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The Daily Beans
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Friday, January 23rd, 2026 Today, fireworks in the committee room as Jack Smith testified publicly for the first time; a magistrate judge refused to sign off on charges brought against Don Lemon and 7 others for entering a church; a Chicago man has been acquitted of a murder for hire plot to kill Greg Bovino; ICE detained a five year old Minnesota boy and then used him as bait; a judge rules for Democrats in a case to redraw a New York district; a private autopsy of Renée Good confirms that the shot that likely killed her came from the side of the car and not the front; a navy admiral removed by Kegseth is running for Congress; and Allison and Dana deliver your Good News.
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- [00:02]
Amanda Sturgel
It's no surprise that newsmakers try to manipulate the audience. They want you to believe that they 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. 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 know when you're being manipulated by the news. Learn to spot the tricks, and how to make up your own mind about what's true. So if you're tired of being fooled by the news, subscribe to Unspun today. Unspun. Because you deserve the truth.
- [00:40]
Allison Gill
MSW Media.
- [00:48]
Dana Goldberg
News.
- [00:50]
Allison Gill
We're swearing daily beans. Daily beans. Daily beans.
- [00:59]
Dana Goldberg
Daily beans.
- [01:04]
Allison Gill
Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Friday, January 23, 2026. Today, fireworks in the committee room as Jack Smith testifies publicly for the first time. A magistrate judge has refused to sign off on charges brought against Don Lemon and seven others for entering a church. A Chicago man has been acquitted of a murder for hire plot to kill Greg Bovino. ICE detained a five year old Minnesota boy and then used him as bait. A judge has ruled four Democrats in a case to redraw a New York district. A private autopsy of Renee Goode confirms that the shot that likely killed her came from the side of the car and not the front. And a Navy admiral removed by Kegseth is running for Congress. I'm Alison Gill.
- [01:46]
Dana Goldberg
And I'm Dana Goldberg. Hey, Dana.
- [01:51]
Allison Gill
We made it through this week. I didn't know that we were going to do it, but we did it.
- [01:54]
Dana Goldberg
I mean, my goodness, we have such. I mean, there's so many good things. Recovering Jack Smith's testimony. Yep. That's about covers it.
- [02:03]
Allison Gill
Yeah. We have one good thing that's Fugal saying Friday here on the Bean. So we'll talk to John Fugle sang later. Another good thing. Late last night after you and I did the show on that crazy whistleblower report that DHS is training ICE people to not have a warrant to come into our houses? And you remember how the memo said that we looked at the Constitution and our office of General Counsel determined that we don't need warrants to go into your houses.
- [02:30]
Dana Goldberg
Mm.
- [02:31]
Allison Gill
I filed a FOIA request for that DHS legal opinion. Yeah. So we did that late at night. My lawyer, Kel McClanahan over at National Security counselors again. If you want to help them out, you can go to nationalsecurity counselors.org donate they're doing this pro bono whenever, whenever. This is my, my third, my third FOIA request that they've helped me file. So I want to get that legal opinion and see what the it says justifying not having to have a judicial warrant. Now there's some great guesses out there by really good Fourth Amendment scholars. One of them is named Orin Kerr and you can find his article about what he thinks. DHS Office of General Counsel probably said what their argument might be. But as an expert he says it's probably illegal unconstitutional what DHS is doing. But you can find that at Lawfare. Oren Kerr K E R R A piece at Lawfare if you want to get in really into the weeds about which Supreme Court cases and dissents might have given DHS the idea that they can do this. Also, the DHS spending bill has passed the House. We figured it would pass the House because the Republicans have a majority in the House that seven Democrats voted yes on this piece of shit. They include Henry Cuellar of Texas, Jared golden of Maine, Laura Gillen of New York, Marie Glusenkamp Perez of Washington State, Don Davis of North Carolina, Tom Suozzi of New York and Vincente Gonzalez, Texas. Those are all the basically the Republicans that are part of the Democratic Party. So they all voted yes on this thing. It passed 220 to 207. I hope all Democrats in the Senate vote no. Dana, they need 60 votes in the Senate to pass this thing.
- [04:10]
Dana Goldberg
Yeah.
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Allison Gill
So Republicans could do it by themselves in the House. I don't know why Democrats voted for it because they're jerks I guess. But they need 60 in the Senate. So I hope get on the phones, flood their phones. Say don't tell your senators. Democratic senators do not vote for this DHH spending bill. But also remember if they don't, ICE is still going to be funded regardless. We've talked about this. ICE is funded by that $75 million slush fund. Billion dollar slush fund from the big ugly bill that no Democrats voted for.
- [04:40]
Dana Goldberg
Thank goodness man. That would be Talk about phone calls. Just another quick hit before we get to the hot notes. A Chicago man charged with a murder for higher plot against Greg Bevino because he sent a Snapchat with a pick of a vino and a $10,000 with a gun and an LOL has been.
- [04:59]
Allison Gill
Acquitted by a jury. He said he sent a snapchat to his brother who by the way is not able bodied. Oh my goodness and said a picture of Bovito $10,000. 2000 for info and a gun and. LOL. And they charged him with murder for hire for that.
- [05:23]
Dana Goldberg
Wow. The verdict, by the way, marks obvious blow both for the federal prosecutors and the Trump administration, which has touted the allegations as a sign of the dangers facing federal immigration agents conducting expanded enforcement operations across the country. Imagined.
- [05:40]
Allison Gill
Imagined dangers. All imagined or created by them fucking selves. Not like the danger that Renee Goode faced when she got shot in the head. Excuse my. I'm getting a little angry here, but Jesus Christ. Oh, we're so.
- [05:55]
Dana Goldberg
We.
- [05:56]
Allison Gill
We walk around in our little boots and our little hats and our little masks and we throw tear gas at peaceful people and we're in danger. We're in danger. Go the home and you'll be safe.
- [06:07]
Dana Goldberg
There you go. You don't need to be there. Definitely not Minneapolis, because you're not there.
- [06:11]
Allison Gill
For the right reasons and they aren't in danger. An inflatable frog is not going to hire someone to kill you for $10,000, Bovino. I'm sorry. It's not going to happen. And something else they did in that case, Dana, that I just want to mention. They claimed, the prosecutors claimed that this guy was in the Latin King's gang. And then they had to walk that back because it was bullshit. So this Chicago. This was part of Operation Midway Blitz. That the Chicago jury was like. They took less than three hours. They took the same amount of time to acquit him as they acquitted Sandwich Guy. They were like, this is. Wow, a murder plot for hire. You all right? We've got a lot of news to get to. Let's hit that. Notes, hot notes. All right, first up, Jack Smith testified before the January 6th committee. No, he testified before. He testified before the House Committee, Judiciary Committee. Jim Jordan is the chair of that committee. And Same old story, Dana. Republicans only cared about. And all they talked about was their toll records being subpoenaed. Right. For their phone records.
- [07:14]
Dana Goldberg
Guts.
- [07:15]
Allison Gill
And totally legally, by the way, with a warrant signed by a judge without acknowledging the fact that this administration has okayed searches in your house without a proper warrant. I wish a Democrat would have brought that up on the panel, but they didn't. But mostly what happened today was Republicans learned from the first Jack Smith testimony that it's best to not let him speak. So they just gish galloped all over him with conspiracy theories and wouldn't let him. Kept cutting him off. Nothing really new came from this testimony. We'll go over some key moments later. We've got some Video clips on the Beans Talk podcast. We'll have a link to that in the show notes. But there were a few dust ups in the room. First of all, Ivan Raklin, who's like the self proclaimed MAGA retribution officer or whatever, he had like the list of all the people that Trump should go after. He's at like every hearing, every hearing I've been to, every court case I've been to, he's there like, he's everywhere. And he's been threatening Mike Fanon's daughters with rape.
- [08:21]
Dana Goldberg
Son of a bitch.
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Allison Gill
Threatening them with rape. So today, according to Harry Dunn, and we went over this on the bonus episode for clean up on aisle 45, that comes out because Harry Dunn was there with Sergeant Gannell, Dan Harris.
- [08:32]
Dana Goldberg
Harry Dunn walked in and made sure that that didn't go to blows. Harry Dunn, our gentle giant, was.
- [08:37]
Allison Gill
Nope, nope, nope. Let's go sit down and have some goldfish crackers in the green room. What is it called in the house? The Green room for the house, Whatever it's called. Yeah, it's a little snack area. You can have some juice. Shelby, have your juice. And. But basically, Raan was like, oh, hey, buddy, how's it going? He's like, and. And Fanon's like, don't talk to me like, we aren't mortal enemies. You. And he's like, why are you always so hostile? Why do you have Tourette's? And he's like, just go yourself. And that's when Harry stepped in and had kind of walk them away. And then Fanon later, when Troy Nels, who cowered in the chamber when the mob was attacking the Capitol and tweeted out, thank God for our police. Our Capitol police protected us from this angry mob or whatever. That guy was blaming not Donald Trump for the insurrection, but that the officers weren't prepared. And you could hear Fanon do a go fuck yourself, cop. Yep. And it's so good. And I text. I'm texting with Harry while he's there during this whole hearing.
- [09:39]
John Fugelsang
Right.
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Allison Gill
I'm like, by the way, we all heard that at home. And he tells Fanon. Fanon's like, good.
- [09:46]
Dana Goldberg
Oh, that's fantastic.
- [09:48]
Allison Gill
Yeah, it was like weird live interactive television being able to text Harry back and forth on that. Now, Smith made sure to say that when he dismissed the cases against Trump, that he dismissed them without prejudice, meaning charges could be brought again. Again, it's a long, long shot, but he made a point of saying it, and I appreciate that because we don't know whether the statute of limitations can be told for sitting presidents because of that OLC memo that bars DOJ from prosecuting a sitting president, something Smith pointed out explicitly in court filings. So whenever he said he dismissed the cases, he made sure to say he made a point of saying without prejudice, as if to say, please make me attorney general in 2029.
- [10:28]
Dana Goldberg
Yeah, and we're going to cover some more and more of that in depth in the Beans talk. So join us over there after you're done listening to this next the Guardian UMA Immigration and Customs Enforcement, otherwise known as ice, detained a five year old Minnesota boy on Tuesday as he returned home from school and transported him and his father to a Texas detention center, according to school officials.
- [10:48]
Allison Gill
Did you see the photo the kid has like the little spider man backpack?
- [10:52]
Dana Goldberg
Yes, he's so sweet face. His sweet sweet face. Liam Ramos is a preschooler and his father. They were taken into custody while in their driveway. This is what the superintendent of the school district in Columbia Heights said. And that by the way, is in a Minneapolis suburb. Now Liam, who had recently turned five years old, is one of four children in the school district who have been detained by federal immigration agents during the Trump administration's I know enforcement surge in the region over the last two weeks. Now Liam and his father had just arrived home when they were detained, according to Zena Stenvic, the superintendent, who said she drove to the home when she learned of the detentions. When she arrived, Stenvik said the father's car was still running and the father and son had already been apprehended. An agent had taken Liam out of the car, led the boy to his front door and directed him to knock on the door asking to be let in. They used him as a fucking pawn in order to see if anyone else was home, essentially using that five year old as bait. This is what the superintendent said. Semic said another adult living in the home was outside during the encounter and had pleaded to take care of Liam so that the boy could avoid detention, but was denied. Liam's older brother, a middle schooler, came home 20 minutes later to find his father and brother gone. Now two school principals from the district also arrived at the home to offer support. School officials released two photos of the encounter. One showed Liam in a blue knit hat outside his front door with a masked agent by his side and another showing Liam standing by a car with a man holding onto to his backpack. And they quote, why detain a 5 year old? You cannot tell me that this child is going to be classified As a violent criminal. This is Stenvic now, Trisha. I lie through my teeth. McLaughlin, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary said in a statement on Wednesday that ICE was conducting a targeted operation to arrest Liam's father, who she called an illegal alien. We do not use that term. They do. ICE did not target a child, she said. Laughlin also alleged the father fled on foot, abandoning his child. For the child's safety, one of our ICE officers remained with the child while the other officers apprehended the father. Also On Tuesday, a 17 year old Columbia Heights student was taken by armed and masked agents without parents present. This is again from Stenbeck. That student was removed from their car, which we've already talked about. They're not allowed to do that. In another case on 14th of January, ICE agents pushed their way into an apartment, detained a 17 year old high school girl and her mother. In a fourth case on January 6, the 10 year old fourth grade student was allegedly taken by ICE on her way to elementary school with her mom. The superintendent said the 10 year old called her father during the arrest and said the ICE agents would bring her to school. But when the father arrived at the school, he discovered both his daughter and wife had been taken. By the end of that day, the mother and daughter were also in detention center in Texas. Oh, my God. Yeah, it's just.
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Allison Gill
And did you see Bovino was doing a press conference, you know, in between dodging murder for hire plots on Snapchat.
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Dana Goldberg
Yeah.
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Allison Gill
And he was asked, why would you detain a 5 year old? He's like, we'll do anything for the safety of the community or something like.
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Dana Goldberg
He also avoided every question.
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Allison Gill
Yeah, he's a little face. I hate that guy. All right, next up from the Times, Renee Good, the 37 year old woman murdered by ICE officer Jonathan Ross. Jonathan Ross. Jonathan Ross. I'm gonna say Jonathan Ross was shot at least three times, sustaining wounds to her head, arm and breast. A preliminary private autopsy found. Preliminary results of the autopsy were described by the lawyers for Ms. Good's family on Wednesday. This is the law firm that represented George Floyd that they have now hired. The lawyer's firm declined to release the full autopsy. Two of the gunshot wounds were not immediately life threatening. Let me read that again. Two of the gunshot wounds were not immediately life threatening. One bullet struck Ms. Good on her left forearm. Another bullet entered her body in the right breast, but did not penetrate any major organs. The third bullet struck her perpendicular on the left side of the head near her temple and it exited on the right side. Goode also suffered a graze wound consistent with a firearm injury, but with no penetration. The kill shot that shot to her head, that was the thing from the.
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Dana Goldberg
Side after he had already moved himself out of danger in any way of the car.
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Allison Gill
Yeah, he wasn't in danger in the first place, but he was fully on the side perpendicularly shooting into that window. The other wounds were not life threatening. Results of an official autopsy conducted by The Hennepin County ME Medical Examiner's offices have yet to be released. Ms. Good, a U.S. citizen was fatally shot by ICE, as we know, on January 7th while she was driving her SUV. Her death touched off intense protests in Minneapolis. They were peaceful protests made intense by ice. I'd like to clear clarify that. With demonstrators clashing with federal agents, I should say federal agents clashing with demonstrators. Federal officials have defended the agent's actions, saying it was self defense, while state and local officials have disputed that account and called for the Trump administration to stop its immigration crackdown. Antonio Romanucci, that's the lead lawyer for the Good family, said that his firm, Romanucci and Blandon, would continue to gather evidence. Okay. In this death. The firm said last week that it and another law firm were representing Ms. Good's partner, parents and siblings in pursuing what it describes as a civil investigation of this murder. So those preliminary autopsy results are what kind of what we thought happened?
- [16:45]
Dana Goldberg
Yeah.
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Allison Gill
With what we had initially from those EMS reports.
- [16:49]
Dana Goldberg
Yeah. And we've covered it. She had a pulse eight minutes after she got shot and they kept people from helping her. A doctor on the same. Thanks so much, Allison. The stories from abc. A senior Navy official removed from her post by Defense Secretary Pete Kegseth last year is running for Congress. Nancy LaCour, who served in the Navy for 35 years as a Navy helicopter pilot. Yup. Three star admiral. And the chief of the Navy Reserve announced a run for South Carolina's 1st congressional district on Tuesday.
- [17:20]
Allison Gill
Hell yeah.
- [17:21]
Dana Goldberg
And I quote, after decades of service to this country, a career that started as a Navy pilot and finished as a three star admiral, I was removed from my position with without cause. I still have more to give, more to fight for, more work to do. I am not done serving. That's the now retired officer. That's what they said on Twitter announcing her campaign. The Corps was removed in August along with Rear Admiral Milton Sands, who led the Naval Special warfare command and Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Cruz, who led the Defense Intelligence Agency and oversaw the DIA's preliminary assessment of the US strike on Iranian nuclear sites. The Defense Department did not Immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday when asked about LaCour's claim that she was fired without cause. South Carolina's first district, a right leaning seat that includes Charleston, was won by Trump in 2024 and 2020. Now the seat is currently represented by Republican Nancy fucking Mace, who is running for governor of South Carolina. Democrats believe the seat could be in play in a wave election year for the party, like in 2018, when Democrat Joe Cunningham flipped the seat as Democrats retook the majority.
- [18:34]
Allison Gill
They can do it. We can do it.
- [18:35]
Dana Goldberg
That's right. After an announcement, LaCour was endorsed by Emily's List. That's a liberal group that works to elect women into higher office and the bench, a new Democratic group boosting a range of candidates in competitive districts. She joins a crowded Democratic primary field, including Coast Guard veteran Mac Deford. And Mac, by the way, lost in 2024, that Democratic prim race. So we'll see what happens.
- [19:00]
Allison Gill
Got some really good candidates and a really deep bench there in South Carolina's first. So good that, you know, I'm not done serving after 35 years. Yeah, she's not done. All right, everybody. Next up from the Guardian. A federal magistrate judge declined to sign off on charges against Don Lemon, the former CNN anchor, in connection with a protest at a Minnesota church over the weekend, according to a person familiar with the matter. The magistrate's decision enraged the attorney general, Pam Bondi. Good. That's according to NBC News and cnn. The refusal comes as Donald Trump and other allies have called for Lemon to be arrested after he had the gall to do exactly what Jesus did and go into a church to call out the hypocrisy of the ICE agent who was at the pulpit. I made all that up. That's not from the Guardian. That was from me. Protesters said they were there because the pastor at the church was the acting field director of the local ICE office and videos of the incident went wild. The Justice Department did not immediately return a request for comment over their embarrassing loss. Abby Lowell added that, too. Abby Lowell, an attorney representing Don Lemon. Oh, wow. Abby Lowell is representing Don Lemon.
- [20:08]
Dana Goldberg
That's some firepower.
- [20:10]
Allison Gill
Said Lemon. Engaged in constitutionally protected activity. The magistrate's reported actions have confirmed the nature of Don's First Amendment protected work this weekend in Minnesota as a reporter. It was no different than what he has done for more than 30 years, reporting and covering newsworthy events on the ground and engaging in constitutionally protective activity. A journalist. Should the Department of Justice continue with a stunning and troubling effort to Silence and punish a journalist for doing his job. Don will call out their latest attack on the rule of law and fight any charges vigorously and thoroughly in court. Federal prosecutors can go before a magistrate judge to get them to determine that there's probable cause for charges to begin a criminal case. A grand jury must then return an indictment within 30 days. It is extremely rare for a magistrate judge to reject charges, said Andrew Tessman, a former federal prosecutor. It's more rare than a federal grand jury. Quote, I really have not heard of it happen before, he said. That's how rare. I've never heard of this either, Dana. Quote, usually just because the prosecutor is usually very careful about alleging all the supported facts that would support a charge. Usually. While there are other ways the Justice Department could move to charge Lemon, a magistrate judge's refusal to sign off in the case was not a good sign for the government. Quote, that probably means a grand jury is going to be as skeptical about this as the federal judicial officer. Trump has condemned Lemon's actions. Earlier this week. I saw him, the way he walked into the church. It was terrible. Look at him walking with his feet attached to his legs. Walking on his legs in the church. What the is he talking about?
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Dana Goldberg
Oh, my God.
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Allison Gill
Sorry. I saw in the way he walked into the church. It was terrible. That's what he said. I have such respect for that pastor. He was so calm. He was nice. He was just accosted. Yeah. With words. What they did in that church was horrible. Trump said Bondi announced two of the protesters had been arrested. On Thursday, though, two of them were arrested. Quote, we do not tolerate attacks on places of worship. Really?
- [22:10]
Dana Goldberg
Really, really. Unless it's a little white Christian nationalist with a semiautomatic rifle.
- [22:17]
Allison Gill
Unless it's ice. Unless it's Donald Trump removing Joe Biden's bar on ice. Going into places of worship. You don't tolerate attacks on places of worship. That Catholic school with children where you sent ICE in, is that not a place?
- [22:31]
Dana Goldberg
Okay, I know the hypocrisy.
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Allison Gill
I'm glad she's pissed about the. About the Don Lemon thing. I'm glad she's upset. Good. Fuck you.
- [22:39]
Dana Goldberg
Yeah, Seriously. All right. This one's from the Times. A push by Democrats redraw the lines of a New York City congressional district cleared a major hurdle on Wednesday when a Manhattan judge ruled that the district disenfranchises black and Latino voters. Justice Jeffrey H. Pearlman of State Supreme Court concluded that the 11th congressional district, which includes Staten Islands and parts of South Brooklyn, had a continuing pattern of discrimination against minority voters. He chose not to adopt new lines proposed by the Democratic plaintiff's lawyers that would have pushed a substantial slice of Lower Manhattan into the district and would have made it harder for Republicans to defend their only House seat in New York City. The District has been represented by Nicole Maliatakis since 2021. Instead, Justice Perlman, who happens to be a Democrat, previously served as a special counsel to Governor Kathy Hochul, directed the state to reconvene its independent redistricting commission to redraw the districts those maps by February 6th. This ruling is likely to be appealed. Lawyers for Ms. Malliotakis and others had pushed Justice Perlman to recuse himself because of his work for Democrats. He declined to do so, saying that this is not a conflict. In his decision, Justice Perlman wrote, petitioners have also shown through testimony and empirical data that the history of discrimination against minority voters in CD11 it still impacts those communities. He added later that it was clear to the court that the current district lines of CD11 are a contributing factor in the lack of representation for minority voters. The suit is the latest of an escalating battle between partisans across the country, evolving from President Trump's explicit calls for leaders in Texas, North Carolina, Missouri to gerrymander districts to preserve Republican controls of Congress. The New York's case, which was filed by Lias Law Group Amazing. A Washington based firm that had handled much of the Democratic Party's redistricting litigation, has been seen by many as having little chance of prevailing well. In the lawsuit, Democratic plaintiffs argued that the makeup the 11th district, which combines the largely conservative borough of Staten island with the right leaning communities in South Brooklyn, it violated rules that prohibit racial discrimination. It noted that candidates preferred black and Hispanic voters, typically Democrats, that they lost 75% of the time.
- [25:10]
Allison Gill
Hmm.
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Dana Goldberg
Yeah. The combined black and Latino population in Staten island, it has grown from 11% to 30% over the past 40 years. And that's according to the suit, which argued that the current boundaries confine Staten Island's growing black and Latino communities in a district where they are routinely and systematically unable to influence elections. To address the issue, the plaintiff suggested that the Staten island portion of the district it could be joined with the southern tip of Manhattan as it was decades ago. Area Branch, a lawyer for Elias Group who argued the case that Justice Perlman's ruling was a win for voters in the district who she said had, and I quote, been denied an equal voice. She went on to say this ruling reaffirms that New York's constitution provides robust protections against racial vote dilution and we are proud to have stood with our clients to vindicate those rights. Jay Jacobs, the chairman of New York State Democratic Party, said Wednesday's decision will benefit voters and was a victory in the multi front war being fought with Republicans in several states over the composition of Congress. Said it's unfortunate we have to be in this, but let's remember this started with Republicans messing around with the maps in Texas. This is from Jacobs went on to say, when you start to mess around with democracy, people need to stand up and fight. If this is what it takes, then I stand behind it.
- [26:33]
Allison Gill
Yeah, man, it'll be interesting to have actual even representation, right?
- [26:40]
Dana Goldberg
I know.
- [26:41]
Allison Gill
We'll see. We'll follow this case obviously as it goes up through the courts. Everybody, if you stick around, we're going to talk to John Fugelsang and then after that we're going to have your good news. So stick around. We'll be right back after these messages. We'll be right back. Is the litter box the worst thing about having a cat or cats? Of course it is. Yes it is. Cats are amazing. Cats are wonderful. Litter Box is not. And if you have multiple cats, you know it's not just one box. It's a whole tiny sanitation department that you run every single day. Boxy Cat is what finally made that part of my life feel under control. Thanks to our new sponsor, Boxy Cat, we have an offer. Enjoy 30 off with code Daily Beans at boxycat.com dailybeans now. I switched because I was tired of doing the full dump and scrub routine way too often. With Boxy Pro, you just scoop off the top of the litter. You don't have to dump out the whole box like every couple of weeks. That's a real game changer. It also had amazing clumping power, so scooping was easier and way less gross. The clumps hold together better. It means the rest of the litter stays clean cleaner. And the other big reason I'm sold is odor control. The pro in Boxy Pro stands for probiotics. And those probiotics stop the bacteria before they start. It stops the odors before they happen. So the box stays continuously odor free, basically indefinitely, as long as you keep up with scooping. I used to have to light a candle before people came over, like I'm trying to hide a secret. But now I can enjoy the time in my home with my friends without having to worry about it. And honestly, it's funny how creative people get trying to hide the litter box decorative screens, fancy cabinets, even more more dramatic measures than that. But Boxy Cat is the first litter where I feel like I'm not playing defense against the smell. It just works. And it makes the daily Cat routine so much easier. So if you're tired of switching litters and you're looking for the one, get boxy at b o x I-e c a t.com it is the last litter you will ever switch to and you can enjoy 30% off with code. Daily beans all one word@boxycat.com dailybeans that's b o x I-e c a t.com dailybeans you'll be glad you did.
- [28:42]
Dana Goldberg
It'S.
- [28:42]
Amanda Sturgel
No surprise that newsmakers try to manipulate the audience. They want you to believe that they are the one holding the line, and they'll use any trick they can to get you there.
- [28:50]
Allison Gill
But don't let them fool you.
- [28:51]
Amanda Sturgel
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 know when you're being manipulated by the news, learn to spot the tricks, and how to make up your own mind about what's true. So if you're tired of being fooled by the news, subscribe to Unspun today. Unspun because you deserve the truth.
- [29:20]
Allison Gill
Hey everybody, welcome back. It's Friday on the Daily Beans. That means it's Fugal Sang Friday. So joining us is the New York Times best selling author of the Separation of Church and Hate, also host of Tell Me Everything. That's a show on SiriusXM Progress Channel 127. It airs weeknights at 9pm Eastern, 6 Pacific. He also runs the John Fugalsang substack and he hosts the John Fugelsang show podcast. In case you want to get your podcast on, please welcome John Fugelsang. What's up my friend?
- [29:47]
John Fugelsang
Thank you so much, Alison. You know what? I'm really glad that all of you liberals are finally going to be shut up about calling President Trump lazy because I am telling you, this is historic. We are watching a man do three cover ups at once right now and I've never seen this kind of stamina. I mean, people are coming up to me saying, sir, sir, we've never seen a president who can cover up this much at once. He's going to court to cover up evidence with Jack Smith that he tried to overturn democracy while also covering up the murder of Renee Goode in Minnesota while also breaking the law every day for the last month and three days to cover up child rape. I mean. I mean, this is criminal multitasking, and we should give the guy a bit more credit.
- [30:29]
Dana Goldberg
So.
- [30:29]
John Fugelsang
Hello. Hello.
- [30:31]
Allison Gill
Yeah. The hypocrisy is abound today. Like, it's just kind of everywhere. We can start with the testimony of Jack Smith. I thought it was interesting that Donald Trump, during the testimony of Jack Smith, called on Pam Bondi to arrest him.
- [30:47]
John Fugelsang
Yeah.
- [30:47]
Allison Gill
While he's being. While Jack Smith is being grilled about whether or not any president told him to arrest someone. It was just. That was very interesting. And something else I found very interesting that I was a little sad that no Democrat brought up. But of course, all the Republicans were whining about the judicial warrant that they had to get their toll records. But meanwhile, this administration is telling ICE officers they don't need a judicial warrant to come into your house.
- [31:12]
John Fugelsang
That's correct.
- [31:13]
Allison Gill
So it's very interesting that Republicans are up in arms about search warrants, particularly at a time when we have learned from a couple of whistleblowers at DHS that they are actually instructing ICE that they don't need a proper search warrant to go into your home. So talk about conspiracy against rights. But it was just a day of hypocrisy, and we saw it. I think that the Republicans said, okay, he's very technical and he likes to do long answers. So during the public testimony, how about we just say our conspiracy theories and don't let him answer any questions? And that's what they did today, because.
- [31:46]
John Fugelsang
All they're doing, I mean, at this point, these hearings, while they're valuable for the historical record, they exist for Republicans to be very comfortable knowing that OAN and Fox and the other place are not going to air anything incriminating against the authoritarian in power. So they just know that they're doing their daily auditions to get a clip on cable news. That's it. Jim Jordan having a conniption fit, shouting out about Jack Smith. That's gonna be on Fox tonight. But Jack Smith actually saying that he knows that juries would have returned a guilty verdict will not. And, and the crazy thing is, yes, it's craven hypocrisy because, I mean, Trump's not claiming innocence in any of this. He's claiming privacy. They're going to court to try to block the release of these files. And it's funny how privacy matters when it's his crimes, not when it's women's. Bodies, not when it's immigrants lives. And Smith said it, man under oath. Proof beyond a reasonable doubt. They got the boxes of the documents, the Espionage act violations, the obstruction, the conspiracy, the bathrooms. I mean, and these Republicans are acting like vampires that got dragged into sunlight. You know, it's gonna be amazing watching how this plays out because we know that Donald Trump had cops beaten for a lie to overturn democracy. And these trolls are saying that migrants don't respect the laws of our nation. Do you feel, Alison, like it's different now from one year ago when we were just getting over the fact that we'd inaugurated a racist on Dr. King's birthday? A year ago, we were so filled with dread. Now it's one year later, we're one year tougher, and this guy's falling apart. I mean, it's going to be harder, harder for these shills to defend him in the weeks and months to come.
- [33:29]
Allison Gill
Did you see the new Emerson poll? We were up a couple months ago, 14 points on the general ballot, then went to 16 points in 2017, 2018, leading into the primaries where we took 41 House seats. In the House alone, we had a 14 point lead on the general ballot. Today it's 22. We have a 22 point lead on the general ballot. And that's with most people not really liking Democratic leadership right now.
- [33:53]
John Fugelsang
That's with no. Yeah. And that's with most people not watching the news that much just yet. It's still US News nerds. But, I mean, this is bleeding through Minneapolis and what ICE is doing is bleeding through. Obviously the prices are going up. Obviously, you know, they don't care yet that this man's enriching himself and made a billion dollars off the office last year.
- [34:12]
Allison Gill
1.5 billion. Yeah.
- [34:14]
John Fugelsang
They're not gonna care until it affects them. I think I've said this before on your show, but if I can point to one vulgar generalized difference between liberals and conservatives, it's that, you know, these stinking woke. Liberals care about people they'll never know. We care about strangers. And for many of our conservative friends, they don't care until it happens to them. They don't care about gun violence till someone they know dies. They hate the gays till their kid comes out. And they don't really care about what Trump's doing until it hurts them. That's what destroyed him in 2020. That's what's destroying him right now. But hey, hey, I guess they fixed the problem of all the fentanyl coming to America on The little tiny outboard motor boats. Allison. Cuz I haven't heard a thing in a couple of weeks now about the flow of drugs into our country from Venezuela. It's almost like that story is completely off the map.
- [35:01]
Allison Gill
Oh, yeah. Must be solved. Must have solved that problem.
- [35:03]
John Fugelsang
No more Fendal. Wow.
- [35:06]
Allison Gill
Brilliant.
- [35:08]
John Fugelsang
Wow.
- [35:09]
Allison Gill
Talk to me a little bit about Davos, because that speech. Yeah, Resounding global embarrassment. He thinks he gave the best speech ever. He even said, oh, everyone liked it. Even though some people think I'm a dictator. And maybe I am. Maybe it's great, maybe dictators are great. Or whatever he said.
- [35:26]
John Fugelsang
Yeah.
- [35:26]
Allison Gill
And kept confusing. I think he fell for the old Viking trick that Greenland is green and Iceland is ice, when he.
- [35:34]
John Fugelsang
No, Iceland is green and Greenland is icy. That's the old Viking.
- [35:37]
Allison Gill
The trick is that Iceland is ice cream.
- [35:40]
John Fugelsang
Yeah.
- [35:40]
Allison Gill
And I think he felt it because he kept calling Greenland Iceland. And then of course, North Korean propagandist Caroline Levitt. No, no, no, that's not what happened. You're stupid for thinking it.
- [35:51]
John Fugelsang
Yeah, yeah.
- [35:52]
Allison Gill
The gaslighting that comes, that always follows from this administration. But it was just. It was. Was low energy. He was propping himself up on that thing at a big old bruise on his hand and the whole world was like, oh, God, the whole world.
- [36:08]
John Fugelsang
I mean, it wasn't a speech, it was a neurological exam conducted in public, I think. I mean, I've made a lot of jokes about this guy, but geography dementia is a brand new thing that I think we can talk about now. You know, Mark Carney, Daddy arguably gave the best speech of the summit the night before and talked about the rupture in the world order. And then Trump shows up and he's like, I am your rupture. I mean, what is this about him complaining that they stopped calling him Daddy? They always called me Daddy until I threatened to annex Greenland and now they don't call me Daddy anymore. Yeah. You know what? It turns out, threatening people tends to end the pet names. I mean, and again, the framework of a future deal. I think not since concepts of a plan have I enjoyed a phrase that much. A framework of. It's Mad Libs with these people, there's no terms, there's no details, there's no confirmation. Denmark says, no way. But this is the same thing. Create a crisis, face the backlash, declare victory, change the subject. And this only works on white simpletons. It doesn't work on the rest of the world. Davos, what I took away from this Alison and my listeners on SiriusXM no 1 in the room seemed to be shocked at his cruelty or the racist. They're used to that. They were shocked by his frailty, you know, like he was out of breath. This was not dominance. This wasn't America first. This was America needs a doctor. And I just a guy who doesn't know Iceland from Greenland should not be threatening Arctic conquest. We're already a laughingstock. But I'm here for the comedy. And this guy's going to be decomposing in public for quite a while, folks. I know it's scary. I know a lot of people are getting hurt. But don't forget to stop and smell the train wreck. It's there every day. It is.
- [37:49]
Allison Gill
It is there every day. And one thing I've been dying to talk to you about this week is when Don Lemon and some protesters entered a church to talk to the pastor, who is an ICE agent, you know, not respecting anything that the Bible says by removing our neighbors instead of welcoming them.
- [38:07]
John Fugelsang
Yes.
- [38:07]
Allison Gill
And of course, there was a story today that a magistrate judge refused to bring charges against Don Lemon. But the first thing that popped into my head, and this comes from reading your book and having conversations with you, my friend, the first thing that popped into my head was, you know, I'm an atheist, but didn't Jesus go into churches, uh huh. And condemn the Pharisees hypocrisy and say you're a false. You're full of it.
- [38:32]
John Fugelsang
You're whitewashed tombs. Yeah.
- [38:35]
Allison Gill
And then on the other side of that, we've got got photos of ICE tackling priests, hitting them in the face with pepper balls, going after the clergy so much that Judge Ellis in Chicago had to issue a temporary restraining order saying stop attacking priests and members of the clergy.
- [38:51]
John Fugelsang
Amazing.
- [38:52]
Allison Gill
We've got ICE going into Catholic schools and churches. Donald Trump lifting the Joe Biden era ban on ice going into places of worship. So now we have the Pharisees themselves dictating these terms and saying that they need to arrest Don Lemon, who wanted to go in and kind of just do what Jesus did.
- [39:10]
John Fugelsang
I mean, well, Don Lemon was not part of the protest. He was there doing what he does as an independent journalist filming the protest. But they want to have a villain and they've got a black guy that they can yell about and he's gay, so they'll make it all about Don Lemon to distract from what's actually going on. You're absolutely right. You know, Jesus flipped tables in the temple because poor people were being mistreated. And ice, which violates Jesus commandments both on caring for the poor and welcoming strangers. These guys would rate a little bit worse than a flip table. And this is such fake outrage we're seeing from the right right now. I mean, the amount like Sean Foyt, that little petulant peacock, these pearl clutching fundamentalists, apparently. Alison, the gravest sin in 2026 is not armed federal agents terrorizing people or shooting unarmed moms dead. And it's not arresting people on church property. It's not pointing rifles at pastors. It's not detaining grandparents, dropping their kids off at school. No, no, not murdering people in boats and lying. It's about drugs. The real crisis is that some people yelled during church service. And for months now, ICE has been doing the exact thing Christians claim only atheists would ever do. ICE has been terrorizing people in house of worship. We have seen arrests on church property. We have seen guns brandished at clergy. We have seen refugee families detained on their way to prayer. And pastors have literally been telling congregants all over the country, please don't come to church. It's not safe. So think about that, friends. I mean, the Republican Party made church unsafe. And so these protesters came in and it's not my style, I'll be honest, not really how I would do it. But I remember when I was a kid during the AIDS protests and I was so on the side of more funding for AIDS and more compassion, but I was still very Catholic. And I remember how conflicted I felt as a teenager when protesters went into St. Patrick's Cathedral and threw condoms around and screamed at Cardinal o', Connor, your children are fucking and need condoms. AIDS is spreading. And I thought, oh, that is not the way to do it. And it took me many, many years to realize that my discomfort was part of the reason why they had to do it. These protesters chanted and they told the truth and they left. There was no violence. There was no vandalism. Nobody was hurt. And suddenly this Department of Justice, they can't find the time to investigate an ICE agent killing a mom. Are screaming about desecration. Harvey Dillon saying it's a violation of religious freedom. Like Jesus literally disrupted worship services. He shut down exploitative religious systems. Jesus publicly humiliated religious authorities who used God to bless injustice. This is orthodox Jesus behavior. What they did, what happened in that church, was not an attack on Christianity. It's what Christianity was supposed to be. And again, these people, they don't mind cops beaten with flagpoles. They don't mind gallows on the Capitol Grounds they don't mind threats to hang the vice president for a lie, but chant ICE out at a church that employs an ICE boss. I mean, it's authoritarian Christianity. And let's not forget the Southern Baptist Convention was founded in 1845 because Baptists in the south wanted to keep owning human beings in the name of God. That is literally the reason this offshoot exists. So is anybody shocked that 200 years later, they're housing a pastor who oversees a modern slave patrol? I'm sorry, man. I've come a long way since I was a kid on this. And those protesters filled my heart with hope. And so many more people are talking about it now because of what they did.
- [42:51]
Allison Gill
Yeah, I agree. And it's, you know, it's a stark contrast. Like I kept thinking that day on MLK Day. Yeah, when they were threatening to go after Don Lemon and the other peaceful protesters that entered the church. I kept thinking, we could have had the first black woman president sworn in by the first black woman Supreme Court justice on Martin Luther King Day. Instead, we have the Civil Rights Division.
- [43:17]
John Fugelsang
The Civil Rights Division trying to bring.
- [43:18]
Allison Gill
Charges against a black man under the Ku Klux Klan act on Martin Luther King Day. The difference couldn't be more stark.
- [43:25]
John Fugelsang
The same Civil Rights Division that has been for the first time and ever banned from investigating a murder of an American citizen. Because when a cop kills an American, Civil Rights Division always investigates. And in this case, I mean, a guy who was. Was dressed down by a woman and was clearly rattled by it, and then his first words after murdering a woman was fucking bitch. It seems like that might be a case of gender bias, doesn't it, based on his behavior before and after. But we'll never know because the Civil Rights Division is not allowed to investigate. But you're right. I mean, this. This they have no problem with. The same people who excuse violence for power lose their minds over a peaceful disruption. But that's their M.O. alison. And we've talked about this before on everything. They're never upset about racism or police brutality or discrimination. They're always upset about the protests of it. Watch this with your right wing friends. They don't get mad when a cop kills an innocent black kid. But if you chant Black Lives Matter, they'll be furious. These are the people who got more upset over Colin Kaepernick's knee than Derek Chauvin's knee. They never get upset about discrimination. But if a corporation has anti discrimination policies or a university or a local government, that bothers them more. This is White supremacy, even if they don't know it.
- [44:39]
Allison Gill
Yeah. And it wasn't even just that the Civil Rights division refused to open an investigation. The Times reported yesterday, and we covered this on the beans yesterday, that an FBI agent actually said that there was predicate to open a civil rights investigation. And one was opened and it was closed. It was actually closed by her mate Dillon. So.
- [45:00]
John Fugelsang
And they're not, they're not letting the Minnesota law enforcement investigate the killing of a Minnesota resident on Minnesota streets. I mean, that's the COVID up besides the lies that Trump and Vance and Kristi Noem have already told. And I think I said on your show last week, the lies have already guaranteed that this will go down in history. It's a government cover up of a killing of an American citizen. But look at how these Christians have been groomed, Alison. This is their whole thing. It's like Janie Van said it, they all believe it. The killing of Renee Goode is a tragedy, but she was also a terrorist. So it's actually really good that she's killed. That's the logic they're bringing forth every day. And you don't need to believe in anything in the Bible as literal fact to call out these blaspheming bubbas.
- [45:45]
Allison Gill
Well, I really appreciate your input. I was looking forward all week to talking to you about that and you never let me down, my friend. So thank you. Thank you very much. And I hope everybody tunes in every weeknight, 9pm Eastern, 6 Pacific, to SiriusXM progress channel 127. That's where you can hear the Tell Me Everything show with John Fegel sang. And you also gotta pick up your copy if you haven't already. I'm sure you already have 10 of them, but maybe you need that 11th copy.
- [46:11]
John Fugelsang
That's right.
- [46:12]
Allison Gill
Of the separation of church and hate.
- [46:14]
John Fugelsang
Back on the New York Times bestseller list. We got back on the Times list last week and back to Amazon's top 10. So thank you all so much and I love your listeners. Every time I do a live show, I have so many people who come and. And know my awkward fumblings because of my time with you. And I agree with you. You know, we could have seen the first black woman president sworn in. We could have seen the prosecutor instead of the felon. We could have seen the woman instead of the rapist. We could have seen the person of color instead of the racist. But you know what? We also could have seen Matt Gaetz as America's top cop. And I'm gonna be as a fan of comedy, regretting that for quite a while. Can you believe it? It's almost like Trump's got a thing for men who. I don't know.
- [46:53]
Allison Gill
I feel like he was a loss leader. I feel like he was like, just kind of put up as a joke so that we'd be like, oh, okay. Whew. It's just Pam Bondi.
- [47:02]
John Fugelsang
I mean, I mean, look, I guess I'm happy that Kevin McCarthy is happy today, but again, you know, Kevin McCarthy is no longer speaker because of Matt Gaetz. So there's a whole circle of Grift. We have a lot of evil people to thank. They're going to keep taking each other out. Their whole worldview is based on selfishness. And you put all these selfish people together, they're not going to work in harmony to help others.
- [47:22]
Allison Gill
The circle of Grift. Wonderful. Thank you as always. It's so great to have you and we'll see you next week. And I appreciate your time. Everybody stick around. We'll be right back with the good news.
- [47:33]
John Fugelsang
Peace. I'm Brian Caram, and I've spent decades covering politics. Now I'm taking you behind the scenes one interview at a time. Join us as each week, Brian confronts the issues that matter, posing the questions you wish you could ask. No filter, no agenda, just the truth. We're not here for sound bites. We're here for substance. Join me, Brian Caram, every week as we cut through the noise and get straight to it. This is just ask the question for curiosity will lead us to the facts. Subscribe now on your favorite podcast platform and remember, when you want answers, all you have to do is just ask the question.
- [48:20]
Allison Gill
Everybody, welcome back. It's time for the good news. Who likes good news?
- [48:24]
John Fugelsang
Everyone. Then good news, everyone.
- [48:41]
Allison Gill
Send us all your good news. We want to be overwhelmed with awesomeness. Send in everything you can think of, whether it's big or small, recent or in the distant past. Maybe a funny story, misheard song lyrics. It can be your favorite comedian, your favorite joke, your favorite Monty Python sketch, any quotable movie. I like to quote anchorman. I do that all the time. Whatever just makes you smile, send it to us because we need to smile along with you. We need to microdose. Hope you can also give a shout out to a loved one or yourself. We love self shout outs. Let us know why you're awesome. Shout out to a government program, a small business in your area, nonprofit you want to talk about maybe some great community organizing that you see going on. Send it all to us dailybeanspod.com and click on Contact. All you got to do to get your submission read on the air is pay your POD pet tariff, which means attach a photo of your pet. And if you don't have that, send an adoptable pet. And if you don't have that, you know, just grab a random photo of an animal on the Internet. Or send us family photos. Doesn't matter. Send us a funny meme. Send us pictures of what you're making or creating, what you're growing in your garden. Maybe you're raising chickens. Maybe you've got goats. Goats, goats, goats. Send it all to us dailybeanspod.com and click on Contact. First up is your good trouble. And your good trouble today comes from Anonymous In Columbus, Ohio. On December 19, 2025 to January 4, 2026, we experienced Ice's Buckeye Surge. One organization went above and beyond to make sure the most vulnerable had food. The nonprofit called our helpers got 685 boxes of food out to families who had a family member detained. We got lists from immigration attorneys and families who partner organizations recommended were extremely vulnerable. Over 300 volunteers helped the effort. $15,000 was raised in just 48 hours. By the way, the organization was founded by a Somali mom. You can be a helper too@ourhelpers.org Go there to see how you can help. We'll also have their Instagram @Our Helpers, Our Helpers CMH and we'll have links to all of their socials and here's a little blurb about them. Founded in 2014 by an immigrant advocate, Hodan Mohammed, Our Helpers is a woman led nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of immigrant and refugee families in central Ohio. What began with Hodan's personal commitment, hundreds of volunteer hours spent helping families navigate their new lives, has grown into a vibrant organization affectionately named by the community it serves. So we'll have also a link to some news coverage for this amazing nonprofit. So thank you for shouting out that nonprofit in the good Trouble Anonymous. We appreciate it.
- [51:15]
Dana Goldberg
Absolutely. All right. Another Anonymous submission pronoun she and her My good news was participating in MLK Parade to feel surrounded by people who remember Dr. King and what he stood for. All of our civil rights. Thank you for all you do to keep us informed and adding good news which helps helped so much during these dark times. Attached to my two best companions, Ziggy and Cobalt. Unfortunately both have crossed the rainbow Bridge Cobalt recently, but they were the best. Also my picture of a puffin in Iceland from a recent trip. Iceland has it going on with many women in leadership there and such a beautiful country to visit. Anonymous I agree. Iceland is one of the most extraordinary places I've ever been.
- [51:55]
Allison Gill
I know. I'm so jealous of Iceland and their functional government. Yeah, and puffins.
- [52:01]
Dana Goldberg
Yeah.
- [52:01]
Allison Gill
Thank you so much for that. Next up from Scott he him My good news is that your theme song has taken up residence on repeat in my head throughout the day, every day. And I'm a therapist, Scott. I don't know if that's good news or not, but I will say they Might Be Giants is hard to get out of your head. I'd love to hear about a poll taken from your listeners or even you guys to see if anyone else is enjoying these little cerebral reminders. It makes me think about the science of pop music and I wondered if you all wisely intentionally wrote catchy riffs. It would serve this purpose to lead people back to the show smart. If so, you got me, you savvy Pied Pipers. Again Scott, all credit to they Might Be Giants and and they actually reached out and offered to do the music for the pod. So it wasn't even like a me like scheming to get a our song stuck in your head. It was them. It was they Might Be Giants. The fur babies are Gaucho and Tessel, named for favorite songs Dave Matthews and Alt J.
- [52:59]
Dana Goldberg
Look at the sweet little cuties doing a stretch and the lewd pictures of the kitties.
- [53:07]
Allison Gill
Lewd Doing a lewd and doing a stretch.
- [53:09]
Dana Goldberg
Doing a lewd. All right, this is from Stephanie Pronoun. She and her we live in central Florida and most nights my husband's trumpy brother visits. In the evenings we sit around and talk shit when he shows up. And when it's cooler weather we have a fire burning. I sometimes toss Trump's name in the fire in front of the brother in law just for spite. Which may be a little hope the universe notices and decides to help us all out. Lol. I'm including my pod pet tax and my two dogs photos. One of our herding dog preparing to send our friend's goats back to the barn and our semi rescue our sweet little man Cooper who has returned to a breeder we know and she gave him to us for free. We love him.
- [53:51]
Allison Gill
I see, I see.
- [53:52]
Dana Goldberg
Oh Copper, thank you. Who was returned to a breeder we know and she gave him to us for free. We love him dearly even with all the challenges he presents. He's a household jokester, an escape artist. He can Clear a four foot fence. Standing still and with a little more effort clears a six foot fence, requiring our efforts to reinforce fencing around the backyard to keep him from terrorizing the neighbors. Yes, he's been neutered. When taking the including picture, I was literally yelling, don't run with scissors. Breeds of dogs included below. Thanks for all you do. I truly appreciate it. We've got Echo, who looks like a blue heeler.
- [54:28]
Allison Gill
A German shepherd heel. Aussie.
- [54:32]
Dana Goldberg
Yeah. And Copper.
- [54:34]
Allison Gill
Maybe a cattle dog. Copper's a min pin. I think that's a little miniature pincher.
- [54:38]
Dana Goldberg
I mean cutie pie.
- [54:40]
Allison Gill
Let's see, let's see what Echo is. Australian cattle dog. Border collie with 5% pity. Okay, so I got, I think I got two. And copper.
- [54:50]
Dana Goldberg
Yep.
- [54:50]
Allison Gill
Miniature pincher, six foot fence. What a little fucker. Anyway, thank you so much for that. Next up, Kristen Pronoun. She and her. Hi there, Allison. And my almost birthday twin, Dana.
- [55:02]
John Fugelsang
Huh?
- [55:02]
Allison Gill
I'm turning 50 on April 11th.
- [55:04]
Dana Goldberg
What? What?
- [55:06]
Allison Gill
Last week, Allison asked for secret catchphrases shared between friends. It made me think of my friend Elisa. More than 20 years ago, Elisa and I were in a group of friends living in New York and auditioning for musical theater. I love your life already, Kristin. I'm jealous of your life already. I know now Elisa's super tiny. And I mean Kristin Chenoweth size.
- [55:25]
Dana Goldberg
Casey's tiny. Tiny, tiny.
- [55:27]
Allison Gill
That's teeny tiny. One day we were sharing audition stories and she revealed that at an audition for a production of Annie, the producers asked, would you be offended if we called you back for one of the orphans? She replied in her thick Minnesota accent, I'm 4 foot 9. Of course I'm not offended. That instantly became an all purpose phrase. She's 4 foot 9. Of course she likes cheese. She's 4 foot 9. Of course she's going back to school and getting her master's. Oh my God, she's a badass us. Anyway, she moved back to her home city of Minneapolis several years ago and is there right now. Which means I can say with great pride, she's 4 foot 9. And of course she's fighting fascism. Nice. Oh, I got a little lump in my throat there. Ah. For my pod pet tax, please enjoy this particularly chunky squirrel I saw in November doing a spectacular job of preparing for winter for Dana. I've also included one of my favorite photos of my son at approximately age 2. If he looks like he's up to something, yes, he absolutely was. He's 11 now and he's still always up to something. Thank you so much for keeping us informed, sane and stocked up on facts to deploy when we talk to our MAGA uncles. You two and Heather Cox Richardson are the only reasons I'm able to stay even vaguely calm with all this news coming at us. That is a high, very high compliment, Kristin.
- [56:45]
Dana Goldberg
Yes, it is.
- [56:46]
Allison Gill
Look at this little baby.
- [56:48]
Dana Goldberg
I know Heather Coxen put out a video the other day that was really obviously very alarming. And at the end of it she said, and his head is full of squirrels. I laughed out loud because Heather Cox Richardson knows how to bring a little levity to a very terrifying video.
- [57:04]
Allison Gill
Yeah, I know which one you're talking about. I know the one you're talking about. All right. This cookie thief. Cookie thief. Shirt eating a cookie. I know he's got cookie up on his forehead.
- [57:14]
Dana Goldberg
That's what happens, Allison, if you're doing it right.
- [57:17]
Allison Gill
That's right.
- [57:17]
Dana Goldberg
You're eating cookies. Right. They don't just end up in your mouth. Now this is from Christina Pronoun. She and her hi. Just answering your questions about the aurora you yesterday. The photos were taken in south island of New Zealand near the south coast, south of 46 degrees latitude. The southern hemisphere aurora variety is called Australis. We learned that through some google thanks to Allison. Although our lower latitude means we often get better viewing here in New Zealand than our cousins over in the third island of Australia. For podpet tags, I'm attaching an infographic about how the different colors get generated. Cool. Cool. I'm also attaching a photo of my Parkrun buddy. He's just coming back into work after recently getting diagnosed with a breed associated retinal degeneration. Some store bought neurotransmitters, Prozac have done a lot to help him get his confidence back as he adapts to this rapid sensory change. And he's really enjoying getting out and about in a special vest to make sure other people have noticed of his suboptimal spatial awareness.
- [58:21]
Allison Gill
Blind dog.
- [58:22]
Dana Goldberg
But look at the dog.
- [58:25]
Allison Gill
I want. I love that vest. I absolutely love it. All right, look at this. The pink is excited atomic oxygen at high altitudes. The green excited atomic oxygen at lower altitudes. And of course the purple is ionized molecular nitrogen. Everybody knows that.
- [58:41]
Dana Goldberg
I mean the blue.
- [58:44]
Allison Gill
Everyone knows that. I did not know that. Thank you for. Thank you for that infographic, Christina. And thanks. Now we know Australis or Australis. I'm not sure how to pronounce it, but that's the southern lights.
- [58:58]
Dana Goldberg
Oh yes.
- [58:59]
Allison Gill
Beautiful everyone. Thank you. That lifted my spirits. It did its job. I hope it did its job for y' all too. Really, really appreciate you tuning in today. And just a quick shout out to Whistleblower Aid, right? We've partnered with them in the past. We're partnering with them again now to help them pay for this defense of these two DHS whistle whistleblowers. You want to give directly to them, I'm not any part of this. You want to give directly to them, it's tax deductible. You can do so by going to whistleblower aid.org beans okay? And that's just our own little private funding page. So thank you very much for that. Do you have any final thoughts today before we get out of here for the weekend?
- [59:41]
Dana Goldberg
Not today, everyone. Have a fantastic weekend and be safe.
- [59:45]
Allison Gill
Be safe. Take some time for yourself and the fascists, everybody. 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. I've been DG and I'm the Beans. The Daily Beans is written and executive produced by Allison Gill with additional research and reporting by Dana Goldberg. Sound design and editing is by Desiree McFarlane with art and web design by Joelle Reader with Moxie Design Studios. Music for the Daily Beans is written and performed by they Might Be Giants and the show is a proud member of the MSW Media Network Network, a collection of creator owned podcasts dedicated to news, politics and justice. For more information Please visit msw media.com msw media.