
Monday, February 24th, 2025 Today, a bomb threat that was emailed into the Principles First Summit is being investigated by authorities in DC a day after Enrique Tarrio was arrested for simple assault; another OPM email went out to federal workers this weekend asking them to list five things they did last week; Trump ousted the chair of the Joint Chiefs and top DoD officials; the US is threatening to cut Starlink access to Ukraine if they don’t hand over their rare earth minerals; a judge blocks Trump’s effort to deter DEI programs; legal organizations have been told to stop federally funded work for unaccompanied migrant children; the Trump administration wants to unconstitutionally take control of the Postal Service; new sexual assault accusations surface against Matt Schlapp; Maine Governor Janet Mills stands up to Trump in a town hall; Trump’s Social Security chief was under investigation when Musk tapped him; and Allison and Dana deliver your Good News.
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Alison Gill
MSW Media. Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Monday, February 24, 2025. Today, a bomb threat was emailed into the principal's first summit and it's being investigated by authorities in D.C. just a day after Enrique Tarria was arrested for simple assault. Another OPM email went out to federal workers this weekend asking them to list five things they did last. Trump ousted the chair of the Joint Chiefs and top DoD officials. The US is threatening to cut Starlink access to Ukraine if they don't hand over rare earth minerals. A judge blocks Trump's efforts to deter DEI programs. Legal organizations have been told to stop federally funded work for unaccompanied migrant children. The Trump administration wants to unconstitutionally take control of the Postal Service. New sexual assault accusations surface against Matt Schlapp. Maine Governor Janet Mills stands up to Trump in a town hall. And Trump's Social Security chief was under investigation when Musk tapped him. I'm Alison Gill.
Dana Goldberg
And I'm Dana Goldberg.
Alison Gill
Hey, Dana. It is Monday. We record this on Sunday. And I wanted to say that we are just now getting exit poll results for the German elections, and it appears that the Conservative Party has won with the AFD Nazi Party coming in second place.
Dana Goldberg
Oh, God.
Alison Gill
Fueled by young men, just as we've been seeing globally in this round of elections. So unfortunately, I mean, I'm glad they didn't win.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah. That's horrifying, though.
Alison Gill
Democratic Socialist party came in third or fourth with just 16%. This is exit polling. We'll have more definitive results for you on tomorrow's Daily Beans. I know there are a lot of people who seem to be celebrating these results on social media. I am not. I don't think these are the best results, although the AfD is probably not going to be part of a coalition government because they're Nazis and nobody likes them.
Dana Goldberg
So there's that.
Alison Gill
But they did come in second place. Yeah. So we had a lot of news this weekend, as you can tell from the intro there. We also have a new episode of Unjustified with me and Andy McCabe. It's out now, and it's all about the amicus cure. Appointed by Judge Dale Ho to oppose the dismissal of the charges against Eric Adams. The only way Trump can get out of this ugly litigation is by pardoning Eric Adams. But then he wouldn't have that sword of Damocles to hold over his head that he might charge him in the future if he doesn't comply with Trump administration immigration policies. So we'll be watching that closely on that Unjustified podcast. We have so much news to get to today. So first we have some quick hits. And to make a long story short, you know what? I didn't even say hi to you, my friend. I just, like, launched into German election results. I didn't even check on in with you to see how your weekend went. I apologize. How?
Dana Goldberg
Oh, my God. Don't be sorry. It didn't make me smile. I was like, all right, we're going in. All right.
Alison Gill
We are.
Dana Goldberg
No lube. No lube. We're just fucking going in. Okay. My weekend was good. Thank you. I had a very successful event in Cincinnati. Raised a lot of money for the human rights campaign. I had a lovely beans listener come up to me at the after party. Give me a big hug. He listens to us every day, or I should even say he. I'm not even sure of their pronouns, so I would say they listen to us every day. Beautiful soul. It just is so nice when I meet Leguminati on the road. So thank you for coming up. If you are hearing this on the dance floor and giving me a hug, that's it.
Alison Gill
Seriously. Seriously. The coolest audience in the history of audiences is the daily Beans audience. And every single time we do a live show or a gala or an event, that is what I hear from the staff. First and foremost, this is the coolest, most polite crowd we have ever had in this establishment. So I'm very proud of our community. So thanks for being awesome. All right, first up, hard left.
Dana Goldberg
Did you notice I didn't ask you how you were?
Alison Gill
It's totally fine. Good. It's probably for the best.
Dana Goldberg
Let's keep it moving.
Alison Gill
I did have a good weekend, though. I got to see, you know our friend Greg Probst. He's been on the show a few times. He invited me and several of my friends to see Whose Line Is It Anyway? Live at the Balboa Theatre Friday night.
Dana Goldberg
That's amazing.
Alison Gill
I did get a really nice reprieve. I got to laugh. We were surprised because Drew Carey made a surprise appearance, and we were, like, in one of the front rows. It was so much fun. And so it was really nice to take a moment and laugh. And I really do want to encourage everybody to do that. Just take a moment, dance. Like Dan Savage said. That's what we're fighting for. All right, now, hard left. Turn. First up. A bomb threat was emailed to the organizers of the principal's first Summit in Washington, D.C. the email came from someone calling themselves Enrique T. And it threatened Attendees of the summit by name, including Officer Mike Fanon, Adam Kinzinger, Frank Fogluzzi, etc. It was signed I I to my family. I'm doing what I must do. Maga. I mean it, you know, clearly, maga. Threats from the hard right. We aren't sure if it was actually Enrique Tarrio. MPD and the Secret Service cleared the threat. They went around. There weren't any bombs where the email said there were. There were going to be bombs, including John Bolton's mailbox and a couple of places inside the hotel that's hosting the event. Authorities are investigating who sent the email. And as we know, if you might have heard over the weekend, Enrique Tario was arrested the day before for simple assault against a protester and posted a video of himself following and harassing Officers Mike Fanon and Harry Dunn. And Harry Dunn and I are going to cover this in detail on Wednesday's cleanup on aisle 45 podcast because Harry was there.
Dana Goldberg
Thanks so much, Alison. This one's from the Post. It seems Donald Trump is preparing to dissolve the Leadership of the U.S. postal Service and absorb the independent mail agency into his administration, potentially throwing the 250 year mail provider and trillions of dollars of E Commerce transactions into turmo. Trump is expected to issue an executive order as soon as this week to fire the members of the Postal Service's governing board and place the agency under the control of the Commerce Department and Secretary Howard Lutnick. So this is a mess. We know why he's doing it. This is all about voter suppression, in my opinion. I would put some beans on it so that, you know, places like Arizona, if they can't people like mail in voting. Let's just say that a lot of people use it. It's necessary and we should have it. And if he takes over the post service, all of that is.
Alison Gill
Yep. And that's also unconstitutional. I expect a lawsuit to be filed.
Dana Goldberg
Yep.
Alison Gill
And you know, aside from with our elections, I'm also assuming they want to privatize it. Yeah, absolutely they do. They got rid of Dejoy. And maybe they can give some contracts to Dejoy because he owns, as a conflict of interest, a a private mail delivery company. Also Amazon Bezos, who kissed the ring, sat on the dais at the inauguration. And of course Musk. You know, one of the only good things Dejoy ever did was work with Biden's labor secretary to electrify the fleet. I imagine maybe Tesla could get that contract now.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah. Yep.
Alison Gill
We'll keep an eye on it. Also, another email went out to federal workers.
Dana Goldberg
Sorry, but I'm going to laugh if mail trucks are actually cyber trucks, like if that's what's rolling around, delivering the mail just because it's going to look absolutely fucking ridiculous. But go ahead.
Alison Gill
Yeah, and you're supposed to be able to drive in through snow and rain and dark of night. And I don't think that the cyber truck can do any of those things. So just be, imagine being a male carry, like, just like ducking down in the front seat, like wearing a disguise.
Dana Goldberg
The male carriers are going to see a lot more walking male people, that's for sure, just walking everywhere with their little headphones in.
Alison Gill
That's awful. Anyway, that's speculation, everybody. We don't have any information. Yeah, we don't know, but we'll see. Another email went out to federal workers this weekend from the hr opm.gov email address instructing them to asking them what they did on their summer vacation. They're, they're instructing them to reply with five things they did last week as part of their job. And just an hour before the email went out, Elon Musk posted on Twitter that he was going to require federal workers to list five things they did last week, adding that if they didn't respond that it would be considered their resignation. Now, that resignation part was missing from the actual email probably because in a lawsuit filed by security counselors that, you know, against the with the two OPM employees about privacy, the OPM was told they had to do a privacy assessment. And in that assessment they said any responses to this opm.gov email address are voluntary only. So it's going to be interesting to see how this shakes out. And again, I don't give legal advice, but if I had to give any advice, just from personal experience, I would say do what your agencies and your supervisors tell you to do or your union whether or not to respond to that email. But some agencies have instructed their employees to respond. Others and some unions have asked them to hold off. Several federal workers sent me five things they wish they could say to Elon Musk. And I published some of those@muellershirote.com so anyway, that is due at 11:59pm Eastern tonight. Again, I would if I were you, and this is not legal advice. Disclaimer, Giant disclaimer. But I would do what your agency tells you to do.
Dana Goldberg
Thanks, Allison. This one's from Politico. The federal judge blocked President Trump's bid to deprive federal funding from programs that incorporate, quote, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. This is interesting. U.S. district Judge Adam Abelson ruled that Trump's policy likely violates the First Amendment because it penalizes private organizations based on their viewpoints. And the judge said that the policy is written so vaguely that it chills the free speech of federal contractors concerned that they will be punished if they don't eliminate programs meant to encourage a diverse workforce. Several other Trump policies remain on hold as a result of court rulings, including his effort to slash funds marked 4 National Institutes of Health research and his bid to abruptly curtail contracts for foreign assistance programs. Trump did score one major legal win Friday, however. Washington, D.C. judge and the federal judge allowed Trump to move forward with his plan to dismantle the workforce at usaid.
Alison Gill
Yeah, and you might remember the beans actually broke the story that federal contractors were getting this, like, form that they had to sign to say in order to do business with the federal government. We promise we're not. We hate black people or something. I mean, it was awful. And they had to, like, check the box and sign the thing. And we don't like the LGBTQ plus, basically, we don't participate in any diversity, equity, and inclusion and accessibility programs. And we acknowledge that if we do, we could lose our contracts. This judge said you. Fuck you, you and no. So that's temporary. We'll see where it goes next. Up from NBC. The Trump administration has told organizations that provide federally funded legal representation to unaccompanied migrant children to halt that service. The Interior Department sent a stop work order to the nonprofit Acacia center for justice on Tuesday, cutting off funding for all activities under Acacia's federal contract to provide legal services for unaccompanied migrants younger than 18. And that's according to the text of a letter obtained by NBC News. So no help for the children.
Dana Goldberg
All right, and this guy? Well, I mean, come on. A conservative big wig. We've been covering this for a while. This is another accusation. Matt Schlapp was accused of grabbing another man's genitals in a Virginia bar and restaurant. That's according to a sheriff's report obtained by local newspaper. Wow. I'm going to try it, everyone. Rappah. Well, hold on. Repair. Hanock. Rappahannock.
Alison Gill
Rappahannock?
Dana Goldberg
Really?
Alison Gill
Yeah. Rappahannock News.
Dana Goldberg
All right. Rappahannock News. Rapahannock. What is wrong with you? Dana Rapahanaha. Do, do, do, do, do. The details of the alleged February 8 incident were revealed on the first day of the Conservative Political Action Conference, otherwise known as cpac, which sounds like something you need to put on your face when you can't breathe. An annual gathering of conservatives in Washington, D.C. hosted by the American Conservative Union, which Schlapp has helmed for more than a decade. A report prepared by that magazine. County. That newspaper in that county. That I cannot say. That sheriff's office, obtained by the local paper and the political newsletter 24 Site News, indicated that a customer at the Black Twig restaurant in Sperryville had, quote, assaulted another customer and by the way, was spotted leaving the scene in silver BMW and Rapanahawk. Nope. Say it.
Alison Gill
Rapahannock.
Dana Goldberg
Rappahannock. See, my little dyslexic brain wants to say Rapana Hawk.
Alison Gill
Rhymes with manic.
Dana Goldberg
Rapana Hanock. It's a banana hammock. Banana Hammock County.
Alison Gill
Banana Hammock County. There we go. We're just going to call it the Banana Hammock.
Dana Goldberg
Thank you for that. Some reason. That one's tough.
Alison Gill
Which is perfect for Schlap, when you think about.
Dana Goldberg
Actually is.
Alison Gill
What a sh.
Dana Goldberg
What an ass. I mean, this guy. It's because it's those conservatives and family values. This is the first accusation. It's not the second accusation. I don't care if this guy's gay. I don't care if he's bi. Stop making legislation hurting the community. You seem to want to continue to sexually assault is what it sounds like. Hypothetically.
Alison Gill
Yeah.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah.
Alison Gill
Stop having a CPAC that has the stages shaped like Nazi symbols and having people like Steve Bannon throw up. See, Kyles, like, you can't. You know.
Dana Goldberg
Oh, my God. The argument about that. Whether or not another. It was a sick. I was like, are you kidding me? Now we're giving Steve Bannon the. The benefit of the doubt. If anyone knows how to do a subtle Hail Hitler, it's Steve Bannon. Come on.
Alison Gill
All right. Well, anyway, those are the.
Dana Goldberg
Get a grip. I'm very fired.
Alison Gill
I know. Samesies. It's a bunch of bullshit that went down this weekend.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah.
Alison Gill
And you know, we're here to filter it out. Filter down that massive fire hose of flooding the zone with shit and trying to bring it to you. And speaking of that, we're going to do the hot notes, but we're going to take a quick break first. Stick around. We'll be right back after these messages. We'll be right back. Hey, everybody. It's AG. Winter is in full swing, and staying active can be a challenge. I like to sort of stay indoors and eat comfort food. But between the cold mornings and busy schedules, it's easy to let health goals slide. AG1, though, is my secret weapon. It's a single daily drink that helps me stay on track even when I can't get outside for a morning walk or run. I start my day with AG1 and it's an act of self care. Really. Valentine's Day is a great reminder to show love to ourselves. And for me, that means prioritizing my health. AG1 makes it easy. It's just a scoop in the morning in a glass of water. It's delicious and I know I'm giving my body the foundational nutrition it needs. And what I love the most about AG1, as opposed to it being called AG1, is that it fits seamlessly into my routine. It's delicious. It supports my immune system. It gives me the energy to tackle whatever the day throws at me. Plus, it makes a thoughtful gift for anyone looking to prioritize their health. AG1 has become an essential part of my day. It's the kind of habit that sticks because it's so easy to incorporate. I save a lot of space because I used to have a cabinet full of supplements. Now it's just AG1 and I save a lot of money because I don't have to buy that cabinet full of supplements. And I love how it makes me feel energized, focused, ready to take on whatever the day brings. So if you've been looking for a simple way to prioritize your health this winter, AG1 is it. Trust me, once you try it, you'll wonder how you ever started your day without it. And AG1 is offering new subscribers a free $76 gift. When you sign up, you'll get a welcome kit, a bottle of D3K2, and five free travel packs in your first box. So make sure to check out drinkag1.comdailybeans to get this offer. That's drinkag1.com dailybeans to start your new year on a healthier note. You'll be glad you did. Everybody, welcome back. It's time for Hot Notes. Hot Notes. All right, first up, from Missy Ryan at the Post. The Trump administration abruptly dismissed the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other senior officers on Friday night. As the Pentagon moves to bring the military's leadership in line with its America first agenda, I would say as the Pentagon moves to bring the military's leadership to heel with this fascist agenda. That would be my wording for this particular story. But in a post on social media, Trump said he would replace Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. And would take the unusual step of tapping a little known retired three star officer, Lieutenant General Dan Raisin Kane, as the next chairman. Defense Secretary Pete Kegseth, in a statement distributed shortly after Trump's post, said he would dismiss five other senior officers, including Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to serve as chief of naval operations, and general James Slife, a top Air Force officer under President Trump. We're putting in place new leadership that will focus our military on its core mission of deterring, fighting and winning wars. I thought they were against war.
Dana Goldberg
I thought, yeah, I didn't think they wanted wars.
Alison Gill
Yeah, now. Hegseth informed Brown, who was in Texas on Friday complying with Trump's orders visiting the southwest border, that he was being removed before Trump's announcement. And that's according to a US Defense official. The vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Admiral Christopher Grady, is expected to serve as interim chairman until Kane raising Cain can be confirmed. Brown, a veteran pilot and battlefield commander whom Trump nominated during his first term in office to become the Air Force's first African American chief of staff, was roughly 16 months into what was expected to be a four year term. He was elevated to the military's top position by Biden in 2023, making him the second black man to hold the chairman job after general Colin Powell. The dismissal comes as Trump's campaign to whittle down the federal workforce triggers court challenges and chaos for government workers and his shifts on foreign policy, including an embrace of Russia's narrative about the war in Ukraine, all that stokes confusion and anxiety among U.S. allies. The firings appear to represent the most significant move yet in the administration's emerging campaign to purge the Pentagon of what Hegseth describes as woke policies and woke personnel. Despite the military's role as a nonpartisan institution spanning administrations of both parties to reshape its highest ranks. In the weeks after he arrived at the Pentagon following a controversial confirmation process, Hegseth has moved quickly to dismantle diversity initiatives, which he calls racist and illegal. At a Pentagon town hall this month, Hegseth said diversity initiatives have served a purpose of dividing the force as opposed to uniting it. The single dumbest phrase in military history is our diversity is our strength, he said. So let's be clear. What they're doing here at the Pentagon and government wide is they're actually actively segregating us. So I just want to make sure everybody understands that now. Before being tapped by Trump, Hegseth attacked senior officers by name, including Brown, whom he said was overly focused on diversity issues. He also criticized Franchetti, suggesting she was selected for leadership because of her gender. Rep. Adam Smith in Washington, the House Armed Services Committee's top Democrat labeled the moves a Friday night massacre that would weaken national security, said, quote, all of this continues to play into the hands of Putin and others working to exploit the weakness Trump continues to broadcast and undermine the military, our government, our national security interests and democracy worldwide. That's what he said, referencing the Russian president Vladimir Putin. Raisin Cain's selection bucks numerous norms. First of all, he's got a weird ass nickname. First of all, he's a three star general. He would vault numerous higher ranking officers, including every current member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. And unlike all of them, he has not commanded a large formation of U.S. troops. Kane is the first three star general to be selected for a position typically held by four star officers. And here's the buried lead, 10 paragraphs down. Hegseth's statement did not specify why Slife and Franchetti, along with the judge advocates general for the Navy, army and Air Force would be replaced. And I have to break in here and say getting rid of the people who make sure that your orders are lawful is frightening as fuck. He actually went on TV and said, well, we don't want them there stopping us from doing what we want to do.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah.
Alison Gill
And judge advocates general don't stop you from following lawful orders. So he means that they would stop him from the unlawful things he wants to do. It's frightening. Now, Slife has served as the air force's number two officer since December 2023 and has had a series of jobs and Special Ops from 2017 to 2022. But he ran afoul of Trump supporters after decrying the 2020 police murder of George Floyd, saying in a written message to airmen that he would that it would be naive to think that institutional racism and unconscious bias don't affect us all.
Dana Goldberg
Thank you so much, Allison, for that story. This one is from the Independent. The Trump administration reportedly threatened to cut off Ukraine's access to Starlink, which has been a lifeline in providing Internet access to the country during the war with Russia, during negotiations over access to valuable minerals. And I think we remember it's just sort of, it's just accidentally turned off a couple times over the course of this invasion, because that's what it is. Keith Kellogg, the US Special envoy to Ukraine, raised the prospect this week of turning off service to Starlink if two countries don't strike a deal over crucial minerals. This is an unnamed source. That's what they told Reuters. It's the second time the alleged threat has been raised during negotiations. Cutting off Internet access via Starlink would be devastating for Ukraine, which has relied on it to provide connectivity as it fights Russia. Starlink, which we know is owned by Musk, provides Internet service via a satellite orbiting space. But the US Is eager to strike a deal with Ukraine over exclusive access to valuable natural resources, something President Trump believes the country somewhat owes the US for providing military aid. That's according to the New York Times. The terms of the proposed deal reviewed by the Times have Ukraine giving the US 50% of its revenue from its critical minerals, gas, oil and other earnings from ports. Ukraine has already turned down the potential deal with the US Once, but the country is reportedly heavily considering taking the second time around. And, and that's as of Saturday afternoon. Sources told that to the Times. Musk has been providing Ukraine with Starlink since 2022, when Russia invaded the country and destroyed Ukraine's communication infrastructure. Though he was once considered a hero for giving Ukraine free access, Musk has also been accused of restricting Starlink access for the Ukrainian military during operations. Like I said, now that Musk is sitting at the helm of the Oval Office, the tech billionaires has greater authority and allies in the US Government to support whatever decision they make regarding Starlink. Though the previous administration and most U.S. lawmakers have held Russia fully accountable for the war because they are and firmly stood with Ukraine, Trump has taken a different path, falsely otherwise lying, blaming Ukraine for starting the war and calling Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky a dictator. Yep. With Trump cozying up to Russia and its leader, Vladimir Putin, Ukraine has been put under immense pressure to figure out a deal with the United States. In a recent statement, Zelensky, he said that he would resign the presidency in exchange for peace and NATO membership.
Alison Gill
Yeah, that's an interesting concept right there. You know, they aren't having an election because it's martial law, because they're at war.
Dana Goldberg
Right.
Alison Gill
And that is something that Nazis everywhere are criticizing him for. And so he's like, look, I'll give this up if you just let us join NATO because we gave up all of our nuclear weapons back so that, you know, we could be allies with the United States. And now you're reneging on that deal or hey, give us our nukes back maybe, I don't know. All right. From Lisa Rain at the Post. Leaders of the Social Security Administration had just opened an investigation into an employee they believed was improperly sharing information with Musk's cost cutting team. When Trump elevated that employee this week to acting commissioner. And that's according to three current or former government officials with knowledge of the events. The agency's leadership team became aware in recent weeks that Leland Dudyk, a data analyst working in a small anti fraud office who had been unknown to many of them, was sharing unauthorized access to information with representatives of Musk's US Doji Service. And that's according to three people who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Now, it's not clear what data Dudek shared, but his actions raised enough alarm that he may have violated privacy and tax laws that senior officials placed him on paid leave as they launched their investigation. The officials, including attorneys in the general counsel's office, also were notified late last week that Dudik had sent harassing emails to employees in the agency's personnel and security divisions to rush them to let several engineers hired by Doge start work and gain access to agency computer systems. The officials pushed back, saying they had not completed the background investigations into these new hires. The Social Security Administration, based in Woodlawn, Maryland, is the government's central hub for American's most sensitive personal and financial information and the country's largest benefit paying entity. Social Security also keeps data on individuals who interact with many other federal agencies, including the irs, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Agriculture Department, as well as the unemployment offices. Representatives for doge, which stands for Department of Government Efficiency though it is not a cabinet level agency, toured the headquarters building this month and were eager to gain access to a key database in their search for benefits fraud, which was pretextual bullshit. When the team learned last week that DUDIC would be investigated, the chief information officer called Acting Commissioner Michelle King to demand answers. Then, on Sunday of President's Day weekend, King received an email announcing that Trump had appointed Dudek to replace her after being effectively forced out, King abruptly retired after three decades of service and her acting chief of staff, Tiffany Flick, also like resigned in protest.
Dana Goldberg
Bye.
Alison Gill
They left three decades because this guy the White House skipped over scores of career senior executives in the agency's line of succession like they do when they appointed Dudek an IT expert with a zeal for eliminating fraud, who was a high ranking employee on the federal salary scale, but not a manager. They want to fire me for cooperating with Doge. That's what Dudek wrote on a now deleted LinkedIn post that was captured by several Social Security employees and is making the rounds of the staff he hangs out on LinkedIn. Okay, you guys quote, I confess, he wrote, I helped Doge understand ssa. I mailed myself publicly accessible documents and explained them to Doge. I confess I moved contractor money around to add data science resources to my anti fraud team. I confess I asked where the FAT was and where it is in our contract so we can make the right tough choices. So he actually wrote that and proofread it and oh my God and said send it out on LinkedIn of all places the hub of social media now. Wall Street Journal first reported Dudek had cooperated with Musk's team. In his first days on the job, Dudek made bold moves that are highly unusual for someone in an acting role. He slashed the agency's research program, restructured numerous departments, announced the hires of new political staff, made personnel changes that included the demotion of a career senior executive who was involved in placing him on paid leave the week before. And that's according to internal personnel announcements obtained by the Post. Dudek's sudden elevation amid the departure of career leaders with years of experiences has thrown the agency of about 58,000 employees into turmoil as Trump's nominee to lead it permanently. Fiserf Chief no fiserv F I S E R Chief Executive Frank Bisignano. That could be wrong. Could be Bizignano. I don't know how it's how that is pronounced, but whatever. Frank, he's awaiting his confirmation hearing in the Senate. Social Security manages retirement survivor disability benefits, Supplemental security income for 73 million Americans. 58,000 people manage all that for 73 million Americans. The political risk of instability at the agency included uncertainty about its solvency and whether payments will even continue to flow to millions of Americans are considerable for Trump and Republicans generally. Dozens of probationary employees were notified Thursday they'd be fired unless they transferred to lower paying frontline roles. Officials have struggled since the coronavirus pandemic to provide timely customer service, particularly to those seeking disability benefits, with long waits for phone service and growing processing times for disability claims. Meanwhile, legislation passed in December giving full retirement benefits to public sector employees has also thrown the agency a new and complex task of implementing those changes, which affect the benefits for more than 3 million people. In a letter to Dudek after his appointment as acting commissioner, Senator Ron Wyden, top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, and four other committee Democrats demanded to know how he has helped Doge. The lawmakers said they were alarmed to read reports that Dudek had been placed on leave pending an investigation. So this guy's fishy as fuck.
Dana Goldberg
Yep. Oh my goodness. All right, Allison, this one's from McCreesh at the Times. Something happened at the White House Friday afternoon that almost never happens these days. Somebody defied President Trump right to his face. And of course, can you guess maybe the gender of this person? Just curious. Oh, it was a woman. Yes, it was a woman. He was about an hour into a meeting with a bipartisan group of governors when he suddenly remembered that the leader of Maine had been resisting an executive order he signed banning transgender athletes from women's sports. Is Maine here? He wondered aloud. The governor of Maine, she said, yeah. This was Janet Mills. Yeah. Answered from across the room, I'm here. Referring to the executive order. Mr. Trump asked, Are you not going to comply with that? And she said, I'm complying with the state and federal laws. Very pointedly, by the way, Mr. Trump replied, we are, and almost said, I am. By the way, he stuttered, we are the federal law. And said that, quote, you better do it or else he would withhold funding from her state.
Alison Gill
By the way, Congress is the federal law. Just saying.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah, just so you know. He reminded her that public opinion was overwhelmingly on his side on this issue. A poll, by the way, from the New York Times and IPSOS last month found that just 18 of Americans believe transgender female athletes, those who were male at birth, should be allowed to compete in women's sports. Just so you know, just one poll, though, everyone, he warned again, you better comply. You better comply because otherwise you're not getting any federal funding. And she said, see you in court. He said, good, good, soundedly, assuredly, I'll see you in court. I look forward to that. Should be an easy one. He paused and then added, and enjoy your life after Governor, because I don't think you'll be in elected politics. Yeah. Now, it was a fleeting back and forth, but Ms. Mills moment of defiance. It came at a time when Democrats have struggled to find any coherent or effective way to stand up to this guy. One month into his second term, we know that Donald has called himself a king. With the White House posting a depiction of the president wearing a crown, and the Republican leaders of Congress have happily ceded their power to him. The standoff between the administration and Maine's leaders continued to escalate Friday. Shortly after Ms. Mills exchange with the President, the U.S. department of Education sent a letter to the state's Education Commissioner, Pender Macon, notifying her that it was initiating, quote, a directed investigation of Maine's education Department. The letter singled out one school in particular, citing reports that it had allowed, quote, at least one male student to compete in girls categories. Now, the Reason I asked earlier if you know, Allison, if she, if she knew the gender of this person, is that it seems that only women are saying things directly to his face. There's a lot of men speaking out, but it really seems like in public settings it's women that are calling him out in public. And I could not have been more proud of this governor.
Alison Gill
So, yeah, well done. All right, everybody, time for a little good trouble. What are you guys doing? All right. Today's good trouble comes from an anonymous listener pronoun, she and her the comment period has opened for changes to the passport forms stemming from the Tangerine Wank Maggots executive order to eradicate defending women from Gender ideology, extremism and restoring biological truth in the federal government. The public comment window for DS11 ends March 17th and forms DS82 and DS5504 ends on March 20th. So please take a little time to speak up for your trans brothers and sisters and people and voice your thoughts and opinions during this short comment period window and oppose these changes to these forms. Please keep in mind it is critical to be polite, unique as well as fact based to your opposition to the changes proposed. Folks should point out that the executive order is pending litigation, as well as that these changes are contrary to both existing laws and prior rulings on the subject. Commenters should focus on how this impacts intersex individuals as well as transgender individuals. Bonus points if you can also point out how becoming hyper focused on policing and enforcement and enforcing such a minor detail could actually result in women potentially being deprived of passports because they could be perceived as potentially transgender if they've updated their birth certificates to match their married name so they can vote if other proposed election regulations get passed. Bring that up a little can go a long way. Unfortunately, there are three separate comment periods to contend with here as there's three different forms being changed. Thank you for all you do. Hurry up with that good trouble. Attached is Gremlin, the lazy dog who loves to steal my warm spot. Not in bed every single morning. No, don't get up out of bed. That's simple. Simple. Anyway, thanks for that. Thanks for that good trouble. We'll have a link in the show notes. And again, three separate forms here that they're going after because they are, for some reason just obsessed with everyone else's genitals. So yeah, thanks for that good trouble. We have the good news, but we have to take a quick break. Stick around, we'll be right back. Back, everybody. Welcome back. It's time for the good news, everyone. Then good news, everyone. Oh my gosh, there's a bunny picture for the first good news submission.
Dana Goldberg
Yes, there is.
Alison Gill
Oh, and if you have good news confessions, corrections, especially pronunciation corrections, or you want to give a shout out to yourself or loved one or a small business in your area or your small business or a government program that's helped you or a loved one like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Affordable Care Act, Head Start, WIC Section 8. Great VA health care, you've received student debt relief. You can send all those good news stories to us. Plus you're good trouble. Now we have a good trouble. We added good trouble to the drop down menu because, you know, mother necessity and necessity is the mother of invention. I almost said mother is the necessity of invention. That doesn't you don't know make any sense.
Dana Goldberg
Could be.
Alison Gill
Yeah, yeah, we don't. We'd have to ask Maury Povich, right. Who the real parents are. Usually, you know, who the mother is. Anyway, I used to do that in my comedy routine. I'd be, you know, talking about how I swear a lot and it would lead to the fact that I don't have any kids. So it's. I don't have to worry about what I say. I was like, yeah, so I don't have any kids that I know of. Am I right, ladies? Yeah, I was in the Navy. I could have kids all over.
Dana Goldberg
I don't know.
Alison Gill
Anyway, anything like that. All you got to do to get your good news submitted is attach a pod pet photo. Pay your pod pet tax. That's just a photo of your pet. If you want us to guess the breeds in your shelter pet, we would be happy to try. We were not very good at it. We got all five right one time and it's been all downhill from there.
Dana Goldberg
Yep.
Alison Gill
And if you don't have a pet, you can send us an adoptable pet in your area, see if we can find him a forever home. If you don't have that, any animal photo will do. If you don't have that, we're bird watching these days, which is can be like an actual photo of an actual bird or you and your family and friends flipping the bird to Trump properties and Musk Properties. So send those to us. And of course, if you don't have any of those photos, baby pictures, we want to see them all. Send them to us dailybeanspod.com click on Contact. First up from Will Pronouns Hand him All hail the beans queens. I am a newish listener to the podcast and it's been A godsend through a cavalcade of awful headlines, doom saying and dreadful takes. Y'all have been a force for good and I thank you. My news is that I'm finally going to start therapy. I've been in need of it, and after finding out that my workplace pays for 20 sessions per year, I finally pulled the trigger and got myself set up with a therapist. I'm both nervous and excited in equal measure.
Dana Goldberg
Nice.
Alison Gill
My pod pet tax P A W E D is my bunny. Let's see. Momiji. Am I saying that right? She's a Netherland dwarf and she has a personality bigger than I am and an attitude to match. She rules the house and I wouldn't have it any other way. Thanks again for all you do. Look at the bun.
Dana Goldberg
So cute. Momiji looks very soft.
Alison Gill
Loaf of bun I want to pet. Thank you for that, Will.
Dana Goldberg
Absolutely. All right. This is from Anonymous. Pronouns. They, them. Hey, beans queens. As someone in a solidly blue state, I really appreciate hearing from everyone reaching out to their red elected officials. I know it seems hopeless, but please keep up the fight. Your words have an impact even when it seems hopeless. By the way, I'm another new listener from Blue sky and greatly appreciate the gentle approach to news. Please accept my stalwart companion and queen of my heart, Ganymede. Ganymede as podpet tax. She was found as an older stray with her teeth in bad shape and now lives her gummy best life squeaky squeaking at all of her subjects. Only cat monarchs in this house. How old is she? Who knows. She's beautiful though. I mean I would be highly allergic to that coat, but my God, beautiful light colored calico.
Alison Gill
And if she's. Or tortie. And yeah, I mean if she's toothless then she's probably like 10 or 11 maybe. I don't know. I don't know they them. But what a beautiful baby. And thank you for that. I really appreciate that. And welcome from Blue Sky. All right, next up from Anonymous. Pronoun she and her. This is a very delayed shout out which I know the amazing bean queens will forgive. I went to the Daily Bean San Francisco show in San Francisco. I was disappointed Dana wasn't going to be there, but ended up being awed by Olivia, particularly right after the dnc. My shout out is to Kanai. Yes, we love. Can I. I signed up. That's our network director producer. He does. He wears many hats. I signed up for meet and greet tickets but didn't figure out how they worked. And my friend met someone else at the bar who said the same. And I had gifts for Ag and Pete Struck which I tried to give to Kanai yet twice. He so very nicely assured me I would be able to give them myself later. During the Q and A portion of the Amazing show, Kanai was standing right next to me against a sidewall and wanted to make sure he wasn't in our way, which I'm sure is somewhat of a norm for him. Although when I first heard his first name on the show I imagined him as short with dark hair. Okay, he was amazing. Nice, polite. We got the gifts to Ag and Pete. Loved the show. Also hearing it later during the well earned vacation. Also loved hearing some Dana comedy. Love you both as a longtime daily listener during my walks and thanks for all you do and to share with things with us and help us in dealing with this shitstorm. I will submit my Pet tax next time after I finish an upcoming trial against a MAGA attorney. Sadly having nothing to do with politics since I would love to kick his ass. In more ways than one, I am sure. Oh thank you. Anonymous yeah, that was a fun show at the Swedish Hall I think in San Francisco was amazing.
Dana Goldberg
All right, this one is from Sherry L. Pronoun she and her I'm giving a shout out to the ACA. Five years ago our 27 year old daughter was seriously ill with sepsis. Thanks to her medical coverage through covered California, she made a full recovery after three weeks in the hospital hospital, one surgery and three weeks of outpatient antibiotic treatment. The ACA literally saved her life and we are eternally grateful. This program is in place for my POD pet tax. I'm sharing a picture of our 13 year old dogster, Peach oh daughter, daughter. Cute dog.
Alison Gill
Dog Ter.
Dana Goldberg
I see dog her Peach. Yep. She is a joy in our life. She is full of sass and the best huntress is this a little Jack Russell.
Alison Gill
It reminds me of the Frasier dog.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah, totally looks cutie Cutie Sherry.
Alison Gill
Thanks for that. Next up from Rachel W. Oh, excellent pronoun. She and her I encourage chaos whenever possible. I am the kind of Gen X mom with weird energy that made amazing weird kids. Anyhow, for years I've been flipping the bird to Trump Properties, but when my daughter recently moved to New York City for college, it was just too easy while making my hubby and daughter both embarrassed and proud at the same time, I took these two photos. I was not quiet about the bird squawks. The last picture is me dropping off my girl. Watch out for this one. She's kicking ass and taking names. I love listening to you gals. You make me laugh in a time that's absolutely not funny. And I don't feel so bad about my public swearing problem. Keep up the great work. Fuck yeah. Rachel W. Look at these. Trump International, Trump Tower. And then beautiful mother daughter photo.
Dana Goldberg
Nice. Before I get to the next one, at the gala in Cincinnati, one of the speakers was congresswoman Julie Johnson from Texas. And Julie is the first out lesbian elected in the South. And so I said, you know, round of applause for that. I mean, the first elected lesbian in the South. And I said, and also, it's about time that there's someone in the Texas legislature that knows how to give a woman an orgasm. I said, because Lord knows it's not Ted Cruz. Anyway, I just thought that was a nice thing to add. All right, this is. I don't know why that felt like the right place.
Alison Gill
This is really great, too. In the straw poll for the next president, United States, Greg Abbott. This was at cpac. Greg Abbott. Zero percent.
Dana Goldberg
Nice. Good. All right, this one's from anonymous pronoun she and her from Philly. Hello, A.G. and Dana. And the behind the beans scenes. Beans peeps. Let me try that again.
Alison Gill
No, you got it. That was it. That was perfect.
Dana Goldberg
That was it. Behind the bean scenes. Beans peeps. Oh, my God. That's right. All right, this is a double shout out. I feel like I'm having a small stroke. This is. This is a double shout out. I've been listener. I've been a listener since the kitchen table days. And I would like to shout out ag for keeping me informed all these years, sometimes with tears and often with laughter. You found a gem in Dana and I'm so glad to start my day with the two of you. Thank you very much for that. My second shout out is to Jeffrey at the yes. His body combat kickboxing class is the absolute best. It has three pillars, loud music, fake violence, and water breaks. For me, it's like a free weekly therapy session with 50 plus others in my community. He brings the energy, and we leave with the high that exercise provides. And as an extra bonus, I was so pleased to discover that we share similar views with regards to the current administration with a comment made in the first class after November election. I love finding that stuff out. By the way, much appreciation to all of you. Fly, eagles, fly. All right.
Alison Gill
Yep.
Dana Goldberg
Podpet tax is a catahoula leopard mix and Australian shepherd.
Alison Gill
Oh, look at these beautiful babies. And we got the one blue eye, one brown eye. That reminds me of finding out that, you know, they agree with you about the things that are going on in this administration during the Whose Line Is It Anyway Show. Dana they were doing the game where they bring up two audience members to provide sound effects for what the two people on stage are doing. It's the game called sound effects. And at one point one of the actors was like, yeah, let's go parachuting. But first I have to listen to my favorite song on my Spotify. And he pulls like, does the motion to pull his phone out. And when his finger hits the button for the his favorite song, the audience member goes, fuck Donald Trump. What? What? Fuck Donald Trump. Without hesitation. The whole place went nuts. It was.
Dana Goldberg
That's amazing.
Alison Gill
Just not even a moment of hesitation. All right, Next up, from Ms. Maz, pronouns she, her good news and good trouble. This is a small thing given that it's that all that's going on in America these days, but I, along with many other individuals, am working hard to help people in Canada find Canadian products and produce. Yes, I spent a fair amount of my day double checking products and people's posts on social media that shall remain nameless for Canadian content, or cancon, as we like to call it. I'm also trying to support people so that they're aware that they don't have to buy all Canadian products. Canadian mangoes are hard to find, but rather products and produce from Argentina to Zimbabwe are perfectly acceptable. It's just American products and produce we're trying to avoid finally, along with many other Canadians and cheerleading for people who can't afford to go all in on Pan American product boycotts, reminding them that any small change they can make is good enough. The work that we are doing is making a difference. Airlines in Canada are reducing their flights to Florida and Arizona. People are posting photos and videos of empty produce shelves except for product of the USA labeled items. What I find most amazing is that all of this is being done without an organization behind us. We're literally just a group of individuals who've never met and probably never will, but who are committed to doing good for other Canadians. Below is a photo of my Chihuahua mix, Scathy. She is a rescue from deep South Texas and is named after the Norse goddess of winter and skiing because she has landed in the cold of Nova Scotia. Thanks for all you do.
Dana Goldberg
There's a goddess of skiing that's kind of amazing.
Alison Gill
Very cool. And I love this by the way. I personally am all like 100% loving it when you know, during Canadian USA Hockey games that the national anthem is booed for for the United States. I love that. I love that you guys are buying Canadian. I approve this message. 100. Love you guys.
Dana Goldberg
And many people have said, we're not booing the people of America, we're booing the President.
Alison Gill
So absolutely.
Dana Goldberg
It's nice to hear that. This one is from Jesse Pronoun. She and her. Hi, I'd like to shout out my 11 year old, who, instead of handing me a towel, took a photo when I exploded a can of tomatoes all over myself tonight. I listened to y'all most nights while I cooked dinner, and tonight was no exception. Until the can opener got stuck and I got covered in tomato goop trying to free it. Phototax is the photo my amazing kid took. I don't have anything else. Just thought we could all use a good long laugh. Yeah, your face is very much like. Are you fucking taking a picture right now?
Alison Gill
Yeah, here. This is the best place. Like, give me a towel. No, photo first.
Dana Goldberg
Photo first. And then I think that's fair because, you know, many parents have probably done that when their kid has done something and they're like, I can't believe you.
Alison Gill
Just took a picture. Right? Yeah, no, I'm taking a photo. Sending it to a podcast that has a quarter of a million listeners. You're welcome. Mom. Looking great. Oh, thank you all so much for these, these good news stories. Please, please. We want to be overwhelmed with your good news. Just the little tiny things, right? Just the small stuff. And even, you know, big good news is still allowed. I'm just saying it. We're not restricting you to big good news. Send it to us@dailybeanspod.com click on Contact. And we now have in our drop down menu, you can select a good trouble so you can submit some good.
Dana Goldberg
So awesome.
Alison Gill
So please continue to do that every day and we'll keep making these suggestions and appreciate you so much. I know it's a lot. Make sure to take breaks. Dana, do you have any final thoughts, maybe any, any last thoughts about the Human Rights Campaign event this weekend?
Dana Goldberg
No, it was just such a lovely, lovely night. I'm, I'm grateful I'm in Boston next weekend, so if you're going to the Boston Human Rights Campaign Gala, it's next Saturday. I will be there and I would love to meet you there if you're a beans listener.
Alison Gill
Yeah. And I do have to tell everybody before we go that for the last couple of weeks, our sound engineer has said that Dana's peas are popping on her microphone. So a couple weeks ago, when we came on, she had a sock tied to the end of her microphone. And for some reason, I was like, everyone was calling it a dirty sock. I'm like, why do you got a dirty sock? Is it a microphone? I'm like, it's not a dirty sock.
Dana Goldberg
Why would I put a dirty sock your house?
Alison Gill
Like, dirty sock. And so there was. There was a lot of offline chatter about, it's not a dirty sock. It's just old or, you know, whatever.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah.
Alison Gill
And so then all of a sudden, just a few days ago, I open up my virtual studio, and there she is with a very beautiful rainbow pride sock over the.
Dana Goldberg
It's from Patagonia. People don't make fun of my sock. I will get way more gay in lifetime. It was funny because Kanai was. When I was flying solo in the captain's chair, Kanai often works with me because we need to make sure that the edits are there and that if there's any mess ups, he's aware of them and stuff like that. So Kanai was like, your peas are hot. Your peas are popping. Can you put a sock over your microphone? And. And then he said, can you put a clean sock over your microphone? Like, I was gonna go grab a dirty sock from the laundry and be like, let me put this as close to my mouth as I possibly can without it going in my mouth. So, yes, I have a. A very trendy Patagonia. No, not so. Not what I said. Not Patagonia. What is it? It's. I just said it.
Alison Gill
L.L. bean. No, Patagonia.
Dana Goldberg
Is it Patagonia?
Alison Gill
I think so.
Dana Goldberg
Pendleton. It's a Pendleton sock.
Alison Gill
Oh. Oh, yeah. That is extra fancy.
Dana Goldberg
I know. Which means there's one solo Pendleton sock running around in the drawer, not being used.
Alison Gill
So every time we. We meet again every day to record this podcast, and her lovely face comes up along with this microphone with this giant rainbow sock on it. It just brings me so much joy. I just had to share that with everybody.
Dana Goldberg
It's my sock.
Alison Gill
It. Eventually we'll get a picture of this out to you maybe, so that you can share in the mirth and the joy. All right, everybody, thank you so much. We'll be back in your ears tomorrow. Please don't forget to check out the latest episode of Unjustified. And if you haven't subscribed, do that. Subscribe for free. Subscribe to clean up on all 45. It's free. Subscribe to the Daily Beans. If you haven't. It's free because when you do that, it helps push us up in the charts, which means we can beat Ted Cruz again, which we do like almost on a daily basis. And I love doing that. It's just, just brings me joy. So 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 and I've been DG 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.
The Daily Beans: Episode Summary – "Justice Advocates General"
Release Date: February 24, 2025
Hosts: Allison Gill and Dana Goldberg
Produced by: MSW Media
In the February 24, 2025 episode of The Daily Beans, hosts Allison Gill and Dana Goldberg navigate a whirlwind of political and social news with their signature blend of progressive insight and sharp wit. The episode, titled "Justice Advocates General," delves into a range of pressing issues, from international elections to domestic policy upheavals, all while maintaining an engaging and conversational tone.
The episode opens with Allison Gill sharing preliminary exit poll results from the recent German elections:
Allison Gill [01:22]: "It appears that the Conservative Party has won with the AFD Nazi Party coming in second place."
Dana expresses her alarm over these results:
Dana Goldberg [01:44]: "Oh, God."
The hosts discuss the concerning rise of the AFD, noting its appeal among young men and reflecting on the global trend of similar electoral shifts.
A significant portion of the episode covers a bomb threat sent to the organizers of the Principal's First Summit in Washington, D.C.:
Allison Gill [04:16]: "A bomb threat was emailed to the organizers... threatening attendees by name, including Officer Mike Fanon, Adam Kinzinger, Frank Fogluzzi, etc."
The email, signed "I I to my family. I'm doing what I must do. Maga," is under investigation, especially in light of Enrique Tarrio's recent arrest for simple assault.
Dana reports on President Trump's alleged plans to dissolve the leadership of the U.S. Postal Service:
Dana Goldberg [06:04]: "Donald Trump is preparing to dissolve the Leadership of the U.S. Postal Service and absorb the independent mail agency into his administration."
Both hosts criticize the move as an attempt at voter suppression and unconstitutional:
Allison Gill [06:55]: "Yep. And that's also unconstitutional."
They anticipate legal battles and discuss the potential privatization of the Postal Service under Trump's directive.
The hosts highlight a federal judge's decision to block Trump's efforts to defund Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives:
Dana Goldberg [09:48]: "Federal judge blocked President Trump's bid to deprive federal funding from programs that incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives."
The ruling is seen as a significant check against policies that penalize organizations based on their viewpoints.
Dana brings attention to new allegations against Matt Schlapp:
Dana Goldberg [11:52]: "Matt Schlapp was accused of grabbing another man's genitals in a Virginia bar and restaurant."
This revelation surfaces during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), casting a shadow over Schlapp's longstanding leadership within conservative circles.
A noteworthy segment covers Governor Janet Mills of Maine challenging President Trump's executive order banning transgender athletes in women's sports:
Dana Goldberg [30:55]: "She said, 'I'm complying with the state and federal laws.'"
Trump threatened to withhold federal funding unless Maine complied, to which Mills responded defiantly:
Allison Gill [32:46]: "I could not have been more proud of this governor."
This exchange underscores the ongoing tensions between state and federal authorities over social policy issues.
Trump's administration has made drastic changes to the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other senior military officials:
Allison Gill [17:34]: "Trump has dismissed the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and top DoD officials."
Defense Secretary Pete Kegseth announced the removal of several high-ranking officers, citing a shift towards an "America first" agenda. Critics, including Rep. Adam Smith, condemn these actions as undermining national security and aiding adversaries like Russia.
Another critical issue discussed is the Trump administration's threat to cut off Starlink internet services to Ukraine amid negotiations over rare earth minerals:
Dana Goldberg [26:43]: "Trump administration reportedly threatened to cut off Ukraine's access to Starlink..."
This move could severely impact Ukraine's communication infrastructure during its conflict with Russia, raising concerns about the ethical implications of leveraging such services for political gain.
The episode also delves into a scandal within the Social Security Administration (SSA), where an employee named Leland Dudyk was investigated for unauthorized data sharing with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE):
Allison Gill [24:02]: "Leaders of the Social Security Administration had just opened an investigation into an employee..."
Dudyk's actions, including harassing emails and attempts to expedite the hiring of engineers, have led to chaos within the SSA, affecting millions who rely on its services.
Throughout the episode, Allison and Dana share personal anecdotes, fostering a relatable and warm atmosphere. They discuss Allison's enjoyable weekend at a live episode of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, featuring a surprise appearance by Drew Carey:
Allison Gill [04:23]: "Drew Carey made a surprise appearance, and we were in one of the front rows."
Dana recounts her successful fundraising event in Cincinnati for the Human Rights Campaign, highlighting the supportive and enthusiastic Daily Beans audience.
The hosts transition to uplifting segments, encouraging listeners to engage in positive activism ("good trouble") and share heartwarming stories ("good news"). They feature listener submissions that range from personal achievements to community support initiatives, emphasizing the importance of collective effort in creating change.
The Daily Beans episode "Justice Advocates General" offers a comprehensive overview of the current political landscape, blending serious analysis with personable dialogue. Allison Gill and Dana Goldberg adeptly navigate complex topics, providing listeners with insightful commentary and fostering a sense of community through interactive segments. This episode serves as both an informative and engaging resource for those looking to stay informed on social justice and political developments.
Notable Quotes:
This summary encapsulates the key discussions and insights from The Daily Beans episode, providing a clear and comprehensive overview for both regular listeners and new audiences alike.