Daria Dawson (29:44)

We'll be right back.

Allison Gill (29:46)

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 get free shipping. Just text Daily Beans to 64,000. If your days are packed and you want options that are easy to reach for and amazing and healthy and clean, IQ Bar has the lineup you're looking for. Get their Ultimate Sampler Pack. It's especially useful because it lets you try everything. You get nine IQ Bars, eight IQ Mix hydration sticks and four IQ Joe sticks. Those are the morning mushroom coffees so you can figure out what works best. It's amazing. This is my go to like rally going to a protest pack the sampler pack because I bring some of the IQ mixticks with me, I can just dump them in some bottles of water that they give away there while you're out there marching. I bring a couple of bars with me and hand some out to, you know, friends who look like they could use a boost if they're getting a little hungry. And then in the morning to gear up for it, I get 200 milligrams of clean caffeine with their IQ Joe sticks. And they have so many amaz flavors. What I also appreciate is the variety across the bars. The drink mixes, the coffee sticks. There's plenty of flavor options to choose from, including seasonal varieties, which I love. And that flexibility makes it easier to work IQ Bar into a busy day without overthinking it. I like being able to choose based on what I need in the moment. Some mornings, IQ Joe is the right way to start the day. Other times, an IQ Bar makes more sense. When I need something quick and easy. Everything's delicious, everything's clean. You're going to love it all. And right now, IQ Bar is offering our special podcast listeners 20% off all IQ Bar products, including the Ultimate Sampler Pack, plus free shipping. So to get your 20% off, text Daily Beans to 64,000. Text Daily Beans to 64,000. That is Daily Beans to 64,000. Message and data rates may apply. See terms for details.

Amanda Sturgill (31:45)

It's no surprise that newsmakers try to manipulate the audience. They want you to believe that they are the one holding the line and they'll use any trick they can to get you there.

Daria Dawson (31:53)

But don't let them fool you.

Amanda Sturgill (31:55)

Get unspun. I'm Amanda Sturgill. I've been a reporter and today I teach future reporters to cut the spin and think critically about what newsmakers say. My podcast, Unspun, shows you how to know when you're being manipulated by the news, learn to spot the tricks, and how to make up your own mind about what's true. So if you're tired of being fooled by the news, subscribe to Unspun today. Unspun because you deserve the truth.

Allison Gill (32:24)

Hey, everybody. Welcome back. Honored today to speak again to the person who leads day to day management of America Votes, the organization and overseeing all department heads and implementation of strategic objectives. Please welcome the Executive Director of America Votes, Daria Dawson. Hi, how are you?

Daria Dawson (32:41)

Allison, it's so good to see you again. I do have to tell you one thing that I always tell people when I introduce myself is I dare you to mispronounce my name. And it's as Daria, not the MTV show. So it's always a good introduction. Even though.

Allison Gill (32:58)

Did I say Daria?

Daria Dawson (33:00)

You did.

Allison Gill (33:01)

Did I do that the last time, too?

Daria Dawson (33:04)

No, I think you had it. I think you said it the correct way the last time. But it's a good. It's a good way to like, laugh and just be like.

Allison Gill (33:12)

It's a good icebreaker. You're ready for it.

Daria Dawson (33:14)

Very good icebreaker. Yeah.

Allison Gill (33:15)

Yeah. All of us Gen Xers, you know who, right?

Daria Dawson (33:19)

I was, I was Daria up until that show came out.

Allison Gill (33:22)

Yeah, I.

Daria Dawson (33:23)

And then I just had to be like, you know, I'm from the south, so we say the flat A dear. So.

Allison Gill (33:31)

All right, now I know Daria. And when we have you back on in four months, I hope I

Martin Sheen (33:37)

don't

Daria Dawson (33:38)

worry, I'll remind you.

Allison Gill (33:40)

And I'm telling you, my brain is so clouded with everything that's going on. We have so many things. Their whole authoritarian playbook is to flood the zone with shit. Now we're seeing things, you know, I want to talk to you about. About voting, voting rights, the SAVE Act. Because when I saw those Dallas returns come back and what the Republicans did to voters in Dallas County, I was like, this is just a little taste of what we're gonna see in the primaries in particularly in red states. We didn't have those kind of shenanigans in Illinois this week because, you know, the state is run by Democrats. But talk a little bit about what you're seeing, what you're preparing for. Because when I had Jocelyn Benson, Secretary of State, State Michigan on, she told me that they are now running tabletop exercises for worst case scenarios in the midterm elections, like the Pentagon coming in and snatching up voting machines. And vote tabulator tapes and things like that. Talk about what your organization is talking about on the inside about these massive once again threats to our voting rights.

Daria Dawson (34:39)

Yeah, and I appreciate you having Secretary Benson on your show to talk about that. One of our strongest secretaries of state in the country and little known fact, she and I share the same birthday as Libras. So we definitely leave at the scale of justice. Justice, yeah. So I would say from America Votes as we are the coalition of organizations that are closest to the communities on the ground, that are closest to the voters. We are absolutely dusting off what we consider our spread out the vote theory case that we did in 2020 and ensuring that we're talking to voters about their options as early as possible. We cannot rely on an election day strateg. We were really good about that in 2020 and 2022 and utilizing the entire electoral calendar and in most cases voting starts in September in a lot of our targets. So like how do we prepare for those necessary pivots? Because I live in Washington D.C. i walk outside my building every day and there's National Guard like right there on the corner. That's the reality of that we're living in right now. And I feel like what we are seeing is you have one party that is pro democracy and one party that is about taking away democracy. And when we say about democracy, what we're actually talking about is making sure that voters have a choice, a say so, a voice, a vote and who it is that is running their day to day lives. And what's happening is that people don't want to run. One side of the spectrum does not want to run on their issues. They want to take, take back power, they want to keep power, they want to restrict other people's power. If this were just about vote on the issues, one man, one vote, okay, let's let the voters decide. But now what they're doing is basically creating anarchy in Marshall's Law and restricting who can have a say. So who can have a choice, who can have a voice, a voice in elections and that is anti democratic. And I don't mean democratic as in party, but like democracy, what this country was founded on for some of us, you know, we celebrate this year, you're hearing it America 250. What the reality is that a lot of us, a lot of our ancestors, a lot of people did not have a voice 250 years ago. Right. It was a certain group of specimen that was able to have a choice and were able to have a vote. So that is actually what we're seeing. We're seeing these rollbacks. We're going to talk about this legislation later. But. But it is really right now about making sure that voters have the information that they need and are educated and knowing what all their options are to safely and effectively cast their ballot during that electoral window, in which November 3rd, I think that's the right date, is the last day to vote to cast your ballot.

Allison Gill (37:33)

Yeah, I think it's important that we frame it as not Election Day, but the last date of vote. And, you know, let's, let's dive into the SAVE act because, you know, they talk about, aside from the anti trans culture war BS that they're putting in there to throw the LGBTQ community under the bus, they claim that the SAVE act is to safeguard the integrity of elections. Now, to me, and here's the difference, I think, between us and them, safeguarding the integrity of elections is to expand and protect voting rights like we wanted to do with the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. To them, them, it's to oppress the vote and to shrink it and to pull that ballot further out of our reach. Talk a little bit. John Thune just opened debate this week on the SAVE act in the Senate, and we are doing everything that we can to call all of our senators and tell them to vote no on the SAVE Act. Talk a little bit about what your organization, again, America Votes, is a coalition of multiple organizations. Talk about that and what you're doing to oppose this just brutal assault on our voting rights.

Daria Dawson (38:36)

Yeah. So I would say the great thing about the organization being a coalition is that our partners, part of the coalition, are absolutely engaging their constituencies, their memberships about doing those things that you're just saying like that part of the voter engagement process when it comes to holding your elected official accountable, whether or not you voted for that, if you live in their area, you are their constituent. So as you reach out to them, as you talk to them about why this is a restrictive ballot measure, that is the work that our organization and our partners are doing right now. Again, educated people as to this is not about, as you just said, protecting integrity. It is about restriction and being really clear about what that means and how our voters, how voters in America will be impacted by this. It sounds all well and good. Oh, of course you should show that you are an American citizen to vote. But one of the things that we actually have to do to do that this is going to impact women, particularly if a woman has taken on the last name of their spouse. Are you Walking around all day with your marriage license because your birth certificate and your license may not necessarily match up. Are we thinking about generations or like folks like my grandmother or my great grandmother who may not necessarily have been born in a hospital and may not have access to an actual certified birth certificate? These are ways to just restrict people's voice. And I would say right now it is about education, education, education. This here it is, you know, as you said, adding on those like poison pills to legislation to try to hold people accountable, to force them to. To basically throw Americans under the bus. The transgender community are Americans again, pitting each other against. Pitting ourselves against each other as those wedge issues to basically row people up and agree to this. When, again, if folks ran on the issues, if these elected officials ran on the issues, let's let the people decide. But they know that their issues aren't resonating. They know that they have not fulfilled their promises. So the next thing to do is to actually only ensure that a particular set of people are able to cast their ballots. That is not a democracy. So right now is the time to. And I am so grateful for this coalition and everyone who is represented as a part of the coalition to educate, hold accountable, and then educate folks, hold accountable. Those that are happening, those that are on the Senate floor right now with the. Say that. But also educate and hold accountable when it comes to not only this upcoming. The upcoming primaries and upcoming November elections, but even the next election. Because as long as we are able to utilize our power, no matter what they try to say, there will be elections in this country, and that is our opportunity to hold accountable and then also move on to the next accountability piece. Because voting is not just one election. It is about every opportunity to hold whoever it is that's in power accountable. Elect them, hold them accountable, reelect them, hold them accountable. It's an ever and end cycle.

Allison Gill (42:00)

Yeah. And you know, they wouldn't spend billions of dollars to try to suppress your vote if your vote.

Daria Dawson (42:07)

Correct.

Allison Gill (42:07)

Had no power. I mean, we just, by five votes, elected the first Democratic mayor of Boca Raton, Florida. 30 years. The votes definitely matter. And if they really cared about voter id, they would institute a program to ensure that every single person, free of charge, got that ID before they instituted a rule that it had to be used.

Daria Dawson (42:27)

If I could do a final point on that, Allison, you know, I was a history major growing up, and, you know, I was raised by two educators. I've always been taught my history. And what this reminds me of are things that would prohibit people who may have looked like me from voting and coming up with asinine laws like the poll tax. Thank you. You beat me to it. Like the poll 10. Like the grandfather clause. Like, how many jelly beans are in this jar in order for you to vote. Like, and. And I appreciate you laughing at that, but that's real.

Allison Gill (42:57)

Yeah.

Daria Dawson (42:57)

Where people would go to a polling location and they would give them these random. Answer this question on the spot to basically utilize your voice in this country. And here's the thing that I have to remind people, particularly folks my age and younger, of, like, if it didn't matter so much, why are they doing everything in their power to restrict it? That deserves a response.

Allison Gill (43:21)

It does. And I also hate that it's up to us to walk over broken glass to get all this stuff done, to vote. Now, we're gonna talk about this. Let's talk about it now. Because you reminded us that November 3rd is the last day to vote and that we should try to get out of this mindset of Election day is election day. We should do our early votes. For the first time in my life, and I'm in California, when I voted this last time in 2024, I actually walked my ballot to a ballot Dropbox because I was afraid to put it in the mail, because I'm afraid, you know, that somebody's gonna screw with the mail. You know, this administration, being in charge of it, never had to think about those things before. But, you know, it reminds me of, you know, when people tell women, instead of saying, stop assaulting women, it's like, well, don't wear this. Carry pepper spray. Don't walk in the dark. Put your keys in between. In between your hands. And don't wear these clothes and don't drink. And I have to make all these adjustments. And that's what we're looking at right now. We're looking at a scenario where we have to make all of these adjustments just to have our voices heard because of the vote suppression on the other side. So talk a little bit about the coalitions that you're working with on. Let's dive deeper into ensuring that your vote is counted by early voting when you can. Like, all of those steps that people need to be prepared to take and to help others do this same.

Daria Dawson (44:41)

Yeah. I would say right now, the biggest key is education. And the great thing about this ecosystem is, like, everybody has a lane, and we have to trust each other to ensure that everyone is doing their job effectively and just feel comfortable in who's doing what. So, like, the Education piece this year is going to be so important and I'm grateful to folks like Secretary Benson and Secretary Aguilar and our attorneys generals and our governors, you know, everyone who, who particularly those state constitutional officers. I think we sometimes forget how important their roles are when it comes to election administration. And that's another part of what they're trying to do, federalize elections. Right. So that the federal government has a say so on how state elections. Because everybody, when you register to vote, you register to vote in your particular state of residence, that to administer the election. So it's really important when we think about like these down ballot elections of who is in charge of administering your election in your state, in your county. Right. So like one, that education, that's what

Allison Gill (45:49)

we saw in Dallas county versus Chicago.

Daria Dawson (45:51)

Versus Chicago. Exactly. You made that point. Right? And they're going to come like, and like you said, Dallas county, who saw that coming like the day folks are going to vote, they go into their polling location, what they think is their polling location, they're being told that it's not their polling location. Polling locations have changed. This is going to be their playbook. They're going to try everything. I appreciate you saying how like you dropped it off. You would have dropped it off at a Dropbox. We've heard stories about dropboxes being set on fire. They have actually, actually made voting, you know, so object, like I can't even, I can't even think of the word. They're basically like, we don't want your vote. We don't care about your vote. So if we don't have your vote, like an obstacle, we're going to get rid of it. Like thank you. That's the word I'm looking for, is making voting an obstacle again. Why? So back to your point about like the coalition and what folks are doing. I think it is essential and necessary and I'm grateful, grateful that everyone right now is thinking about what does it look like? I mean, we have certain folks who are thinking about what does it look like to cast your ballot the day of. There were rumors about National Guard being at polling places or ICE agents being at polling places in California during that primary. What does it look like for your deadlines for mailing in your ballot? If you do that, is it safe to mail in your ballot? Do you just drop it off as opposed to, to like ride to the polls? Do we do like, you know, rides to your county's board of elections and drop off your ballot, you know, with the receipt, you know, just things like that, just ensuring that folks have all the information. And I would say right now, particularly with communities of color, the thing that you can do right now in March of 2026 is to ensure if you registered to vote, is to ensure that you are still registered to vote, because they are purging people from voter rolls in real time. Make sure that you are still registered to vote. Make sure that your family, your mama and them, everybody who you know is registered is still registered. And if not, do the process again. It is an obstacle, but I promise you, and this is what Allison just said, that is an obstacle by choice and is by design because they do not want you to have a say so as to who is empowered to control or empowered to pass legislation, sign legislation, appoint judges. It's all connected as it pertains to how you live your life and the great United States of America.

Allison Gill (48:31)

Yeah, we have big family and friend get togethers and, and whenever I do that, I always take a half an hour out of that get together and have everybody check, check their voter registration.

Daria Dawson (48:40)

Check your voter registration status.

Allison Gill (48:42)

Yeah. And more often than not, somebody's like, hey, I'm not registered devoted anymore. That's really weird. And then, you know, we can, we can correct it as that happens. Well, we appreciate all the hard work that you're doing on this education piece. It's so very important. Can you tell everybody where they can find information, where to, you know, support your organization and like, give us the website and all that so the listeners of this program know exactly where to go to to help join in this fight?

Daria Dawson (49:07)

Yes. To learn more about America Votes, you can go to americavotes.org but when it comes to, like, your voting and your status and your registration, ourvote.com always a good place to go to your Secretary of State's website when it comes to checking your voter registration status, your county board of elections, when it comes to checking your polling location, this is the time now to basically come up with your voting plan. Come up with your voter registration plan. We are less than 200 days from voting in this country. My team has the exact number. It might be like 170, which is crazy. But it's not about November 3rd. It is about September. In a lot of places that we live, where voting actually starts, where ballots are sent to voters or available for folks to do vote by mail or early voting. And we have to, it is imperative that we are strategic about when and how we cast our ballot safely and effectively for this 2026 midterm.

Allison Gill (50:10)

Yeah, get your voting plan together. Help others get their voting plan together. That 175 days, or however, 170, 200 days, whatever it is that is going to be here before you know it. And the sooner the better. Thank you so very much for joining us today. Really appreciate it. Maybe we'll have you back on after we've gone through some of these primaries and we get closer to. We get closer to September.

Daria Dawson (50:34)

I would love that. Alison, thank you so much. Thank you for all the work that you're doing to contributing and sharing the message, sharing information. It is so crucial, particularly right now in this moment. So thank you for having me.

Allison Gill (50:46)

Yeah, no problem at all. And thanks for the giant, amazing coalition that you've put together. The biggest I've seen. Appreciate you very much everybody. We're going to be right back with the good news. Stick around.

Martin Sheen (50:56)

Filming the Way on the Camino de Santiago de Compostela was one of the most important and rewarding experiences of my life, and it was by far the most satisfying role of my career. The Way was filmed in 2009 over an eight week schedule and followed the pilgrimage route from St Jean Pierre de Port in the French Pyrenees across northern Spain to Santiago and then on to Mushia for the final scene. And the entire production was a family affair. Those are the opening lines of a story I share and they reflect the very heart of my podcast. And through sharing autobiographical stories and inspired poetry and personal reflections, that is the theme I find myself exploring again and again. But I do so in the hope that it sparks listeners to see how it relates to their own lives and their own story of discovery. So please join me each Sunday for a beautifully crafted 20 minute journey of personal exploration. I'm proud to announce the Martin Sheen Podcast Season two. I've often said if it's not personal, it's impersonal. And that is how I choose to approach my podcast. With all its contents, from storytelling to poetry and book selections, each unique episode is a journey we will share together. And I think it's important you know that I have no intention of leaving who I am at the door with this podcast. Anyone who knows me knows I cannot tell a personal story that doesn't have at least some social justice connection at its core. I have my convictions and issues that draw on my empathy and compassion. Frankly, that's what drives and informs my conscience and makes me who I am. How could I bring any less to this endeavor? So tune in Sundays as I invite you to follow, subscribe and receive notifications about what's next for me, Martin Sheen. Oh and for more information, please visit themartensheenpodcast.com and thank you again everybody.

Allison Gill (53:04)

Welcome back. It's time for the good news everyone. Then good news everyone. Good news. And if you have any good news you want to send us, it can be big, it can be small, it can be recent, it can be in the distant past, it can be somebody else's amazing story that you want to share. As long as it brings a smile to our face, you can send it in. Also your Good Trouble recommendations. We love getting those. We've been getting so many of those. All of the gumanotti out there doing the Good Trouble. If you want to share what you're doing, please send it into us. And you can also maybe give a shout out to somebody, a loved one, spouse, partner, small business in your area, non profit. You want us to know about self shout out. Tell us why you're awesome. We love those. Send it all to us dailybeanspod.com click on contact and all you got to do to get your stuff right on the air is pay your POD pet tariff. And that means attach a photo of your pet. We can try to guess the breeds in your shelter pup if you want. If you don't have a pet, send an adoptable pet in your area or a photo of a random animal on the Internet. Bird watching pictures, which can be an actual bird or it can be you flipping the bird to a Trump building. We have so many of those and we love share. They always make me smile. You can send family photos, baby pictures, your baby pictures, literally anything. Anything you want that you think will bring a smile to our faces. Show us what you're making and creating. We have so many amazing creators that listen to this show. Send that to us. Whatever it is. A meme, a picture of a sunset, something you've painted. Send it to us@dailybeanspod.com and click on contact. All right, first up, Good Trouble. Hi ladies, Ladies of the beans. Virginia is in early voting to counteract the nonsense Republicans are pulling to redistrict the mid cycle. The justice for Democracy PAC is sending out super misleading mailers, including the one pictured below. But even more harmful, another quote from Abigail Spanberger that was taken out of context. I consider myself to be a very informed voter, but this made me do a double take. Please tell fellow Virginians to be sure to spread the word that we need to vote yes and vote early. Vote YES on Virginia Use of Legislative Congressional redistricting map amendment April 2026. So let's see here. Return your vote by mail ballot. Now vote no on gerrymandering. That's how they're. That's how they're wording it. The power brokers in Richmond are marginalizing our communities by putting power over people. Wow. And vote no on gerrymandering. The politicians in Richmond only care about one thing. Power. The plan is devastating. This new voting district scheme. Zero black majority se, zero Hispanic majority seats. Wow. This is all just evil. Evil. Oh God. Yeah. Well, hopefully I. You know, every single Virginian I know is. Is smart enough to not fall for that. But thank you for sending us in and bringing it to our attention. All right, first up from Karen in the good news column pronoun she and her happy 89th birthday to my mom. I went to Florida last week to visit her and we had the unveiling of my dad's tombstone, which was a lovely ceremony. And a former liberal. My mom is one of those wonderful people who unfortunately got hooked on Fox News. She doesn't particularly enjoy political discussion where we point out. Gasp. Facts. I laughed when she said she didn't like Facebook because they're lying to her all the time. I said, I thought you liked being lied to since you watched that Fox News. So while I was there, unbeknownst to her, I went into her Gmail account and unsubscribed her from some right wing news organizations that send her mail on a regular basis. I also signed her up for some conservative anti Trump newsletters. I didn't hit her with too many subscriptions all at once, but yes, I do plan to subscribe her to the Daily Beans when the time is right. I guess it's pretty passive aggressive, but every little bit helps, right? My pipette tariff, of course, is my precious girl Callie, who loves to cuddle and keep me sane in these crazy times. She just turned 15 and I enjoy every moment with her. Looking at her crinkly ear which was damaged a few years ago due to due to an ear infection, it reminds me you can still be wonderful and adorable even if you feel a little beaten down at times. Thanks for all you do. AG and DG love you both. Look at this sweet little baby. She looks very soft and I love her carrot toy. Anyway, Karen, thank you so much for that. Next up, Grantee Bean. Good morning Beans Queens first, thank you for being in my ears first every day. I just can't deal with any news besides you. And unpack PR As I was making my coffee this morning while listening to the daily beans. Obviously. Coffee time is beans time. I pulled a mug down and decided it needed an upgrade. It's even work safe. Ish. Looking forward to wearing my quote unquote suit at no Kings and using my mug at work. As for my pet tariff, you've had Mr. Charlie H. Chibby Chops. And yes, the H stands for Horatio Harry Henry in his rainbow bow tie. But now you get my gargoyle Sir Calcifer Calvin Cal Cal Bunny Fur Boy. The soft, most possessive of his human 9 pound bosses. His 15 pound brother around Orange baby. Thank you again, Grantee Bean. My pseudo niece Helene gave me the name at age 3. Bonus pick protest suit. All right, so here's the oh nice. Look at that. Crab Protesters. Fascist. Fascist. Fascists. I love this. This is so great. That's wonderful. Label makers are the best, aren't they? There's the beautiful cat. Hello. And there's the frog suit. Incredible. Both sides choose non violence. Very fantastic. And the lobster. The frog and the lobster. Just amazing. Absolutely fantastic. That's a great sign too, by the way. Thank you so much for that. I love all these photos. Next up from Anonymous no pronouns hi, AG and dg I live in Loudoun County, Virginia, less than a mile away from the Orange Menaces golf course. My blood boils and I time I hear a motorcycle coming through the neighborhood. I was lucky enough to join the impromptu street party that erupted near the entrance on November 7, 2020. Of course, he was on the golf course that day when it was announced that Joe Biden won the presidency. And it was a beautiful and joyful celebration where many of us in the neighborhood gathered to greet him with our loud whistles, pride flags, Black Lives Matter signs, pussy hats, blue wave signs, and yelling Pack your shit and go. As his motorcade left the corner course on his way back to dc. I am so looking forward to the next impromptu street party that will undoubtedly be even louder and even more joyous when we get the other news. You know, wink wink. This morning I filled out and returned my Virginia mail in ballot. I voted YES to fair Elections. A yes vote levels the playing field in the upcoming Congressional elections to protect our democracy. It is a temporary emergency exception that ends in the 2030 census when Virginia independent redistricting systems automatically resume. So this is a good trouble reminder to my fellow Virginians to vote Hell YES on or by election day on April 21. More information about what is at stake can be found at virginiansforfare elections.com for my popette tariff, I've included an image of a clever RE rendering of the flag for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Sic semper tyrannis. We all know this is a Latin phrase meaning thus always to tyrants, meaning the tyrants should expect a downfall as a consequence of their actions. Fun fact. Virginia is the only state flag with a boob. Tits out. Tyrants down. Thanks for all you do, ladies. Yeah, that's so right. Look at that. Sic semper tyrannus. I think we had an episode called Sic Semper Tyrannus. I like that RE rendering. That's very nice. Next up from Will Anderson, a respectful he him. Hello Beanstresses. I want to share an amazing experience I had taking an intro into blacksmithing class class at the Steelyard in Providence, Rhode island which is an art driven educational community. Taking a class there was both uplifting and a great way to meet like minded artists while building my personal skill set. I recommend taking a course or a workshop as a way to beat the doom and gloom out of these insane times. It was friendly and inclusive. It helped me as well as supporting artists who are struggling in this economy. Very good times indeed. Enclosed is a picture of my co pilot, Tater T8R who is 100% blank. If Toto was a blonde, that would be Tater. Oh, is Tater a Cairn terrier by chance? If he's a Toto dog. Oh my God, he's so cute. Yes. Yep, there it is. Karen Terrier under the blackout bars. That is amazing. I love low key, love blacksmithing stuff. I took a metals class. I think it was just metal shop actually in junior high and I took it again in high school and I watched that shop show. Oh, what's it called? Forged in Fire. I absolutely love that show. I'm like, it's okay. I love blacksmithing. I've been wanting to take a blacksmithing class. Don't have a lot of them here in San Diego, but I bet we do out in east county, so I'm going to look into it. Will, thank you so much for that. Next up, Anne Pronoun. She and her dear magical beans Queens. Just following up on the MOG Academy Awards that were held in D.C. prior to the Oscars. It was a beautiful Sunny Day in D.C. for the event, but a bit Wendy. Hope you enjoy. The artist activists supported by Free DC put so much work into it. A YouTube video is available here. We're going to have a link in the show Notes. Thank you Anne. I'm also submitting two photos, one of Amphifa and another of Stephen Miller walking the red carpet, quote unquote after the event. Okay, so amphifa is the amphibian antifa, I'm guessing. This is so amazing. Amazing. Look at this. There's the red carpet and there's Stephen Miller. That photo is insane. Oh my God. Thank you so much for sharing that. I just have the biggest smile on my face right now. Thank you all so much for sending in your good news. I really appreciate it. Thanks for hanging out with me solo. Thanks to Daria Dawson for all the work that she's doing. We'll be back in her ears tomorrow. It's Fuglsang Friday, so John Fugelsang will be joining me. And then like I said, Monday I'm talking talking to Ezra Levin, co Executive Director and co founder of Indivisible. I'm looking forward to that conversation. We've got a lot of tips for no Kings 3 and just some incredible numbers by the way coming in already about the size and the magnitude of no Kings 3. I'm very, very excited and I look forward to that conversation. Dana will be back soon. Everybody. Thank you so much. I will be back on your ears tomorrow. Until then, please take care of yourselves, take care of each other, take care of the planet, take care of your mother mental health and 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 msw media.com msw media.