Art Is Resistance (feat. Ben Folds)

Summary

The Daily Beans: Episode Summary – "Art Is Resistance" (Feat. Ben Folds)
Release Date: July 16, 2025
Host: MSW Media

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I. Key Political News

A. ICE Policy on Bond Hearings

Allison Gill and Dana Goldberg opened the episode discussing the Trump administration's new policy regarding undocumented immigrants. According to a 00:00 timestamp, ICE has declared that millions of undocumented immigrants are ineligible for bond hearings, meaning they can be detained for the duration of their removal proceedings, which can span months or even years. Allison criticizes the policy, stating, “it’s just going to delete into the concentration camp cruelty and racism” (06:43). Legal experts anticipate significant challenges to this policy.

B. Republicans Block Release of Epstein Files

The hosts addressed the Republican-led efforts to prevent the release of Jeffrey Epstein's case files. Dana highlighted the contentious nature of these files, emphasizing their importance: “[...] these are actual documents and in evidence that have numbers attached to them” (09:49). Republicans in the House voted unanimously to block the release, a move Allison remarked would likely anger the MAGA base (04:24).

C. Mike Waltz’s Senate Grilling Over Signal Chat Scandal

Mike Waltz, facing Senate scrutiny over his involvement in a private Signal chat that included sensitive military plans, was another focal point. Allison detailed Waltz’s actions and the ensuing controversy, noting at 16:58, “he’s earning an annual salary of $195,200 doing jack shit,” highlighting the perceived ineffectiveness and mismanagement.

D. Trump’s Redistricting Effort in Texas

Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s push for mid-decade redistricting to maintain Republican control of the House was discussed. Allison quoted, “[...] Attorney General Ken Paxton received a letter from the Department of Justice” (11:40), signaling concerns over the legality of several Texas congressional districts. The DOJ deemed districts 9, 18, 29, and 33 as unconstitutional, prompting Governor Newsom to criticize what he sees as a partisan power grab (13:24).

E. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club vs. Trump Regime

The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club issued a cease and desist to the Trump administration for the unauthorized use of their song "God's Gonna Cut You Down" in a DHS propaganda video. Dana relayed the band’s vehement opposition: “...we demand that you immediately pull down the video” (20:41), underscoring the clash between artistic integrity and governmental misuse of creative works.

F. Federal Court Blocks Trump on Afghan Nationals' Temporary Protected Status

A federal appeals court temporarily halted the Trump administration's attempt to end temporary protected status (TPS) for Afghan nationals. Allison explained, “[...] the court's administrative stay was a setback for the Trump administration's broad effort to revoke protections” (21:33). This decision provides a reprieve for thousands awaiting deportation.

G. Rep. James Comer’s Auto Pen Subpoenas

Rep. James Comer faced scrutiny for using an auto pen to sign subpoenas in his investigation into President Biden's cognitive state. Allison sarcastically commented, “[...] you have to sign it yourself like every president does” (21:33), highlighting the absurdity perceived in Comer’s actions despite the commonality of auto pens in presidential duties.

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II. Interview with Ben Folds: Art as Resistance

A significant portion of the episode featured an in-depth interview with musician and former Kennedy Center artistic advisor, Ben Folds. The discussion centered on his resignation from the Kennedy Center and the broader theme of art as a form of resistance.

Key Points:

• Resignation from the Kennedy Center: Ben Folds detailed his decision to resign after the Trump administration interfered with the Kennedy Center's operations. He emphasized the importance of maintaining a firewall between government and the arts to preserve artistic freedom. “[...] it gives the government a challenge to create a firewall between there” (27:14).

• Art as Political Resistance: Folds articulated how art serves as a vital medium for resisting authoritarianism and promoting social justice. He stated, “Expression, freedom of expression is not shutting up, it’s the resistance” (30:34).

• Funding the Arts: The interview highlighted the ongoing struggle to secure adequate funding for the arts, contrasting U.S. funding models with those of Europe. Folds advocated for increased government support to sustain artistic endeavors. “[...] it’s only a really great investment” (33:26).

• Impact of Political Interference: Folds criticized the Trump administration’s attempts to politicize and control artistic institutions, underscoring the detrimental effects on creative expression and institutional independence. “[...] he crossed that line and made the Kennedy Center an arm of his partisan political thing” (27:14).

Ben Folds concluded by urging listeners to support local arts initiatives and continue creating art as a form of personal and collective resilience.

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III. Good News Segment

The hosts transitioned to a more uplifting segment, sharing listener-submitted stories and photos aimed at spreading positivity and fostering community support.

Notable Submissions:

• Katie Pronouns: Shared a heartwarming encounter with a friendly puppy, highlighting small moments of joy: “[...] he was so friendly and cute” (44:18).

• Jenny from Rural Missouri: Promoted a local nonprofit, abideinlove.org, which supports ICE detainees by providing care packages and necessary resources. “[...] they are providing care packages and financial support that detainees can purchase commissary goods” (45:23).

• Julie: Offered a tribute to her late dog, Marty, emphasizing the healing power of pets: “[...] little girl, the greatest rescue dog ever” (50:22).

The segment encouraged listeners to submit their own good news, fostering a sense of community and shared resilience amidst challenging times.

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IV. Conclusion

The episode concluded with heartfelt thanks to Ben Folds and the listeners for their support and participation. Allison Gill emphasized the importance of supporting the arts and nurturing community bonds as forms of resistance and hope.

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Notable Quotes:

• Allison Gill on Republican blockage of Epstein files: “They all voted against it. That's going to piss the MAGA base off” (04:24).

• Ben Folds on artistic freedom: “In a free country, in a democracy, the head of the government is not supposed to delve and put their little hand on the scale of the arts” (27:14).

• Dana Goldberg on ICE policy: “It's disgusting” (06:43).

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For more details and to support the causes mentioned, visit the show notes on mswmedia.com.

Transcript

[Allison Gill]

MSW Media. Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Wednesday, July 16, 2025. Today, ICE declares millions of undocumented immigrants are ineligible for bond hearings. Republicans move to block the release of the Epstein files. Mike Waltz faced Senate grilling over the Signal chat scandal. Trump pushes an unconstitutional mid decade redistricting bid for Texas in an effort to keep the House. The Black Rebel motorcycle club has issued a blistering cease and desist to the Trump regime over unlicensed use of their music. A federal appeals court has blocked Donald Trump from stripping Afghan nationals of their temporary protected status. And Republican Rep. James Comer used auto pen to sign the subpoenas in his investigation into Biden's use of the auto pen. I'm Allison Gill.

[Dana Goldberg]

And I'm Dana Goldberg.

[Allison Gill]

Yes, you heard that right.

[Dana Goldberg]

But her emails. I'm writing this on an unsecured server about her. Using an unsecured server.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah, that's just about how it goes these days, really. Honestly. We'll get to that story. It's just fascinating. Yeah, the whole Jim Comer thing. Remember when he was talking about Biden loaning money or selling property or something, and then it turns out he sold his farm to his brother for $9 or something?

[Dana Goldberg]

I mean, it's for $9 and three goats. Yeah.

[Allison Gill]

I swear, I swear to God. Every accusation is a fucking confession with these people. And it's just gonna continue to get worse. And we will do our best to bring it to you without causing a menti b. That's like. That's the best we can do.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yep. Sounds good to me.

[Allison Gill]

All right. So later in the show, though, I'm very excited. I get to speak with my friend Ben Folds. We're gonna talk about his resignation from the Kennedy center, the importance of the arts, and how art is resistance. We're gonna talk about funding of the arts and how the. The Trump regime's trying to take that away. They're putting the Tiny Desk concerts in. In jeopardy, which I'm very upset about. NPR and. And PRX in general. But I love the Tiny Desk concerts.

[Dana Goldberg]

They're brilliant. Yes.

[Allison Gill]

And Ben, by the way, Ben has a new album out. He didn't announce it or anything. It was a surprise. It's out now with the. He did it with the Kennedy Center's National Symphony Orchestra.

[Dana Goldberg]

Wow.

[Allison Gill]

It debuted at number two without any press.

[Dana Goldberg]

That's incredible.

[Allison Gill]

For classical and crossover. And we'll have a link in the show notes to that new album, a link tree so you can support the art. Support the National Symphony Orchestra, because as Ben will tell you, they're kind of stuck there at the Kennedy Center.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yep.

[Allison Gill]

You know.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah. Moving away from the arts. Just a little. Inflation. Inflation picked up in June, a potential sign that companies are starting to pass tariff costs. Onto who? US customers. Customer prices rose 2.7% in June from a year earlier. This is from the Labor Department, by the way. They said this on Tuesday. That's faster than May's increase of 2.4%. That was in line with the expectations of economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal. Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, was 2.9%, also in line with the forecasts. So it's going up. Don't you know the stock market's going to get wonky?

[Allison Gill]

Yeah. And they saw it coming. So when they say it's in line with forecasts, it's not like the jobs report, where we're like, yay, we're in line with forecasts. No, they were forecasting that it was going to get shitty and it's starting. And they were correct. And what will Jerome Powell get for that? He'll probably get the boot because Treasury Secretary Scott Besant told Bloomberg on Tuesday there's a formal process that's already starting, he said when he was asked about the efforts to find Jerome Powell's replacement. Now his term is over, like next year sometime. But, you know, Trump keeps talking about firing the guy because he won't just lower interest rates.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah.

[Allison Gill]

For him. Oh, and by the way, something else that just popped up. Republicans in the House voted unanimously to block the release of the Epstein files. So if you're wondering. Wondering how Republicans in the House feel about the Epstein files. They don't want anyone to see them.

[Dana Goldberg]

Nope.

[Allison Gill]

They all voted against it. That's going to piss the MAGA base off. Unless, of course, the MAGA base cult out and forget about the files that they've been frothing at about for years. I don't know. What do you think? I mean, I've read like Jess Piper is saying they'll give up on it, give it a month.

[Dana Goldberg]

I mean, if that's the case, I think we need to make sure they don't make sure that we keep it in the news cycle because Trump's going to do something to change the news cycle. He's already done that. He attacked Rosie o', Donnell, you know, saying he's going to take away her citizenship. You think that was a coincidence? No. This happens every single time. You know, when he was in trouble with Elon Musk. That's when the National Guard went into Los Angeles and the ICE raid started. It happens every time when he's in the news cycle, he does something to try and distract it. So we have to keep reminding them what's going on, that they are protecting sexual predators. Yeah.

[Allison Gill]

And I will say that, you know, our Democratic members of Congress are on it. They're loud about it.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yep.

[Allison Gill]

Every single one that I follow has been. Has said something about it or have been wanting to release or have written letters to Pam Bondi saying they need to be investigated. Donald Trump, I guess, just told reporters reporters keep asking about this, too, which is nice. But reporter asked about it, and Trump just said, I don't understand why the Jeffrey Epstein case would be of interest to anybody. It's pretty boring stuff. I think, really only pretty bad people, including fake news, want to keep something like that going.

[Dana Goldberg]

Wow.

[Allison Gill]

So call me bad person, call me fake news. I want to keep it going. I really.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yep.

[Allison Gill]

Anyway, we have a lot of news to get to today, so let's hit the hot notes. Hot notes. All right, first up from the Washington Post. The Trump administration has declared that immigrants who arrive in the United States illegally are no longer eligible for a bond hearing as they fight deportation proceedings in court. That's according to documents reviewed by the post. In a July 8 memo, Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE, told officers that such immigrants should be detained, quote, for the duration of their removal proceedings. And, Dana, that can take months or years.

[Dana Goldberg]

Good lord.

[Allison Gill]

Lawyers say the policy will apply. That's. I mean, think about how much money these private prison dick bags. Yep. Are going to make off of detaining these people for years without a bond hearing. That's what this is about.

[Dana Goldberg]

It's disgusting.

[Allison Gill]

That and the, I mean, just the blatant concentration camp cruelty and racism.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah.

[Allison Gill]

But they want to make money off of these people, off of their bodies. So lawyers say the policy will apply to millions of immigrants who crossed the US Mexico border over the past few decades, including under the Biden administration. Now, in the past, immigrants residing in the United States interior generally have been allowed to request a bond hearing before an immigration judge. But Lyons, ICE guy said that the Trump administration's Department of Homeland Security and Justice has, quote, revisited its legal position on detention and release authorities and determined that such immigrants, quote, may not be released from ICE custody. In rare exceptions, immigrants may be released on parole, but that decision will be up to an immigration officer and not a judge. He wrote the provision is based on a section of immigration law. I think it's like a 1996 law that says unauthorized immigrants shall be detained after their arrest. But that has historically applied to those who recently crossed the border, not people who've lived here for a long time. Now, Lyons, who oversees the nation's 200 immigration detention facilities, wrote that the policy is expected to face legal challenges. Yeah, hope so. And the 200 immigration detention facility he oversees. Remember yesterday you delivered that story, Dana, about how the concentration camp in Florida sort of falls into a gray area. Right. Because it's state, but then it's also ICE rules, but not ice. So I think that's because they don't want to be subject to FOIA and they want to be able to keep lawmakers from touring.

[Dana Goldberg]

Absolutely.

[Allison Gill]

Absolutely.

[Dana Goldberg]

This next story, Allison's from the Guardian. Republican lawmakers have moved to block a Democratic effort to force the release of I don't know why they're saying so called Epstein files because the Republicans have all said they exist. So called Epstein Files, a near mythological trove of undisclosed information about the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. At the center of an internal political war among US Conservatives, Democrats had been pressing for an amendment to cryptocurrency legislation that would have forced the release of information and exhibits itemized in a list of evidence held by the Department of justice from the 2019 Child Sex Trafficking case against disgraced financier and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Democrats had weighed in on the issue, hoping to force a release of the documents. And I quote, the question with Epstein is, whose side are you on? That's California Democratic U.S. house member Ro Khanna, the author of the Epstein measure. That's what they told Axios. Are you on the side of the rich and powerful or are you on the side of the people? Khanna promised to introduce the amendment again and again and again.

[Allison Gill]

Good. I love this. So he's wanted to tack this onto the cryptocurrency bill.

[Dana Goldberg]

And now he's smart.

[Allison Gill]

He'll keep attaching it, trying to attach it to whatever bill that he can. But when they say so called Epstein files, just like exactly what you said, Dana, these are actual documents and in evidence that have numbers attached to them that show on evidence lists. So they exist.

[Dana Goldberg]

People testified. We know that it's real. Well, Republicans on the House U.S. rolls Committee, they voted down the amendment that would have allowed Congress to vote on whether the evidence, which includes microcassettes, DVDs, CDs, including one labeled and I quote, girl pics, nude book, four computer hard drives, and EW3 massage tables in green, beige and brown they're saying these should all be released. CDs, DVDs, cassettes. These aren't just lists and files. There is so much fucking evidence.

[Allison Gill]

Fake news. It's fake news. It's all fake. Why do you care? Why does anybody care?

[Dana Goldberg]

So boring. This stuff's boring.

[Allison Gill]

Only fake news. And who did he say?

[Dana Goldberg]

He said fake news.

[Allison Gill]

Bad people and bad people. Yeah, only really. Only pretty bad people. That's it. We want to see them because we want to see. Yeah, okay. Because we're bad people. Anyway, thanks for that story. And yeah, the House eventually voted unanimously. All Republicans. Excuse me, unanimously voted to, to stop the release after the Rules Committee. This was a different resolution that was brought up on the House floor. And all Democrats voted to release. Interesting. Next up from cbs, Texas Governor Greg Abbott's expanded agenda for the upcoming special session. Congress includes the controversial topic of redistricting. The news last week confirmed rumors that have circled the US and Texas Capitals for weeks now. This is one of 18 items on the agenda during the special session that begins July 21st. In asking state lawmakers to redraw the state's congressional districts, Abbott cited a letter he and Attorney General Ken Paxton received from the Department of Justice on July 7. The letter is signed by Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division. Civil rights of white people.

[Dana Goldberg]

Exactly. That's no longer the Civil Rights division we know and love.

[Allison Gill]

Right? Quote, this letter will serve as a formal notice by the DOJ to the state of Texas of serious concerns regarding the legality of four of Texas's congressional districts. That's what Dillon told the governor. As stated below, congressional districts 9, 18, 29 and 33 currently constitute unconstitutional coalition districts and we urge the state of Texas to rectify these race based considerations for these specific districts. Congressional districts 9, 18 and 29 are Democratic held seats in the Houston area, while 33 is in North Texas and held by a Democrat, Mark Vesey, Fort Worth. In her letter, Dillon also cited Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh who noted in a case from 2023, Allen versus Milligan, that, quote, even if Congress in 1982 could constitutionally authorize race based redistricting for some period of time, the authority to conduct race based redistricting cannot extend indefinitely into the future. Governor Newsom has started to voice his frustration over what he says is a partisan power grab. Oh yeah, because these people are like, let's do a mid decade census in order to justify the redistricting.

[Dana Goldberg]

It's disgusting, but you can't.

[Allison Gill]

The census is, it's against the Constitution. Yeah, it's in the fucking Constitution. So now they're saying these are illegal. The DOJ is saying it's illegal. So it's kind of like remember back during, you know, the 2020 election when Donald Trump wanted Jeffrey Clark to send a letter to Georgia saying, your election is under investigation. And everybody was like, we're gonna resign if you send that letter and make him the attorney general. This is the same kind of thing. But nobody's resigning and nobody's fighting.

[Dana Goldberg]

Ugh.

[Allison Gill]

That's what this is. So it's awful. Now, in an interview with a liberal news outlet, the Tennessee Holler, Gavin Newsom said Republicans are playing by totally different sets of rules, suggesting his state might need to rethink its own fair play approach.

[Dana Goldberg]

Interesting.

[Allison Gill]

I love this because we've been trying to be fair about our redistricting here in California.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yep.

[Allison Gill]

Let's not. If Supreme Court's going to let people redraw districts based on nothing, let's make.

[Dana Goldberg]

Orange county blue as the ocean. Blue as the ocean.

[Allison Gill]

I mean, it's almost all. All blue now, but let's redraw the fuck out of stuff. Suggesting that California might need to rethink its fair play. On Thursday, the governor told liberal news outlet Tennessee Holler that we need to, you know, if they're going to not play fair, you know, why are we? Yeah. And he suggested that the California legislature, which is, by the way, has a Democratic super majority in both chambers, could gerrymander like no other state. I say we do it.

[Dana Goldberg]

I love this.

[Allison Gill]

Literally.

[Dana Goldberg]

California could save the midterms if they go through with this in Texas.

[Allison Gill]

Just us.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yep. We could do it. I would love to see it. I would love to see it. All right, this one's from the Associated Press, Mike Walls. He told lawmakers Tuesday at his confirmation hearing to be U.S. ambassador to the United nations that he plans to make the world body great again, echoing President Donald Trump's message of revamping America. Appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Walls is facing lawmakers for the first time since he was ousted as national security adviser.

[Allison Gill]

This.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah.

[Allison Gill]

Feels like a decade ago.

[Dana Goldberg]

I know.

[Allison Gill]

It really does. No gate happened, right.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh, God. Because there's been so much shit day after day. This is when it was mistakenly, quote, unquote, added a journalist to a private signal chat used to discuss sensitive, one might say very sensitive military plans. But it took more than an hour into the hearing for a lawmaker to bring it up. The hearing is providing senators with the first opportunity to grill him over revelations in March that he added the Atlantic editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a private text chain on an unclassified messaging app that was used to discuss plans for striking on Houthi militants in Yemen, otherwise known as classified material. At the time, Walz took responsibility even as criticism mounted against Defense Secretary Pete Kegseth, who shared the sensitive plans in the chat that included several other high level national security officials. Now Hegseth shared the same information in another signal chat that included his wife, his family members. But Trump, yeah, yep. Had made clear Kegseth had his support. Now Walz was removed as National Security Advisor in May, he replaced, by the way, by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and nominated now for the UN role first. Trump's first nominee Rapidly Stefanik had a confirmation hearing in January and was expected to be confirmed, but Trump abruptly withdrew her nomination because they were going to lose the fucking seat in New York. Her nomination in March, citing risks to the GOP's historically slim House majority. Walls, whose Florida House seat was filled during a special election earlier this year, just barely has spent the last few months on the White House payroll, despite being removed as national Security advisor. The latest list of White House salaries, current as of July 1, includes Walls earning an annual salary of $195,200 doing jack shit.

[Allison Gill]

Yep, yep. And they tried to ask him about it and he's like, I just, hey, I just worked. I work, I just work. Whatever. Anyway, next up from the Daily Beast, get this. This so fucking embarrassing. President Trump has revealed that the champions of the Club World cup will not be getting the original trophy because he's keeping it. English club Chelsea easily dispatched France's Paris St Germain in the final of the tournament in New Jersey's MetLife Stadium on Sunday, with Trump joining the players for the trophy lift on stage. Much to their confusion now, it has since been revealed that the intricate prize hoisted aloft by London's club captain Rhys James was a replica because the president of football governing body FIFA has let Trump use the original as an ornament in the Oval Office. The trophy, crafted in collaboration with Tiffany and company, features a central disc with three rotating outer rings. It has a 24 karat gold plated finish and is thought to have cost around $230,000 to make. If FIFA lets Trump keep the Orbital Award for good, it's likely to end up at the National Archives. Quote FIFA said could you hold this trophy for a little while? So we put it in the Oval Office. And then I said when are you going to pick up your trophy. And FIFA president said, we're never picking it up. You can have it forever in the Oval Office. That's what Trump said in a mid game chat with the broadcaster.

[Dana Goldberg]

That shit's going to be switched out for that generic one in a heartbeat. I tell you what, that's going to disappear. It's just going to disappear. They're going to have a replica made. Trump's going to be like, I know what happened to it. The video of them getting him off the stage because he would not fucking move when they were trying to celebrate is a beautiful thing to watch, by the way.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah, it is. They push him, push him, push him. It's just embarrassing though.

[Dana Goldberg]

It really is.

[Allison Gill]

Trump then revealed to reporter Emily Austin that the victor, Chelsea, actually received a replica of the original trophy for winning the tournament. So Chelsea has the replica, Trump has the real one. Palmer, who scored two goals and was named the tournament's best player, said after the game he was confused by Trump's continued presence on the platform. I knew he was going to be there, but I didn't know he was going to be on the stand when we lifted the trophy. So I was a bit confused. Yeah, that's what he said. Post game, Chelsea's captain also explained that Trump had ditched the protocol to stay in the spotlight. They told me he was going to present the trophy and then exit and I thought that he was going to exit the stage, but he just wanted to stay. That's what James added, according to PA Media. Just fucking embarrassing.

[Dana Goldberg]

Very much so. This One is from HuffPost. The Black Rebel motorcycle club issued a blistering condemnation of the Kristi Noem led Department of Homeland Security, alleging the unauthorized use of its recording of, and I quote, God's going to cut you down. In a government produced video, the rock band told DHS to go fuck yourselves. The track, which is a folk gospel song popularized by Johnny Cash. It was featured in what the San Francisco rock band slammed as a propaganda video. In a scathing public statement directed at dhs, the band wrote on social media, and I quote, it has come to our attention that the Department of Homeland Security is improperly using our recording of God's going to cut you down. In the latest propaganda video. It's obvious that you don't respect copyright law and artist rights any more than you respect habeas corpus and due process rights, not to mention the separation of church and state per the US Constitution. Beautiful. The group continued, for the record, we hereby [e-mail] to cease and assist the use of our recording and demand that you immediately pull down the video and it witheringly concluded, oh, and go fuck yourself.

[Allison Gill]

I love it. They're like, you don't know. Apparently you treat do copyright law like you treat habeas corpus and due process.

[Dana Goldberg]

You just shit all over it. Yep.

[Allison Gill]

Fuck. So great. Thanks. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Next up. And this is kind of what we were laughing at earlier. This is from NBC. Jim Comer, Jamie James Comer, Republican from Kentucky, who's been leading the probe into Joe Biden's cognitive state during his presidency, with Republicans alleging that Biden's occasional use of an auto pen to sign documents, which is a practice all presidents use, demonstrates that he wasn't fully in control or aware of what his administration was doing. But documents show that some of the letters and subpoenas that Comer has sent out in connection to his investigation have been signed using an auto pen not written by the congressman himself.

[Dana Goldberg]

I can't.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah.

[Dana Goldberg]

I do have some better news for you all. This is from the Times. A federal appeals court on Monday temporarily blocked the Trump administration's move to terminate deportation protections for thousands of Afghans living in the United States. In a brief, unsigned order, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Virginia stated the ending of a program known as temporary protected status for afghan migrants until July 21 and gave the administration and an advocacy group suing the government a few extra days to submit arguments in the case. The Department of Homeland Security has announced in April that it intended to revoke the protections for nationals from Afghanistan and Cameroon. Many of the Afghans vulnerable to deportation without those protections were allowed into the United states after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Remember why that happened? Because Trump made it happen when he walked out the fucking door and Biden had to take responsibility for it now. Back under the Taliban, the country reasserted sharp limits on civil rights, particularly those of women, and had suffered severe famine and drought. The court's administrative stay was a setback for the Trump administration's broad effort to revoke protections for migrants fleeing some of the world's most unstable and dangerous places. Rollbacks aimed at fulfilling a Trump campaign pledge to end temporary protected status. Now. Hundreds of thousands of other immigrants who had been authorized to remain in the country through that program, including Haitians, Cubans, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans. They may also face deportation.

[Allison Gill]

All right. So a temporary reprieve for our Afghan friends. Thank you for that story. That is a little bit of a better news story. And we're going to get to all the good news stories submitted by our listeners, but not before I speak to Ben Folds about the importance of the arts, his resignation from the Kennedy center, and what he's been working on. So everybody stick around for that interview. We'll be right back after these messages. We'll be right back. This episode is brought to you by IQ Bar. The better for you plant protein based snacks made with brain boosting nutrients to refuel, nourish and satisfy hunger without the sugar crash. And right now, IQ Bar is offering our podcast listeners an exclusive deal. 20% off all IQ Bar products, plus you get free shipping. Just text daily beans all one word to 64,000. You know, I've tried a ton of protein bars over the years, but IQ Bar sent me their sampler pack and I finally found one that gives me everything I'm looking for. They actually make me feel better. I get sustained energy, zero sugar crash. I stay focused longer. So it's not just a little, you know, appetite, middle of the day, amuse, bouche. It actually does other things for me. And when I've got IQ Bar in my bag, I feel like I'm, I'm ready to go. I'm ready for anything. So IQ Bars Plant protein bars. They're made with high quality ingredients that support physical and mental performance. They're completely free from gluten, dairy, soy GMOs, and artificial sweeteners. That means no mystery ingredients and no side effects. Just clean, delicious fuel for your body. So you can choose from nine unique flavors. A mint chocolate chip is amazing. Toasted coconut chip is good. Lemon blueberry is one of my favorites right now. Banana nut chocolate sea salt. They have a ton and they're really incredible. They're perfect for a post workout, boost afternoon focus, or even a quick breakfast. So with over 20,000 five star reviews, IQ Bar is clearly onto something. And it's not just about the bars anymore. The line now includes hydration mixes and mushroom coffee blends, which are great additions to any wellness routine. So if you want a snack that actually supports your goals, this is it. IQ Bar is smart fuel for a busy life. And right now, IQ Bar is offering our special podcast listeners 20% off all IQ Bar products, plus you get free shipping. So to get your 20% off, just text daily beans to 64,000. That's daily beans all one word to 64,000. Once again, text daily beans to 64,000. Message and data rates may apply. See terms for details. Hey everybody. Welcome back. I'm happy to be joined today by my good friend Musician and former artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, Mr. Ben Folds. Hey, Ben.

[C]

Hey, how's it going? Allison? Good morning.

[Allison Gill]

It's going as well as can be expected, I think. How's everything for you? I know you're on tour, you're very busy, so I appreciate you taking some time to talk to me.

[C]

Yeah, you know, just busy, which is pretty boring ass thing to say. And, like, that's. Everyone's busy. I've tried to stop saying that, but I keep saying it because I'm overwhelmed all the time.

[Allison Gill]

You know, I've tried to stop asking people how their day is. You know, the last time we talked, this is. I think it's kismet here that we're talking again today because Superman is out and it's killing it around the world. And of course, the MAGA force heads think that it's woke. And the last time we talked, we talked about Superman because he's been woke for a while. We talked about the Clan of the Fiery Cross and Superman smashes the clan. How back in 1945 or 46, by infiltrating the Klan and showing how weird they were, Superman was able to basically end all recruitment for the KKK in the Northern states, which was a huge win. Yeah.

[C]

Yeah. I mean, yeah, because they were coming home and the Klansmen were coming home after taking their sheets off, and their kids were using all their secret handshakes and all their little K words and stuff. That's so smart. It was humiliating for them.

[Allison Gill]

It was. And I wish they would have kind of let Tim Walls continue on that. I'm not sure what happened there, but here we are. One of many reasons we might possibly be where we're at. Talk about we are not. You and I speak offline a little bit. And we talked back a few months ago when you ended up resigning from the Kennedy Center. Can you talk about what happened there, why that happened?

[C]

Yeah, well, you know, I mean, you probably like me a little bit in that, you know, we're both sort of rock and rollers, but we've spent our time inside sort of the, you know, under the hood of government things, you know, like public sector things. And I guess when I was younger, I didn't think anything of that stuff. It seemed like that's the man. But over the last 20 years of my career, I've spent a lot of time doing things like advocating for the National Endowment for the Arts, spending time with the Americans for the Arts, my time at the Kennedy Center, I find that it's hard to explain to the uninitiated very simply what went on. But I'll try to make it sort of as simple as possible in that in a, quote, free country, in a democracy, the head of the government, the president, the king, whatever, is not supposed to delve and put their little hand on the scale of the arts. We fund the arts to a degree, and it's such a tiny, tiny degree, it's just almost not worth talking about. We don't do that very much. But for what we do, it gives the government a challenge to create a firewall between there. So you don't have the President of the United States weighing in on what should be programmed, how people should act, anything when it comes to the arts, because that's self expression. That's that sacred freedom of speech that the right loved to talk about for so long. You're infringing on that. He crossed that line just immediately upon coming into office and basically made the Kennedy center an arm of his partisan political thing. And at that point, I could not be a pawn in that. I couldn't be a party to that. And I probably couldn't have even done my job anyway because as a curator down there, what if I put on something that offended the guy? Then suddenly it's like, am I going to get fired? Or is the person that I brought in going to get like, I hate Sara Bareilles or something? What's coming next? So it was a dead end road. So that's what happened is no president's ever done that. No president's ever wanted to do that. It's supposed to be dealing with big stuff, not down there screwing with our arts.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah. And when you say you and I are kind of under the hood rock and rollers, but also under the hood of politics. I mean, art and politics are kind of inextricably linked, whether they're working with each other or diametrically opposed to each other.

[C]

But then there's that line where politics becomes. There's the politics of everyday life. And then there's also kind of wonky policy weed stuff, which you can be political and not really necessarily have to know about how all the think tanks apply their appropriations and stuff. That's something that some of us kind of got into. And it's good to know. But yeah, yeah. Music is political, life is political.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah. Art is resistance, which I think I've heard you do a couple of interviews where you've talked about what Donald Trump is doing. What he did to the Kennedy center is proof of how important art is to a resistance movement. And I've been going to your shows for a really long time. And whether you're solo or with a band or sometimes I see you with an orchestra, you're always pitching for funding the arts. You're always like, we have to fund the arts. We've never been at a point, I think, in this country where the arts have been funded enough up or properly. When I worked in the government at the Department of Veterans affairs, we never looked around and said, boy, we sure are overstaffed. We could use less funding. And. And so it's always been a struggle. It's always been this Sisyphean, like, trying to get the arts funded properly. And now it's complete. It's, like, almost gone. And some really incredible institutions are on the chopping block. Pbs, Sesame Street. You and I talked about tiny desk going away. And at my age, that's how I get new music, Ben. Otherwise, I'd just be listening to the Cure all day. So, you know, I need to. That's how I reach out and branch out and hear new artists and.

[C]

And conversely, or on the other side, this is. This is how up and coming artists get out there and make a living in the private sector.

[Allison Gill]

Right.

[C]

You know, this is good capitalistic here. This is like they go out, have a great platform for not a lot of money, tax money, and as a result, we're stimulating the arts. And the other thing is that a misunderstood thing is the extent to which we fund the arts and kind of how we got there. Because whether you and I like it or not, being probably more on the left side of things, the right has had traditionally a really big effect on the hybrid way that we support our arts. If it was up to us, probably all be funded by the government. If it was up to them, it'd all be let the market speak bullshit. But really, where we've landed in the middle, I hate to say the bipartisan thing was really working. It's like if you go to Europe and see how their arts are funded, mostly Australia is the same way, way more weighted towards the government. I actually think our way may have arrived at a better place. You know, like, I'm okay with the capitalistic injection in here, and I've done, you know, I've done a lot of arts advocacy with people like Mike Huckabee and shit. I mean, it's like I've done that alongside. We were bipartisan, not lefty, organized stuff. We were bipartisan at the moment that. That Trump invaded And did a coup on the Kennedy Center.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah. Previously they would. They would fund the arts. They would try to limit the amount of money that they used to fund the arts. But now it's, you know, they just want zero. They want it all in their pockets. They want to privatize everything. And they. And like you said, it's such a small amount. Yeah. Compared to some of the other things they're funding. They're giving ICE $170 billion or something like that. And compared to arts funding, that's.

[C]

No, no, no, there's not. I mean, someone once told me, and we kind of fact checked it that year and it balanced out roughly if you're just paying for the arts year round evenly, like just. It's just going out of money funnels, going out. 20 minutes pays for all our arts federally. And then the rest of the year, every single day ticks out. Spending the same amount of money never comes back to the arts. 20 minutes on the year. That's what we pay in arts. It's nothing. It's just enough to keep the doors open in these places. And more importantly, the model that we've created in the United States to survive has been that the government finds the place to invest that $1, and then the private sector has to come up with the other seven, and they have to get $8 back for every dollar that goes into as an investment to even justify it. So we can't even call it spending. It's just a really great investment. And it's so stupid and so uncapitalistic and so anti business to take away that little pillar that is keeping it up. Because it's only what's going to be 5% of something like NPR's funding might come from the government maybe, I don't know. But that 5% is super important because that's what enables the rest of it to pile on.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah, well, you think if you make the money argument to them that maybe they'd listen, but they don't care about that anymore. The money argument isn't the point. It's the cruelty. It's taking away people's ability to speak out. It's taking away people's power. Yeah, it's taking away people's ability. Ability to cope with what's going on through the arts. Yeah, I mean, that's what causes a lot of people to create art in. In the first place. And so, you know, if they cared about the money, they wouldn't be having a mass deportation thing. We get $100 billion a year in tax revenue from. From our wonderful migrant neighbors. So it's not about the money, right?

[C]

No. You know, I, I remember a chilling trip I took to Indonesia was actually a great trip. I had a great show in Jakarta, just kind of went in, A bunch of kids were interested in my showing up and they created their own promotion company and they brought me into a place called Pizza Ibira and I played a show in Jakarta. And what I realized as soon as I got to the city limits of Jakarta was that that was going to be the Republicans wet dream one day. The idea that everyone would be living in shanty tents, that everyone would be on four lanes of. Of. Of highway, kind of treating it like it's 9, 10, 11, 12, and that you would have to like go through bomb sniffers in order to go to a golden mall. That was what they want, you know, and, and, and I didn't realize it fully and viscerally until I went there. And that's. That sort of seems to be the idea here, isn't it? It's like, you know, the same amount of money, it's just all so at the top of things and everyone else is so at the bottom and, and the only way you can communicate there at the bottom is through art and music. And that is the way that you resist and communicate ideas. Far better to have that shut down, isn't it?

[Allison Gill]

Yeah. So what do we do, like, a lot with a lot of the resistance that we talk about on this show? It's getting local, it's getting niche. We're doing it in our communities. Is that what we do? Support the arts in our communities where we are, and hope that trickles up until we can maybe find a way out of this mess that we're in. And also to make art where we can?

[C]

I think. Yeah, both of those things completely. I mean, one I think is you and I come from the shut up and sing generation. You know, like too many artists of our generation decided they didn't want to lose. We didn't want to lose half of our audience. And so we were a little more polite than we probably should have been. And I think the problem with that has been that unless you're fully expressive in art, it's not right, it's not legit. You have to take a stand, even a stand for who you are. It doesn't even have to be political. So I think the first step for everyone, especially the younger generation, is to learn from the older generation, like actually take a stand, like on everything emotionally, like not fake vulnerability and not like stuff that sells. Be absolutely expressive. Because not being expressive, you lose the freedom to be expressive. And so I think that's at the root of it. And I think the second thing that you just said, absolutely, we have to make things work on a local level. Now, The Republicans knew 30 years ago that all politics was local, and that is where they started. And I think it's a stretch for some people when you say art is resistance, because I think it sounds like a bumper sticker, and I feel that that's true. But there is proof in that. You can find the proof for it. Expression, freedom of expression is not shutting up, is the resistance. And art is what does it. And. And as I said, they've been telling us for years it's not important. You don't need to support the arts. We don't need to put money into that. Put money into stuff that puts food on the table. Then Trump comes in, and it's like, three, four weeks, and he's taken over the Kennedy Center. Well, why was that so important?

[Allison Gill]

Yeah, I think that illustrates the point, my friend. It's always wonderful to talk to you. I know you're on tour now, everybody, if you get a chance, if Ben comes to your town, you need to go see a Ben Fold show. If you haven't yet. I appreciate your time today.

[C]

Oh, good to talk to you. And I would also say, as much as I'm talking about my exit from the Kennedy center, my good friends in the National Symphony Orchestra are rather trapped inside the building. Anything you can do to support your National Symphony Orchestra or orchestras in general, that's tough because they're in the bank now with the held hostage. But they do play Wolf Trap. They do play other places, and they make albums. I just made one with them. So just throw a bone to the NSO while they're suffocating in that building.

[Allison Gill]

Appreciate it, my friend. I will talk to you soon. I hope you take care. And again, everybody, if you have a chance to support the arts or create art, do it. Take the time. It's. It's important. Thanks, Ben.

[C]

Thanks for what you do, Allison. See you.

[Allison Gill]

Everybody. Stick around. We'll be right back with the good news. Everybody, welcome back. It's time for the good news. Who likes good news, Everyone.

[C]

Then good news, everyone.

[Allison Gill]

And if you have any good news corrections, especially pronunciation corrections, you can send them to us. If you have a shout out you want to give to yourself or a loved one or a family member friend, some great activism that's happening in your community, Maybe just you want to shout out your community in general. We would love to hear about that. Also, government programs that have helped you or a loved one. We would love to hear shout outs about those, whether it's federal like Medicare, Medicaid, Affordable Care act, snap, wic. Or it could be local, you know, could be section 8, could be something provided by the county. There's a lot of great county veterans organizations. If you've gotten great VA health care, we'd love to hear about that. Student debt relief, Whatever it is, Even if something just nice happened, you had a great encounter with a stranger at the supermarket. Anything small, we need to microdose the hope, so send it in to us. And to get your stuff right on the air, you just have to pay your POD pet tariff, which means attach a photo of your pet. We're happy to try to guess whatever breeds are in your shelter pup, but we're terrible at it. But it's still fun to guess. Yes it is. I think we've got it right twice in our whole lives. If you don't have a pet, you can send an adoptable pet in your area. We'll see if we can find a shelter pet, a home. If you don't have that, just really just grab a photo of an animal off the Internet. Any photo really off the Internet works. If you have family photos that you want to share. Awkward family photos, baby pictures, holiday pictures, pictures of you at rallies, maybe some of your favorite protest signs that you've seen out there. Maybe you've got a fun meme that made you laugh and you would like us to all laugh along with you. Send it to us dailybeanspod.com click on contact and our first Good News submission today also doubles as our Good Trouble. Hey, we're getting into trouble. Yes, My gambit. So let's kick this off. It's from Katie Pronouns she and her thank you for all you do to keep us safe and sane. One of this administration's bass ackwards executive orders is called Defending Women from Gender Ideology, Extremism, and Restoring Biological Truth to the federal Government, which is pretty anti trans. Yesterday, OPM issued guidance to agencies and gave them nine things to do to implement this order, including emailing everyone at the agency that they intend to implement the eo, turning off any systems that prompt a pronoun, and canceled any employee trainings that incalculated or promoted gender ideology or have in the past. Now, these are all needlessly wasteful and hurtful things that make the workforce weaker, not stronger but you already knew that. Luckily for the Leguminati, the last item instructs agencies to report to OPM on these steps via an email defendingwomenpm.gov no later than August 11th. It would be a shame if they were flooded with emails from folks at fake agencies talking about their difficulties in implementing the executive order. Or flooded with emails about historical trans folks. Or really anything. Obviously this administration has a very thin skin and a lot of power, so I'd urge everyone to take steps to keep themselves super safe. Right. So I would recommend setting up a ProtonMail account. It's pretty anonymous there for podpet tacks. Oh, here are photos of my 7 month puppy I met on the train. A 7 month old puppy I met on the train after working late. He was so friendly and cute. I spent the ride on the ground playing with him. Ended up making a tug toy out of an extra pair of socks I had with me since he clearly wanted to play. I hope these pics brighten your day.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh, look at that tattoo. What beautiful artwork.

[Allison Gill]

Amazing.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yep.

[Allison Gill]

Thanks Katie.

[Dana Goldberg]

Thank you so much. This is from Jenny. No pronouns given. Good morning Beans. Jenny here from rural Missouri. I just wanted to share the story about a local nonprofit established by a group of activists after finding out our county jail was being used to hold ICE detainees. They're providing care packages and financial support that detainees can purchase commissary goods and importantly, make phone calls to family and attorneys. I think it would be great to support this organization, replicate it near every detention center. I'm sharing a photo of an interesting bird with a mustache at the Lincoln Park Zoo on our recent visit to Chicago. Oh my God. And the organization is called abideinlove.org if you want to go support that. And this bird with this little handlebar mustache is fucking hilarious. By the way. There's going to be a link to the story in this show Notes from NPR for the show. So we'll make sure that you have that.

[Allison Gill]

Okay. The bird is very distinguished with the mustache.

[Dana Goldberg]

It really is.

[Allison Gill]

But what a great idea if you are living near a detention facility or you want to organize a group to go and make care packages for folks for migrants who are being detained by ICE at and they're using our county and state and city detention facilities.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yep.

[Allison Gill]

What a great thing to do. Thanks Jenny for that idea. And again, that's abideinlove.org abide in love. It sounds like abide in love. Like who I love. I love Joe Biden. Next up, AP pronouns he and him. Hi AG and dg. I'm writing to report some good times. My partner and I spent this past weekend at the McKinney Farmers Market in North Texas. It was great to see so much of the community out and about, socializing and getting to see a lot of very cute pups. I'd also love a shout out to my partner. She's currently working two jobs, one of which is as a medical sonographer at an OB GYN clinic. She cares so deeply about her patients and gives so much to her work and I tell her constantly how proud I am of her for it. My Bob Pet Tariff I'm submitting some pictures of our cat Marty. We only adopted him a couple months ago, but we already love this little guy and all his antics. Apa did he come with the name Marty or did you name him Marty? Oh my God, he's cool.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah.

[Allison Gill]

Look at that goofy guy. Cute. Amazing. Thank you and thank you for the shout out to your wonderful, amazing spouse.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yes, this is from Julie. No pronouns given. Thank you both so very much for all you do. You are amazing and inspirational. Please know how all your hard work is helping so many of us stay sane and focused. When I was between cats, I read the wonderful Senator Mazie Hirono's memoir, Heart of An Immigrant Daughter Story. I highly recommend. I decided if a female cat came into my life, she would be Maisie. My Maisie, like her namesake, had a voice that commanded attention. I'm grateful Senator Hirono continues her good work. My Maisie has moved on to her eternal reward. Yalls Good news makes my every morning more hopeful.

[Allison Gill]

Eternal reward. That makes it sound awesome, right?

[Dana Goldberg]

I know.

[Allison Gill]

I'll call it that from now on. Except for certain other people. Yeah, seriously, look at how beautiful. Oh Maisie. What a great name and what a great namesake. Sandra Hirono's a badass. Thank you so much for that submission. Next up from Tricia. Hello AG and dg. You really do help keep things sane. I think we heard the word sane.

[Dana Goldberg]

Like seriously.

[Allison Gill]

I became a member around election time. I've been listening for a few years and sometimes it is hard to listen to the good news because a lot of the time I'm driving and crying. Not a good combo. But I love all the stories. I work at a community college in Oregon and I remember every day why I'm here to help students. I am the Admin secretary but in reality I do operations and finance so I am in the process of doing reclassification for my job. It is about my job description and Title matching what I do. Due to the orange ass hat, we couldn't get all of our funding for this year and we have had two different layoffs. We have an amazing admin assistant in our DEI department that may lose her job as well, so working to keep her. We share a birthday. I think I'm about 25 years older though I was recently in South Korea. Our college choir went to sing. Oh, wow. With a few choirs that are all world renowned. I learned from our tour guide the new president is not that much different from Trump. They actually like Trump. I got to see a very different culture and even went to the DMZ to look over the fence at North Korea. It was a little overwhelming. I'm sharing a few photos from my trip as my tariff. I found something that I will be sending to you via snail mail but wanted to show you the picture. It's a crochet taco. There is a positive saying on it for both you, not the. For you. For both of you. Not the orange blob. And I couldn't resist purchasing it. I thought it would bring a good laugh. I'm also sharing a pic of the Shit Stain Tower as well. We were traveling in a bus. I couldn't get the flipping the bird photo quick enough. I hate that everywhere we go, that name is there. My last photo is a pic that was on bathroom stalls. It was an easy guess as to who the stall was for. Loved the cane. Appreciate all you do and love that you help us connect with other like minded, passionate people. I had not gone to any protests or did anything online because I was going out of the country and I didn't want to hassle trying to come back. But now I'm looking forward to doing some good trouble. Okay. Love that. The cane.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh, my God. So cute.

[Allison Gill]

It's okay to fall apart sometimes. Tacos fall apart and we still love them. True. And then. There we go. The bird.

[Dana Goldberg]

The bird. Okay. This is from Deneen C. Pronoun. She and her. My mom died in 2022. This is Us bird watching at the Trump building in Chicago in 2019. She leaves a legacy of three very liberal children. And this photo is magic.

[Allison Gill]

Wonderful.

[Dana Goldberg]

So, so good.

[Allison Gill]

Thanks. Deneen, I'm so sorry for your loss.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah.

[Allison Gill]

All right. Do you want to take the next one?

[Dana Goldberg]

Sure. This one's some Korean pronoun. She and her. Good day to the fabulous Dr. Gill and the incomparable Ms. Goldberg. After listening to the story on the Stonewall website's edits today, I had to engage in a little bit trouble using my very own personal email. I sent a contact through the website with this message and I quote. It has come to my attention that your website has erased references to bi and trans members of the lgbtq, each group of which is pivotal in the Stonewall history. As a CIS straight female American citizen, I am appalled. Why has this been done? This is a sad perversion of American history. Please explain. I request a response via email. Thank you for your attention to this matter. I could not resist using DJT's latest affection about attention.

[Allison Gill]

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

[Dana Goldberg]

Thank you for your attention to this matter. For Pot Pet Tariff, I'm sharing a photo of my son's dog who sadly passed from cancer in 2018. After I moved from increasingly red Missouri to a red dot in a blue state, the California Delta, I had to foster her with dear friends because she was too ill to make the journey. My son and I made the difficult decision to send her over the rainbow bridge just a few months later. We still miss her. The photo was taken in 2015 and shows my son with little girl, the greatest rescue dog ever. Keep up the great work. I listen every day and could not survive without you.

[Allison Gill]

Look at that sweet baby. Is that a little beagle baby?

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh my God, it's cute.

[Allison Gill]

Adorable. Whatever that dog is, is adorable. Thank you so much, Corrine. Thanks for that and thanks to everybody for your good News. Thanks to Mr. Ben Folds for coming on and speaking to us. And I mean, I just, I appreciate you all so much like this podcast. This community really means a lot to me. So thank you very much for being here. Dana, do you have any final thoughts today?

[Dana Goldberg]

Not today.

[Allison Gill]

All right, well, we'll be back in your ears tomorrow. Until then, please everyone take care of yourselves, take care of each other, take care of the planet, take care of your mental health and take care of your family. I've been ag. I've been DG and 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.