Casa del Idiota

Summary

The Daily Beans: Episode Summary – "Casa del Idiota"

Release Date: February 17, 2025
Host/Authors: Allison Gill and Dana Goldberg

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Overview

In this episode of The Daily Beans, hosts Allison Gill and Dana Goldberg delve into a series of pressing political and social issues unfolding in early 2025. From government purges targeting diversity initiatives to protests against erasing LGBTQ history, the episode offers a comprehensive analysis infused with the podcast's signature progressive perspective and sharp wit.

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1. Government Purges and Executive Orders

A. Firing and Rehiring Nuclear Staff at NNSA

The episode opens with a concerning development within the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Following a wave of firings directed by Trump officials, it was revealed that several of these terminated employees were crucial to overseeing the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile. Due to this oversight, President Trump is now attempting to rehire these vital staff members.

Notable Discussion: Allison Gill highlights the chaotic nature of these firings, emphasizing the lack of coordination and the potential risks involved. She mentions, “[...] they're just firing them without considering supervisory input” (05:14).

B. Trump Executive Order on COVID Vaccine Mandates

President Trump signed an executive order threatening to strip federal funding from schools that mandate COVID-19 vaccines for students. This move, however, appears largely symbolic as no states currently enforce such mandates. The order specifically targets student vaccination requirements, excluding teachers and staff.

Notable Quote: “All the email that I saw was specifically for HHS, but I'm hearing from other folks that they're doing this at other agencies as well...” – Allison Gill (05:14).

2. Elon Musk and DEI Initiatives

A. Purging Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Programs

Elon Musk's team at the Department of Government Efficiency (Doji) is aggressively working to eliminate DEI initiatives across federal agencies. Internal documents reveal a phased plan to remove DEI offices and personnel, including those in legally mandated roles like the Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services.

Notable Quote: “President Donald Trump campaigned against DEI, calling it divisive and destructive, and has in recent days celebrated its demise under his administration.” – Allison Gill (21:22).

B. Doji Bags' Intrusion at San Francisco City Hall

Three individuals dressed in Doji shirts and hats appeared at San Francisco City Hall, demanding records related to government spending and fraud. The Sheriff's Office identified them as Doji representatives, and their intrusion led to a swift police response.

Notable Incident: Allison Gill exclaims, “Just three douchebags in Doji shirts breaking into city hall and asking for documents” (22:47).

3. International Relations: Ukraine and Mineral Access

Ukrainian President Zelensky’s Stance

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has refused to transfer U.S. access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals, deeming the proposed agreement too centered on U.S. interests without adequate guarantees. This decision has been met with criticism from some White House officials who view it as short-sighted.

Notable Quote: “I didn't let the minister sign a relevant agreement because in my view, it's not ready to protect us and our interests.” – President Zelensky (06:16).

4. Transgender Rights and EEOC Actions

A. EEOC Dropping Transgender Discrimination Cases

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has moved to dismiss multiple workplace discrimination cases filed on behalf of transgender employees. This shift coincides with President Trump’s executive order asserting recognition of only two genders, further undermining transgender protections.

Notable Quote: “We cannot be erased by removing words from a website.” – Sammy Oliver, protester (09:36).

B. Impact on Civil Rights Enforcement

Experts and activists express deep concern over the EEOC’s actions, highlighting the contradictions with the Supreme Court’s ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, which affirms that firing individuals based on gender identity violates federal anti-discrimination laws.

Notable Insight: Greg Nevins, senior counsel at Lambda Legal, states, “If it's illegal to fire somebody because they are transgender, how could it possibly be legal for them to be harassed relentlessly?” (33:04).

5. National Park Service and LGBTQ History

Removal of TQ from Stonewall National Monument

The National Park Service (NPS) has altered the acronym for LGBTQQ to LGB on its website dedicated to the Stonewall National Monument. This change sparked protests, as activists argue that it erases the contributions of transgender and queer individuals vital to the Stonewall riots and the broader LGBTQ+ rights movement.

Notable Quotes: “We cannot be erased by removing words from a website.” – Sammy Oliver, protester (09:36).

Allison Gill adds, “I truly don’t understand that other than it is further evidence that they are simply targeting people. It's just cruelty.” (10:49).

6. Classified Information and Dogecoin

Publishing of Classified Data

Elon Musk’s team, associated with Dogecoin, has controversially published classified information concerning the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). This release includes details about the size and staffing of the agency, raising significant security concerns.

Notable Question: “Why the fuck aren't they stopping them?” – Dana Goldberg (07:08).

AHA Moment: Allison Gill speculates, “He may have already had this information because he's the one who SpaceX launches those intelligence satellites” (07:08).

7. Listener Reactions and Good News

Throughout the episode, the hosts engage with listener submissions, sharing stories of quiet resistance within federal agencies and celebrating small victories in the fight against the administration’s oppressive measures.

Listener Highlight: An anonymous Social Security Administration employee shares efforts to eliminate backlogs and prioritize vulnerable populations, demonstrating grassroots resistance against governmental overreach (36:15).

Good News Segment: Listeners contribute positive stories and shout-outs, reinforcing community solidarity amidst widespread political turmoil.

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Conclusion

Allison Gill and Dana Goldberg wrap up the episode by emphasizing the importance of community resilience and collective action in the face of governmental overreach and discriminatory policies. They encourage listeners to continue sharing their stories of resistance and hope, underscoring the podcast's commitment to social justice and political awareness.

Final Thoughts: "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." – Allison Gill (48:14).

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Allison Gill (05:14): “...we will be sending you lists of people who have read their termination email, you must immediately revoke their access.”

• Allison Gill (21:22): “Bull in a china shop is a good way to put it.”

• Dana Goldberg (07:08): “Why the fuck aren't they stopping them?”

• Sammy Oliver (09:36): “We cannot be erased by removing words from a website.”

• Greg Nevins (33:04): “If it's illegal to fire somebody because they are transgender, how could it possibly be legal for them to be harassed relentlessly?”

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Key Takeaways

• Administrative Overreach: The Trump administration, with significant influence from Elon Musk's team, is executing widespread purges across federal agencies, targeting DEI initiatives and operational staff without adequate oversight.

• Erosion of LGBTQ+ Protections: Recent actions by the EEOC and National Park Service indicate a systematic attempt to undermine and erase transgender and queer identities from federal considerations and historical records.

• International Diplomacy: Ukraine, under President Zelensky’s leadership, is prioritizing national interests over international agreements, reflecting a strategic stance amidst ongoing geopolitical tensions.

• Community Resilience: Despite governmental attempts to suppress and dismantle progressive initiatives, grassroots resistance and community-driven efforts continue to provide hope and support for marginalized groups.

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The Daily Beans continues to illuminate critical socio-political issues, fostering informed and engaged listeners committed to social justice and equality.

Transcript

[Allison Gill]

MSW Media. Hello, and welcome to the Daily beans for Monday, February 17, 2025. Today, Trump officials fired nuclear staff not realizing they oversee the country's nuclear weapons stockpile. So now he's trying to rehire them. President Zelensky refuses to hand over U.S. access to Ukraine's minerals. Three doge bags showed up to San Francisco City hall demanding records. Trump has barred federal funding for schools with COVID vaccine mandates. Internal Doge documents show Elon Musk is trying to skirt the law with his DEI firings. The Trump administration has moved to drop transgender discrimination cases at the eoc. Protests erupt after the National Park Service removes the TQ from LGBTQ at the Stonewall National Monument. And Doge published classified information. I'm Allison Gill.

[Dana Goldberg]

And I'm Dana Goldberg.

[Allison Gill]

Hey, Dana. Lots of Doge bag stuff going on this week.

[Dana Goldberg]

So much over the weekend.

[Allison Gill]

I like that jingle. We need to keep that. We're going to cut that. We're going to use it again every Monday.

[Dana Goldberg]

I'll try and do more next time. We'll record it off the show.

[Allison Gill]

No, no, we're just going to. It's like, my goodness.

[Dana Goldberg]

So much over the weekend.

[Allison Gill]

Oh, geez. I mean, this whole, like, there's currently a really big lawsuit brought by Norm Eisen against Dodgy, and he's trying to prove that they shouldn't exist as an agency because they're trying to have their cake and eat it, too, in that they're trying to say that they're not a federal agency, so they aren't subject to, like, FOIA rules and all the other laws that government agencies are subject to, including having to be funded by Congress. But then they're trying to say that they're not and that their employees are actually employees of the agencies in which they're assigned so that they can do the things they want to do within those agencies. And they're. It's like this Goldilocks thing, the judge said, and they're like, you know, you probably can't do that. So we'll see what that lawsuit, how that comes out. But this weekend, there were FDA and HHS firings. There were firings all over cross agencies for probationary employees and for reduction in force. What's called a riff. And I did actually see an email. Someone sent me an email showing that they're revoking access based on whether or not you open the email firing you.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh, my God.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah. So and so, like, they directed it, directors and HR directors to say, we will be sending you lists of people who have read their termination email, you must immediately revoke their access. So download all the documents you need before you open that email. Do not, by the way, take this as legal advice, because I'm not a lawyer, but also if you're a probationary employee and you don't yet have a performance evaluation on the books because you're too new, ask your supervisor if they're a friendly supervisor for an interim performance evaluation. If they're, if they're a friendly supervisor and they'll give you a good review. That way you have it on the books. Because they're trying to tell people that they're being fired for performance problems. But they are absolutely circumventing all the supervisors and managers and not asking them if their probationary employees have performance problems. Something they promised they would do when they asked for the lists of probies probationary employees. So you want to have that. If you decide to sue or file a grievance later on, you're going to want to have that interim performance evaluation saying you did a good job because you do. You know, probationary employees don't have a lot of rights, but there does have to be a problem, some sort of a problem. It's not full on for cause, but anyway, make sure you do that. It'll help.

[Dana Goldberg]

One of my besties works in the government. I don't want to say what department because I'd rather keep everyone protected. But she's incredibly good at her job in the senior position and she had to fire three very talented people because they were in the 10th month of their 12 month probationary period. And she literally said it was her worst day she's ever had as a civil servant. Because it's awful. It was awful, awful, awful.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah. And if you are a supervisor being told that you've forced to fire your probationary employees. Real quick, give your probationary employees an interim performance evaluation. Mark them outstanding so that at least they have that. Make sure they get a hard copy printed out. Make sure they print out their SF 50s, their LES pay stubs from DFAS. Make sure that all these acronyms make sense if you work for the government. Make sure you get your eopf, file any performance evaluations, all that stuff. Make sure you download it all before you open that firing email. So just wanted to put that out there for everybody who's listening. The email that I saw was specifically for hhs, but I'm hearing from other folks that they're doing this at other agencies as well. Revoking your access as soon as you Read the email that you're fired.

[Dana Goldberg]

Awful.

[Allison Gill]

All right, we have a lot of news to get to today, so we're going to have to divide this up and first we're going to have some quick hits. To make a long story short, first up from the Associated Press, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he directed his ministers not to sign off on a proposed agreement to give the United States access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals because the document was too focused on US Interests. The proposal, which was a key part of zelensky's talks with U.S. vice President J.D. vance on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Friday, did not offer any specific guarantees in return. And that's according to one current and one former senior Ukrainian official familiar with the talks. Zelensky's decision not to accept the proposal, at least for now, was described as short sighted by a senior White House official. No, it's actually really smart. And anybody who's written a book purportedly called the Art of a Deal, Art of a Deal, would know that you don't just give something to someone without getting something in return. Yeah, he says, quote, I didn't let the minister sign a relevant agreement because in my view, it's not ready to protect us and our interest. That's what Zelensky said.

[Dana Goldberg]

I really like that guy. By the way, this one is from HuffPost. Elon Musk's team at the so called Department of Government Efficiency well has posted classified information about the size and staff of US Intelligence agency on its new website, raising bigger concerns about where Musk's programmers got this information and what they're about to do with it. Doji's database provides details on the National Reconnaissance Office, the federal agency that designs, builds and maintains US intelligence satellites. Not only are NROs budgets and headcounts classified, but the prospect of Musk's tech team meddled in sensitive personal information is setting off alarms for some in the intelligence community. And it should be because of this classified information. And they have it out on a public website. Why the fuck aren't they stopping them? That's what I would like to know. Why aren't these guys in trouble yet?

[Allison Gill]

Yeah, and he may have already had this information because he's the one who SpaceX launches those intelligence satellites. That doesn't make me feel better. But you know, something to consider. Next up from ABC News. President Donald Trump Friday signed an executive order that would strip schools of federal aid if they mandate Covid vaccines. That's a largely symbolic move considering that no states currently require them. The order applies to students and not teachers or staff. Interesting. And in a fact sheet provided to reporters, the White House said the order was necessary because COVID vaccine mandates were threatening educational opportunities for. And no, they're not.

[Dana Goldberg]

And this last one actually really obviously pisses me off. This is from cbs. Protesters gathered. I was one of them. I was in New York. I went to Christopher Park. They gathered at the Stonewall National Monument in New York City on Friday after references to transgender and queer people were removed on the National Park Service website. While the trans flag still flies outside the Stonewall Inn and it will continue to in Greenwich Village because that is also a state park and New York obviously believes and knows that the trans community was part of the Stonewall riots. That state park is where the LGBTQ plus rights movement was born decades ago. Over 50 years. The federal website dedicated. It has shortened the acronym to lgb. I'm not fucking kidding. Just for lesbian, gay and bisexual. Protesters rallied outside the Stonewall Inn declaring trans and queer people would not be pushed back into the shadows. And this is a quote. We cannot be erased by removing words from a website. This is from Sammy Oliver. And Sammy's. A protester who identifies as non binary went on to say, it's saying that trans and non binary and quilt people do not exist at all. This whole thing is just fucking bullshit. Because if you know anything about the history, even though it's unclear in history, who threw the first bricks, it was trans, black, trans, women of color, non binary, very butch, lesbian. Stormy, we've got Sylvia and Marsha P. Johnson. These were all trans and gender non conforming people. You're not going to fucking erase them from history when we all it was there. So there's a lot of people protesting. I hope they put pressure on the National Park Service to stop bending a knee to this administration. It did not have to be fucking changed. And by the way, it now sounds ridiculous because all they did was take out the words. They didn't rewrite anything. So there's just all kinds of gaps where the word trans or Q plus used to be. It is bizarre.

[Allison Gill]

That is extremely bizarre to me because why is it that the TQ plus is a problem but the LGB is not? Like I, I, that is baffling to me. I, I truly don't understand that other than it is further evidence that they are simply targeting.

[Dana Goldberg]

It's to be cruel. Absolutely.

[Allison Gill]

People. Because it's such a small, tiny population that, you know, God forbid, you know, the gay population right now And I've. We've talked about this a lot, right? How commerce and government and everything is going to have to make a massive change. Because in my generation, I think we're 6% to 8% LGBTQ. And in millennials, it's 10 to 12%, but in Gen Z and beyond, it is 1 in 4. It is 25% or higher. And so I don't know if they're only targeting the trans community because it's so small and it's not a threat to them, you know, like voting wise or, I don't know, revolution wise. I don't understand the dividing lines other than to stoke divisions in the LGBTQ community.

[Dana Goldberg]

That's exactly what it is. And I know that there are some people out there, and I've posted this on Instagram and Facebook and all the places we're not supposed to be anymore, but we're still reaching our people. This is not a discussion. Like, this is. You don't have to accept, you don't have to understand, and you don't have to fight for them, but they exist. Trans people exist in this world. They existed long before Stonewall. They're gonna exist long after these bigots have left this ear. Going to erase a population of this world. You're just not. And these are some of the most incredible people I've ever met. And to be honest with you, and I'm not even going to use the word brave because that's a ridiculous word to use, there's some of the most humanly expansive people I've ever met because they're living their truth and they're not being locked down by these boxes that society has put us in, in these gender binaries. It. There's. They're extraordinary, and I just wish that people would stop. All it is is cruelty. All it is is fulfilling this political promise that the, you know, these horrible Republicans made during the campaign. I just, you know how I stand on this. I could go on and on and on. It's complete bullshit. And I hope there's enough pressure on the National Park Service that they reverse this, because this isn't about whether or not you think they exist. They exist. They are part of this history, period.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah, 100%. Thank you so much. And if you're listening and you're trans and are non binary queer, if you're in the Q, we see you and we love you here on the beans. So, everybody, we have more news to get to, but we have to take a quick break, so we'll be right back with the hot notes after these messages.

[Dana Goldberg]

We'll be right back.

[Allison Gill]

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Peak Life that's P I Q U E Peak Life has completely changed my daily routine. I start my mornings with Sun Goddess Matcha, which is smooth and creamy and packed with antioxidants. It keeps me energized while supporting my skin from within. And in the afternoon I reach for BT Fountain, a clean, sugar free hydration boost that leaves my skin feeling plump and radiant. And the best part? The pre measured sachets make it effortless. Just mix and sip. It's an easy, effective way to care for my skin every single day. Ready to transform your routine? Right now you can get 20% off the Radiant Skin Duo plus a free starter kit including a recharge, frother and glass beaker. With my exclusive link, it's peaklife.comdailybeans that's P I Q U E life.com dailybeans don't miss out. Glow naturally into 2025 while supplies last. Hi everybody. Welcome back. It's time for Hot Notes. Hot Notes. All right. First up, from Hannah Natenson at the Washington Post. A team of workers from the US Doge Bags Service I added the bags Washington Post didn't have that in there. Developed a step by step plan for carrying out President Donald Trump's order to purge diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives from the federal government. And over the next six months, it intends to expand that campaign dramatically. That's according to documents obtained by the Post. Doji aims to target staffers who are not in DEI roles and employees who work in offices established by law to ensure equal rights. That's according to internal Dodge documents. In the coming weeks, the documents show. I'm just going to say Musk instead of dogecoin. Musk has planned for the Trump administration to trim staff from dozens of offices across the executive branch, including those that protect employees, civil rights and others that investigate complaints of employment discrimination in the federal workplace. There's another story on that, and we'll get to it in a minute. Among the groups targeted are Veterans affairs offices that work to ensure all veterans receive equal access to care, an office within the Health and Human Services that provides information about the health of minority populations. The Musk team is also looking to place on leave and ultimately fire scores of government employees who do not work in DEI roles but who perform functions that Musk has determined are related to dei. It is unclear precisely how Musk intends to decide whether employees jobs are tied to dei. Such a strategy will push, if not violate the law and could draw legal challenges. That's according to team members and documents. They actually said that this is probably illegal, but here's how we're doing it. The internal documents reveal the scope, speed and ambition of Musk's work. Over the past three weeks, Musk has torn through one federal agency after another, gaining access to sensitive data and winning control of the flow of federal cash. In a blitz that has shaken parts of D.C. musk team members have identified swathes of jobs and programs to eliminate that don't match Trump's ideological views. Trump campaigned against dei, calling it divisive and destructive, and has in recent days celebrated its demise under his administration. Dei, quote would have ruined our country and now it's dead. That's what he said last month. But even before Trump took office, a Musk team that included Musk's top aides who have links to his companies but little to no government or political experience or life experience really, because some of them are like just out of high school, was planning actions far beyond Musk's original remit of reducing the government size and spending. In the weeks leading up to inauguration, Musk positioned and envisioned itself as the executor and enforcer of Trump's executive order against diversity. And I realized because I'm replacing Doge with Musk, that I just called Musk itself and that's fine with me. Musk staffers developed a three part plan for Trump's anti DEI campaign, internal documents show. Phase one marked the first day of Trump's presidency, when Trump signed the executive order stating that all DEI offices and positions and programs within the executive branch must be terminated within 60 days. The Musk plan laid out how on Inauguration Day, all federal agencies should begin placing DEI workers on paid leave and shutting down DEI websites and social media accounts. Those changes transpired almost exactly as Musk laid out in these documents that the Washington Post got. The nation is now in Musk's Phase two, which is scheduled to last until Wednesday, according to these documents. And in this stage, Musk planned for the Trump administration to place on leave some employees working at statutorily required offices. The administration also is supposed to cancel DEI focused federal contracts and grants. And the administration is meant to identify workers across the government who hold non DEI jobs but who can be tied to diversity initiatives through unspecified other means. Quote There are DEI focused personnel embedded throughout divisions that do not have any identifying DEI criteria in their name. This is in one of these documents. Phases 2 and 3 will be focused on identifying these employees and putting them on administrative leave. Now, Musk's phase three starts later this month on the 31st day of the administration and lasts until the 180th day, which is in mid July. This stage moves from placing workers on paid leave to calling for large scale firings. Ultimately, Musk intends for the Trump administration to terminate all DEI linked employees via a rif, a reduction in force, the federal form of a layoff, including some who work for legally mandated offices. Goals for phase three are listed in brief bullet points in this document. RIf the phase one offices in their entirety. That's what one bullet point reads, referring to offices dedicated to DEI. That process is already underway. The Office of Personnel Management last month directed agencies to submit written plans for firing all DEI office workers and encouraged agencies to begin issuing termination notices immediately. Second bullet point says RIF the phase two offices corrupt branches. Referring to what Musk has determined are DEI elements of offices required by law. It says, we are exploring options for this. An FAQ that Musk created for agency heads showed that the team members did not always feel confident in the powers they were assuming. And in one version of the draft faq, the second question, posed for the perspective of an agency head, asks, under what authority are you directing us to do this? Beneath the question is one word highlighted in yellow. Eo, a reference to the executive order. Next to the acronym in a set of brackets, there's a single character apparently questioning whether such an order is sufficient. So it's EO question mark. That's what it says.

[Dana Goldberg]

Jesus Christ.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah.

[Dana Goldberg]

All right, thanks, Allison. This one is from Tim Fang at cbs. San Francisco city officials are investigating after three men who claimed to be from the Department of Government Efficiency. Trump's Excuse me. Musk's team showed up at City hall on Friday demanding records from offices before fleeing. According to San Francisco Sheriff's Office, the men, who were dressed in doji shirts and hats with the pro Trump slogan Make America Great again arrived at City hall around noon. The men entered several offices and demanded employees turn over their digital information, quote, related to alleged wasteful government spending and fraud. Can I just point out that the Fucking President. United States just took one, you know, little zip around the track at the. At the nascar. How much did that cost taxpayers, by the way? How many millions of dollars for him to take his limousine one trek around nascar? Fuck off. Now, in response, the employees refused their request. Sorry, I'm so annoyed with everything.

[Allison Gill]

No, it's fucking annoying. What do you spend $20 million to go to half of the Super Bowl?

[Dana Goldberg]

Something like that. Yep. Until he got embarrassed by the halftime show. Now, in response, the employees refused their request and called sheriff's deputies. The men had left city hall before they had arrived. The deputies, quote, we do not believe. The individuals requesting access to city files were representatives from Doji. That's what the sheriff's office said Friday.

[Allison Gill]

Just three douchebags in Doge shirts breaking into city hall and asking for documents, as you do.

[Dana Goldberg]

Deputies said they are reviewing surveillance footage and using. Using other investigative tools to pursue leads. Maybe their shirts and their. Their hats are le. No. Okay. Led by billionaire Elon Musk.

[Allison Gill]

Are you for imprint? Certain, though, Dana, that.

[Dana Goldberg]

No, I'm not.

[Allison Gill]

Those are Doji employees.

[Dana Goldberg]

No, I'm not. Now, Doji, as we know, was created by President Trump. Was it? Through an executive order he signed shortly after his inauguration with its mission to slash federal spending. Again, the track around nascar. According to social media posts from the task force and Musk, Musk's team is seeking to identify federal contracts and spending on issues that don't align with Mr. Trump's policies, including DEI and foreign aid. The task force has also attracted lawsuits, many of them claiming it has violated the law. California Attorney General, that is Rob Bonta was among 14 attorneys general who filed a lawsuit on Thursday challenging Musk and his team's authority to access sensitive government data. Quote, doji's ransacking of the federal agencies has sown tremendous chaos, instilled distrust among the American people, and has caused deep harm to our country. That was from Banta said in a statement, and went on to say, like a bull in a china shop. Mr. Musk is wielding an enormous amount of illegitimized power over sensitive systems and important government programs that are vital to the American way of life.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah, bull in a china shop is a good way to put it. Next up from NBC.

[Dana Goldberg]

I. I know.

[Allison Gill]

National Nuclear Security Administration officials on Friday attempted to notify some employees who had been fired the day before that they are now due to be reinstated, but they struggled to find them because they didn't have their new contact information. In an email sent to employees at the NNSA and obtained by NBC officials wrote, quote, the termination letters for some NNSA probationary employees are being rescinded, but we do not have a good way to get in touch with those personnel, unquote. Now, these individuals that the letter refers to had been fired on Thursday and lost access to their federal government email accounts. Nnsa, which is within the Department of Energy and oversees the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile, can't reach these employees directly and it's now asking recipients of the email to please work with your supervisors to send this information once you get it to people's personal contact emails. The Department of Energy didn't respond to a request for comment because what are they going to say? Yeah, y'all think President Donald Trump administration has acted with unprecedented speed and in some cases questionable legality in seeking to cut large portions of the government, laying off staff and ending contracts. But that speed has resulted in complications, including firing people agencies actually want to keep. And I have tons of evidence, by the way. Like I said they are. DOGE is not considering supervisors and line managers and agency heads input on whether these probationary employees should be kept or fired. They're just firing them. All these emails come after multiple staff, all civil servants at the NNSA received termination notices late Thursday, according to a source with direct knowledge. NBC News reviewed the termination notification which included the subject line notification of termination during probationary trial period. The NNSA is tasked with designing, building and overseeing the US Nuclear weapons stockpile.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh my God.

[Allison Gill]

The termination notices, which I'm not worried about World War three anymore, I guess. The termination notices, which read effective today came within hours of a Russian drone striking the Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine. NNSA tracks nuclear risks in Ukraine, including through sensor systems. The NNSA saga comes as the Trump administration executed mass firings throughout the federal government this week, primarily slashing the jobs of employees categorized as probationaries. Some departments saw massive layoffs, like the Department of Homeland security, where over 400 people were told that their jobs were cut. I should put in here also, the Department of Veterans affairs lost a thousand people. That's just fucking insane because the VA is already woefully understaffed. An NNSA nuclear safety specialist fired Thursday because she was a two year probationary employee told NBC News she was still locked out of her email, but her manager had called her to inform her that her termination was rescinded and and to report to work on Tuesday. Happy President's Day. I will be honest, she said. I intend to keep looking for work. I will go back, but as soon as I find another rule, I'll be leaving.

[Dana Goldberg]

Good for her.

[Allison Gill]

Asked why she will still look for employment elsewhere, she said that she has no faith. I will keep my job. The move comes as Trump and one of his top advisors, Musk, seeks to slash the size of the federal government. The federal cuts have been met with pushback from Democrats, labor unions and progressive organizations. More than 60 lawsuits against the Trump administration alleging executive overreach and other violations are pending.

[Dana Goldberg]

And I'm sorry to have to report this next story because it makes me even more angry than I was when we started this podcast, but this is from Julian Mark at the Post. The Trump administration is moving to dismiss more than a half a dozen workplace discrimination cases filed on behalf of transgender employees, citing President Donald Trump's recent executive order declaring that the government recognizes only two genders, male and female. The move by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission marks an abrupt shift in the federal government's approach to civil rights enforcement. The cases encompass allegations that transgender workers at the fast food chain Wendy's were called. Quote it and I'm really sorry that I have to even report this. If you're listening out there and you are trans or non binary gender, non conforming, please forgive me for having to even use these words in Wendy's. That they were called it, as well as claims that transgender employees at the Lush cosmetics chain were subjected to inappropriate touching and explicit comments about their genitalia. The companies have denied the allegations outlined in the claims, which were Both filed in 2024. The agency has also stopped investigating new gender identity complaints, and that's according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation. The EEOC processes many workplace discrimination claims and has traditionally operated somewhat independently from the White House. Now the wholesale dismissal of multiple cases by a new administration. It's unusual. This is from Don Livingston, who served as the EEOC general counsel under George H.W. bush. He said the plaintiffs in these cases, they have a right to proceed with their claims through the court system without the EEOC's involvement. That's what Michigan resident Asher Lucas He's a 21 year old transgender man. That's what he plans to do. He says that when he worked at the Culver's fast food chain in 2021 co workers repeatedly called him she and her as well as the birth name he no longer use. He was fired when he complained about the alleged harassment. That's according to the EEOC'S lawsuit filed on his behalf. And I quote, this is a really important to me because I know this is happening to other trans people who are afraid to do anything about it. And Lucas went on to say, I'm willing to be that person in the hope that things change. That to me is courage. That is bravery, putting yourself out there. The EEOC's reversal on gender identity cases that comes as nearly every corner of the federal government has been scrubbed the references to transgender people and abandoning previous interpretations of their rights. Trump has issued executive orders now being challenged in court, denying federal funds to schools that allow transgender athletes to compete on girls and women's teams and to providers of gender transition care for people younger than 19. Many federal agencies, they have removed transgender references from websites. The EEOC has erased information about how transgender workers can file complaints about workplace discrimination and harassment. Quote, we generally knew that they were going to do, but in every instance it's been even worse than anticipated. This is from Greg Nevins. He's the senior counsel at Lambda Legal. Greg is an incredible guy, by the way. And that, as we know, is a civil rights group that is fighting all of this bullshit made up of LGBTQ lawyers. Nevins and other LGBTQ plus advocates say the fallout from Trump's January 20th order on gender is colliding with the landmark 2020 case Bostock vs Clayton county, in which the Supreme Court ruled that firing people because of their gender identity or sexual orientation violates the prohibition against sex discrimination under Title 7 of the Civil Rights Act. That still stands. By the way, the gender identity cases brought by the EEOC were filed under the civil rights law, and I quote, if it's illegal to fire somebody because they are transgender, how could it possibly be legal for them to be harassed relentlessly? This is from Nevis. The fact that they are pulling out of such solid litigation efforts is really disappointed and unprincipled. And the executive order makes transgender people even more vulnerable to attack. A Washington Post review of six EEOC cases involving transgender plaintiffs found that in recent days, the commission filed motions in federal court arguing that the suits may be inconsistent with Trump's January 20th order, which says federal agencies recognize that women are biologically female and men are biologically male. The cases were brought on behalf of workers from across the country working in a range of industries from hospitality to fast food to hog farming. They allege their employers subjected them to hostile work environments because of their gender identity, and in some cases it cost them their jobs. The EEOC received more than 3,000 discrimination claims based on sexual orientation or gender identity in the fiscal year of 2023. That's a 36% increase from the previous year and the most since it began tracking such allegations a decade earlier. When a visitor to the EEOC website clicks to get more information, a message appears. The requested page could not be found.

[Allison Gill]

That's just horrible. And you know, if EEOC denies your claim or loses the suit or dismisses it, they're supposed to give you a 90 day permission to file notice in federal court. And so I'm glad that that person is going to do that. They're going to file in federal court. So anyway, thanks for that story. I'm so sorry everybody. It's just a continued ongoing onslaught, cruel, bigoted, awful, horrible attack on LGBTQ community. So I'm sorry for having to report these stories, but we think they're important and we want to get them out. And in that vein, today's good trouble will be revealed in the good news submission right after this break. So stick around. We'll be right back, everybody. Welcome back. It's time for the good news. Who likes good news, everyone? Then good news everyone. Good news. And if you have any good news confessions, corrections, especially pronunciation corrections, or you want to give a shout out to a loved one, like your spouse or your kid, or a parent or a friend or family member, community member, a self shout out, maybe a small business in your area that could use a boost, or your own small business let us know what you're making and creating. I know we have tons of amazing entrepreneurs here that listen to the daily beans, so we'd love to hear about that. And then of course, shout outs to government programs that have helped you or a loved one. Whether it's the, the Affordable Care act or SNAP or WIC or Head Start or Section 8 or Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, disability, unemployment. I mean there's so many incredible programs, including student debt relief that have just helped so many people get a leg up. Let us know about that. And these are things we pay into, by the way. So it's. Yeah, it's not exactly something that's just a free lunch. So send those to us. All you gotta do to get your submission in is pay your podpet tax, which means attach a photo of your pet. And if you don't have a pet, you can send us an adoptable pet in your area. If you don't have that, any animal photo, really, we're fine with that. Just to find a random animal photo. We're cool bird watching photos which can be an actual bird or you and family and friends flipping the bird to Trump properties, Musk, cybertruck, Tesla factories, anything, you know, anything in general in this weird fucking Nazi triumvirate thing we have going on in this country right now. Send that to U.S. supreme Court birds. We also accept if you're in front of the Supreme Court house and you want to flip that off, send it to us. And of course, baby photos. If you don't have any of that, we all wouldn't see your baby photos. So send it all to us dailybeanspot.com click on contact. First up from anonymous SSA resistor. I just want to share some mini resistance from within my government agency. I manage an office that pays benefits. I have made a quiet local decision to put our focus on eliminating a backlog of past due back pay and waiving recovery of overpayments for the most vulnerable populations.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah, right.

[Allison Gill]

No formal announcements to the staff. Just assigning these cases first, making it our number one priority until the people are paid and debts are forgiven. Every time I release money, I feel good knowing it's less money for Elon to eventually steal. I say to myself, pay the people Elon. My pod pet tax is my big headed baby gumbo. He's not real smart, but he sure is cute. Anonymous Social Security Administration Resistor. This is fabulous. I hope there are people across the nation that are doing these things quietly.

[Dana Goldberg]

I agree. All right, this one's from Anonymous pronoun she and her I know, Little big head amongst all the super scary and horrible shit the felon in chief is saying and doing. You gotta laugh at dogebag team that fires NRC peeps, then realizes after the fact that those people regarding our nuclear stockpiles and then when they try to hire them back discovers that the idiots who fired the nuclear team lost their contact info as they wipe them out of government files and jobs and can't figure out how to reach out to the former employees to beg them to come back to their former jobs. Other than asking colleagues, hey, you don't have George's phone number, do you?

[Allison Gill]

That's how it's going.

[Dana Goldberg]

Here's a bird, here's bird watching who builds nukes.

[Allison Gill]

Do you have his number?

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah. Do you got George's number? Is the email no.

[Allison Gill]

And then look, we got a great bird watching photo at a Tesla dealership. Love it, love it so much. That's funny. Thank you so much for that. Next up from Allison in az. Ladies, I'm a professional woman, an active Listener and I truly appreciate what you do across the entire MSW platform. I am. Thank you. By the way, I'm writing to share some good news perspective on a government service that is especially meaningful to my family. I have a son on the autism spectrum who requires a high degree of therapy and supervision to live. He is mostly non verbal and is prone to elopement which means running away or wandering off. This is terrifying. And I personally know families who have lost their kiddos to drowning or other dangerous situations when a child is eloped. We live in Arizona and have in home services provided through Medicaid. In the past, families like mine would have been pushed to place their child child into a mental institution. Fortunately, we have a system here that works to provide the support needed to keep children in their family homes and which makes it possible for the parents to work to earn a living. I am so concerned by the doge antics around Medicaid and I want people to understand just what type of support their tax dollars is being used for. Families will continue to have challenges like these and we need to protect the systems that help. Thanks for listening. Submitting for pet tax photo of my son with our rescue girl Maple, a cattle dog. Allison in Arizona. That is just terrifying.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah.

[Allison Gill]

You know, I'm so sorry that we're all just on edge. This will impact every single American things like this. But this is a beautiful photo with a beautiful son, a beautiful dog. And it looks like you're somewhere up in Northern Arizona. Flagstaff, maybe Prescott or Payson. I would love to know where that is. Allison from Arizona. I grew up in Arizona. I used to work at Maripai as a Girl Scout camp counselor in Prescott ar. I went to school at Northern Arizona University. Proud lumberjack. Go Big Sky. And you could basically like build a log cabin for credit or drop mushrooms in the crater and you.

[Dana Goldberg]

That's amazing.

[Allison Gill]

Get a degree. It was a fantastic. I got to take astronomy at the Lowell Observatory. I got to take geology at the Grand Canyon.

[Dana Goldberg]

That's actually really fucking cool.

[Allison Gill]

Truly an incredible experience for getting those lab sciences in that are required for a bachelor's, which I never received from.

[Dana Goldberg]

Them, but I learned how to make meth in the Albuquerque public school system. I'm just kidding.

[Allison Gill]

Hey.

[Dana Goldberg]

Hey.

[Allison Gill]

All right. There we go.

[Dana Goldberg]

Breaking Bad. Breaking Bad people.

[Allison Gill]

Totally Breaking Bad people.

[Dana Goldberg]

I didn't learn how to make meth.

[Allison Gill]

But yeah, this is beautiful. Absolutely wonderful photo. Thank you.

[Dana Goldberg]

If anyone's from Albuquerque, by the way, listening, I'm sure they left because sometimes the Albuquerque public school system had Little to be desired. Not the teachers, the system itself.

[Allison Gill]

Totally fine with learning about the meth, how to cook, math, chemistry. You don't drive one of those Pontiac Aztecs that he had to drive around?

[Dana Goldberg]

No, we usually drive Winnebos and RVs. Okay, this is from Julie Ann Pronoun. She and her hello Alice and Dana and all the daily beans listeners. I am so grateful to be a part of this community. It feels like my life raft during this unbelievable storm. I knew things were going to be bad when Trump quote unquote won the election. I just didn't have the capacity to imagine all the possible ways he and Musk could create chaos. I appreciate your ability to keep us informed. Hearing about all the different ways people are uniting and resisting it gives me hope for our country. My husband and I returned from a trip to New York City. We had planned to go to Florida, but we decided that we didn't want to spend our money there. Although we live just a few hours north of New York City, we don't get there as often as we'd like. It wasn't warm, but we had a great time seeing the sights even on a cold winter day. There was a musician playing Beatles music at Strawberry Fields. And of course we had to pay visit to Trump Tower and take a photo. We received many nods and smiles from the tour tour group that was walking by as we tried to get just the right angle to capture both of my husband's fingers in the facade. Now keep up all the great work everyone and imagine all the ways we can transform this chaos into growth and transformation for podpet tax. Satan and voodoo watching our neighbors. I want it to be Satan, Satin. Okay, fine. Satin and Voodoo watching our neighbors walking their dogs.

[Allison Gill]

You just rename dog of Droopy Elzabub.

[Dana Goldberg]

How do you know? Well, that's because that's an Israel Satan. But how do you know because one's voodoo that the other one isn't Satan?

[Allison Gill]

That's probably, I mean, come on, right? It makes sense.

[Dana Goldberg]

Okay. Satin and voodoo.

[Allison Gill]

No, I, I, I'm gonna laugh if.

[Dana Goldberg]

There'S a correction and they're like the cat's name is Satan.

[Allison Gill]

It is Satan, actually. Thank you.

[Dana Goldberg]

Satan and voodoo. Thanks, Dana.

[Allison Gill]

Okay, so I love the Strawberry Fields. I love this bird watching photo. I love the cat. That and I'm totally with you, Julianne. It's impossible. Like we, we can read Project 2025. We know they're going to wreak havoc on, on the government and dismantle things and, you know, move fast and Break things or whatever. The. Their stupid motto is move fast.

[Dana Goldberg]

Motto is move fast and break things.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah, that's what it is. Move. That's. It is like Silicon Valley. We move fast and break things and add, you know, probably don't get laid to that. But whatever, whatever. But we did this, Dana, in our January 5, 2021 episode known as Charismatic Megaplastics, the most download single downloaded episode of the Daily Beans podcast. Because we constantly tell people to go back and listen to it because of what happens in the good news. But it's the day before January 6th and you were like, I can't imagine what's going to happen. I, I can't. Can. How many impeachable things can he do between now and inauguration? You said, yeah, yep. And I said, you know, it's, it's hard to imagine what Trump is going to do because we don't have cold, dead black hearts. And it's hard to come up with. It's hard to think from his perspective, you know.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah, yeah.

[Allison Gill]

Anyway, very cool submission by the way.

[Dana Goldberg]

I know it's satin, so you don't need to write in. Who is the submission from? Hold on. Oh, it's Julie Ann.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah, you don't need to write unless it is Satan.

[Dana Goldberg]

Well, it's not spelled Satan, so we'll go with satin. Satin and voodoo. Although I do like Satan and voodoo about it.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah, well, we'll use like you said, the other one's voodoo, so why not? All right, next up from Beth Pronoun. She and her hello beans Queens. I'm a new listener but I knew I needed to share this with you. Last year I stumbled upon a small business named Signs of Justice. They are a black owned, family operated business out of Oregon. They make amazing lawn signs and stickers that inspire resistance and demand action. I'm on their mailing list and I knew I had to tell you about the one I read today. It's perfectly good trouble. Check out themjority project or their website, which is signsofjustice.com and you can click on products and look at the Contact Congress postcards section. I don't know them personally, but I'm a fan of their work. I think you might like them too. Thanks for being a daily dose of sanity. This is so cool. Yeah. And this is your good trouble for today, should you choose to accept it. These are beautiful.

[Dana Goldberg]

They are. I love them.

[Allison Gill]

We'll have a link in the show notes.

[Dana Goldberg]

Thanks so much. This is from Jen Pronoun. She and her. When you mentioned the Good trouble to share feedback on Google Maps about the real name being Gulf of Mexico. I did that and then decided to take my shot at renaming the White House to Casa del Idiota.

[Allison Gill]

Shoot your shot, Jen. Shoot your shot.

[Dana Goldberg]

I'm sure it won't last long, but the acceptance email from Google gave me a few seconds of extreme happiness for my pod pet tax. I'm sharing Bacchus. What's that?

[Allison Gill]

Bacchus.

[Dana Goldberg]

Bacchus. All right. In the show, notes from Zeus Rescue. Bacchus is up for adoption. Zeus Rescue here in New Orleans. Oh, my God, look at Bacchus.

[Allison Gill]

Oh, we have a link to Bacchus adoption page. But here's the great. We've accepted your edit. Your edit to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Casa del Idiota in Washington, D.C. was accepted. Thank you.

[Dana Goldberg]

One of my favorite memes going around is it was named the Gulf of Mexico at birth.

[Allison Gill]

Oh, dang it.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah. Everyone over there, you can't change it. You know, halfway through. You can't just change it.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah. And I like it sometimes when I say something on social media and it comes around to me in a meme, like, a little bit later. Because when I flew recently, I saw.

[Dana Goldberg]

This, by the way, and they credited you.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah, I said I flew. And the United Airlines pilot was like, we might lose Internet service for a little ways on our flight from Houston to Tampa because we'll be flying over the Gulf of Mexico. So when we're flying over the Gulf of Mexico, you might lose service for a minute. Like, he was really adamant about. About that. And I just put that post out. Hey. My United Airlines pilot just made sure to emphasize the word Mexico when he mentioned the Gulf that we'd be flying over the Gulf of Mexic Mexico. So it turns out somebody made a meme out of it, and somebody sent it to me the other day. They're like, this is funny. And I'm like, yeah, I know. I said that.

[Dana Goldberg]

That's awesome. Yeah, it's happened a couple times.

[Allison Gill]

Isn't that good? That's a good feeling. You're like, oh, made it around the world and back to me. I wonder if it stopped at the. What is it? Casa del Idiota.

[Dana Goldberg]

So good.

[Allison Gill]

I know. That's so funny. Thank you all so much for submitting your good news. If you have good news to submit, you can do [e-mail] and click on Contact. There's also a new episode of Unjustified out where Andy McCabe and I talk about the Valentine's Day seven. Those are the seven DOJ Public Integrity Section Unit and Southern District of New York prosecutors who resigned because they refused to file a motion to dismiss the charges of bribery and fraud against Eric Adams. And we talk about Hagen Scott's letter where he's like, I don't know if you. I'm sure you'll find a fool or a coward to file your motion, but it was never going to be me. We talk about Danielle Sassoon's letter and we also talk about what, what the next steps are going to look like with the judge and whether or not Trump's going to pardon him and how no matter what Eric Adams deal with Emil Bove is corrupt. So check it out. It's called Unjustified. It used to be the Jack podcast, but we know what happened to Jack Smith. So, yeah, now we're covering the DOJ with Andy McCabe and we'll be back in your ears tomorrow. Do you have any final thoughts, my friend? Friends?

[Dana Goldberg]

No. No final thoughts today.

[Allison Gill]

I don't know why I asked my friends. You're the only friend here that I have right now.

[Dana Goldberg]

That's what I like when you call me your friend.

[Allison Gill]

My friend. All right, well, we'll be back in yours tomorrow. Until then, please take care of yourselves, take care of each other, take care of the planet, take care of your mental health, and take care of your family. I've been AG and 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 Studio 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.