
Thursday, June 18th, 2026 Today, Trump’s Ballroom is up to $600m with half coming from taxpayer dollars; MAGA election denier Mike Collins will face John Ossoff in the Georgia Senate race this November; a hacktivist has exposed members of Peter Theil’s secretive Dialog Society; New Mexico’s Justice Department has ordered JP Morgan and Google to preserve records tied to Jeffrey Epstein and his associates; two military veterans have sued challenging Tommy Tuberville’s Alabama gubernatorial bid because he lives in Florida; a federal judge has limited the enforcement of Idaho’s transgender bathroom access law; and Allison and Dana deliver your Good News.
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Hi, I'm Frances Collier. And I'm Angela V. Shelton. And we're Frangela.
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Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Thursday, June 18, 2026. Today, Trump's ballroom is up to $600 million, with half coming from taxpayer dollars. MAGA election denier Mike Collins will face John Ossoff in the Georgia Senate race this November. A hacktivist has exposed members of Peter Thiel's secretive dialogue society. New Mexico' department has ordered JP Morgan and Google to preserve records tied to Jeffrey Epstein and his associates. Two military veterans have sued, challenging Tommy Tuberville's Alabama gubernatorial bid because he lives in Florida. And a federal judge has limited the enforcement of Idaho's transgender bathroom access law. But not nearly enough. I'm Alison Gill.
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And I'm Dana Goldberg.
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Hello, my friend. Happy Thursday. How are you?
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I am good. How are you? I'm all right.
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I'm all right. I'm good. I'm getting excited. I'm starting to get, like, a little bit of a buzz in, you know, going into the weekend because of the gala that's coming up on Saturday.
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Totally.
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I can't, you know, we can't talk too much about who all is going to be there, but it's going to be wonderful.
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And for those people who are going, I should just ask, is there a dress code? Or just wear what's comfortable? Because someone asked me, I said, just where will you feel good in?
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Yeah, just be fabulous. Be yourself, be comfy. You can be totes casual. I'm probably going to wear a dress, but, you know, you don't have to.
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I am definitely not wearing a dress. I know you meant that, you know, in the general, but no, I haven't worn a dress in a very long time.
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I'm definitely not going to do that. All right. But it's going to be so much fun. We're going to have so much fun. We're setting up a meet up like to go. I can have a group bird flipping picture for of the Trump Tower on the river there.
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Nice.
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It's just, it's going to be pretty, pretty neat. So I'm looking forward to it. And I'm also loving listening to all of the people who have gone to the early opening before the public launch today of Obama's presidential center.
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Yeah.
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In Chicago. And just how, you know, in the interviews with Michelle and him and how just he gets really choked up when he's, when he talks about it. And I just, and it's been interesting looking back at those days and remembering what it was like to feel hopeful.
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Yeah, no kidding.
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And I hope we can get back
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there as some people are listening to this. There's an extraordinary concert that's happening at that opening with just like a bill of amazing people, CNC music. And none of them have canceled Milli
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Vanilli or excuse me, Vanilli.
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None of them have canceled Common. We've got. Oh, yeah, it's just Mubano is, it's just ridiculous. It is the people that are performing. So if you, I mean, hey, listen, I wouldn't be surprised if there's someone listening to this that had the pleasure of going to the opening and it was actually there for us right in. I mean, we'd love to know what you experienced, but I would not be surprised if one of our listeners was there.
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Totally. Yeah. Please send it into the good News, which is DailyBeansPod.com and click on contact. All right, everybody, we have a ton of news to get to today, so let's hit the hot notes. Hot notes. All right, first up, from the Wall Street Journal, New Mexico Investigators have sent letters to JPMorgan Chase, Google and more than two dozen companies ordering them to lock down records tied to Jeffrey Epstein and some of his associates, a sign of the widening criminal probe into his former Zorro ranch. The letters, obtained by the Wall Street Journal through a public records request, compel companies to preserve records while the state's Department of Justice pursues subpoenas after it reopened a probe earlier this year. The letters reach across companies that would have touched Epstein's movements, including banks, phone companies, airlines and tech giants. The letters sent last month seek data belonging not just to Epstein, but his longtime associate, Leslie Groff, who just testified before Congress and said, I don't know about his crimes, even though I scheduled the massages for 20 years. Okay, Leslie. Longtime confidant Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a federal sentence for sex trafficking, along with the correspondence of anyone they communicated with. As I said, Grof has previously denied wrongdoing. When asked who else may receive the preservation letters, the office said it plans to send additional requests, including for records belonging to Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn, Epstein's longtime lawyer and accountant, who have been serving as co executors of his estate. Both men have previously also denied wrongdoing. Quote, reopening the investigation into allegations at Jeffrey Epstein's Zorro ranch was undertaken with deep respect for survivors and a commitment to accountability. That's Attorney General Raul Torres. In a statement, Torres called the letters one step and said his investigation requires testimony of survivors. Quote, we continue to seek insight from anyone with any information concerning abuse or other illegal activity that occurred at the ranch. By the way, Deutsche Bank's part of that subpoena as well.
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And you know who worked at Deutsche Bank? That would be one of the Supreme Court justice's sons.
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Kennedy's kid? Yep.
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Why do you think Kennedy retired when he did? Everybody. Oh, it's all connected. Also, by the way, when Wall Street Journal puts out anything that has to do with Epstein, I'm always like, what do they want? What are they blackmailing him with? Anyway, moving on to this next story. It's from NBC4. An endorsement from President Trump. It's worth a lot in the Republican primaries, but it's not foolproof, especially when there's a lot of money involved. Rick Jackson's campaign spent more than $100 million. Jesus Christ. Largely out of his own pocket because, you know, he's just got that line around. To defeat Trump, endorse Bert Jones in the Republican runoff for Georgia governor. It was another rare example of the president's choice falling short in a primary battle. Trump's efforts were more successful elsewhere. His candidate for US Senate won a runoff in Alabama, and his pick for Oklahoma governor advanced another runoff there. Four states in the District of Columbia held primaries Tuesday. Among Democrats, the contest hinged on long standing divides between progressives and moderates as the party tries to chart the best path forward in November, Jackson's gonna face Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, who is fucking awesome. Fucking awesome, by the way. The former Atlanta mayor in November to lead one of the nation's preeminent battleground states. Meanwhile, Oklahoma's Republican primary for governor tested Trump's endorsement in a different way. There, the president weighed in late, throwing his support two weeks ago to former State Senator Mike Florida Mazzei among a crowded field without a clear front runner. Now, Mazzei secured a spot in a runoff on August 25, finishing nearly even with Attorney General Gentner Drummond.
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Gentner Drummond.
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Khaki pants and his polo shirt and his little scarf. I don't know what that's called, but I know it's not just called a scarf.
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His neckerchief.
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His neckerchief. Thank you so much. Trump is used, by the way, to getting his way, as we know. But earlier this month, his choice for Governor in I U.S. rep. Randy Feenstra lost to Zach lan or Zach lan in the state's primary.
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Or Lane.
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It could be Lane. Someone has to know who lives.
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I think we had a correction because like Kane Khan. Lane. Member Keane.
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Oh, yeah, that's right. And you were like, they're spelling their name, they're pronouncing their name wrong.
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Is Lane.
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Yeah, Lane. Zach Lane. We're gonna go with Zach Lane.
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I think it's that. But I could be completely wrong. And I also don't care. In Alabama, it worked out for Donald Trump, though. He' successfully backed U.S. rep. Barry Moore, a three term congressman who's promised to be a warrior for Trump's America first agenda if elected to the Senate. Wonder what he thinks of this. Iran mou. Everybody hates it. Everybody's so mad. Ben Shapiro, the New York Post, the Wall Street Journal opinion section, the New York Times. Everybody across a giant spectrum of media thinks that this is total, a total disaster. And it is. But anyway, I digress. Barry Moore defeated a former Navy SEAL named Jared Hudson, who presented himself as a Washington outsider and tried to harness the anti establishment fervor that propelled Trump to power to defeat Trump's preferred candidate. The seat is being vacated by Tommy Tuberville, the Republican nominee in the race for Alabama governor. But the Alabama political reporter says that a lawsuit, a quo warranto legal challenge filed Wednesday by a pair of military veterans, is challenging Tuberville's eligibility to be the nominee for governor because of his residency. They contend Tuberville does not meet the state's minimum requirement of being a resident citizen of Alabama for the past seven consecutive years because Tuberville has claimed he meets the residency requirements by virtue of a modest 1500 square foot home in Auburn, which his wife and son have owned since 2017, and he added his name to the deed in 2024.
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Oh, my God.
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But documents, numerous records, all show Tuberville spends most of his time at the 5,000 square foot beachfront home in Santa Ros, Florida, which Tuberville and his wife Suzanne have owned since 2004.
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So, oh, my God, I hope they block him because he gave up his seat. Right, so it's too late to run for a seat again.
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Yeah, exactly.
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Oh, my God, that's awesome.
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Wouldn't that be great? Bye, Coach.
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Oh, yeah, it would be. All right. Little keys, you know, when they're like, get in the bus. Okay, this is. We're moving over to dc, people. One of the leading Democratic contenders in the District of Columbia mayor's race, that's Janice Lewis. George describes herself as a Democratic socialist and has an early lead there. Louis George's bid for the party's nomination is a lot like Zoran Mandani's victory for New York mayor last year. The races draw national attention, including the president's. You know what he has left to give? Trump indicated days before the mayoral primary election that he might take over the city if Louis George wins, saying, and I quote, we won't put up with it. Louis George called Trump's threat an attack on democracy itself. The race was too early to call on Tuesday night, and it could be decided by DC's new ranked choice voting system. Like a handful of other places, D.C. voters ranked candidates on a ballot. And if no one crosses 50% of the popular vote, well, then residents second choice comes into play. Louis George is currently at 52% as of early Wednesday, with about two thirds of the votes counted.
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Yeah, and I just looked it up. She's now at 53% with about 73% of the votes in.
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Oh, boy.
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Exciting. It's kind of like a mom Donnie thing, right? Isn't that what the. What it said? So that's. That's going to be cool. It's just anything that really upsets Trump and anything makes me happy, progressive, both make me extra happy. All right, over to Georgia. State Rep. Tim Fleming won the Republican nomination for Georgia Secretary of State Tuesday night, defeating Vernon Jones, who leaned more into Trump's conspiracy theories about rigged elections. The two were competing in an election to replace Brad Raffensperger, who resisted Trump's unfounded claim of election fraud and the president's request to find 11,780 votes:6 years ago. Fleming is going to face Democrat Penny Brown Reynolds, who won her party's nomination Tuesday. And an insane MAGA election denier named Mike Collins won the Republican primary for U.S. senate in Georgia. This smacks to me of awesomeness. If I'm being. If I'm being honest, it's like Paxton Beating Cornyn to go against Talarico. Yeah, okay, so this is. He's an insane MAGA election denier. And Collins, this guy Mike Collins beat the more moderate Derek Dooley after the May primary and was expected to win the runoff. Dooley was endorsed by Governor Kemp. Now, Collins took office in Congress in 2023 and quickly emerged as a firebrand. I don't like that word. An asshole on social media. He leane moniker memer in Congress. And he's. His posting became extreme even for MAGA standards. He's parroted at least twice. An extremist far right fantasy called Pinochet Air about throwing immigrants from helicopters, Jesus and George Floyd protesters. It's awful. He is awful. This is the guy going up against John Ossoff in November.
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Oh, my God.
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So I have to imagine Ossoff is like, yes, it's going to be, I think, easier to defeat Mike Collins than it would have been to defeat the more moderate Derek Dooley. Especially in a state like Georgia where they aren't really big on election deniers on the right because of what happened with Raffensperger and the 2020 election also.
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And I'm not sure if we're gonna get into it, but they're not allowing the racist maps like the GOP didn't wanna deal with the pushback. So now we've got this runoff. And even though it's a statewide race, it gives people a little hope back that maybe their votes are going to count and there's going to be more people going out to the polls.
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I'm so glad you mentioned that because that just happened today. Right. The Georgia Legislature said, no, we're not going to, you know, pack and crack our maps like they are, like they're doing in Tennessee or Alabama.
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Big man.
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Big, big man. Again, that pleases me.
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Yes, indeed. All right, next up from the post. Five months after the demolition of the White House's East Wing, President Donald Trump claimed that the project to construct a massive ballroom and a bunker in its place would cost up to 400 million and that private donors were going to pay for all of it. No, and I quote, this is taxpayer free. We have no taxpayer putting up 10 cents. That's what Trump told reporters in oval office in March 31, describing the project as including bomb shelters and major medical facilities. But a detailed project summary prepared for the White House by the contractor more than three weeks before Trump's comments estimated the total construction cost about 600 million, with more than half coming from taxpayers. That's according to a Copy of the contractor estimate obtained by the Washington Post. Now, I don't know about you, Allison, but if my tax money is going to changing a federal building, shouldn't we get a say in that? I think Congress is supposed to actually get a saying that because those. Yeah, that's up to us. Now, of course, the White House didn't answer questions about the internal cost estimates or the taxpayer funding. And this is a quote. President Trump and generous American patriots are funding the ballroom to the tune of approximately $400 million, which will be a secure and appropriate venue for presidents for generations to come. That's the White House spokesman David Engel from a statement. Well, spokesperson for McLean, which is a Virginia based Clark Construction, said all project details are confidential and referred questions to the White House. Of course they did.
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So the White House is lying and the construction people are like, ask the White House.
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It was just mind blowing to me that they think they're gonna be fucking protected unless somehow Trump gives them a pardon if they're doing something illegal. It's just mind blowing to me.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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All right. This is a wild story. It's from Wired magazine. A trove of internal records from a secret society for powerful figures in politics, finance and tech was left exposed online. Wired has confirmed naming participants in its events and revealing sensitive personal details that they were assured would stay private. The group, called Dialogue, is a private invitation only organization co founded in 2006 by billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel. It convenes US officials, foreign government figures and Silicon Valley executives at off the record annual retreats. Dialog has spent two decades declining to disclose its members. A directory in the website's code was first revealed by the Swiss hacktivist named Maya Arson Crimeu. I'm not sure if I'm saying that properly. Known for exposing the US government's no fly list and breaching the surveillance camera company Verkada. Crymu tells Wired that the directory surfaced via an anonymous tip and Wired independently verified its contents. A source separately provided Wired with the registration list for Dialog's 2026 retreat, which names 222 people and records what the list describes as each registrant's membership status and attendee type, including active member and guest. The retreat is scheduled for August 12th through the 16th at a venue near Dublin, Ireland. The same data lays out a program of off the record sessions for this retreat, including Money, does it buy happiness, Bring back nuclear, navigating, World War 3 battlefield technologies, and how's your sex life? Other talks include build a cult, Jesus Christ, Moderated by the founder of the Christian networking site Pray.com and Build, a party run by former White House national security official. Together, alongside the mundane fare of typical thought leadership conference, the documents show an extraordinary convergence of power. The registration records list General Alexis Grinkiewicz, NATO's supreme allied commander Europe and the head of the US European Command, who took the post in July of 2025. And it is recorded on the leaked list as having attended dialogue gatherings since 2021. The website directory names sitting Trump administration officials, two US senators, including Cory Booker, six members of the PayPal mafia, a former Middle east chief of intelligence and a sitting ambassador to the United States, along with founders and directors of many of the country's largest surveillance data broker and advertising data companies. Now those executives appear side by side with senior U.S. officials overseeing their industries. Orin Hoffman, Dialog's chairman, founded the location data broker Safegraph and the identity resolution firm Liveramp, two of the most important suppliers in the consumer data economy. He appeared in the directory alongside Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, whose department writes the rules on financial data.
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Jesus.
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And Senator Ted Cruz, chairman of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, which oversees the Federal Trade Commission and its data Privacy Authority. Palantir co founder Joe Lonsdale, whose software runs case management for U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE and Data Fusion for the Pentagon. An intelligence community is listed in the same society as Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Representative Jim Himes, the Democratic ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, which oversees Palantir contracts.
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Jesus Christ, my head is going to explode.
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Do you remember George Collins? It's a big fucking club and you ain't in it. Yeah, that's this club.
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I feel like our country's in some fucking sci fi film and we don't.
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Oh, I know, It's a simulation, right? None of the individuals named in this story responded to requests for comment. Yeah, I bet. Rafi Grinberg, who lists himself as Dialogue's executive director on his LinkedIn profile and is the author of the self help book how to be a Grown up, also didn't respond to request for comments.
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Maybe that's not a chapter.
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The registration records appear to show not only who belongs to Dialogue, but who attends. Of the 222 people signed up for this 2026 retreat, according to leaked records, 87 are marked as first time attendees. Others list history stretching back more than a decade and a handful to the society's founding 20 years ago. None of the registrants, Grin, Kiewicz included, used a government email address because obviously, I mean, they all registered with personal or corporate accounts because that places their attendance outside the email system, subject to public records laws. Members also list talents like fun house construction, accent imitation, backcountry skiing, urban exploration, and meditative and psychedelic inquiry into the nature of reality. One offers compassion and existential dread.
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Another that might have been Cory Booker. I'm just kidding.
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Dinner parties, keeping secrets and remembering birthdays. Their book recommendations skew toward the canonical and optimization minded. Marcus Aurelius and Milan Kundera, alongside Annie Duke's thinking in Bets, Peter Attia's outlive, and from at least one attendee, Thiel's own. Zero to one Now. Dialogue also plays Matchmaker Dana.
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Sorry, nobody picked JD Vance's.
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He's not in the fucking club.
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No, I'm talking about the book.
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Oh, yeah, no, for sure. Dialogue also plays Matchmaker Dana. Its participant form asks registrants whether they're looking for love and offers to include single man, single woman or other respondents in future matchmaking. A separate site, dating.dialogue.org hosts an app pitched as meaningful connections for exceptional people.
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What is happening?
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The form also gathers sensitive answers, including each registrant's political leaning, which Dialogue promises will not be shared in the app or with other participants ever. That data and the matchmaking responses were exposed in the leak.
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Oh, my God.
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The leaked registration list also names key senior figures from the public directory of 113 Randy Krosner, former governor of the Federal Reserve, who now serves as the bank of England's financial policy Committee. Hallie Hoffman, a former general counsel and acting chief of staff of the dea Jonathan Greenblatt, the chief executive of the Anti Defamation League. Peter Goetler, the president of the Cato Institute. Ryan Stowers, the executive director of the Koch Foundation. Koch brothers.
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Yeah.
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And Roger Myerson, a Nobel laureate economist at the University of Chicago. It also lists a cluster of Google and Google DeepMind executives, among them, Tom Liu, who leads global affairs for that company's Frontier AI division. And one working journalist, Soad McKenna, a national security correspondent for the Washington Post. She's listed as running an event called the Ulysses Book Club. The rest of the membership spans hedge fund private equity billionaires, current and former foreign officials, network television actors. Gordon Levitt's on there one I remember. I've posted the list, by the way, on my Blue sky account.
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I need someone to cross reference the list of attendees with the Epstein files because I would really like to see if there's overlap. This whole thing sounds like Eyes Wide Shut.
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It's crazy.
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It's insane.
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It's insane. It's the Firm, but with tech, oh my God. And banking.
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I'm a little bit of shock, I know, but I'm keep on moving.
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When I first posted the the Hacktivist shared the list on Blue sky and I shared it and I was like, this is wild because it ended up in my feed because the owner of the Onion, Ben Collins, had posted it in his feed and I was looking at it and I was like, wow. But there weren't a lot of details in there. It hadn't been confirmed yet, and so people were pretty skeptical about some of the names on the list. But then Wired came out with this reporting and that's why I'm bringing it today.
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Wow. All right, this one is from Reuters. A federal judge on Tuesday barred Idaho from fully enforcing a new state law, making it a crime punishable by up to five years in prison for transgender people to use public restrooms whose designations differ from their sex assigned at birth. Sure would love to know where intersex people are going to the restroom in Idaho where they're allowed to the Idaho statute, the most restrictive among various laws enacted in about 20 US states limiting access of transgender people to bathrooms conforming with their gender identity, was due to go into effect on July 1st, but the US district judge this is Amanda Brailsford sitting in Boise. The State Capitol granted a preliminary injunction curtailing the measure's enforcement while a class action lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the statute proceeds. Brails Ford's order Excuse me, that one's a tough one with my Invisalign allows transgender individuals to continue using single stall restrooms matching their gender identity, or to use a multi stall restroom when a single stall facility is not available on the same floor of a building. Ugh. Fucking separate but equal bullshit. Otherwise, the state is free to enforce the law as it applies to multi user bathrooms, as well as to portions of the law covering public locker rooms and shower facilities which were not subject to the court challenge. While the plaintiffs sought a narrowly tailored injunction temporarily barring only what they viewed as the most onerous parts of the statute, they are sinking a final court ruling that would throw out all restroom restrictions in their entirety, as they should be. The thrust of the lawsuit argues that the statute violates the plaintiff's rights to due process, equal protection and privacy under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. In her 30 page opinion, Brailsford sided with the plaintiffs on the question of due process, finding them likely to prevail on their claim that law enforcement provisions of the measure are unconstitutionally vague. That finding alone was sufficient, she said, to override the state's public safety arguments and issue an injunction without yet considering plaintiff's privacy and equal protections claims.
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Yeah, so they went for a very narrow, you know, like you said, to get rid of the worst part of this law while the rest of the lawsuit plays out. But the judge does feel, it sounds like she feels that this is unconstitutional. So hopefully they do prevail on their claims because this is a bullshit bill.
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Yep, I hope so, too.
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All right, everybody, that is the news for today. We're going to be right back with the good news, so stick around and if you have any good news, please send it to us dailybeanspod.com and click on contact. Because we would like to be flooded with good news.
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Because yes, we would.
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It makes us smile. All right, everybody, stick around. We'll be right back after these messages.
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We'll be right back.
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Hey y'. All. I have been sleeping on my Helix mattress for years, and I still recommend it all the time because it made a huge difference in the quality of my sleep and therefore a huge difference in the quality of my life. I switched because I had trouble falling asleep. I couldn't stay asleep. If I ever did fall asleep, way too many mornings I woke up sore and cranky. I'd wake up in a pool of sweat. But my Helix midnight changed all that, and I'm more comfortable at night now. I stopped fighting to find the right position to sleep in and I started waking up feeling rested, ready to tackle my day. I even saw the difference in my Apple Watch sleep data, especially in my deep sleep numbers, which only verified what I was already noticing in real life. I was sleeping better. I was waking up fewer times. I was getting the rest that I'd been needing. Helix helps people sleep better, and they do it with mattresses that actually support your body the way they should. And Helix makes the buying process easier. They ship your mattress straight to your door, free shipping in the United States. They also give you 120 night in home sleep trial and a limited lifetime warranty. And if you need extra peace of mind, the Happy with Helix guarantee makes returns and exchanges easier, too. Another thing I like, especially going into warmer weather, is that Helix offers cooling upgrades so you can sleep better even on the hot nights, which is really helpful if the heat affects your sleep as much as it does mine. Plus, Helix is the most awarded mattress brand that's been there. It's been tested, reviewed by places like Forbes and Wired, so you know it's Legit. I love my Helix mattress. I would buy it again without hesitation. So go to helixsleep.com dailybeans for 20% off site wide, 25% off luxe mattresses and 30% off elite mattresses. That's helixsleep.com dailybeans For 20% off site wide, 25 off luxe mattresses and 30 percent off elite mattresses. Helixsleep.com dailybeans all right, so this is an important thing here. Owning a home is really great, right up to the point your house decides to ruin your day. One minute you're sitting there having coffee, next minute no hot water. And you have to replace your water heater or figure out why it's not heating up and you have to deal with this before breakfast. Repairs do not care about your schedule. They definitely do not care about your budget. This is exactly why I use home serve now. A lot of homeowners assume regular insurance company covers everything. But they don't. Plumbing failures, H Vac breakdowns, electrical issues can leave you completely on your own, even though they are exactly the kinds of problems that can get expensive, fast home service. Here to help. It works like a subscription for your home. For as little as $4.99 a month, you can choose a plan that fits your needs and your budget. Then, when something covered goes Wrong, you call their 24.7hotline and start the repair process right away. Home repairs can hit you hard and hit you fast. A bad outlet is something that you can't ignore. A broken light switch can turn serious quickly. You have to have a furnace. You have to have a water heater that can wreck your week. Now, HomeServe has helped homeowners for over 20 years, and they back that up with a trusted national network of 2,600 local contractors. So I've had enough home repair scares to know how fast a regular day can become a very expensive one. With HomeServe, I don't have to worry about an emergency home repair ruining my day. I find it's much better to already be prepared instead of panicking after it's already too late. So join the millions of customers who trust home serve for 50% less your first year. Go to homeserve.com dailybeans that's homeserve.com dailybeans for 50% less savings compared to renewal Price Void in Florida 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
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life from crazy disasters and tasty scandals to enlightening and surprising heartwarming tales. We explore the moments where people behave badly and sometimes beautifully.
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We've got naughty politicians, cultural chaos and
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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.
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MSW Media, Everybody, welcome back. It's time for the good news everyone. Then good news everyone. And if you have any good news, anything big, little, it could be from yesterday or 25 years ago. It doesn't matter. If going to bring a smile to our face, we want to microdose in your hope. Please send it to us. You can also send Good Trouble suggestions or give a shout out to a loved one or yourself or a family member or a nonprofit organization or a small business in your area that you think could use a boost or some support. Shout out to a government program that's helped you or loved one. It can be anything, just anything at all. If you even if you just want to say hi, send it into us dailybeanspot.com and click on contact. And then all you got to do to get your stuff right on the air is attach a photo. It can be your pet. We can try to guess the breeds in your shelter pup. It can be a random animal on the Internet, an adoptable pet in your area. It can be family photos, sunsets, things you're making and creating, chickens, goats, you know, whatever. Float your boats. Hahaha. Send it to us dailybeanspot.com and click on contact. First up is your Good Trouble. Good Trouble today comes from M in Jersey. She they Beans Queens, I need your help with some good Trouble. An incredible group of activists created a new coalition of trans rights activists called Trans Rights Coalition Coalition New Jersey. And it's been working tirelessly to get a bill passed into New Jersey law to protect gender affirming health care and reproductive rights. It is so close. Just one more vote to cross the finish line. After months and months and months of writing and rewriting and calling and showing up in Trenton, lobbying, rallying. But now some asshats want to kill the bill because of some nonsense that is based in fear not facts. The New Jersey Beans. Please call your New Jersey state reps and tell them to pass bill S2260A2218. It's coming up for a vote on June 26th, so this is crucial. All hands on deck. As a gender fluid person with a trans child and trans sibling, this is deeply, deeply personal to me, but it's important for all of us because trans rights are human rights and we must stand together if we don't want to fall apart. Pick Attached is the wonderful folks at TRCNJ at a recent rally. These are all regular folks who take time off work and life to go fight for our rights and I couldn't be more grateful.
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This is so awesome.
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We have a link to trcnj.org in the show notes so we have the vote is June 26th. So if you're a beans in New Jersey, call your state reps. Look at this wonderful photo.
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I know this is wonderful. I love seeing helpers.
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Thank you so much for that good trouble.
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All right, next up from Pat Pronoun. She and her thanks to you both for my sanity. I found you months ago and I recommend you often. You're an important part of my morning routine. I listen to many of the MSW Media podcasts. I'm including pictures of two of the many counted cross stitch projects I have made. The Christmas tree skirt was interrupted by projects for my son's wedding, my granddaughter's birth announcement, so I am glad to have it done. The other project is one of my favorites from over the years. Years. These are gorgeous.
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Never stop dreaming for out of such fragile things come miracles. These are beautiful.
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Stunning.
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I I love that the Christmas tree skirt was interrupted by amazing things like your son's wedding and your granddaughter's birth announcement.
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I know.
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I'm glad it finally got done though. It's beautiful. It's like a. It's like a Rockwell scene, you know?
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So beautiful.
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Love it. All right, let's see. Next up up we have Anonymous Pronoun she and her Greetings Mighty Beans Queens. Here's a tiny bit of good news. House of Black Cat Magic HBCM made USA Today's top 20 best cat cafes list and is a serious contender for number one on the Reader's Choice Awards. As you may recall, House of Black Cat Magic has been struggling quite a lot since Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina and the surrounding region. We celebrated our third anniversary on June 7, so even making it into the top 20 whether we win first place or not was a lovely way to celebrate. Since 2023, HBCM, in partnership with Binx's Home for Black Cats, a 501C3, has found loving homes for almost 800 cats. If listeners are so inclined, they can vote for us through June 22, and the winners will be announced on July 1. Everybody, we're gonna have a link in the show notes for you to vote for house of Black cat to be the best cat cafe. It's beans owned and operated, you guys.
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That's awesome.
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Thank you all both for your team. Thank you both and all your team for what you do to help stay us help us stay informed. I just tripped my way through that sentence. Did you?
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Trust me, I've been there.
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Keep up the great work. For our critter tacks a photo of Zoe, our cat lounge manager, surrounded by adoptable cats in the lounge during morning cleaning. And part of the clowder napping in the window of the lounge. Everyone in both photos has been adopted except Zoe. We're keeping her purrs and scritches. Star and Hannah, co owners of hbcm. Oh, look at the baby. All right, everybody link in the show notes. You know what to do. Go vote for house of black cat Magic hbcm. Let's get them to number one. And then anonymous she her there at the house at the hbcm. You let us know how it goes.
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Absolutely. All right, next up from Brian. Pronouns, he and him. Last week I got a nut removed three days before my 34th birthday. And yesterday I got the as good of news as possible call from my doc that test results look good and no more treatment will be needed. Brian, that is awesome. I beat testicular cancer attached to two pics, one of my gorgeous partner Jack snuggling our blank Wesley. And the other is just my absolute favorite pick of Wes with her huge goofy smile. They have been my absolute saviors throughout my whirlwind of a month. Thank you AG and DG for giving Jax and I some light every morning in this often dark world. Also, PSA to anyone listening to fondle yourself to look for some weird bumps. I caught it very soon after my doctor missed it in my yearly physical. Brian, I'm very happy to hear about all of this. All of this. Look at this. I mean I would put money that that's a golden retriever.
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It's gotta be, right? Yeah, look at that second. That's a golden and absolutely amazing. Incredible. Congratulations, Brian. Fuck cancer. All right, next up from Linda. She her happy pride. I asked Seaside, California city council to have pretty colored lights at city hall all year because the colored lights on Christmas were so beautiful. Fast forward to June. The city manager announces at the NIC, the Neighborhood Improvement Committee, that $10,000 was spent to upgrade City hall to LED programmable light so the colors can be changed from an app instead of a person manually changing them. The inaugural colors are Pride. The lights are so beautiful. And Nick is asking city council for more money to upgrade the lighting at the matching library building. Seaside City hall was the last project for the architect that designed the Kennedy Center, Edward Durrell Stone Poppet Tacks is a photo of Seaside City hall lit for Pride. My OG trans brother and his lesbian wife and their dog Oliver. You have more power to get things done locally than you can imagine. But you do have to attend city council meetings and ask for what you want. I got a right turn only lane added to a stop. The people cutting traffic. Mine and three other 70 year old streets have been repaved with inches of new payment. New lights on palm trees and everything. I just had to ask. So incredible.
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Good for you.
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Got all those things done. Look at the beautiful Pride colors.
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So great. All you gotta do, go to those
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city council meetings and ask for what you want. No.
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So good. All right. From anonymous pronoun she and her Greetings Leguminati. Every week in my tiny corner of Upper Michigan, a group of engaged citizens gather along U.S. 41 to protest the current administration. It's a very blue dot in a sea of reds situation. Yesterday I happened to be at the park next to one of the little protests with my daughter. She asked what was going on and I explained that people were using their freedom of speech to let others know they didn't agree with what our government government is doing. I don't know if that made total sense to her, but she asked if we could go say hi. The protesters were all ladies of a certain age and were treated to a gregarious hello, I'm three years old. From my daughter. We chatted and I thank the ladies for trying to ensure my daughter will someday have more rights than we did. It felt good to connect with others who are just as frustrated as I am about where we are as a country. When the ladies were leaving their protest spot, my daughter again ran up to them to say goodbye. I'm taking that as a sign that she is going to grow up to be just like her mama. Always ready for some quality civic engagement. For my pot. Sorry, a picture just popped up.
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Yeah, the dog.
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Yeah. For my pot pet tariff I have included my dog, Gordy Howell. He has approximately three brain cells and we love him for it. It's really unfair for me to ask you to guess what it is because despite being half blank and half blank, he looks like. Like neither of those dogs. I mean, obviously I think they're probably like, he looks like half lab and half. I don't know how big he is, but Beagle, he looks like Clifford the big red dog. Whatever. Like a Great Dane hound dog.
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Catahoula. It's probably one of those ones that we don't know. But I don't know. He kind of looks blab and beagle. But let's see. Let's see. He's half what Boykin spaniel and half miniature beagle.
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Well, what?
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I got the beagle. I got.
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Nice job.
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Kind of. It's a miniature beagle. We get asked where we were able to obtain a miniature black lab every time we take them out.
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Oh, my God. That's so funny. Who shrunk your dog, honey?
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I shrunk the dog. Amazing. Thank you for that. Next up, Yuki and Kathy.
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Cat.
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Hello. The legume ladies. My name is Yuki. My human mom calls me Yuki. Suki Sue. One of my siblings was named Suki by some random human. Who knew the kind lady who let my feral mom mom come in her garage to have us. This is from the point of view of a cat. As you see, I make sure my human mom takes time each day for lots of cuddles. She does annoy me when she takes out the brush. But I know I am gorgeous and must take some time for spa time. Mom usually listens to you on her air pods. And I know when she does because she randomly yells, wtf? Could this regime be any more stupid and embarrassing?
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I love it.
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It's so Chandler Bonang. Chandler. What was his name? Mrs. Chenandler Bong. That's it.
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There you go. Yeah.
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But yes. Chandler Bing. Keep up the great work for trying to explain and keep us up to date on all the issues. P S the human had to write this for me. Look at this beautiful cat.
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Cute. It's a great blanket. All right, next up from Chloe, her majesty the cat. As I said, maybe you should write it as a cat. Dear Beans queens. Whatever that means. I'm Chloe. I don't usually speak to humans, but when I do, I sound like Joanna Coles. This is already my favorite submission. You ask cats to write in to report that our human pets us for 20 minutes. Mine does not. I do not allow it. I prefer to sit on her desk while she works so that she can she is compelled to put her keyboard on her lap. Now this is more entertaining. When she is in a meeting, her colleagues can't see me, but do see that she is taking notes quite slowly. It's amusing. I hope my small note amuses you for my tax. I'm sending you a Photo of me on the human's desk. Since you cannot see my lovely face in that one, I'm also sending you a portrait taken by some said human. This is fantastic. Thank you so much, Chloe. Her majesty the cat.
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I love it.
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And Joanna, if that was you, well done.
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Next up, Nick pronouns he and him. Hi, ladies of the beans. I want to send an update about my. My Nero spicy queer son that I wrote to you guys about a few months ago. He had the purple hair you liked. He graduated from high school and I'm super proud to say he was named valedictorian. And he won two more scholarships and seven other medals and honors of all different sorts. He got into 13 of the 15 colleges he applied to and chose UCLA. So he'll be going there in the fall, double majoring in history and linguistics. He's nothing but an overachiever. I love him so much, and I can't wait to see what he does with the rest of his life. This is a genius kid, Nick. My gosh.
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No, seriously.
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For those out there who have kids with different learning abilities, have faith. The struggle is real when they're little, but it's so worth it when they become adults. I'm including two pictures from graduation. One during his speech and one at the proud display in front of our house. He is such a character. Look at this.
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This is such a great fucking picture.
A
Oh, amazing. Incredible.
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Thanks always for all you do. Happy pride going to ucla. This is awesome. This is so cool.
A
Amazing. Congratulations. What a brilliant kid. All right, everybody. Thank you so much for sending in your good news. Please send it all to us. Dana, I think you're out tomorrow, right?
B
I am out tomorrow. I'll be traveling early to Chicago.
A
What are you doing in Chicago?
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Oh, I've got a big gala for patrons Difference. I'm not allowed to say, but I'm going to be telling some jokes to some of these people that are listening.
A
Amazing. I'm looking forward to that. I won't be traveling till Friday, though, so I'll be in your ears tomorrow. And we should have John Fugelsang be He's going to join us for Fugle Sign Fridays on the Beans as well. So I will see you then. Until Till then, everybody, 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 believe I'm in dg and them's 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 msw media.com MSW Media.
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I'm Brian Caram and I've spent decades covering politics. Now I'm taking you behind the scenes, one interview at a time.
A
Join us as each week Brian confronts the issues that matter, posing the questions you wish you could ask. No filter, no agenda, just the truth.
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 for Curiosity will lead us to the facts. Subscribe now on your favorite podcast platform
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and remember, when you want answers, all you have to do is just ask the question.
Date: June 18, 2026
Host: Allison Gill
Co-host: Dana Goldberg
Produced by: MSW Media
This episode dives into a wide array of political and social justice news stories, offering in-depth coverage and commentary with The Daily Beans’ trademark blend of sharp analysis and witty banter. Key stories include the cost and funding of Trump’s new White House ballroom, the exposure of Peter Thiel’s secretive "Dialogue" society by a hacktivist, the implications of primary elections in several states, ongoing litigation and legislation around transgender rights, and renewed investigations into the Jeffrey Epstein case. The hosts also spotlight positive activism and celebrate community wins in their “Good News” segment.
A joyful, community-focused section sharing listener-submitted wins, activism updates, and feel-good stories with photos.
The hosts maintain a blend of sharp wit, progressive snark, and compassionate advocacy, humanizing serious political news while also celebrating community action and personal victories. Listener engagement is fostered with warmth, encouragement, and unfiltered authenticity, making the podcast both informative and relatable.
This episode exemplifies The Daily Beans’ mix of headline analysis, social justice focus, humor, and community–from dissecting elite networks of power to championing local activism and celebrating identity. It’s a snappy, substantive catch-up for anyone seeking to understand—and feel personally connected to—the news of the day.