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Wednesday, September 10th, 2025 Today, a judge tosses out the criminal case against the Michigan fraudulent electors; the Supreme Court has agreed to expedite the case against Trump’s tariffs and will hear arguments in November; a court ruled that Eric Adams’ move to allow ICE into Rikers is illegal; South Korea is outraged over the raid of the Hyundai battery factory in Georgia; the Trump administration has returned Russian dissidents to Putin; Republicans in the Missouri House have advanced their vote stealing bills; video footage sheds light on an incident in which Republican Tim Burchett shoved a protestor; New Mexico becomes the first state to offer universal child care; and Allison and Dana deliver your Good News.
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- [00:00]
A
MSW Media hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Wednesday, September 10, 2025. Today, a judge has tossed out the criminal case against the Michigan fraudulent electors. The Supreme Court has agreed to expedite the case against Trump's tariffs and will hear arguments in November. A court ruled that Eric Adams move to allow ICE into Rikers was illegal. South Korea is outraged over the raid on the Hyundai battery factory in Georgia. The Trump administration has returned Russian dissidents to Putin. Republicans in the Missouri House have advanced their vote, stealing bills. The video footage sheds light on an incident in which Republican Tim Burchett shoved a protester and New Mexico becomes the first state to offer universal childcare. I'm Alison Gill.
- [01:06]
B
And I'm Dana Goldberg.
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A
Your home state is doing the coolest stuff.
- [01:14]
B
My home state pretty much rocks. I mean, it really does not. Everything's great. You know, we've got a crime rate that's higher than it should be. But, you know, too many episodes of Cops back in the day filmed here. But it's really lovely. I'm very proud of the legislation legislature right now.
- [01:28]
A
Yeah. And we're going to talk about that. Also later in the show, we're going to do a Flip It Blue segment with Mark Pensley, who's the Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district. He's one of them. So we're going to talk to him. He's the current controller there in Lehigh. And we have a new episode of clean up on L45 with me and Harry Dunn that's out right now. You can listen to that for free, wherever you get your stuff, wherever you get your pods. And I'm excited about that. I love Harry Dunn. He's so cool.
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B
He's the biggest teddy bear who was protecting us in the streets for so many years.
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A
Yep. Yep, indeed. And that's it for just the announcements portion of the show. We, we're going to go into some into in depth into a few stories today because, you know, normally we read like the lead and kind of the headline and talk a little bit about it, but there's a lot to the stuff that's going on today. So let's get into it. Let's hit the hot notes. Hot notes. All right. First up from npr, a Michigan judge has dismissed the criminal charges against the 15 people who signed FALS elector certificates saying Donald Trump won the electoral votes in 2020. Trump lost the state and the presidency to Joe Biden. As we know, that was it. Those were the good times. I love that. That was a good day. It's the latest loss in prosecutors efforts to hold accountable people who associated with Trump's attempt to overturn his election loss. You know, back in May, an Arizona judge sent that state's so called fake elector case back to a grand jury. And the Nevada case is stuck in a jurisdictional appeal after a court dismissed the case last year. In Georgia, the Fulton County District Attorney's office is fighting to keep its prosecution alive after a court ruled that the DA's office should be removed from the case. And notably, the federal election interference case against Trump himself was dropped when he was reelected president. In Michigan, Judge Kristen Simmons dismissed the charges during a court hearing Tuesday, citing a lack of evidence. What? Yeah, quote, this is a fraud case and we have to prove intent, the judge said. And I don't believe there's evidence sufficient to prove intent. The Michigan Attorney General, Dana Nestle, a Democrat, announced the charges about two years ago. Sixteen people were originally indicted, but charges were dropped against one of them in exchange for cooperation. As Nestle's office said in a statement in 2023, these defendants are alleged to have met covertly in the basement of the Michigan Republican party headquarters on December 14 and signed their names to multiple certificates saying they were the duly elected and qualified electors for and Vice President of the United States of America for the State of Michigan. Now, Some pro Trump 2020 electors have defended their actions by saying they were merely doing so in case Trump's challenges of the election were successful. But there was no language like that in the Michigan elector certificate like there was in Pennsylvania. Say, quote, the evidence was clear. They lied. They knew they lied. That's what Nestle said of the defendants. And they tried to steal the votes of millions of Michiganders. That's what she said. Criticizing the judge's rul, Nestle said her office is evaluating a decision about appealing. I say we give Dana Nestle's office a call and say appeal, appeal, appeal, appeal this decision. It's a bad one. There's plenty of evidence. Yeah.
- [04:40]
B
Thanks, Allison. This next one is from KMBC in Kansas City, Missouri. It seems the Missouri House lawmakers have initial approval Monday to two proposals advanced during the ongoing special legislative session. Following hours of debate and largely partisan votes, the first proposal would make it more difficult for voters to amend the Missouri Constitution. Through the initiative petition process, lawmakers spent roughly two hours debating that measure. And I quote, I would submit to you that to change the constitution of the great state of Missouri, it should reflect the will not just of the major population centers, but that every area, every Congressional district of the state should be heard. That's from Rep. Ed Lewis. He happens to be a Republican from Moberly. Democrats pushed back, arguing the change would undercut direct democracy. They said, you know what you're doing here? You are taking power away from the citizens. You are diluting their votes. This is from Eric Woods. He's a Democrat in Kansas City. He went on to say, it's the same song and dance every time, every year I have been in this chamber. Well, the House then turned to a contentious redistricting bill that would reshape Missouri's congressional map. The redistricting plan cleared the House by a vote of 89 to 63. Several Republicans, including House Speaker John Patterson, broke ranks and voted against the proposal. But the final vote passed in a 90 to 65 vote, advancing the map to the Senate.
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A
Hmm. Gross. So not only are they redistricting, this is what we were saying, I think yesterday when they want. If you want to have a ballot proposition to change the Constitution, you have to win a majority in every single county.
- [06:20]
B
Wow.
- [06:21]
A
Not just statewide. It's gross. Next up from the Times, a New York State judge struck down an executive order issued by the administration of Mayor Eric Adams that sought to allow federal immigration authorities into the Rikers island jail complex, calling that illegal. The judge ruled that the order permitting the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency to open offices at the jail was barred by an impermissible appearance of a conflict of interest between Mr. Adams and President Trump.
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B
Oh, boy.
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A
The judge said that the apparent conflict had become clear because of discussions between the mayor's lawyers and federal prosecutors this year as the Department of Justice moved to drop corruption charges and bribery charges against the mayor in exchange for cooperation with Trump's immigration agenda. Mr. Adams, the judge noted, announced he would allow federal agents into Rikers three days after the Deputy Attorney general at the time, Emil Bovey, directed prosecutors to dismiss the charges against Mr. Adams. H. That's weird timing. The ruling on Monday was a victory for the City Council, which had sued the mayor after his administration issued the executive order in April. The Trump administration had hoped to get access to Rikers island to accelerate immigration enforcement in New York City, which has so called sanctuary provisions that limit cooperation between the city and federal immigration authorities. So this judge says, nope, Eric Adams, your executive order is bullshit. You burnt. Stop it. We'll see what the appeals court says.
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B
Yes, we sure will. All right. This is more on the story we had covered earlier in this. No. What day is it? Was it yesterday? I think it might have been yesterday. Oh, My God. It's from the Post, everyone. The large scale immigration rate on that Hyundai LG battery factory in Georgia. It has sent a shockwave across South Korea. And this is a US Security ally that has this year pledged to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in the United States. It's now balking at what many here the Trump administration's bad faith actions. And I quote, I'm really speechless and furious. This is from Choi Jong Kun. And it's A former vice foreign minister went on to say, we spend a lot of money in the United States and we get slapped in the face. But there's a broader alarm here about what the actions mean for South Korean companies that have invested in the US Drawn in large part by Washington's efforts to boost economic cooperation between the two nations as a strategy to counter China's growing economic dominance. And there is frustration at, quote, america first sentiments that say South Korean companies are taking part in a, quote, bait and switch, promising jobs for Americans but illegally hiring their own nationals instead. An allegation made by Tory Moranham, a Georgia Republican running for Congress in 2026. I'm going to comment on that. All of this started because, and I hesitate to use the word Karen because it's so outdated. And there's some good Karens, but this literally is a woman that thought their work visas were illegal, so she flew, fucking decided to tow on them and make this raid happen. South Korean media has focused on Branham, who describes herself as an America first candidate. She claims to have tipped off immigration authorities about the battery plant and talked to an agent from Immigration and Customs Enforcement about her concerns over the legal status and treatment of workers there. Workers.
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A
It's not open. They're building it.
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B
Yep.
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A
I hate her. So she called up. She's the Karen at the barbecue. She made the phone call and they. Seriously? The search warrant was looking for what, four people?
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B
Yeah. And they were 465 or something. Were arrested. 72.
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A
Yeah. In chains and light irons. I mean, it's starting to become clear how he bankrupted casinos. He's the worst businessman in the history of the universe.
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B
Yeah.
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A
All right, next up from Politico, new video footage shows there was more to the skirmish last week between a protester and Republican Representative Tim Burchett. Is it Burchett? Burchett, whatever. Which ended with the Tennessee Republican forcefully shoving the man. That's what actually happened. Burchette characterized the encounter at the time as a heated verbal exchange that grew physical. When the demonstrator got in my face and Bumped me. But a recording of the incident. A video recording of the incident reviewed by Politico shows that prior to the two of them coming face to face, it was Burchett that taunted the man, saying, come over here. And after a tense back and forth, the protester appeared to move away from Burchett, but the lawmaker stepped toward him again and then escalated the interaction, mocking the man for quivering. The video footage adds more context to the physical altercation that resulted in Capitol Police separating the two men. Politico reviewed two similar videos of the incident, including one filmed by Burchette staff that shows multiple protesters of the Israel Hamas war walking alongside the lawmaker and shouting at him. In one of those videos, Burchett responded to one of the protesters saying, come over here, you weenie, which prompted the protester to step forward, get in the lawmaker's face and say, you just came to me, dodo brain. Okay, so what's going on with the insults?
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B
I can't weenie and dodo brain?
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A
Burchette makes a reference to the protester being paid by Soros, after which the protester appears to begin walking away. He walked away, turning his back on the congressman, and Burchette then pursued the man and says, he appears to be quivering, prompting the protester to wheel back around and respond, I'm quivering. And in the abrupt turnaround, the man's torso makes contact with Burchett, incidental contact, who then shoves the guy with both hands. Here's a quote. With political violence on the rise, no representative should have to tolerate someone aggressively closing in on them. The dude was walking away and you called him a weenie. Doo doo brain. Frankly, I thought Rep. Burchette showed a lot of restraint. That's what McCormick said in a statement. As a spokesman, Burchett went on into the Longworth House office building while the protester was questioned, and then ultimately let go by Capitol Police because he didn't do anything wrong. What the hell? These are grown ass men. They're too emotional.
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B
They are too emotional. Someone said they turned the White House Rose Garden into a cheesecake factory.
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A
They did. It's like an Applebee's.
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B
It's so bad. And I worked at Applebee's for 11 years, so I know how bad it can be there.
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A
That's right. I'm sorry to insult where you worked for 11 years.
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B
No, it's okay. I wish I could tell stories about that. Oh, we had some nights at Applebee's. All right. This is from Talking Points Memo. In late August, a Group of Russians who had asked and not received political asylum from the US Government, they found themselves back home. Immigration, some customs enforcement had put them on a circuitous route. After being picked up from an airport in Alexandria, Louisiana, they made stops in the Caribbean before moving onward toward Cairo, Egypt. Or from Cairo, a plane took them to Moscow. I hope you all are still following this. Those on board had spent months trying to persuade the US Government not to send them back to Russia. In the case of one man, this is Artem Vovchenko. He was doing so after deserting the Russian military. Activists who spoke with those deported told TPM that Vovchenko and another man were detained upon arrival to Moscow. The episode had caused panic among Russian dissidents and exiles. Many of them fled the country. In years after Russia launched its full scale invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine In February of 2022, thousands sought refuge in the U.S. telling immigration authorities that they fear imprisonment or prosecution and persecution. Probably both of them. For individual Russians who left political repression in Russia and sought a new life in the US well, it feels like betrayal. And this is a quote, it makes me feel very depressed. This is from Sergei Vlavtsov, who runs the Russian Refugee foundation and is also associated with the Anti War Committee. Well, a former local councilman in the district of Moscow, he left Russia in 2022 and eventually came to New York City where he first found work as a bicycle rental company in Central Park. And this is a quote, if you really need asylum, if you really need a new place to live, we expected the United States to welcome us. That's what he told tpm. And they are secure. I don't know how. Well, I know why they're getting them back to Russia. Because they're, you know, his daddy said find a way to get them back here.
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A
Yeah, Putin wants him back just like that one guy wanted the MS.13 gang members back in Venezuela, the ones that, you know, he made a deal with. And so this is just horrific to people, people who defect and seek asylum, and we're just sending them right back to be detained and probably tortured and killed. Next up from cnn. The Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to hear arguments over President Trump's sweeping global tariffs, which are totally illegal. Taking up a fast moving appeal that deals with the centerpiece of this administration's economic agenda. In the meantime, the tariffs will remain in place while the court hears the case. Trump is pressing the justices to overturn a lower court ruling that found his administration acted unlawfully when he imposed all of his import taxes, including the Liberation Day tariffs. The White House announced in April and tariffs placed this year against China, Mexico and Canada that were designed to combat a fentanyl emergency, which doesn't exist.
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B
Yeah.
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A
I mean, don't get me wrong. Fentanyl is a scourge and it's bad. But to use it to tax imports is against the. The law. Okay. So the case puts a major component of the American economy on the conservative court's docket, and it raises a fundamental question about the power of the president to levy tariffs, to lever. Levy taxes without Congress. It's called taxation without representation. We threw tea in a harbor about it. I don't know if people remember that. The Supreme Court said it would hear arguments in the case the first week of November. And a decision, Dana, would normally be expected by the end of June. But in this case, the court said it would expedite the review. So not like immunity. They don't want to drag this one out. The case follows a divided decision in late August from a federal appeals court in Washington that found Trump overstepped his authority by relying on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, IEEPA to impose the tariffs. To the power to impose taxes, including tariffs, is a core congressional power that the Constitution left solely to the legislative branch. That's what the appeals court ruled, and they were right. But the appeals court also allowed the administration to continue to impose the tariffs until the Supreme Court resolves the case. So they're going to hear it in November and who knows when we'll get a decision.
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B
Thank you so much, my friend, and I've got good news. Like I said. This is from the Albuquerque Journal. Starting this fall, New Mexico will become the first state in the nation to launch a universal child care system providing no cost childcare for all families statewide.
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A
Wow.
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B
The initiative announced Monday by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham is set to take effect November 1st and marks the latest step in the governor's effort to dramatically expand childcare assistance in New Mexico. Specifically, it's going to remove an existing income threshold of 400% of the federal poverty level in order to receive. Could you imagine child care assistance eligibility paving the way for an additional 12,000 children statewide to qualify for no cost child care? And I quote, this blueprint for early child care education in America is happening right here in New Mexico. This is from Lujan Grisham. She said that during a Monday news conference in the state Capitol. She also cited related initiatives aimed at boosting the pay levels of early childhood workers to at least $18 per hour and increasing the number of Licensed child care centers and registered homes around the state. In addition, the governor's administration has targeted building 55 more licensed child care centers and registering 1,000 new in daycares. To accommodate the influx of additional families, the state also plans to launch a recruitment campaign for new licensed and registered home daycare providers.
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A
Amazing.
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B
I think so, too.
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A
And I love it when, you know, there's a competent governor who's like, look, the investment is worth it. We will see it in the returns. Okay? You know, people are like, how much is that going to cost? And it's like, well, how much does it cost that we, you know, can't provide care for our children? And. And then they grow up and they maybe are less likely to become contributing members of society. You know, it's. It's. The investment is what matters. And I love that she's doing this. All right, everybody, it's time for some good trouble.
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B
What are you guys doing?
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A
Getting into trouble? All right, this is kind of random, but I found this Google Doc online on how to organize what's called a bearing Witness standout against ICE and what ICE is doing. And it says on their document, which is atop a list of, like, a checklist, it says, in striving for a universe that has some semblance of justice, bearing witness standouts can have a powerful effect. A primary goal is to offer hope to those detained when they arrive to the facilities so they see they're not alone and that not everyone in America agrees with what ICE is doing. We also want to bear witness to the cruelty of ICE and bring public attention so the agents know they're being seen. These standouts educate participants, build community, and strengthen solidarity among those who support immigrants and their rights. So we hope this inspires others to do the same. So, like I said, this is basically a checklist on how to have a standout. You locate your nearest ICE facility, organize a recurring rally. There's tips on messaging and marketing and social media messaging to get others to join you and get the word out and what to do once you're there. They have sign making stuff like, it's a really, really great checklist. It's something you can do locally to. To help, you know, show the immigrants who arrive there that they aren't alone and that not all of us agree with what ICE is doing. So we're going to have a link in the show notes to this document, and we hope you're able to organize some bearing Witness standouts against ICE where you live. And if you do, write in and tell us about it in the Good News segment. We'll have the good news shortly, but first, we're going to have an interview, a Flip It Blue segment with Mark Pinsley, who's running for Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district. Stick around.
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B
We'll be right back after these messages.
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A
We'll be right back. Hey everybody. Summertime is almost over. I'm always looking for fresh ways to bring new energy to my wardrobe, and Daily look makes it easy. Instead of spending hours scrolling or shopping or having to get in my car and go to a mall, I can rely on them to deliver curated pieces that fit beautifully and keep my style feeling updated, effortless and seasonally perfect. Thanks to Daily look, the number one personal styling service for women for sponsoring us. Make sure you use our promo code Daily Beans, so they know we sent you. And go to dailylook.com for 50% off your first order. So here's what sets Daily look apart. Every customer gets an actual, real stylist, not a computer. It's not AI. And that stylist gets to know your body shape, your size, your lifestyle, your preferences. And because it's the same stylist every time, they keep improving with each box they send. The box itself is amazing. It's beautifully packaged. Up to 12 pieces show up to your door, ready to be tried on in the comfort of your own home. That's so much easier than battling store crowds or wasting hours browsing online from chic office staples. Breezy summer looks Daily look really covers everything. Dana's favorite from her most recent box was a floral wrap dress. She wore it to a weekend dinner. It struck the perfect balance between stylish and comfortable, and she said it felt like something she never would have picked out on her own. But now it's one of her favorite pieces. The whole service feels premium without being intimidating. Too easy shipping simple returns and quality pieces that feel like they're worth keeping. That's why I love Daily Look. It's like having your own personal stylist minus the hassle or the price tag that you'd expect. So it's time to get your own personal stylist with Daily Look. Head to DailyLook.com to take your style quiz and use code DAILYBEANS for 50% off your first order. Once again, that's a DailyLook.com for 50% off. And make sure you use our promo code DAILYBEANS so they know we sent you one last time DailyLook.com promo code DAILYBEANS. You'll be glad you did hey, everybody. Welcome back. It's time to flip it blue. And today we are trying to flip Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district. It's currently held by MAGA Republican Ryan McKenzie, somebody who wants to stop cuts to Medicare and Social Security, but still voted yes on the billionaire bailout bill that does just that. So we need to get this seat back. And joining me today is a Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania 7th and its former Lehigh County Controller, Mark Pinsley. Hi, Mark, Welcome.
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C
Yeah, thank you very much. I'm excited to be here. And I'm still the controller.
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A
Still the controller. I don't know why it says former here in my notes. My bad.
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C
I won my. I said I won a second term. I'm in my sixth year. I'm really excited.
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A
Yes. And you've been doing amazing work. And we're going to talk about how that work as comptroller will translate into being a really good representative in the United States Congress for the seventh District. So thank you. Let's talk first about the seventh District. Tell us about it. Where is it? Who's in it? What's it made up of? What's it like?
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C
Yeah. So you kind of think of it as it's in Pennsylvania. It's the Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton area. It had been redrawn, you know, in the last census. And so people consider it to be a purple area, although I would say that it's trending blue overall. Trending is the operative word at the moment, although you wouldn't know that because Ryan McKenzie mag. Ryan McKenzie won. And I think it was like three, you know, plus three and a half with Donald Trump. But really, you can see the shift going on. And these, you know, these are working class people. You know, we have Allentown and Bethlehem, you know, kind of in the center. And, you know, like, look, you know, these people want to move forward. One of the nice things about, you know, about the district is that it has urban, suburban and rural areas. So we are like a little mini United States. And so we all work together. It's a really nice community to live in.
- [24:28]
A
Yeah. And it's a good bellwether. And I think it's going to be really important. And you say three and a half points. That is, if you look at the last 53 special elections we've had this off year. That is nothing compared to some of the ground we've made up in Iowa and some of the state houses in Wisconsin, even down in Florida one and Florida six. And those were like plus 25 and plus 30 Republican strongholds. And we made up, you know, dozens of points. And so when we talk about how we only really need. Aside from all the gerrymandering that's going on.
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C
Yeah.
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A
In Missouri and possibly Indiana. Definitely Texas, and maybe some of the counter gerrymandering that's going on with Prop 50 in California, aside from all that, we only need a couple of seats to win. And focusing on districts like Pennsylvania 7th are going to be critical in that fight.
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C
Absolutely. So we need five seats to pick up right now. Like, besides all of the stuff that you just mentioned, like assuming, like, we. We land where we are in some form or fashion, we need five seats to pick up. This is one of them. This was Susan Wild's district. She had it, I think, for six years. She lost by less than one and a half percent. 4,000 votes. And when you think about, like, you know, Trump really brought in a wave. You know, even, you know, our Senator Bob Casey. Yeah. Who is a stalwart, lost. I mean, literally just barely. They were counting votes till the very end.
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A
Yeah.
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C
So this is definitely a seed we can pick up.
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A
Yeah. And let's talk about how we're going to pick that up because of the platforms that Democrats are running on. And it's going to vary Right. From district to district. I think the important part is that you get a good ground game. You go out, you find what the constituents are concerned about. For example, in some of the California districts, a lot of people are concerned about ICE and immigration. In places like New York, people are concerned about affordability and jobs. What are you finding as you're starting to, you know, hit the streets and do the work of the campaign? What are you finding that the constituents of the 7th district are most interested in changing and doing? Because it's, you know, obviously we have to stop the MAGA stuff, but there's also stuff that we want to do, like positive stuff and affirming stuff that we can't just run on. Not Republican. We have to say, why Democrat? What are some of the issues that are coming up again and again in the seventh?
- [26:52]
C
I mean, what you said is exactly right. I mean, I would say the overarching title is affordability. Whether it's affordability for gas or affordability for groceries or affordability for education, Everything is about affordability 100%. And one of the things that I have tied that to very specifically is wealth. Right. And so, like, I talk about tax wealth, not workers. And so what a lot of people don't understand. So we have 18 billionaires here in Pennsylvania, and If you think, and assuming they only had 1 billion, and by the way, they have more, you know, they would be making $1 million a week in interest, you know, so what are they doing with that million dollars a week? They're competing with us. They're buying houses in bulk. They're buying our mortgages, they're buying, you know, they own food. And so not only do we need to produce more houses 100%, but we also need to make it illegal for them to just buy in bulk. Otherwise we're never going to be able to control these prices, you know, and our kids are never going to be able to own their own home because when they buy, they're renting out. They're not renting, they're not buying to sell. They're buying to rent so that they have an annuity and we have nothing.
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A
Yeah, no, agreed. And I think a big part of understanding and responding to affordable living is to support and lift up unions and be union strong. Tell us about your stance on that.
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C
Oh, yeah, I mean, I believe, I mean, look, you know, the only way for us to fight back about around large employers and employers, like, look, their goal is to be profitable, right. As much profit as you can. That's what they teach you in MBA school. Right. You're, you're fiduciary is to your owners. And so they're doing what they can. And one of the things that they work on is reducing wages. And if there isn't pushback and if there isn't a union there helping you, then how are you as an individual going to fight back? You have no power. And so it's about power, not economics.
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A
Yeah. And it's about making sure people know that they have that power. And that's why I think strong unions, especially in places like, like Allentown and Bethlehem and middle working class neighborhoods that make up a pretty big chunk of, of your district.
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C
Yeah, yeah, we used to manufacture steel here, right?
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A
Yeah.
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C
And you know, we still have people that are doing that. Like some of it have, have moved to, you know, nursing and other healthcare professions. But that's our foundation, you know, and so you still see it. And like, I still talk to people, they talk about the union that they were in, let alone the unions that they're in now, you know, so, I mean, like, welding is a massive thing here, you know, there's plenty of welding jobs, you know, and we need the unions to help us.
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A
Well, now let's talk a little bit about what I alluded to earlier. Your, your experience as comptroller some of the audits that you've done and, and how that's going to translate into representing the seventh in Congress?
- [29:48]
C
Oh yeah, that'd be great. You know, so one of the audits that I did was on the healthcare that we provide to our employees. So for example, we spend about $30 million on our employees. We have 2,500 employees and we're self insured, so that means that we pay the bills. I looked at pharmacy as an example. So we spend $7 million on pharmacy and we found $3 million basically of grift. And so we were able to change providers, change insurance companies and save $3 million a year. And so what does that say to me? First off, it says there's a lot of waste in the system. And it shows like, it makes it simple for me to be for Medicare for all or universal healthcare, whatever you want to call it these days, but providing everyone with health care. Because I know how much waste is in the system and I can prove it. And so like, that's one of the things I want to take up to Congress, you know, is the money. Like, you know, I just did a report on Guardian ad litems, like another issue that, you know, parents face on a regular basis either because they have dependency court or they have family court. And you're able to show the waste there. And so what a lot of people don't know is the controller is very much like Doge was supposed to be. It's about fraud, waste and abuse. But we hire CPAs, we don't hire 19 year olds. Right. And so we have, you know, we really do have a lot of insight. You know, even in the prison area, you know, what I found was, is that for every dollar a prisoner spent on a phone call, we were getting a 70 cent commission. Last year we got, or two years ago we got $650,000 in commissions.
- [31:29]
A
Huh.
- [31:31]
C
So, you know, these are the kind of things that I'm going to bring. And even like you, you know, you look at ICE as an example, it's a waste. Like we, we are way overspending on ice and we need to, we need to make sure that we're spending our money wisely and also, by the way, using money to, to shape our, you know, our country as it's being taken over by fascism.
- [31:56]
A
Yeah. And let's talk about that as our final thing because, you know, we talked about the things that you're for, the things that you want to do and the things that you're running on. Let's talk about what I think concerns a lot of people is how we push back against the Trump agenda and the MAGA agenda and in Congress. How, how do you see that happening? Do you see that happening through investigations and committee subpoena powers, like digging into stuff, providing oversight, using your audit skills to check what this particular administration is doing by either spending congressionally appropriated money where it's not supposed to be spent or blocking congressionally appropriated money where it's supposed to be spent. Talk a little bit about what you would do if we're able to flip the House, what sort of tools that you would use in order to stop this fascistic stuff that's happening.
- [32:46]
C
Yeah, I mean, first off, realize that sort of leadership has failed us. Right. They haven't been using the power of the person the way they should have been using, you know, and they were sitting out on top like at a State of the Union address with their little ping pong paddles or whatever. Like that's ridiculous. Like, they failed us on immigration, they failed us on Gaza, they failed us on the last budget resolution. You know, Schumer basically just did whatever they wanted. He didn't even ask for an I to be dotted or a T to be crossed. Right. We actually have a new budget that's coming up in this September. And regardless of whether it happens now or once I'm in, there are things that you can do using money. So for example, the Supreme Court has become full maga. Well, we can reduce the amount of money that we give to the courts and so that they don't have as many clerks, they don't have as many people working for them. So we're not getting rid of them. But we're certainly slowing down the crazy things that they're doing. You know, we can. That's one way to hold the Supreme Court accountable. You know, vaccines. You know, we should be a full advocate for vaccines. So if, you know, if Kennedy isn't going to do the right thing, we start taking away money from his, from his part portion of the government. You know, like, personally, you know, I'm tired of mopping up children's blood off the floor, you know, and so we need more gun safety measures. And so we need to look at the money around that and what are, what are the things that we can do, you know, to focus on that? And there's plenty because we could tax ammunition more. We can make sure that the bullets are imprinted from the gun by passing legislation. Like, there's so many things that we can do and we can use. We can look at the money and how we're allocating it better. And look, they just passed a bill that allowed ICE to be two thirds the size of the Marine Corps and bigger than the IDF because they understood how to use money effectively for their side. And we need to learn how to use money effectively for our side. And quite frankly, we need leadership that's willing to do it, and we just don't have that at the moment.
- [34:56]
A
Yeah. And a lot of that would depend on whether or not we also are able to get the Senate, because we can't really pass legislation even if a budget reconciliation needs a majority, a simple majority in the Senate when you're talking about things that have to do with the budget, you know, money and stuff. But if. If we don't have that, there's still things that the House can do if we just flip the House to put the brakes on a lot of this stuff.
- [35:21]
C
Well, you know, in Congress, we actually do allocate the funds. Right. So, you know, we're the one that's where the budget starts, is in the House. So if we get, you know. Well, I mean, I should say it starts with the president, then goes to the House. Right. But, like, there's a lot of power in the House around that. Look, and quite frankly, if we have the House, you know, we can hold up the budget and like, you know, as, you know, Democrats, we have to decide if we're willing to shut down the government. And shutting down the government has massive rippling impact throughout our economy and throughout the world. And quite honestly, where we are now, in a fascist state, I would be willing to do that.
- [36:00]
A
Yeah. I think a lot of people are who would normally say, you know, we have to keep the government open at all costs. That's a. That's when the government is functioning properly and doing the right things and spending the money the way that Congress has appropriated it. And to. To allow. To fund it without any even making any demands, let alone any deals, I think is personally a mistake. I would like to see more of a fight there. And who knows what the landscape will look like in the next Congress when all this is said and done. It may be very different.
- [36:30]
C
I hope for the positive. The big beautiful bill. So my brother is on Medicaid. He's learning disabled, and he works full time, by the way. But the new Medicaid bill that they passed, my sister and I used to have to fill out his forms once a year in order to make sure he's eligible. With the new law we're going to have to fill it out twice a year. I love him. I'm going to do it now. We also have to fill it out every month. And all of that is going to happen after the election. Right. So they made sure that none of this went into play until after the midterms. But as comptroller, I sign off on $103 million worth of Medicaid for mental intellectual disabilities. So that's about 20,000 people that are just like my brother, who require other people to help them fill that information out. And if they don't have that, you know, then, like, they won't be getting it. And so Medicaid, for me, is the only thing that's keeping millions from drowning. And Republicans are pulling people under.
- [37:30]
B
Yeah.
- [37:31]
A
And that's part of the Republican way. Make it very complicated. Make it. Have a lot of forms. Make it so people just give up and don't, you know, try to get the. The money that they have paid into the system back for themselves, for their entitlements. And we see it happen at the Department of Veterans affairs, the big culture of. No, we see it happen in private insurance companies where they want to use AI software, like they do at UnitedHealthcare, to deny claims en masse, and they want to do that for Medicaid as well. And we see it happening. And so I think that having a strong campaign that pits the top against the bottom and less about the left and the right, I think is probably the way to go.
- [38:09]
C
That's what I think. I. I mean, I believe that this is class warfare, and I think that the rich are paying the. The right to confuse the people. You know, because, like, when, you know, when you. If you sit down with somebody on, for the most part, you know, you can still be neighbors. Right. You know, your. Your problems are still the same. Right? You want to have the trash picked up, you want to have the leaves cleaned off the street, you want to snow plowed, and you want to go to a safe school, and you want your kids to be educated. You know, there's a lot of stuff that we want together. And the rich see that there's a choice coming, right? And the choice is we're either going to start taxing them more or they have to create warfare and say, it's our fault. You know, it's your fault that you're not doing as well. It's your fault because you're lgbtq. It's your fault. And we have to. We have to teach people that that's not true. It's not.
- [38:59]
A
Yep. They want to fight the culture war so they don't have to fight the class war. That's exactly how it's been for centuries.
- [39:06]
C
Yeah. Yeah. You think we would have learned by now.
- [39:09]
A
I always think about back in 2016, with all of the Russian disinformation and stuff that was happening in our elections and how the folks in Ukraine, the Ukrainians, were looking at us like, are you new? Do you not how you don't know about this, that this happens? And so, you know, we see this time and again. I was just re watching, Mark. I was just rewatching the West Wing. It's the same stuff over and over and over again. And I think they think that we are all idiots and we have short term memories. But you're right. I think the things. There are more things that bring us together than divide us, as so many folks, including Reese's recently, as Kamala Harris has said. And I think that that's the way forward. So with all that in mind, can you tell everybody where to find you, where to support your campaign if people want to get involved in the seventh? Because it's going to be a very big, important, bellwether, tight swing district race for Congress and for us to get the power back in the House of Representatives. So tell everybody where they can find it.
- [40:11]
C
Yeah, so it's votemarkpinsley.com and that's P as in Peter I N S l e y votemarkpinsley.com we can use all the help that we can get in. Anything that you can do, including obviously donations, but also writing campaigns. There's lots of stuff that needs to be done in order to win an election.
- [40:32]
A
Yeah, definitely. Postcarding, I think, for the seventh would be great for, for a lot of folks. I think that that's something that's really accessible to a lot of people and really actually makes a big difference. Whenever I get a postcard in my, in my mailbox, even in super blue California, I'm like, this is cool. Thank you very much for taking the time and thank you for taking the time to speak to us today. We appreciate it. Mark Pensley running for the 7th district in Pennsylvania.
- [40:58]
C
Thanks for having me on.
- [40:59]
A
Yeah. If you're in the seventh, you know it and you love it. And we will talk soon. We'll have you back on as the election approaches and we appreciate your time today.
- [41:07]
C
Thanks, Allison.
- [41:08]
A
Yeah, everybody stick around. We'll be right back with the good news. Everybody, welcome back. It's time for the good news.
- [41:14]
C
Who Likes good news everyone, then good news everyone.
- [41:31]
A
And if you have any good news, any little great thing that's happened to you, whether it's big or small, and Whether it was 10 minutes ago or 10 years ago, we want to hear about it. It can be anything. Any great story that you would share with a friend. Maybe you have a shout out to, like your spouse or a partner or a great small business in your area, maybe a nonprofit you'd like to let everybody know about, a musician you've been listening to and loving. Maybe you also want to give a shout out to a government program that's helped you or a loved one. It can be anything from the Affordable Care act to section 8 to WIC to something local. Maybe you have a municipal government program that's really helped you or your family or somebody that you know. And also if you want to, you know, give a shout out to some great activism in your area, maybe send, you know, a story about how you met a bunch of great people at a rally, or maybe you're doing postcard writing parties. We want to hear about all of it. Send it into us. We need to microdose the hope. And to get your stuff right on the air, all you got to do is pay your pod pet tariff, which to us means just attach any random photo. Works fine. It doesn't have to be your pet, but if it is your pet and you want us to guess the breeds, we'll try our best. If you don't have a pet adoptable pet in your area, we'll see if we can find him a home. Any animal photo off the Internet will work if you don't have any of that. And then of course, family photos. Awkward family photos. Photos of your things you're making and creating, your hobby. Maybe your happy place, maybe a nice sunset. Seriously, anything. Bird watching can be actual birds or you and your family and friends flipping the bird to trump or musk. Send it all to us dailybeanspot.com and click on contact. We used to have this great thing where people would send in their stuffed animals and woobies that they've had forever. So if you have one of those, we would love to hear about it. I think the oldest one, wasn't it like 105 years old or something like that? It had been in the family forever. Anyway, send it to us. First up from Linda C. My good trouble. Get a bubble machine and flood the good zone. Bubbles are the universal sign of peace. The juxtaposition of masked goons and bubbles is priceless. I started bringing my bubble machine to our rallies when the goons arrived in Los Angeles to make it clear we're peaceful. I am now the bubble lady. So many people thank me in Monterey. So many people do need to feel better. Bring the bubbles. Gazillion bubbles is thicker and holds up outside. Best. My $20 bubble machine uses six AA batteries. I use rechargeables. Pale blue out of Utah is the best. I never have to buy batteries ever again in my lifetime. I bring 12. Bring extra bubble soap. One bottle goes about three hours. Pale blue batteries go about three hours. Single use batteries about two hours. Bring a little white towels as soap will tend to get everywhere. I bring a portable stool to get a bubbler up off the ground. I'm old and it's easier to refill. These weaklings can't handle a rainbow crosswalk without melting down. Are they going to outlaw bubbles Next? Pulse nightclub, D.C. and now Chicago. Flood the zone with bubbles. I recommend against bubble machines that are shaped like guns. Does the second Amendment cover bubble guns or just guns that kill people? So if you want to be interviewed, attract a crowd. Bubbles. No standing on the sidewalk. Get a used stroller to push your bubbler around. Get a lawnmower bubble toy and push that around the goons. For my pod pet tariffs, I have a favorite sign from a Labor Day rally. My signs with the bubble machine, A squirrel visiting its kitty friends and letting me know I'm late with its nuts. Amazing bubble machines. Thank you very much, Linda C. The favorite sign. Even his wife hates him. That's great. Squirrel on the screen door. Love it. And a couple more signs. Republicans too weak to compete for your vote. And Trump stands for the Russians ultimate man puppet. So great. Thank you so, so much, Linda C. I love bubbles.
- [45:23]
B
They calm me. I think all adults should have bubbles machines. And I also think everyone should have a lewd squirrel on their screen. What is happening? Those look like squirrel nuts. Listen, I'm sorry, but they do. Looks like a male squirrel. We'll find out.
- [45:39]
A
Amazing.
- [45:40]
B
What a great submission. All right, this one's from Amy Pronoun. She and her Dear Leguminadians, I'd like to share some good news about my mom. Now in her 70s, she's literally the most amazing woman on Earth for many reasons. But today I want to share her hobby with you all. Garbage picking. She lives in a big city, so there's no shortage of litter. And when I go to visit, we drive around and she's literally pointing everywhere, saying how many bags of trash she picked up. She's got a direct line to the city so they can collect the many bags of trash that she's collecting each day. Others have seen her and they have joined her in her effort to keep San Francisco clean. And she does this all with one hand as her other arm was paralyzed by polio when she was a toddler during the COVID year, she and my brother made a video of her trash picking, which I will share here. My brother did the video and editing while our mom picked a crap ton of litter and narrated. So on my lest days, I watch the video. Oh my God. And I think, what's my excuse? Get up and get moving. Let's do this. We have a link to this video in the show notes, by the way, for my pod pet tariff, I've included a photo of my baby chestnut trees. They are getting scraggly and need to be put into the full earth soon. A moment I hope to see in the fall. And a picture of my brother, videographer, and my mom on a sunny day. Aren't they amazing? I love your work. Keep your heads up and your heart strong.
- [47:06]
A
Look at this.
- [47:06]
B
Oh, my God. Your brother and your mom look amazing. Your mom reminds me a little bit of Betty DeGeneres. I went to. I love this story. I went to a Richard Simmons workout class and Betty DeGeneres was there and I worked out with her next to her to Richard Cinnamon's workout class in Los Angeles. Isn't that funny?
- [47:26]
A
Who's Betty DeGeneres?
- [47:28]
B
Ellen's mother.
- [47:29]
A
Ellen's mother. Okay.
- [47:30]
B
Sorry. Yeah, that was. I just assume everyone's gay. You don't know who Betty DeGeneres is.
- [47:38]
A
I figured there was some sort of relation to Ellen there. I mean, I don't know too many DeGeneres. Yeah. Or DeGeneri. I don't know what the plural is, but that's amazing. I love that story, too. Was Richard Simmons the actual Richard Simmons there leading the class?
- [47:52]
B
Oh, yeah.
- [47:53]
A
Oh, he's so funny. Yeah, he's so great. I remember seeing him on Whose Line is It Anyway? He's just a riot. I. I miss him. We miss him dearly. Yeah. All right, next up from Kathy. Hey. I live in Norfolk, Virginia, and today I saw a young lady going through the downtown tunnel this morning who had a Mueller she wrote bumper sticker.
- [48:10]
B
Nice.
- [48:10]
A
I've never seen anyone in the wild who listens to MSW media shows. So I just wanted to write to say if you're listening. I see you, sticker lady. If you drove through a tunnel in Norfolk today and you have a moshy rope upper sticker. Kathy says hi and so do we. For my podbet tariff, I've attached a picture of my dog Teddy, left in the green harness and his litter mate Winston, who is owned by my sister and her family. They're brothers, as my son says it, and love each other very much. I doubt you'll have any problem guessing their breed. Thanks for all you do and for all the good news. Lord knows we need every last bit of it. These look like Choco Tacos to me. They're very cute.
- [48:50]
B
They are very cute Choco tacos. All right. This is from Teddy B. Pronoun. She and her. Over the weekend we celebrated my father and lost 90 favorite. Almost everyone in the family was able to attend. The thing my father in law wanted to do was to skydive for his birthday.
- [49:07]
A
His 95th birthday.
- [49:08]
B
Yeah. He had an appointment to do it on Saturday, but a cold front had moved in making it very cloudy, windy and possibly rainy. So the jump was canceled and rescheduled for Sunday morning. So on Sunday morning the whole family, 35 of us were able to go watch. And my nieces and nephews made the cool sign that their great grandpa was skydiving at 95. This sign led to my father in law being an instant celebrity celebrity and everyone wanting to take pictures of him. I must have taken 20 photos of strangers and dad was really enjoying the attention.
- [49:37]
A
Dads do, don't they?
- [49:39]
B
Right. The skydiving site was right near Niagara Falls so the view was going to be incredible. They suited my father in law up and my nephew went with him attaches a picture of dad making the jump. My pet tax is my son and daughter in law's rescue dog Rusty on top of White Face Mountain. This whole submission is just freaking awesome.
- [49:59]
A
This is incredible. Look at him, look at him go.
- [50:02]
B
Yep.
- [50:03]
A
I used to skydive when I was a kid because I didn't care about like breaking bones or dying or anything. I was like whatever, let's just go woohoo. You know when you're young and you're like invincible?
- [50:12]
B
Yep.
- [50:13]
A
But I think between the age of like probably 35 and 95. Yeah, I'm not gonna go skydiving. But at 95, yeah, probably right? Hell yeah. This is so great. I love this submission. Teddy B. What a great good news submission. Next up we have a submission from Dr. Larry. Hello beans family. I've been writing letters like these for many of the past 37 years. This year I decided to send it to the good news segment as a yay me self shout out. I write them mostly because I can see. 37 years ago, on August 31st, I was injured as a passenger in a near fatal hit and run automobile accident. All I know about the drivers, they hit our vehicle going about 90 miles an hour on the freeway, sending us careening off the side of the road and flipping three times. Each time the impact was on my side. The roof caved in, split my head open, crushed my neck at the cervical fifth vertebrae and the fourth and sixth were also affected, making me lose almost all my blood and immediately knocking me unconscious. I am paralyzed from the chest down with no use of my hands, meaning I'm quadriplegic. I was in a coma for about two and a half weeks and fading in and out of consciousness for about a month and a half after that. This was back in the day when cell phones were rare. So thanks to the good Samaritan that pulled over to use a call box at 11:45 at night, emergency vehicles were dispatched to the scene to save my life. They revived me just enough to get me to the nearest emergency room.
- [51:45]
B
Wow.
- [51:46]
A
There was not a worker there that would have been a penny out of their paycheck that I was going to make it. However, probably with the combination of the expertise of the neurosurgeon and a good helping of my determination, I made it through the night. When I finally regained consciousness, they thought I would be brain injured for the rest of my life. They told my parents I would never return back to school. I was two years through my bachelor's program at UCI. I would need 24 hour care. I would never have good quality of life. I would never find someone to love me, et cetera, et cetera. They had no idea who they were dealing with. I returned back to school. I finished my bachelor's degree in psychology, got my master's in counseling psychology, got my doctorate in clinical psychology. Side note, my dissertation was a really boring literature review called Psychological Adjustment to Spinal Cord Injury. I figured I would do something that I knew. Currently I have a spectacular job working in a library in the teen program. I get to put a lot of my psychology training to work. I went back for another master's degree in Library Science in 2021. Okay, Bachelor's, double Master's and a doctorate. In 1997, I met the love of my life. We've been together ever since. With her came extraordinarily talented daughter who was a costume designer for major musicians. I think we've seen some of These photos before here in the good news. Every day is a new struggle for me with a new challenge. But all I need to do is look back to that day, August 31st, and realize that everything could have been taken from me and I would not have experienced any of this. I've done so many amazing things, met so many amazing people, and have had some really incredible experiences. And yes, there's been a lot of sucky over the years in my life. Many days and situations that would bring an average person to their knees and metaphorically paralyze them. What's different about me is that I have perspective. I've been there already. Had my life ended on August 31, I wouldn't be alive to experience all that I've experienced. Every day I'm here is another cherry on top. When I send out my letter, I like to give my recipients a task. You could do this once, or you could do it every day, or you don't have to do it. I ask them to take 15 seconds and think about all the things that are precious to them in their life. I realize that's not a long time, 15 seconds. But that was about all the time that transpired between the impact from the hit and run vehicle and my life completely changing forever. Life is precious. Live it to the fullest. The attached picture is from 1994 when I got my service dog, Hawk. This was our first picture together. He was an amazing dog.
- [54:12]
B
Larry, this whole submission is just beautiful and what you have lived through. Doctor, I should say. Dr. Larry.
- [54:21]
A
Larry, this is amazing. It's good to hear from you, my friend.
- [54:24]
B
Yes, indeed.
- [54:26]
A
Look at that doggo.
- [54:28]
B
I'm taking this 15 seconds right when we sign off.
- [54:30]
A
Yeah, me too. Good advice for all of us. And thanks everyone for sending in your good news. Really, really appreciate it. Whether it's skydiving or bubbles or taking 15 seconds to remember what you're thankful for and everything that you have, I think that that's so great. And also maybe you go pick up some trash.
- [54:51]
B
There you go.
- [54:52]
A
Like the amazing mom that we have. Or maybe, you know, you saw sticker lady in the tunnel in Norfolk. Anything, send it to us. We would love to hear from you. Dailybeanspod.com and click on contact. Check out cleanup on aisle 45 today. You won't be sorry, I promise. Do you have any final thoughts, my friend?
- [55:10]
B
No, I do not.
- [55:11]
A
All right. We'll be back in your ears tomorrow. Until then, please take care of yourselves. Take care of each other, take care of the planet, take care of your mental health and take care of your family. Ben AG I've been DG Nimsa 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 Giant and the show is a proud member of the MSW Media Network, a collection of creator owned podcasts dedicated to news, politics and justice. For more information please Visit mswmedia.com msw media.