accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson were dismissed on Tuesday as he appeared in court in New York City for pre trial hearings. Mangione walked into Manhattan Criminal Court shackled and wearing a tan prison jumpsuit or a top and I don't know if it's a jumpsuit or it says prison clothing. This was shortly before 9:30am for the hearing on several pre trial motions. Members of the press and the public packed the courtroom while crowds of his supporters carried signs and chanted outside. The 27 year old faces both state and federal charges in the killing of Thompson, a husband father of two, last December outside a Manhattan hotel. The 11 state charges include murder and terrorism, and the federal ones carry the possibility of the death penalty. His lawyers have been fighting to get the state charges thrown out completely, arguing the parallel cases amount to double jeopardy. In his written decision Tuesday, Judge Gregory Caro ruled against that request. The defense has also asked for the two terrorism charges to be dropped, arguing that they don't apply. Prosecutors, however, alleged Mangian's intent was to violently broadcast a social and political message to the public at large. But the judge said no and ruled to dismiss both terrorism charges, murder in the first degree in furtherance of an act of terrorism and murder in the second degree as a crime of terrorism. He said they were legally insufficient. Quote, there's no evidence presented of a desire to terrorize the public, inspire widespread fear, engage in a broader campaign of violence, or to conspire with organized terrorist groups. That's what the judge wrote here. The crime, the heinous but targeted and discreet killing of one person is very different from the examples of terrorism set forth in law. The defense also wants to suppress evidence from Mangione's backpack, including a gun in a notebook, claiming it was obtained without a search warrant. Prosecutors deny the allegations and have asked the judge to force Mangion's lawyers to say whether they will pursue an insanity defense or introduce any psychiatric evidence. The defense also wants statements Mangeone made to law enforcement suppressed because his attorneys allege officers failed to Mirandize him and don't want non eyewitness identification testimony at trial, meaning someone who was not a witness to an alleged crime who makes an identification from a picture or a video. Now, the judge didn't rule on any of those issues Tuesday, but said hearings on each will begin on December 1st.

[B]

All right, thank you so much, Allison. And a little more good news. I feel like this is the people showing up. It's from the Associated Press. An Orlando restaurateur on Monday turned over 49 parking spots outside her eatery for artists of color as a protest against a state mandate removing rainbow colored crosswalks and other art on Florida streets, including one outside the LGBTQ friendly nightclub where 49 people were killed in 2016. Seven Bites owner Trina Gregory said she received a thousand applications for the event dubbed and I quote, parking space for Pride, a Rainbow connection, after she put out word that man, oh man, after she put out word that the parking spaces would be open for coloring as a salute to diversity and artistic expression. The parking spots are on private property and under no government control. It just Makes me so proud to be part of a community that has allies like this. Even if she may be part of the community, I don't know. Regardless. The idea came in response to the administration of Republican Blick DeSantis enforcement of a state code which prohibits surface art on crosswalks, sidewalks, intersections, travel lanes on shoulders. A memo issued, by the way, by the Florida Department of Transportation just this summer prohibited surface art associated with social, political, or ideological messages or images that does not serve the purpose of traffic control. It's a fucking rainbow.

[A]

It's specifically against rainbow crosswalks that they could have just said no rainbow crosswalks, but instead they're like, no surface art that shows social justice or anything on any streets. Like, come on, come on.

[B]

It also warned that transportation funds could be held. If they want to, they can withhold it if municipalities fail to comply. And I quote, art has always been a form of resistance and healing. This is from Gregory. She said, if they want to erase symbols of pride and acceptance, then we'll create even more of them. This isn't just about paint. It's about community visibility and love. Other communities are using art to protest the new prohibition on street art. Members of the Harvest Sarasota Church in Sarasota on Sunday, they painted 500ft of a rainbow colors between two buildings. Pastor Dan Miner told reporters that the church members felt compelled to act once the crosswalk crackdown took off last month. This is resistance. This is beautiful. This is Florida telling you it's not the state, it's the legislature. It's some of the people. It's not all the people.

[A]

No, exactly. Exactly. Right. That's so wonderful. That quote is just so good. This isn't about, you know, it's a form of resistance and healing, right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

It's not about paint. It's about community visibility and love. That's so great. All right, thank you for that good news. And let's. Let's get into a little good trouble.

[B]

What are you guys doing?

[A]

Dana. The Department of Education is currently accepting public comments on a proposed rule change that would prevent thousands of public interest attorneys, among many other public servants, from receiving the public service loan forgiveness benefits to which they are entitled. Why? Because the Trump administration has decided that if one's public interest work or the work of their colleagues conflicts with the Trump administration's policy agenda, that their education should be entirely on their own dime. So they are now going to decide what kind of public service counts as public service for the government, federal for the program. So there's an open comment period. It ends today at close of business. So we want you to head to the link in the show notes and and make your voices heard by the end of the day today if possible. So that's the good trouble. Everybody stick around. We'll be right back with the good news. Everybody, welcome back. It's time for the good news. Who likes good news?

[B]

Everyone? Then good news, everyone.

[A]

Good news. And if you have any little bit of good news, a good news story, we would love to hear from you. Just send all your good news stories. It can be something great that's happened to you, big or small, anytime in, in, you know, across throughout your whole life. Or maybe some good news that's happened to somebody else that you want to share. Can be a shout out to a loved one, a family, somebody in your community doing great work, a nonprofit you want to shine a light on. Maybe a small business in your area that could use a boost, a self shout out. We love that. Toot your own horn, please. Shout outs to government programs that have helped you or a loved one or someone you know. And all you have to do to get your submission read on the air is pay your pod pet tariff, which means attach photo of your pet. If you don't have a pet, you can send an adoptable pet in your area. If you don't have that, really just grab any random photo of an animal off the Internet. That works too. Bird watching photos, which can be actual birds or you and your family and friends flipping the bird to Trump Properties or Musk Properties or Senator Kennedy probably whoever, you know, whoever you happen to be flipping the bird to. And then of course, family photos, baby pictures, your happy place, maybe your garden. Show us your garden. Show us what you're making or creating. Maybe you're knitting something or crocheting something, doing needlepoint quilting. We have tons of makers and creators that listen to this show. We would love to see what you're up to. Send it all to us dailybeanspod.com and click on contact. Our first submission is from Anonymous pronoun She and her hello Queens Beans. No Queen Beans. Excuse me. I love that. I'm a new listener and now a very dedicated listener and I would love to share with you an amazing event our grassroots community organizations, Abington for Peace and Abington Pride are planning. Coming up in October, the event Respect and Protect rally to support the trans community. We'll have speakers and performers from the trans community and their allies. We're thrilled to bring this program to our neighbors with the hope that it creates awareness and empathy for the constant barrage of threats to trans folks are experiencing due to our current regime. As the mom of a trans child, this is very close to my heart and as an activist, it has been. It has given me a positive goal to work towards. We must continue to do everything we can to support the trans community and push back against the harmful rhetoric the right wing has been spewing to end on a positive note. I'm forever grateful to my friends and who are always there when I come up with an idea. They get on board to bring it to fruition. I'm attaching a photo of the graphic for the event and of course, my POD pet tariff is our good girl, Luna.

[B]

Look at this. Beautiful.

[A]

Look at Luna. I love this. Respect and protect. That's a beautiful flyer.

[B]

Yeah, it is.

[A]

Abington Pride and Abington for Peace.

[B]

Love it.

[A]

Thank you so much.

[B]

All right, this is Natalie Pronoun. She and her. Hi. Lovely beanies. I listen to your POD every morning because I know that I can trust that you ladies are giving me the real news. And that fact that is delivered with swearing makes it even more sweet. Here are a few of my Birdie pics from a trip to Miami. Keep up the good work. I also threw in a picture from Rep. Talarico's. I hope I said that right this time. Talaricos kickoff for Senate run in Round Rock from last week. He is a hometown hero and a favorite around these parts. The crowd was huge. The biggest ever. Some say the biggest in the country.

[A]

Natalie, these are great. And I saw a video of Talarico, by the way. He said he's not going to take any money from a pac, he's not going to take money from aipac, and that what's happening in Gaza is an atrocity. And so I think he's got. He's just a real bright light, I think. So we'll see how all of that turns out. Because he brought up and Dana, you and I talked about this, that what Bibi Netanyahu is doing is actually really dangerous for Jews in Israel and around the world.

[B]

Yep. And so is Trump's rhetoric.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

About it. His little Riviera in the Middle east not even caring about the humans. The humans on both sides. It is making it more dangerous for Jewish people in this country. Yeah.

[A]

So anyway, I like this Talarico kid. Next up from Karen. Not a Karen. Dear Badass Bitchin beans Queens sending you some good news. Our postcarding group received last week the campaign director of our newly elected Virginia State Congressman James Walkinshaw reported the results from their voting analysis of our last very targeted postcard campaign, we were asked to spend a few weeks writing postcards to Democratic leaning registered voters who had received an absentee ballot for his special election but had not yet returned it in the mail. The results didn't sound too impressive. They found that one out of every five people that received a postcard reminder actually did return a ballot. But then we were told that out of all the absentee ballot recipients who did not get a postcard, only one in ten sent them in. So our postcarding doubled the likelihood of a ballot being received. This was a real morale boost for the group, and the Walkinshaw rep said they were going to share this information with the Spanberger campaign. We've been stockpiling cards for this November's elections ever since the spring primary, so here's hoping we can help create enough momentum to turn out the vote and keep democracy alive. Did you hear that everybody? It doubles the chance that people will send their ballot in with they can.

[B]

That's amazing.

[A]

For podpet tax, here's a photo taken of some of our postcarding group taken at the no Kings rally in dc. My grand cat, Bean, and my grandniece, the world's most adorable baby for Dana. Oh my God. Thanks for hanging in there for all of us. The baby.

[B]

Oh my God. So good.

[A]

This is one of the best baby photos I've ever seen.

[B]

This is awesome. I gotta tell you, thank you for this. All right, this is for Matt. Pronouns he and him. Hey Matt. Hey beans. I'm nearly 60 year old, straight white guy and recovering evangelical and I am so thankful for your podcast. When you two dive into the news, I can actually listen without the urge to throw a speaker into the wall.

[A]

I should be our tagline.

[B]

It really should be.

[A]

You won't want to throw a speaker into the wall.

[B]

Yep, I've. I've long given up mainstream sites, so thanks for help fulfilling that void. I want to take this opportunity to give a shout out to two wonderful women, both retirees, who are tireless advocates for the two slgbtqia plus community here where I live in Washington State and if some people don't know what the 2S is, it's two spirited and that has been around much longer than most people know. Like me, they come from conservative Christian backgrounds, but when two of their own kids came out to them as members of the queer community, they not only decided to love and not judge them, they also founded an organization to build bridges between faith communities and queer folks. This is a partial statement to the queer community from their website. It says the truth is that you belong and you have a right to be embraced as a child of God and participate in the life of the church as your authentic selves. Neither the church nor the world is complete without you.

[A]

Oh man, that's beautiful.

[B]

Their organization provides resources for both queer folks and their friends and family to help build bridges of healing. They table at most local pride events displaying a big sign that says hurt by the church. Sincere apologies. Here. Whoa. Wow. As I have a trans brother myself, I was so impressed by what they were doing, I decided to volunteer for them as their graphic designer and tabling helper. I can say I feel more joy being with these two brave women than I ever did at any church. They're also involved with making good trouble as they both attend local school board meetings and speak out for all marginalized kids and push back against the Christian nationalists who have sadly become quite prominent during the citizens comments section of the meetings. These women are now my good friends and fellow advocates for justice. They fund everything they do with their own money and no doubt they have worked thousands of hours to make our little section of the world a better place. They are truly living the spirit of the Beatitudes. I have attached a photo of a barred owl I encountered last fall at a local college campus. Wow. This owl's beautiful, right? It was perched out in the open and an old and didn't seem to mind my presence. Every time it turned its head away from me, I would take a couple steps closer. Pretty soon I was only 8ft away and then I got this fabulous shot. You sure did. This whole submission is fantastic. Matt, thank you for bringing all of these people to light. And I love that you are part of this family.

[A]

Mm, that's amazing. That's community, right?

[B]

Sure is so important.

[A]

All right, Next up from Dr. Angie Pronoun. She and her hello Leguminati Queens. I'm a practicing emergency physician and in my spare time, the host and co director of the skeptic track at DragonCon, which is one of the world's largest pop culture conventions, takes place in Atlanta, Georgia every Labor Day weekend. The Skeptic Track. You can search YouTube for DragonCon skeptic track. And you should see our little green dragon mascot. It addresses claims of all kinds of veracity, including such wide ranging subjects as alternative medicine, cryptids, moon landing denials and anti vaccine nonsense. So this year, as we were getting ready to set up and commence the wild rump at Rumpus. We heard about the walkout at the cdc. My friend Celestial Ward, host of Squaring the Strange podcast, my friend Margaret Downey, founder of the Free Thought Society, and I knew we couldn't let this opportunity go. We fortuitously ran into some folks with poster boards and markers. You just run into people with poster boards and markers and. And by the way, she says, I swear this kind of thing happens all the time at Dragon Con. And hustled ourselves down to the CDC to join the protest with our signs. If you know anything about the Atlanta traffic, you can guess how long it took us to travel the four miles to the cdc. By the time we got there, we turned out to be the protest. There were several news crews there still doing their stand ups and a reporter from the Economist interviewed us. Celestia had the best line quote. Have you seen movies where no one listens to the warnings from the scientists? Does it ever go well? Cars honked for us. We felt like we did what we could to express our outrage and anger over the irresponsible and reckless behavior of RFK junior Margaret's sign says, save lives, fire RFK junior. Celestia's sign says caricature of a brain worm, rfk. The worm is more qualified. And mine says, I went to medical school. RFK went to Facebook. I am of course also wearing my Starfleet medical shirt because Dragon Con. I'm also including a bonus bird watching salute picture. I travel for work and have to see Gestapo Barbie every time I go through the Atlanta Hartsfield Intergalactic spaceport. And I give her my traditional salute. Thank you for the pod news. And news needs more cussing these days. For sake.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

Look at this.

[B]

Love it.

[A]

I went to medical school. RFK went to Facebook.

[B]

So good.

[A]

And that's a bird watching photo with Kristi Gnome. I think that's our first Kristi Gnome bird watching photography.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Fantastic. Everybody, thank you so much for your good news. I really needed it today. And we'll be back on your ears tomorrow. There's a brand new episode of cleanup vanilla 45 out if you want to catch that. Dana, do you have any final thoughts?

[B]

No, not today.

[A]

All right, everybody, we'll be back in your ears 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 family. I've been ag. I've been dg and I'm the 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 mswmedia.com msw media.