Lingering Resentment

Summary

The Daily Beans – Episode Summary

Podcast: The Daily Beans
Hosts: Allison Gill, Dana Goldberg
Episode Title: Lingering Resentment
Date: January 6, 2026

---

Overview

In this episode, Allison and Dana tackle the fallout of the five-year anniversary of the January 6th Capitol attack and discuss the continuing "lingering resentment" in American politics. Major topics include Democrats' efforts to rebut GOP whitewashing of January 6, the Pentagon's move to downgrade Senator Mark Kelly's retirement rank, the controversial U.S. operation in Venezuela and Stephen Miller’s emerging role, Amy Klobuchar’s potential run for Minnesota governor, and the viral arrest of a protest organizer in Grand Rapids. The hosts balance the intense political news with their signature humor and listener good news.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Reflection and Pushback on January 6th Whitewashing

[04:46–08:43]

• Democrats plan a shadow hearing to publicly rebut Republican minimization and distortion of the Capitol attack's events.
  • Hakeem Jeffries, House Democratic Leader, announces a public meeting with witness testimony:

    "Expose the election deniers who hold high level positions...detail the threats to public safety posed by the hundreds of violent felons who were pardoned by the president on his first day in office." (05:51)

• The physical damage from the riot has been repaired, but the hosts emphasize the never-healed resentment and campaign to rewrite history.
  • Notable quote:
    Dana, on "hostages" and Trump's pardons:

    "Many of them have been rearrested, by the way, because they're criminals. What remains is a poisonous and lingering resentment over the riot." (05:04)

  • Dan Hodges, DC police officer:

    "Five years ago I thought this has to be the most videotaped crime in American history...There's no way anyone can possibly deny what occurred here. That's what he said in an interview, but went on to say, but that's exactly what's happening now." (06:22)

• Trump and GOP surrogates are recasting January 6 defendants as "innocent" or "unfairly treated," excluding over 1,000 who didn't serve time and disregarding those not yet tried.
  • Allison’s sardonic take:

    "If you don't like the jails, do what Democrats have been trying to do for fucking 30 years and reform that shit." (07:22)

---

2. Pentagon Seeks to Downgrade Senator Mark Kelly’s Retirement Rank

[08:43–14:43]

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth moves to reduce Senator Mark Kelly’s military retirement rank for so-called ‘seditious statements’ in a video urging military members not to follow illegal orders.
  • The message, also delivered by other former military and intelligence members, did not reference Trump directly.
• Dana’s reaction:

  "He just said what the law says. Yeah, well, I guess in a lawless dictatorship, it's very bad when you say what the law actually is." (09:38)

• Only Kelly, as a retired officer, faces consequences.
  • Details about to what rank he'll be demoted are unclear; recourse in federal court is uncertain.
  • Allison contrasts to previous demotions:

    "Captain Kelly, Mark Kelly, is an 06. He actually outranked the highest level that Hegseth ever got...It doesn't say how far they're gonna drop his rank." (12:28)

  • Cynical observation:

    "Notice that he's not taking him to court martial like he initially threatened to." (14:04)

• The hosts signal they'll dive deeper with Kelly’s response in their Beans Talk video segment.

---

3. U.S. Operation in Venezuela & Stephen Miller’s Role

[14:43–19:24]

• The U.S.'s "bold" operation to capture Nicolás Maduro was presented as a tactical success, but hosts question both legality and potential for long-term consequences.
  • Allison’s sarcasm:

    "I would have said the Trump administration’s illegal operation to capture strong man Nicolás Maduro was, yeah, startling. I wouldn't know if I would call it a tactical success." (14:57)

• Ongoing challenge: Caracas power structures remain, and opposition leaders have been sidelined.
• U.S. post-coup plans are murky:
  • Key focus: getting oil executives into the country.
  • Elevated figure: Stephen Miller is set to take a more significant role in post-Maduro operations.
    • Dana, presciently:

      "What did I tell you yesterday? I said Stephen Miller's hands are all over this." (18:14)

• Allison sharply critiques Trump’s comments:

  "We want to come in, steal your oil, and then you can have your elections...We want to make sure they have control over your oil and then you can have control of your government back. That's what he's saying." (17:03)

• Oil and military interests are navigated with little attention to Congress or public approval—a recurring theme.

---

4. Minnesota Gubernatorial Race: Klobuchar Considers a Run

[19:39–22:34]

• Tim Walz unexpectedly withdraws from his re-election campaign, citing stress and family toll from political attacks and controversies.
  • Dana laments:

    "I'm just so fucking mad that this administration, Trump in particular, has bullied a good man into giving up a position..." (02:13)

• Amy Klobuchar is being encouraged to run, not yet decided.
  • Her popularity and centrist appeal are discussed, noting consistent double-digit Senate wins.
• The hosts speculate on possible implications for Minnesota and the Democratic bench, joking, for instance, about Al Franken’s possible return.

---

5. Viral Video Arrest: Organizer in Grand Rapids

[03:02–04:46]

• A protest organizer in Grand Rapids, MI, was arrested on camera after being interviewed about the U.S. attack on Venezuela.
  • The stated grounds were "impeding the roadway," but the organizer was on a sidewalk at the time of arrest.
  • Dana denounces the police action as a First Amendment violation:

    "It's literally the First Amendment. So there was no reason for an arrest in this situation." (03:38)

• The video will be featured and discussed in more depth on Beans Talk.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Trump’s minimization of Jan. 6 and jails:

  "If you don't like the jails, do what Democrats have been trying to do for fucking 30 years and reform that shit."
  — Allison Gill (07:22)

• On Trump's Venezuela comments:

  "We want to come in, steal your oil, and then you can have your elections...We want to make sure they have control over your oil and then you can have control of your government back."
  — Allison Gill (17:03)

• On Klobuchar’s possible gubernatorial run:

  "She goes a little bit more to the center and I don’t know, she also takes on Trump, you know, when she needs to. I know she can be a hard ass, but she’s loved by the state in many ways."
  — Dana Goldberg (21:20)

• On Mark Kelly actions:

  "He just said what the law says. Yeah, well, I guess in a lawless dictatorship, it’s very bad when you say what the law actually is."
  — Dana Goldberg (09:38)

• On protest arrest:

  "Whether you feel like there should be a protest against the arrest, kidnapping of the, you know, of Maduro and his wife is irrelevant to the fact that everyone has a right to protest...There was no reason for an arrest in this situation."
  — Dana Goldberg (03:38)

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |--------------------------------------------|------------------| | Show intro and headlines | 00:54–02:01 | | Klobuchar, Walz, and protester arrest | 02:01–04:46 | | Capitol attack anniversary & shadow hearing| 04:46–08:43 | | Pentagon vs. Mark Kelly | 08:43–14:43 | | U.S. Venezuela operation & Stephen Miller | 14:43–19:24 | | Klobuchar’s governor consideration | 19:39–22:34 | | Listener Good News and Pet Stories | 26:52–40:52 |

---

Listener Good News Highlights

[26:52–40:52]

• Uplifting listener stories balance the heavy news, including celebrations of personal milestones (sobriety anniversaries, running for office), community activism, and shout-outs to beloved pets.
• Several listeners share emotional stories about community, resilience, and hope for 2026—in the face of political turmoil.

---

Final Thoughts

Allison and Dana close the episode reaffirming the importance of community, mental health, and staying engaged. They tease follow-ups to key stories (including the protest arrest and Kelly's response) on their video companion Beans Talk, and invite listeners to share good news via the revamped podcast website.

---

Episode Tone

The episode is classic Daily Beans: sharp, irreverent, and unflinching in its analysis, but balancing outrage with hope, community warmth, and humor. Swearing and snark abound, matched with facts and progressive perspective.

---

Transcript

[Martin Sheen]

It's Sunday morning and that wonderfully relaxed feeling of a long, lazy day lingers in the air. If you want to make the moment last, may I suggest the perfect solution? The Martin Sheen Podcast. Join me, your host, Martin Sheen, for beautifully crafted 20 minute programs filled with never before heard stories of my life, along with personal reflections and poetry that inspires. The Martin Sheen Podcast is the perfect Sunday refresh. A chance to take a deep breath, relax, and know that the stress of Monday may be just around the corner, but not here, not now. So make this your weekly moment of calm as we explore faith, hope, love, and what it means to be human. And know this, this journey is ever unfolding as I invite you to see what's next with me, Martin Sheen.

[Allison Gill]

And thank you, MSW Media. Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Tuesday, January 6, 2026. Today, Democrats will hold a shadow hearing to rebut the whitewashing of the events surrounding the attack on the Capitol five years ago. The Pentagon is seeking to reduce Senator Mark Kelly's retirement rank. An organizer was arrested on camera in Grand Rapids, Michigan for protesting the US Attack on Venezuela. Trump has announced Pee Wee Himmler Stephen Miller will have an outsized role in running Venezuela. And Amy Klobuchar is considering a run for Minnesota governor after Tim Wall's surprise announcement that he's dropping out. I'm Allison Gill.

[Dana Goldberg]

And I'm Dana Goldberg.

[Allison Gill]

Did you hear my very serious news voice at the end of those headlines?

[Dana Goldberg]

I did.

[Allison Gill]

I drop into my serious news voice whenever something happens like this. Tim Walls is dropping out. We'll talk about it in a minute. But I was very surprised.

[Dana Goldberg]

I'm actually very surprised, too. And at the same time, everything his family's gone through, I don't blame him. I'm just so fucking mad that this administration, Trump in particular, has bullied a good man into giving up a position that he is revered for in the state by the majority of people.

[Allison Gill]

Oh, yeah. I mean, he won in landslides.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah.

[Allison Gill]

I'm with you though. It's like when people are like, Obama needs to step up and do something. I'm like, leave the Obamas alone.

[Dana Goldberg]

Like, yeah, I know they put in their time. I understand he's got a lot of power and I'm sure they are doing some things behind the scenes. Michelle Obama has never loved the spotlight, so the Obamas are pro. I just wish people would, like, literally trust that people are doing what they need to for their own lives, to do what they need to do. I just think it's a Massive loss for Minnesota.

[Allison Gill]

I think so as well. And we'll see. We'll see if Amy Klobuchar announces she's considering it. I mean, she's shellacked everybody in the Senate the last four times she's run for Senate. So she's also very popular there, though. I know a lot of people dub her a centrist, but, you know, she's just exceedingly popular in. In her state. So we'll see how that goes. We'll cover it if she does formally announce, but we're going to talk about her consideration later in the show. And also, have you seen the viral video going around of this organizer woman being interviewed? And then once she finishes the interview, the cops in Grand Rapids come up and arrest her.

[Dana Goldberg]

Absolute bullshit. The cops were like, you're impeding the street or something like that. She's on the sidewalk. First of all. They're like, you're impeding a road. Something else. That was a bullshit thing. Like you said, she was leading the protest. Whether you feel like there should be a protest against the arrest, kidnapping of the, you know, of Maduro and his wife is irrelevant to the fact that everyone has a right to protest what they want to. It's literally the First Amendment. So there was no reason for an arrest in this situation. But, yeah, we'll talk more about it in the beanstalk. Yeah.

[Allison Gill]

And if you were impeding the roadway and then you were not, then why are you, like, there's no imminent danger. Like, I understand if she was at that time in the middle of the road impeding the roadway.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh, and now I understand, absolutely, that when they arrested her, she was on the sidewalk. That's what's very confusing is they're saying that's literally like, if you, I don't know, broke the speed limit and then an hour later ran into a cop that happened to see you speeding, was like, hey, we're going to arrest you. We're giving you a ticket right now for speeding. And you're like, give me a ticket for speeding when I'm in my fucking car?

[Allison Gill]

Yeah. And they waited until after the interview was done. So they didn't want to do it on camera, but they caught it on camera anyway. So.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yep.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah, we're going to show you that video over on the Beans Talk. All right. We got tons of news we have to get to today. Let's hit the hot notes. Hot notes. All right, everybody. First up, this is from Scott McFarland at CBS. Five years after the historic and damaging attack on the Capitol, millions of dollars in damages have been repaired and cleanup has long been completed. Many of the physical injuries have healed and Trump's pardons ended the largest criminal prosec in American history while freeing more than 1,500 defendants from criminal liability. Many of them have been rearrested, by the way, because they're criminals. What remains is a poisonous and lingering resentment over the riot and an ongoing battle to preserve just the basic facts of what transpired on January 6. The President and some of his supporters have accused the Biden administration of weaponizing the DOJ against January 6th defendants. In the process, Trump and surrogates have espoused arguments that are inconsistent with with the facts of the cases, the timeline of events and public statistics from the Capitol siege prosecutions. And by the way, shit we saw with our own eyes.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah, no kidding.

[Allison Gill]

In a letter to colleagues last week, House Democratic leader Akeem Jeffries announced a public meeting with witness testimony will be held today, Tuesday to rebut claims about January 6th. Jeffries letter said the meeting would, quote, expose the election deniers who hold high level positions of significance in the executive branch. Like right now, there's a pardoned January 6th rioter who works at the Department of Justice and detail the threats to public safety posed by the hundreds of violent felons who were pardoned by the president on his first day in office. Dan Hodges, good friend of ours, local D.C. police officer who was injured by the attack of the mob, said he is frustrated by an ongoing rewriting of the history of January 6th. Quote, Five years ago I thought this has to be the most videotaped crime in American history. There's just so much evidence. There's no way anyone can possibly deny what occurred here. That's what he said in an interview, but went on to say, but that's exactly what's happening now. Hodges, who spoke with CBS News as a citizen separate from his ongoing role as a police officer, also said the attack was everything it appeared to be on television. Now, Mr. Trump himself, who has referred to January 6th defendants as hostages for years, attempted to reframe or rewrite some of the key issues of January 6th prosecutions in the hours and days after issuing his pardons, he's claimed many defendants were actually innocent or they were only responsible for minor infractions or were held in unfairly harsh conditions. Dana, known as jail.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah, because they committed a crime.

[Allison Gill]

If you don't like the jails, do what Democrats have been trying to do for fucking 30 years and reform that shit.

[Dana Goldberg]

Absolutely.

[Allison Gill]

That wasn't in the CBS Article that was just us. At a January 2025 news conference, Trump said these people have already served years in prison, and they've served them viciously. He also claimed that January 6 rioters had served years in jail and then added that murderers don't even go to jail in this country. What?

[Dana Goldberg]

I can't.

[Allison Gill]

Okay. His statements excluded more than a thousand January 6th riot defendants who didn't serve years in custody and the hundreds of pardoned capital riot defendants who had not yet gone to trial or served prison terms at all for cases in which they pled guilty. House Democrats are expected to call a number of the police victims of the siege.

[Desiree McFarlane]

I'll say.

[Allison Gill]

Survivors as public witnesses. At their Tuesday public hearing, several congressional staffers familiar with the matter told CBS News they expect Democrats to issue public statements Monday and Tuesday to reinforce the facts of the January 6th siege amid Mr. Trump's claims minimizing the riot. House Speaker Mike Johnson's office didn't respond to requests for comment about the Democrats meeting because he probably hadn't heard about.

[Dana Goldberg]

It.

[Allison Gill]

Or plans for any formal events. He has no formal events to mark the siege.

[Dana Goldberg]

I can't. I can't with them. And also this piece of shit. This is from NBC. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday that the Pentagon is taking steps to downgrade Democratic Senator Mark Kelly's military retirement rank and pay because of the lawmaker's seditious statements. Kegseth on this. It is long as the day. I have no idea. I don't care what that saying is. I'm gonna fuck it up. I'm so mad at Kegseth around this.

[Allison Gill]

I mean, God forbid somebody record a video of you telling everyone what the law says.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah, exactly. And he wasn't the only person in that video, first of all, anyway.

[Allison Gill]

Well, he's the only one that's retired, Right, Exactly.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah. He said that Kelly, who is a retired Navy captain, was part of a group of Congress members who six weeks ago released a reckless and seditious video that was clearly intended to undermine good order and military discipline. No, it was actually intended to uphold the Constitution.

[Allison Gill]

He just said what the law says. Yeah, well, I guess in a lawless dictatorship, it's very bad when you say what the law actually is.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah. This is a bullshit post on Twitter from kegseb. As a retired Navy captain who is still receiving a military pension, Captain Kelly knows he is still accountable to military justice and the of war. And the American people expect justice. Well, the Defense Department said in November that it was launching an investigation into Kelly because of the video he and other Democratic lawmakers recorded just urging members of the military and intelligence community not to follow illegal orders. Illegal is the key word there from the Trump administration. And actually they didn't even mention the Trump administration. They just said, you don't have to follow illegal orders.

[Allison Gill]

Yep.

[Dana Goldberg]

And you shouldn't. The other Democratic lawmakers who appeared in the video message also served in the military or the intelligence community. They include Senators Alyssa Slotkin of Michigan, Reps. Jason Crow, Colorado. We got Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, Chris d' Aluzio, and Chrissy Houlihan of Pennsylvania. No action, as I said, has been taken against anyone else in the post. On Twitter, the defense secretary said that in response to Kelly's seditious statements and his pattern of reckless misconduct, the department started retirement grade determination proceedings against the senator with reduction in his retired grade, resulting in a corresponding reduction in retired pay. This is from ksef. It's infuriating. In the censure letter which Kelly's office provided to NBC News, Kegseth said the senator had directly attacked the legitimacy of military leadership and the lawfulness of their orders. No, he did not. And said things that directly prejudices good order and discipline. No, he did not. And had engaged in conduct that seriously compromises your standing as an officer and brings dishonor to the officer corpse. No, that would be you. Kegseth Kelly has 30 days to submit a response, and the process to downgrade his retirement rank will be completed within 45 days. This is from Keth. These actions are based on Captain Kelly's public statements from June through December 2025, in which he characterized lawful military operations as illegal and counseled members of the armed forces to refuse lawful orders. This conduct was seditious in nature and violated Articles 133 and 134 of the Uniform Code of Military justice, to which Captain Kelly remained subject as a retired officer receiving pay. We're going to go over Mark Kelly's full response to this on the Beans Talks. So make sure after you listen to the Daily Beans, you slide over to that video podcast so you can hear Mark Kelly's entire response to this bullshit action.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah, something I'm interested in is, you know, they did this for Ronny Jackson and you usually do it for conduct that they participated in while they were active duty, like Dr. Ronny Jackson did. He ran a fucking pill mill.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah.

[Allison Gill]

So they broke him down a rank. Right. They took him, I think, from captain to lieutenant commander or something like that. 06 to 04. And what's interesting here is that Captain Kelly, Mark Kelly, is an 06. He actually outranked the highest level that Hegseth ever got.

[Dana Goldberg]

That doesn't surprise me at all.

[Allison Gill]

Which was an 04. So what they're not reporting and I'm interested is to see what rank he intends to break him down to. Is he going to drop him a rank to 05? Is he going to drop him below 04, which is what Hegseth was. Is he going to take him all the way down to E1? Like an enlisted one? Like a, you know, the very lowest rank in the enlisted thing, Very lowest in the officer. It doesn't say how far they're gonna drop his rank.

[Dana Goldberg]

But is this something Kelly can take to the courts?

[Allison Gill]

That's what I don't know. And no one's really written this up. I wanna talk to a judge Advocate General about this because from my understanding, if you've got military discipline, you appeal all the way up to the Secretary of Defense.

[Dana Goldberg]

Right.

[Allison Gill]

I don't know if you can take it into the federal court. But if he does and he is successful in breaking down the rank. Cause I feel like Judge Ronny Jackson would have sued to keep his rank. If you could sue in federal court. He didn't.

[Dana Goldberg]

That's true. He definitely would have your right.

[Allison Gill]

So I think he'll be successful. If Hegseth is the final word on what his rank is, I think he'll be successful. But if we elect a Democrat, when we elect a Democrat in 2028, I'm sure it'll be reversed.

[Dana Goldberg]

I wonder if Congress can do anything about it. The House of Representatives. If we get the House back. I mean, it feels like there's so much that can be done in this.

[Allison Gill]

Maybe they could pass a law saying. Now notice that he's not taking him to court martial like he initially threatened to.

[Dana Goldberg]

Right.

[Allison Gill]

It's because he's a giant.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah.

[Allison Gill]

And he knows he won't court martial would be bad because I issue with that.

[Dana Goldberg]

Because are actually useful.

[Allison Gill]

Have depth and warmth. You're right. I'm sorry.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah. And I enjoy them. I don't enjoy Kick Seth at all.

[Allison Gill]

I know. I just, I. I hearken back to the Chrissy Teigen pussy ass bitch days sometimes. And it just kind of, you know.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah, that's different. Please excuse my language. This is a direct quote.

[Allison Gill]

But Chrissy Teigen referred to Donald Trump as a ass day. All right. We're going to keep covering this for you. And like, like you said, Dana, we're going to read Mark Kelly's full response. It's very good. And we'll do that on the Beans Talk today. Next up from the Post, the Trump administration's bold operation to capture strongman Maduro from his home in Venezuela. I love the way Washington Post writes these things.

[Dana Goldberg]

I know it's bold.

[Allison Gill]

Was a startling tactical success. But as the smoke clears in Caracas a day after Trump said triumphantly that the United States would run Venezuela, the reality of how Washington will administer that country in the weeks and months ahead appears uncertain and stubbornly complex. Okay, I would have opened my story if I were at the Washington Post a little differently. I would have said the Trump administration's illegal operation to capture strong man Nicholas Maduro was, yeah, startling. I wouldn't know if I would call it a tactical success. No one died, but certainly lives were put in danger. So anyway, please keep in mind, this is the Washington Post. Maduro's allies in Caracas are still in power, some defiantly haranguing about US Imperialism and, you know, rightfully so. The democratically elected opposition leaders are effectively exiled, bluntly sidelined by the Trump administration. And Washington continues to hint at more military action, not only against Venezuela, but other perceived enemies such as Cuba and Colombia. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, longtime hawk on Venezuela and now publicly the face of the Trump administration's policy there, bristled when asked repeatedly Sunday to explain how the US Would ensure control of Venezuela without resorting to the sort of invasion and nation building that led to quagmires in Iraq and Afghanistan. Good question. Speaking on Air Force One Sunday, Trump offered a different view. What we want to do is fix up the oil, fix up the country, bring the country back and then have elections. We want to come in, steal your oil, and then you can have your elections. We want to get all the leases, we want to get all the American oil companies that gave me a billion dollars during the election. We want to make sure they have control over your oil and then you can have control of your government back. That's what he's saying. The president also said the military action in Colombia sounded good in Colombia and he thought Cuba was ready to fall without U.S. intervention. In a statement, Cuban President Miguel Diaz Canel said the 32 dead were members of the Cuban military and Interior Ministry, the first apparent confirmation of long standing US Assertions that Cuba's communist government, which has received oil and other economic support from Venezuela, did provide personal security for Maduro. Those were Cubans. The Cubans were the first reported non U.S. casualties of the operation. Several U.S. personnel suffered non life threatening injuries. It's not clear how the US Will manage the complex diplomacy in Venezuela. On a practical level. Trump said Saturday that a working group of top advisors was deeply engaged in planning for Venezuela's future. But even those roles and responsibilities appear unclear. Really?

[Dana Goldberg]

They're free.

[Allison Gill]

You know, Dana, their first thing was just to get the oil executives on planes. That's their first order of business. National Security Council staff has been gutted. The administration has yet to nominate an Assistant Secretary of State to handle the Western Hemisphere. Now here's the paragraph of interest that's way down in this story. Way down. At the bottom of this story, the White House is weighing giving Stephen Miller, Trump's Deputy White House Chief of Staff and Homeland Security advisor, a more elevated role in overseeing post Maduro operations in Venezuela.

[Dana Goldberg]

What did I tell you yesterday? I said Stephen Miller's hands are all over this.

[Allison Gill]

Yep. And this is according to one person with knowledge of the conversations who spoke on a condition of anonymity. Miller has been the architect of the administration's anti immigration and border policy and took a central role in the effort to remove Maduro. He was among the handful of top administration officials flanking the president during the news conference Saturday at Trump's Mar a Lago club. A number of Western energy companies are already operating in Venezuela, including Chevron, Spain's Repsol, France's Maurel and Prom, and Italy's eni. I don't know how to pronounce that. Despite this, most of Venezuela's oil is purchased at a very steep discount by China. While Chevron exports to the United States under a license issued by the Trump administration. US Sanctions constrain how other companies pay for and ship oil. That's according to Dave Goldwyn, chairman of the Energy Advisory Group at the Atlantic Council. That's a think tank. So we are going to show you a video too. On the beans talk, Trump actually informed and advised the oil barons before. He never talked to Congress, but he talked to the oil barons before, before and after the attack.

[Dana Goldberg]

Sounds like yesterday he talked to someone at Polymarkets too. So he talked to everyone he needed to accept congressional approval.

[Allison Gill]

That was probably some little fucking date rapey douchebag. That was at Mar a Lago with, hey, can you search Venezuela on Twitter and put it up on the screen? It was probably the guy who did that. You know what I mean?

[Dana Goldberg]

Ugh. All right, we talked about this before. Our disappointment that Tim Walls has dropped out of the gubernatorial race. But this is from CBS. Democratic U.S. senator Amy Klobuchar is seriously considering a run for governor now. Now sources close to Klobuchar tell CBS News she's getting outreach encouraging her to run, but that she has not made a final decision yet. Minnesota is a reliably blue state, as we know, and Republicans have a lengthy losing streak in statewide races. Tim Pawlenty, who won two races for governor in 2002 and 2006, that's the last Republican to serve the state as governor before Monday. Walls was trying to win what would have been an unprecedented third straight term leading to the state. And I think he would have won in a landslide. That decision though, to leave the race comes amid intense scrutiny over long simmering fraud problems in Minnesota, with more revelations and indictments expected. While Wallace is not implicated in these cases at all, the reality is that it has just become an urgent problem under his watch and generated questions about his performance as governor, enveloping talk of the Minnesotans future political ambitions. Klobuchar is currently in her fourth term as US Senator following her reelection against Republican candidate Royce White in 2024. She previously defeated Republican candidates Mark Kennedy, Kurt Bills, James Newberger in all four races she won with double digit leads. The state likes her as a senator. Don't know if that would change if she was running for governor. But the state does like Amy Klobuchar and I think part of it, like you said, has to do with that. She goes a little bit more to the center and I don't know, she also takes on Trump, you know, when she needs to. I know she can be a hard ass, but she's loved by the state in many ways. So I don't also know who else as a Democrat would even run in that position.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah, no, I think Amy Klobuchar is probably definitely the biggest Dem name in Minnesota.

[Dana Goldberg]

And then who would, who would go for the senator's seat?

[Allison Gill]

I think we should reelect Al Franken.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh my God, that would be amazing. That'd be funny as hell.

[Allison Gill]

Have him run again.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah, we'll see what happens with that. Obviously we're going to keep you all posted because it's going to be an ongoing story that's going to have to get it decided fairly quickly.

[Allison Gill]

Pretty quickly. Yeah, pretty quickly. I don't know. I don't think he should have dropped out. But again, I'm not going to begrudge him like his. You.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah.

[Allison Gill]

To all this, like people have tried to get me to run for office. I'm like you. I'm not doing that. I'M not putting myself through that scrutiny and attacks and. No, no, thank you. I mean, the poor guy served however long in the military and people were going after him for that because I think one time he said something about where he was one time it was. Yeah.

[Dana Goldberg]

And they were like, you weren't there. I don't know if it had something.

[Allison Gill]

Stolen valor, like he served like 25 years or some. And it's just. Yeah. So I don't begrudge him as you. I wish you would have waited a little bit because I've, I've noticed on right wing circles that him dropping out, people are like, see, he was guilty. That's why he's leaving. Oh, yeah, I hear. You know what I mean?

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah.

[Allison Gill]

It kind of bolsters their claims, which are. Yeah, but yeah, I, again, I'd be double barrel middle fingering you as well. Not you, but you know, the, that position as well if I'd retire. Time to retire. Have an oil change class, you know.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah.

[Allison Gill]

Be cool. He could have been our. He could have been America's dad for. For a while.

[Dana Goldberg]

I know, I know, man, everything could have been so different.

[Allison Gill]

But Kamala would have taken us straight into war, though. I mean, everyone knows that.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah, I know.

[Allison Gill]

All right, everybody, we've got some good news to get to. If you have any good news, send it to us dailybeanspod.com click on contact. Check out our new site. We redid the Daily Beans website. I think it looks amazing. Thanks to Moxie Design Studios, my bff Joelle for, for doing that, for revamping the website. It's DailyBeansPod.com and if you want to send your good news, just click on contact. Everybody stick around. We'll be right back after these messages.

[Dana Goldberg]

We'll be right back.

[Allison Gill]

Hey everybody. This episode is brought to you by IQ Bar, our exclusive snack and hydration sponsor. IQ Bar is the better for you. Plant protein based snack made with brain boosting nutrients to refuel, nourish and satisfy hunger without the sugar crash. And right now, IQ Bar is offering you an exclusive deal. 20 off all IQ bar products plus you get free shipping. Just text daily beans to 64,000. The new year gives us a chance to reset. And I'm genuinely excited about IQ Bars being part of that reset. What makes it special to me is that it's easy. It's an all in one snack that supports how I want to feel. Fueled, focused and consistent. All IQ Bar products are clean, label certified and entirely free from gluten, dairy, soy, GMOs and artificial anything. They're made with clean, delicious ingredients to help keep you physically and mentally fit, including magnesium, lion's mane and more. So if you want to sample the entire lineup, the Ultimate Sampler Pack is the best place to start. It has all three categories. It's got nine IQ Bars for snacks, eight IQ Mix sticks for hydration, and four IQ Joe sticks for in your morning. Now I keep IQ Bars plant protein bars in my bag because on the go it's a smart snack and it's got plenty of protein. I take them on really long walks with me, tons of fiber, no added sugar, and if your New Year's resolution is to start exercising, IQ Mix is here to help. It's a zero sugar drink mix that hydrates with electrolytes, improves mood mood and boosts clarity. And in the morning, IQ Joe changes your routine with mushroom coffee designed for mental clarity and 200 milligrams of natural clean caffeine, plus four flavors that are better than any brewed coffee I've ever had. So reset and maximize your brain and body potential with IQ Bar. And right now, IQ Bar is offering our special podcast listeners 20% off all IQ Bar products, including that sampler pack plus free shipping. So to get your 20% off text daily beans all one word to 64,000 text daily beans to 64,000. That's daily beans all one word to 64 thousand. Messenger data rates may apply. See Terms for details.

[Martin Sheen]

It's Sunday morning and that wonderfully relaxed feeling of a long, lazy day lingers in the air. If you want to make the moment last, may I suggest the perfect solution? The Martin Sheen Podcast. Join me, your host, Martin Sheen, for beautifully crafted 20 minute programs filled with never before heard stories of my life, along with personal reflections and poetry that inspires. The Martin Sheen Podcast is the perfect Sunday refresh. A chance to take a deep breath, relax and know that the stress of Monday may be just around the corner. But not here. Not now. So make this your weekly moment of calm as we explore faith, hope, love and what it means to be human. This journey is ever unfolding as I invite you to see what's next with me, Martin Sheen. And thank you everybody.

[Allison Gill]

Welcome back. It's time for the Good news. Who likes good news?

[Dana Goldberg]

Everyone?

[Martin Sheen]

Then good news.

[Desiree McFarlane]

Everyone.

[Dana Goldberg]

Near Good News.

[Allison Gill]

Please send us all your good news. Good stories, funny jokes, stories that you share with your friends when you're sitting around and reminiscing. Maybe it's some good news that happened to you this week or 20 years ago. Anything at all. We want to hear it. Send your good trouble recommendations as well. You can send a shout out to a loved one or yourself, Right? Or you can send a shout out to a small business in your I know self. Shout outs are the best small business in your area needs a boost. Let us know nonprofit you want to tell us about? Let us know. You can also share your wonderful experiences with government programs. Give a shout out to a government program. We'd love to hear about that. Especially student debt forgiveness. We had so many great stories about that back in the day when student loans were being forgiven.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah, no kidding.

[Allison Gill]

But if you haven't shared that with us, please do write in and let us know how that goes and how it impacted your life. Also, all you gotta do to get your stuff right on the air is pay your POD pet tariff, which means attach a photo of your pet. If you don't have a pet, send an adoptable pet in your area. If you don't have that, grab a random photo of an animal on the Internet. Send us a bird watching photo, which can be a bird or you flipping the bird to a Trump building or you know, anyone that you don't like. They could be on tv. But you know, the bird is the important part. That's right. You can also send us photos of what you're making or creating or family photos. Baby pictures. Dana loves baby pict. I do. Whatever it is, send it to [e-mail] and click on contact. All right, first up, we have a heads up. If you tried to submit a POD pic from Sunday to Monday and you weren't able to, we are very sorry. Our new website is up now and the good news submission form is ready to go. We were switching Sunday, Monday to our new website.

[Dana Goldberg]

Ah, yes, yes.

[Allison Gill]

So I just wanted to point that out. All right, time for your good trouble. The federal government has proposed two new rules that could make it virtually impossible for transgender youth to get the health care they need. These proposed rules would block Medicaid and CHIP from funding for gender affirming care for transgender youth. And it would punish hospitals and providers that offer this care by threatening their ability to participate in Medicare and Medicaid altogether. So we have a link in the show notes where you can leave a public comment. Wonderful.

[Dana Goldberg]

Thank you so much, Allison. This is from Jenny Pronoun. She and her dear AG and dg. This is Jenny from Brooklyn. I'm still thawing from the cold at Zoran Mamdani's inaugural block party. It's a great Day to be a New Yorker. Here are the emotional highlights. The national anthem, it got me this time. The song has always felt like a Fargone conclusion to me, but today it was different. Oh, say does that star spangled banner still wave? It felt more like an open question over the land of the free and the home of the brave. And I look at the freezing crowds around me and thought, it sure fucking does. The Staten Island PS 22 school choir singing Somewhere over the Rainbow made me cry. My kids go to school like that. A New Yorker America factory school, where people from every corner of the globe bring their children to become American. Here in New York, the first point of entry for millions, we create Americans. For me, immigration is the single greatest thing about my city and my country. And then there was the moment where Zoran thanked his predecessor. When the Jumbotron settled on Eric Adams face, a roar came up from the crowd. Tens of thousands of people mean laughed at Eric Adams all the way down Broadway to the Battery. Here's to replacing kleptocrats with people who work for us. I took the subway home. I bought a six pack from a local Muslim bodega. And I'm grateful to God for the city of New York. I don't know why, that may tear me up a bit. I know. For my pot pet tax. Here's our star local bodega Kitten Sparkle Oreo. He's sitting on the ice cream freezer in front of the deli counter, half wearing my little girl's Lady Liberty crown and torch. He's saying, give me your cuddled masses yearning to purr free. Thank you for Getting me through 2025 and love out to you for what you're gonna have to cover in 2026. We love you so much. Happy New Year. It's gonna get better, Jenny. P.S. i want to send a shout out to my cousin Erin, who was just sworn in in her town council in upstate New York. She's a regular Daily Beans listener and truly an awesome human. Congratulations, Erin. And look at this bodega kitty.

[Allison Gill]

Okay, Erin. Congrats, Jenny. You're awesome. Were you at. Jenny, were you at the Brooklyn show we did in 2019? We were at the Bell House. I can't remember if you were there or not, but anyway, I was starting to tear up too, a little bit about the amazing and beautiful patchwork quilt of fantasticness that is New York City. We make Americans. I love it. I know. So great, fantastic, great submission. Next up from Anna Pronoun. She and her hi beans Queens. I love Your show. And when I find my people in the wild, I always suggest it. Thanks for keeping us sane. Love you ladies. My good news is my cousin Aisha Elmquist is running for Minnesota House, District 40A.

[Desiree McFarlane]

Nice.

[Allison Gill]

Which is close to the Twin Cities. If you live in this district, check out her website, VoteElmquist E L M Q U I-T dot com. We'll have a link in the show. Notes. She's been doing community stops around town. She's been a lawyer the state and has done great work with legal aid. If you're in that district, give her a call and see what you can do. Keep up the swearing. Have a feeling we're going to need it in 2026. Yeah, there's either going to be a lot of offs or yes, it's going to be.

[Dana Goldberg]

No kidding.

[Allison Gill]

It's going to be a roller coaster of emotions this year, that's for sure. Pod pet tax or pictures of my girls. See if you can guess the breeds. Okay, we got a German shepherd and a German Skipper.

[Dana Goldberg]

Key.

[Allison Gill]

I think German Shepherd, Skipper keep. Let's see, we got German shepherd and we got a Border Collie and a Blue Heeler. Look at you go.

[Dana Goldberg]

Thank you very much.

[Allison Gill]

Look at you go.

[Dana Goldberg]

That's a pretty dog.

[Allison Gill]

These are smart ass dogs you got. These are smart dogs, Anna.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah, in a good way. Not your dogs being a smart ass. Probably both. I know. Probably both actually. The German shepherd. Probably. Smartass.

[Allison Gill]

All right.

[Dana Goldberg]

This is Aaron from Toronto. Pronoun. She and her hello to my beautiful beans queen and the Leguminati. Thank you both for all you do to help me feel sane in this crazy world that we find ourselves in. I know you hear this a lot, but I really do appreciate all the hard work you put into your shows. Usually join me on my first walk of the day with my dog, but sometimes it's during the commute to the office. Since you started the video podcast, I watch in the evenings and have dinner with you two lovely ladies. I love that. I'm writing today because I'd like to celebrate my 6th anniversary of being alcohol free with you all. On January 6th, 2020, one year before the chaos that engulfed the Capitol, I tentatively started my alcohol free journey. It's crazy to think that a global pandemic hit a couple months later and I survived all of that, plus my mom passing from lung cancer in November 2020 without touching a drop of alcohol on January 6, 2026. I'm thrilled to celebrate six years free of alcohol. Congratulations, Aaron.

[Allison Gill]

Hell yeah.

[Dana Goldberg]

I know when the events happened on January 6th of 2021, I felt really disappointed, like Trump had somehow fucked up up my good day with his horrendous behavior. He did, Aaron. We all felt like that. I still celebrate my anniversary with great pride, but the riots permanently gave me the day of different tenor for everyone else. When I posted online about my anniversary being on such a bad day, people were positive saying that it was good to have something good to focus on with so much else bad going on. So I thought I'd share this with you as well. Erin, that's such a good point. Things have gotten really scary in the last couple of days and we don't know what's going to happen next. But I'm glad to have you folks talking about it all and keeping us sane. Thank you AG&DG for delivering the news with lots of swearing and humor. I tried to add pictures of the POD pet tariff, but form wasn't accepting attachments. Aaron, we got that fixed. Feel free to send in your tariff whenever you would like.

[Allison Gill]

Yeah, I've got a friend whose birthday is September 11th.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah, right, I know. Same like God damn it.

[Allison Gill]

Y God damn it. Anyways, but that is such a good point. It's nice to have something positive on such a negative day. So congratulations Aaron from Toronto. We appreciate you. Next up from anonymous pronouns they and them. I've been a happy beans listener since 2020. Manteca, a Trump city in the Central Valley, is pronounced Manteca. Oh, okay. I think maybe you said Manteca.

[Dana Goldberg]

I think Manteca I said yesterday. Yeah, yeah.

[Allison Gill]

Keep up the good work. Thank you, thank you. They, them. And from Cody, they, she. I can't believe I actually have a correction to submit. Oh, it's the same, but it happened during the good news submission about my hometown, Manteca, Californ. Manteca. Usually fun fact about this town, or legend has it it was originally named Monteca and served as a crossroads of railways. When passenger tickets were first printed, they contained a typo and forever changed the name of the town to Manteca.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh my God, that's funny.

[Allison Gill]

So no worries if to you wonderful humans, people have been messing up this town's name literally since its founding.

[Dana Goldberg]

I love that sort of a correction where it's like this is how it's done. But all the also just be gentle on yourself because no one really knows what the fuck is going. I mean, that's my favorite kind of correction.

[Allison Gill]

We were also supposed to be Monteca and they fucked it up. So since I'M finally writing in. I'll use this time to say thank you both for all you do. My wonderful Aunt Susie. Shout out to Aunt Susie turned me on to your show a few years ago and you've become my sole News source after 2025 required me to cut back on consumption. Must also add, it's definitely because of your daily reminders and encouragement that I finally went back to therapy in 2024 and my mental health has significantly improved.

[Dana Goldberg]

That is wonderful.

[Allison Gill]

Including some amusing baby photos and of course, my Pod pet tariff picas of my youngest munchkin, Ivy. At a few months old, born with a bunch of hair and it presented several amusing photo opportunities. The teeny tuxedo cat baby is Icarus. At a mere eight weeks old now, he's 13 years. Look at the baby.

[Dana Goldberg]

I know. I can't. I love it. Static heads. Baby heads that are all fuzzy like this. It's. They, they're, they're. They're cuter, with all due respect, than, like, you know, dogs. When people do that with their dog, the static, the dog rubs and they pop their head up and they're like baby heads.

[Allison Gill]

Oh, and the little pigtails. Oh, look at the cutie goodness. Cody, thank you so much.

[Dana Goldberg]

And.

[Allison Gill]

And. Oop. Tuxedo kitten. Yeah, baby. Thank you.

[Dana Goldberg]

All right, this is Sean Pronoun C. And him. My good news today is the group of Buddhist monks and Aloka the Peace Dog, who are participating in the Walk for Peace. They started their walk in Fort Worth, Texas, and they're walking all the way to Washington, D.C. to raise awareness of peace, loving kindness and compassion across America and the world. They came through my hometown, Decatur, Georgia the other day and stopped for a peace gathering where they shared their message of peace. Getting to see them at the end of the year brought a focus on how I'd like to start 2026 with more intention and compassion towards others for my pod pet tariff. Besides Aloka the Peace Dog, I'm including a picture of our two spinster sisters. Esme is white and Githa, maybe. Do you know where that comes from, Alison Gaitha?

[Allison Gill]

No, I know where that comes in.

[Dana Goldberg]

We've been keeping each other company since my mother found them and their mama in her garage 20 years ago.

[Allison Gill]

Wow.

[Dana Goldberg]

Thank you, ladies, for all you do. May everyone's next year be better than the last. Even if your last was great.

[Allison Gill]

Well, I know Esme is from Buffy, but I don't know if that's also. It's. These are which. These are witch things, but. Oh, I'm Googling both from Buffy.

[Dana Goldberg]

There you go. Yep.

[Allison Gill]

Okay, that makes. Now. Now I'm. I'm picking up what you're putting down with these names, Sean. Thank you so much. Yeah, I saw. I watched the whole video on these monks and their dog Aloka. Very cool. Next up, from Rachel. Pronoun. She and her.

[Dana Goldberg]

Hey there, ladies.

[Allison Gill]

I just want to share the pics I got to take. On January 1st, I got to see the Buddhist monks on their walk for peace. It was completely by chance. My husband and I were in the right place at the right time. And I'm very excited to show these photos to my second graders when we come back Monday. You're a second grade teacher, Rachel.

[Dana Goldberg]

That's awesome.

[Allison Gill]

We're getting ready to start our civil rights unit in social studies. And this will be an amazing real world connection to learning about the peaceful protests that MLK Jr held. It did my witchy heart good to see them. I'm taking it as a positive omen for the start of this year. Oh, look at that. That.

[Dana Goldberg]

Wow. There's a lot that would be so powerful. So powerful.

[Allison Gill]

Oh, and you just. And that you happen to just run into him like. Yeah, good omen. Bunch of nice monks with a cool dog cross your path. It's going to be a good year. Right?

[Dana Goldberg]

Right.

[Allison Gill]

Is that what the old saying is?

[Dana Goldberg]

I think that's what it is. If not, we should put it on a mug.

[Allison Gill]

I think so, too. All right, everybody, thank you so much for listening. We've got a couple things we wanted to show you that we discussed today on the Audio Beans. We're going to show it to you on the Beans Talk, so. So switch on over to the MSW Media YouTube channel and check it out. If you haven't watched it yet, they're there. You can watch them anytime and they're free to watch. So we really appreciate you and send your good news to [e-mail] click on Contact. Do you have any final thoughts today?

[Dana Goldberg]

No, not today.

[Allison Gill]

Alrighty, everybody. We'll see you 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 aging. I'm in dg, and them's the Beans.

[Desiree McFarlane]

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 Reeder 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 mswmedia.com msw.

[Allison Gill]

Media.

[Martin Sheen]

It's Sunday morning and that wonderfully relaxed feeling of a long, lazy day lingers in the air. If you want to make the moment last, may I suggest the perfect solution, the Martin Sheen Podcast. Join me, your host, Martin Sheen, for beautifully crafted 20 minute programs filled with never before heard stories of my life along with personal reflections and poetry that inspires. The Martin Sheen Podcast is the perfect Sunday refresh. A chance to take a deep breath, relax and know that the stress of Monday may be just around the corner, but not here, not now. So make this your weekly moment of calm as we explore faith, hope, love and what it means to be human. This journey is ever unfolding as I invite you to see what's next with me, Martin Sheen. And thank you.