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Name And Shame (feat. Justin Gill)
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Monday, January 27th, 2025 Today, in what I’m calling the Friday Night Massacre, Donald Trump illegally fired 17 inspectors general; Senate Democrats are preparing a formal resolution to condemn the pardons of January 6th insurrectionists; after Colombia refuses to allow planes with deportees from the US to land, Trump imposes tariffs and closed the visa section at the US Embassy in Bogota; Secretary of State Marco Rubio has halted all foreign aid; a US meteorologist was fired after calling out Elon Musk's nazi salute on her private social media account; Mexico has also refused to accept a US deportation flight; Trump’s hiring freeze is creating chaos across federal agencies as he declares he wants to eliminate FEMA altogether; after Trump axed DEIA programs across the government - many private corporations are falling in line - we will name and shame them; Trump demands an interest rate cut from the Fed; and a Mississippi lawmaker has introduced the Contraception Begins at Erecti...
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Allison Gill
MSW Media. Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Monday, January 27, 2025. Today, in what I'm calling the Friday Night Massacre, Donald Trump illegally fired 17 inspectors general. Senate Democrats are preparing a formal resolution to condemn the pardons of January 6 insurrectionists after Colombia refuses to allow planes with deportees from the US to land. Trump imposes tariffs and closed the visa section at the US Embassy in Bogota. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has halted all foreign aid. A US Meteorologist was fired after calling out Elon Musk's Nazi salute on her private social media account. Mexico has also refused to accept a US Deportation flight. Trump's hiring freeze is creating chaos among federal agencies as he declares he wants to eliminate FEMA altogether after Trump axed DEIA programs across the government, many private corporations are falling in line. We will name and shame them. Trump demands an interest rate cut from the feds. And a Mississippi lawmaker has introduced the Contraception Begins at Erection Act. I'm your host, Allison Gill. Holy forking shirt balls. Actually, this is news with swearing. Holy shit balls. That's a lot of news from this weekend. Dana's out, she's traveling. She'll be back with me tomorrow. And before we get into it today, I just want to remind everyone that the shock and awe is a feature of this administration, not a bug. They flood the zone with a fire hose of shit because it can't all be properly and thoroughly covered. Good. Opposition is focused opposition. So I'm going to bring you what I think are the biggest stories. I'll likely be focused on what's happening to our federal workforce and our democratic institutions. But I just wanted you to be aware that I'd rather cover a handful of things thoroughly than try to cover everything half assed. Fortunately, there are tons of amazing independent journalistic media sources that are covering tons of topics out there. So this administration is trying to exhaust us. So we need to stay focused. Later in the show today, I'll be talking with Justin Gill. He wrote an op ed for the Seattle Times and he's organizing to stop RFK Jr from being confirmed as the Secretary of Health and Human Services. And that interview is going to double as our good trouble this week because there is a link in the show notes to sign the petition that he's organizing. All right, we have a lot of news to get to. Let's hit the hot notes. Hot notes. First up, from Katherine FS and her colleagues at ABC News. In a late night Friday move, President Trump fired at least 17 independent watchdogs known as inspectors general at multiple federal agencies. According to sources familiar, the conversations about ousting these government watchdogs began during Trump's transition back to the White House. While inspectors general can be fired by the President, it can only happen after communicating with Congress 30 days in advance. And in 2022, Congress strengthened the law requiring administrations to give a detailed reasoning for the firing of an inspector general. There isn't yet a complete list of all of the IGs impacted, but at least one high profile watchdog, Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, did not receive notice that he was fired as of yesterday evening. The current law also mandates that any acting inspectors general must come from within the inspector general community. Though it's unclear whether the Trump White House believes they need to follow that aspect of the law. I can pretty much guarantee you they don't. The inspectors general were blindsided by emails they received Friday night from Sergio Gore, the director of White House Presidential Personnel Office. And that's according to a source with knowledge of the firings. Quote, I'm writing to inform you that due to changing priorities, your position is terminated, effective immediately. That's what the emails said. Many of the inspectors general had met with Trump transition officials at their agencies and had productive conversations with the incoming administration, according to a source. Senator Chuck Grassley from Iowa said Saturday that Congress was not given the required 30 day notice. Thanks, Chuck, you fucking genius. It's January 26th while the 27th as you're listening to this show. So he was inaugurated on the 20th and so he can't have given 30 day congressional notice while talking to. That's from me, by the way. That's a sidebar. That's not what Catherine Falters at ABC wrote. While talking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday evening on his way from Las Vegas to Miami, Trump clarified the firings as a common thing to do. Well, I did it because it's a very common thing to do. Not all of them, like Horowitz, were keeping Horowitz. He picked Horowitz out by name. So already sus. He continued. It's a very standard thing to do. Very much like U.S. attorneys. No, it is not. Quote, there may be good reason the IGs were fired. We need to know if that is so. I'd like a further explanation from President Trump. That's what Grassley said in a statement to ABC. Regardless, the 30 day detailed notice of removal that the law demands was not provided to Congress. First of all, to remind that our inspector generals can't be removed from office until the president. And that's any president, not just Trump. So this is a message to all these presidents. You've got to tell Congress a month ahead of time the reasons for removing them. That's what Grassley said. He also said, and another thing is that inspector generals are expect. I'm reading what he's saying. It's I know it's inspectors general. And another thing is that inspector generals are expected to be independent of political pressure, independent of the head of the agency, and to make sure that the law is enforced and the money spent is spent appropriately. And there shouldn't be any political pressures against any of his work. Was he asleep through the first Trump administration with the firing of those inspectors general? Now, in a letter to the White House on Friday, Mike Ware, he's the Small Business Administration inspector general and he's also the chair of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. Siggy, he said the firing of the independent watchdogs over email is not, quote, legally sufficient to dismiss presidentially appointed Senate confirmed inspectors general. So it's nice that Ware is doing this, that somebody is standing up to this because the Democrats on the Hill are pretty silent, per usual. The letter obtained by ABC News goes on to explain the removal process codified in the 2022amendments to the inspectors general law. Quote, the requirements to provide the substantive rationale, including detailed and case specific reasons, was added to better enable Congress to engage on and respond to a proposed removal of an inspector general in order to protect the independence of the inspectors general. That's what Ware wrote in his letter. In floor remarks Saturday morning, Democratic leader Chuck Schumer did rip into the Trump administration for this move, saying that the dismissals are a possible violation of federal law. It doesn't sound like ripping into anyone, but he said these firings are Donald Trump's way of telling us that he's terrified of accountability and is hostile to facts and transparency. Republican Senator Joni Ernst has launched a bipartisan inspector general caucus, but she did that 10 days ago. And Senator Richard Blumenthal, a member of the newly minted group, told ABC he'll be looking into his Republican colleagues on that panel to take some sort of action. He'll be hoping that they do. Quote, we have a group, it's bipartisan, that is supportive of inspectors general. And I think it's a real test of whether they're willing to let loose an unchecked surge of corruption and waste. So they've got some subcommittees and they're writing some strongly worded letters, but that's about it. Reaction among Republican senators was mixed. Senator John Cornyn deferred to Grassley. I think we just take this one step at a time and try to understand what the rationale was, he said. Senator Rand Paul from Kentucky said he believes many of the inspectors general do need to be replaced and that Trump ultimately has the power to do so. But he noted, oh, there might be a process that needs to be followed. You should probably know that process, Senator. Senator Susan Collins of Maine, who helped to pass that legislation in 2022 that strengthened the law requiring presidents to give detailed reasoning for the firing of inspector general. She said she was frustrated, quote, I don't understand why one could fire individuals whose mission is to root out waste, fraud and abuse, she said. So this leaves a gap in what I know is a priority for President Trump. So I don't understand it. Unquote. Are you fucking kidding me? You don't understand it? You don't understand Trump removing independent oversight officials and replacing them with loyalists. Hmm. Maybe if I furrow my brow and dial up the concern o meter, I can figure this out. I just can't quite put my finger on it. Oh, my God. All right. Scott McFarlane writes for CBS that a group of Senate Democrats will attempt on Monday to raise the political pressure on Republicans to condemn Trump's pardon of violent capital insurrectionists. So we're doing some more of this, raising political pressure for people to condemn things that have already been done. CBS has learned senior Democrats will seek to pass a resolution that formally denounces the pardons of the rioters. Formally denouncing it now, though a resolution is unlikely to pass through the Republican controlled Senate, its formal introduction could force some Republicans to publicly and declaratively object to the measure. The unanimous consent proposal that will be formally introduced Monday is expected to require at least one Republican senator to publicly formally object to block the resolution's passage. So one asshole like Tuberville will shut this down, it'll be over, and that'll be it. And nobody's going to go, oh, hey, I don't like that Tuberville anymore because of this. Because of a refusal to condemn the pardons. Bringing a knife to a gunfight. Knife to a gunfight. The senator's resolution has brief language. It just specifies, quote, resolved, that the Senate disapproves of any pardons for individuals who were found guilty of assaulting Capitol Police officers. Oh, a formal resolution. Okay. Courtney Kuby writes for NBC Mexico denied a US Military plane access to land on Thursday at least temporarily, frustrating the Trump administration's plans to deport immigrants to the country. Two Guatemala bound Air Force C17s carrying about 80 people apiece flew deportees out of the US Thursday night. The third flight slotted for Mexico actually never took off. But from Miami Herald hours after the president of Colombia refused to allow those flights to land, President Donald Trump announced Sunday immediate reprisal against the South American nation, a 25% tariff on all Colombian products to rise to 50% in a week and shutting down the visa section in the US Embassy in Bogota. And Politico reports that South Florida Republican Rep. Maria Salazar called on the Department of Homeland Security in a letter Friday not to please, pretty please don't remove people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela who were allowed to enter the United States by President Joe Biden's administration under the humanitarian parole program. You know, tough shit, you made your leopard eating face party bed. If you don't support mass deportation, change your party affiliation to Democrat and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. I hate saying that. Ordered an immediate stop to the flow of almost all U.S. foreign assistance Friday, pending a review, according to internal State Department cables obtained by NBC. This has thrown usaid, USAID into chaos. Trump has yet to announce his pick for USAID administrator. Or has he? The latest suspicion floating around in the ever churning US Foreign aid leadership rumor mill is that Trump's appointment of Peter Morocco as director of the Office of Foreign Assistance, AKA the F Bureau at the State Department, could have a larger significance. The Heritage Foundation's infamous Project 2025 roadmap includes a proposal to combine the positions of USAID administrator and F Bureau director in a dual hatted role with broader authority over U.S. foreign assistance agencies and funding. For those of you who made it to Devex World back in October, you might recall that Trump's former foreign assistance director Jim Richardson made the same pitch. In other words, Morocco might have both jobs now. Morocco was pushed out of the first Trump administration for mismanagement and creating hostile work environments. USAID officials had written a formal memo to the agency's leadership chronicling their issues with Morocco's management, particularly his running of the agency's Office of Transition Initiatives, which was established to make money available on short notice to help governments from Sudan to Ukraine succeed during critical transition periods. Some also had sought advice from some of their colleagues at State Department and Pentagon on how to get Morocco removed from his job. And his wife, Merritt Corrigan. She was fired in 2020 from USAID because she was too bigoted even for the Trump administration. She even set up a press conference with Berkman and Wohl, those two fucking geniuses, to quote, discuss the rampant anti Christian sentiment at usaid. It's an aid agency. She also said she watched with horror this week as USAID distributed taxpayer funded documents claiming, quote, we cannot tell someone sex or gender by looking at them and that not calling oneself cisgendered is a microaggression. I'm not CIS anything. I'm a woman. She even tweeted, quote, the United States is losing ground in the battle to garner influence through humanitarian aid because we now refuse to help countries who don't celebrate sexual deviancy. Meanwhile, Russia and China are happy to step in and eat our lunch. She what she means is that we aren't willing to give aid to people who slaughter marginalized communities. So that's her idea of celebrating sexual deviancy means countries that don't kill people for who they love. Oh, and you might also like to know that both of those Merritt Corrigan and Pete Morocco, they were at the Capitol on January 6, according to Sedition Hunters. So Rubio has halted all foreign aid. Well, well, not all. He did write two exemptions, Israel and Egypt. Israel and Egypt are among the top recipients of US foreign aid. Israel receives roughly 3.3 billion annually in US assistance. Egypt gets about 1.5 billion each year. Those are okay. Oh, and you probably would also be interested to know that holding up aid like Trump did to Ukraine, that thing we impeached him for, it's illegal. It violates the Impoundment Control Act. Which is why I had to laugh when corporate media clutched its pearls when Russ Vaught would not commit to upholding the law during his Senate confirmation hearing. Oh, and by the way, according to the State Department's Office of Foreign Assistance, its foreign assistance request is less than 1% of the total federal budget. So per usual, this is performative bullshit that only hurts people. Like much of the Republican platform. And from NBC, Trump on Friday floated the idea of overhauling or just eliminating FEMA altogether. That's a Federal Emergency Management Agency. He did that while visiting North Carolina to view the aftermath of last year's Hurricane Helene. Quote, I'll also be signing an executive order to begin the process of reforming and overhauling fema. Or maybe getting rid of fema. I think, frankly, FEMA is not good. That's what Trump said at a hurricane recovery briefing in Fletcher, North Carolina. I'm sure that while Susan Collins is probably totally baffled by this, it's obvious he wants to control the flow of money to send disaster relief to red states and withhold it from blue states. He even said, I'll be direct. In other words, the aid will go through us. So rather than going through fema, it will go through us. And I think maybe this is a good place to start because, and in all fairness to the governor, in all fairness to everybody else, FEMA was not on the ball and we're going to turn it all around. Trump also demanded the Fed cut interest rates, saying he knows more about it than any of the people in the Federal Reserve. The guy who managed to bankrupt a fucking casino says he knows money better than the experts. The guy who owes $498 million in penalties for not understanding how business works and being a fraud. That guy. The Fed, by the way, which does not have to follow any instructions from the president, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. And moments after being inaugurated, Trump ordered a hiring freeze, as we know, throughout all federal agencies for the foreseeable future. The freeze includes all federal agencies, including the United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, the Interior. This all triggers worries about the nation's wildland firefighters as record breaking fires burn in Los Angeles. And just months before peak wildfire season begins at that, many wildland firefighters who recently accepted job offers took to the Internet to ask why their offer was now being revoked. But a bright spot after some pushback, more than 300,000 Department of Veterans affairs healthcare jobs are going to be exempt from the federal hiring freeze. So that's going to be most of the clinicians. 300,000. So that was part of the shoot first, aim later thing. Oh, they scrambled and exempted those positions, so they rescinded all of those job offers and now they have to go back and re offer them. But can you speak out against any of this? Probably not. Without some retaliation from the Guardian, a Milwaukee meteorologist was fired from her TV station after she criticized Elon Musk's fascist salutes during Donald Trump's inaugural celebrations on Wednesday. Staff members at the CBS affiliate Channel 58 were notified of meteorologist Sam Kuffle's departure from the news station. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported this. Kuffle's departure came after Dan O'Donnell, a far right Milwaukee based radio host, criticized Kuffle over her two apparent Instagram posts in which she wrote dude, Nazi saluted twice. Twice during the inauguration. You fuck with this and this, man. I don't fuck with you, full stop. In her second post, Kuffle appeared to post a screenshot of a scene from the FX sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia in which Rob McElhenny's character Mac says screw that old bitch, he's a Nazi. Calling Cafel's post vulgar, O'Donnell took to Twitter and wrote exclusive CBS 58 meteorologist Sam Kuffle makes a pair of vulgar Instagram posts while spreading the lie that Elon Musk was g a Nazi salute during yesterday's inauguration. I hope she sees him into the fucking ground. And it's disheartening watching all these people kowtow to Trump, including the major corporations. This is from the Associated Press. A number of prominent companies have scaled back or set aside the diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that much of corporate America endorsed following the protests that accompanied the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd. Emboldened by a U.S. supreme Court decision that outlawed affirmative action in college admissions, conservative activists have used the courts and social media to target workplace programs. They've targeted corporate sponsorships, employee led affinity groups and hiring practices that prioritize historically marginalized groups. DEI policies typically were intended as a counterweight to discriminatory practices. Critics argue that education, government and business programs, which single out participants based on factors such as race, gender, sexual orientation, are unfair and the same opportunities should be afforded to everyone. Here are some of the companies that have retreated from DEI Target, the retailer, said Friday its changes to belonging at the Bullseye strategy would include ending a program it established to help black employees build meaningful careers, improve the experience of black shoppers and to promote black owned businesses following Floyd's death in Minneapolis, where Target has its headquarters. Target, which operates nearly 2,000 stores nationwide and employs more than 400,000 people, said it would also conclude the diversity, equity and inclusion, or dei, goals it previously set in three year cycles. The goals including hiring and promoting more women and members of racial minority groups and recruiting more diverse suppliers, including businesses owned by people of color, women, LGBTQ people, veterans and people with disabilities. Target also will no longer participate in surveys designed to gauge the effectiveness of its actions, including an annual index compiled by the Human Rights Campaign, a national LGBTQ rights organization. Target also said it would further evaluate corporate partnerships to ensure they're connected directly to business objectives, but declined to share details on that. And we have Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram and threads. It's going to be getting rid of its DEI and programs, which feature policies for hiring, training and picking vendors. Like other companies that announced similar changes before, Meta, the social media giant said it had been reviewing the program since The Supreme Court's July 2023 affirmative action ruling, citing an internal memo sent to employees news website Axios said. The Menlo Park, California based tech giant concluded the ruling signaled, quote, a shift in how courts will approach dei. Meta says it would no longer have team focused on diversity and inclusion and will instead focus on how to apply fair and consistent practices that mitigate bias for all, no matter your background. That's what DEI programs do. The change means the company will end its diverse slate approach to hiring, which involved considering a diverse pool of candidates for every open position. Joel Kaplan, Meta's freshly appointed global policy chief, told Fox News Digital that the move will ensure that the company is building teams with the most talented people instead of making hiring decisions based on protected characteristics. Amazon says it's halting some of its DEI programs, although it didn't specify which ones. In a Dec. 16 memo to employees, Candy Castleberry, a senior HR executive, said the company's been winding down outdated programs and materials and we're aiming to complete that by the end of 2024. QUOTE we also know there will always be individuals on our teams who continue to do well intentioned things that don't align with our company wide approach. Can you believe that statement? We know there are some of you who work for us who are really good people and the good stuff that you do, it doesn't align with us and we might not always see those right away, but we'll keep at it, she said. We'll find you, we'll stop you from doing good things. Rather than have individual groups build programs, Castleberry said Amazon is focusing on programs with proven outcomes and we also aim to foster a more truly inclusive culture. No you don't. McDonald's four years after launching a push for more diversity in its ranks, McDonald's said earlier this month it's ending its diversity practices. Citing the US Supreme Court decision. It said on January 6 it will retire specific goals for achieving diversity at senior leadership levels. It also intends to end a program that encourages its suppliers to develop diversity training and to increase the number of minority group members represented within their own leadership ranks. McDonald's said it will also pause external surveys. The burger giant didn't elaborate, but several other companies have suspended their participation in an annual survey by the HRC. In an open letter to employees and franchises, McDonald's senior leadership team said it remained committed to inclusion. No, it doesn't. And it believes having a diverse workforce is a competitive advantage. Then why don't you keep your fucking DEI programs? McDonald's, Walmart, world's largest retailer, said in November it would not be renewing a five year commitment for equity racial center set up in 2020 after the killing of George Floyd, the murder and it would stop participating in the HRC's Corporate Equality Index. Walmart also said it would better monitor its third party marketplace to make sure items sold there don't include products aimed at LGBTQ minors, including chest binders intended for transgender youth. Additionally, the company will no longer consider race and gender as a litmus test to improve diversity. What does what improves diversity apart from diversity Ford Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, said in a memo to the automaker's employees back in August outlining changes to the DEI policy, including not taking part in HRC's Corporate Equality Index. Ford had been looking at its policies for a year. The company doesn't use hiring quotas or tie compensation to specific diversity goals, but remain committed to fostering safe and inclusive workplaces. Uh huh. We will continue to put our effort and resources into taking care of our customers, our team, our communities versus publicly commenting on the polarizing issues of the day. Oh my God, what a dick. Lowe's In August, Lowe's executive leadership said the company began reviewing its programs following the Supreme Court decision. Previously, the company had individual groups representing diverse sections of our associate population. The retailer also will no longer participate in the HRC Index. I think that's a pretty good gauge of whether or not you should boycott a company who has backed out of the Human Rights Campaigns Index. It's also going to stop sponsoring and participating in events like festivals and parades. Harley Davidson okay. In a post on Twitter in August, Harley Davidson said the company would review all sponsorships and organizations it was affiliated with and it would have to be centrally approved and the company would focus exclusively on growing the sport of motorcycling and retaining its loyal riding community. The motorcycle maker said it would no longer participate in the ranking of workplace equality compiled by the Human Rights Campaign and its trainings would be related to the needs of the business, absent socially motivated content. Wow. Brown Forman, that's a parent company of Jack Daniels, pulled out from participating in the HRC Corporate Equality Index. The company said it would remove its quantitative workforce and supplier diversity ambitions. Quote Brown Forman continues to foster an inclusive work environment. No it doesn't. No it doesn't. That's what the spokeswoman Elizabeth Conway said in an email. Hmm. Wonder how long she'll have her job. John Deere, the farm equipment maker said in July it would no longer sponsor social or cultural awareness events. The Moline, Illinois based John Deere added, quote, the existence of diversity quotas and pronoun identification have never been and are not company policy. Then there's Tractor Supply. That retailer said back in June it was ending an array of corporate diversity and climate efforts. It would be eliminating all of its DEI rules while retaining current DEI goals. The company added it would stop sponsoring non business activities and it pulled out from the HRC index. National Black Farmers association called on Tractor Supply's president CEO to step down after that announcement. So I know there's more companies, but that's a handful of them mentioned in the Associated Press article. And the Associated Press also reports that Costco shareholders rejected a proposal urging the wholesale club operator to evaluate any risks posed by its diversity, equity and inclusion practices. According to preliminary results shared by Costco executives at its annual meeting Thursday, more than 98% of shares voted against getting rid of DEI. The National center for Public Policy Research, that's a conservative think tank in D.C. has submitted the proposal, arguing that Costco's DEI initiatives hold litigation, reputational and financial risks to the company and therefore financial risks to shareholders. Shareholders disagreed. That think tank has made similar proposals to Apple and like some American companies that already scaled back or retreated from their diversity policies. This memo cites the US Supreme Court decision about college admissions, but Costco's board of directors voted unanimously to ask shareholders to reject the motion. The board said it believes our commitment to an enterprise rooted in respect and inclusion is appropriate and necessary. The report requested by this proposal would not provide meaningful Additional information Costco's public stance in support of diversity, equity and inclusion programs contrasts with positions taken in recent months by Walmart, McDonald's, John Deere, all those ones I was just talking about. Last week, more than 30 Walmart shareholders, including Amalgamated bank and Oxfam America, asked the CEO of the nation's largest retailer to explain the business impact of curbing the company's DEI policies, a move that they called their shareholders called disheartening. Prominent technology companies, Amazon, Meta also have rolled back dei. Emboldened by the Supreme Court's decision on affirmative action, conservative groups have filed lawsuits making similar arguments about corporations targeting initiatives such as employee resource groups and hiring practices that prioritize historically marginalized groups. On Monday, Trump signed an executive order, as we know, aimed at terminating DEI programs within federal agencies. Conservatives have long condemned them, arguing they violate the Constitution by considering factors such as race, gender and sexual orientation. The plan includes leveraging the Justice Department and other agencies to probe private companies pursuing training and hiring practices that conservative critics consider discriminatory against white men. And our last story and this is good trouble right here. This comes from Alexander Marquez at NBC. Mississippi State Senator Bradford Blackmun, a Democrat, introduced a bill this week that would seemingly ban men from masturbating or engaging in other sexual acts when they have no intent to fertilize an embryo. The bill, titled the Contraception Begins at Erection act, would make it unlawful for a person to discharge genetic material without the intent to fertilize an embryo. It includes exceptions for sperm donation and using contraception to prevent fertilization. The bill introduced Monday would impose fines of $1,000 for a first offense, 5,000 for a second, and 10,000 for any subsequent tugs. Senator Blackmun said all across the country, especially here in Mississippi, the vast majority of bills relating to contraception and or abortion focus on the woman's role when men are 50% of the equation, he wrote. This bill highlights that fact and brings the man's role into the conversation. People can get up in arms and call it absurd, but I can't say that bothers me. I'd like to push back a little bit on Senator Blackmun. It's not 50% sperm is 100% the cause of all pregnancies. Okay, 100%. Anyway, that just, that's a good time. All right. Our Good Trouble segment is kind of, well, hey, why don't we put it in ways that maybe a Trump administrative person could understand. Our interview next with Justin Gill is a dual hatted segment. It also will be our Good Trouble segment. So there is a link in the show notes to sign the petition and I want you to hear what Justin has to say right after this quick break. Stick around. We'll be right back after these messages. We'll be right hey everybody, when it's chilly outside, we got a little rain today. Actually, there's nothing better than a warm, satisfying dinner. But figuring out what to cook, that is the problem. If you've ever spent more time deciding what to make than actually cooking, Home Chef is here to change that. Their fresh, thoughtfully designed meal kits turn dinner time into an easy and enjoyable experience. Whether you're feeding the family or enjoying a quiet night in Home Chef brings convenience and flavor straight to your table. Users of leading meal kits have rated Home Chef number one in quality, convenience, value, taste and recipe ease. For a limited time, Home Chef is offering you 18 free meals plus free desserts for life and of course, free shipping on your first box. Go to homechef.com DailyBeans Home Chef delivers fresh ingredients Chef inspired recipes straight to your door. It's so simple. They have Classic meal kits with pre portioned ingredients and they have 30 minute recipes, microwavable meals. They've got something for everyone. And with over 30 weekly menu options, Home Chef caters to a wide range of dietary preferences, ensuring there's always something delicious to choose from. And for those extra busy nights, their new five ingredient meals are a lifesaver. Just five fresh pre portioned ingredients mean dinner is ready in a flash. Home Chef is also budget friendly. Customers save an average of 86 bucks a month on groceries, all while enjoying fresh hassle free meals. It's incredible. I just tried the fiesta pork chili from Home Chef. It was perfection. The pork was seasoned, smoky, spicy, had a little bite. The black beans and tomato sauce made it hearty and filling. It was like comfort food. The jalapeno cheddar, cornbread dipper and cheesy, zesty kick to it, you know, tied the whole meal together. Kind of like the carpet in the Big Lebowski. It was fantastic. Easy, flavorful, deeply satisfying, comforting, yummy, wonderful for the chilly nights. So for a limited time, Home Chef is offering you 18 free meals, plus free dessert for life and of course, free shipping on your first box. Go to homechef.com dailybeans that's homechef.com dailybeans for 18 free meals and free dessert for life. You heard that right. You must be an active subscriber to receive the free dessert. Hey, everybody. Welcome back. Please welcome to the Daily Beans urgent care nurse practitioner, President of the Washington State Nurses association, and he's on the core leadership team of Nurses for America, who's leading the fight against RFK Jr. S nomination. He recently wrote an op ed for the Seattle Times about the dangers of RFK Jr. As the nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services. Please welcome Justin Gill.
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Justin Gill
Thank you, Alison. Great to join you.
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Allison Gill
It's great to join you. And I just want to let everybody know up front, full disclosure, we are not related. Yes, that I am aware of. I am Alison Gill. You are Justin Gill. But I don't think we are related in any way, shape or form. But I really wanted to talk about this incredible op ed that you wrote for the Seattle Times. And I know you've done some appearances here and there about the incredible work that you're doing to help stop this from happening, stopping RFK Jr from becoming Secretary of Health and Human Services. Can you talk a little bit about the uphill battle that you and your colleagues waged against vaccine disinformation during COVID and not just vaccine disinformation. Right, but like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine disinformation. So talk about that and a little bit about the role that RFK Jr played in that disinformation campaign.
- [35:30]
Justin Gill
Yeah, well, thanks for bringing that up, Allison. I definitely an important question, and it definitely was an uphill battle during that pandemic. I think that there was. There was a lot of fear. There was rampant misinformation that was spreading both online and, I think, in social circles. And, you know, it was a scary time. I think that in a moment where people were fearful of leaving their homes, fearful of any emerging therapies, anything that was new, it was kind of a perfect environment to be able to feed off of that. And people who were promoting misinformation or information that wasn't validated, it was really that the environment was ripe for that type of discussion to be had. And so during the pandemic, for that first year, we were really struggling to care for these patients. When you were diagnosed with COVID particularly those first few strains, it was a very serious infection. I remember sending one or two patients to the hospital, and that was just me as one of the NPs in the clinic. Other providers were sending them daily, and there really was no specific treatment at that point. When the vaccine did come out, there was a lot of very reliable data to be able to recommend its use and encourage people to get it, especially those that were high risk. And I signed up that first week after it received the eua. My. My healthcare facility, we were able to get vaccinated. And I felt like that was important because I wanted to show my patients that I was willing to do the work and be able to put myself into that situation and get vaccinated, too. There was still a lot of concern from a lot of patients that I was seeing in clinic about why they needed to get vaccinated. I remember spending extra time, and these were days where we were seeing unprecedented numbers of patients to recommend people get vaccinated and talk about that risk, benefit analysis, talk about the actual data and the science and how vaccines work. And then I find out, you know, six months after the authorization of those vaccines, that RFK had petitioned the FDA to revoke that authorization. And I'll be honest with you, that really is just kind of like a slap in the face to any nurse, any healthcare provider that was working their butt off during that pandemic and doing everything they could to help treat their patients. And then I remembered, actually, RFK in 2019, there was a House bill in the Washington State House at that time, we were also dealing with spikes in measles cases in southwest Washington as well as in Oregon. And I was actually working in kind of the southern part of Seattle at that time. And we actually had protocols in place on triaging possible measles cases. And so a bill came up that really narrowed the exemption criteria. It essentially removed the philosophical objection. It allowed for religious or medical exemptions for the MMR vaccine particularly. And RFK actually did come to Olympia and testified on that bill, against that bill. And, you know, it was interestingly, you know, introduced and promoted by a Republican legislator in the Southwest Washington area that really understood the importance of vaccinations in preventing disease in his community. And the most ridiculous thing I heard in that testimony was him trying to connect the vaccines and saying that, Well, I got seven vaccines and my kids had 72 vaccines. And now we're seeing all of this neurodevelopmental disorders and autoimmune conditions. Well, you can see a lot of things change over time, but that doesn't necessarily mean you assign it to whatever it is you're trying to attack.
- [39:18]
Allison Gill
Maybe it's sawing off dead whales heads and putting it on top of the cars that might be the problem. Or picking up dead bears in Central park and hiding them under bicycles. And maybe you're picking up something, they're brainworm. Like, why are you trying to attach it to. Given your lifestyle choices, Mr. Kennedy, why are you trying to attach this to two vaccines which are. I mean, the research is clear.
- [39:41]
Justin Gill
Yeah, and I mean. Yes, exactly. We were seeing the data. It was in those communities where that vaccination rate was low that we were seeing these spikes. And, you know, that's kind of the way I like to look at science and healthcare is regardless of the political drama and the narrative, it has a really blunt way of reminding you of what is real. And that was the data. We were seeing it in those communities. But he was obviously posed. There was a huge campaign in the state capitol. Fortunately, that bill eventually passed. But it really reminded me, too, that, like, it's really that. That political people are assigning political tags to all of this now. And to be honest with you, at that time, RFK was, you know, he identified as a Democrat. And I still 100% thought that these. His narrative was. Was insane. And then I saw actually a picture of when he. It was a photo that he put on social media where he was talking about how the rates of cervical cancer were going up since Gardasil's approval when it's clear that the rates have gone down. And it's almost kind of like a giant accomplishment for medical innovation that the rates have gone down because of that vaccine. So it's just that blatant disregard for science. And for me, it's kind of like he's not accountable for that advice that he's giving. I am. If I advise something to a patient, I'm dealing with the consequences and I'm accountable to what that outcome is for that patient. And that's the difference here is when there's no accountability, people just say whatever they want. And that's extremely dangerous. And I saw people, you know, rely on that misinformation and either die or deal with significant, you know, morbidity during the pandemic, which, again, was another reality check, at least for those of us on the front line.
- [41:31]
Allison Gill
Yeah, and I, you know, I can't even imagine being on the front line as a patient, you know, just at the Department of Veterans affairs, fortunately, we had good data roll out. And let's talk about the data and research because, you know, when RFK Jr gets up and testifies to a bunch of bullshit, we can point to data and research. But now in the second Trump administration, we have a complete shutdown of NIH research funding, for example. And I'm also really concerned about getting the proper data because you'll remember during first Covid, or I should say during the COVID pandemic during Trump's first term, he would, you know, not let a cruise ship dock because he didn't want to add to his numbers or he, we didn't seem like we were getting the accurate number of deaths or, you know, the impact of this or accurate information on what was happening to people who were taking hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin. And now with removing inspectors general, shutting down websites, halting communications, defunding research in favor of having hearings about COVID beginning in a lab in Wuhan, which doesn't help us with data and evidence based medicine. I'm very concerned that we won't get accurate data out of the CDC or the Department of Health and Human Services. And that's my biggest concern, is that something terrible could be happening and we aren't aware of it.
- [42:56]
Justin Gill
No, that's absolutely correct. When I, when I saw that report about that, the, the information from all the health agencies went down, that was, I think, the big kind of, I mean, all of this is worrisome, but that was something that I could see directly impacting the care that I provide. Like the cdc, mmwr, the morbidity and mortality weekly reports. I actually read those and I remember during the pandemic I, there was updates on, you know, certain, sometimes testing protocols for certain infectious diseases. There were updates that would actually impact how I would approach differential diagnoses in the clinic and what I'd advise to my patients. And that for the first time, I think it was in 60 years that that report hasn't come out. And the fact that that's been now also kind of thrown into this dramatic, you know, I like to call it shock and awe of executive orders. It's, it actually has real consequences. That's what we rely on as the baseline. And then I think the long term impact is going to be whatever does come out in the future, can we really trust it if it's going to be filtered or changed in whatever way? And it has to get approved by that political appointee based on that HHS memo that also got released. Everything has to go through the political appointee. So it's not just damaging right now, it's just further eroding that trust. And what do we rely on as the baseline? Like what is our ground point that we can stand on and if we lose that, I'm really, really worried about not just now, but like I'm talking 4, 8, 12 years down the road.
- [44:35]
Allison Gill
Right. Because these things have a ripple effect as, as the data is presented. And it's going to be everything. Like I'm, I'm not going to, I'm taking everything like from the Department of Labor about job creation or loss with a grain of salt. Like it's all going to go through his Sharpie, his executive Sharpie. And we all know what that ends up looking like. Let's talk for a minute about the role of the Secretary of Health and Human Services and why it's such a bad idea to have a, you know, a vaccine anti vaxxer, for example. I mean, among other things in this critical role.
- [45:11]
Justin Gill
Yeah, I think it, when I look at it, I look at it in two different lenses. So there's the, the practicality and then there's also the perception. Right. Obviously, you know, we've had health and Human service secretaries that did not provide direct patient care, that did not have necessarily a medical background, but understood the importance of relying on the expertise of people who do this for, you know, a living and the people that are really ingrained in the science and the evidence. And then there's really the, I think that the perception Piece where, you know, if somebody at the, at the highest health policy cabinet position is saying, we should have revoked the COVID authorization, the vaccine authorizations, six months after they were authorized, is spouting just pure, I'm going to call it crap, but false. It's blatantly false. Like the opposite of what we were saying and what we know. And that provides people, I feel like one for folks that aren't dealing with medicine and aren't really in the weeds of science. And these innovative therapies, they look to our leaders, right? And if it's the Secretary of the Health and Human Services spouting this crap, it's going to lead to not just a more difficult ability to combat things like, say, the emerging avian influenza threat spikes that I've even seen in clinic in pertussis, which is whooping cough, measles. How are you going to be able to lead a department in combating those things when there's just disinformation and disorganization about what you stand for? And then there's the piece of what it means, like at that granular level. And this is the part that really affects people right at the bedside, is I'll spend 10 minutes with a patient trying to change their mind because they'll. I can just imagine this right now, them showing me something on HHS's website that is false or a statement from the HHS secretary If it is RFK Jr and I'm going to be spending time combating that information and trying to build that trust again with patients and then getting them to do the right thing. You think healthcare is already broken right now. You're not just going to see people having trust issues. You're going to see healthcare providers leaving the profession because they don't want to deal with that because it's. It is exhausting to be able to try and fight the system and try to do what's right for a patient, and then you're stuck in the middle, right?
- [47:48]
Allison Gill
And especially with the whiplash in the last administration saying, no, you need to listen to what the CDC is telling you. And now we're like, no, you need to not listen to what the CDC is telling you. But maybe, you know, something happened at the Supreme Court where they kind of nixed the Chevron doctrine and we were all like, that is really awful. But maybe not now, because instead of, you know, the Chevron doctrine basically says agencies, you know, you don't get to decide how to implement the laws and interpret the laws and create policy because we are the court and we get to do it, which sucks when the agency is run by an expert who knows what they're doing. But now that we are potentially looking down the barrel of an RFK Jr. Or somebody like that, particularly in Health and Human Services, maybe we can use that Chevron doctrine overturning against them. Like, no, I'm sorry, you can't set the policy that everyone must take Ivermectin for whatever you're talking about. But we'll see how that, we'll see how that ends up playing out. But you are currently, as I said in the intro, Nurses for America, you're on the core leadership team in Nurses for America and you are heading up an initiative to sign a petition to prevent RFK Jr. From getting the job as Secretary of Health and Human Services. Can you tell everybody where they can find that information and sign the petition?
- [49:10]
Justin Gill
Yeah. Thank you. So, Nurses for America, we're a grassroots group of nursing advocates that are really looking at what we need to do from a public standpoint to get people engaged and speak up about their concerns about RFK as well as some of the other nominees that are coming. And we do have a statement that was released talking about the threat he poses to HHS and all the underlying agencies. And that statement does have the ability to be signed by nurses, supporter of nurses, supporters of healthcare workers and evidence based science. And you can find that statement that you can sign onto@nursesforamerica.net and the link for that will be on that homepage right now we are close to 3,500 signatures and we, we know that there are many more people opposed to this. And I think if you want to find a way to just put your name down to be able to show that you care about this issue and, and you want to speak up, that's an easy way to do it. And add your number to that, that growing voice.
- [50:17]
Allison Gill
Excellent. So yeah, everybody sign on and just a little recommendation, maybe go over to the subreddit on the federal workforce subreddit and let them know that they can sign that petition too. I know happen to know that there are hundreds of thousands of nurses, nurse practitioners, LPNs, nurses assistants, PTs, that would be happy to sign on to that. We'll also have a link to that in the show notes. And Justin, just on a personal note, thank you for all that you do, especially during these more difficult times and having to beat back this kind of disinformation from our leadership. And I put leadership in air quotes, but personally, every time I choose a primary care provider. I always choose a nurse practitioner. I think y'all are doing the best work out there. And so I appreciate you. I appreciate the work that you do. This op ed is incredible, everybody. Check it out in the Seattle Times. And I appreciate your time today. So thanks very much for joining me.
- [51:10]
Justin Gill
Thanks, Alison. Appreciate it.
- [51:12]
Allison Gill
All right, everybody, stick around. We'll be right back with the good news, everybody. Welcome back. It's time for the good news. Who likes good news? Everyone? Then good news everyone. And if you have any good news confessions corrections. You want to play an animal guessing game? Just pay your pod pet tax or send in a photo of any animal and we can play what the mutt, Find a cat opine on the bovine. What the hecwine? What the hell's in that shell? What's the model of your axolotl? We have a ton of animal guessing games that we can pod pet tax. And if you don't have pod pet tax, send us an adoptable pet in your area and we'll try to find him a forever home. And if you don't have that, you can send us baby photos. We absolutely love baby you. Your baby photos, your family's baby photos, random baby photos off the Internet. We just love babies. Send those to us. And then of course, if you have a shout out you want to send out into the ether, whether it's a loved one or maybe someone you know who works for the federal government that's going through a rough time or a shout out to somebody doing really great community organizing in your area, we'd love to hear about them. Or a small business in your area that could use a boost. Or your small business. We want to hear what you're making and creating out there in the Leguminati land or shout outs to government programs that have helped you or a loved one. Whether it's Medicare, Medicaid, Affordable Care Act, $35, insulin, section 8, SNAP, the PACT act, maybe great VA healthcare you've been getting and of course student debt relief. Any good news story you have, you can send it to us. And if you don't have any pet photos or baby photo, can also submit your bird watching photos. That's you and loved ones flipping the bird at Trump Properties. We love to see him send them in. First up from Sarah Pronoun. She and her hello from a new listener. Shout out to my cousin in law, Suzanne, who told me about your podcast right after the election. I've been listening ever since. I love your irreverence and smartass remarks, but also that you take this very seriously and know your stuff. Your beans as it were. My husband and I are both Medicare recipients. I'm very glad to be so. And our daughter and son both have used the Affordable Care act when without health insurance I'm sharing two photos of our pup Trigger. He came to us named. We would not have chosen that name had it been up to us. He and hubby like to nap together in the sunshine. I think they're pretty cute. I just put a picture of T's face on too so you could see how handsome he is. Full blooded lab expert, game bird hunter, but gentle and sweet to all humans. Keep fighting the good fight Beans Queens. Sarah, welcome to the Leguminati. We're so glad you're here. Glad you're listening. Look at the pupper and the nap. That nap looks good. Oh hi pretty doggo. Is that one of those buddy mats or muddy mats? I'm interested in how that's working out for you. I've seen those on late night television while watching Little House on the Prairie. That's because, you know, I'm super cool. I'm a party girl. That's what I do on Friday nights. All right, next up from Leah Pronoun she and they hello from the uk. Oh I'm so jealous. I have been listening for a while and wanted to comment on the sex at conception thing, but thought someone else would do it better, which they did. I would like to clarify that the ending of deuterostomes is indeed pronounced like stones. Okay, cool. And also add that you can get chimerism where two embryos join together and produce one individual who could have both XX and XY chromosomes in different cells in their body. Also to point out the ridiculousness of classifying sex by what you are at conception. As sex is never determined until birth and then only guessed based on external anatomy, the government may be inadvertently requiring chromosomal testing of all individuals before sex can be declared on a birth certificate. And and, and and what the. Anyway, right Leah? Like if you're gonna say there's only two genders, well then that pretty much wipes out your whole idea of alpha males and beta males, right? You can't have two kinds of dudes if there's only. Anyway. What a bunch of stupid idiots. Anyway, Leo goes on to say, I would like to shout out a small business in my area called Soma Space. I love this. It's a queer friendly gym which focuses on mental health and injury recovery with private sessions and a few Small group sessions and classes for anyone at any fitness level. Oh, Leah, I love this inclusivity so much. I'm sharing a photo of Saad off who came with the house when we moved in. The neighbors had lovingly given him that name when he turned up in the area and was ever underfoot when they were gardening. So it's sawed off like S O D. Like get the fuck out of here sawed off. Not like sawed off shotgun. I just want to clarify that to everyone listening. So this is the name of the. Of the. Let's see. Let's see the photo. That's the name of the kitty cat here. When we arrived, it was to find this cat couldn't be kept out of our house. Four years later, we discovered that he had been a missing cat for eight years and met his previous owners. They were lovely and felt he should stay with us and visit often. Metal is 14 years old at his favorite place in front of the fire. AG and Gigi, thanks for delivering the news as you do. This is the only way I can stomach hearing it. If you could point me to anyone doing something similar in the uk, I would be very grateful. Leah, thank you. Thank you so much and apologies to Leah and listeners. We could not find a link to SOMA space in the UK that seem to fit the bill. Otherwise we would put a link in the show notes for you. So if you have that link, Leah, and you want to send it to us, please do. All right, next up from Helen H. Danag, here's a Getting into good trouble submission. Let's start a movement. They don't want deia. Let's pick a day where every woman, minority, disabled and queer person and any category I can't think of just doesn't show up to work or class or shop stores or dine at restaurants that don't support DEI initiatives. I'm thinking April 1st for these fools Fight back. D E I no show is the hashtag. This is similar to what ICELAND did in 2023 to combat the assault on their rights. And we have a link. Women across Iceland, including the Prime Minister, go on strike after equal pay, for equal pay and no more violence. Included is a picture of me and my amazing kids. All of us fall into one or more of the DEIA categories with our neurodivergent brains and our LGBTQ bodies. We're all warriors and we won't back down. Thanks for being my happy place, Helen. Thank you. Look at this beautiful family. Sending all of the hugs to you. Appreciate it. Next Up Carrie Pronoun. She and her DEI at my company has done wonders for advancing women in technology. I'm a recipient of an initiative to promote top women performers and bring their salaries in line with our male colleagues doing the same job. It's disgusting that companies are doing away with these programs. We need to boycott them and stop buying from them. For my Pod pet tax, I submit my two little boys that made me get through these unbelievably depressing days. Can you guess what they are? Also, here's some bird watching for your enjoyment. It felt good, Kerry. Totally with you. That's why I wanted to cover all of those companies that had stripped their DEI programs. I got. I'm just moving everything to Costco. I'm just gonna quit Amazon, Target. I never really shopped at Target or Walmart. I shopped at Target more often than Walmart, though. I don't own a Ford, so that's good. Don't need a tractor or any tractor supplies so that I don't have to worry about that. But I know a lot of people do. I know a lot of people rely on. On, you know, on all that on some of those companies. But I'm gonna just be moving all my business to Costco. And as far as hardware, we have the Ace Hardware here in Hillcrest, which is, I think, a franchise. It's gay owned and operated. And that's where I go for my hardware. All right, so let's look at these doggos. Definitely got some poodle in there. Maybe some Maltese. I'm not sure. Great bird. Flipping at the Trump International Hotel. Let's see. Have a poo and malti poo. Okay, so I got the Maltese. I didn't get the Havanese, though. Very cute babies. So thank you for sending those in. Next up, Brooke pronouns she and her dear beloved Queens of Beans. I've been listening to you on my way to work for at least a year. So when last week's Good Trouble segment encouraged dedicated listeners to become patrons and support all the great work you do, I thought it's about time I did just that. So patron I became.
- [59:49]
Justin Gill
Yay.
- [59:50]
Allison Gill
Oh, my God, Brooke, thank you so much. It's three bucks a month and it helps us so much. A couple days later, just days after the inauguration that I didn't watch, I arrived in D.C. for a higher education conference, during which we watched the flurry of executive orders targeting higher education, immigrants and dei, a field in which I currently serve as a senior leader at my institution. Needless to say, it was alarming destabilizing, and depressing. 24 hours. I spent the time commiserating, raging, and strategizing with strangers who quickly became friends in the fight. Throughout the day, I told everyone that they should listen to the daily beans, as I do, to get some sanity and some support and some hope. At the end of that long day, I went out to. Thank you so much, Brooke. I went out to dinner at one of Jose Andres Restaurants in D.C. support World Central Kitchen, y'all. Yes, please. Support World Central Kitchen. Do that. That's something you can do. So there I am, chatting away with a couple of colleagues when I look up and see a man walk in that I recognize but I can't quite place. Then I see none other than Harry Dunne, defender of democracy and January 6, the hero following behind him. I looked up and up and up. Harry is very tall. And I made eye contact with Harry, who smiled and said a warm hello. Friends, I'd like to say that I played it cool, but I most definitely did not. It was like I had seen my favorite rock stars walk by my friends and I immediately realized that Harry Dunn, Sergeant Gannell, Mike Fanone, and Danny Hodges were sitting at a table with their families just a few steps away. Long story short. Too late. Feeling compelled to tell them how grateful we are for their heroism, I respectfully approached the table, thanked them from the bottom of my heart, called them heroes, and bought their first round of drinks. On our way out, we sent them a short note expressing our gratitude, and then they waved us over to take a photo with them. We were all overwhelmed by their kindness and inspired by their presence and their resolve, I left the restaurant feeling incredibly grateful that on a day when despair threatened to pull me all the way down, the universe sent me a glimmer of hope. That reminder that there are good, strong people who are fighting for our democracy with us. And though these officers were beaten, it was clear they were not broken. To all my fellow Leguminati, I hope the universe sees fit to send you glimmers like these over the next four years. I also think I may have just ushered mine in when I became a patron of the beans. Thank you, Allison and Dana, for your brilliant snark and compassion. I'm sending love along with my picture of the officers. I'm the one in the middle, next to Fanon. Dude, he's super hot. And my pet tax, my seven year old Saint Bernard, Ava, who only gets grumpy when she hasn't had her daily cuddles. Okay, so there you are, Love the glasses. Yep. There's Danny, Sergeant Ganel, Fanon, and Harry. I'm gonna have to show this picture to Harry. I'll have to text it to him. I knew he was going out to dinner with everybody and that they were gonna appear on media, I think MSNBC. Look at this. St. Bernard. Aw. I wanna hug this dog. Aww. What's her name? Ava. She's adorable. Brooke, that's amazing. He is one. Harry, Dan, all of them. They're just the coolest people. The kindest, most amazing people you'll ever meet. I'm so glad you got to meet them. If you haven't, I don't know if you know, but I host a PO podcast with Harry called Cleanup on Aisle 45 that comes out on Wednesdays. So if you want to give that a listen, it's pretty cool. Thank you, Brooke. Thanks, everybody for writing in. Please send us your good news. We need. We need to be inundated with your good news stories, your glimmers of hope. Send them to us@dailybeanspod.com and click on contact. Dana will be back with me tomorrow. Thanks to Justin Gill for coming in and speaking to me. Make sure to sign that petition in the show notes, y'all. And until tomorrow, please take care of yourselves, take care of each other, take care of the planet, take care of your mental health, take care of your family. I've been ag 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 mswmedia.com commsw media.