← The Daily Beans
The Daily Beans
In Sadness, I Dissent (feat. Molly Jong-Fast)
00:48:27
Thursday, June 19th, 2025 Today, the Supreme Court deals a stunning setback to trans rights as it upholds Tennessee’s ban on transgender healthcare for minors; cuts to FEMA are hammering communities that voted for Trump; the fed refuse to cut interest rates despite pressure from Trump to do so; the Small Business Administration is flying the far right appeal to heaven flag; the President is really mad a Pete Hegseth for his squeaky squeaky tank parade; Russ Vought eyes a rarely used power to override Congressional spending; and Allison and Dana deliver your Good News.
Loading summary
Transcript153 lines
- [00:00]
Alison Gill
MSW Media. Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Thursday, June 19, 2025. Today, the Supreme Court deals a stunning setback to trans rights as it upholds Tennessee's ban on transgender health care for minors. Cuts to FEMA are hammering communities that voted for Trump. The feds refused to cut interest rates despite pressure from Trump to do so. The Small Business Administration is flying the far right appeal to heaven flag. The president is really mad at Pete Hegseth for the squeaky, squeaky tank parade. And Russ Vaught eyes a rarely used power to override congressional spending. I'm Alison Gill.
- [00:58]
Dana Goldberg
And I'm Dana Goldberg.
- [01:02]
Alison Gill
Hey, Dana.
- [01:03]
Dana Goldberg
Hey, my friend.
- [01:04]
Alison Gill
I am going to reserve any wishing anyone a happy Thursday today.
- [01:09]
Dana Goldberg
Yeah, I am coming out swinging. I'm just so fucking mad. We're going to get to the Supreme Court decision. I just. This corrupt court literally dismissing dozens of scientific and medical organizations and associations, reputable ones. This is never about science and taking away the rights of parents. You don't think they're going to take away the rights of your kids if they don't agree with something you're doing. This is a horrible precedent that was set. So I am right now just sending love not just to my trans community, but really deeply to the parents. There's so many parents of trans kids listening to this podcast and I'm sorry. I love you. We're still fighting. This isn't the end of. This isn't the end of it. There were some things in this ruling that did not, they didn't destroy, which is amazing. And this isn't an across the board ruling. We're going to get to that in a little bit. It doesn't take away gender affirming care in states that have legalized it, but it does open a door for bigoted legislatures and red states to do whatever the fuck they want now. And it's just, there's no sugar coating it. It sucks. It sucks.
- [02:21]
Alison Gill
And there are already so many anti trans laws on the books that are going to be able to be in effect now in red states. So we'll get to that in a minute.
- [02:34]
Dana Goldberg
It is Juneteenth, though.
- [02:36]
Alison Gill
Yes, it is. And former President Joe Biden will be in Galveston today as a dignitary for a Juneteenth event because it was in Galveston in 1865 where the enslaved were informed of their freedom under the Emancipation Proclamation by the two years after it was signed by Abraham Lincoln. So Joe Biden will be in Galveston for Juneteenth today. Also later in the show, I'M going to be talking with Molly Zhang fast. She's the New York Times bestselling author of how to Lose youe A Daughter's Memoir.
- [03:04]
Dana Goldberg
She's amazing.
- [03:05]
Alison Gill
She really is. It was so wonderful to see her again and talk to her. And I hope you all enjoy that interview and get her book. I recommend you get them, order them from your local independent bookseller. Yeah. And have that have multiple copies delivered to your home so that you can put them out in little libraries everywhere. It is a universal guide on how to make it out of dark, dark times.
- [03:29]
Dana Goldberg
So, yeah, man, Lord knows. Random. You know, yesterday we had that good news. We had the trans rights with the passport decision. But today's been devastating. There's no other way to spin it, Allison.
- [03:39]
Alison Gill
Yeah, no, there isn't. And so we're not going to try. The Supreme Court Wednesday upheld Tennessee's ban on gender affirming care for transgender minors. This is a jolting setback to transgender rights. It was, of course, a 6:3 decision, with Roberts writing in a case from Tennessee effectively, that protects from legal challenges many efforts by Trump's Republican administration and state governments to roll back protections for transgender people. Another 26 states have laws similar to Tennessee's. Again, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the conservative majority, and conservative is not a word I would use, that the law banning puberty blockers and hormone treatments for trans minors doesn't violate the Constitution's equal protection clause, which requires the government to treat similarly situated people the same.
- [04:29]
Dana Goldberg
I disagree with that completely, by the way, and so does a few of the justices. This is a dissent for the court's three liberal justices that summarized aloud in the courtroom just Justice Sonia Sotomayor. This is what she said. By retreating from meaningful judicial review, exactly where it matters most, the court abandons transgender children and their families to political whims. In sadness, I dissent.
- [04:53]
Alison Gill
Yeah, and I've never heard an in sadness, I dissent. We had the in fear of democracy. I dissent in the immunity hearing. But this is the first time I've seen that. And I concur. And you know, I'm going to be talking to experts in the coming days. A lot of this had to do with the type of review these cases get. And Dana, for a little more information, I want to read a statement from the ACLU that was shared by Aaron Reed of Aaron in the Morning on Substack. And the ACLU said today's ruling is a devastating loss for transgender people, our families, and everyone who cares about the Constitution. That's Chase Strangio co director of the ACLU's LGBTQ and HIV project, went on to say, though this is a painful setback, it does not mean that transgender people and our allies are left with no options to defend our freedom, our health care, or our lives. The court left undisturbed Supreme Court and lower court precedent that other examples of discrimination against transgender people are unlawful. We are as determined as ever to fight for the dignity and equality of every transgender person. And we will continue to do so with defiant strength, a restless resolve, and a lasting commitment to our families, our communities, and the freedom we all deserve.
- [06:11]
Dana Goldberg
And just so everyone knows Chase Strangio. He will be one of my gays of the day on the series. He is the first out trans person to ever argue a case in front of the Supreme Court. He is an incredible man and is doing whatever you believe in up in the sky or in the world, in the nature. He's doing their work and he's. He's tired and I can understand why it goes to say. And this is the continuation from Aaron's post that Chase put out. He said, this is heartbreaking ruling, making it more difficult for transgender youth to escape the danger and trauma of being denied their ability to live and thrive. Actually, that was Sasha Boucher and she's the counsel and director for Non Binary Transgender Rights Project at Lambda Legal went on to say, but we will continue to fight fiercely to protect them. Make no mistake, gender affirming care is often life saving care, and all major medical associations have determined it to be safe, appropriate and effective. This is a sad day and the implications will reverberate for years and across the country, but it does not shake our resolve to continue fighting.
- [07:14]
Alison Gill
The statement goes on to say, today the Supreme Court told Tennessee transgender youth and their families that they cannot access health care that is vitally important for a successful life. That's Lucas. Cameron Vaugh, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Tennessee, goes on to say, this ruling creates a class of people who politicians believe deserve healthcare and a class of people who do not. We will continue to stand with transgender people in Tennessee and are committed to realizing a world where all people belong, are valued, and can access the necessary healthcare they need.
- [07:47]
Dana Goldberg
Thank you, Alison. We're gonna continue to cover this. There are organizations that people need people to talk to, including Lambda Legal, the Human Rights Campaign. As of right now, Trevor Project still has their line open if you need to call. So please make sure you reach out to someone to the trans community. You are valid. You have a right to exist. A right to healthcare and a right to dignity. And we will continue to fight for that on the daily beans and throughout this community. And we love you.
- [08:16]
Alison Gill
Thank you for saying that. We see you, we do love you, and we're here. We are here for you. So everybody, we have more news to get to, but we're going to take a quick break first, so stick around. We'll be right back after these messages.
- [08:30]
Dana Goldberg
We'll be right back.
- [08:32]
Alison Gill
Hey everybody. This podcast is sponsored by Peak. Sleep can be tough, especially when your mind just won't slow down. That's where Peak's Re Fountain Electrolytes comes in. It's designed to support relaxation and hydration at night so you can fall asleep easier and wake up feeling restored. Many people have made it part of their nighttime routine for better rest, me included. One sachet at night is all it takes, and my current sleep routine is now at the next level. It helps my body settle, and in the morning, everything feels more balanced. There's no more grogginess, no brain fog. Just focused, refreshed, calm. It's like giving your nervous system the support it needs to rest while you sleep. What makes it stand out is the formulation. Peak uses their proprietary triple biomaxed magnesium, which includes three highly bioavailable forms of magnesium, glycanate, taurate, and L Theornate. Now, these forms work deep within your system to calm the brain and support rest. The difference is noticeable immediately. And the ingredients are as clean as it gets. No sugar, no artificial flavors, no weird additives, no fillers disguised as natural. Just organic lemon juice, lemongrass, pink Himalayan salt. It tastes like something that you'd be served after a long massage at a high end spa. It's soothing, it's simple, and it's good for the body. Within a few days, the routine feels more grounded. The body starts recovering better energy evens out stress, eases. It supports restful sleep in a way that makes everything else easier the next day. And here's something just for you. Peak is offering 10% off for life. Yeah, for life. Just for being a listener of the beans. They're even backing it with a 90 day money back guarantee. So head to peaklife.comdailybeans to try R E Fountain. Now that's Peak Life P I Q U E life.com dailybeans because better sleep isn't a luxury, it's a necessity. You deserve to wake up clear, calm and ready to take on your day. Everybody, welcome back. It's time for the hot notes. Hot notes. All right. From the Times. The White House House is signaling it may soon invoke a little known and legally untested power. And by the way, you can just end that sentence right there. And that's pretty much an evergreen statement for the Trump administration. The White House is signaling it may soon invoke a little known and legally untested power to try to cancel billions of dollars in federal spending as Trump's top aides look for novel ways to reconfigure the budget without obtaining the explicit approval of Congress. Under the emerging plan, the Trump administration would wait until closer to September 30, which is the end of the fiscal year, for the government to formally ask lawmakers to claw back a set of funds it has targeted for cuts. Even if Congress fails to vote on that request, the president's timing would trigger a law that freezes the money until it ultimately expires. The idea is known as a pocket rescission, and it's been invoked only in limited circumstances over the past half century. The Government Accountability Office gao, a nonpartisan oversight body that reports to Capitol Hill, ruled during the first Trump administration that pocket rescission is illegal, citing Supreme Court precedent as it reversed its previous stance that the law may permit the power's use. But probably one of the most dangerous people in the world right now, Russ Vaught, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, has increasingly brandished the maneuver as an ultimatum to Congress, warning the White House may test the limits of its authority to act unilaterally unless Congress hastens its work to cut spending. You'll keep me. You'll remember, Rus Vaught is the guy who impounded Ukraine funding illegally.
- [12:02]
Dana Goldberg
Awful, awful, awful. This one's from the Guardian. The US Federal Reserve kept interest rates on hold, but it signaled it might make two cuts this year as Trump continues to break with precedent and demand lower rates. Policymakers at the American Central bank, they lifted their projections for inflation this year as the US President stands by his controversial tariff plans. His batch. They're just a mess. They're a mess.
- [12:26]
Alison Gill
Controversial is doing a lot of work there.
- [12:28]
Dana Goldberg
Yeah. Real heavy lifting. And downgraded their estimates for economic growth.
- [12:32]
Alison Gill
Oh, so increased inflation and lower economic growth.
- [12:36]
Dana Goldberg
I know. Shocking. Everyone told us. Everyone told us. Now, uncertainty has faded. That's what they said. But it remains significant. The Fed chair, Jerome Powell, cautioned that officials expect tariffs imposed by Trump to increase prices over the course of the summer. Okay. Uh huh. Increases in tariffs this year are likely to push up prices and weigh on economic activity. That's what Powell told reporters and went on to say the effects on inflation could be short lived, reflecting a one time shift in the price level. It's also possible that the inflationary effects could be more persistent.
- [13:09]
Alison Gill
Yeah. And just a reminder, that Fed chair was appointed by Donald Trump.
- [13:15]
Dana Goldberg
Yes, indeed. Okay, this is all on him.
- [13:18]
Alison Gill
Yes. Now from cbs. Amid the avalanche of cuts made in the first five months of the Trump administration, none may have read state politicians more up in arms than the cancellation of the infrastructure program, which is formerly known as Building Resilient Infrastructure and communities, or BRIC for short. The $4.6 billion initiative was launched under the first Trump administration. And a CBS News analysis of FEMA data revealed that two thirds of the county's awarded grants voted for Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 election. The data suggests the elimination of the BRIC program will especially deprive vulnerable communities across the southeast. In Florida, 18 of the 22 counties that stood to benefit from nearly $250 million in grants voted for Trump. Elsewhere in North Carolina, grants were canceled in areas ravaged by Hurricane Helene last year, many of which voted for Trump. So we're coming up, you know, we're actually right and we're in hurricane season right now. I happen to know that. I'm not a meteorologist. The head of FEMA doesn't know that. But we're in hurricane season and this infrastructure, the BRIC programs and females are going to hurt counties that voted for Trump.
- [14:35]
Dana Goldberg
Absolutely. We're gonna see it. This is the find out part. Unfortunately, this one. Speaking of find out areas, this is from the Texas Tribune. On New Year's Eve, a group of migrants crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico into Maverick county and surrendered to Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and National Guard soldiers patrolling the border. Among them was Pedro Luis Salazar cuervo is a 28 year old from Venezuela with no known criminal record. Just wanna point that out. Who was accused of by state police of being in a Venezuelan Trende Aragua gang because they found a photo of him on a phone posing with another man with tattoos, also accused of being a gang member. And that's according to lawyers. By mid March, he had been deported by federal immigration authorities to a maximum security prison in El Salvador along with more than 230 others that Trump called and I quote, the worst of the worst. That is not true. Salazar Cuervo's lawyers say Texas's claim that he's in a gang is baseless and that neither DPS nor state prosecutors have released any more evidence to prove Any connection to trendy Aragua. They want him sent back to the US to face his state charges. On Tuesday morning, a Texas judge agreed that he must be returned to stand trial in August for trespassing on private property. And isn't that property that they just decided he couldn't be on, by the way? A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison. Texas authorities have used the charge to arrest thousands of migrants under the state's border crackdown, Operation lone star, since governor. Governor Abbott launched it in 2021 to deter people from crossing the border. District Judge Maribel Flores ordered Maverick county prosecutors to request that federal government try to get Salazar Cuervo returned to Texas. Now, it's unclear whether the federal government is going to take any action to even bring him back.
- [16:22]
Alison Gill
By the way, new data released this week shows that border crossings are actually up, which was surprising, I thought.
- [16:32]
Dana Goldberg
That is sort of surprising.
- [16:34]
Alison Gill
So now we know whatever Trump, because Trump ran on, we have to make it bad so that they deter, you know, so that deter. It doesn't deter border crossings.
- [16:46]
Dana Goldberg
No, it sure doesn't. Whatever's happening, it must be worse than they are than here, which is really hard to believe at this time.
- [16:51]
Alison Gill
Yeah. And that's also shows the fact that they. That these folks are fleeing for asylum from places that are far worse.
- [16:59]
Dana Goldberg
Exactly.
- [17:00]
Alison Gill
I mean, come on. And when we, you know, when we defund the Triangle, you know, like what Joe Biden was doing to try to quell the violence in, you know, Venezuela, Honduras, Nicaragua. When we stop doing that, those places get more violent and send more migrants up.
- [17:20]
Dana Goldberg
Right.
- [17:20]
Alison Gill
So there's no deterrence. There's a bigger incentive to come here. It's not working. Yeah. All right. This is from Wired. A controversial Appeal to Heaven flag that has recently become associated with the Stop the Steel movement. Recently meaning, like, five years.
- [17:37]
Dana Goldberg
Yeah, it's been a little while.
- [17:39]
Alison Gill
The Stop the Steel movement and Christian nationalism was flown above the Small Business Administration Agency Last week in D.C. on June 11, Kelly Loeffler, the former senator from Georgia and current administrator of the SBA and person involved in the insurrection, participated in a ceremony where a new flag of the United States was raised over the agency's headquarters. Just beneath the flag, on what appeared to be the same halyard, was an Appeal to Heaven flag. Sources tell Wired that the Appeal to Heaven flag was raised for less than a day. Though the flag's roots date to the Revolutionary War, in recent years, it's become a popular symbol for the far right. The Appeal to Heaven Flag was waived by January 6th rioters at the Capitol in 2021 and has become associated with Trump supporters who deny the outcome of the 2020 election.
- [18:24]
Dana Goldberg
And one of the wives of a shitty Supreme Court justice.
- [18:26]
Alison Gill
Yep, we're getting there.
- [18:28]
Dana Goldberg
Oh, sorry.
- [18:28]
Alison Gill
We're getting to Martha Ann and her flag. The flag has also been linked to Christian nationalists who believe the US should be a Christian nation, a theocracy, rather than a secular one. Other Republicans have previously shared their support for the appeal to Heaven Flag. Here you go, Dana. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson displays the flag outside of his office. The flag was controversially flown outside of Associate justice of the Supreme Court Sam Alito's vacation home in New Jersey.
- [18:54]
Dana Goldberg
Damn. I can't tell my wife what to do. She doesn't listen to me.
- [18:57]
Alison Gill
All right, dude, Martha, y. That's, you know, she just has a flag thing. That's what she does. Yeah.
- [19:03]
Dana Goldberg
Yep, yep, yep, yep. Oh, man. I feel like they're just doing this in broad. What's that?
- [19:09]
Alison Gill
I was like, I'm sorry to interrupt, but can't we, like, isn't it illegal to fly non US Flags? Like, weren't they trying to get rid of lgbtq?
- [19:16]
Dana Goldberg
They keep saying it over and over.
- [19:18]
Alison Gill
But maybe that's why they took it down after a day. Maybe somebody filed a complaint saying, hey, that's not a sanctioned flag for you to be flying.
- [19:27]
Dana Goldberg
Oh, God, I don't know. I don't. There's so much disdain in my heart right now, I need to cleanse it. This one's from the Daily Beast, and it's not going to do it. President Donald Trump reportedly blamed Defense Secretary Pete Kegsbreath for last weekend's military parade flopping, which is kind of amazing. Trump reamed Hegseth in a phone call after the president said the Washington, D.C. parade honoring the Army's 250th birthday and his 79th birthday didn't give off the proper image. That's what writer Michael Wolf, who has written several books on Trump, that's what he told the Daily Beast podcast. He's pissed off at the soldiers. The soldiers. That's what Wolf said. Now he's accused them of hamming it up. And by that, he seems to mean that they were having a good time, that they were waving, that they were enjoying themselves and showing a convivial face rather than a military face. Trump and he said, kind of reamed out Hegseth for this. That's what Wolf said. He said, apparently there was a phone call and he said hegseth. The tone was all wrong. That's what Wolf continued. Why was the tone wrong? Who staged this? There was no tone. Problem Trump. He keeps repeating himself. The parade was harshly criticized on social media for sparse crowds and listless soldiers marching out of sync. Yes, our dear friend Charlotte Clymer was like, am I being too particular? But I feel like marching in sync is pretty fucking easy if you're in the military.
- [20:49]
Alison Gill
I was like, I was in the Navy and we marched better than that.
- [20:52]
Dana Goldberg
We don't want to be there. They didn't want to be there.
- [20:56]
Alison Gill
Convivial. Oh, goodness.
- [20:58]
Dana Goldberg
I know.
- [20:59]
Alison Gill
He's claiming Kegseth. Maybe he'll fire him. He had a hard.
- [21:02]
Dana Goldberg
I mean, it would be lovely, but I doubt it. He's got dirt on him.
- [21:05]
Alison Gill
Yeah, he had a hard time in the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing today.
- [21:09]
Dana Goldberg
Good.
- [21:10]
Alison Gill
Senator Jackie Rosen went after him pretty hard, and it was fantabulous. If you want to catch any clips, I shared a bunch. Or you can get them from Acyn Asin. I think that's how you say it. Or Aaron Rupar on social media.
- [21:23]
Dana Goldberg
Fantastic.
- [21:24]
Alison Gill
All right, everybody, it's time for some good trouble. What are you guys doing? All right, everybody. This is from an anonymous listener. Georgia comrades Doug Collins will be speaking on June 29th at 10:30 in the morning at the Church of The Apostles at 3585 Northside Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30327. Their phone number at the Church of the Apostles, 404-842-0200. Would hate if they got a ton of phone calls against Doug and would hate if they had a big rally. Peaceful out front during his speech at June 29th at 10:30 in the morning. Again, the Church of the Apostles. That would suck, says the anonymous listener. Boy, it sure would if you're, you know, Doug Collins is in charge of the VA right now and he's ripping benefits away from veterans. So if you feel like doing a nice, peaceful rally and a protest and you're in Georgia, in Atlanta, head to the Church of The Apostles on June 29, 10:30am Peaceful rally. Thank you very much. All right, everybody, we're gonna be right back with an interview with Molly Jongfast about her New York Times bestselling book, how to Lose youe A Daughter's Memoir. Stick around. We'll be right back. Hey, everybody, welcome back. So you've seen her on MSNBC as a political commentator. She's a special correspondent at Vanity Fair. She hosts the film Fast Politics podcast. Please welcome New York Times bestselling author of the new book how to Lose youe A Daughter's Memoir, Molly Zhang. Fast Molly. Hello, my friend.
- [22:57]
Molly Jong-Fast
Thank you for having me. Very exciting.
- [23:00]
Alison Gill
It is. It's good to see your face. Like, it brings me. Your face brings me joy and comfort. And I'm. I'm glad to see you, my friend. And this book, I can't wait for people to get it and read it if they haven't already. Most people, most of my friends already have it. And so as I always like to encourage people to go to their local bookstores, go to a small bookseller, order indies.
- [23:23]
Molly Jong-Fast
Go to your indies, though. A lot of indies are sold out. But yes, indies are reordering. Yes.
- [23:28]
Alison Gill
Very annoying that you're like, just hang in there.
- [23:31]
Molly Jong-Fast
I was just like, I can't. You know, Look, I'm very happy that people are reading the book and I'm very happy that people are buying the book. And I think there is a lot of useful information in there about what happens when the shit hits the fan. That said, it makes me crazy that they don't have books in a lot of places, but it's okay. They're coming. They're reprinting. It's coming.
- [23:57]
Alison Gill
Yeah. And my. And my always little bit of good trouble is to buy 10 copies and go around and put them in the little libraries around your neighborhood.
- [24:05]
Molly Jong-Fast
Well, I think that we were talking before we started recording about politics, and this book is not a political book, but it's about what happens when everything goes wrong. And so in some ways, having everything go wrong, having to sort of live through stuff that you don't, that you are not prepared for, is very much something that also relates to this moment we're in.
- [24:36]
Alison Gill
Yeah. And that's why, you know, right before we hit record, I was talking to. I was thanking you for this book because, you know, although it's a very personal story, I think that it's so relatable in that, you know, trauma is trauma. Right. And whatever you're experiencing, there are warrior ways through it. And I think that this particular book that you've. That. Thank you so much for writing it. And by the way, it's so readable. Everyone really lends itself to, at least for me, helping me kind of understand what to do when the shit hits the fan in my little personal world. So that's why I think this book is so important.
- [25:14]
Molly Jong-Fast
What I wanted was to, you know, a third of all Americans will get cancer. Those are humongous numbers. Right. These are people who will, you Know, if you're not one of them, you may be married to one of them, you may be the daughter of one of them. So that's a real thing. And when cancer. Cancer is really a lot about uncertainty. And as someone who had anxiety, uncertainty was very hard for me to live with. And part of why this book. I think people have liked this book, is partially because we talk about the uncertainty with cancer and partially because we just don't talk about our parents getting older and what that looks like and how unmanageable that is. And one of the things that I was struck by was, you know, I got sober at 19. I know how to do hard stuff, and I couldn't believe how hard this was. Like, I couldn't. Like, I was like, this is the hardest thing I've ever done, and nobody talks about it, and we all go through it. And so that was really why I wanted to write this book, because I wanted people to come away. And a lot of people who've read it have said that they read it and they think, like, oh, I can. I did. I did the best I could. And that is, like, what I. What I think is really unhelpful is to feel bad about things not going the way you wanted them to, especially with elderly parents. And why I thought this. Why I wanted to write this book was because I wanted people to come away from it and say, like, I did the best I could. You know, I couldn't be everything to everyone. I couldn't be the daughter I wanted to be. And that is, you know, or the. This I want, the son I wanted to be, or the. So I felt really good about people getting that message.
- [27:14]
Alison Gill
Yeah, No, I agree, because I talk a lot on this show about the importance of feeling like you're not alone and that somebody else out there in the world is going through something similar, at least, or maybe the same as what you're going through. And not only that, but then how to learn how other people work through it and come out the other side. And so that's, personally, as a woman going through menopause, taking care of aging parents, doing the best that I can, that's where I found a lot of comfort. And there's also something I love, a lot of dark humor in here, which is, so, believe it or not, I think, essential to working through things.
- [28:00]
Molly Jong-Fast
Yeah. I mean, there were so many days when things were so bad that I could not help but laugh because, you know, just like right now in American politics, it was so. It was so bad, like, shockingly you know, stuff that was shockingly bad. I think about, you know, the days that I would go from Sloan Kettering to New York Hospital and back and forth, or the days that, you know, there was this whole thing where we tried to take a trip and my husband couldn't get the drain in his pancreas out. Like these things that are just so dark that they're hilarious and you know, we're in a moment right now that's pretty dark politically. And I did feel very, I felt very grateful that I got to. I also felt like there was something nice about not, you know, I really wanted to write a book that would be a book that people could read in 10 years and not feel like it was out of date. Or, you know, sometimes with the politics situation, you write, you know, you sit down, you write a column. I write these columns for vanity fair and 10 minutes, you know, you publish it and a day later it's like, that was 15 news cycles ago. And so there's something about being able to just talk about, like a real experience that we all are having. We don't really talk about for whatever reason. And maybe it's not glamorous, maybe it's something else. And this is that.
- [29:42]
Alison Gill
Well, that's what makes it universal, I think.
- [29:45]
Molly Jong-Fast
Yeah.
- [29:45]
Alison Gill
And talk a little bit about just so everybody kind of knows what we're talking about if they haven't read the book yet. Talk about the hardest year of your life.
- [29:53]
Molly Jong-Fast
So I wrote a book about the hardest year of my life and it was 2023 and it was the year that they found a mass on my husband's pancreas. And also my stepfather died and my father in law died and my mother got diagnosed with dementia and I put her in a nursing home. And it just was, you know, when my aunt died, it just everyone, it was a lot of this, kind of an inexplicable loss. And I found a lot, you know, when you're an anxious person, which I happen to be, you have such trouble with uncertainty. Right. You have so many worries that you think, well, if they ever come true, they'll be the end of you. And some of the things I was the most worried about actually did come true. And I was totally fine.
- [30:55]
Alison Gill
Yeah, that's, I think, one of the biggest lessons with everything that's, you know, to, to bring it back to the political landscape. My job is to swim through, you know, the flooding the zone of shit every day. And to be honest, doing that comes naturally to me because of anxiety. I feel like the more I know about current events, the less I'll be surprised by whatever this administration does next that has proven to be not workable theory, but it does help. And so I think that whatever, especially people with anxiety are going through, they can relate to that. They can relate to that uncertainty and how uncomfortable that is. But then when you actually face the reality of it, the strength that's inside you is able to pull you through. I think it's something that, at least from what I'm gathering, what you saw in yourself was a pleasant surprise.
- [31:56]
Molly Jong-Fast
Yeah, I mean, I would say I definitely was. I was surprised that I was able to do it, but I also was like, this is so hard. How do other people do it? You know, I had so many advantages growing up, and I definitely felt like there was something to be. There was something about it. I don't know. It was. It just was a very strange thing. And, you know, part of it is like, I write. It's a lot about midlife crisis. Right. This idea that you can't, you know, just that there's going to be some kind of. I don't know, I definitely felt like I got into a kind of midlife crisis moment of, like, watching this happen and seeing it happen on my face, like, seeing myself get older as it was going on, which was pretty interesting. I don't know. You know, I've been really lucky in the fact that I've been able to remove my. I've been able to sort of write about things and get perspective that way. And that's how it relates to boa's politics. And, you know, that when I write about things, I sort of understand them better. And that goes back to this idea that, like, I don't think writing is therapy. I think writing is writing and therapy is therapy. But I do think that for me, I understand things better when I write about them.
- [33:35]
Alison Gill
Yeah, no, I agree with that 100%. I am that way as well. And I don't know if that's just a coincidence or if it's born out of anxiety or facing similar traumas, but again, I just think that this is so applicable to really anybody who picks it up and reads it. And I just want to applaud you for that and thank you for being vulnerable. It's very brave to do that in order to. To help other people feel like they're not alone. And so I just want to thank you for that.
- [34:05]
Molly Jong-Fast
I mean, I definitely. Because I got so born. I was 19, and I've had. I've seen how My experience can benefit other people. I've seen what it's like to be sober and to have that sobriety be really kind of. I don't know, it was so, you know, there was something about being sober that showed me that we can, you know, our experience can benefit others. And so being able to write about that, I mean, when it was going on, I was like, there is no. Like, I need to be able to have this needs to have had some purpose. And it does. And one of the things when I. That I learned during this period was that if I kept everything very small, if I didn't worry about two weeks from now, if I just worried about an hour from now, I could really face anything. I didn't need to. I didn't need to worry. You know, I just needed to keep everything very compact. And that was really helpful for me.
- [35:18]
Alison Gill
Well, that's a big lesson of sobriety, too.
- [35:21]
Molly Jong-Fast
Yeah.
- [35:21]
Alison Gill
You know, I often talk about the news in a way or anything that's going on in your life. Like an episode of Hoarders where you walk into this house and you see the totality of it and you just want to turn around and walk away. But if you go to a little corner of the house and just start. Just start?
- [35:36]
Molly Jong-Fast
Yeah.
- [35:38]
Alison Gill
Into little manageable pieces, it really makes a difference. And I really felt that as a kind of an underpinning through this. So well done, my friend. Congratulations on being a New York Times bestseller. It's just being lauded everywhere that I read about it, and truly very touching and very hopeful book, but with really just a lot of good dark humor. So is there anything else that you want anybody to know about this or, you know, before we let you go?
- [36:03]
Molly Jong-Fast
Just that this, even though it's not a political book, there really is. If you're a person who finds the news hard to take, this will give you the kind of solace. You know, it's funny because when I have been doing book events, people will come over to me and they'll be like, I really like your podcast. And they'll say, it makes me feel better. Right. That's why we're here, is to make. And you know, when that election night, which was such a fucking disaster, I was coming off the, you know, the four. You know, I was on my way onto this like four hour midnight shift. It wasn't midnight. It was like 2am, some crazy late night shift. And I ran into Maddow and I was so just distraught. And she said, you know, we're just going to keep going. You know we need to be here for people and it's really true. So I do think, I feel very, I feel very much like this is we really do need to be here for people and for each other. So I'm glad to be here and I was. Thank you for having me.
- [37:15]
Alison Gill
Yeah, no, thank you for being here. I felt that that November, the day after just peeling myself up out of bed and doing the show and bringing people the information. So thank you my friend and everybody. Again. Go to your indies if you're able and get this book. It's truly just a wonderful book and I recommend it just with the highest marks. It's called how to Lose youe A Daughter's Memoir by Molly Jong Fast, msnbc. Don't forget to check out the Fast Politics podcast. It is incredible. And also check out what she does in Vanity Fair. Thank you my friend, Molly Jong Fast.
- [37:54]
Molly Jong-Fast
Thank you, thank you, thank you everybody.
- [37:57]
Alison Gill
Stick around. We'll be right back with the good news everybody. Welcome back. It's time for the good news everyone. And if you have any good news confessions corrections, especially pronunciation corrections on the ingredients in Peaks electrolyte formula for me or any other pronunciation correction, you can send that to us. If you have a shout out to a loved one or a small business in your area, your small business we love self shout outs as well, send that to us shout outs to government programs that have helped you or a loved one. Whether it's a federal program, state, municipal, county, anything, we want to hear about that too. And also any of your adventures that you had over over the weekend at the no Kings rally would love to hear about that too. Or any other protest that you're going to send it all to us dailybeanspod.com click on contact all you got to do to get your submission read on the air is attach your pod pet tariff, which is a photo of your pet. If you don't have a pet, an adoptable pet in your area will do. If you don't have that, just grab a photo of an animal off the Internet or send in your baby photos or awkward family photos. Anything at all really. Just send it to us@dailybeanspod.com and click on contact. We're also taking bird watching photos, which can be an actual bird or you and your friends flipping the bird to Trump and Musk Properties. So first up from Kate, Jessie, Good Trouble. Hello Best Women. I received my thanks for attending from the Trump administration after I reserved seats for the Asshats birthday parade that I obviously didn't attend I couldn't stop laughing when I received this as I had signed up as Karen Kegseth tip to AG and had forgotten that I had done that. Oh my gosh. I do this all the time. So happy to have added to the sad sax face. On Saturday while I was out at our town of 4,100 no kings protest, we had over 700 people show up. That is not too shabby. Well done Brandon Vermont. Thanks for all the work you two do. You're the best part of my morning. Thank you so much. Here it is. Dear Karen, on June 14th, Americans gathered in D.C. to make historic milestone. Oh my God. That's hilarious.
- [40:18]
Dana Goldberg
That is hysterical. Well done. I love our people. All right, this is her. Mongo. Mongo pronoun she and her. I'm visiting my mom and helping her out after her husband just passed away. She hates Dumpy so much, every time he comes on TV she fast forwards so she doesn't have to see his face.
- [40:35]
Alison Gill
Same.
- [40:35]
Dana Goldberg
I went down to the Social Security office for her and they had a picture of Dumpy and Vance. I decided that flipping the bird was the best thing I could do at that moment. So in that spirit I'm sharing the photo with you. Carry on and thank you for bringing the news in a way I can understand, which is with a lot of swearing. Mongo, you're fucking welcome.
- [40:53]
Alison Gill
Yeah, good bird photo everyone. Well done. Next up, a quietly subversive fed. Oh nice. That's how I started. Pronoun she and her shouting out my 78 year old mom. Mine too. Not 80, just mom. If you're listening, 78 year old mom and her friends who made signs and went to the no Kings rally. They also attended the hands off rally earlier this year. A positive update from my agency. We got our probationary employees back and the riff is on hold while the courts do their thing. We are losing a huge amount of experience and knowledge due to the DRPs and early retirement. But knowledge capture is happening as pod tariff. I've included three pics. My mom and her friends with their signs, a pic of the rally and one of my kitties, Seraph, Watson and Bear. I walked in and found them having a meeting. Should I worry? Yes, yes, yes you should. They are plotting your demise. Oh my God.
- [41:52]
Dana Goldberg
This is fantastic.
- [41:54]
Alison Gill
I love this photo so much.
- [41:57]
Dana Goldberg
Me too.
- [41:58]
Alison Gill
Of the moms. Look at this. Oh, look at that's a big ass rally.
- [42:02]
Dana Goldberg
That's awesome.
- [42:03]
Alison Gill
Yeah, they're plotting. Look at these cats.
- [42:04]
Dana Goldberg
Oh for sure.
- [42:06]
Alison Gill
They totally are. We have a lot in common. A Quietly Subversive Fed.
- [42:09]
Dana Goldberg
Yep.
- [42:10]
Alison Gill
Thank you.
- [42:10]
Dana Goldberg
So you two are going to have your own very successful podcast in a few years. Quietly Subversive fed.
- [42:16]
Alison Gill
Yes.
- [42:16]
Dana Goldberg
Find five of them, actually. Five podcasts.
- [42:21]
Alison Gill
107 podcasts.
- [42:22]
Dana Goldberg
107. All right, this is from Misty. Pronouns she and her hello. Amazing women. My husband Darren and I are driving from Wisconsin to Seattle and I listen to Mondays and Tuesday's show back to back. I love hearing all the stories about those at the no Kings protests, especially the first timers. My mom took me to my first protest, a pro choice rally in Houston in 1990. Last weekend, Darren, our dog Sherlock and I biked from New Glaris to Madison, Wisconsin for the New Kings protest. So incredible. I'm sharing photos of our sign, the bike. The slogan was Darren's idea, but the seventh grade level bubble writing was all me and a better photo of our Humane Society gift, who we just adore. Thank you for being my primary source of news. Insanity. Oh my God, this pup in their little rainbow hula hoop. Hula hoop.
- [43:11]
Alison Gill
Goodness. All right. Look at the bike.
- [43:13]
Dana Goldberg
Oh, that's awesome.
- [43:14]
Alison Gill
And the sign. Fantastic.
- [43:17]
Dana Goldberg
Love it, love it, love it.
- [43:19]
Alison Gill
That's a tandem. Is that a tandem bike? It is. I love you guys. This is fantastic. High five, Darren and Misty. Wonderful. That's a drive. I wonder how long that drive is. Wisconsin?
- [43:32]
Dana Goldberg
I don't know.
- [43:33]
Alison Gill
20 plus hours, I would imagine. All right, everybody, let's see. We've got an entry from Jackie Pronoun. She and her hi AG and DG and all the other leguminators. Haha. Because we all hold hands microdosing hope so we don't end up adrift in an ocean of despair. I love it. I heard Dana gasp at how much she swears and kids are listening and I wanted to share that we taught our kids how to swear when they were very young.
- [43:59]
Dana Goldberg
Good parenting, Jackie.
- [44:01]
Alison Gill
The rules are this. First, swearing is like comedy. You gotta know your audience. You can't swear in front of just anyone.
- [44:08]
Dana Goldberg
True.
- [44:09]
Alison Gill
That's a very good way to put it. Second, just like in comedy, timing is everything. It's not funny if you do it all the time.
- [44:16]
Dana Goldberg
True.
- [44:17]
Alison Gill
Third, but not funny if someone tries to abduct you. Start dropping fuck bombs left and right and center to draw attention and catch your attacker off guard. As a result, I have a pair of tweens who swear like perimenopausal women who have no fucks left to give. Just like their mom. For a pod pet tariff, I submit a pic of me and the above mentioned skin pets. If you can call your cat or dog a fur baby, my baby can be a skin pet. Plus, it's hilariously creepy. I agree. One of them organized their middle school's GSA last year in sixth grade. Amazing. And the other has already become a fierce advocate for their pronouns. These kids are all right.
- [45:00]
Dana Goldberg
Look at this.
- [45:01]
Alison Gill
Thanks for all you do, Jackie.
- [45:03]
Dana Goldberg
This is fucking awesome. I hope your kids are listening.
- [45:06]
Alison Gill
I love everything about this photo.
- [45:08]
Dana Goldberg
I love it.
- [45:09]
Alison Gill
Everything.
- [45:10]
Dana Goldberg
So good. Thank you. Thank you. All right, this is from Anonymous.
- [45:13]
Alison Gill
This dog.
- [45:17]
Dana Goldberg
Hello, beans. Queens yesterday, June 17th. You said it's kind of hard to find a gay optometrist. Well, I think we said it's kind of hard to find a Republican optometrist, but maybe we did. It's hard to find a gay optometrist. Well, here is this very diverse and hugely populated gay town on the Atlantic Sea board. My optometrist is not only a gay man, but a Republican. Okay, here we go.
- [45:40]
Alison Gill
So we have a Republican optometrist.
- [45:41]
Dana Goldberg
There we go. I raz him about that and engage in civil political conversations when I go to see appointments or see him at the local watering holes. But he still hasn't been persuaded to change his affiliation to being straight or to being a Democrat.
- [45:55]
Alison Gill
Just kidding. He's an optometrist. I would be just always like, how do you not see?
- [46:00]
Dana Goldberg
Yeah, Anonymous says maybe one day. Well, the picture I included is of our ditto, a 10 year old Yorkie who has only one eye removed, the other because of a melanoma, proudly wearing his gay headdress.
- [46:14]
Alison Gill
Oh, I love it.
- [46:15]
Dana Goldberg
This is really fucking cute dog.
- [46:17]
Alison Gill
Oh my goodness. Oh, how is that on there? Is it like a. Is there an under the chin elastic?
- [46:26]
Dana Goldberg
Oh, I think that's a. Well, actually that's true.
- [46:30]
Alison Gill
I wanna.
- [46:31]
Dana Goldberg
I don't wanna say that's his hair because I don't think someone would do that to their dog. So.
- [46:34]
Alison Gill
People do that. We have this groomer here. Oh my God.
- [46:37]
Dana Goldberg
Actually, that's true. I've seen people do it all the time. Now I'm zooming in. No, it looks like it's fake.
- [46:43]
Alison Gill
I want. Yeah, I want. I want those for my cats.
- [46:45]
Dana Goldberg
Yeah, that. That looks like it's fake, but it would be very cool.
- [46:48]
Alison Gill
I'm sure they would be really pleased with me if I. My cats. If I put that.
- [46:52]
Dana Goldberg
Oh my God, your cats would be so mad.
- [46:55]
Alison Gill
Anyway, thank you all so much. We really needed this. Good news today. It was a hard day. Yeah. For a lot of people and we love you so much.
- [47:04]
Dana Goldberg
Yeah.
- [47:05]
Alison Gill
And please write in if you have any thoughts, you want to vent, you want to rant, please, yeah, send it to us dailybeanspod.com click on Contact. Any final thoughts, my friend?
- [47:16]
Dana Goldberg
Yeah, and I said it before and I said it online. If you know a trans person, and I hope you do, call them, check in on them. Don't just assume that they're hurting and just say, you know, maybe they don't want to hear from me or I'm going to post something online. That's great. Please post, post, post, post. But send a text message and let them know you're thinking about them and you love them and is there anything they need in this moment. It means the world to them. Trust me. Meant so world to me when I'm going through it.
- [47:43]
Alison Gill
Thank you. Thanks for that everybody. We'll be back in your ears tomorrow for Fuqual Sang Fridays. Until then, please take care of yourselves, take care of each other, take care of the planet, take care of your and take care of your family. I've been ag. I've been DG and them's the Beans. The Daily Beans is written and executive produced by Alison Gill with additional research and reporting by Dana Goldberg. Sound design and editing is by Desiree McFarlane with art and web design by Joelle Reader with Moxie Design Studios. Music for the Daily Beans is written and performed by they Might Be Giants and the show is a proud member of the MSW Media Network, a collection of creator owned podcasts dedicated to news, politics and justice. For more information Please visit msw media.com com msw media.