Refried Beans | Baker's Dozen (feat. Hugo Lowell) | 6.21.2022

Summary

The Daily Beans: Refried Beans | Baker's Dozen (feat. Hugo Lowell) | 6.21.2022

Date Aired: June 21, 2022
Hosted by: Allison Gill (AG) & Dana Goldberg
Special Guest: Hugo Lowell (The Guardian)

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Daily Beans delves into pivotal political and legal news from June 2022, centering on the fourth public hearing of the January 6th Committee investigating the attempted coup. The hosts provide updates on key stories including judicial misconduct, the Proud Boys' legal battles, and the radicalization of the Texas GOP platform. Congressional reporter Hugo Lowell joins to preview the day’s hearing, with a sharp focus on the evidence potentially implicating Donald Trump directly in the fake electors scheme. Listeners are also treated to "The Good News" segment, featuring uplifting community submissions and animal rescue stories.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. January 6th Committee Hearing: What to Expect

[01:30, 16:41, 17:22]

• The main theme is the upcoming fourth hearing of the January 6th Committee (scheduled for 1pm Eastern), which AG will be attending and live-tweeting.
• Witness Lineup: Raffensperger (Georgia Secretary of State), Gabriel Sterling (his deputy), Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, and Wandrea "Shaye" Moss (election worker).
  • Significance: Moss, with her mother Ruby Freeman, was falsely accused of election fraud and later harassed and defamed by Trump allies; both have since taken legal action, including a settlement with OANN and a lawsuit against Rudy Giuliani.
  • Memorable Quote – AG:

    “It’s Wandrea, also known as Shaye Moss, that will be testifying before the committee today. So we are going to want to pay attention to that.” [03:58]

2. Judicial Misconduct in Florida

[04:51]

• Exposure of Judge Renatha Francis (appointed by Ron DeSantis) for lying on her Florida Supreme Court application by omitting past ethics complaints.
  • She previously failed to meet the qualification of being an attorney for at least 10 years.
  • False official statements on such documents could be a criminal offense, carrying jail time and a fine.
  • Memorable Quote – Dana:

    “So it's like she's burning the flag. She wasn't a lawyer for 10 years and wasn't able to be on the Supreme Court in 2020. So I guess she was only a lawyer for eight years, because in 2022, you put her on there, but now she's lied on her thing.” [06:49]

3. Proud Boys’ Legal Maneuvers Fail

[06:49, 07:38]

• Proud Boys leader Ethan Nordean filed his 13th motion for pretrial release, arguing that his right to a speedy trial was violated.
  • Judge Tim Kelly (a Trump appointee) rejected the motion, clarifying that home detention did not count as being "detained."
  • Nordean and four other Proud Boys face charges of seditious conspiracy.
  • Memorable Quote – AG:

    “For more than a year between then and now, Nordean has filed 13 motions, 15 supplements to those motions, and two appeals…” [08:27]

  • Nordean’s Social Media (from indictment) – November 2020:

    “We tried playing nice and by the rules. Now you will deal with the monster you created… We are unstoppable, unrelenting, and now unforgiving. Good luck to all you traitors of this country we so deeply love. You’re going to need it.” [09:49]

4. Extreme Texas GOP Platform

[11:18]

• The Texas Republican Party adopted a platform declaring Biden illegitimately elected, condemning gun reform efforts, and labeling homosexuality as an "abnormal lifestyle choice."
  • Other planks include opposition to red-flag gun laws and support for teaching anti-abortion ideology.
  • The party is also pushing toward the far-right, embracing “stolen election” rhetoric and rebuking moderate Republicans.
  • Memorable Quote – Dana:

    “Are you fucking kidding me?” [12:15]
    “… They also talked about secession. Right. Like retaining their right to secede from the union.” [14:54]

5. Interview with Hugo Lowell (The Guardian): Deep Dive on the 1/6 Committee Hearing

[16:41–23:43]

• Hugo shares insights from a background committee call:
  • The committee has new, direct evidence allegedly connecting Donald Trump to the fake electors scheme—a possible crime.
  • DOJ interest is significant, with active grand juries investigating top Trump lawyers like Giuliani and Eastman.
  • Discussion of strategy: John Eastman needed “fake electors” so Pence could claim there was a legitimate dispute, creating a pretense to overturn the results.
  • Eastman initially conceded that neither the 12th Amendment nor Electoral Count Act supported his plan, but shifted stance—possibly under outside pressure.
  • State and federal prosecutors, including in Michigan and Georgia (Fani Willis), are pursuing related criminal investigations.
  • Memorable Quotes:
    • Hugo:

      “The indication I got from the committee is that they have direct evidence that ties Trump to the fake elector scheme itself, not just his call to Raffensperger...” [19:22]

    • AG:

      “That is what I'll be looking for… something new that we haven't seen before and it directly ties Donald to the fraudulent elector scheme.” [21:17]

    • Hugo:

      “If it's true … and the committee does have sufficient evidence to connect Trump to the fake electors scheme, I think it could be a really big deal.” [23:10]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:30 — Main headlines and witness lineup for Jan 6th hearing.
• 03:58 — Background on Shaye Moss and defamation cases.
• 04:51 — Florida judge Renatha Francis’ false statement and legal exposure.
• 07:38 — Proud Boys’ failed attempt for pretrial release.
• 12:15–14:54 — Texas GOP platform radicalization and exclusion of Log Cabin Republicans.
• 16:41–23:43 — Hugo Lowell interview: previewing the hearing and the Trump–fake electors connection.

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

• AG on Moss’ Testimony:

  “It’s Wandrea, also known as Shaye Moss, that will be testifying before the committee today. So we are going to want to pay attention to that.” [03:58]

• Dana on Texas GOP Platform:

  “Are you fucking kidding me?... This is literally insanity… Absolutely disgusting. 100% fucking disgusting.” [12:15–14:54]

• Hugo Lowell, on New Evidence:

  “The indication I got from the committee is that they have direct evidence that ties Trump to the fake elector scheme itself, not just his call to Raffensperger...” [19:22]

• AG on Key Hearing Evidence:

  “That is what I'll be looking for… something new that we haven't seen before and it directly ties Donald to the fraudulent elector scheme.” [21:17]

• Dana on Judicial Scandal:

  “So it's like she's burning the flag. She wasn't a lawyer for 10 years and wasn't able to be on the Supreme Court in 2020. So I guess she was only a lawyer for eight years, because in 2022, you put her on there, but now she's lied on her thing.” [06:49]

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The Good News Segment

[24:27–32:51] A signature, lighthearted segment where the hosts share listeners’ good news, pet stories, and community shout-outs:

• Listeners share tales of animal rescues and challenging pet adoptions.

• Celebrations of community meetups, birthdays, and personal milestones.

• Uplifting reflections on compassion and resilience in the face of adversity.

  “With love and understanding, these once frightened, terrified, and unsocial dogs have come a long way in a short time and are valued members of our family.” — Listener Alan [30:03]

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Conclusion

This episode captures a snapshot of American political turbulence, focusing on the search for truth and accountability regarding the January 6th insurrection and its aftermath. AG and Dana dissect legal developments with wit and urgency, while Hugo Lowell’s expert analysis hammers home the hearing’s significance. The “good news” segment provides a warm, communal counterpoint, reinforcing the podcast’s progressive voice and resilient spirit.

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For Listeners Pressed for Time

• Start at 01:30 for the day’s key headlines and witness discussion.
• Jump to 16:41 for the Hugo Lowell interview and exclusive inside scoop.
• 24:27 onward for uplifting listener submissions and community engagement.

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The Daily Beans continues to blend sharp political analysis with heart, humor, and hope—making the fraught news cycle a bit more bearable and a lot more informed.

Transcript

[A]

Hi, I'm Frances Collier. And I'm Angela V. Shelton. And we're Frangela. You know what, you mean in your life. The Final Word podcast. Yes, you do. That's right. It is the final word on all things political and pop cultural, where we make real news, real funny, where we inspire you so you can resist. Subscribe and get a new episode of the Final Word podcast each week. It's the news we think you need to hear. That's right. We think you need to hear it. Okay. Yeah. It's what we say.

[B]

So.

[A]

That's right. And because all we do is give. Every Thursday, you can listen to our hysterical podcast, Idiot of the Week. We round up the stupid. Because you know what? Somebody has to.

[C]

Okay?

[D]

All we do is give. MSW Media. Hey, everybody, it's Ag. And welcome to Refried Beans, where we play an episode of the Daily Beans podcast with from the same week either one, two or three years ago, so we can see how far we've come. So please enjoy this episode from days gone by and note the date in the intro.

[B]

Refried beans. I like refried beans. That's why I want to try fried

[D]

beans, because maybe they're just as good

[B]

and we're wasting time.

[D]

Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Tuesday, June 21, 2022. Today. The fourth committee hearing on the attempted coup is today at 1pm Eastern Time. A DeSantis judge committed a crime by lying on her state supreme court application. A federal judge rejects a proud boy's motion for pretrial release. And the fascist Texas Republican platform has been released. I'm Allison Gill.

[C]

And I'm Dana Goldberg.

[D]

Hello, my dear friend. How are you today?

[C]

H. I'm doing okay. I'm making it through. I have moments of feeling like I turned the corner, and then I get hit with the wave. But right now, we're doing all right.

[D]

All right. Well, I would love to say that you sound better, but your voice is still pretty raspy, my friend. And I'm so sorry. I appreciate you being here. You don't have to be here.

[C]

No, I'm kidding. I'm all right. And it'll go in and out. Everything's fine. It's good. See? Listen. It sounds totally normal, doesn't it?

[D]

Everyone totally totes normal.

[C]

Toad's normal.

[D]

It does come in and out. I know. I remember being sick and trying to perform and somehow pulling it off. So I just want you to know, if you need to rest, you just tell me, and we're gonna have you rest. I will no worries at all. But I'm very glad that you're here today. We're gonna also be talking to Hugo Lowell a little bit later in the show about what to expect from this hearing today. I'll be in the hearing room live tweeting as it happens. So tune in wherever you watch your hearings. We have a lot of news to get to, especially some disturbing news. Let's hit the hot notes. Hot notes. All right, we have the witness list for the hearing today which begins at 1pm As I said, I'll be in the hearing room live tweeting the standout moments. There's a lot of times that you can't tell on TV when the whole room like, gasps. And I will be tweeting out those moments for you. Hugo Lowell at the Guardian tweeted out three of the names we know about that are testifying tomorrow. That's Raffensperger and his deputy, Gabriel Sterling, and House speaker in Arizona for the House of Representatives, Rusty Bowers. But we've learned they've added a fourth. Wandrea Shay Moss. And if she sounds familiar, Moss, along with her mother, Ruby Freeman, have sued several organizations and got a settlement from oann. They've also sued Rudy Giuliani for defamation because they were accused by right wing pundits, Trump allies and Trump himself of committing election fraud by producing suitcases of ballots and running them through counting machines multiple times. This suitcases theory was also investigated by the Department of Justice and BJ Pack and they both told Trump there's nothing to this. In fact, there was video, Dana, if you remember, released of Kanye West's publicist. Oh, I remember trying to pressure Ruby Freeman at her home. She said she was sent by a high profile individual named Harrison Ford of all things. I guess it's not, you know, Indiana Jones, but someone else named Harrison Ford and told her that if she didn't confess to her election fraud that people would be coming to her home within 48 hours or that in threatening that she would be going to jail. And that was Ruby Freeman. That's Wandrea Mas's mother. And it's Wandrea, also known as Seamos, that will be testifying before the committee today. So we are going to want to pay attention to that.

[C]

Great. Thank you so much, AG. Wow, that was a little Peter Brady slipped right in there, didn't it?

[D]

Okay, got the changes.

[C]

Thanks, A.G. all right. The Florida bulldog revealed that the documents filed for state Supreme Court justice position in Florida were made a false statement on the official document, Judge Renatha Francis lied on her application for the state Supreme Court in the question asking if she'd been on the receiving end of an ethics investigation. Now, Frances, who was promoted by Donald to Ron DeSantis as a good candidate for federal judge, answered no. When asked if she has ever had, quote, a complaint about you ever been made to the Judicial Qualifications Commission, she said no. If she had, Frances would have had to add details about the specifics. Now, the comment could even fall under a Florida crime for lying on an official document because she signed the document saying she answered all the questions, quote, truthfully, fully, and completely. She did not. She's actually had three complaints filed against her. Three, not just one. One in a divorce case where lawyer Margarita Downey said publicly about the judge. And this is a quote, when I appear in her court, it's like watching a judge burn our flag. That is white.

[D]

The quote, yelp review.

[C]

Right. That's a one star if I've ever seen it. In another case, it's worth noting that DeSantis tried to put Frances on the Supreme Court in 2020, but there's a rule that you must be a licensed attorney for at least 10 years, and Francis didn't meet that requirement. Now, Republican officials tried to ignore the rule, but ultimately they lost the case in court, probably because the judge had been a lawyer for more than 10 years. There's also a matter of appeals overturning her ruling. Okay, so as the bulldog points out, making, quote, a false official statement in writing with the intent to mislead a public servant in the performance of his or her official duty is a second degree misdemeanor crime, and it's punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a fine up to $500. It falls under Florida's statute, Section 837, 0.06. So that's what we have on that.

[D]

So it's like she's burning the flag. She wasn't a lawyer for 10 years and wasn't able to be on the Supreme Court in 2020. So I guess she was only a lawyer for eight years, because in 2022, you put her on there, but now she's lied on her thing. So those complaints, plus all of the appeals that have overturned her rulings. So, yeah, super great judge. Let's go to a little bit. This is a little more of a funny story in the courts. Proud boy leader Ethan Nordean filed a motion for pretrial release, citing his right to a speedy trial, has been, you know, trampled upon. And Trump appointee Judge Kelly made a ruling. This is from Adam Klassfeldt at Law and crime, he says 13 times isn't the charm for Proud Boys member whose attorneys have filed a baker's dozen motions for his pretrial release.

[C]

Oh my God.

[D]

13th Ethan Nordein, one of the men charged in the Proud Boy seditious conspiracy indictment, can't cite the speedy trial clock to win his freedom before his August trial. That's according to a federal judge on Monday. And keep in mind, the Proud Boys have asked to move kick their hearing, their trial back to December. And you know, I figured that's cool with the Department of Justice because they're like whatever, your speedy trial clock hasn't even started ticking yet, Buddy. Arrested on February 3, Nordine initially succeeded in securing home detention in the early stages of his prosecution. But the federal judge currently presiding over his case revoked his release and ordered him detained months later in April 2021. Nordean, who has been incarcerated since then, is now among the group of five Proud Boys accused of seditious conspiracy. This is District Judge Tim Kelly, a Trump appointee, as I said, he recounted Nordine's many failed attempts to secure his release. For more than a year between then and now, Nordine has filed 13 motions, 15 supplements to those motions and two appeals, Kelly wrote in a ruling on Monday rejecting Nordean's latest bid to win his freedom on speedy trial grounds. Nordean claimed that the 90 day speedy trial clock began running on the day of his arrest rather than the day Judge Kelly ordered him detained on April 20, 2021. He also objected to some of the judges determinations as to when the ends of justice justify excluding certain days from his calculations. But after considering Nordean's motions, the post hearing supplements to those motions, the government's motions, Nordine's appeals, his co defendant's motions and his co defendant's appeals, and the court's many ends of justice findings related to the enormous amount of discovery in this case and Covid 19's impact on the court's ability to hold trials consistent with the public health. That deadline is still a ways off, he wrote in a 27 page ruling. Nordine, also known as Rufio Panman, super Hook fan I guess, was a member of the Proud Boys Elders chapter and a president of his local chapter. Prosecutors placed him in the so called Ministry of Self Defense encrypted messaging chat group along with Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and Joseph Biggs, Zachary Real and all those guys. On December 27, 2020, Nordine allegedly created an online crowdfunding Campaign seeking donations for protective gear and communications to be used on January 6. Tracing Nordean's alleged plotting far earlier, prosecutors quote him posting the following statement on social media on November 27, 2020, quote, we tried playing nice and by the rules. Now you will deal with the monster you created. Nordine wrote, and that's according to his indictment, quote, the spirit of 1776 has resurfaced and has created groups like the Proud Boys. And we will not be extinguished. We will grow like the flame that fuels us and spread like love that guides us. We are unstoppable, unrelenting, and now unforgiving. Good luck to all you traitors of this country we so deeply love. You're going to need it now. At multiple points in his ruling, Kelly describes the speedy trial rules proposed by Nordine's lawyer as novel. They claim that Nordine has been continuously detained since his first detention, which fell close to his arrest. In fact, Nordine was released on bond before his release was revoked. His lawyers also claim that someone released from prison with certain conditions could be said to be, quote, unquote, detained. So they. They wanted to count the time he was released to his home confinement as detained.

[C]

Oh, geez.

[D]

In the end, no court has adopted the alternative reading Nordean proposes, and this court will not be the first. Kelly wrote. The Proud Boys leaders are scheduled to go to trial in August. As I said, they've asked for continuance because they said they want to wait till the dust settles from these hearings because they're making them look bad. And so they want to, you know, do it at the end of the year.

[C]

Thank you so much, AG. In the last story in the segment, the Republican Party in Texas made a series of far right declarations as part of its official party platform. This was over the weekend, which is funny because they've never had one in the past claiming that President Biden was not legitimately elected. That's one. Issuing a rebuke to Senator John Cornyn for his work on bipartisan gun legislation and referring to homosexuality as an abnormal lifestyle choice. Are you fucking kidding me? So I saw this article. It's absurd. Yeah. The platform was voted on in Houston as the state party's convention, which concluded on Saturday. The resolutions about Biden and Cornyn were approved by a voice vote of the delegates. According to James Washington Wasilek, the communications director for the Republican Party of Texas, the statements about homosexuality, as well as additional stances on abortion that called for students to, quote, learn about the humanity of the preborn child were among more than 270planks that were approved by a platform committee and voted on by the larger group of convention delegates using paper ballots. The results of those votes were still pending on Sunday, but Mr. Waselek said it was rare for a plank to be voted down by the full convention after being approved by the committee. The resolutions adopting the false claims that former President Trump was the victim of a stolen election in 2020, as well as the other declarations were the latest examples of Texas Republicans moving further to the right in recent months. If you can even imagine that. Now Republicans control both chambers of the legislature, which is part of the problem, the governor's mansion and every statewide affordable office, and have used their dominance to push tough anti abortion legislation, create supply chain problems by temporarily adding additional state inspections at the border and re nominate. You heard me, re nominate. The Trump backed state attorney general over a member of the Bush family in a primary runoff in May. Now, the state party's resolution embracing the baseless 2020 stolen election claim stated that, quote, substantial election fraud in key metropolitan areas significantly affected the results in five key states in favor of Mr. Bide Biden, the state party. The resolution continued rejected, quote, the certified results of the 2020 presidential election. And we hold that Acting President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. Was not legitimately elected by the people of the United States. You've got to be fucking kidding me.

[D]

This is a serious party.

[C]

This is literally insanity. And yes, it gets worse. The resolution encouraged Republicans to, quote, show up to vote in November and to bring your friends and family, volunteer for your local Republicans and overwhelm any possible fraud.

[D]

So they've stolen our vote in numbers too big to manipulate.

[C]

Correct. Now, the resolution rebuking Mr. Cornyn that passed at the convention opposed red flag laws which allows guns to be seized from people deemed to be dangerous. Those laws, according to the resolution, quote, violate one's right to due process and are pre crime punishment of people not adjudicated guilty. Now, the homosexuality plank that was passed ag the platform committee by a vote of 17 to 14. That's according to Mr. Vaughn, who is an openly gay member of the committee who voted against it. And in addition, and this is in the article, I believe they also voted out log cabinet Republicans from having any sort of a say in in in decision making, which is a new thing that they've done. Because if you're not familiar with Log Cabin Republicans, they're gay Republicans, which I don't necessarily understand, but they've also rebuked them. And so it'll be Interesting to see what they end up doing in this next midterm.

[D]

Yeah. This just shows you're not part of the club.

[C]

Nope.

[D]

Yeah. Absolutely disgusting. 100% fucking disgusting. And then they also talked about secession. Right. Like retaining their right to secede from the union. Yeah. But then, you know, I think of all my friends and beautiful, amazing people who live in Texas.

[C]

Yep.

[D]

And it's just. That's frightening. It's frightening. And of course, Paxton, who's been under indictment now for, like, a long time. Years. Unbelievable. All right, we'll be right back with Hugo Lowell. We're going to talk about what to expect in today's hearings right after this. And then the good news comes after that. So stick.

[E]

Hello, Martin Sheen here. And it seems to me that no day of the week is without its endless barrage of bad news. Even on Sunday. For God's sake, let's change that. What do you say? Together, let's make Sunday immune to bad news. Available now every Sunday, Season three of the Martin Sheen Podcast with yours truly, Martin Sheen has begun. Yeah. 10 brand new episodes are already underway. So join me, Martin sheen, for a 20 minute journey as I share my personal stories, a bit of poetry, and insightful reflections that will encourage you to take a deep breath and enjoy a relaxing moment. Of course, it's important to know and understand what's happening in the world, but I also believe there's nothing wrong with taking a step back to find strength and clarity. And Lord knows we need that now more than ever. A moment of thoughtfulness and calm may be rare these days, but it doesn't have to be. So what do you say? You want to take back your Sundays? So do I. And guess what? I've already done it with the Martin Sheen Podcast, season three, available now. Don't mess with my Sunday. And thank you for listening.

[D]

Hey, everyone. Welcome back. Happy to be joined today by my friend Hugo Lowell. He writes for the Guardian. Congressional reporter. Hey, Hugo, how's it going?

[B]

Hey, I'm good. How are you?

[D]

I'm doing good. Long time no see. It's been like a day and a half. So I really wanted to get your take because I know that you're doing this, writing this up for the Guardian. You're very, you know, really involved in these hearings and what they mean. And, you know, I just reported a little bit earlier on the show that We've added that fourth witness, Ms. Moss, to the dais tomorrow. Can you tell us a little bit about what we might expect as far as maybe any new evidence or anything that we should be looking for in today's hearing, which starts, incidentally, at 1pm Eastern.

[B]

So I just got off a background briefing call with the committee, and the one thing I wanted to get confirmed was what Schiff said on CNN on Sunday, which was that they had evidence of Trump's involvement, direct involvement in the fake elector scheme, which would be significant and it would be new right. To date, we have seen evidence that the White House Communications Agency was listed on the metadata of some of the fake election certificates that these Trump electors signed and then sent to the National Archives and other government bodies. So I'm really looking for what the committee has in terms of evidence that connects Trump directly to the fake lecture scheme, which we, as we know, is a potential crime. Right. It's a crime to falsify election documents or formal kind of official documents, and it's also a crime to send that off to government bodies.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

And I know we got a very brief glimpse in the hearing last Thursday of a letter that was. It said to be sent to POTUS about some disagreements that Eastman, back in October was having way back before the election, in a draft letter that he was sort of reviewing and putting, you know, how you review and put comments on things and strike things and add things. And Eastman was telling presumably Donald Trump, no, you can't. You know, 12th amendment doesn't let Pence just do what, you know, act unilaterally, and neither does the Electoral Count Act. So, you know, that sort of establishes that Eastman knew it couldn't be done early on, and then that sort of changed over time. And then we know it was supposed to be sent to the President, but we don't know if the President received it. And we certainly haven't seen any communications from Trump to any of his team about this elector slate. But we do know about the call to Raffensperger. Could Schiff had just been referring to the Raffensperger call.

[B]

That is not the indication that I got from the committee. The indication I got from the committee is that they have direct evidence that ties Trump to the fake elector scheme itself, not just his court, to Raffensperger saying, can I find 11,780 votes, one more basically to give me the election win in Georgia. I think the thing to remember with Eastman, and this is kind of what I'm going to keep in my head as we go into the hearing tomorrow, is Eastman knew that he needed a basis, some sort of basis that underpinned the strategy on January 6, which was to have Pence either send the or to declare a recess and give time for states to send Trump slates of electors, or to just throw the results out completely and have the House decide the election in a contingent election. The point was he knew that he needed to have some sort of underlying basis. And this was the underlying basis. It was. You know, I like to think of it as Eastman conceived of the fake elector scheme in order to give Pence some sort of COVID some sort of reason that he could use to say, oh, they're dueling electors today, which means the outcome of the election is in doubt, which means I can't count the states which have electives, which means, oh, fun, fancy that. I return Trump to the Oval Office. And that's the thing that I'm going to keep in mind. And the other thing to keep in mind, of course, is that Eastman knew the plan could only work if those fake electors were certified by the state legislatures. And as we learned in the last hearing, Eastman, by January 2, January 3, January 4, had found out or had realized that these states were never going to certify these so called alternate slates and therefore went to Trump and said, and then went to Pence and said, forget this thing about sending them back. You just need to declare Trump president.

[A]

Right.

[D]

Because he had said these elector slates will be dead on arrival because they haven't been certified by states. And I'm also very interested to see if they touch on when Eastman changed his mind because of that letter we saw to potus. That draft letter to potus. Eastman seemed pretty dead set on there not being a way to get around the 12th Amendment or the Electoral Count Act. So I'm wondering if it was the email sent to him by Cleta Mitchell what sort of changed his mind. And maybe there's some sort of culpability for Donald there to say find a way, push through it. But that is what I'll be looking for is that particular thing that Adam Schiff hinted at when he talked to Dana Bash this weekend. So I'm definitely looking for that too. And it sounds like from the indication you got from the briefing conference call that it is something new that we haven't seen before and it directly ties Donald to the fraudulent elector scheme.

[B]

Yeah. And you know, it's the thing to keep in mind also is that DOJ is already investigating this as part of its criminal investigation to January 6th. Right. They are looking. One grand jury has been in panel to look at the rally organizers, but more recently another grand jury, and we know it's different. Grand jury because they have different grand jury numbers. I've seen the subpoena is this other grand jury is looking at the involvement of top Trump lawyers in the fake elective scheme. They're looking at what Giuliani was doing, what Eastman was doing, and they are now actively subpoenaing people to appear before that grand jury to give evidence. And so DOJ already has taken a big interest in this. I think the state attorney general in Michigan has already said she believes she has enough evidence to charge Trump and others with potential crimes. So this is obviously an interest to the DOJ and to both state and federal prosecutors. And so if, if it's true that the second committee and then the second committee does have sufficient evidence to connect Trump to the fake lecture scheme, I think it could be a really big deal.

[D]

Yeah. And we can't forget about Fani Willis, Fulton County District Attorney, who is also looking at the fraudulent elector scheme along with the interference in the general election. Well, generally in the election with the Raffensperger call, the Lindsey Graham call and stuff like that. So 11,000, 780 votes. And we're going to hear from him tomorrow or today, I should say, as well. So thank you so much for coming on, letting us know. Everybody, check out the Guardian you submitted a really good explainer about what we can look for. So you can find that by following Hugo on Twitter. I appreciate your time today.

[B]

Thanks so much for having me, as always.

[D]

Everybody stick around. We'll be right back with the good news.

[A]

Hi, I'm Frances Collier. And I'm Angela V. Shelton. And we're Frantila. You know what you need in your life? The Final Word podcast. Yes, you do. That's right. It is the final word on all things political and pop cultural, where we make real news, real funny, where we inspire you so you can resist. Subscribe and get a new episode of the Final Word podcast each week. It's the news we think you need to hear.

[C]

That's right.

[A]

We think you need to hear it. Okay. Yeah. It's what we say, so. That's right. And because all we do is give. Every Thursday, you can listen to our hysterical podcast, Idiot of the Week. We round up the stupid. Because you know what? Somebody has to.

[C]

Okay?

[D]

All we do is give. Everybody welcome back. It's time for the good news. Who likes good news?

[E]

Everyone.

[B]

Then good news, everyone.

[D]

Good news, good news. And if you have any good news or confessions, corrections, anything you want to send us, photos of your happy place, adoptable pets in your area, your own pod, pet Tax photos, Halloween pictures I take all year. Santa pictures, Easter Bunny pictures. Shit. Kids say shit, adults say shit, your parents say. That's always fun. You can send that in. Just shit people say. You can send it [e-mail] and click on Contact. And then also, if you're listening on Apple and you're not a premium subscriber, please go to Apple Co. Beans, all lowercase, to make sure you're following and subscribed to the correct version of the daily be. We're going to be archiving one of them soon. There is an imposter, but it's actually just a duplicate. All right, first up, from Michael. E. Pronouns, he and him. Oh, no, I have to correct the correction. The S in Bruges is silent, much like the D in the previous episode. The D is silent in America.

[C]

Oh, my God. So funny.

[D]

In Bruges. Bruges. Bruges. All right, well, anyway, thanks, Michael. We'll get it right one day. And then, real quick, I'll do this next one from Lisa. Pronouns, she and they. Greetings, Beans. Queens following for years gifted the pod to friends and family for Christmas. It's my birthday week. Turning 60 seems huge.

[C]

It is.

[D]

I hate parties, especially with COVID still roaring, and especially since my husband is having chemo.

[C]

Oh, man.

[D]

But I wanted to share how I've decided to celebrate. I'm asking for stories as gifts. I started asking at the beginning of the month, and I received some great stuff, especially from former students who remember the funniest things that I have no recollection of. For example, the one who shared one day in her classroom where she literally wrote Mrs. MCA gets mad on the whiteboard agenda. I don't remember that, but I'm absolutely sure it's true. Pretty sure it was about MLA format. Oh, mla. Grr. For podpet tax, please accept our newest pack member, Paco, whose First adoptiversary is June 30th. He looks like he's thinking, I love the holidays, as he freaks out on the inside. Thanks for the awesome community.

[C]

Oh, that underbite. My goodness.

[D]

Yeah, that's like a. Yeah, this is great. Take the photo. Oh, man, look at Paco.

[C]

He's so cute. All right, this next one's from Robert Beamer of Different Situations. Pronounce he him. Hey.

[A]

Hey.

[C]

I've been listening to y' all since the early, early MSW days. Thanks for continuing to do what you do for the world. I have some good news to share. My little production company called Different Situations just finished a mini Doc on the wonderful Fluffy Butt Rescue Animal Sanctuary in Milford, New Jersey. They're a vegan organization run by the sweetest young family you'll ever see. Aw. And there's going to be a link to the mini doc in the notes and it's. We have them here.

[D]

Fluffybuttrescue.org oh my God. Fluffybuttrescue.org is the organization in the mini doc. There'll be a link. This is amazing, Robert. Thank you so much. Do you want to take the next one too?

[C]

Sure.

[D]

Or do you want me to get it with your voice?

[C]

You take it with my voice. I'll take the next one.

[D]

Okay. From Bonnie Pronouns. She and her Starting with the bad news. About a year ago, my sweetie cookie, honey pie and I were so excited to see AG in dc. We've been fans since the kitchen table days and even went to one of the early shows in the Miracle Theater several years ago. Well, that day a year ago was a comedy of errors with miscommunications and last minute chores. For example, realizing we still had to get the chickens back into their coop and our poor 14 year old lovely husky Molly had wandered into a neighbor's farm again. It was still okay. We had time for the 35 minute drive to get to the metro and if there were no hitches, take the 45 minute ride into D.C. and go to the meetup. Except when we got to the metro, the station was closed and backup bus service was online. So we jumped on the bus. We were going to go see AG but when the bus dropped us off at the next station, we were informed that there would be a 35 minute wait for the train and it was already 6:45. We started doing the math. The wait plus the travel plus finding the meetup and then factoring in the old people. Old people midnight, which for us is between 9:30 and 10:30. We realized we were losing track of our fun factor. Sorry Ag. We went home. Fast forward to the good news this weekend. We made it to the meetup, had so much fun hanging out with Ag and several very wonderful like minded people. We made new friends. Best night in a long time. We met an American hero, Harry Dunn. Thanks Alison and Dana and everyone at MSW Media for all the hard work you do keeping us informed. Love you all. Look at this.

[C]

That's fantastic.

[D]

Isn't that a great picture?

[C]

Yes, I love that picture.

[D]

Look at the chickens.

[C]

Look at the chickens.

[D]

I love chickens.

[C]

So good. All right, this is from Alan. Pronouns, he and him. Hello Beans, Queens. Here Is a follow up the bittersweet tale of my best friend Bailey crossing the rainbow bridge on Valentine's weekend. Turns out it takes two puppies to fill the role of one Bailey. Yes, I need that much canine counseling. Over the course of two months, we adopted these two pups from the woods humane society in San Luis Obispo in addition to a shih Tzu named Brandy on February 1st after their, quote, collar reveal party.

[D]

Becca, the episode title.

[C]

Oh, my God. Becca, the brown one and Boomer the black one are now full members of the pack. But here is the important part. All three of these dogs were deemed, quote, difficult to adopt due to social anxiety issues. And boomers had even been placed on the blacklist at the county shelter for being too shy prior to the rescue by Woods. And this is just a parenthetical. Incidentally, Bailey had also been considered unadoptable for a cosmetic issue and was on the blacklist when we found each other. Now, a few weekends ago, we had a beans inspired what the mutt party with a group of friends, and no one was freaked out. Hiding or barking, Humans or dogs with love and understanding, these once frightened, terrified, and unsocial dogs have come a long way in a short time and are valued members of our family. I can't say enough good things about woods and similar organizations. I ask everyone looking for a dog to please give the quote, tough cases a second look. Behind being the shy or scared face is a really great dog. I miss Bailey every day, and he'll forever be in my heart. I'm thankful to have found these two scoundrels and Brandy and look forward to writing our story of living our life together. Can you guess their breeds?

[D]

It looks like a. Like a Great Dane pit bull. Oh, my Shepherd. Oh, and then Boomer is a shepherd something adorable. Look how cute. There's a little holly in there.

[C]

I know. Maybe a beagle.

[D]

It looks like a. It looks like a miniature Great Dane.

[C]

Oh, my God, those ears. And then I also think there might be, like, weirdly some chihuahua and pit bull in there. Those are some ears.

[D]

Okay, so Becca, the tan one is half pit bull, half part German shepherd poodle and super mutt.

[C]

Nice.

[D]

So we got the pitbull part. I thought for sure there was great Dane in that. Boomer is chihuahua terrier, poodle, German shepherd, cocker spaniel. We got three. Three out of five.

[C]

Those are fantastic mixed breeds, though.

[D]

My goodness, they are so great. Thank you for sending these in. Yeah, always give the the tough case is a second look. That's How I ended up with Bruce Willis. I went in there, I was returning a kitten that I tried to adopt, but the kitten needed to be an only cat household. The kitten had to be the only cat in the house. So I brought him back, and he was an adorable kitten. He's gonna get adopted. And it was a no kill shelter. And I was like, just keep the fee. Consider it a donation. And they're like, well, do you want to see another cat? And I was like, fine. Show me the ugliest cat that no one wants that's been here the longest. And they took me to Bruce Willis, who was beautiful and amazing and loving, and I don't understand why nobody wanted him, but I got him, so.

[C]

That's right. Well, because he was waiting for you. He was there for you.

[D]

I love that guy. All right, that is the show. If you have any good news, corrections, confessions, anything you want to send into us, please do so again. It'[e-mail] Click on Contact. Dana, do you have any final thoughts for today?

[C]

I do not use your voice sparingly. That's why I do not. I love you all. That's it.

[D]

But you let me know if you want to do tomorrow or. Or not.

[C]

I better be turning a corner.

[D]

You better be. Yeah. Everyone send the healing vibes to Dana, and we'll be back tomorrow. Until then, please take care of yourselves, take care of each other, take care of the planet, take care of your mental health. Vote blue over Q and watch that hearing refried beans.

[B]

I like refried beans.

[F]

It's no surprise that newsmakers try to manipulate the audience. They want you to believe that they are the one holding the line. A million use any trick they can to get you there, but don't let them fool you. Get Unspun. I'm Amanda Sturgel. 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.