Epstein Sit Room (feat. John Fugelsang)

Summary

The Daily Beans – "Epstein Sit Room" (feat. John Fugelsang)

Date: June 12, 2026
Hosts: Alison Gill, Dana Goldberg
Guest: John Fugelsang

---

Episode Overview

This Friday edition of The Daily Beans dives deep into an explosive week in U.S. politics with a heavy emphasis on the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to manage fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein files, the nomination of controversial figures to national intelligence roles, and Congress’s resistance to Trump-era policies. The show features analysis, signature snark, and a wide-ranging interview with comedian and commentator John Fugelsang (“Tell Me Everything” on Sirius XM), focusing on the nexus of power, political cover-ups, and the media’s role in shaping narratives. The episode wraps with listener good news and community resource shout-outs.

---

Key News and Discussion Points

---

1. Hot Notes: This Week's Political Headlines

[01:03–12:43]

• Trump’s Intelligence Picks & Epstein Connections

  • Donald Trump nominated Jay Clayton (whom hosts dub “Epstein cover-up lawyer”) as Director of National Intelligence.
  • The law requires DNI to have extensive intel experience; neither Clayton nor acting nominee Bill Pulte meet the standard.
  • Clayton previously helped close investigations into Epstein and his associates, drawing fire as a pivotal figure in alleged cover-ups.
    • Alison Gill [06:36]: “Jay Clayton is the guy who came in to Southern District of New York, helped fire Berman, tried to take over, got Maureen Comey out, shut down the investigation that the Biden administration opened into Epstein co-conspirators. That’s Jay Clayton. Pivotal in the Epstein cover up.”

• FISA Section 702 Stalemate

  • Democrats block short-term FISA renewal. Republican House failed to pass the bill as 19 GOP members joined Dems in opposition.
  • House Speaker Mike Johnson blames Democrats, but Gill razzes the GOP’s inability to secure their own caucus.
    • Alison Gill [03:20]: “So don’t blame Democrats here, sir. You control the House. But 19 Republicans joined 199 Democrats in voting against the measure…”

• Trump’s Foreign Policy Lurches: Iran

  • Trump abruptly canceled plans to attack Iran, then claimed progress on a “potential peace deal”—immediately denied by Iranian officials.
  • Frequent cycles of bomb threats, escalation, and walk-backs confuse both allies and the market.
    • Alison Gill [07:46]: “Iran has said there are no discussions, no deals, and they have completely closed the Strait of Hormuz. So that’s what’s going on in taco world today…”

• Deporting Iranian Women to Central Africa

  • Trump administration set to deport Iranian women—who fled persecution and have no criminal record or links to Africa—to Central African Republic, a move condemned as inhumane.

• Trump’s Medical Obfuscation

  • Trump’s latest presidential checkup involved a record 22 medical specialists, shrouded in secrecy, raising new transparency concerns.
    • Alison Gill [10:20]: “None of that is part of your normal checkup. So anyway, 22, 22 medical specialists and they didn’t tell us what kind.”

• Brad Lander Cleared in Protest-Related Case

  • New York congressional hopeful Brad Lander found not guilty for attempts to inspect ICE detainee facility. Lander used trial to highlight disparities in legal access for detainees.

• Record Knicks Comeback in NBA Finals

  • The New York Knicks completed the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history—a cultural bright spot amid the week’s political chaos.

---

2. Fugelsang Friday: John Fugelsang Interview Segment

[22:47–43:25]

Trump, the Oligarchs, and the Epstein Strategy

• Media and Oligarchic Abandonment of Trump

  • Fugelsang opines that elites who benefited from Trump's policies (tax cuts, deregulation) have now extracted their gains and may be engineering his political exit.
    • John Fugelsang [28:10]: “The question is when are the oligarchs going to be done with this guy?... They got everything they want out of this guy. Right?...They don’t need this clown anymore.”

• Epstein Files and the Sit Room Leak

  • Recent leaks (per Maggie Haberman’s report) show detailed White House efforts to control the fallout from the Epstein files, using the Situation Room for PR strategies.
  • The Republican power structure is leaking about Trump and Epstein “in very large volume,” suggesting a behind-the-scenes effort to ease Trump out.
    • John Fugelsang [31:06]: “The story is astonishing…The Situation Room was not used in the context of defending the United States. No, the Situation Room is used to defend one man from his own resume and his own rap sheet.”

• Cover-Up Appointments: Jay Clayton and Todd Blanche

  • Blanche (Trump attorney) and Clayton (SDNY cover-up role) are key nominees—strategically positioned to control and potentially suppress further Epstein disclosures.
  • Fugelsang and Gill agree: leaks and appointments signal a desperate cover-up unlikely to survive public and media scrutiny.
    • Alison Gill [34:21]: “Maureen Comey was fired and they stole all the files from the Southern District of New York, took them up to the Department of Justice so that they could go through them and remove Trump’s name. And now that guy is nominated for a big job.”

• Will the Epstein Files Be Fully Exposed?

  • Foreign sources and online actors threaten to release the names in Epstein's files if the U.S. government does not.
  • Fugelsang notes Trump -- once a purveyor of “deep state” conspiracies -- now embroiled in an actual cover-up with global implications.
    • John Fugelsang [34:44]: “It’s not going to work because his own people’s polling tells them that their own base cares about this issue a lot, and it's not going to go away for them.”

---

Congressional Rebellion and Political Reckonings

• Increasing Congressional Defiance

  • Growing GOP defiance against Trump’s directives—FISA, the War Powers Resolution, and ICE funding highlight a party split between self-preservation and Trump’s demands.
    • Alison Gill [30:13]: “They stood up to the bully and the bully backed down.”
    • John Fugelsang [31:06]: “What’s interesting is they feel like they certainly want to run on giving ICE another $70 billion.”

• The “Ballroom-and-Slush-Fund” Problem

  • Congress resists defending obvious grifts (ballroom renovations, slush funds), desperate to maintain distance from Trump’s more egregious liabilities.

---

Trump, Inflation, and the Media Narrative

• MAGA’s Unbroken Spell—and Media’s Role

  • Fugelsang proposes that the party’s elite, not rank-and-file MAGA voters, will determine Trump’s fate.
  • The media, especially outlets like Fox News, play a key role in controlling what the base knows about economic realities and scandals.

• Inflation as the New Boogeyman

  • Trump’s attempt to spin record inflation fails as new YouGov polling shows him severely underwater on economic approval:
    • Alison Gill [27:30]: “There’s a new Economist YouGov poll that Trump is now 34 points underwater on the economy. He’s at just 29% approval rating, 63% disapprove.”

---

Epstein Files—Will Democrats Act?

• Will Democrats “pick up the ball” and pursue the full release and prosecution of all names in Epstein’s files if/when they gain power?
  • John Fugelsang [34:44]: “We’re going to learn a lot about the Epstein files. And the only question is…will the Democrats pick up the ball when they get power and start to pursue having these names?”

---

Foreign Policy and Trump’s Weakness on Iran, Israel

• Trump’s repeated posturing on Iran, claims of controlling Israeli response, and the reality of being “dog walked” by Netanyahu.
  • Alison Gill [38:18]: “If these are defensive shots because he talks like he’s got Bibi Netanyahu on a leash and it’s the other way around…He is compromised and corruptible. And that is why Bibi Netanyahu can lead him around by the fucking nose.”

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Jay Clayton is the guy…pivotal in the Epstein cover up.” – Alison Gill [06:36]
• “The Situation Room is used to defend one man from his own resume and his own rap sheet.” – John Fugelsang [31:06]
• “When are the oligarchs going to be done with this guy?” – John Fugelsang [28:10]
• “He went into the let’s kill bin Laden room to talk about how to save Donald Trump from his own libido.” – John Fugelsang [34:44]
• “We’re supposed to believe that they’re being transparent because they’re discussing transparency in the one room specifically designed so no one knows what’s ever discussed.” – John Fugelsang [34:44]
• “Inflation’s a choice. It actually should be pronounced ‘corporate greed’…” – John Fugelsang [40:18]
• “We got to stop and smell the train wreck because it’s going on…” – John Fugelsang [42:56]

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Political Hot Notes & Major News [01:03–12:43]
• Sports Break—Knicks Comeback [12:43–14:48]
• Witty Banter & Grass “Vandalism” on the National Mall [14:51–17:41]
• Fugelsang Interview: Sit Room Leaks, Epstein, Congress [22:47–43:25]
  • Oligarchs & MAGA [28:10–29:48]
  • The Cover-Up and Appointments [31:06–34:44]
  • State of Congress [30:13–31:16]
  • The Real Power Brokers [34:44–36:32]
  • Trumpian Foreign Policy [38:11–39:33]
  • Economic Spin [26:51–28:10]
• Good News & Listener Stories [45:08–61:13]
• Show Wrap and Final Thoughts [61:13–end]

---

Episode Tone & Style

• Signature Snark: The hosts balance hard-hitting analysis with humor and irreverence (“taco world,” “melting like a 29-point comeback”).
• Progressive Urgency: Clear alignment with justice, transparency, and social good.
• Community Engagement: Prominent shoutouts for grassroots activism and listener-submitted good news.

---

Community, Activism & Good News

• Listener activism opportunities: public comment on USPS voter roll rules, scientific grant rulemaking, and legal resistance to ICE and GEO Group abuses.
• Heartfelt stories from queer listeners, educators, and protestors—uplifting stories of family support, Pride events, and animal companions.
• Nonprofit and service dog training highlights, with direct links for community support.

---

Takeaways

• The Trump administration's political calculus is now as much about internal cover-up and self-preservation as it is about policy or re-election.
• Congressional Republicans are increasingly forced to choose between their own survival and loyalty to Trump.
• The Epstein files have transformed from conspiracy fodder to a multi-pronged crisis for the former president, as powerful interests signal their willingness to cut him loose.
• Listeners are encouraged to stay active, vigilant, and optimistic, as community stories and grassroots action offer hope amid the “endless barrage of bad news.”

---

For more on the evolving situation, tune in to The Daily Beans, find John Fugelsang’s “Tell Me Everything,” and support grassroots journalism and activism.

---

Transcript

[Alison Gill]

Hi, I'm Frances Collier. And I'm Angela V. Shelton. And we're Frangela.

[Dana Goldberg]

You know what you mean in your life.

[Alison Gill]

The Final Word podcast. Yes, you do. That's right. It is the final word on all things political and pop cultural, where we make real news, real funny, where we inspire you so you can resist. Subscribe and get a new episode of the Final Word podcast each week. It's the news we think you need to hear. That's right.

[Dana Goldberg]

We think you need to hear it.

[Alison Gill]

Okay. Yeah. It's what we say. So. That's right. And because all we do is give. Every Thursday, you can listen to our hysterical podcast, idiot of the Week. We round up the stupid. Because you know what? Somebody has to.

[Dana Goldberg]

Okay.

[Alison Gill]

All we do is give MSW media.

[Dana Goldberg]

News. We're swearing.

[Alison Gill]

Daily beans. Daily beans.

[Dana Goldberg]

Daily Beans.

[Alison Gill]

Daily Beans. Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Friday, June 12, 2026. Today, Donald Trump has nominated Epstein cover up lawyer Jay Clayton to be the next Director of National Intelligence. Brad Lander has been found not guilty in a New York City detention center incident. Democrats have blocked a short term FISA renewal measure. Women who fled Iran are now going be removed to Central Africa. Donald has once again canceled plans to attack Iran. The Knicks pulled off the biggest comeback in NBA playoff history to win game four of the finals. Donald saw 22 medical specialists during his last checkup, setting a record. And someone drew a huge 86, 47 in the grass on the National Mall. I'm Alison Gill.

[Dana Goldberg]

And I'm Dana Goldberg.

[Alison Gill]

Hello, my friend. Happy Friday.

[Dana Goldberg]

Happy Friday. Thanks for covering me yesterday for my secret stuff.

[Alison Gill]

Welcome back. We all sent out all the best vibes.

[Dana Goldberg]

I appreciate you. It went very well from what everyone said. It was kind of one of those big moments where I sort of blacked out, but apparently I did it well. And we'll see what happens.

[Alison Gill]

I've done that. All of a sudden you come to and you're like, did I do it? Did I, did it happen?

[Dana Goldberg]

Did I say it? Did I mess it up? Was it good? Are you sure it was good? Yeah.

[Alison Gill]

Amazing. Also, today is Friday, so it's Feagal Sang Friday. So we'll be joined later by the host of Tell Me John Fugal saying. Looking forward to that conversation. Dana. We have so much news to get to today that we just have to kind of jump right in. So let's hit the hot notes. Hot notes. All right. First up, from NBC, House Speaker Mike Johnson said Republicans did everything within our power to try to ensure that FISA section 702 does not expire and that Democrats are using it as a political hostage. You'll recall we had a expert on to remind everyone it's actually good through March of next year. So all this Republican fear, fear mongering about the expiration of FISA 702 is bullshit. Speaking to reporters after the failed vote to extend the spy authority till July 2, Johnson declined to comment to bringing the House back from recess next week to take another vote on fisa. They're going on recess again, Dana.

[Dana Goldberg]

Of course they are.

[Alison Gill]

Quote, what would be the point? Johnson asked.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh my God, what would be the

[Alison Gill]

point of voting on job in the Congress, he said, pointing to the House's previous passage of a three year visa extension that the Senate had not taken up. Asked whether Trump should withdraw his appointment of housing official Bill Pulte as temporary Director of National Intelligence, Mike Johnson said the president is very close to a decision on a permanent appointee and the Democrats know that. But they see this as a political moment. They can somehow score political points. No, they see it as a moment to close the loopholes that disallow you and your shithead leadership from surveilling United States citizens. Amen on the visa extension this morning. 198 to 21819 Republicans. So don't blame Democrats here, sir. You control the House. But 19 Republicans joined 199 Democrats in voting against the measure, which would have needed the support of two thirds of the chamber to pass.

[Dana Goldberg]

So what happens next? Well, CBS reports that President Trump on Thursday announced he's nominating Jay Clayton, the current U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, to be the next director of National Intelligence, aiming to end a stalemate on Capitol Hill that's holding up the extension of a key spy tool. The president announced the move in a post on Truth Social. Of course he did, and urged the Senate to confirm Clayton as soon as possible. Donald's pick for acting director of National Intelligence, Bill Pulte, has attracted strong criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike. In Congress. The dispute has stalled work on an extension of a warrantless surveillance Authority under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance act, which is set to lapse this weekend. The Democrats refusing to agree to an extension as long as Pulte is set to assume the role. The president said Pulte will take over for Tulsi Gabbard on June 19. And his announcement of Clayton's nomination, it didn't change that timeline. Senator MARK Warner, Virginia, the top Democrat in the Senate Intelligence Committee indicated to reporters that he opposes extending fisa, with Polsey still set to become acting Director of National Intelligence, though he noted that he had great respect for Clayton. What I know. The Virginia Democrat questioned the White House's seriousness about the impasse, noting that the House has already left Washington and would be unable to approve an extension at this hour. He said why he waited until after the House broke. I have no idea.

[Alison Gill]

Really.

[Dana Goldberg]

Do you not? I'm pretty sure this is not three dimensional chess. We fucking know why he did that. Now, the law requires that the Director of National Intelligence have extensive intel experience. Jay Clayton does not. Neither does Bolte, by the way. In November, then Acting Attorney General Bondi said Clayton would investigate the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's connections to prominent Democrats. After Donald called for the investigation on Truth Social. The President's directive came amid pressure on the administration to release the full Epstein files. It's unclear what, if anything from the initiative now. More recently, Clayton has also questioned the lengthy vote counting process in California's primaries. So fucking over this.

[Alison Gill]

Jay Clayton is the guy who came in to Southern District of New York, helped fire Berman, tried to take over, he got Maureen Comey out, shut down the investigation that the Biden administration opened into Epstein co conspirators. That's Jay Clayton. Yeah. Pivotal in the Epstein cover up. All right, next up from the Post, Trump says he's canceled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran after progress on a, quote, potential peace deal is happening, reversing his plan to attack the country on Thursday night. Where have we heard this before? The President said discussions and final points with Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved is what he wrote on Truth Social. Of course, Iran said, we don't know what you're talking about. Trump at earlier Thursday threatened another round of retaliatory strikes after Iran launched waves of attacks against US Bases across the Middle East. And I still don't think we're getting proper damage reports and injury reports and fatality reports from those attacks. Iran has said there are no discussions, no deals, and they have completely closed the Strait of Hormuz. So that's what's going on in taco world today. Is that what they meant when they said there'll be taco trucks on every corner?

[Dana Goldberg]

Probably, yeah.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah.

[Dana Goldberg]

Every day, seven days a week. This is from the Times. The Trump administration is preparing to deport nearly two dozen people to Central African Republic on Thursday, including at least two Iranian women who had sought refuge in the United States. This is according to lawyers and government official. Now, the flight, which is also expected to include migrants from Afghanistan and Syria, would mark the first such deportation to Central African Republic. This is a deeply impoverished country that has been plagued by conflict. The country is so dangerous, in fact, that the U.S. state Department states on its website do not travel for any reason. The Iranian women scheduled to be on Thursday's flights, they have no criminal record. They've been granted court protection against deportation to Iran. Now, the migrants have no ties to the country, and it's unclear where they live or whether they could ultimately be sent back to Iran.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah, and that's kind of the main worry is that if they remove these folks to, you know, Central Africa, that they'll just be sent back to Iran where they were being persecuted and their lives were in danger. Just gross. All right, next up from the post for George H.W. bush's first medical checkup as president in 1989. He was seen by five specialists, the White House said at the time. His son, George W. He was seen by 12 in his first presidential checkup. And that's according to White House officials who only told us about it a dozen years later. Yeah, but President Donald Trump, he set a new bar. 22 medical specialists assessed him as part of his latest checkup. That's why it took three hours. Remember, I was like, why did it take three hours? People were like, well, maybe I had to wait for his doctors. I'm like, he's the president. You don't. He does not know waiting room. Anyway, that's according to a medical report recently released by the White House. That figure is nearly double the number of specialists who assess Trump for his past medical checkups, according to a review of publicly available statements by Trump doctors. The White House has often declined to answer specific questions about Trump's medical assessments, such as what prompted the president to undergo a second physical exam at Walter Reed last year. Presidents usually only make one annual trip unless they have an urgent condition. Nearly three months after that visit, and after initially telling reporters that he had undergone an mri, Trump and the White House clarified that the president had received a CT scan as part of his assessment. None of that is part of your normal checkup. So anyway, 22, 22 medical specialists, and they didn't tell us what kind.

[Dana Goldberg]

Transparency. The most transparent president.

[Alison Gill]

The most, the totally the most transparent.

[Dana Goldberg]

All right, there's some good news. This is from NBC. A New York judge ruled Thursday that congressional hopeful Brad Lander is not guilty of misdemeanor charges against him related to a September inspection attempt at an immigration holding facility in Manhattan. And this is a quote, I feel genuinely moved today by the rule of law, by the excellent legal counsel I had, by the thoughtful consideration by the judge, and by the simple knowledge that I could enter and leave the court safely. So at. Lander, a close political ally of Mayor Zoran Mamdani, said in a news conference after the hearing. It's so interesting that they just throw that into the story. I don't know, I feel like it's just to get people fired up. Went on to say, it's a blessing we don't always appreciate and one that is being utterly denied to our immigrant neighbors by Trump and ice. The one day bench trial took place in New York City on Wednesday. Lander was accused of unreasonably obstructing the usual use of elevator lobby of the elevator lobby at 26 Federal Plaza. Give me a fucking break. Lander, by the way, along with 75 others, including nearly a dozen other elected officials. They were all arrested at 26 Federal Plaza in downtown Manhattan as they attempted to inspect the living conditions for those being held in immigration detention in the building. The group attempted to the inspection after a New York federal judge ordered that the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement must improve the conditions for immigrants being held in the city. And I quote, all we want at 26 federal plazas for everybody facing removal proceedings by our government to have the same access to the rule of law as I had in this trial. I will keep showing up to protect our immigrant neighbors and insist that the rule of law apply to everyone. That's what Lander added. On Thursday. He denied a plea deal and requested to proceed to trial over the charges. That's what he said in November statement. Lander, the former New York City comptroller who lost his bid for mayor last year, is now hoping to represent New York's 10th congressional district in the House of Representatives. And it sounds like he'd be one hell of a representative.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah, I'm so glad he brought up that all these immigrants should have the exact same access to legal assistance that he got. Right? Like it should all be the same. Everyone should be elevated and everyone. I know this is not a sports podcast, but bear with me here because what I saw last night was amazing.

[Dana Goldberg]

Incredible.

[Alison Gill]

This is from NBC. When the New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson hit a three pointer over the outstretched arms of San Antonio spurs big man Victor Wembanyama with 2 minutes and 21 seconds left in Game 4 of the NBA Finals Wednesday, Madison Square Garden sounded Like the inside of a jet engine. That particular Brunson 3. It cut the spurs lead, which had climbed as high as 29 at one point, to only one. It cut the lead to one and the fans could sense an improbable finish. The structural integrity of section 325 was in question as the roar of the crowd caused the upper reaches of the arena to literally start rumbling. A little over two minutes later, the Knicks completed the biggest finals comeback in NBA history as OG Anunoby's one handed tip in with 1.2 seconds to go ultimately secured a 107, 106 win for New York. One of the biggest mistakes of the game, by the way, came when Fox from the San Antonio spurs when they were up by one point, he picked up the ball on the Knicks side of the floor with roughly 14 seconds to go in the game. But instead of just holding onto the ball, dribbling and getting fouled, he attempted a layup that was blocked by Anobi. And with the ball and trailing only by one after the OG block, Brunson missed a deep three pointer that Anunoby cleaned up with his right hand, hitting what New York coach Mike Brown called, quote, the most iconic shot in the history of New York basketball.

[Dana Goldberg]

I can't wait to talk more about this on the beat of Talk because there was so much I want to say, but like you said, not a sports podcast, but I've watched it a thousand times. The noise from New Yorkers in all the outdoor watch parties in New Jersey. In New Jersey. All right, make sure you turn over to. Make sure you go head over to YouTube and watch our beans talk because if you, especially if you want to hear more about our opinions and some of the things that happened.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah. And we're mixing in politics and sage, so.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yep, sage, that's always good. Now this is just funny. Okay, this is. This is from Reuters. The U.S. department of Interior said on Thursday that it's investigating what appeared to be a large tracing of of 8647 in the grounds of the National Mall in Washington, D.C. a Reuters photographer atop the Washington Monument saw the apparent marking in the grass near the World War II memorial shortly after authorities arrived at the scene. Now it shows the numbers 8, 6 and 7, but a 4, it's not clearly defined. An Interior Department spokesperson referred the incident as deranged vandalism. Any threat against the President is taken very seriously when the department of our U.S. park Police will investigate this issue incident and hold those responsible accountable. That's what the Spokesperson said probably in a different tone.

[Alison Gill]

Be great if they used Roundup, which Trump is trying to legalize.

[Dana Goldberg]

Right? Yeah, Right. It was unclear how the markings in the grass were made in areas the grass turned brown to form the shape of the numbers in contrast to the surrounding green. Maybe they did use Roundup. You want to make it legal? The US Park Police said the cause of the discoloration has not yet been determined. A spokesperson said grass samples have been collected for testing, and an investigation is ongoing.

[Alison Gill]

I hope it was like a. Like, a group of, like, corgi walkers, and it's just all dog pee. Like, they. I.

[Dana Goldberg]

That would be amazing. The other thing is. And listen, I don't approve of you ruining the grass at the National Mall, but if any of these fuckers on the other side say something about the desecration of the grass in the National Mall, I want you to look at the front lawn of the fucking people's House because there's a goddamn UFC stadium there that has destroyed so much of it.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah. And he destroyed the reflecting pool, even though it's taller than the Empire State Building, whatever that is.

[Dana Goldberg]

So much algae. So much algae.

[Alison Gill]

Oh, man. It doesn't reflect anymore. So it's.

[Dana Goldberg]

It's also not a different color.

[Alison Gill]

No, it's just black.

[Dana Goldberg]

It just.

[Alison Gill]

It just looks black. It's. It's horrible. And no bid contract, and it was supposed to cost, like, a million and a half dollars, and it ended up being, like, 18 million or something.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh, that's because we needed to fix the outs, the external structure. So it was a $20 million project. That's.

[Alison Gill]

What did you see when he's like, this is what it looked like under Biden. And it's like, okay, but what did it look like under Trump 1.0? Why? If it was so.

[Dana Goldberg]

You know, my favorite is the post that they did where they were, like, the reflecting fool under Biden or Obama, and now this one. And everyone's like, those look like the exact same clouds in the sky. How odd. Yeah.

[Alison Gill]

Oh, and you're not even done, but okay. Yeah. Somebody was like, DC Is a magical place where you can snap two photographs and have the clouds be in the exact same place. All right, everybody, we're gonna be right back with John Fugal saying, we'll follow it up with the good news and the good trouble. Stick around. We'll be right back after these messages.

[John Fegelsang]

We'll be right back.

[Alison Gill]

So, pretty much at this point, I shop for almost everything at home, and I mean everything. So the idea that I would get in the car and spend half a day or a full day wandering through a blinds store. Just doesn't fit how I live my life. I'd rather be doing literally almost anything else. Three Day Blinds they're the leading manufacturer of high quality custom window treatments in the US and there's a better way to buy blinds, shades, shutters and drapery than trying to piece it all together yourself. They've been in business for 45 years and if you go to 3dayblinds.com dailybeans, they're offering a buy one get one 50% off deal right now. And on top of that they send local, professionally trained design consultants right to your home. These are experts with an average of more than 10 years experience and they help guide you through the process in the room where the blinds or shutters or draperies are actually going to be. You also get a free no obligation quote the same day. This is how I got my shutters. I didn't know if I wanted dark wood or medium wood or walnut or light or white. They came in, showed me what it would look like in my actual home. Measuring and installing window treatments is exactly the kind of project that sounds simple until it becomes a weird nightmare. But three Day Blinds handles the design, the measuring and the installation, which is the strongest possible argument for leaving it to the professionals. Because who wants to do all that? And good blinds and shutters or draperies can really make a room. Click. I was looking through their choices and they have some really beautiful options. Plus they have smart blinds that work with Alexa which is just really cool. So if my lights can listen to me, my blinds should be able to as well. And right now you can get quality window treatments that fit your budget with three day blinds. Head to three day blinds.com dailybeans for their buy one get one 50% off deal on custom blinds, shades, shutters and draperies for a free no charge, no obligation consultation. Just head to the number three three dayblinds.com dailybeans one last time that's buy one get one 50% off when you head to 3d.a yblinds.com dailybeans so if you've been listening for a while, you know how much I love Wild Grain because it is the first baked from frozen subscription box for sourdough breads, artisanal pastries and fresh pasta and it genuinely makes life easier without lowering the bar. A lot of store bought options come with ingredient lists that are longer and stranger than they need to be, but Wild Grain uses simple ingredients you can pronounce and the slow fermentation process is amazing because it can be easier on your gut and richer in nutrients and antioxidants. Their boxes are customizable as well, so you can choose from the variety box, the gluten free box, the vegan box, or my favorite, the new protein box. And everything bakes in 25 minutes or less from frozen so you don't have to thaw anything and there's no extra hassle. This episode of Daily Beans is brought to you by Wild Grain. So check this deal out. Right now, Wild Grain is offering you $30 off your first box plus free croissants in every box when you go to wildgrain.comdailybeans to start your subscription. Or you can use promo code DailyBeans all one word at checkout. Now I keep coming back to the croissants which are incredible and the sourdough loaf. Both taste fresh, high quality, far better than store bought options and your whole house smells amazing. Wild Grain makes it easy to keep something great on for busy days and I also appreciate the simple ingredients and the slow fermentation. It's just all so perfect. So imagine having fresh bakery quality bread, pastries and pasta at home without any trips to the store. And don't take my word for it, they have over 40,000 five star reviews and they've been voted best food subscription box by USA TODAY for three years in a row. And for a limited time, Wild Grain is offering our listeners $30 off your first box plus free Croissants for Life when you head to wildgrain.com dailybeans to start your subscription today. That's $30 off your first box and free Croissants for Life when YOU visit wildgrain.com dailybeans or just use promo code dailybeans at checkout. You'll be glad you did.

[Martin Sheen]

Hello, Martin Sheen here and it seems to me that no day of the week is without its endless barrage of bad news. Even on Sunday. For God's sake, let's change that. What do you say? Together, let's make Sunday immune to bad news. Available every Sunday, Season three of the Martin Sheen Podcast with yours truly, Martin Sheen has begun. Yeah, 10 brand new episodes are already underway. So join me, Martin sheen, for a 20 minute journey as I share my personal stories, a bit of poetry and insightful reflections that will encourage you to take a deep breath and enjoy a relaxing moment. Of course, it's important to know and understand what's happening in the world, but I also believe there's nothing wrong with taking a step back to find strength and clarity. And Lord knows we need that now more than ever. A moment of thoughtfulness and calm may be rare these days, but it doesn't have to be. So what do you say? You want to take back your Sundays? So do I. And guess what? I've already done it with the Martin Sheen Podcast, season three, available now. Don't mess with my Sunday. And thank you for listening.

[Alison Gill]

Hey, everybody. Welcome back. It's Friday on the Daily Beans. That means it's Fugal Sang Fridays. Please welcome my good friend, host of Tell Me Everything on Sirius XM progress channel 127. It's weeknights, 9pm Eastern, 6 Pacific. He's the bestselling New York Times bestselling author of the New York Times bestselling book Separation of Church and Hate.

[John Fegelsang]

Indeed.

[Alison Gill]

He also has a podcast called the John Fegelsang Show Podcast. In case you miss everything on Tell Me Everything, which is everything, and we're going to talk about a lot today, please welcome Jon Figelsang.

[John Fegelsang]

It's a pleasure to be coming to you from the home of the New York Knicks fans who booed the President. Thank you very much. We are so proud of our team's fans who booed Donald Trump at the home game. And it's a great time to be a fan of the New York Knicks fans.

[Alison Gill]

I'm even prouder of the New York Knicks fans who walked around and sage wanded the entire Madison Square Garden.

[John Fegelsang]

Isn't it beautiful? To lift the curse, they were nuns throwing holy water. I mean, it's just like. And it worked. And it worked. They only lost when he was there. And it was all staged around him to make the event about him canceling the outdoor watch party because of him. And he falls asleep and he leaves early and they lose. And, and the thing about it is, why did he go? Why do you think Susie Wiles thought that would be a good idea to put him in a room with New York sports fans? The, the rumor is that the deal he worked with Dolan was they would show his face during the national anthem because he didn't think anyone would boo if the anthem was going. And they did. And I almost feel like the real propaganda goal of it all was to get that footage because the next day, right wing media, they didn't talk about how the president got booed. Right wing media was focusing on how these New York Knicks sports basketball fans booed our national anthem. So I think they managed to actually Eke out a propaganda win among the MAGA racists at the exact same time, the gas prices are the same as an Oldsmobile. So I think. I think there was positive propaganda actually for Trump by doing that because they could weaponize that against people. But the rest of the world saw it.

[Alison Gill]

Doesn't seem to be working. Yeah, doesn't seem to be working because he loves inflation. What do we get? 4.2% inflation now, highest in three years.

[John Fegelsang]

He loves the inflation. He reminds me of my grandma from Brooklyn who always put the word the in front of things. Are you going to see the Star Wars? Yeah. Are you watching the Seinfeld right now?

[Alison Gill]

Is that what you want to see? Watching the mtv?

[John Fegelsang]

I mean, inflation has never had a better publicist. Right? Like, this guy spends the entire 2024 campaign when we are blessed to be recovering from COVID in the United States, where under this old man, Joe Biden, America has the best recovery from post Covid inflation of any other capitalist nation on earth. Like. Like we are so lucky that for whatever reason, with everything Joe Biden was up against, he pulled it off. And all these countries recovering from COVID with this terrible inflation. America's doing better than all of our G7 allies.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah.

[John Fegelsang]

And no one in America ever heard that narrative because it was Donald Trump saying what record horrible inflation you people are dealing with. And the Democratic Party never got in front of the message by saying, look at the whole world. It just. Nope. Joe Biden was blamed for all this terrible inflation. This was this guy's every rally, right? Every speech, every interview. The groceries are too high. Day one, I bring the prices down. He was like, inflation stole his parking spot, you know, and now it's what, 4.2? Highest level in three years. When Biden was here was 2.9 when Biden left Pride of the world. This guy is solely responsible for this. And the entire increase is because of his stupid war. So he can't acknowledge that. He's got to try to spin it. And he had a really stupid argument. And you can tell this is a guy who's been surrounded by yes men. He pays to laugh at his jokes for 40 years. There's no one in Donald Trump's orbit who is not paid by Donald Trump.

[Alison Gill]

Trump.

[John Fegelsang]

So he gets very bad advice. I mean, his makeup artist seems to despise him. But I'm sure he thought it would be really clever to just say, I don't mind this inflation because when it comes down, it's going to be so amazing.

[Alison Gill]

Oh, right.

[John Fegelsang]

That was the entire rationale. Right. That was his whole. No, I love it. You know, not enough people are talking about how good this is. And again, he was, day one, Allison, day one, this was going to go. He talked about lowering prices like a televangelist. Right. Day one. And now it's, I love it. And the only question is, will the conservatives hear this? Will Fox News play that clip? Will Rupert choose to play that clip? Or will Fox shield their audience from what their president actually said?

[Alison Gill]

Well, John, you have to increase inflation if you want to decrease inflation. Don't you see?

[John Fegelsang]

It's really true.

[Alison Gill]

That's, you know, I mean, it makes complete sense the way that they do the math, but.

[John Fegelsang]

Well, you have to. Yeah, you have to, you have to kill a lot of people for Jesus. I learned that from Pete Hexa.

[Alison Gill]

Right, exactly. But there's a new Economist YouGov poll that Trump is now 34 points underwater on the economy. He's at just 29% approval rating, 63% disapprove. So he's at 29 at Joe Biden's lowest point. His economic approval Never fell below 39. So for everyone who's trying to say if Joe Biden was worse or the people didn't think so, I mean, it wasn't the best. 39 isn't great, but 29 is less than 39 for those in MAGA who aren't really keen on mathematics.

[John Fegelsang]

See, this is my theory. This is my theory I've had for a bit. Now we keep wondering, when's MAGA going to be done with this guy? When are these hard working, working class Joes going to realize that this billionaire with the golden toilet has sold them a Trump University diploma? Like, when are they going to realize, and we've totally missed the ball on that. I don't think the question is when are these working classes conservatives going to realize this guy's a fraud and give up on him? The question is when are the oligarchs going to be done with this guy? When are the people who own this country? You know, Donald Trump's not an oligarch. He, he, he has golf courses where, courses where oligarchs go to play. Right? He's always wanted to be one of them and he's got so much corruption now. He, he may be one of them, but these extreme wealth people who own this world, they got everything they want out of this guy. Right? They got their tax cut, they got their crypto loophole, they got their incredible deregulation. They can pollute all they want Elon Musk gets to be a trillionaire now. The people who own this world don't need this clown anymore. And I think that's perhaps one of the reasons why so many people who were in the Situation Room felt so comfortable talking to Maggie Haberman about what went down in the Situation Room. The Times would not have put out this piece about the Epstein strategy sessions unless it was extremely well sourced. And they had a lot of confidence in it. And I think you're going to start hearing a lot more Epstein noise and I think you're going to see a lot more of Susie Wiles letting Donald Trump go into situations where he's going to look really bad. I'm starting to think that they're trying to show Grandpa the door and, and give grandpa the option to close his robe and leave on his own.

[Alison Gill]

Well, Congress certainly is. They didn't vote to Pass or reauthorize FISA Section 702, mainly because of Bill Pulte issues, a vote that Mike Johnson desperately tried to cancel, but it looked like maybe a discharge petition might be coming up. They've bucked him on, by the way.

[John Fegelsang]

It worked. Bill told he's not going to do it anymore.

[Alison Gill]

Jay Clayton's no better. And I hope they continue about the Jay Clayton problem.

[John Fegelsang]

But they stood up to the bully and the bully backed down.

[Alison Gill]

And this has been going on a lot in Congress. A lot of votes have been the War Powers Resolution. Now he wants to put the SAVE act into the budget reconciliation bill. But the, but budget reconciliation for funding ICE only passed when they ripped the ballroom and the slush fund out of it. Like, that's right. It's not going well. Congress, you know, you talked about the reckoning with the oligarchs. You and I have also been talking for a very long time about the reckoning between people who still have to get elected and Donald Trump. And I'm talking about Congress. They can't run. They can't go on the campaign trail and defend a ballroom, a billion dollar ballroom or a $2 billion slush fund or Section 7 surveilling Americans when we should only be surveilling people on foreign soil through, through not reforming section 702. Bill Pulte. They're like, we can't keep going.

[John Fegelsang]

Keep going. Keep. No, no. Keep going. I want to hear more. That's like porn for the angels.

[Alison Gill]

What's interesting is they feel like they certainly want to run on giving ice another $70 billion.

[John Fegelsang]

And thank God for that. There's too Many Americans walking around above the ground right now that need to be taken down a notch. Yeah, I mean, I'm really going to miss Republican town halls, Dr. Gill, because I don't think we're going to be seeing any of them between now and November, not with this war, not with these gas prices. I mean, this is what they're going to have to do. They're going to have to alienate Man Baby and keep their jobs. They're going to have to start running against him, making him back down. We should get very used to this happening. We should get very used to our allies openly disrespecting this man. It's embarrassing for the entire world at this point. And the most curious thing is going to be to see, see how much Epstein coverage Rupert Murdoch wants on his channel. Because a lot of this is happening again because they tried to cover and this was in the Maggie Haberman story. The very fact that this story came out shows that they are leaking in high places in very large volume. And the story is astonishing. And the fact is that they knew it was coming and the entire strategy was just about protecting one man. The, the Situation Room was not used in the context of defending the United States. No, the Situation Room is used to defend one man from his own resume and his own rap sheet. It's astonishing that the fact that this even happened, but that enough of them leaked it that Dan Bongino is actually kind of the moral center of this universe. And that's why he got the first ticket out to Kristi Nome Island. I mean, and J.D. vance is in on the COVID up as well. J.D. vance was trying to have an interview between Tucker and Ghislaine Maxwell to humanize her and make the President look better. It's like they're all in on it together. And they told Maggie Haberman so, boom, they want him out. They're going to be pushing this and it's going to be a really ugly summer for Donald Trump.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah. Number one, something I talked to Epstein survivor Annie Farmer about back in November, December of last year. She even wrote a letter to the judges. This was Todd Blanche's number one sit room recommendation for covering up for Trump in the Epstein files. And it was to go to the courts in New York and Florida and ask for them to release the grand jury transcripts in the Maxwell and Epstein cases. And that was going to be. We tried to release the files and the upshot was is if they were denied, they could shift blame to the courts. And I talked about that Annie Farmer Saw it as a problem. She wrote a letter to the judges saying, don't let them do this because, you know, don't let them get away with thinking that this is the release of the Epstein files or that you're blocking the release of the Epstein files because they have all of these at the DOJ and could release them at any time. They don't have to go to the courts and get permission to do anything. But that was part of the COVID up that was agreed upon in the Situation Room. And so you've got Blanche now nominated to be Attorney General. Now you've got Jay Clayton nominated to be dni. Jay Clayton was part of the COVID up of the Biden era investigation into Epidemic Epstein co conspirators spearheaded by people like Maureen Comey.

[John Fegelsang]

Oh, yes. Who I can't wait to hear from.

[Alison Gill]

Then that whole thing was shut down. Maury. Maureen Comey was fired and they stole all the files from the Southern District of New York, took them up to the Department of Justice so that they could go through them and remove Trump's name. And now that guy is nominated for a big job. So you've got a couple of Epstein, he's giving jobs to people who help cover up the Epstein stuff.

[John Fegelsang]

Exactly right, right. Exactly right. And you know what? It's not going to work because his own people's polling tells them that their own base cares about this issue a lot and it's not going to go away for them. And I think the clearest sign of that is that they're leaking in high places. So we're going to learn a lot about the Epstein files. And the only question is going to be, will the Democrats pick up the ball when they get power and start to pursue having these names? The other wild card is we've already seen other foreign heads of state and online sources threaten to release all these names themselves. And I be surprised if that starts to happen before our government ever releases anything. But it's amazing that, you know, Trump, who spent years selling us conspiracies about government coverups, is now trapped inside an actual verified government cover up. It is the most beautiful performance art I have ever seen. And like we're supposed to believe that they're being transparent because they're discussing transparency in the one room specifically designed so no one knows what's ever discussed. Like, they went into the situation, they went into the let's kill bin Laden room to talk about how to save Donald Trump from his own libido. And if we know this information already and it's this early in the process. How much more are we going to learn over the summer? How much are they going to allow to come out? We know from this story that Trump was so furious about the birthday card bit and that was in the Wall Street Journal and that Trump tried to get Rupert to bury it and Rupert wouldn't bury it. So Trump sued him for $22 billion. And the next day Rupert released the. Pam Bondi had told Trump last May that he was in the Epstein files. Rupert Murdoch smacked him with this. They, they know they have dirt on this guy and they're going to be releasing more and more as this becomes a greater and greater embarrassment for the people who own this country.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah, for sure. And yeah, we'll be looking forward to all of that and reporting on all of that.

[John Fegelsang]

But maybe World War Three, too. I mean, there's so much to look forward to. Yeah, it's all on fire.

[Alison Gill]

Let's talk about that. Because we've got every week, week. I don't know why the corporate media falls for this. There's a threat to bomb the shit out of Iran and then there's a pullback on that threat. And then they do it again and Trump says there's great discussions going on. And then Iran says, I don't know what he's talking about. There's no discussions. So he threatens, fakes, discussions, pulls back. And he does this every week? Every single week. And then he buys the dip when the market crashes.

[John Fegelsang]

You've just answered your own question. Exactly. Exactly when we're going to be learning the depths of this corruption for a very long time after this man dies. I have to encourage all of your attractive listeners to please be very healthy folks. Break a sweat, watch the partying. Like, we want you to live a long time. Because when Donald Trump leaves the building, the stuff we're going to learn for years and years. And we need to, we need Nuremberg level trials over this. We have to scare this fascism back into its hole for another 90 years. And the fact that this stuff is coming out now, it's only going to get worse. The humiliation that this man faced over the weekend, telling the world that he calls the shots for Bibi Netanyahu. I mean, and Netanyahu, it was like Machiavelli saying, lol, called him up, begged

[Alison Gill]

him, please don't retaliate against the strikes. And then Bibi said, no, he retaliated. Then we retaliate again, we bomb Iran. And by the way, each of these Tomahawk missiles is like two and a half million dollars. And we've shot like 49 of them this weekend.

[John Fegelsang]

Oh, we lost 100 million Apache helicopter to a $20,000 drone. It's less of the cost of an SUV took down in a.

[Alison Gill]

Right. Then Marco Rubio gets up and says, these were defensive strikes against Iran. If you're. You're aiming at the wrong country, you're aiming at the wrong guy, my friends. If these are defensive shots because he talks like he's got Bibi Netanyahu on a leash and it's the other way around. How many times did we talk way back in the Russia investigation day, how devastatingly dangerous it would be to have a man who is corruptible and compromised in the White House. And here we are seeing the results of that. He is compromised and corruptible. And that is why Bibi Netanyahu can lead him around by the fucking nose.

[John Fegelsang]

I mean, literally, his exact words were, netanyahu will have no choice but to accept an Iran deal. I call the shots. I call all the shots. Bibi does not.

[Alison Gill]

Not.

[John Fegelsang]

He's like. He's like the guy saying, I'm the alpha male in this relationship while. While your spouse is, you know, changing all the passwords. So he told the reporters, I'm going to call Netanyahu and tell him not to retaliate, not ask, right? Not request. I'm going to tell him I called the shots. An hour later, an hour later, Netanyahu makes sure the world knows that Trump called him, and then he bombs him. And Trump's like, now Trump's like, israel and Iran must immediately stop.

[Alison Gill]

She.

[John Fegelsang]

He's like the. He's like the substitute teacher say, guys, stop.

[Alison Gill]

Stop fighting, please.

[John Fegelsang]

And it's all just. Just to make him grovel. I mean, Netanyahu is dog walking him like, Putin in Helsinki this week. And back here, you've just got Hegseth just saying, if we need to negotiate with bombs, we'll negotiate with bombs.

[Alison Gill]

Ooh.

[John Fegelsang]

Ooh, man, I mean, I can't wait to see how they crush Pete Hag Seth. But, yeah, this is. This is getting uglier. And the oligarchs don't need this. Nobody wants this. Trump got suckered into this. Bad for the oligarchs.

[Alison Gill]

High oil prices are bad for the

[John Fegelsang]

oligarchs for some of them.

[Alison Gill]

I mean, unless you're in the oil industry, right? But then you, you. But then you don't get to gouge as much. It's cutting into your gouge.

[John Fegelsang]

Exactly. And you know, my biggest problem with the word inflation is that it, it's actually pronounced price gouging. It, it actually should be pronounced corporate greed. But we call it inflation. It's a ch. Inflation's a choice. Okay. During hard times of people who are, who have money and, and it's getting tight. It's food, medicine, rent picked too. And these gas prices are not going to be going down before November. So what are these Republicans going to do? How much are they going to be willing to cut this guy loose? Or at least how tastefully are they going to want to stand away from him, to hope that they can still somehow survive?

[Dana Goldberg]

That's why they voted on a pretty

[Alison Gill]

much useless war powers resolution. So they can go on the campaign trail and say, I voted against this war, but we're not going to do anything about holding him to it. But I totally put my name down that I'm not about to.

[John Fegelsang]

It.

[Alison Gill]

You know, that's, that's what it's going to look like.

[John Fegelsang]

I mean, what was it like for them? Yeah, but I mean, it's, it's. They can brag. They can brag about that. I'm sure Thomas Massey will brag about that the rest of his life.

[Alison Gill]

He's not right.

[John Fegelsang]

And that might help them save their jobs. And symbolically, it did matter, though. Symbolism some days is all we have.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah.

[John Fegelsang]

So, you know, the, the fact that enough of them stood up against this guy to do that, even if it doesn't carry, even if it doesn't lead to anything, they. They did it. It's on the record. The more they stand up to the bully, the more the bully backs down. This guy is a coward. He's a little. And we keep proven over and over again there's only so many black women he could insult. I mean, he's unraveling and everyone knows it. And the most fun part is watching every day how much Fox News allows their viewers to know what's going on. Like, how much Kill me will be allowed to say today about what's actually happening. That's the fascinating part. And that tells me that they're willing to cut this guy loose. Seriously. And take their chances with dating, start

[Alison Gill]

opening up even more. It's kind of been a slow, slow drip, but I think it's going to be.

[John Fegelsang]

But think about it. It's going to be like karma. It's going to. For folks who've been, like, enduring this for 10 years, it's. He's still going to hurt a lot of people, but it's going to start being like porn.

[Alison Gill]

It's going to be like a 29 comeback fall apart. It's what it's going to be.

[John Fegelsang]

He's going to be melting. It's, oh, did you see him, did you see him stand up to walk out on Chris? KRISTEN Welker, did you see the part where he stands up from the chair? They should play the Chariots of Fire theme. Well, during that, when he, when he get, and he has to steady himself on the woman he's insulting, just called darling. And then he waddles off like the Penguin quitting the Gotham Crime Syndicate meeting below Gotham going, I mean, the visuals themselves, he can't stop it anymore. He's fallen apart. And watching this movement try to keep propping this king up, we got to stop and smell the train wreck because it's, it's going on and people are still going to get hurt. But this is the time for Democrats to organize. This is the time for people to start inspiring and, you know, it's theirs to bloom.

[Alison Gill]

Agreed. Thank you, my friend. It's always wonderful to talk to you. If you want more of John Fugalang, which you all should, all the time, you can listen to Tell me everything. It's on SiriusXM progress channel, 127 weeknights, 9pm Eastern, 6 Pacific. You can also get the audiobook version of the New York Times best selling Separation of Church and Hate if you'd like. You can also buy a bunch of copies from your local independent bookstore, stick them around in your little free library. It's a really, really good book and I'm looking forward to the second one. Thank you so much for joining me today, friend.

[John Fegelsang]

Thank you so much, Alison. I also want to say that I have a piece in the new issue of the nation for America's 250th birthday. And I'm proud to be joining people like Jane Fonder and Reverend Barbara and Amy Goodman. I wrote a piece about the Founding Fathers and the Bible and so pick up the new copy of the Nation and support more independent journalism. And thank you so much, Dr. Gill, and thanks to your turn.

[Alison Gill]

Looking forward to reading that, my friend. Everybody, thank you so much. Stick around. We'll be right back with the good news.

[Martin Sheen]

Hello, Martin Sheen here. And it seems to me that no day of the week is without its endless barrage of bad news, even on Sunday. For God's sake, let's change that. What do you say together, let's make Sunday immune to bad news. Available now every Sunday, season three of the Martin Sheen Podcast with yours truly. Martin Sheen has begun yes, 10 brand new episodes are already underway. So join me, Martin sheen, for a 20 minute journey as I share my personal stories, a bit of poetry and insightful reflections that will encourage you to take a deep breath and enjoy a relaxing moment. Of course, it's important to know and understand what's happening in the world, but I also believe there's nothing wrong with taking a step back to find strength and clarity. And Lord knows we need that now more than ever. A moment of thoughtfulness and calm may be rare these days, but it doesn't have to be. So what do you say? You want to take back your Sundays? So do I. And guess what? I've already done it with the Martin Sheen Podcast, Season three, available now. Don't mess with my Sunday and thank

[Alison Gill]

you for listening, everybody. Welcome back. It's time for the good news, everyone.

[John Fegelsang]

Then good news, everyone.

[Alison Gill]

Good news, good news. And if you have any good news, any little thing at all, it can be small. It can be big. It can be from yesterday. It can be from 40 years ago. It doesn't matter. We need to smile. Let us know what your good news is. Maybe it's a story that you like to tell when you're sitting around hanging out with friends. Maybe you have a good trouble recommendation or a shout out to like a loved one or yourself or a nonprofit. You want us to know about anything at all? Send it to us dailybeanspod.com click on Contact and all you got to do is attach a photo. It can be your pet. We can try to guess the breeds in your shelter. Pup or cat or horse or cow or turtle or whatever. It can be a random animal on the Internet. Just send me a secretary bird picture. Or send Dana some otters. It really doesn't matter. You got some goats. Goats. You got some chickens? We want goats. We want to see it. Send them all to us. And you can also include family photos or photos of protests or, you know, some of those overpass protest signs that we see a lot in that resistance group. Love them. Send it all to us dailybeanspod.com click on contact. First up, here's your good trouble. Good trouble today comes from me. The U.S. postal Service has proposed a new rule that will allow it to refuse to deliver mail in ballot ballots to states that don't turn over their voter rolls to Donald Trump. Comments must be received on or before July 7, 2026. You can mail or deliver written comments to Director Product Classification, U.S. postal Service. It's 475 Lenfant Plaza, Southwest Le Enfant. Is that how you say it? Room 4446. We're gonna have all this in the show notes, but you can also email the guy PC federalregistersps.gov with a subject line of ballot mail. You can't fax in your comments. So sorry. For those of you who have all your fax machines, you can also call a fella named Dale Kennedy and tell him what you think about this. 202-268-6592. We'll have a link to the proposed rule and how to comment in the episode Show Notes. So also rest in peace. Dale Kennedy's inbox. Thank you all so much. And another good trouble. Three weekend reminders for you. Public comments closed June 13th on the politicizing of the US scientific grant money. Remember that we have a link to that June 13th recently out as trans Noah Caldwell Gervais's 12 hour Elden Ring livestream benefiting the Kawaguchi O' Connor initiative. That's a charity that helps relocate trans folks from red states to safe states and Cities. And then Sunday, June 14th, Town Hall, New York City, a concert for the First Amendment and evening to build community. And that's RiseUpSingout.com or you can get [e-mail] so that's a bunch of good trouble for your weekend.

[Dana Goldberg]

Sure is. Thanks Ag. This is from an anonymous person. No pronouns given. Good morning Beans. You and my coffee are what wake me up on my way to work every day. So thanks for all you report and for all you label with appropriate fury. I've been spending my time lately keeping up with the attending demonstra demonstrations at Delaney hall these past few weeks and I want to reiterate that the violence I have seen there is primarily state sponsored on unarmed protesters. Last week the Newark police initiated a ban on masks and on bags, limiting access to protective gear, while denying the visible fact that ICE and GEO employees use bare mace and tear gas bullets on the crowd regularly. At this point the police have the street cordoned off, but leave DH to its own defense. So even though the facility is already behind razor wire, they have put up concrete barricades and more fencing. Last weekend they actually stationed a guard outside behind the layers of fencing who catcalled female protesters from the shadows.

[Alison Gill]

Oh gross, gross.

[Dana Goldberg]

For my POD pet tags I'm attaching pics of my two ridiculous piggy puttige pups. Piggy Pups. After a long day protesting Chimera and Silly Skyla. Skyla.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah, maybe Sila Skyla and Chimera oh, look it.

[Dana Goldberg]

So cute.

[Alison Gill]

Look at the piggy paw.

[Dana Goldberg]

I know.

[Alison Gill]

God, I can hear them.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah, I know, with their little snorties.

[Alison Gill]

Oh, my goodness. Thank you so much for going to those protests. Seriously. Anonymous appreciated you. Next up, from Deborah Pronoun. She and her Good morning, queens of the Beans. Love your podcast. I apologize in advance that this is going to be long, but this is Pride Month, and I want to shout out my daughter, my son, and myself. My son came out as gay a senior year of high school. Our family was very supportive, but as you know, not everyone is. I joined pflag, which is Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, to connect with other families. My shout out to myself is that I stayed involved in PFLAG and became the chapter president, welcoming families for years. I went on to start another chapter in another city. That chapter has grown to support both families and LGBTQ children. Shout out to my daughter. She worked in a courthouse when it became legal for gays to marry, although at the time, she didn't work in the department that signed marriage licenses. She had in the past, and she talked with people that worked in that department, giving them the talk about being respectful even if they didn't agree with the law, and volunteered to be available that first day to sign licenses for gay couples. She signed licenses for the first two guys wanting a license. They were so excited because she was so welcoming of them, and they wanted their picture taken with her. I worked for 25 years at the College of William and Mary in the School of Education, where we turned out elementary, secondary, and school counseling students. I made myself available to speak in classes to these students about their having gay students in their classrooms. My son joined me many times so that students could get both our perspectives about what to expect when they had their own classroom. My son called it our Gay on Display Day. I think we helped a lot of young people, and I'm including a picture of my chickens if you want to guess their breeds. The black and white ones are blank. The two others are blank that lay green eggs. Okay, so I'm going to call them. How about Minnesota Reds and I don't know. I don't know what the beautiful. The black with the whites and Oreo cookies and cream.

[Dana Goldberg]

Cookies and cream.

[Alison Gill]

But like Cincinnati cookies and cream, they have checkerboard chickens.

[Dana Goldberg]

Chickenboard chickens.

[Alison Gill]

All right. Black and white ones are barred rocks. Yeah, I would have never gotten that. And the other two are called Easter eggers.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh, they lay green eggs.

[Alison Gill]

Oh, my gosh.

[Dana Goldberg]

That's kind of fun.

[Alison Gill]

Well, Now I want Easter eggers.

[Dana Goldberg]

I know. Seriously. All right, thanks so much. This is from John. H. Pronouns he and him. Thanks so much for all the amazing, endless, fantastic work. And Allison needs to do an entire show on Jeanine Pirro. You really do. Anyway, I went to see the amazing E. Jean Carol documentary. We'll have a link to that in the show notes yesterday, and it's fantastic. Everyone should go see it, especially since the Oligarch Run distributor streamers are afraid of it. I knew Eugene was brave, but I had no idea what a fucking gonzo badass she is. Also, my friends Joe and Paige did the title song for the movie. Oh, I shot the song's cover photo. John, this is so cool. We're gonna have a link to all that. There's a YouTube video of it. And P.S. i'm attaching a picture of popsicle Kitty. She's an Instagram too.

[Alison Gill]

Look at the tuxedo, baby girl. Looks like you're trying to pack there. And you've got some. A little bit of protest from the cat. That happens, John. That's so cool. So askagingfilm.com is where you can see it. We'll have links in the show notes, everybody. Definitely check it out. Get those numbers up. Since like he said, right. The billionaire streamers aren't really happy about it. All right, next up, anonymous pronoun. She and her long time, first time. Thanks for helping us stay informed. Yet still functional in these crazy times. For the good news shoutouts category, I'd like to share a parody song with lyrics written by a brilliant friend of mine from high school and performed by the inimitable Sandy and Richard Riccardi. Please enjoy. We'll have it in the show notes. Wars on, wars off. Pod pet tax is Theo the love bug Bug Hint about his breed. It was developed in the 70s and 80s in the United States. The original breeder kept the ingredients secret, though the accepted best guesses are listed below. So we have that under the black box there. Art blank are taller with heavier bone structure. Don't have a sloping back. Come in a variety of coats and color patterns, though always with the black nose and have a more gentle temperament. Okay, maybe some kind of German Shepherd. Looks like a shepherd offshoot, right? Because it says heavier bone structure and the sloping back. So I actually had a coated German shepherd dog. But let's see. Let's see what we got here. Shiloh shepherd dog. Different from German Shepherds. Okay. Look how beautiful. I love the colorations too.

[Dana Goldberg]

Me too.

[Alison Gill]

Amazing. Thank you so much for that.

[Dana Goldberg]

All right, next up from Noah. Like the ark pronoun she and her. Can I just tell you how much I love the name Noah?

[Alison Gill]

Noah.

[Dana Goldberg]

For someone whose pronouns are she and her. Just wanted to say that. Love them. Hi Beans, Queens. I just wanted to do a self shout out along with a few local shout outs. This is my third pride being out and I am pushing myself to be more and more visible, local, excuse me, vocal and integrated in community. So also local. I came out after having my first son when I realized that I was not only audhd. What is a u D h d Teach me.

[Alison Gill]

I think. I think it's autistic.

[Dana Goldberg]

Okay, thank you. Oh, if I would just keep reading. A fun blend of both autism and adhd. Thank you very much. But also pan romantic and demisexual. I fall in love with love just about everyone but my heart and my body. They only belong to my wonderful straight ally of a husband and my best friend, Noah. What a great sentence. This week, with the support of my little family, I attended a local craft night hosted by an LGBTQIA inclusive therapy office. Weird and well, counseling. Yeah, it was all centered on gaining support for a new nonprofit in the city, Conway Pride Community, and to raise funds for their scholarships for LGBTQIA. Plus students. With my autism and my anxiety plus a fussy 5 month old, we didn't stay long. But I am proud of my baby steps to put myself out there and make connections. We have plans to do more pride month like finally attend our first pride parade as a family. So here it is, keeping those baby steps moving forward. Amen to that. I miss taking photos at craft nights. So here's a photo of my little framily. Just. Just family. No r Dana, but my little family at our local art walk that we just love that showcases new music acts, local artists, small businesses and more. We might be in a red as they come state, but our little blue oasis feels like home. Thanks as always for being the one place I turn to for news and a trusted voice for my 5 month old to fall asleep to. Who is rocking his rainbow. Rainbow onesie. And the other picture here are links to the locals I mentioned. Look at that smile and look at that baby.

[Alison Gill]

Oh, rainbow onesie. Look at that face. I know.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh my God, the baby and the drool. I love it.

[Alison Gill]

Sweet baby. Look at the chunky. I want to eat the feets. I want to eat them. Oh, they're so cute. Oh, thank you so much for that, Noah. Love this podcast post. All right, next up from Sarah. She and her. Hi Allison and Dana. You two are such badass bright lights in the darkness of our current administration and I cannot adequately express my appreciation for all the goodness and humor you gift us with every day. Thank you Sarah. My attached POD pet tariff and sneaky shameless plug is a photo of my son's dog Saber who just celebrated his one year anniversary of being cancer free. This is his graduation from cancer treatment. Photo taken last year. Year Sabre was trained as a type 1 diabetic service dog and several years ago was placed with our then 11 year old diabetic son from an incredible organization called the National Institute of Canine Service Dog Training. Nicst. This sweet boy has been an extraordinary comfort and support to our son over the years when he was experiencing scary or painful diabetes side effects and we can't fully express our gratitude for his cancer survival and his presence in our family family NICST also trains service dogs for first responders suffering from ptsd, individuals with various mental and physical conditions, and runs a prison program where volunteer inmates raise and train the puppies to eventually be placed with clients. As a nonprofit, NICST provides these beautiful companions to clients free of charge. Check out ourdogs savelives.org look at this graduation pup.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh my God.

[Alison Gill]

Oh the with the lap.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh look at the. Oh come on. So amazing.

[Alison Gill]

Incredible. Thank you for this everybody. Make sure to check out nicst. Support them if you can.

[Dana Goldberg]

All right, next up sounds like anonymous pronoun she and her but it says not really a hippie after all. We were married a few days ago. You mentioned that there was good News dating from June 12th of 1966. The announcement of the loving decision by the Supreme Court. I didn't notice the news that day because I was busy getting married. It warms my heart now to know that the double significance attached to the date. Oh how cool. I know we had a planned Quaker ceremony, although ceremony is stretching it in a Philadelphia suburb meeting house. It was all very 1960s. I wore a dress that I had made myself and carried flowers that I had gathered from a nearby map. Classical music played on a record player and I thought the wine punch was strawberries. And it was elegant. The next day we jumped into our overloaded and underpowered VW bus that head west to exotic California. It was the start of a 54 year marriage that brought us to New Mexico over 50 years ago. God, this is such a good visual. I wish I could tell you all in wonderful things about my husband who passed. He passed on in 2023 but I'll just Say that after years as a father, teacher, actor, cartoonist and woodworker, he found the perfect spot, the morning drive DJ for a classical music radio station. His show was called A Joyful Noise. He meant a lot to many people and everything to our son and me. Knowing the broader significance of June 12, 1967 and its designation as Loving Day brings good memories and a joy in the thought that many other people also found happiness that day. Thank you for that, poppet. Tax is my sweet little blank, which looks like a cocker spaniel, but maybe a mix. She's been called blank and several other things. I have no idea. And I would love her. I would love to hear your guesses. So I think that looks like a cocker spaniel and. But I don't know. And maybe a wiener dog.

[Alison Gill]

It looks like a Muppet to me. This looks like a Jim Muppet, but definitely cocker spaniel, but I don't know. I don't know. Let's see. Sweet little dog, cocker and question mark. She's been called a miniature golden or a miniature afghan and several other things. Okay, well, she's adorable.

[Dana Goldberg]

She's so. She looks like a long haired dachshund and a cocker spaniel. Next.

[Alison Gill]

What a great, great story when you heard June 12, 1967 and thought, hey, that's the day I got married. Amazing. I love that. Great visuals too. Like you said, Dana. Thank you all so much for sending your good news. I think that'll get us through the weekend. You got plenty of good trouble to keep you busy if you need.

[Dana Goldberg]

They'll sure do.

[Alison Gill]

Be a game five on Saturday if

[Dana Goldberg]

you're interested in what the Knicks are doing.

[Alison Gill]

We're going to go talk about them more over on Beans Talk. Did you have any final thoughts, my friend?

[Dana Goldberg]

No final thoughts for today.

[Alison Gill]

All right, everybody, we'll see you later. Have a great weekend. I'm going to be doing a very big show for the Midas touch on the breakdown Sunday at noon. So look for that. Unjustified will be coming out Sunday and we'll be back in your ears Monday. 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.

[Dana Goldberg]

I've been dg.

[Alison Gill]

And them's the Beans. The Daily Beans is written and executive produced by Alison Gill with additional research and reporting by Dana Graham 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. It's no surprise that newsmakers try to manipulate the audience.

[John Fegelsang]

They want you to believe that they

[Alison Gill]

are the one holding the line and they'll use any trick they can to get you there. But don't let them fool you.

[Dana Goldberg]

Get Unspun I'm Amanda Sturgel. I've been a reporter and today I teach future reporters to cut the spin and think critically about what newsmakers say. My podcast, unspun shows you how to

[John Fegelsang]

know when you're being manipulated by the

[Dana Goldberg]

news, learn to spot the tricks, and how to make up your own mind about what's true.

[John Fegelsang]

So if you're tired of being fooled

[Dana Goldberg]

by the news, subscribe to UNSPUN today. Unspun because you deserve the truth.