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The Daily Beans
Red Hot Incompetence Zone
00:47:54
Friday, December 20th, 2024 Today, the Georgia state Court of Appeals disqualifies Fani Willis from the 2020 election subversion case; Elon Musk forces a spending bill into the trash and threatens Mike Johnson’s gavel; President Biden has just set new climate goals which of course will face obstacles under the incoming administration; Elon Musk’s drug use and ties to Putin could lead to his security clearance being revoked if he tries to upgrade it; a special alert for government workers as a shutdown looms; and Allison and Dana deliver your Good News.
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- [00:00]
Alison Gill
MSW Media hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Friday, December 20, 2024. Today, the Georgia State Court of Appeals has disqualified Fani Willis and her Office from the 2020 election subversion case. Elon Musk forces a spending bill into the trash and threatens Mike Johnson's gavel. President Biden has just set new climate goals, which of course, will face obstacles under the incoming administration. Elon Musk's drug use and ties to Putin could lead to his security clearance being revoked if he tries to upgrade it. And a special alert for government workers as a shutdown looms. I'm your host, Alison Gill. Hey, everybody, I'm solo today. Dana will be back in your ears on Monday. My voice is almost completely gone. I'm recording my fourth podcast, my fourth show today because we, you know, I had interviews and I'm putting out a bunch of content next week for Christmas week. So you'll have shows to listen to. So I'm, I'm looking forward to hearing those really, really good interviews. Tonight at 4:00pm Pacific Time, 7:00pm Eastern, we have a patron happy hour zoom call. So if you're a patron, you can jump on. You can find that link in your emails. And we get in there, we have cocktails and mocktails. And I opened some mail that you all sent and it's a party. It really is. You can ask me anything. So that'll be tonight, 4:00pm Pacific, 7 Eastern. And again, if you're a patron, you'll have that zoom link in your inbox. And if you want to become a patron, you can do it at patreon.com Muller she wrote, As I mentioned, it is Friday here on the Bean. So it is Fugal Sang Fridays. And I will be speaking with John Fugalang later. And real quick, the Georgia Court of Appeals has disqualified Fani Willis and her whole office from her 2020 RICO case against Trump and the other defendants because of her affair with prosecutor Nathan Wade. Fannie Willis says she will appeal to the Georgia Supreme Court if the Supreme Court upholds this decision and she stays disqualified. A guy named Pete Scandalakis gets to decide, like he did with the Bert Jones case, what happens to this case. You'll remember Fani Willis was disqualified from prosecuting Bert Jones because she hosted a fundraiser for his political opponent. And after like a year of sitting on it, Pete Scandalakis, who's the director of the prosecuting attorney's council, assigned the case to himself and then dropped it. So we're going to go over this ruling and the blistering dissent on next week's cleanup on aisle 45 podcast. And speaking of next week, like I said, all new content for you for the Beans. Plus there'll be a brand new episode of cleanup on aisle 45 for you on Christmas Day, our bonus episode this weekend for patrons. We're going to actually make that public because Harry Dunn actually went in and spoke to Senator Murkowski today about some of these appointment picks for cabinet positions in the Trump administration. And we talk about that and I thought that was important and we wanted to kind of give you a little holiday gift. So we're putting that episode out to the public. We are taking this weekend off from the Jack podcast. So there will be no Jack this Sunday. This is the first time we haven't had a show since we started the podcast over two years ago. But we're taking Christmas week off. So we will be back in your ears the following Friday for Today for the Beans. We have a lot of news to get to. We have John Fugelsang and we have the good news. But first, let's hit the hot notes. Hot notes. All right, this is from Kate Riga at Talking Points Memo. And this is written from her point of view. As she says, the biggest question to me about Trump is where the administration will land on the spectrum of incompetence to malice. Based on this current preview, the New York Times needle is currently quivering over the red hot incompetence zone. This is a live question because Republicans under Donald Trump's unified government will have more incentive to set aside their obstructionist instincts and cooperate than ever before. The party is much more magified than it was in 2017, with many of the reluctance and resistors forced out. If there's one thing the conference's rightward flank loves more than gunking up the gears of legislating, it's performing fealty to Trump. But Trump has to be actively engaged in governing to snap the foot soldiers into line. And as we've seen this past week, he continues to refuse to do that. Georgetown's Matt Glassman put this well in his newsletter, quote, if he had just laid out his position at Thanksgiving, maybe cleanish CR with disaster relief with farm bill extension, etc. The House GOP would have absolutely passed that bill and then Johnson and company could have negotiated a decent deal with the Senate and moved on. Senator Mitt Romney also put it simply, quote, what does President Trump want Republicans to do? Vote for the CR or shut down the government? Absent direction, confusion reigns, unquote. This time, rather than his typical swooping in at the 11th hour to blow up the carefully crafted compromise of his own accord. President Elon Musk in quotes forced Trump's hand. Democrats gleeful goading of Trump as Musk's puppet is the most energized I've seen them since the election. Add this to the stew that Trump, in a baffling turn of events, now wants the debt ceiling lifted or even repealed altogether. It's a bizarre request to tack on for a number of reasons. First, the only people who actually weaponize the debt ceiling are Republicans, and most only care about it when Democrats are in office. If Trump hadn't called attention to it, Republicans would have lifted or suspended it. As usual, with Democratic votes offsetting the Republican fiscal hawks, it's Democrats who occasionally mutter about taking this weapon out of the GOP arsenal, only to drop the subject until the next clash. This has caused bickering between Trump and aforementioned fiscal hawks, as the president elect is now urging a primary against the unpopular, weak and ineffective Rep. Chip Roy, who in the past has been particularly loud against raising the debt limit and who also unforgivably initially endorsed Ron DeSantis in the primary. Many involved, including Trump, are also now venting their spleen at Speaker Mike Johnson. Quote, we'll see. What they had yesterday was unacceptable, trump told NBC, referring to the original continuing resolution. When asked if he still had confidence in Johnson, he said, we'll see. What they had yesterday was unacceptable. In many ways it was unacceptable. It's a Democrat trap, he said. Of course it has to be at least a little friendly to Democrats by design. If some Republicans will never vote for anything but their dream Hard Right spending bill, it paradoxically moves the bill to the left, as Johnson needs Democratic support to make up for that and get the bill through. This is a tale as old as time. A handful of House Republicans are openly telling reporters that Johnson is losing their support, and Senators Mike Lee and Rand Paul are sycophantically calling for Musk, who we're watching discover how the government operates in real time to be installed as Speaker. Instead, Rand Paul and Mike Lee are calling for Elon Musk to be installed as the speaker of the House. If Johnson manages to keep the government funded, his team is leaking news of a plan for a three month extension, reportedly cutting measures like lowering prescription drug costs that had been included to keep Democrats on board. Some of this furor might die down before the speaker elections on January 3rd. Trump immediately endorsed the bill, though there's still a Democratic Senate to contend with. Even if it does pass through the House, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the Trump Musk Johnson proposal laughable. Johnson may ultimately survive, not least because given the above, who the hell else would want this job? One thing to keep in mind. If Johnson does win the election to retain his title for the incoming Congress, he'll enjoy a degree of security neither he nor Kevin McCarthy before him ever had. The new rules package requires nine votes to trigger a motion to vacate up significantly from the current one vote. I recommend you go subscribe to Talking Points Memo if you haven't already. We will keep you updated as this fight unfolds. But Friday the government shuts down. And because of that looming government shutdown. And keep in mind, I record this show on Thursday and like I said, things could turn on a dime. And we may be funded by the time you hear this show. But if not A friend of mine posted on Blue Sky A list of things to do if you're a Federal Worker this is a special Alert for Federal Workers thread. It is time to prepare for a federal government shutdown which may begin this weekend. While you'll probably be back to work soon, it's best to treat a shutdown like a layoff. If you're furloughed, assume that Friday will be your last day of work, possibly for several weeks. You may not have access to your office government systems, including Employee Express or other HR networks. Don't assume that any government issued computers, smartphones or other devices will work as usual. With this in mind, here are some things to do before signing out on Friday. Make sure you have printouts and or electronic copies sent to a non government email of your last three pay stubs and pay statements. Your last performance evaluation, your latest notice of personnel action, that's your SF50 and your security clearance forms. Your SF86 if applicable. Also, any performance related communications, positive or negative from your supervisors in emails. Forward those to your non government email Agency directives on furlough policies. Send those to yourself. Updated resume with current job description and achievements. You're going to want to send that to yourself. Non government contact information for your supervisors and team members, union reps, and any potential employment references. Get their non governmental email addresses and non governmental phone numbers. Not sure if you're in a union or if you're in a bargaining unit. Find out today and make sure you're up to date on your dues. If you work in an office, take any personal items with you that you can't bear to part with. Grab any chargers for your electronic devices that you'll need at home. Send set up an out of office message and don't forget the plants, he says. And a reminder, Most federal employees are and will be eligible for unemployment benefits during a furlough. Apply on your first day of non work as many states have waiting periods and you could There's a link in this thread which I have reposted on my bluesky account where you can do that. You can look up for how to apply for unemployment benefits in your location with an addendum here. Don't let repayment requirements stop you from claiming unemployment benefits. They may make the difference for paying the rent and mortgage when you need it. Just keep in mind part of the big back paycheck that you'll get when will go back to the government for paying that back. So anyway, that is a list of things for federal employees to take care of in case there's a government shutdown. So thank you very much for that my friend. And again, that thread, I've posted it on my Blue sky feed. Next up from the Independent Executives working for Elon Musk have been advised not to seek a higher security clearance for him because of concerns about his drug use and contact with foreign nationals. That's According to reports, lawyers at Musk's rocket launch company, SpaceX, had warned senior executives that applying to upgrade his access would force him to answer awkward questions and even put his existing clearance at risk. This is from the Wall Street Journal. Yet Musk will soon hold a powerful position as a top aide to President Elect Donald Trump, with access to an extraordinary trove of federal information. The revelation follows a bombshell report by the Journal in October alleging that Musk had been in regular contact with Vladimir Putin since late 2022, on top of previous reports claiming that he had used ketamine multiple times. The independent has contacted SpaceX for comment. The company previously said that the claims about Putin were misleading and unsubstantiated. But since 2022, Musk has enjoyed a Top Secret security clearance, which is the highest general purpose permission bestowed by the US Department of Defense. But it does not include special need to know clearances for specific projects known as Sensitive compartmented information sci. The decision reportedly means that Musk must be kept in the dark about some of the payloads that SpaceX puts into orbit, which are said to include US military and intelligence agency satellites. Security clearances are sometimes granted to people who have previously used drugs illegally, but those with clearances are generally required to stay drug free after receiving them. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has said that the reports of Musk being in contact with Putin are concerning if they're proven and should be investigated by the government. This incoming administration and Department of Justice and FBI are not going to investigate that. According to the Journal, SpaceX's lawyer told executives that applying for higher clearances would force Musk to answer questions about his contact with foreign nationals and his drug use, since U.S. officials would be worried he might inadvertently disclose secrets during such conversations. Applying for heightened security, regardless of the warnings, could lead to Musk being turned down or losing the clearance already granted to him. Musk's current clearance reportedly prevents him from being informed about SpaceX's Star Shield spy satellite program, which grew out of Starlink communications and is available only to national security agencies. Sources also told the Journal that Musk's current clearance took years to obtain due to government concern over Musk's 2018 interview with right wing podcaster Joe Rogan in which he accepted and smoked a cannabis blunt offered by the host. You know, I don't. I think Trump can probably just give him whatever clearance he wants. So anyway, and next up from Maxine Joslow at the Washington Post, President Joe Biden announced Thursday that the United States would aim to cut its greenhouse gas emissions at least 61% below 2005 levels by 2035, even as the nation remains far off track for meeting its previous climate goal and as President Elect Donald Trump prepares to dismantle dozens of climate policies. The announcement builds on Biden's pledge in 2021 that the United States would seek to slash its emissions between 50 and 52% by 2030 relative to the 2005 levels. Yet even before Trump won a second term, many analysts expected the country to blow past this prior target under the Paris climate accord. In announcing the new goal a month before Biden leaves office, the White House officials struck an upbeat tone, saying the country would continue to make climate progress over the next four years. But some analysts said this announcement succeeded only in highlighting how far off the nation's climate target we truly are. This goal is very, very ambitious, said Robbie Orvis, senior director of modeling and analysis at Energy Innovation, an environmental policy firm. Quote, to achieve these numbers given the incoming administration, would require a lot of unprecedented policies from non federal actors like states and cities. A recent analysis by Energy Innovation projected that the United States would reduce its emissions by roughly 37% by 2030 under current policies. The analysis accounted for landmark Biden policies that Trump has promised to undo, including the strongest limits to date on greenhouse gas emissions from cars and power plants. In addition, the firm accounted for the clean energy tax credits established by Biden's signature climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act. Trump has pledged to work with Republican lawmakers to repeal those tax credits, even as they disproportionately spur investments in conservative states and congressional districts. A recent study by the Rhodium Group, an independent research firm, similarly projected the US would cut its emissions by 38% to 56% below 2005 levels in 2035. Quote we're not on track for the 2035 target today. We're not on track for it even if all the Biden administration policies were to be maintained. That's Kate Larson, a partner at Rhodium Group, who leads the firm's international energy and climate research. But she added, There's 10 years between now and 2035. There's two presidential elections between now and then. This is a long game. In a video address from the White House, Biden said his administration has carried out the boldest climate agenda in American history. Without mentioning Trump, he asserted that these actions would transform our nation for generations to come. Biden plans to formalize the new goal in a submission to the UN which has asked all nations party to the Paris Agreement to update their climate targets by February deadlines. Trump has vowed to withdraw the United States from the Paris Accord, as he did during his first term. Quote, the Biden Harris administration may be about to leave office, but we're confident in America's ability to rally around this new climate goal. And that's what John Podesta, senior advisor to the president for internal climate policy, said in a call with reporters. He went on to say, while the United States federal government under President Trump may put climate action on the back burner, the work to contain climate change is going to continue in the United States with commitment and passion. The US Climate Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of governors representing nearly 60% of the US economy and 55% of the US population, pledged Thursday to to work to meet Biden's new climate goal. California Governor Gavin Newsom also vowed this week that his state would continue to set stronger climate rules for cars than those of the federal government. And we sort of kind of dictate that here in California because we buy so many cars. QUOTE the 2035 climate target can serve as a North Star for states, cities and corporations that are committed to climate action and ready to accelerate progress outside of Washington, D.C. that was Manish Bapna, president and CEO of the Natural Resource Defense Council at the UN Climate Change Conference last month in Azerbaijan. Other developed countries announced their own fresh carbon cutting targets. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, for instance, pledged that Britain, the world's fifth largest historical emitter of greenhouse gases, would aim for an 81% cut in its emissions by 2035. One major question mark remains. That's China, the world's biggest annual emitter. While a growing number of analysts expect China's carbon dioxide output to peak this year, it's unclear whether Beijing will be able to dramatically slash its emissions or merely let them plateau in the coming years. So we'll be keeping an eye on all of this now and in the next four years. And I'm really excited to talk to my friend John Fugalsang on Fuglsang Fridays right after this quick break and then we'll follow it up with the good news. Stick around, we'll be right back. Hey, everybody, welcome back. It is Friday on the Daily Beans. That means it's Fugal Sang Friday. So I'm joined by my good friend, the host of Tell me everything on SiriusXM progress channel 127, weeknights, 9pm Eastern, 6 Pacific. And if you don't have Sirus, you can always listen to the John Fugalang show podcast for free. Wherever you get your podcasts, please welcome my good friend, John Fugalang.
- [19:50]
John Fugelsang
Oh, Alison Gill, how nice to see you. Happy Christmas, everybody. It's great to, great to be here At a time when the right wing Christians are fighting for, for profit health care while celebrating the birth of a guy who gave it away for free. We've reached that magical season.
- [20:04]
Alison Gill
Yeah. I mean, not only is Jesus not flipping the tables over of the changers, but he's, he's actually sitting down with them, I guess, I guess that's the new Christian way.
- [20:14]
John Fugelsang
His unauthorized fan club has now turned the business over to the money changers. Yeah. You know, when Rome took over, when Rome took over the movement, because I'm writing a book about this, that's when they went from being a bunch of people who were persecuted to being people who could persecute. And America keeps proving that mixing authoritarian government with hardcore conservative religion is literally what got Jesus killed. I mean, look at them. They want tax cuts for the wealthiest, they want to reduce benefits for the needy, and they want to keep Christ in Christmas. That's what we're dealing with here.
- [20:48]
Alison Gill
Yeah. I don't welcome the stranger unless the stranger is a South African billionaire, then it's different. But let's talk a little bit about some of the capitulation from the media because this is bumming me out and everybody forgive my voice. I'm a little under the weather. They got the travel crud. I don't know what else to call it.
- [21:06]
John Fugelsang
Dr. Gill, are you okay?
- [21:08]
Alison Gill
I am, I am, I'm okay. I feel okay. I just could use some soup and like a hug, you know what I mean?
- [21:14]
John Fugelsang
I understand. I felt that way for about, well, nine years now. But more especially the last six weeks.
- [21:19]
Alison Gill
Yeah, especially the last six weeks. And particularly when we learn about, you know, we've covered this story on the beans. But I couldn't wait to talk to you about it because you and I have talked almost endlessly about media and corporate media and capitulation and both sidesism and the failures of the corporate media, which oddly, the book wasn't published because they were worried that the corporate media wouldn't do interviews with me about my book talking about corporate media. So I am releasing it chapter by chapter on my substack for free.
- [21:50]
John Fugelsang
Oh, brilliant.
- [21:50]
Alison Gill
So everyone will get to read it, just not through a publishing house or through interviews on, you know, Morning Joe. But, you know, it didn't start with them. But this seems like the culmination with that the ABC giving in to the defamation suit that they would have won.
- [22:09]
John Fugelsang
Yes, they would have.
- [22:10]
Alison Gill
And giving $15 million to a Trump library that won't have any books in it. I'm just curious your thoughts.
- [22:16]
John Fugelsang
I mean, I know I should be weeping, but there's so much comedy. As we witness the scarborofication of ABC News, we have to figure out what to call this. You know, I was calling it the Great Capitulation then for a while I was calling it the Weaselly Surrender Chronicles. But you know, this whole culture of corporate media sane washing both sides ing and capitulating from Morning Joe to Meta to the LA Times is getting really bad. Amazon, Washington Post, they're all caving so hard. There are minors trapped inside of them.
- [22:48]
Alison Gill
And it's, it's the United Health Insurance Company effication of the media.
- [22:54]
John Fugelsang
It's just obeying advance, obeying in advance. And they're all licking boots. And Allison, the boots taste like Scott Jennings soul. Abc. ABC decided it would be in their best interest of their bottom line to obey in advance and, and settle this rubbish defamation lawsuit for 15 million. Now you're right. They, they, they never would have. Trump never would have won. And it's very important to. That like Stephanopoulos got the words wrong. Okay? And that's fine. I am very comfortable saying that Donald Trump is an adjudicated rapist who brags about sexual abuse on tape. Because I've chosen my words a bit more carefully.
- [23:31]
Alison Gill
Well, here's the thing. Had he said Donald Trump is a rapist, that would actually have been fine. And if he had said he's an adjudicated, adjudicated rapist, sexual assaulter, he would have been clean. Yes.
- [23:43]
John Fugelsang
Yeah.
- [23:44]
Alison Gill
And he actually still would be clean, I think, because colloquially raped means what it does, even not specifically in New York law.
- [23:52]
John Fugelsang
Isn't it great, though, that because of Donald Trump, we all know that New York rape law means only penetration with a penis and not penetration with digits? That's the difference in most states. That's rape. So Judge Kaplan came out and said it's reasonable to call this rape. They adjudicated that it was rape.
- [24:12]
Alison Gill
Well, that's because Trump sued Eugene Carroll for defamation for saying that she raped him. And he said, no, it wasn't rape. It was digital. It was whatever.
- [24:21]
John Fugelsang
The whole argument of right wing Christians is it wasn't rape, it was just sexual assault. But it would have been impossible for Trump to prove that Stephanopoulos was acting with actual malice. He would have had to show his reputation was harmed. The judge already said the R word and it was covered very broadly in the news. There's 26 women claiming he does this thing. And we've all seen the Access Hollywood tape. Stephanopoulos would have been fine. They had such a strong case. But you have to assume Disney, which it's my understanding, Alison, that Disney does have lawyers. They can't afford lawyers, too. And I guess after two years of beating up Ron DeSantis, Disney figured, you know, if there's 10 mean tweets, would that cost us $15 million in the theme park over the Christmas break? And they just figured 15 million. And it's not a settlement and it's not a donation, it is a bribe. And it's going to the Trump Library, which of course is a presidential library and museum for the kind of Americans who will never visit a library or a museum. That's my favorite thing. You know, it's going to be like the Trump Presidential Library and Casino when it finally opens, right? Like they'll be slot. He'll be taking these roofs of money from beyond the grave. They're going to have to probably open it in Moscow. But I gotten through this whole week by reminding myself that you could, you could, you can convince yourself morally that every penny of the 15 million will ultimately go to the 88 million Donald Trump owns Eugene Carroll. And that's how I'm just trying to get through it, by thinking about it. But knee bent, boot licked. They did it.
- [25:53]
Alison Gill
Yeah. And we had another court capitulation also today.
- [25:57]
John Fugelsang
Yeah, terrible.
- [25:58]
Alison Gill
You know, we know the Supreme Court stepped in and canceled both of Merrick Garland's trials against Donald Trump. But now we've got the Georgia Appellate Court coming in and disqualifying Fani Willis without oral arguments. By the way, there were oral arguments on the calendar for this month. They were mysteriously taken off with no explanation. And then all of a sudden, a decision was rendered. But apparently they have the right to not hear oral arguments. Well, they and disqualified Fani Willis and her whole office from the case.
- [26:26]
John Fugelsang
They have the right to have a rapist smear a woman for consensual sexual activity, which is what this is all about. She had consensual relations and she's being punished for it.
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Alison Gill
Right?
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John Fugelsang
Yeah, Right.
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Alison Gill
Huge double standard. So that also happened today.
- [26:42]
John Fugelsang
And this is. But it's connected to abc. It's not like they're gonna come on TV and say, you can't say that. The danger is they are intimidating people into self censoring. I mean, if anybody should be suing the Des Moines Register poll, it's Kamala Harris. Right. Kamala Harris should sue all the pollsters that said she was going to win and were wrong. Trump's not doing it because he's mad that they were wrong. He won. He's doing it to terrify other people.
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Alison Gill
Yeah. The guy who, by the way, who has paid to rig polls in the past and there's proof of it, is upset that there was a poll that wasn't in his favor, is calling it election interference. Okay.
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John Fugelsang
And they're going to weaponize the FCC to deny broadcast licenses to media he dislikes. Like, this is how it's going to be. It's going to be a level of corruption we've never seen before. And we should all take a lot of heart from the fact that these people are incredibly stupid and they're all selfish and greedy and are hardwired to turn on each other. Looking at you, Elmo.
- [27:37]
Alison Gill
Yeah. And they have so many terrible things they want to do. The list is really long, so it might take a minute to get to the terrible thing that hurts you.
- [27:43]
John Fugelsang
A lot of the terrible things they will be able to do. But let's not forget again this. The, the stupid is always greater than the sinister with American Fascist. This was true of Trump before. This was true of Bush. Cheney. I mean, let's not forget incompetence is what ultimately saved us from Bush. Cheney doing more damage than they did as well. And Mike Johnson's learning right now. Mike Johnson.
- [28:02]
Alison Gill
I was gonna say let's talk about Mike Johnson and 12 hours.
- [28:06]
John Fugelsang
12 hours to keep his job. Oh, and to keep the government going. That too. Yeah. I mean, just get used to hearing this expression rebellion in the gop. Just get used to hearing that phrase because we're going to be hearing a lot about the word disarray. Like, like, like Kevin McCarthy. Like Paul Ryan. Speaker Johnson right now is learning just what you get when you try to placate and normalize the extremists in your party. There's one thing this Republican Party is good at, Dr. Gill, it is obtaining power. But two things. Rewarding donors and obtaining power. And we know this. Once the GOP has power, they trash the hotel room and they leave taxpayers with the bill. So if they fire him for this cr. If they do fire him in a couple of weeks, which they really might do, they're going to treat Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise exactly the same way. Because you do not move legislation forward in grown up land without getting Hakeem Jeffries and the Democrats to come on your side. But we witnessed this week the oligarchy in play. The richest and most socially awkward man on the planet has bought our government. And these billionaires are gonna wreak havoc and shut down the government for working families right before the holidays.
- [29:17]
Alison Gill
Yeah, yeah. Because they wouldn't allow them to give themselves raises. You know, like, among other things, people are like, oh, well, the Democrats are attaching all this bullshit to this bill. Yeah, bullshit like disaster relief.
- [29:30]
John Fugelsang
Thank you. Yeah. And there's plenty of Democrats have already said they won't sign it because of that very reason. I mean, Democrats have said they won't do it. And again, the most do nothing con history, they want to try and slip a pay raise in now. Come on, man. It's just insane. So, I mean, we'll see if they shut down the government. I kind of feel like they won't. The Democrats will save the day again. And you will see over the break, all the right wingers will go home for the holidays and they'll be on Newsmax and oan talking about how awful their speaker is. And we're going to get someone worse than Mike Johnson who's even worse at working with the other side come the second week of January.
- [30:04]
Alison Gill
Yeah, I mean, they still have, I think, a 2 19, 215 until those other two are pulled out. But maybe not. I'm not quite sure because they have to go through confirmation hearings. So I think they're in Congress until that happens. Yeah, so they have. It's razor thin.
- [30:20]
John Fugelsang
But look, the session's not over till the Matt Gaetz report gets leaked, all right? That's what we know. At least we know Santa is going to bring that down the chimney when Congress leaves. As bad as it is, the last thing they do in 2024 is guarantee. Matt Gaetz had better sign his check with Oan fast. That's. That's it?
- [30:38]
Alison Gill
Yeah, it's. Get that contract signed, Matt.
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John Fugelsang
Oh, man, I hope you do it in time because, I mean, my God, there's so many. There's dozens of Oan viewers who can't wait to see you on the air, Matt, so. Really? And half of them can spell oan, so you're in a really good position right now. His statement was the funniest thing I've ever read.
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Alison Gill
Oh, my God. Right?
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John Fugelsang
In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated. Even some I never dated. But who asked? Dude. Dude paid an 18 year old girl 6 grand and paid another 18 year old girl 4 grand and brought them both to New York City with them. He. I dated several of these women for years. I have never had sexual contact with someone under 18. My 30s were an era of working hard and playing hard, too. Wow, that sounds like a guy with nothing to hide, doesn't it? I mean, he's so innocent. He can't. He's so innocent. You can't release this report. I'm sorry, guys. Matt Gaetz quit Congress. I don't want to be all ecclesiastical, but it's Christmas. Alison, I hate to do this on your show, but I'm going to do this. Matt Gaetz resigned from Congress so they wouldn't release the report on him, and they released the report on him anyway. Atheists. Stop telling me there's no God. Fuck y'all. There is a God who wants us to laugh. That's our Christmas stocking right there. The Gates Report. I'm giving one to my kid.
- [31:50]
Alison Gill
I wish we got it in 12 nights. Right?
- [31:53]
John Fugelsang
Like a little Advent calendar. We get different testimony every day.
- [31:57]
Alison Gill
Gates Advent calendar.
- [32:00]
John Fugelsang
I have the Name of the 17 year old girl he bought Molly for. Wow, I can't wait till tomorrow. Herschel Walker is going to keep the Bahamas safe through all of this, so we'll be all right. All the winners.
- [32:11]
Alison Gill
First question was, is there a badge? Do I Get to carry a badge. That was his first question.
- [32:16]
John Fugelsang
The first question to ask him is, Herschel, can you tell us where the Bahamas is on a map? That's all I want to see. There's a lot of. Lot of werewolves and vampires there that he can defeat. So we're going to be okay. By the way, if you. If you've lost a Senate election in Georgia, welcome to the Trump administration. Doug Collins, David Perdue, Herschel Walker, Kelly Loeffler. My God. I mean, Stacey Abrams just needs to turn evil and she can have a job by tomorrow.
- [32:40]
Alison Gill
Yeah, like that's going to happen.
- [32:42]
John Fugelsang
I know.
- [32:43]
Alison Gill
All right, my friend, it's been really wonderful to talk to you. I hope.
- [32:46]
John Fugelsang
Thank you.
- [32:46]
Alison Gill
We're off next week.
- [32:47]
John Fugelsang
Yes.
- [32:49]
Alison Gill
I hope you have an incredible Merry Christmas to you. You know, I know the war on Christmas has started, but.
- [32:53]
John Fugelsang
I know, but war on Christmas is over if you want. Thank you so much, Alison. I just want to thank you for all you've done this year. Not just for me, but for all of your listeners. You just talk people off a ledge and bring such intelligence, calm and grace and wit to everything. And honestly, I talk to a lot of people who are not missing corporate media, which they haven't watched in several weeks. But I've talked to so many people who are leaning on the podcast of The True Believers, SiriusXM progress shows like the one I try to do, shows like yours. Honestly, I'm so looking forward to the next year. And I'm so looking forward to seeing what a newer, more mature resistance looks like where we don't allow these guys to ever make us insane again.
- [33:37]
Alison Gill
Yeah, thank you so much for those kind words. We're the opposition now. We're going to take over the meeting.
- [33:41]
John Fugelsang
Right on. Hey, listen, all I'll say to these people is, once again, every time these Christians elect Caligula, God sends a new plague. So enjoy your bird flu, guys. Here it comes. You signed up for it, right?
- [33:53]
Alison Gill
Tell me there's no God. Right? That's your other Ecclesiastes moment for the.
- [33:57]
John Fugelsang
Well, I will say one last thing, though. You know what I mean? Look, if those drones really are US military, let's relax. It'll be a lot safer once a blackout drunk is in charge of them. That will be fine then. So, Merry Christmas, everyone.
- [34:09]
Alison Gill
Merry Christmas, my friend. Everybody check out Tell me everything on SiriusXM progress channel 127. It's weeknights at 9pm Eastern, 6pm Pacific. One of the hardest working dogs in the dog business, my friend. And also the John Fugelsang show podcast, wherever you get your podcasts. It's been a year, my friend, and we will see you next.
- [34:30]
John Fugelsang
My book is now on sale. It comes out in August. And the Sexy Liberal show is gonna have a big pay per view in D.C. in the belly of the monster Inauguration weekend on the 18th. So come on down and join us because that's gonna be the party of the opposition. And then on Monday we'll celebrate Dr. King's birthday and inaugurate a racist at the same time. That's America.
- [34:50]
Alison Gill
Yeah, it is, unfortunately. All right, my friend. Thank you so much, everybody. Stick around. We'll be right back with the good news. Welcome back. It's time for the good news, everyone. Then good news, everyone. Good news. And if you have any good news confessions corrections, you want to play what the Mutt, which is the original name of the game where you submitted your pod pet tax, your shelter pup. And we guessed what the breeds were. We have what the Mutt. And then we also added cat me if you can. We added Opine and the bovine. What the heckwine? What the hell is in that shell? Because I can guess turtle breeds for some reason. I know like three and I guess that's like 99% of the turtles are these three turtles. So what the hell is in that shell? What's the model of your axolotl? I mean, whatever animal you want to send into us, we love it. And if you don't have pod pet tax to pay, you can send an adoptable pet in your area. And if you don't have any of that, you could send baby pictures, especially holiday baby pictures. Love those very much. And it can be your baby or you as a baby. Just go grab it, send it in and give us a little bit of good news. Maybe something that you're doing to keep your mind off stuff. I think people are looking for ideas. Also, we're doing a bird watching this month on and that might extend into the next four years. But we're doing bird watching here during the good news, which is where you send us photos of you flipping the bird to Trump properties and Trump signs. And then of course we have shout outs, whether it's to a loved one or yourself, a self shout out or a small business in your area or somebody doing great community activism or community organizing or your small business. And of course a shout out to any government program that's helped you or a loved one, whether it's Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Section 8, WIC, SNAP, the PACT act, the expansion of VA health care. Some good VA health care you've received at a local VA clinic. We would love to hear about that. The Affordable Care act, any government program, and of course, student loan forgiveness. Send us your student debt forgiveness stories. We love to hear them. And I send them to the White House and they read them. So please send everything to us dailybeanspod.com and click on Contact. First up, Dr. Crazy Cat Elder Pronouns she and they I'd like to help the most excellent podcasters I know with the pronunciation of polymerase. It's polymerase, which is a word for an enzyme indicated by the a's ending that breaks up polymers. If only we had Amaga A's for bodbet tax I give you Tangerine and Byleth, each insisting that the other is not right beside them. I love that. I love that how they the the object permanence with cats is spectacular. Or the lack thereof. But yes, thank you, Dr. Crazy Cat Elder. We had a story yesterday about how the paper about hydroxychloroquine had been retracted and there were a lot of a lot of words in there that we weren't familiar with. So thank you very much for that. Next up, m pronouns she and her hey there, Beans, beauties. A kind Correction Born is pronounced like Bernie Sanders. Bernie. Okay, that B O E R N e. There are so many weird pronunciation towns in Texas, because I was calling it Burn, but it's Bernie. There are so many weird pronunciation towns in Texas that are always. And there's always someone who actually lives in Texas who doesn't know how to pronounce it since the state is so huge. And unless you live in Central Texas like I did growing up, you couldn't know. So people who didn't grow up in Central Texas definitely aren't expected to know. Y'all read a message of mine a few weeks ago and I added my cat Lionel, cuddling. Since then, he's basically attached to me. Every time I'm on the couch, it's the one time he's not being an agent of chaos. Here's another picture of him, once again sleeping, therefore not being his oh no, where is the brain cell Orange Boy self? He loves when we put up the Christmas tree every year and he sleeps under it, next to it or next to it. Often, though there's always at least once we find the tree on its side in the morning. And the red bell, you see, it was supposed to deter him from messing with the tree, as it did for previous kitties, but he just likes to bat at it and make it jingle because he's a jerk. We love this chunk. Anyway, thanks for everything you both do, including keeping many of us informed but not overwhelmed by the awfulness coming our way. I have found that I absolutely can't listen to something as usually innocuous as NPR without getting stressed out by the coverage of what's happening with the incoming administration, but you both make it seem manageable. Oh, extra note. OMG ag. You made me cry when you told Lois we have the watch so many times. My disabled body makes me feel like I can't do anything to help to resist the oncoming super scary administration. I breathed a big sigh and cried at the idea that women like you have the watch for the times that I can't contribute. Again, thanks for all you do with the podcasts and in all the other ways you take action. And I'm not forgetting DG and all of her activism either. I hope that when you need to take a break, I can take the watch a bit for you. Oh thank you so much Em. Look at this orange boy sleeping so he's not worried about where the one brain cell is. He's beautiful. Thanks for sharing again, Em. Next up, Anonymous she her? I have a confession. Every time I see the Tesla logo, I think that's a nice looking uterus. Or why'd they put an IUD on that car? Because it looks like what I have shoved up in my vajayjay. Does anyone else see it or is it just me? For a bunch of macho assholes, they sure do like using our lady bits for their own profit. Again. And this is from a note from our producer. Not to mention it's a weird logo for a guy who shouts racistly about declining birth rates. Yes indeed, for podbet Tax. I want to shine a light on a wonderful lady who runs a small dog rescue out of her home in Wisconsin. She takes just about any dog or puppy, many that have been confiscated from puppy mills and rehabs them before finding them forever homes. She's on Facebook and she keeps us up to date on the journeys while waiting for adoption. Which is heartwarming to see. But those vet visits are costly. So check out Dell's animal hospital. It's dellsanimalhospital.net or Madison Veterinary Specialists mvsvets.com and let them know you'd like to donate toward Bully and Friends vet bills. It's Bully and Friends and we will have these links in the show notes. Also, if anyone would like to see the adorable dog she has had through her doors and the sweetheart she currently has. We also have a Pet finder link for you in the show. Notes Here's a picture of a sweet little gray pup that they recently had and has already been adopted. And a picture of one that's currently available, the little black one. Want to take a few what the mutt guesses? You ladies make my mornings tolerable. Thank you and your team for all the hard work you do to make our lives a little easier but not drowning in the news. The gray pup is adorable and the black pup looks like a Frenchie. Boston Terrier is adorable. Let's see what we're oh and then we've got some IUDs Tesla, also known as Tesla Logos. The little gray is half Corgi poodle. The little black one is a French bulldog. Totally French bulldog. I was looking for a mix. Adorable. So this black French bulldog from Bullies and Friends is available. Bandit, she's available. I love this. Thank you so much for sending that in. Next up from Emmy. I work from home in my PJs. Fuck yeah. I'm in my 70s and my boss of 18 years and co workers are an amazing group of helping humans. A few years back my boss allowed me to work from home since my physical strength was just not there. But my mind still worked and I love my work. I'm sharing a picture of my office mate. A year ago she and her three month old sibling and mother were dumped on the highway to fend for themselves. Who does that? Luckily a dog rescue gal saved them. Her brother went to our kin and her mother to a family friend. She gets to romp with her bro often. This picture is on her one year anniversary at our home on the job. She's beautiful. She looks like a black German Shepherd. She's gorgeous. All right, next up from Anonymous from Chicago. She her My good news is a shout out and a huge congratulation to my dear friend Beth, whose debut novel released last week and today hit the USA Today Best Seller list. The book is called I Made it out of Clay and here's a short blurb. In this darkly funny and surprisingly sweet novel, a woman creates a golem in a desperate attempt to pretend her life is a rom com rather than a disaster. In an absolutely beautiful book about grief and connections that I can't recommend enough and not just because my friend wrote it, but the really amazing part of the story is how the book came to be in the first place. Two years ago Beth whipped up a quick outline of the story as an 11th hour entry to a Hanukkah movie pitch contest on the website. Hey Alma. And she won. Her winning entry got tons of traction and actual movie producers started reaching out, but her literary agent passed along a tip from a film agent colleague write the book first. So Beth literally wrote the book in just two months and her agent sold it in an auction almost immediately. Anyway, I could go on and on about my friend and her much deserved success, but you should check her book out for yourself. It's called I Made it out of Clay. We will have a link in the show notes. It's by Beth Kander and I look forward to reading it as Podpet Tax. I wish I had a bird watching pick for you since we've got one of the God awful Trump Tower here in Chicago. But alas, I won't get downtown again until next week. So consider this a pod tax IOU deal. Thanks for all you do Wonderful beans ladies. Anonymous from Chicago. You can send us that bird that bird watching photo from Chicago. You know next week is fine. Next up, Hodad Del Vecchio pronouns he and him Just a bad news, good news thing A week ago last Friday, I was fired from a job I had for 14 months. I was told, quote, I couldn't be trained and that my performance was below par. Though none of that is important to the story, the fact is the shop where I was working was so dysfunctional and the atmosphere so toxic that not only did I expect the firing, I quite literally welcomed it. The good news is yesterday, nine days after being fired, I applied for another similar job and got a call an hour later to set up an interview. Today, went to the interview and two hours later I got the job. I'm very excited about the new job. The hours are much better, the atmosphere is totally chill, and it will take no time for my central nervous system to detox after the year plus hell I've been through at the other joint. I know this kind of thing is rare in the world of unemployment, but to all those out there looking for a better work life, please don't give up. I'm totally thankful, humbled and grateful for this unexpected fast turnaround. AG and dg, you have helped me keep my sanity these past few months. My first episode of the Beans hooked me immediately. That's the Lightning Vest episode. I was in stitches. And yes, I have heard the charismatic Megaplastics episode. It's an absolute must listen for all the new Beanie Babies out there. Okay, Lightning Vest I was trying to my my friend's dog is afraid of thunderstorms and I was trying to remember the name Thundershirt. But I asked. I just asked with a serious look on my face, as a matter of factly, have you tried a lightning vest instead of a Thundershirt? And we laughed and laughed. All right, for my podpet tax, I humbly submit my furball Mungo Jerry sleeping on my lap last night while we watched old episodes of the Masked Singer. Thank you again you ladies of the light roast and keep up doing the Lord's work. Thank you beautiful kitty cat. Love it so much. Everybody please send your good news to us dailybeanspod.com click on Contact Dana and I will be back in your ears Monday. Hopefully I'll have my voice back. And thank you for not only hanging in with me solo, but through this very low, raspy voice. I appreciate it. And thanks to John Fugelsang for showing up today. Always love talking to him. And until until until Monday morning, everybody please, please take care of yourselves, take care of each other, take care of the planet, take care of your mental health and take care of your family. I've been ag and 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 msw media.