In The Interest Of Justice

Summary

The Daily Beans — "In The Interest Of Justice"

Date: June 1, 2026
Hosts: Allison Gill & Dana Goldberg

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Daily Beans dives into a whirlwind of major political and legal developments impacting the United States under the Trump administration. With rapid-fire coverage and the hosts’ trademark snark, Allison Gill and Dana Goldberg analyze a federal judge blocking Trump’s controversial slush fund, courtroom chaos around past and present Trump projects, unprecedented crackdowns on voting rights, and ongoing ethical scandals. The hosts also highlight resistance efforts—from veterans suing to protect national memorials, to community action and legal pushback. The show wraps up with listener-submitted good news and activism shout-outs.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Federal Judge Blocks $1.8 Billion Trump Slush Fund

[03:11–04:10]

• Summary:
  The Trump administration’s attempt to set up a slush fund reimbursing people claiming victimhood from “weaponization” of government is temporarily frozen by U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema. Plaintiffs argue it’s an unconstitutional use of taxpayer money, designed to reward Trump’s political allies.
• Quote:
  “It’s essentially rigged to reward Trump’s political allies.” — Allison [03:56]

2. Oath Keeper’s Sedition Conviction: Judge Mehta Pushes Back

[04:10–04:31]

• Summary:
  Judge Amit Mehta isn’t simply dismissing Oath Keepers founder Stuart Rhodes’ seditious conspiracy conviction. Mehta demands that the Trump administration justify any attempt to erase the case.
• Quote:
  “Janine Pirro’s ‘in the interest of justice’ excuse is not enough for Judge Mehta.” — Allison [04:28]

3. Reopening Trump’s $10B IRS Case Over Possible Fraud

[04:31–05:41]

• Summary:
  Judge Kathleen Williams reopens Trump’s massive IRS case to examine claims of fraud and collusion. She cites bipartisan pressure and questions the integrity of a prior settlement.

4. Trump’s Rebranding of Kennedy Center Deemed Illegal

[06:01–07:10]

• Summary:
  A federal judge rules that renaming the Kennedy Center as the "Trump Kennedy Center" violates federal law and orders the original name restored.

• Quote:
  “The rebranding … violated the very clear language of the federal law that requires the building to honor President Kennedy and President Kennedy only.” — Allison [06:05]

5. Vietnam Veterans Sue to Block Trump’s “Arch”

[07:37–08:27]

• Summary:
  Trump’s plan to erect a 250-ft arch between Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery triggers a veterans’ lawsuit; they argue it disrespects sacred ground and obstructs historic views.
• Quote:
  “Last year, when asked who the arch was for, Trump said, ‘Me.’” — Allison [07:43]

6. ICE Agent Arrested for Minnesota Shooting

[08:27–09:49]

• Summary:
  ICE agent Christian Castro arrested in Texas after shooting a Venezuelan immigrant in Minnesota. He faces assault and false reporting charges.
• Quote:
  “Do they have to subtract one now that one of the ICE agents was apprehended in Texas?” — Dana [09:33]

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7. Trump’s Crackdown on Mail-in Voting via USPS

[12:17–14:57]

• Summary:
  USPS unveils a draft rule to send mail ballots only to voters on a new federal list, following a Trump executive order. Legal experts warn it’s likely unconstitutional and an attack on state control of elections.

• Memorable Exchange:

  • Dana: “That’s fucking insane.” [13:26]
  • Allison: “They’re seizing ballots … What about states where all they do is mail-in voting?” [14:57]

• Legal Context:
  Plaintiffs may now have standing to sue, as the USPS initiates implementation steps.

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8. Restricting Assistance Animals for Disabled Tenants

[17:40–19:26]

• Summary:
  Trump’s HUD narrows the definition of qualifying assistance animals for disabled renters, excluding emotional support animals. Advocates warn this could have devastating effects for many with psychiatric disabilities.

• Quote (snark):
  “We need to protect the poor, poor landlords … And that was snark, in case you didn’t catch it.” — Allison [19:33]

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9. Pam Bondi & the Epstein Files: Deflection and Stonewalling

[20:09–21:26]

• Summary:
  Former AG Pam Bondi refuses to answer lawmakers’ questions about Trump's involvement in Epstein files, deflecting responsibility onto Deputy AG Todd Blanch.

• Quote:
  “Under the bus you go, Todd.” — Allison [20:31]
  “They’re not answering any questions, he said. … Law enforcement shoving the survivors aside—if that just isn’t a metaphor for this entire thing, I don’t know what is.” — Allison [21:11]

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10. Where Is Rep. Tom Keene Jr.?

[21:26–23:16]

• Summary:
  New Jersey’s GOP Rep. Tom Keene Jr. has been missing from Congress for over 3 months, missing 100+ votes. His staff cites medical absence, fueling political speculation.

• Quote (humor):
  Dana: “Maybe Trump’s getting him a new heart. Maybe he’s visiting the Wizard for a brain.” [22:01]

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11. Russia-Ukraine War Spills Into Romania (NATO Territory)

[23:26–24:38]

• Summary:
  Russian drone crashes into a Romanian city, first known instance of a Russian strike causing injuries on NATO soil, escalating regional tension.

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12. Pentagon Recruits Troops for White House UFC Spectacle

[24:38–26:57]

• Summary:
  The Pentagon orders junior troops—who must pay their own way—to attend a Trump UFC cage-fighting event on the White House lawn, in uniform.

• Memorable Dana Rant:
  “This sounds so fucking gay. ... He’s making grown men wrestle in front of the White House. ... There is a fucking pattern here.” [25:19]

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13. Congress Advances US-Israel Military Integration

[27:16–28:42]

• Summary:
  Provision in defense bill could deeply integrate US and Israeli military operations and technology, expanding the military-industrial complex.

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14. Sam Alito’s Son Quietly Lands Job at Treasury

[28:42–29:43]

• Summary:
  Philip Alito works as a lawyer in Treasury's Office of the General Counsel, raising conflict-of-interest concerns as major Trump tax cases and slush funds are litigated.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• “A clusterfuck.” — Dana, describing the new USPS mail-in ballot rules [14:57]
• "This is what the Hill you’re going to fucking die on?" — Dana, regarding HUD’s attack on emotional support animals [18:05]
• “Bring in some sleeveless guys to watch it.” — Allison, joking about the White House UFC event [27:08]
• “I mean, just make an event out of it. That's the event.” — Allison, on organizing protest against the Trump “Arch” [27:07]

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Good News & Listener Submissions

[32:30–40:19]

• Highlights: Community action against corporate projects, celebration of friendship, pet adoption stories, and organizing among Americans abroad.
• “If you haven’t yet today, reach out to your friends and let them know you’re thinking of them.” — Listener "Bri" [34:44]

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Important Timestamps

• Judge Blocks Slush Fund: 03:11–04:10
• Oath Keepers Conviction: 04:10–04:31
• Kennedy Center Ruling: 06:01–07:10
• Mail-In Voting/USPS: 12:17–14:57
• Assistance Animals: 17:40–19:26
• White House UFC Event: 24:38–26:57
• Sam Alito’s Son at Treasury: 28:42–29:43
• Listener Good News: 32:30–40:19

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Tone & Style

The episode is lively and snarky, blending sharp political analysis with dark humor and exasperation at ongoing abuses of power. The hosts freely use sarcasm, expletives, and pop culture references to both entertain and motivate their progressive audience.

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For Listeners: Activism & Engagement

• Participate in public comment on critical environmental and civil rights issues (e.g., Prince of Wales logging).
• Support voting rights organizations challenging federal overreach.
• Democrats abroad encouraged to ensure their ballot access under new rules.

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In Closing

This episode is a must-listen snapshot of the accelerating legal and democratic crises under the Trump administration, framed by hard-hitting, witty progressive commentary, and buoyed by stories of resistance and solidarity at the grassroots level.

Transcript

[A]

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

[B]

MSW Media. Beans. Daily beans. Daily beans.

[C]

Daily beans.

[B]

Hello and welcome to the daily beans for Monday, June 1, 2026. Today, a federal judge temporarily blocks the $1.8 billion slush fund. A court has ordered Trump to take his name off the kennedy center. The Trump IRS case has been reopened so the court can examine whether there was collusion and fraud. Judge Mehta has ordered the government to explain why they want to dismiss the oath keeper's sedition charges. Vietnam veterans are suing to block Trump's 250 foot arch. The Trump administration is moving to limit assistance animals for disabled tenants. The postal service is moving forward with Trump's attack on mail in voting. The Pentagon is recruiting troops to attend the idiocracy UFC fights on the white house lawn. Congress has advanced a u. S. Israeli military integration plan. The ice agent who shot Julio Cesar Sosa Solis has been captured in Texas. Pam bondi threw Todd blanche under the bus during her unsworn deposition about the Epstein investigation. Where is new Jersey republican Tom keene? And Sam Alito's son has been quietly working as a lawyer at the treasury department. I'm Alison gill.

[D]

And I'm Dana Goldberg.

[B]

Oh, thank you. I'm so glad you're back. I couldn't use myself. Ta da.

[D]

And I'm Dana goldberg.

[B]

It's like you did like little spirit fingers with it.

[D]

I did. It is so good to be back. I mean, I was working in a beautiful place. I was still working. And I miss it when I'm gone. I do miss it when I'm gone. So I am happy to see your face, my friend.

[B]

We missed you, too. As always, happy to have you back on the show here. And like I said, I'm glad you're here because this is just too much news for one person to go through. But there's also a new episode of the Breakdown, and you can find that at, I guess on the MSW Media YouTube channel. You should subscribe to that. If you haven't. It's free. There's also a new episode of Unjustified with me and Andy McKay breaking down a bunch of stuff. And we have so much to get to today that we're gonna have to do some quick hits. And to make a long story short. All right, first up from Politico, a federal judge has bl blocked the Trump administration's effort to establish the slush fund to reimburse people who claim they were targeted by weaponization of the federal government. U.S. district Judge Leonie Brinkima said that the restraining order was meant to ensure that no funds are irreversibly dispersed before the legal fight over the newly announced fund has a chance to play out. The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by a former Justice Department prosecutor and other plaintiffs who contend that it's illegal and unconstitutional to use taxpayer funds in this manner rather than apply the fund in a viewpoint neutral manner. They argue that it's essentially rigged to reward Trump's political allies.

[D]

And it is. This next one is from Kyle Cheney. Judge Mehta doesn't want to quietly dismiss the seditious conspiracy conviction of Oath Keepers founder Stuart Rhodes. He's actually asking Trump administration to justify his decision to try to erase the case. Now, Alison, you're gonna go over that in depth, I know. On this Wednesday's episode of Clean up on aisle 45, is that right?

[B]

Yeah, that's right. Harry Dunn and I are going to talk about that. We've been covering it over on the cleanup on L45 podcast. And yeah, apparently Janine Pirro's it's in the interest of justice excuse is not enough for Judge Mehta. So we're going to be talking about that on cleanup on aisle 45 on Wednesday. All right. From the Times, Judge Kathleen Williams in Miami reopened President Trump's $10 billion case against the IRS in a striking turnabout, saying she wants to investigate grievous allegations that the hasty deal to resolve it was prem on Deception. Judge Williams decision came in response to court papers filed on Wednesday by a bipartisan group of 35 former federal judges who urged her to bring the case back to life and dig into the details of the agreement to settle it. In her order, Judge Williams asserted that she was empowered to investigate serious misconduct in any case before her and ordered Mr. Trump's lawyers to tell her by June 12 whether the lawsuit should be formally reopened because the court was the victim of fraud. And Dana, even if Trump decides to kill this fund, because right now 12 Republican senators at least are basically threatening to withhold funding ice unless he drops the fund.

[D]

Wow. Okay. That 1.6 billion or $1.8 billion fund.

[B]

1.776 billion. Yeah, yeah, that slush fund. And so if, if Trump decides to drop it, which I don't think he will, he tends to not, you know, ever give up on stuff like that. But if he does, that doesn't stop the judge from trying to figure out whether he tried to perpetrate a fraud on the court.

[D]

Oh, wow. We will find out. A little bit of good news at the top. This is from Politico. President Donald Trump's effort to rebrand Kennedy center in his own name. Apparently that's illegal. This is from a federal judge. That's what they ruled on Friday. U.S. district Judge Christopher Cooper said the rebranding of the institution that honors President John F. Kennedy as the Trump Kennedy center violated the very clear language of the federal law that requires the building to honor President Kennedy and President Kennedy only, end quote, the order to revert to the original long standing name. It came as part of a broader ruling that also overturned a plan announced in March to close the center for two years for renovations. Cooper, an Obama appointee, said repairs to the campus can proceed and an outright closure in the future might be lawful if the center's board is more thoroughly consulted. And as we know, the board obviously belongs to Trump now. However, Trump lashed out on Truth Social, posting a too long demented screed that eventually he basically gave up and said he's gonna turn over the keys to the Kennedy center to Congress.

[B]

Yeah, it's just him. This stupid judge taking away the Trump Kennedy Center. Yeah. Cause one of their arguments, Dana, was that it's gonna lose money when you take the Trump name off of it. No, no, that he's like, that's a weird opinion because it made a bunch of money and then it lost money when you put your name on it. So we're not going to grant that motion.

[D]

We're Happy to bring some receipts.

[B]

Now, get this. Vietnam veterans are suing the Trump administration to halt the construction of the president's proposed arch outside D.C. the arch is being constructed between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. And last year, when asked who the arch was for, Trump said, me. The arch is being constructed without congressional approval and will be situated between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. Its planned height, twice that of the 99 foot tall Lincoln Memorial, will obstruct the view between the two hallowed memorials in a disrespectful manner, according to the veterans, with at least one now reconsidering his desire to be buried at Arlington because of the arch. So the veterans are like, this sucks. It's ugly. It's, we don't want it. And so they're suing because it's going to obstruct that, that sacred view between those two memorials.

[D]

Wow. Unbelievable. But also believable. This one is also from Politico. Police on Friday arrested a U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement officer charged for a shooting that took place in Minnesota during the White House surge of immigration agents to the state. The Hennepin County Attorney's office, which initially brought the charges, announced the apprehension of Christian Castro. He's 52. He was apprehended in Texas on Friday. He faces four counts of second degree assault for the non fatal shooting. That guy is fucking lucky this guy didn't die. From the non fatal shooting of Venezuelan immigrant Julio Cesar Sosacelas in January and one count of falsely reporting a crime for his actions in the aftermath. The release from Minnesota law enforcement said Castro was located by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and that he was arrested, and I quote, by Department of Homeland Security office, the inspector General's agents and Texas Rangers with the BCA investigators present at the scene. So I wonder all of those numbers that they're saying they apprehended, you know, and I quote, illegal immigrants, you know, they're saying all of the ones in Minnesota that we record numbers. Do they have to subtract one now that one of the ICE agents was apprehended in Texas.

[B]

Yeah. He was captured. I love, I love the way that that headline read because a warrant was issued for his arrest last month. Yeah.

[D]

I'm so glad they got him. Good.

[B]

Yeah. So good. Excellent, excellent work. Now I'm still waiting for charges for the murderers of Renee Goode and Alex Brady. Yep, indeed. All right, everybody, those were just the quick hits. We still have hot notes, but we're gonna take a quick break. Stick around. We'll be right back after these messages.

[D]

We'll be right back.

[B]

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[C]

Hi, I'm Frances Calyer. And I'm Angela V. Shelton. And we're Frantela. You know what you need in your life? The Final Word podcast. Yes, you do. That's right. It is the final word on all things political and pop cultural, where we make real news, real funny, where we inspire you so you can resist. Subscribe and get a new episode of the Final Word podcast each week. It's the news we think you need to hear.

[D]

That's right.

[C]

We think you need to hear it.

[B]

Okay. Yeah.

[C]

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

[B]

Okay? All we do is give everybody. Welcome back. It's time for the hot notes. Hot notes. All right. First up from democracy docket. This is so frightening. The U.S. postal Service said in a yet to be published proposed rule Friday that it's drawing up plans to radically crack down on mail voting by sending ballots only to voters who are registered with the federal government. The federal government, not with your state.

[D]

Wow.

[B]

The proposed rule, which will be formally published next week, is an alarming step toward implementing Trump's sweeping attack on mail voting ahead of the 2026 midterms. And it would represent a massive expansion of federal control over voting without congressional authorization. Trump signed a sweeping executive order in March that in part, ordered the postal Service to only send mail ballots to voters on lists created and controlled by Donald Trump.

[D]

This is insane.

[B]

He. He's taking the data that Elon Musk and Doge stole from the Social Security Administration, and he's creating a federal voter registration list, and only people on that list are allowed to get mail in ballots.

[D]

That's fucking insane.

[B]

Yeah, the post office is just formulating this rule, but they're saying they're working on it now. The order is currently the subject of multiple lawsuits. USPS's proposed rule came a day after a federal judge overseeing one of those lawsuits declined to block that order. The judge concluded the plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge the order since the federal agencies had not yet taken steps to implement it. And right after that ruling, now the USPS is taking steps to implement it. Circumstances appear to have changed. So maybe these plaintiffs do now have standing. Yeah, USPS is moving forward with that order, even though legal experts and voting rights organizations have warned that it is blatantly unconstitutional to restrict the right to vote and usurp states authority over elections. Now, under the Constitution, states run elections, and only Congress can set national, you know, election laws. The proposed rule would require state election officials to send the post office a list of voters who have requested mail in or absentee ballots at least 30 days before the ballots are sent out under state law. And if voters are not on the list, they don't get a ballot. It also allows state officials to make supplemental submissions to enroll additional individuals or modify prior submissions until the last day that ballots may be mailed out to individuals under state law law. In this way, that provision tacitly admits that it will lead to errors that need to be fixed, whether through supplemental submissions or modifying prior submissions. So they're, like, already admitting by in the rule itself that this is going to be fubar.

[D]

A clusterfuck.

[B]

Yeah. Those errors caused by new federal government programs, one that, by the way, is not explicitly authorized by Congress, are precisely the kind of harm that the plaintiffs challenging the executive order seek to prevent in their lawsuits. Democrats and voting rights advocates have argued that using the USPS's list, as well as other federal registration lists, including in Trump's order, would lead to eligible voters being unable to cast their ballots. In part, that's because the list would rely on Department of Homeland Security databases that have been shown to have very serious flaws. USPS also says the names of mail voters would be associated with unique barcode, a barcode that would be assigned to their ballot. And it claimed that the barcode would help determine adherence to federal law and facilitate law enforcement efforts. Law enforcement efforts. Justin Levit, a law professor at Loyola and former deputy assistant attorney general at the DoJ, said in a social media post Friday that the proposed rule was a move toward Trump's order being ruled unconstitutional. Quote, one step closer to standing, which means one step closer to ending this charade. He was referring to Judge Carl Carl Nichols ruling on Thursday that didn't block Trump's order because there was no standing. He's like, well, now we're a step closer to standing. While Nichols did not necessarily disagree with the Democrats and pro voting groups that Trump's order is unlawful, probably he said that they couldn't show that they had been harmed because a federal agency hadn't acted on the directive yet, but now seems that they are about to. In fact, though he was rejecting the plaintiff's request for a permanent injunction against the order, Nichols specified that his decision was actually a message for the Trump administration to act in order to give the plaintiffs standing to sue. Quote, it's not aimed at the plaintiffs, but instead tells only the agencies to do something. That's what Nichols, a Trump appointee, said of his decision. The Postal Service did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Friday was the deadline Trump included in his order for Postmaster General David Steiner to initiate a rulemaking process to formally implement the president's mail voting restrictions. In recent weeks, Steiner, who also serves as a CEO of usps, has met with other senior Trump administration and DOJ officials to discuss ways to implement the order. To basically see what kind of illegal shit they can get away with.

[D]

Yeah, I'm so disgusted by this.

[B]

It's awful.

[D]

It's gonna be a clusterfuck.

[B]

And they're seizing ballots and they're trying to make Federal Register lists of voters to, to stack up against whether or not you get your mail in ballot. What about states where all they do is mail in voting?

[D]

That's a great question. And it's not states that they would think. I mean, isn't it 75% of Arizonans vote by mail or something like that? Yeah, it's like, it's huge.

[B]

A lot of Republicans vote by mail.

[D]

Yeah, a lot of them.

[B]

But they know that this would hit more Democrats.

[D]

Of course it was because they could decide who's on the list. Okay, this one's from the Times. The Trump administration on Friday narrowed the definition of an assistant animal, an assistance animal allowed to live with disabled tenants in housing, a move that could lead to thousands of animals and their owners being evicted. An internal memo obtained by the New York out of all the fucking things we got going on in the world, this is what the Hill you're going to fucking die on. In an internal memo obtained by the New York Times, the Department of Housing and Urban Development told leaders it's Fair Housing office that effective immediately, the department would exclude emotional support animals and more strictly police the definition of a qualified service animal when granting accommodations for disabled tenants. Many landlords enforce a no pets policy or may charge renters a deposit or monthly fee for pets under the Fair Housing act, disabled tenants can ask to have those restrictions waived to accommodate their disabilities. The memo to housing officials on assistance animals presented emotional support animals as a loophole to circumvent a landlord's pet policies, asserting that, and I quote, an entire industry has emerged to convert pets into emotional support animals. Now, the memo concluded that while requests to waive the pet policies for animals trained to perform specific disability related services are presumptively reasonable, requests to waive pet policies for untrained emotional support animals are not. Eric Hines, a lawyer formerly in charge of enforcing fair housing laws at hud, said that the new policy would affect many tenants who rely on assistance animals to alleviate psychiatric or mental disabilities. For example, a military veteran with post traumatic stress disorder.

[B]

Right. Because you have, you have post traumatic stress disorder, your dog doesn't have to go and get your newspaper for you.

[D]

Right.

[B]

So those veterans would be evicted because of the poor. Poor. We need to think we need to protect the poor, poor landlords is what we have to do. And that was snark, in case you didn't catch it. All right, from the Associated Press. Former Attorney General Pamela Joe refused to answer questions on Friday about President Trump's involvement in the release of the Epstein files as she defended the Trump administration's actions before House lawmakers scrutinizing the process. Bondi, who spent roughly four hours on Capitol Hill for her closed door interview, was again defiant when she was confronted by lawmakers about the Epstein investigation.

[D]

Of course she was.

[B]

Why do you think you're here? All right. In her opening statement, she stood behind the Department of Justice's handling of the case files and said that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanch, now acting attorney general and Trump's former personal attorney, he oversaw the process to release the files. So under the bus you go, Todd. Now Democratic lawmakers said Bondi told them she would not speak about the president in the interview and consulting with a lawyer from the doj, said that she could decline those questions because she agreed to appear before the committee voluntarily. Huh. It's a sham in there. That's Democratic Rep. Dave Min of California during a break in the interview. They're not answering any questions, he said. Now Rep. James Walkinshaw of Virginia said he asked Bondi whether Trump had any knowledge of Epstein's crimes before they became public. Reading from his notes of the exchange exchange, Walkinshaw told reporters that Bondi's response was, I'm not certain of the extent of his knowledge. Several survivors of Epstein's abuse actually gathered outside the Capitol office where the interview was taking place. They tried to make their presence known to Bondi as she entered the room, but several said they were shoved aside by police officers. And if that just isn't a metaphor for this entire thing. Oh, law enforcement shoving the survivors aside, then I don't know what is.

[D]

Thanks so much, Alison. This one's also from the Associated Press. When New Jersey boaters gathered this week to talk with a state lawmaker about affordable housing and new data centers, there was something else on their mind, too. Where is their congressman? Republican Tom Keene Jr literally, this is a quote. What's the word? This is Steve McCabe. He's an 80 year old retired lawyer. He asked John Bramnick, who happens to be a GOP state senator. Ramnik had no answer for King's unexplained medical absence that has stretched over nearly three months. Maybe Trump's getting him a new heart. But he told the audience how maybe he's visiting the wizard for a brain. But he told the audience how King hated to miss votes when they served together in Legislature, even if that meant driving through a snowstorm. Hmm. So he could be there, he said. Quotes. I said, tom, we should really turn around. That's what he recalled during this whole snowstorm thing, that he had to go vote. Now Keene has missed more than 100 votes in Congress and has not been spotted in Washington or in his district. It is a political mystery with potentially national consequences. Keene represents a district that's among Democrats top targets as they try to retake control of a Congress. And that's a pretty good argument of you haven't had a fucking representative for three months. Oh, my God. Kean's office insists that he is still running for reelection. He's not facing any challengers in Tuesday's primary. While several Democrats are running for their party's nomination, Kean's last vote in the house was March 5. Since then, his absence has drawn escalating attention. And this is a quote, we're expecting him back soon. That's House Speaker Mike Johnson. He said he's going to be fully transparent, which means he's going to fucking lie about where he's been.

[B]

Yeah. Or he's. Whatever his medical condition is makes him see through. Maybe that's.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

I mean, three months.

[D]

Unbelievable.

[B]

Three months. And from the Times. Russia's war with Ukraine spilled into Romania just at the end of last week. And Romania is a member of NATO. This was Friday when the Romanian authorities said a Russian drone had hit an apartment building in a major port city, wounding two people. This is the first known time that a Russian drone has caused damage and injuries in a major urban area on the territory of the Western Military Alliance. Russian drones have repeatedly crashed without causing casualties along the Danube River. And that's the border between Romania and Ukraine. Tons of them have crashed there since 2023. But the drone crash on Friday, again, it was a crash. It wasn't like a strike. The drone crashed into this building on Friday on the roof of a residential compound in the port city Galati. This sharply escalated tensions between NATO and Moscow. The episode comes amid heightened fears that Russia might seek to expand the war beyond Ukraine to target a member of the NATO security alliance. Ukraine is not a member of NATO, but like I said, Romania is. And they're figuring that this probably there, like, was a comms disruption and this drone kind of got lost and crashed, but we just aren't sure exactly what happened yet. But Romania has not so far invoked Article 5 of of the treaty.

[D]

Okay, this one's from the Post. The Pentagon is moving to recruit hundreds of troops to appear where Battle? No. Security? Absolutely not. The border? No. As spectators at President Donald Trump's UFC cage fighting event at the White House and requiring those who attend to pay for their travel meet height and weight requirements. According to people familiar with the matter and internal memos reviewed by the Washington Post. The Defense Department in recent days has solicited volunteers across the services to attend the June 14 event in uniform. Officials are seeking junior enlisted personnel and junior officers specifically. According to internal messages that make clear travel costs will be member procured, meaning neither the Defense Department nor the UFC intends to pay for their arrangements or accommodations. Junior troops make up the military's lowest pay grades. When memo circulated within the Air Force stipulates to be eligible personnel, and I quote, must meet current waist height ratio and current physical fitness standards. Troops will be required to wear their short sleeve dress uniforms. This sounds so fucking gay. I'm sorry. I don't say that in a negative way. This guy keeps caught the President of the United States keep commenting on how hot some dude is. He wears more makeup than most drag queens I know. He's making grown men wrestle in front of the White House every. He loves the Village People and the ymca. There is a fucking pattern here.

[B]

You want super fish sleeveless guys to come to come and watch. What the fuck?

[D]

Also, also, also, you have a UFC match on the front lawn of the White House. Why do you need a fucking ballroom? You're telling me you need a ballroom to be secure. You're in open air UFC fight on the White House lawn with probably most of your people in the lineage to the presidency in attendance.

[B]

Jess Piper, you know, from Missouri, she's like, look, I'm white trash. This is white trash as hell.

[D]

I mean, this is. I'm so disgusted by what they've done to the People's House. And you see a before and after picture. We've got to be able to rebuild this thing.

[B]

Yeah. Taking his name off the Kennedy center is just step one, you know.

[D]

Oh, yeah, it's a good thing.

[B]

If he builds that arch. We gotta. We gotta Wrecking ball. Put Miley Cyrus on it. Like, let's fucking go.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

I mean, just make an event out of it. That's. That's the event. Yeah, right. Bring in some sleeveless guys to watch it.

[C]

All right.

[B]

This is wild. This is from Al Jazeera. A provision in a bill before the US Congress could tie the United States and Israeli militaries far more closely together, deepening their cooperation on weapons research, production and technology. The proposal tied to the United States Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative appears as section 224 of the House Armed Service Committee's version of the fiscal year 2027 NDAA. That's the National Defense Authorization Act. That's the annual US defense policy bill. Now, the measure is still at an early stage. The NDAA is passed by Congress each year to set US Military policy and authorized defense programs and spending levels. If enacted, the provision could mark a significant change in one of the world's closest military relationships, shifting the two countries from a partnership centered largely on US Military aid towards one in which the defense industries are more deeply intertwined. Section 224. So we're basically, you know, the military industrial complex. We're just adding Israel to it. It's us in Israel. Section 224 would require the US defense secretary to appoint an executive agent, a single official, to coordinate military cooperation between the US And Israel. That work could cover joint research and development, the shared production of weapons, the linking of military systems and data. That's. I don't know. I hope that provision gets stripped out of the ndaa. We gotta take over Congress. Oh, my God.

[D]

Yeah. All right, this is her notice now. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's son quietly landed a political appointee job as a lawyer in the Treasury Department early last year, posing a potential conflict. A potential conflict. It's a fucking conflict of interest. Posing a potential conflict of interest as courts wrestle with challenges to President Donald Trump's deal to avoid future tax audits and the new, massive $1.776 billion fund meant to enrich his allies. Philip Alito has been working as an attorney with the Treasury's Office of the General Counsel that provides legal and policy advice to Secretary Scott Besant. That's according to four former government officials who confirmed he did work there. Notice was also able to obtain a functional email address at the department for Alito.

[B]

They didn't give us that address, sadly,

[D]

but I know, because, man, you would have had some good trouble.

[B]

Yeah. And I, you know, I sent this to my lawyers. I'm one of the, you know, five groups suing to shut down this slush fund. Yeah. And so, you know, I don't know if I've sent this to my lawyers. I don't know if we're going to make a. An addendum or anything like that to be like, can you make sure that Philip Alito isn't part of any of this decision making, please?

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

But we'll keep you posted on whether there's any fallout about that. All right, everybody, we have to take a quick break, and we'll be right back with the good news. Stick around. You know that moment around six o' clock when you're suddenly starving, all of a sudden you're getting irritable hangry and somehow there's still nothing useful in the fridge. But thank goodness for Home Chef. It has become the solution to all of my dinner problems. Because now I have meals that are balanced, ready, actually delicious, and a lot less expensive than defaulting to takeout yet again. Now, I recently had their spinach and artichoke tortellini with toasted breadcrumbs. It is amazing. It has spinach, artichoke hearts, I love artichoke hearts. All with tasty sauce covered in breadcrumbs. And it was ready in about 25 minutes. Quick to make restaurant quality meals are one of the many, many reasons I love Home Chef. I also appreciate how straightforward and simple it is. Home Chef sends fresh ingredients right to your door. The recipes are easy to follow. The meals taste genuinely amazing. Home Chef also works for real schedules like mine. So if I want a 30 minute meal, they have it. If I need something even easier, there's oven ready options and quick lunches too. And that kind of flexibility makes a huge difference during my busy week. And I could not be more thankful. There's no long shopping lists, no extra grocery runs, no over complicated prep, cleanup stays manageable. Their weekly deliveries keep my fridge stocked and remove a lot of the decision fatigue that usually shows up around dinner time for me. So people really love it. Home Chef is rated number one by users of other meal kits for quality, convenience, value, taste and recipe ease. And for a limited time, Home Chef is offering you 50% off and free shipping on your first box, plus free dessert for life. Go to homechef.comdailybeans that's homechef.com daily beans for 50 off your first box and free dessert for life. Homechef.com daily beans must be an active subscriber to receive free dessert.

[C]

Hi, I'm Francis Collier. And I'm Angela V. Shelton. And we're Frangela. You know what you mean in your life the Final Word podcast. Yes, you do. That's right. It is the final word on all things political and pop cultural, where we make real news, real funny, where we inspire you so you can resist. Subscribe and get a new episode of the Final Word podcast each week. It's the news we think you need to hear.

[D]

That's right.

[C]

We think you need to hear it.

[B]

Okay. Yeah.

[C]

It's what we say. So that's right. And because all we do is give every Thursday, you can listen to our hysterical podcast Idiot of the week week. We round up the stupid. Because you know what? Somebody has to.

[D]

Okay?

[B]

All we do is give everybody welcome back. It's time for the good news. Who likes good news?

[D]

Everyone?

[B]

Then good news everyone. And if you have any good news, please send it to us. It can be big, it can be small. It can be from yesterday or 25 years ago. It doesn't matter. Maybe it's a fun story you like to share when you're hanging out with friends. Maybe you've recently done a murder mystery night at your friend's house like I did last night, which was really fun.

[D]

Nice.

[B]

We did a murder mystery dinner. We did all these act outs and we all had to have accents. Mine was Scottish and it was.

[D]

Oh my God. That's amazing.

[B]

Really, really hilarious. If you, I don't know, have a shout out to a loved one or a non profit or some great community organizing that you would like us to pay some attention to. If you have a good Trouble suggestion, we would love to hear that. For our Good Trouble segment, anything at all, send it to us dailybeanspod.com, click on Contact. And all you got to do to get your stuff read is attach a photo. It can be your pet. We can try to guess the breeds in your shelter pup. It can be a random animal on the Internet, an adoptable pet in your area. It can, I mean pictures of what you're making or creating a garden, a sunset, maybe a funny meme. It can be really anything at all. We love baby photos. We would love to see it. Send it to us dailybeanspot.com click on contact. First up is your good Trouble. Good Trouble today comes from Bri. Hi Beans team. Some good trouble for everyone today. Just heard there's a proposed logging project on Prince of Wales island that threatens a piece of the old growth rainforest within Alaska's Tongass National Forest. The U.S. forest Service is considering a plan to log 1655 acres of old growth on the island. Currently, the Forest Service is accepting public comments through June 7th and we'll have a link to the Federal Register in the show notes for some good news. I just got back from Florida where I visited my best friend of almost 20 years. I'm so thankful to have them in my life and looking forward to us making chaos in our retirement community when we're older and more gray. If you haven't yet today, reach out to your friends and let them know you're thinking of them. That's really good advice. Bree and Then let us know about it here on the good news.

[D]

Look.

[B]

Look at the picture.

[D]

I know.

[B]

A picture of sleeping otters from Fort Walton beach's gulfarium. If you haven't yet, you and your family should visit. They are so cute. By the way, Dana, I may or may not have told everyone to send in all their otter photos for your return today.

[D]

Thank you, my friend. All right. This is from Anonymous. Pronouns, they, them. The people of New Hampshire successfully said hell no to a data center in the small town of Nottingham. With a large rally set up outside of the school where the hearing was scheduled hours before the town council meeting. The would be developer pulled his bid without prejudice so he can come back later, meaning that the fight is far from over. Included are pictures of fellow comrades and the member of local socialist party usa.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

This is awesome.

[B]

Look at this. The damage will be to your legacy, Tom. Amazing. Yeah. Excellent work. Congratulations. Round of applause for New Hampshire and Nottingham. Next up from Anonymous. She her in Pittsburgh. Welcome back, Dana.

[D]

Thank you.

[B]

Hello, legumes. Here's a fancy bird from Pittsburgh aviary that made me smile. Hope it does the same for everyone else.

[D]

This is a very fancy bird.

[B]

What the frick is this cool bird?

[D]

I don't know but that bird is definitely fancy. I feel like that bird has. That bracelet is definitely high end on the little ankle bracelet.

[B]

Yes. That is a very nice bracelet.

[D]

I want to see the plumes out.

[B]

It's Tiffany. What is good? It's got like a peacock butt on its head.

[D]

I know, it's wild.

[B]

It's a fantastic bird. Thank you. I'm going to take this next one too from Janet rn. Thank you for being a nurse, Janet. Hello to the sweetest beans. I know this is so late that it's time for the next no Kings day, which is June 14. This picture says so much with the details. Look carefully as Rich, a retired teacher wants to make his point very clear. I love it and your important work. Thank you. Oh, look at this.

[D]

Rich looks cool as.

[B]

Yeah, Rich is a badass. Trump redacted Epstein files. Fantastico. And look at the swollen ankles. Look at the kanks.

[D]

So good with the golf cleats.

[B]

Yeah, totally love it.

[D]

All right. This is from Greg M. Pronoun CN him. About two months ago, my wife and I adopted an adoptable dog that was found wandering a forest preserve in a nearby county that had no room and was moved to our county. We love this dog. Although he is attached to my wife and has taken time to warm up to me, he's approximately A year plus old. So he has some puppy habits. Like he chews my hands and my shoes, but not too much and stops and I tell him to stay.

[B]

That's not true. And Greg mouth hugs.

[D]

He was not chipped, but he did have a name tag, Dexter, which we kept. Note, he is a serial toy killer. Can you guess the breed? He's a mix. I imagine someone was missing him because he is so cute, but no one's claimed him, so we really lucked out. I'm adding the picture along with his DNA profile that his foster mom did for us. Very sweet lady. Finally. I love all the podcasts you do. You're amazing. And you work, work so hard. Allison. Also shout out to Dana for all the work she does, especially for the LGBTQ community. This looks like a Pomeranian mixed with a. Like a husky something, right?

[B]

It's definitely pom, but what a cool looking dog. It's like a tiny little wolf.

[D]

I know.

[B]

Let's see what we got. Yep. 80 Pomeranian. A little bit of Shih Tzu, a little bit of Pekingese. Cute is super much.

[D]

And a whole lot of adorable.

[B]

Just an adorable dog.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

Very lucky in the dog distribution system. Thank you so much. Next up, Sue Pronoun. She and her Narawali Australia. Hello, lovely brave bean bells. I listen to you daily from Australia and admire your tenacity. There are 177,000 US citizens in my state of NSW alone. Wow. So I know there are many American immigrants down under. I would like to get the word out about joining Democrats Abroad. Yes, please. They help with getting ballots overseas as well as keeping us informed on how we can keep up the good fight from afar. And sue, you might want to make sure that if this federal registered list of voters goes through that, y' all are on it.

[D]

No shit.

[B]

Like all 177,000, we are still patriots. We would love to march in protest, but barring that, we can still and should still vote. I just sent in my ballot for the California primary.

[D]

Nice.

[B]

My pod pet photo is a girl, Greta, named for the Gretas I admire. Keep up the good fight. We need you all around.

[D]

Oh, the baby.

[B]

What a fancy puppy.

[D]

Oh, my God. So cute.

[B]

Cocker spaniel ears. But I don't know what else is going on in there. Is it like a doodle?

[D]

It looks like a. What would be a cocker spaniel and a poodle.

[B]

A cock. A doodle.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

Let's see. Cocker spaniel. It's a spoodle. A spaniel poodle.

[D]

I like cockadoodle.

[B]

I Do I like cockadood?

[D]

Oh, my God. That was really funny, my friends.

[B]

Thanks. Thanks. It was right there. It was low hanging fruit. I picked it. I put it in my pocket. I saw the potential. I grabbed it.

[D]

Oh my God.

[B]

All right, everybody, thank you so much for your good news. Please send it all to us dailybeanspod.com click on Contact. Dana, I'm so glad you're back.

[D]

Yes, I'm happy to be back.

[B]

Any final thoughts?

[D]

Felt like forever. I don't like it. Me no likey.

[B]

Do you have any shows coming up or anything?

[D]

Well, we've got tickets on sale for Chicago. I know we talked about that. It's after the gala because the gala sold out in Chicago. So we've got that. It's not till September 23rd. 3rd. So writing some new jokes for you. They're available on my website, danagoldberg.com they are selling quickly already. I think we're over half sold already. So make sure you get them before they sell out. I haven't posted online yet. I haven't actually told the general public. It's just been you and stuff. Heads. So right now it's just dangerous.

[B]

And it's half sold out on us and stuff heads.

[D]

I know. It's amazing. Amazing. I love you all so much. And then I'll be adding more dates. So check out my website, danagoldberg.com and everything will be there.

[B]

Amazing. All right, we're gonna go record Beans Talk for you. You can again watch Beans Talk on the MSW Media YouTube channel. It's totally free to subscribe. Please do so and we'll see you there and 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. I've been ag.

[D]

I've been Gigi.

[B]

And them's the beans. The Daily Beans is written and executive produced by Allison Gill with additional research and reporting by Dana Goldberg. Sound design and editing is by Desiree McFarlane with art and web design by Joelle Reader with Moxie Design Studios. Music for the Daily Beans is written and performed by they Might Be Giants and the show is a proud member of the MSW Media Network, a collection of creator owned podcasts dedicated to news, politics and justice. For more information Please visit msw media.com msw media.

[A]

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