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The Daily Beans
All Of A Sudden
00:44:13
Thursday, December 12th, 2024 Today, a judge blocks the sale of Alex Jones’ Infowars to the Onion; Donald Trump is already facing Republican backlash against his ugliest threats; the New York City Marriage Bureau is experiencing a significant increase in licenses following the election; Nancy Mace called the police on a prominent foster youth advocate; and Dana delivers your Good News.
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- [00:00]
Alison Gill
MSW Media. Thanks to Story Worth for supporting the Daily Beans with Story Worth. I am giving a thoughtful personal gift from the heart. So go to storyworth.comdailybeans to get $10 off your first purchase.
- [00:28]
Dana Goldberg
Jelly beans. Jelly beans. Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Thursday, December 12, 2024. Today, a judge blocks the sale of Alec Jones infowars to the Onion. Donald Trump is already facing Republican backlash against his ugliest threats. The New York City Marriage Bureau has experienced a significant increase in licenses following the election. And Nancy Mace called the police on a prominent foster youth advocate. My host is out for the day, so I'm your host, Dana Goldber. Hey everyone, as you just heard, I'm flying solo today. My co host Allison decided to travel on probably the worst weather day that we've had so far. So she's going to be out tonight. But I wanted to make sure we still brought you the stories and the good news and that I'm here with you in your ear. She'll be back with me tomorrow. She did want me to tell you she loves you. She's not abandoned you. And thanks for making us the number six news podcast and the number 25 podcast in all categories. That's fucking amazing. So that's because of the listeners. It's because of you. And speaking of all of your new listeners, you're the smartest and best looking people on the planet. So we're just going to say that out there, doesn't matter if we can't see you. We know we've met you at some of the meet and greets. Super hot. So if you are new to the show, what we're going to do is we're going to cover the headlines and then read the listener submitted good news, submit your good news and your photos for flipping the bird in front of Trump branded properties. And you're going to do all of that by going to DailyBeansPod.com clicking on the contact. And we also welcome pet photos, baby pics and all of the other things that make you happy. Pictures of your woobies, all of this. We're going to get to the good news. But just a quick note. I think everyone knows by now that Chris Ray Christopher Wray has said he's resigning at the end of this administration. He actually has a 10 year contract. Donald Trump is the one that appointed Chris Wray. I hope you can all remember that. And I think he's just tired of him not doing all the letting him do all the horribly illegal things that he wanted to do so. Of course, now Trump is wanting to nominate Kasp Patel. So I have the same opinion, Alison. We think he's being a coward. He should make Donald Trump fire him. Stand your ground. Those are my words. Allison's words are fuck this shit, you pussy ass bitch. Weak sauce. Trash can obey an advanced motherfucker. So those are Allison's words. She's very demure, very proper and she's a lady. So that's what we're left with. We're also left with a lot of news today, so why don't we get to that. Let's hit the hot notes.
- [03:13]
Alison Gill
Hot notes.
- [03:16]
Dana Goldberg
All right. First up from David Ingram at NBC News. A bankruptcy judge on Tuesday rejected a bid by the Onions parent company to buy Alex Jones's far right media empire, including the website Infowars. I know we were all very excited about that happening. Ruling that the auction process was somehow unfair. US Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez said after a two day hearing that the Onion's parent company, Global Tetrahedron, had not submitted the best bid but was wrongly named the winner of an auction last month by a court appointed trustee. And I quote, I don't think it's enough money. That's what Lopez said in a late night ruling from the bench in a Houston court. He said, I'm going to not approve the sale, which is horrible way to structure that sentence if I'm going to read it on the air. It was not immediately clear whether there would be a new auction to which the Onion could bid again for Jones's assets. Lopez said he would leave the decision about what to do next in the hands of the trustee. And that's Christopher Murray who had overseen the auction. Interesting. I wonder who who Christopher Murray's been talking to. The judge said Murray had acted in good faith in running the auction in which the Onions parent company initially appeared to prevail. But he said the trustee did not run a transparent process and should have given a rival bidder associated with Jones another chance to improve its bids. Quote, I think you've got to go out and try to get every dollar. That's what Lopez said. I think that process fell down. Interesting. I wonder if someone just threw some money in the caddy for this Jones friend of Joneses that I hate pluralizing his name or making it possessive because no one knows how to say it. We actually do. It's just hard. The ruling dashed as, at least for now. By the way, Global Tetrahedron's plan to take over Infowars and radically shift its content from anti government conspiracy theories to an amazing satirical humor. Instead, Jones can continue operating his far right media business as he has for decades. I don't agree with that at all. He should still be banned from being on the air. Jones went live from a studio soon after the ruling and told viewers, quote, we can celebrate the judge doing the right thing. He had previously referred to the sales process as, quote, auction fraud and a fraudulent sale. Onion CEO Ben Collins said in a statement on Twitter that the company was deeply disappointed but would, quote, continue to seek a path towards purchasing infowars in the coming weeks. He said is part of our larger mission to make a better, funnier Internet. Regardless of the outcome of this case, we appreciate that the court repeatedly recognized the Onion acted in good faith, but we're disappointed that everyone was sent back to the drawing board with no winner and no clear path forward for any bidder. That's from Collins. Collins previously covered disinformation and conspiracy theories for NBC News, a beat that often meant covering. Alex Jones, the Onion's parent company, had partnered in its bid with families of the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, who successfully sued Jones for defamation, winning court judgments that are now valued at $1.2 billion. Part of the company's plan for Infowars was to make anti violence organization Every Town for Gun Safety the exclusive advertiser, which was brilliant. Now, Chris Matei, he's an attorney for the Connecticut families, he said they were also very disappointed. Quote, these families who have already persevered through countless delays and roadblocks, remain resilient and determined as ever to hold Alex Jones and his corrupt business accountable for the harm that he caused. That's what he said in a statement. This decision doesn't change the fact that soon Alex Jones will begin to pay his debt to these families and will continue doing so for as long as it takes. Again, that's from Mate. Last month's announcement that Global Tetrahedron had been named the winner of the auction. It shocked the media world and fans of both Jones and the Onion. But the announcement was only a recommendation from the trustee and required approval from Lopez, who again is overseeing Jones's bankruptcy case. The Global Tetrahedron bid consisted of two components. 1.75 million in cash and a non cash pledged by some of the bankruptcy case creditors. Those are families of the Sandy Hook shooting to forego the proceeds they would typically receive from the sale. Some of the families partner with the Onion in its bid. Murray said he valued the bid at 7 million. In all, a rival bidder associated with Jones. That's First United American costs is what that is. And I don't have Allison here to correct me when I mess something up, so I'm going to count on the listeners to do it gently in the next episode. Anyway, First United American, they offered 3.5 million in cash, or twice as much cash as the Onion's parent company. First United American is is a limited liability company affiliated with Jones's dietary supplements business, and its bid had Jones's blessing. In court Tuesday, Walter Sikak, a lawyer for First United American, pledged the second component of the Global Tetrahedron bid consisted of quote amorphous non cash currency. He said his clients all cash offer well should have won. And then he said in court, cash is cash. Thanks, pal. Now, Lopez said a different process could have earned more money for creditors, including the Sandy Hook families. Said I don't even think the 3.5 million is enough. At stake in this is the control of many assets from Jones's company, Free Speech Systems, including the intellectual Property associated with InfoWars.com Production equipment such as computers and the studio lights and inventory from Jones's nutritional supplements business. Interesting inventory from Jones's nutritional supplements business, which somehow got to put in the highest bid for Infowars. I don't trust any of this. Jones's assets are being sold off in bankruptcy because he owes 1.2 billion to the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook shooting. Jones falsely and repeatedly, disgustingly and grotesquely told his audience that the shooting was a hoax and the family successfully sued him for defamation and other claims. In testimony before the bankruptcy court in Houston, Murray defended the auction process that he used. He said his only goal was to maximize the payout going to the unsecured creditors of Jones's company. He said, I've conducted an open process. I haven't excluded anyone from participating. Asked by a lawyer if he had a bias as to who should win the auction, he responded, no, no bias. Okay. The auction process consisted of a solicitation for sealed written bids. Murray initially considered a live auction but decided against that. He testified that after he determined Global Tetrahedron's bid to be higher, he worked with the company and its lawyers to iron out details about the creditors waiving their share of the proceeds. Lopez said in his ruling that he was not bothered by the waiver provision on its own, but he said the other bidders should have been told about it. He also said he was bothered by the ironing out process afterwards, in which he said Murray went through, quote, mental Gymnastics said it didn't even feel like they understood what they understood. Speaking of the trustee and the auctioneer, Jason Goldstein, he's a lawyer for the Onions parent company, said in court that the delay after the conclusion of the auction had been costly. And this is a last quote from the story. My clients have faced this delay with significant additional costs. That's what he said before the ruling. They're still stuck here today without resolution and clarity. So my hope is that eventually they still get to buy Infowars because the fact that Alex Jones may actually get to keep this business because someone he's affiliated with, I don't know the rules around all this. If he's allowed to go back into it. I just know it's sketchy when all of a sudden money from one of his pals is coming in and they're now rethinking the deal. So we'll keep you updated on that. This next story is from the Imprint Now Foster Youth. This is a horrible story, by the way. Foster youth and award winning advocate for children. They were arrested at the US Capitol. This was last night in a very bizarre twist in an otherwise celebratory day of events after who apparently the transphobe. The new, new, proud transphobe, South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace, accused this man of assaulting her. So the incident took place outside a House of Representatives building following an event honoring the anniversary of a landmark child welfare law, where Mace, who they're calling a firebrand Republican, I think she's just a piece of shit at this point, had given a speech. Well, three witnesses at the scene told the Imprint their accused colleague, and that's James McIntyre, he had done nothing more than shake the Congress member's hand at the House reception and asked her to protect the rights of transgender people. That's it. But in the post on social media, Nancy Mace described a violent confrontation. And I quote, I was physically accosted the Capitol tonight by a pro trans man. One new brace on my wrist and some ice for my arm and it'll heal just fine. Sorry. She posted that at 8:43pm and apparently both of her hands and her wrist were strong enough to actually tweet that. By the way, the Capitol Police arrested the guy. This is again her tweet. Your trans violence and threats on my life will only make me double down. The arrest stunned everyone that was there. A group of McIntyre's fellow foster youth advocates. They rushed to the outside of the Rayburn House office building to watch the scene unfold. And they stood by tearfully as he was searched for several minutes by police when asking officers where he'd be taken and calling frantically for an attorney who could represent him. McIntyre, he's 33. He's spoken publicly about his excruciating experience growing up in foster care. He's now a leading voice in policymaking in his home state of Illinois. He's also a chapter co founder of the influential group Foster Care Alumni in America. In 2019, the National association of Social Workers Illinois chapter, they named him the Public Citizen of the Year. An officer with the Capitol Police Department told a reporter that was present at the scene that they were responding to a call about an assault. Now, McIntyre was then placed into police van and driven off. Other attendees have reacted with outrage since McIntyre's arrest. And I quote, I want to express my deep disappointment in the fact that Congresswoman Nancy Mace came to a national foster youth event, told participating youth that it was a safe space, and then literally had one of them arrested by Capitol Police for simply shaking her hand and asking about trans girls. This is Lisa Dixon. She's a veteran advocate for foster youth in Ohio. She said that in a Facebook post. Mace is not new, by the way, to such publicity. We've seen this in recent weeks she has turned into this raging. She's been in the news for a successful campaign to bar newly elected Rep. Sarah McBride from using the women's restroom. She's a demo Democrat, as we know, from Delaware, who happens to be a transgender woman. At tonight's event. And this again happened last night. Mace, who co chairs Congress's bipartisan Foster Care Caucus. That's horrifying. Joined a group of legislators at a House reception celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Foster Care Independence act of 1999. The act created the John H. Chaffee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood legislation. That's what this legislation is. And it significantly expanded federal support for foster youth who leave the system after turning 18 without any permanent home. Today's events featured speakers from some of the former foster youth who whose advocacy led to the writing and passage of the law known as the Chaffee Law. In her remarks, by the way, at the House event, Rep. Nancy Mays told the crowd that while she was not an adoptee or former foster youth, she had been a victim of sexual abuse as a child. She called the dozens of advocates in foster youth in attendance. McIntyre, among them, the cream of the crop said, I look forward to working with each and every one of you. God bless you. I will be praying for you. So as she finishes her comments and moves to leave the room. McIntyre approached her near an exit door. This is all what witnesses said. Elliot Hinkle, he's a former foster youth and an advocate for LGBTQ + rights, said McIntyre shook her hand, made a comment about how many transgender youth are in foster care, adding, quote, they need your support. Quote, from what I saw, it was a normal handshake and interaction that I would expect any legislature to expect from anyone as a constituent. That's what Hinkle said. And he's a consultant who has advised federal government on issues affecting youth in foster care. Later, Hinkle said, one of Mace's aides returned to the reception and asked McIntyre his name and whether he would repeat what he told the legislator. Two other people who witnessed the interaction confirmed that description of the brief episode. Now, McIntyre left the celebration, but he was later summoned back to the Rayburn Building by police. Hinkle said his subsequent arrest, quote, sends a chilling effect that you're not actually safe to go to Capitol Hill and share an opinion that is true for you, that isn't violent. Because right now, if you do, a congresswoman or congressperson might said that they were physically assaulted and call the police on you. So how would a young person in care feel safe? It's just an awful thing. I don't know what's going on with Nancy May. She used to be more pro lgbtq. Right now she seems like she's just a media whore that needs all the attention she can get. And now people, good people are paying for this. So we'll keep eyes on her. I'm sure she'll end up in the news again within the week. All right, everyone, this story is from Greg Sargent, tnr. Now, there's still a little over a month before Donald Trump assumes the presidency again. But Republicans or GOP adjacent industries, they've already begun to admit out loud that some of the most important policy promises they could prove to be disastrous in their parts of the country. So these folks don't say this too directly out of fear of offending the MAGA God king. And that's what this says, and I love that. Instead, they're suggesting, very gingerly, that a slight rethink might be in order. But unpack what they're saying and you'll see that they're in effect, acknowledging that some of Trump's biggest campaign promises were basically bullshit. In Georgia, for example, some local Republicans are openly worried about Trump's threat to roll back President Biden's inflation Reduction Act. The IRA is pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into incentives for the manufacture and purchase of green energy technologies, from electric vehicles to batteries to solar power. Trump endlessly derided this as, quote, the green new scam and pledged to repeal all uncommitted funds. But now the New York Times reports that Trump supporters, like State Representative Beth Camp, they fear that repeal could destroy jobs related to new investments in green manufacturing plants in the state. Camp worries that this could leave factories in Georgia just sitting empty. You heard that right. The Republican is declaring that Trump those threatened actions. They could leave factories sitting completely empty in Georgia. One of Trump's central campaign claims that Biden's green energy investments will cause enormous job losses in manufacturing sectors like the traditional auto industry. In reality, the IRA is spurring an outpouring of private investment that's creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs, many in advanced manufacturing and well suited for people without college degrees in the very areas that MAGA folklore were abandoned by liberal and Democratic elites. Crap. Now new Republicans are declaring the repeal of IRA is the thing that could create empty factories. Another Georgia GOP state lawmaker tells the Times that repealing tax credits, encouraging the use of solar panels, they could make local manufacturing jobs disappear. House Republicans from districts benefiting from these investments, they're also primed to resist. All this directly undercuts one of Trump's biggest ideas, that government efforts to spur the transition to a sustainable future must, by definition, existentially threaten the working class whose well being depends on tripling down on fossil fuels. And it exposes it as the monumental scam that it is. Something similar is also already happening with Trump's threat to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, Reuters reports. In agricultural interest, which are heavily concentrated in GOP areas, they're urging the incoming Trump administration to refrain from removing untold numbers of migrants working throughout the food industry chain, including in farming, dairy and meat packing, and, I'm sorry, the food supply chain. So notably, GOP Representative John Duarte, who just lost, by the way, his seat in the election, explicitly tells Reuters that farming interests in his California district depend on undocumented immigrants and that Trump should exempt many from removal. That's going to be a fucking shitstorm. D and industry representatives want more avenues created for migrants to work here legally. The precise opposite of what Trump has promised. And when I say it's going to be a shitstorm, is if all of a sudden you're getting some undocumented immigrants able to stay and some to leave. Who decides that? Now over to Texas, NPR reports that various industries there they fear that mass deportations could cripple them, particularly in construction, where nearly 300,000 undocumented immigrants toiled as of 2022. Those workers, they enable the state to keep growing despite of native population that isn't supplying a large enough workforce. Local analysts and executives, they want Trump to refrain from removing all of these people or they have to create new ways for them to work here legally. Even the Republican mayor of McKinney, Texas is loudly sounding the alarm. Meanwhile, if we go back to Georgia, Trump's threats of mass deportations, it's awakening new awareness that undocumented immigrants drive industries like construction, landscaping, agriculture. This is all reported by the Wall Street Journal. In Dalton, a town that backed Trump, fear is spreading that removals could, quote, upend its economy and workforce. All of this is the fuck around and find out part. Here's another possibility. In the end, Trump supportation forces may selectively spare certain localities and industries from mass removals. Trump's incoming quote, border czar Tom Homan. They suggest that this is not going to work. But as most of us know, the hallmark of MAGA is corruptly selective governance in the interests of MAGA nation and expressly against those who are designated MAGA's enemies, US citizens included. By the way, one can see mass deportations become a selective tool which blue localities are targeted for high profile raids even as Trump triumphantly rants that they are, quote, cesspools of migrant crime. Not true that he is pacifying with military style force while GOP connected industries and Trump allied Republicans tacitly secure some forbearance. Indeed, there is a historical precedent for something like this. So in one infamous 1990s episode, Georgia lawmakers intervened to get immigration authorities to back off deportations during the state's Vidalia Onions harvests. It's easy to imagine a MAGA Georgia Republican like Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who doesn't give a shit about actual policy outcomes, just quietly making a similar call on behalf of the local gentry. As American Immigration Council senior fellow Aaron Reichlin Melnick told the person that wrote this quote, with enforcement likely to expand dramatically under Trump, we can expect this pressure to come to bear again. So at the most basic level, just to be clear, Trump MAGA American carnage mythology. It holds that revising the elite engineered energy transition and purging the nation of millions of undesirable migrants, that that's the key to somehow rescuing left behind areas from stagnation and rebuilding the foundations of virtuous long term working class flourishing. In reality, the Green Transition and immigration they are potential keys to revitalization. And it is striking to see some Republicans already more or less confirming this themselves. They knew this before. Why did they not speak the fuck up? It is so frustrating. All right, everyone. And our last story is from Gwen Hogan at the City in New York. Now, New York City saw a spike in marriage in marriages in the weeks following Interesting. Donald Trump's electoral victory, driven in part by who, of course, same sex couples and those with concerns about their immigration status. The city clerk's office, which oversees the Marriage Bureau, they recorded 8,500 marriage licenses appointments made in November alone. November 2024. That, as we know, was the month that Trump was somehow fucking reelected. That's a 33% increase, everyone, compared to November of 2023. And that's according to data that the agency shared to the city, which is the source on the story. In the two weeks leading up to the election, the city tracked about 1500 marriage license appointments each week. That jumped to 2,365 the week after the election from November 6th to the 12th. That's a 55% increase. The number of appointments remained above average for the rest of the month with a slight dip to about 1914 appointments the week ending on December 3rd. This is a quote, the appointments are going faster. It feels like the election had an impact. That's the city clerk, Michael McSweeney. That's what he told the city. New appointments to pick up marriage certifications and person ceremonies go online every Monday morning. Quote, appointments were not going this quickly in October. This is what McSweeney added. There's no question that there's an increase. But the city doesn't track couples, gender or immigration status, so there's no data on who exactly is getting married. While some couples leaving the marriage bureau in Lower Manhattan on a recent morning said the election played no role in their decision to tie the knot, several others said it was actually the first thing on their minds. This is a quote, we already fought for gay marriage. I don't want to have to do it again. This is ryan Addario. He's 36. And as he was leaving the marriage bureau in Lower Manhattan on a recent morning after picking up a marriage license certificate with his partner of 13 years. That is, his partner is 39 year old Nicholas Quesito. He said, I just didn't want to have any potential obstacles whenever that happens. That couple who live in Mott Haven in the Bronx, they said they'd been planning on getting married eventually, but they decided to pull the Trigger in days after Trump's election, Addario and Casito they expressed concerns echoed by a lot of people that same sex couples leaving the marriage bureau on recent morning a newly emboldened U.S. supreme Court with a conservative supermajority they might overturn the 2015 Obergefell vs Hodges decision that legalized same sex marriage. And Republicans in control of all the branches of government, they might not be inclined to enshrine marriage protections into federal law. Now some of that was done with the Respect for Marriage act. But if the Supreme Court overturns this and there's already talk that they're going to look at this, it now goes back to the states and this is a quote, God knows we just don't know with the upcoming administration. This is 53 year old newlywed named Karen who declined to give the last name who was leaving the marriage bureau with her new wife following their in person ceremony Thursday morning. The couple had been together five years. They have a baby who was swaddled in blankets on this incredibly cold winter morning. Now an attorney they consulted had been encouraged many of the LGBTQ families to tie the knot, particularly protect parental rights of the non biological parent. Karen's wife, who is Australian, declined to give her name as well. Said we also heard that if you're already married it's less likely they can take that away from you. Another same sex couple from Ecuador leaving the marriage bureau said they wanted to make their relationship official for immigration purposes. In addition to their fears that the Supreme Court could toss marriage equality. They said just the fact that we've been together for so long, we don't want anything to get in the way of our life plans. And this is 30 year old Paula who declined to give her last name. I do not blame these people by the way. Quote, so we're just moving forward. This is from her 28 year old partner Amelia. Now even in New York, those concerns are not necessarily unwarranted. Same sex marriage, it was enshrined in state law by the 2011 Marriage Equality Act. So even if the Supreme Court overruled its landmark 2015 decision, Marriage Equality again like I said, goes back to the states. It would remain on the books in the state and several others reliably blue states in the Northwest, Midwest and western United States. But attorney Diana Adams, she's the executive director of the Chosen Family Law center, she said that if Obergefell vs Hodges were to fall unmarried same sex couples, they could run into problems when traveling to red states that don't have the same protections Especially couples with children. She said, having a legal connection to your child, having a legal connection to your partner, it's so very, very helpful. And if you were intending to get married, this is the time to do it. The Chosen Family Law center, which offers free legal consultation to low income LGBTQ New Yorkers. They've been flooded with questions and concerns from same sex couples and transgender people in New York and beyond over the past months. They advise same sex couples with children to go a step further and opt for a second parent adoption or quote, judgment of parentage, both of which would enshrine the non biological parents parental rights in court documents. Quote, that's absolutely essential because that is a court order and that is going to be given a lot more respect in other states. But it wasn't clear just same sex couples were rushing to tie the knot in the wake of Trump's election. Rachel, she's a 40 year old bride who declined to give her last name as well, was picking up a marriage certificate with her Israeli fiance. The two of them, they met while visiting Tel Aviv seven months ago and they were rushing the marriage on a tighter timeline to jumpstart his immigration paperwork, which I also think is a great idea. They were also considering relocating to Israel because of Trump's election and wanted to be married before doing so. Not sure about that choice. That was just my opinion though, and I quote from the story, we wanted to get everything signed and dotted, especially with Trump. That's what Rachel said. Her groom declined to give his last name, fearing immigration repercussions. Quote, people think Trump's a friend of Israel, but I don't think he has their best interest in mind. Finally, someone said it out loud. Rachel, this is Rachel. Thank you, Rachel. She said she was concerned about rising anti Semitism in the United States, but also about Trump's attack on immigrants and the LGBTQ community. She said, I don't think it's going to be safer for the Jewish community. While the mood was urgent for many couples leaving the marriage bureau, it was also joyous. Casito and Eldario. They bubbled with details of their upcoming wedding day where they had a small ceremony on the green at Lincoln center, the side of their first date, followed by dinner and drinks with loved ones. He said, we're so in love and that's the most important thing. That's what Casino said, quote, there's so much uncertainty in the world right now and so much uncertainty with what will occur in the next coming year with this new presidency. The one thing that is certain, our Love. And I was like, let's surrender to that. A beautiful way to end this segment. Those are the hot notes. Please stay with us. We're going to take a short break. I'm going to come back. I'll have all the good news that we can muster in today's episode. We'll be right back after these messages. We'll be right back.
- [31:17]
Alison Gill
Hey, everybody, it's ag. I know it's really difficult to find a meaningful gift for the holidays, but this year I wanted something truly personal and I've done this before. I did this with my mom and she absolutely loved it. We have her keepsake book. Book. And now I'm, I'm getting this from my best friend. It's story worth. It lets me celebrate the relationships I treasure by helping my loved ones share their stories. It's a gift that's thoughtful and timeless. It's perfect for showing how much I care. So Story worth is offering $10 off your first purchase at storyworth.com dailybeans so like I said, I gave story worth to my mom, but this year it's from my best friend. And here's what it's about. Every week, my family member or your loved one, my best friend receives a question, a prompt, a writing prompt, like what's your earliest memory? Or what did your childhood home look like? Or something like that. You can actually pick the questions or they'll pick them for you. They're sent, they answer them. The answers that I've been getting have been a mix of heartfelt moments, fascinating stories, hilarious stories from my best friend. And I've learned so much, like the adventures that, you know, she reminded me of stuff that we were doing in our 20s, right, like 30 years ago. So hearing these stories in my friend's own words has, you know, it's just, it's fun to share. And so at the end of the year, here's the thing, Storyworth turns their stories into a hardcover book. So I can already imagine flipping through its pages with my friend at the like later on in years listening to our, you know, our heavy metal and remembering our, our fond memories of when we were young. It's fantastic. I love this gift. It keeps on giving for years to come. So a Storyworth I'm giving those I love a most thoughtful personal gift from the heart and preserving their memories and stories for years to come. So go to storyworth.comdailybeans Save $10 off your first purchase. That's storyworth.com dailybeans to save Save $10 on your first purchase, you'll be glad you did.
- [33:08]
Dana Goldberg
All right, everyone, welcome back to the Good News everyone then.
- [33:12]
Alison Gill
Good news, everyone. Good news.
- [33:28]
Dana Goldberg
Oh, if you have any submissions, good News, corrections, confessions. You've got baby pictures. What the mutt you want to tell us about a program that helped you out? Anything. You know, the spiel. If you're new to this podcast, basically anything that you want to tell us that's going to make our day better. Or if I mispronounced a word. Or if you have fallen in love with Allison Gill and you want to stay anonymous and just let her know she's the best thing since sliced bread, you're going to go to thedailybeanspod.com and click on Good News. Send the submission there. Kanai reads all of them, gets them as many as we can, and now I'm going to read them to you. So we're going to kick this off with Irish Goddess pronounced she and her dear Queens of the Beans and all the people hiding in the background to help with production. I just mentioned one of our favorites. Basically I just wanted to write in with a bird watching picture I took from the Vegas Strip during the COVID lockdown. I used to ride my bike up and down the strip while everything was closed. It was cool. Something I never knew until I moved to Vegas. But Donald's Tower is not on the strip and that I think is Chef's Kiss. Additional picture of my latest cross stitch for a friend who just got a hysterectomy. And for Dana, a picture of my daughter when she was a wee baron. Oh my goodness. Thank you for all you do and building this amazing community. First of all, thank you for the baby picture because I'm here alone and it's getting me through this episode. And I love that your daughter is holding a baseball. Yes, fuck Trump Tower. Love to see the bird pictures. Thank you so much for showing us your bird pictures. And this stitch, gone but not forgotten for her uterus. Well done. That's fantastic. Irish Goddess. Thank you for that submission. Next up is Anonymous pronoun she and her long time Kitchen Table Days listener. I always tell anyone I sell you podcast to to be sure to listen to the Megaplastics episode first. If you're new to this podcast you have got to listen to. I believe it was the January 5th episode 2021. It was the day before the ride on the Capitol. It's called Megap oh Megap episode and it is amazeballs. So Anonymous is good news. My beautiful daughter had quite the year she graduated from university with two degrees, a BBA majoring in HR and a BA in Conflict Resolution. She also made the leap to move to the US to marry her wife and soulmate. The wedding in the spring was tiny and absolutely beautiful. She started her first ever grown up job in a large international company, HR Employee Relations and just yesterday got approval for her green card. We love these girls so much and we really hope they'll be okay in the next four years. They can always come home to Canada if they have to and they know how privileged they are to have that safety net. Here is my hobby. My grandma taught me a very old lace making technique called tatting as a teen. I haven't done it in decades but decided to reteach myself. It's like crochet sort of, but done with shuttles instead of a hook. For me it's like a combination of a fidget toy and a puzzle, but you have something useful at the end. Thanks for all you have done and continued to do. We really need you more than ever. This is so cool and quite beautiful. I love this. And congratulations to your daughter and her wife and the two. I mean the two degrees. This is an awesome submission. Anonymous. Thank you so much for adding it to today's episode. Okay, we've got Jim up next. Jim's pronouns are he, him, he said I've been listening since the kitchen table days. So early I was able to get back to the beginning and catch up. Love the show. I'm writing with a shout out to my adult child, Nico, for the incredible work they do to help trans youth. For several years they have been volunteering on Saturdays to counsel queer and trans youth and parents in our local community. Reflective of the times we're in, these meetings can't be broadly advertised and the location is only known by the participants for fear of protests or other disruption. But thanks to the courage of all involved, these meetings provide a safe place for youth to meet peers with similar experiences, challenges, questions, loves and joys. A place to be themselves without judgment or feeling different. This is also a place for parents of those kids to connect with others who know what it's like to apparent a child like theirs to share advice and show support again without fear or judgment or harmful words. Jim, this is awesome. Nico's Monday to Friday job also includes working with trans youth. In response to the election, they and a colleague compiled resources into an LGBTQ youth survival guide to help navigate life under this new administration. I encourage people to check it out and share it widely. It's UUA.org there's going to be a link in the show notes. This is awesome. Thank you so much for this. Already I'm amazed at the brave, loving, inspirational work that Nico does. I'm so very proud to be their dad. I've got two other adult children. I'm also very proud of them. But those stories will need to wait for another day. Her pod Pet Tax. I'm including a picture of Archer and me heading to the park this past summer. He loves to go for drives. Jim1 Good looking dude. Good looking dog. You are a great dad. A great fucking dad. Thank you for sharing Nico's story with us. And Nico, if you're listening for some reason thank you for everything you're doing to protect and help trans kids and also really help their parents and give them a commitment community that they can lean on each other. This is awesome. Thank you, thank you, thank you. This next submission is from Kristin Pronoun. She and her I'd like to give a shout out to my friend Brian. Several years ago he had the idea that he could harness the power of fandom to do philanthropic work. He coined the term Fanthropy. That's brilliant. And has a charity that runs Fanthropy Running Club. FRC has a virtual event you can register for until December 23rd. We're going to have a link to that in the show notes if you want to help out this organization. Now the picture is a high quality medal is attached. I'd like to encourage my fellow beings listeners to consider finding this incredible organization by going to Facebook and searching for the FRC fan domain. Now you're going to find the most incredible humans working to make the world a better place. One mile at a time. I've seen members celebrate one another for hitting incredible milestones. Running a marathon gets the same level of enthusiasm and support as someone who completed their first walk. Love that we vote on charities to support for our team. Based on virtual races, Brian has created the space for an international army of happy warriors. I've also attached a picture of Ruby my foster fail and join the dog park for my pod pet tax. This is so cool. Kristen. Thank you for this. Again there's going to be a link into the show notes for this for Fanthropy Running Club. Gorgeous pick of the pup at a sunrise, a sunset probably. These are awesome. I love our listeners so much. All right. And the next listener is Dan. Pronouns he him. Hey fierce warrior women. I've been in a downward spiral since the election. I hear I feel you Dan. But having managed to move past what has happened and focus on what we can do now, it's still mind numbing that so many Americans had not learned that the stove Trump was hot and would burn them. This podcast has been such a positive boost in getting my P's and Q's straightened out. Thank you for your awesome, supportive staff. Anyway, I could not take the time to go to Chicago for bird watching, but I hope this serves as an acceptable substitute. My daughter, son in law and grandson are doing well in Georgia for now. I'll share photos when I receive the parental green light. I submit a sneaky grandpa and grandson photo without showing his face. My Santa look and bird watching in Chicago ago I've been asked by so many people if I portray Santa. My response is no Papa Smurf. The smurf hat is on order when it arrives and I'll send that photo as well. FYI, I'll I will never again think of the GOP without the extra ee. The GOP forever. Lol. I love that I came out with that. And for those of you that don't know it was about that I think at Tennessee Tennessee Congressper I don't know legislator who unfortunately was involved in a hit and run. They were doing a DUI check on him and he urinated himself in public. Last of this episode. Be safe, be strong and enjoy the season until January 20th comes down. Thank you all again. Oh my God you really do make a good Santa Dan. And a better Papa Smurf I bet. Oh and the putt baby. Oh, we've got a bird photo flipping off Trump Tower. And just quickly, I just want to make a little comment. I know that there's some listeners that do have a problem with incontinence. I'm not making fun of that in any way way, but I am making fun of a GOP person who was driving drunk, got pulled over at a DUI test and urinated himself on camera. He deserves to be shamed. This is awesome. All of these submissions. I miss my co host. It's not the same doing this without her to be honest with you. But thank you to the listeners for helping us get through this episode. Please continue to send in your good news, your submissions, corrections, anything, any programs that have helped you will be stories, shout outs to people you love. A go again to DailyBeansPod.com click on Good news. We will get them. We're gonna have Allison back tomorrow. We'll both be back in your ear. She's on her way to New York. I'm going to be hosting what is the Christmas party for ELPAC tomorrow night, which is a lesbian political action committee. They had a 75%, I think 75 to 80% win in the last election for the candidates they identify as lesbian. That's a massive win. So I'm looking forward to going and supporting that organization, raising some money. Our dear Allison, who falls somewhere on the LGBTQ spectrum, she's going to be speaking at the VIP reception. So we'll be reunited then. And I hope you will join us back tomorrow. We'll be back in your ears. Until then, I hope I get this right. But take care of yourselves, take care of your family, take care of each other, take care of your mental health. And that's it. I've been your host. Host DG and we're out. That's the Beans.
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Alison Gill
The Daily Beans is written and executive produced by Alison Gill with additional research and reporting by Dana Goldberg. Sound design and editing is by Desiree McFarland with art and web design by Joel Reeder 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.