Refried Beans | Hate Is a Powerful Drug (feat. Barbara Res) | Jan 8, 2021

Summary

Podcast Summary: Refried Beans | Hate Is a Powerful Drug (feat. Barbara Res) | January 8, 2021
The Daily Beans, Hosted by MSW Media

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Overview

In this episode of The Daily Beans, hosted by Ag (A.G.) and Amy Carrero, the hosts delve into the tumultuous political landscape following the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. The episode, titled "Refried Beans | Hate Is a Powerful Drug," features an in-depth conversation with Barbara Res, the former Executive Vice President of the Trump Organization and author of Tower of Lies. The discussion centers on the aftermath of the election, the Capitol insurrection, and the unraveling of the Trump administration.

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Hot News Segment

Certification of Electoral Votes and Political Upheaval

The episode opens with a rundown of the day's significant events:

• Certification of Electoral Votes: Congress has officially certified the electoral votes for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

• Resignations in the Trump Administration: Multiple high-level officials are resigning amidst the chaos, including the House Sergeant at Arms and the Capitol Police Chief. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called for either the invocation of the 25th Amendment or impeachment proceedings against President Trump.

• Trump's Actions Post-Election:

  • Withdrawal of Chad Wolf's Nomination: President Trump has withdrawn his nomination of Chad Wolf as Secretary of Homeland Security, a move seen as an attempt to distance himself from controversy.

  • Bill Barr's Rebuke: Former Attorney General Bill Barr has publicly criticized Trump, stating, "Orchestrating a mob to pressure Congress is inexcusable. The President's conduct yesterday was a betrayal of his office" ([00:45] A.G.).

  • Social Media Ban: Facebook has extended its ban on Trump indefinitely, aligning with previous actions taken against him on other platforms.

  • Self-Pardon Speculation: Reports suggest that Trump is contemplating a self-pardon, as he urges aides to consider legal protections for himself in the final days of his presidency.

Implications and Analysis

Amy Carrero discusses the potential long-term impacts of these developments, particularly how impeachment or invoking the 25th Amendment could prevent Trump from running for future federal offices, thereby reshaping the Republican landscape.

"If you invoke the 25th Amendment, Trump can't get power back immediately. He actually has to wait four days. There's like a four-day cooling off period. And that I think would give them time to push these impeachment articles through..." ([04:14] A.G.)

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Interview with Barbara Res

Barbara Res’s Background and Insights into Trump

Barbara Res shares her experiences working closely with Donald Trump during her tenure at the Trump Organization. She provides a candid look into Trump's personality evolution from a hands-on developer to a more detached and ego-driven leader.

"Over time, you know, he became more and more famous, and that's when the ego took over, and it was very difficult to talk to him..." ([25:54] Barbara Res)

Trump's Racism and Leadership Style

Res recounts specific instances that highlight Trump's racist tendencies, providing firsthand accounts that illustrate his discriminatory behavior.

"Don’t you ever do that again. I don't want black kids sitting in my lobby. I don't want people... I have millionaires coming into this lobby to buy apartments. I don't want that ever to happen again." ([30:11] Barbara Res)

She elaborates on how Trump's increasing ego led him to disregard expert advice, fostering a workplace environment where loyalty was prized over competence.

Connection to the Capitol Insurrection

Res discusses the Capitol insurrection, suggesting that Trump's persuasive tactics and control over his supporters played a pivotal role in inciting the violence. She speculates on Trump's possible motivations, including the desire to remain relevant and control his base post-election loss.

"I think he's probably very happy with the outcome. It's making him feel loved and more important than ever." ([34:11] Barbara Res)

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Analysis of the Capitol Insurrection

A.G. and Amy Carrero dissect the events of January 6, 2021, questioning the preparedness of law enforcement and the possibility of inside manipulation. They express skepticism over official narratives, highlighting inconsistencies such as the use of Civil War imagery by rioters and the delayed police response.

"They were wearing shirts that said Civil War January 6, 2021. Also... the police response to it was absolutely inadequate." ([09:18] A.G.)

The discussion extends to the resignations of key officials, including Elaine Chao and Stephanie Grisham, interpreting these moves as attempts to avoid accountability through impeachment or the 25th Amendment.

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Good News Segment

Despite the heavy political discourse, the episode concludes with the "Good News" segment, where listeners share uplifting personal stories and positive developments.

1. Listener Achievements:

   • Weight Loss and Health Improvements: A listener shares her journey of losing 35 pounds through intermittent fasting and yoga, highlighting personal resilience amidst pandemic challenges.

2. Reconnecting with Family:

   • Discovering a Long-Lost Sibling: Another listener recounts the emotional success of finding a new sister through DNA testing, revealing a family secret from the 1950s.

3. Community Action:

   • Holding Accountable Rioters: A listener describes efforts to identify and hold accountable individuals who participated in the Capitol insurrection by reaching out to their employers, resulting in immediate job terminations for some.

"I believe in peaceful protesting. I do not believe in doxing. But if you break the law and then brag about it, you should experience consequences." ([45:25] Amy Carrero)

4. Support and Solidarity:
   • Encouraging Self-Care: The hosts emphasize the importance of mental health and community support during turbulent times, urging listeners to take care of themselves and each other.

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Concluding Remarks

Ag and Amy Carrero wrap up the episode by reaffirming their commitment to delivering both critical political analysis and heartening personal stories. They encourage continued listener engagement and support, fostering a sense of community amidst the nation's challenges.

"Everybody, please take care of yourselves, take care of each other, and take care of your mental health and take care of the planet." ([57:17] Amy Carrero)

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Notable Quotes:

• Bill Barr on Trump:
  "Orchestrating a mob to pressure Congress is inexcusable. The President's conduct yesterday was a betrayal of his office." ([14:01] A.G.)

• Barbara Res on Trump’s Leadership:
  "Over time, you know, he became more and more famous, and that's when the ego took over, and it was very difficult to talk to him..." ([25:54] Barbara Res)

• Amy Carrero on Doxxing Rioters:
  "If you break the law and then brag about it, you should experience consequences." ([45:25] Amy Carrero)

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This episode of The Daily Beans provides a comprehensive look into the critical political shifts during a pivotal moment in U.S. history, enriched by personal anecdotes and expert insights from Barbara Res. It balances the gravity of national events with moments of personal triumph and community support, offering listeners both information and inspiration.

Transcript

[A.G.]

MSW Media. Hey everybody, it's Ag. And welcome to Refried Beans where we play an episode of the Daily Beans podcast 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.

[Larry J. Beans]

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

[A.G.]

Beans, because maybe they're just as good.

[Larry J. Beans]

And we're wasting time. Larry J. Beans Daily Beans J BE.

[A.G.]

Hello and welcome to the Daily Beans for Friday, January 8, 2021. Today, Congress has certified the electoral votes for Biden and Harris. Multiple high level resignations in the Trump administration are taking place. Biden officially nominates his Department of Justice picks. Pelosi calls for the 25th Amendment or she may proceed with impeachment. The House sergeant in arms has tendered his resignation as Pelosi awaits the Capitol Police chief to do the same. This just in. He just resigned. Trump withdraws his nomination of Chad Wolf as Secretary of Department of Homeland Security. Bill Barr slams Trump to the Associated Press for inciting the insurrection. Facebook extends its ban on Trump to indefinitely. And Trump is musing a self pardon. I'm your host, A.G. hey everybody, it's Friday. That means I am joined by Amy Carrero. Amy, how are you?

[Amy Carrero]

Hi. Well, I'm a shell of a person but I think everybody's maybe feeling that right now. But yeah, I just can't believe how much stuff happened today.

[A.G.]

Yeah, there's so much news and we're trying to stay on top of it and there hasn't been this kind of, I mean, like this much breaking news in a while. And so I think since impeachment, the first, first round of impeachment. And, and so I just want to remind everybody we record this show the night before it comes out. So I'm sure there will be a lot of updates to some of the news that we're about to give you. But there is a lot of news to cover today in the Hot Notes and I will be speaking with former executive vice president of the Trump Organization and author of Tower of Lies. Her name is Barbara Rez and she's spent years and years and years with Trump and like knows his brain. So we're going to talk about Trump's state of mind before and leading up to and during the insurrection that occurred on Tuesday at the Capitol. And so, and then, you know, you and I'll do the good news. Maybe we'll have a, maybe we'll get to Go to Amy's court. I don't know. I haven't looked at it yet. We'll read it as it happens because it's just more fun that way.

[Amy Carrero]

I know it is more fun. Maybe we'll have a chuckle. Who knows? Today might end with a chuckle or, or tears. It's, anything can happen.

[Larry J. Beans]

Yeah.

[A.G.]

And I know yesterday I was like, it's so important that you send the good news. And it's like it's still going to be for the next, oh, I would say 12 days, but I'm not going to cap it at that.

[Amy Carrero]

Who knows?

[A.G.]

Please send your, send your submissions to us. You can do [e-mail] and click on Contact. And you can also send any corrections in case we make any errors. So we do have, as you could tell from the intro, a ton of headlines to get to. So let's hit the hot notes. Hot notes. All right, lead story today. Pelosi has called for the 25th Amendment during a press conference today, and she says if Pence doesn't invoke the 25th Amendment, she may impeach Trump in the House in short order. The House has remained in session after certifying Biden's win. Early in the wee morning, the wee early hours of the morning, the wee wees. Yeah, it was seriously like 3:30 in the morning. But the Senate has gaveled out until January 19th. But they can be called back. So if, you know, if Pelosi can get an impeachment through, which I don't understand why she would have a problem with that, it wouldn't take more than a day. And then she can send it immediately over to the Senate and by the rules, they have to immediately consider it or reject it. And so it would just be good. Even if there's no appetite for conviction in the Senate, it would just be good to get it on the record.

[Amy Carrero]

Right. But don't you think actually there could be something good for the Republicans here if they are really looking to distance themselves from Trump? Like if they do choose to remove him in the Senate, then wouldn't that mean that he can't run again for federal office, opening them up to running whoever they want in 2024?

[A.G.]

Yeah, exactly. And basically that's just an additional vote to conviction. So they would vote to convict and then they would vote to ban him from running for federal public office, and that would remove him as a competitor in that race. And that's why I've been calling for impeachment over the 25th Amendment. But you can do. Because if you invoke the 25th Amendment, Trump can't get power back immediately. He actually has to wait four days. There's like a four day cooling off period. And that I think would give them time to push these impeachment articles through and it wouldn't take long. Seriously, you could do it in less.

[Amy Carrero]

Than a day and they already have the practice. Yeah, they know how to do it.

[A.G.]

Practice makes perfect. We've done it before. And of course, Senators Hawley and Cruz, Ted Cruz have both objected to the election results in the middle of the night. Last night, Cruz objected to Arizona slate of electors and Hawley objected to the Pennsylvania State of Electors. And I've just learned, by the way, Hawley's book deal with Simon and Schuster has been canceled.

[Amy Carrero]

Oh, good. Finally some good news. Yeah, I just, I'm worried about him because he's so young and he's so cocky and like, I'm just. I don't know, I have a pit in my stomach about him, but I'm hoping that this is enough of a stain on his record to render him, you know, pretty useless. But I'm just, I have a feeling that it won't.

[A.G.]

Yeah, I'm hoping he's wrecked his career with this. It seems like he could have. Of course, it seems like the Republican Party isn't going to split now between Trump Republicans and, you know, OG Republicans, I guess, and, you know, we'll see which side wins, but the Democrats are the real winners in that scenario because we're still huge. Now, Michael Sherwin, he's the Acting attorney general in D.C. district of Columbia, U.S. attorney general, federal. He has said he is considering everything with what happened at the insurrection yesterday. Everything is on the table, including seditious conspiracy and incitation of violence by the likes of Trump, Rudy and Junior. He said that if the elements of crimes are viable, that charges will be filed. And we've learned that he now considers Trump's words during his speech before the insurrection are considered evidence.

[Amy Carrero]

Amazing.

[A.G.]

So possible charges. Of course, it would be bucking the Office of Legal Counsel memo that says you can't indict a sitting President. But I think we're a little beyond following that flimsy piece of paper that doesn't hold any legal merit.

[Amy Carrero]

Let's hope so. The only thing that feels different is the appetite.

[A.G.]

Right.

[Amy Carrero]

Like, it feels like more people are on board for actually serving some consequences to this president. You know, before there were so many people making excuses, and people still are making excuses, but now it just Feels like more people are willing to say, no, this is actually really fucked up, and I'm not gonna put my name on this.

[A.G.]

Yeah. And there are sources who have spoken to several Republican senators who have, you know, brought up your point of that you brought up a minute ago about they would, they wouldn't have to run against Trump in 2024. And, you know, that would be. If I were Ted Cruz, that would be extremely appetizing to me because he kicked my ass in 2016, called my wife ugly.

[Amy Carrero]

Not that he cares about that.

[A.G.]

Yeah. And that his dad was involved in the JFK assassination or whatever, but. And now Pelosi has called for the resignation of the House and Senate sergeants at arms and the Chief of Capitol Police as well. And the House sergeant in arms, John Irving, has tendered his resignation and so has The Capitol. The U.S. capitol Police Chief.

[Amy Carrero]

Good.

[A.G.]

And he just resigned a few minutes ago. We just got that news. And we have also just learned that another person has died. A US Capitol Police officer has died from his injuries that he sustained yesterday during the terrorist attack on the Capitol. And so now that we are up to five people who died in that, in the insurrection. And this is a, this is a Capitol Police officer.

[Amy Carrero]

So I really want to know, I want somebody to get to the bottom of that because things aren't really adding, adding up. You know, I heard somebody like an ex chief of Cap Capital Police talking about, no, they were more prepared for a terrorist attack, meaning, like long range guns, than they were for a mob attack. And I'm just like, how, how is that possible when you knew there were people marching on the Capitol? They had shirts made. It just doesn't make any sense.

[A.G.]

They were wearing shirts that said Civil War January 6, 2021. Also.

[Amy Carrero]

Yeah, like, what? Printer was like, maybe I shouldn't call this into the FBI, you know what I mean? Like, I don't know about you, but I did enough extracurricular activities in high school to know exactly how long it takes for custom shirts to be printed. And I can tell you it's at least two weeks.

[A.G.]

Yeah. And they've been talking about it on Parler. Flynn has been talking about it, the 3 percenters and Trump, that you could tell in his language in that rally right before the attack. And so it's, I mean, everybody knew. I knew, you know, like, who the fuck am I? So it's just like, I don't buy that at all. And there, there will be a robust full investigation into not just the insurrection itself or, you know, not just who incited it, who incited the violence, but also the police response to it. Because it was absolutely inadequate. And everyone, everyone agrees with that, to say the least.

[Amy Carrero]

You know what I mean? It's absolutely inadequate, to say the least. At the most, it was like, did they have people on the inside, like, you know what I mean? Like, I, I don't know. I'm obviously, I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but, but it's like, how did they. I don't know. Just taking selfies doesn't make any sense.

[A.G.]

Right? It's, it's very suspicious. Fishy, fishy. And several top officials are now resigning, including McConnell's wife. She's the Secretary of Transportation. Her name is Elaine Chao. I think this is a cowardly move. I think she's just doing it to avoid having to invoke the 25th Amendment, which requires a majority of cabinet members vote. And other resignations include Deputy National Security Advisor Matt Pottinger, Indiana Jones, Ark of the Covenant, Nazi Mick Mulvaney, Melania's Chief of staff, Stephanie Grisham, a White House Social secretary, a press aide, the Director of European and Russian affairs at the National Security Council, the Commerce Department Deputy Assistant Secretary, and the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers. And from what I'm hearing, there are going to be more high level resignations coming soon. Although people have been calling and begging folks not to resign for the sake of continuity of government.

[Amy Carrero]

Continuity of. Please. I just, this is like, first of all, it's four years late and a coup short. Like, where were you guys before this happened? You know what I mean?

[A.G.]

Like, continuity of what? Government? What, are you afraid that they're going to botch the COVID response? Like, what are you talking.

[Amy Carrero]

Yeah, like, hey, what's. What are you worried about an angry mob storming the Capitol while the Vice President is, is presiding over the Senate? Like, is that your worst fear? Oops, it already happened.

[A.G.]

Yeah. Are you afraid that if Chip, if Chad Wolf isn't in charge of the Department of Homeland Security will somehow be in peril? Like, fuck you.

[Amy Carrero]

But can I ask you, can I ask you for your expert opinion on this? Because I never really understood when I heard the news that they were begging these people to stay. I know that they're saying for continuity of government, but is there another reason that I'm not seeing? Because it doesn't really add up.

[A.G.]

No, continuity of government doesn't add up for me either. And I don't. I can't think of the motive. You know, I can't think of why bad actors would want these folks to stay in place longer, if you know what I mean?

[Amy Carrero]

Yeah.

[A.G.]

Like, what would be the negative. Why would jerks want that? Like, why would Ted Cruz want these people to not resign?

[Amy Carrero]

Yeah.

[A.G.]

Yeah. And the only thing I can think of is that he's got that they're sycophants to Trump who wouldn't vote for the 25th Amendment. But beyond that. Beyond that, I can't be. On the obvious, I'm not sure.

[Amy Carrero]

And then on the more people that jump ship, I think the more people make, the more he looks bad, you know, Ted Cruz, like, the more people. Even if. Even. Even though it's so terribly late, if he's the only one stuck holding the flag or whatever, however that saying goes, then he just kind of looks like a big time loser.

[A.G.]

Right. Like, could you guys. Senator Hawley and I said want you guys to stick around and make it look like Trump is still legitimate so we don't look like such assholes.

[Amy Carrero]

Exactly.

[A.G.]

Could be. Could be.

[Amy Carrero]

They don't want to be the last ones at the party.

[A.G.]

No, definitely not. But speaking of Chad Wolf, Trump has withdrawn his nomination of Chad Wolf, the acting Director of Department of Homeland Security, to be the actual director of Department of Homeland Security, and nominated him a while back. Trump says it has nothing to do. Actually, not Trump, but a White House aide to Trump said that his withdrawal of Chad Wolf's nomination has nothing to do with Wolf's reaction. Negative reaction to the violence at the Capitol yesterday. That is absolute bullshit because Trump. Chad Wolf's nomination expired on Sunday and Trump had to re up it. So he re upped it Sunday. And he wouldn't re up it Sunday if he was already planning to withdraw it today.

[Amy Carrero]

Right. So you think he's gonna byee.

[A.G.]

Yeah, he's just getting rid of him because he's a dick. Right. He's like, oh, you said bad things about me. Right. You're fired or I'm not going to. I'm going to withdraw my nomination. Yeah. Bill Barr, on the other hand, has rebuked Trump, saying, quote, orchestrating a mob to pressure Congress is inexcusable. The President's conduct yesterday was a betrayal of his office.

[Amy Carrero]

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Him and Comey should, like, join a club and literally disappear, like, go away forever. Nobody ever wants to hear your hot takes.

[A.G.]

Yeah. And Facebook has banned Trump indefinitely from the platform. And Instagram too, because Facebook owns Instagram. No word from Twitter except the confirmation of a couple weeks ago that Trump would be subject to removal for terms of service once he wasn't the President anymore because he wouldn't be protected by that world leaders thing that I guess.

[Amy Carrero]

Right. Some loophole. But they still. But his POTUS account is still up, isn't it?

[A.G.]

Yeah. Mm.

[Amy Carrero]

Right. So what did they do?

[A.G.]

It's just like I got banned from Twitter for calling somebody a punk ass bitch or something, you know, and, and, but you can, I guess, you know, stage a coup and you're fine, right?

[Amy Carrero]

You can still keep your POTUS account.

[A.G.]

Right. You get a 12 hour lockout. Oh, thanks. Trump has suggested to aides that he wants to pardon himself in the final days of his presidency. This is according to two people with knowledge of the discussions. Now, this is. I've been saying this forever. I don't know why this is breaking news, but.

[Amy Carrero]

Yes, you have.

[A.G.]

Yeah. But apparently New York Times says in several conversations since Election Day, Trump has told advisers he's considered giving himself a pardon and in other instances, asking whether he should and what the effect would be on him legally and politically. According to these two people familiar. Like I said, we've been saying this for over a year now. And given that sources have told CNN that Pence is angry that Trump endangered Pence's life and the lives of his family members. When, you know, when basically Trump hung him out to dry during the insurrection, he was like, go stop Pence. He won't cheat for me. Go get him.

[Amy Carrero]

Go get him.

[A.G.]

Lin Wood is like, Trump, Pence is target number one and stuff. Like, just really scary stuff. But after all that, I don't think Pence is too keen on pardoning Trump if he was already not considering it.

[Amy Carrero]

Right. So he's not. Okay.

[A.G.]

Okay.

[Amy Carrero]

But then I just read somewhere that, you know, the rumor is that he has no. That Pence has no interest in invoking the 25th Amendment. So he doesn't want to pardon him and he doesn't want to invoke the 25th Amendment. So, like, what is he wanting to do? Just, like, go to his own corner for the next 13 days and, like, pout? I don't know.

[A.G.]

Mm, yeah, probably that's what he want.

[Amy Carrero]

Yeah. Gotcha.

[A.G.]

But here's some good news, though. Biden has officially nominated Merrick Garland as the Attorney General. We talked about this yesterday. We got sources saying that he was going to do this, and he did it today. And he also nominated Lisa Monaco as Deputy Attorney General and Vanita Gupta as Associate Attorney General General, and Kristen Clark as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. Biden's Remarks were scathing against Trump today. He called the mob that attacked the Capitol yesterday insurrectionists and domestic terrorists very strong legal language. Merrick Garland's remarks were very encouraging to me. He hearkened back to the policies created after Nixon and said he looked forward to resurrecting those kinds of policies. And then he said this. He said, quote, to serve as Attorney General at this critical time is a calling I'm honored and eager to answer, as everyone who watched yesterday's events in Washington now understands, if they did not understand before. The rule of law is not just some lawyers turn of phrase. It is the very foundation of our democracy. The essence of the rule of law is that, like cases are treated alike, that there not be one rule for Democrats and another for Republicans, one rule for friends and another for foes, or different rules depending upon one's race or ethnicity. And the essence of its great corollary, equal justice under law, is that all citizens are protected in their exercise of their civil rights.

[Amy Carrero]

Whoop, whoop. That's a. That's a breath of fresh air.

[A.G.]

Oh, it's so nice. And he pointed to Biden's comments, too, because Biden said several times, the Attorney General is not my personal lawyer. He will be independent to determine who and who is not prosecuted. And when Biden said that Merrick Garland would have the independent capacity to determine who is and who is not prosecuted, Merrick Garland said, I would not have. I would not have agreed to be considered for Attorney General under any other conditions.

[Amy Carrero]

Amazing. I mean, come on. And you know, the. Really. I mean, no, this is. This is not the real tragedy about what happened yesterday. That is his own tragedy. But, you know, this is all just overshadowing what is supposed to be a pretty healing next couple of weeks for our country. And instead of that, you know, we're going like, you know, I don't know about you, but I have all this adrenaline. So I was watching the news, and when they broke away to Biden, not because I wasn't interested, I was, but I almost, like, fell into a sleep, not because I was bored, but because it was so normal, you know what I mean? And my adrenaline, for once, had the chance to kind of subside. And. And that's what we want in government. We want to be able to sleep at night knowing that there are adults in the room who are going to do the right thing. That's why we elect them.

[A.G.]

Yep. The Biden calm.

[Amy Carrero]

Yeah, so I'm 100%. And also, you know, I tweeted about this last Night. But when news of Jon Ossoff being the winner of the Georgia runoff, with Warnock having been named the day before or two days ago, I was like, man, this. This is, like, totally overshadowing such an important moment for the Democratic Party. But alas, you know, I guess we'll have the last say, I hope.

[A.G.]

Yeah, I know. I've been watching the news and was hoping to see the more numbers come in to pad Ossoff's lead.

[Amy Carrero]

Yeah.

[A.G.]

You know, because the last I saw, he was up a little over 12,000 votes, and now he's up quite a bit more than that. And I was wanting to see those returns come in because I was waiting for them to come in overnight the two nights ago. And I. You know, I did get to see. I did get to see when it flipped, when it flipped, when Ossoff took the lead, I got to see that. And then I fell asleep, and then when I woke up, it was Insurrection time, so.

[Amy Carrero]

Right, right, right. And then Wolf Blitzer, halfway through the insurrection was like. And also weird time to do it. But we are projecting then John Ossoff, you know, is. Is, you know, going to be the. The next senator beating David Perdue. And. And I just was like, man, this is, you know, so Trumpian. You know, like, just sucking the last few seconds of power that he can of joy.

[A.G.]

And joy.

[Larry J. Beans]

Yeah.

[A.G.]

From us. Because I woke up on Tuesday morning feeling so great.

[Amy Carrero]

Yeah, me too.

[A.G.]

And, like, today's gonna be great. We're gonna certify the results. Yay. And then fart noise.

[Amy Carrero]

Yeah.

[A.G.]

And it was hard. It was hard for me to watch, as I am a huge fan of politics. I love Washington, D.C. i am a veteran. I'm a patriot.

[Amy Carrero]

You're a veteran. You know, like, you've sworn oath to the Constitution. The Capitol is. Is. Is the. I don't even know. I mean, it's. It's. It's like, where.

[A.G.]

It's the seat.

[Amy Carrero]

Democracy. You know, I have so many friends who are veterans that are, like, having such a hard time with. With this, you know, this woman who. Who died, who was shot while she was engaging in insurrection, thereby breaking her oath to the Constitution. And, like, you know, they're so angry, and I. And I get it, you know, because you And. And especially one of them was the fact that the Confederate flag was waving inside the Capitol building. Just breaks my heart for the first time. Right. I don't think it's ever been put.

[A.G.]

Up or, you know, that is the first time.

[Amy Carrero]

Unreal.

[A.G.]

I mean, the last time somebody invaded the Capitol when they didn't like an election is when Abraham Lincoln won and the Southern Democrats came, they didn't like that result, and they decided to secede from the Union. And Lincoln said, you can't secede from the Union because you don't like an election. And we're not a democracy. And the rest is history, literally. Anyway, we're going to be right back. I'm going to talk about this with Barbara Rez. She's a former executive VP at the Trump Organization. She's written a book called Tower of Lies. And she has a lot of thoughts about this and a lot of interesting points because she worked with and knows Trump very, very well. So stick around. We'll be right back after these messages. We'll be right back. All right, everybody. Welcome back. Joining me today, I'm very excited and honored to be speaking with this is the former executive vice president of the Trump Organization, Barbara Ress. Barbara, how are you today?

[Larry J. Beans]

I'm like everyone else, a little confused, but I'm good.

[A.G.]

Yeah, it's quite shocking. And the reason I wanted to speak with you today is that you know Trump very well. Can you just give us a little brief history about, you know, you're working with him and sort of what sort of access you had to Donald?

[Larry J. Beans]

Okay, just very quickly, I was working for a general contractor, and that contractor was building out the renovation of the Commodore Hotel, which was the Grand Hyatt in New York. And Trump was the developer in charge. So he, it was like he owned the building and he oversaw it. And I met him that way through that building. And he hired me to work on Trump Tower, which was a new building he was building on Fifth Avenue. And I went to work there. And I was there for about four years. I started as a vice president, and I was in charge of construction in that building. And we were very close to answering your question. Finally. We were, we went to a lot of meetings together. You know, we walked there. There was not, it's not about bodyguards or anything at that time. And, you know, he would listen to me. You know, I think he sort of thought he was mentoring me in a way, and I think I was mentoring him in a way. I mean, you know, it was, it was just he was different. You know, he's the same person, I'm sure, but he showed differently. He didn't have the ego and all the other stuff that came with, with the fame and the fortune and all of that.

[A.G.]

And, you know, we've spoken at length on our program too, with his niece, Mary Trump, who had only spent a very short time in offices around Trump while he was working, quote, unquote. I guess. Can you talk a little bit about what it was that he did, what his job was? Because, you know, you say back at. During that time, he. He didn't quite have the ego that he has now. But I'm wondering if he was still sort of the same man who was just constantly wondering what the media was thinking about him and only wanted to hear good things. Did. Did you get a sense of having to always sort of pad his ego like that, or was he a little more open to criticism?

[Larry J. Beans]

Well, initially, you know, on the. On the Hyatt, I mean, he was just, you know, he was a loose cannon. He really didn't know what he was doing. He didn't listen to anybody, thought he knew everything about everything, sort of, you know, similar to where he is now. But over time, he realized that, you know, he had good people working for him. He had to listen to them. They knew better, you know, whatever. So, you know, when I started Trump Tower, he was sort of in that mode, and it was okay, and you could talk to him. As time passed, you know, he became more and more famous, and that's when the ego took over, and it was very difficult to talk to him, and you needed to, you know, lay things out very simply. And. And if you had 10 things you want to talk about, you pick the top three, because that's all that he had attention for.

[A.G.]

Yeah. So it kind of seems like as the fame grew, his feelings of having to listen to experts sort of diminished because he already had that. You said he sort of already was early on with the Hyatt. He was a loose candidate. He didn't listen to a lot of experts, but he did take a little more advice. But. But as time went on, he just stopped listening to people and felt that he was the one who had all the best ideas. Is that kind of how.

[Larry J. Beans]

Well, there was an interim period. I mean, I said, like, he was a loose cannon on the Hyatt, but after the Hyatt, he realized, and I think I said this, that, you know, people know a little bit more than he does and are on his side. And he started working with people, some people in his own office like me, and other people like architects and contractors, and he would listen to them. And it was then, over time, that finally he just decided he knows better than anybody else.

[A.G.]

So I take it over the past four years, it wasn't very surprising to you that he would not listen to a lot of his advisors. He would only keep temporary acting cabinet members around and would easily have this revolving door of firing people. But not face to face. Right. Only by tweets.

[Larry J. Beans]

I talk about that in my book, Town Lies. You know, he never fired anyone, really. It was a very funny story about a guy that I wanted fired that he. I had him fired by my assistant, and he went over to Donald and got rehired. That happened three times, and finally I got rid of him. But Trump did not do anything like that directly unless he was totally, you know, in anger and out of control, then, you know, you're fired. But. And oftentimes that didn't stick. But he was not the one to fire people. And as far as the people that he had surrounding him these past four years and the notion of having temporary people, I think all of that goes to him not wanting to be challenged and knowing that anyone who puts in a role of cabinet position or something serious and important like that is going to challenge him, he's going to want to say, I'm the expert. This is what we do. You know, so that's why he kept not hiring permanent people. And he also filled positions with people that had absolutely no business doing what they were doing.

[A.G.]

Right. It's just loyalty. More of a loyalty test than anything else. I want to talk a little bit more about Tower of Lies, your book. Can you talk about what sort of prompted you to write it? Because I know you've been speaking out on this issue for quite a while now, and I'm just curious as to what prompted you to write it and some of the other aspects of. Of his personality and frame of mind that you bring up in Tower of Lies.

[Larry J. Beans]

Yeah, you know, I knew I had an interesting story because I know him so well, probably better than anyone that's written a book, except maybe Michael Cohen, who was, you know, glued to him, and he knew him at a much later time. Not the formative time, the time that, you know, probably is more important. I didn't write a book about Trump before the election, and I didn't come out with anything the first election with some of the things that I knew, because, to be honest with you, I wasn't a Pulitzer Prize winner. I didn't think people were going to particularly listen to me, and I didn't have corroboration. So, you know, if I went out and said, trump is this blatant racist, you know, well, who's to show that he is? I mean, now I can say it because everybody knows he's a racist. Racist. He admits it. He's somewhat proud of it, in a way, although he says I'm the least racist person. So I was toying around in my mind with what should I do with this information? And then he got elected, and then I got him. I realized how bad he was and how much worse he was getting. And the next thing you know, he's running again. And I said, I got to do something. Everybody has to do something to stop this from happening. And I'm going to write a book. And that's what I did.

[A.G.]

Can you think of any. You talk about him being a racist and how he's sort of proud of that. Can you think of any specific instances where that racism was on full display.

[Larry J. Beans]

Back when I was working for him? Absolutely. I'll give you. I so much in my book, but I'll give you one specific one which is probably the most compelling. I was interviewing people for a little project, a little assistant job for me to take care of my plans. Back then, before computer, you know, the plans for these big things that you hung them up and you changed them when they were buys. So I called, I think, or one of the architecture schools, and I said, you know, I'm looking for this. Maybe you have some interested students. And they said, they. They did. They sent a couple over. So I was working on Trump Tower, but I had an office in the Crown Building across the street, which is where Donald's office was. So I was working in Trump Tower, and I set up the meeting for across the street, and I told the guy I was going to be a few minutes late. Wait for me in the lobby. So he was waiting in the lobby, and I walked in, I saw him, and he was a young black man. And I interviewed him. He was delightful, but I don't think he wanted such a low position in the company. And so, you know, it wasn't. It didn't work out that, you know, I would make him the offer, but I was. He left. And then I was leaving, and someone got my attention. Maybe the receptionist said, trump wants you. So I went into his office and he said. He went off on me. Like, you know, he was, don't you ever do that again. I don't want black kids sitting in my lobby. I don't want people. I have millionaires coming into this lobby to buy apartments. I don't want that ever to happen again. And it was just. It took me. It took me back, to be honest with you. I mean, you know, the young man was wearing a suit. It was delightful looking. I would want him bracing my apartment, my lobby. It was silly, but that was a major revelation to me.

[A.G.]

Wow. And there are other stories like this in the book, too. I encourage everybody to read Tower of Lies. It gives you really good insights into sort of the way his mind works. And I need to take a quick break, and then I want to talk about the insurrection that happened yesterday and the events leading up to it. But before we do that, the Manhattan District Attorney, Cy Vance is investigating years and years of what's been going on with the Trump Organization and possible inflation of asset value to either fool the tax man or fool the insurance companies. And I was wondering if you've been contacted by any authorities and asked any questions or if it was too early on, if you had seen any behavior or anything like that type of situation where he. Where he was undervaluing, overvaluing things to save money.

[Larry J. Beans]

No, I didn't operate on that level. I very rarely had anything to do with financing or acquiring sites. That was all done by him mostly or by others. So I really am not a subject of interest to anyone in that matter.

[A.G.]

Okay. Well, I just, I had to. I had to ask because I know, I know they're going back quite, quite a ways into his finances. And that is, you know, the financial part of it. Most of us don't even have, you know, most of the. It's been hard for the investigators to get access to that information, so I can't imagine. I do need to take a quick break, but I do want to talk about what happened yesterday. Can you stick around for a minute? It. Great. Thanks, Barbara. We'll be right back. All right, everybody, welcome back. We've been talking to former executive vice president of the Trump Organization and author of the book Tower of Lies, Barbara Rez. Barbara, what were your thoughts yesterday as you watched what happened at the Capitol with regards to your understanding of how Trump's mind works?

[Larry J. Beans]

Well, you know, Trump has always been the kind of guy that gets you to do things without telling you directly that you have to do them. And Michael Collins talk about this, too. It was just an understanding. He knew what to do, and he had that kind of persuasive power, and he went there to incite what happened, in my opinion. I mean. Well, you know, let me say, in his wildest dreams, that would have been the best outcome, I think, for him, because he. He wants to be relevant, and he. And he knows he lost the election. He knows he's not going to stay in the office next, next month. And I think that this was making him, you know, look at, we're going to continue to fight and he's got all these supporters and, you know, he's gonna, he's building his, his rebuilding his base for whatever. Maybe he's going to go into some kind of a media company or, or maybe he's just going to hang around, mess things up for the rest of the country. But I do think that he intended to have something like this happen. I don't know that anyone could have expected that what happened would happen. And, you know, it's a question in my mind of why there was so lax, you know, enforcement or anything like that. And there were, you know, people saying they weren't prepared, they weren't prepared. There were plenty of cops there, you know, you know, agents, they weren't doing anything. They were just. And, you know, you think back to the BLM movement and the horror of the way the police were beating people and pushing people and tear gassing people. So I wonder if Trump didn't have something to do with that, too. Who knows? I don't know if we'll ever know, but I think he's probably very happy with the outcome. It's making him feel loved and more important than.

[A.G.]

Yeah, and there's almost a loyalty aspect to it. I find a lot of the times, and this is just from my study of sort of what mob bosses do. Right. And people in the Mafia do they get you in and then you witness a bunch of their crimes and then they have you and then they send you out to do things you wouldn't normally do to make sure that you're loyal, you know, like sending Pence out to do a maskless rally somewhere, you know, and so it feels like it was almost like, look at what these people are willing to do for me.

[Larry J. Beans]

Absolutely, absolutely. This is the kind of control I have, this is the power I have, this is the love that I engender. These people would lay down their lives for me and more to come. And I think, and he says that even in his tweet, you know, we're going to continue to fight. What the hell, heck does that mean? What's it mean?

[A.G.]

Yeah, and I'm with you on I think there needs to be one of the jobs if the current Department of Justice doesn't do anything. And we haven't heard a peep from Jeffrey Rosen, the acting Attorney General, although Barr, Bill Barr has come out and sort of, you know, talked about how he disapproves he railed on Trump today, finally, that he's no longer the Attorney General. We haven't heard a peep from Jeffrey Rosen. But the new administration, the new Department of Justice, now we know it's going to be headed up by Merrick Garland, I think, is going to have their hands full investigating what went on with the Capitol Police or MPD or, you know, just any Alphabet soup of all of the law enforcement agencies that just allowed these folks to go in. And at first it looked like they were sort of acting like the media was kind of like, oh, well, you know, people are allowed to go in there and protest and stuff. But then you see the pictures of ransacked offices and people broken windows and I mean, this is the definition of terrorism. And so I'm wondering, you know, I'm really hoping that, that the Biden Department of Justice focuses on this. I know Biden will keep his hands out of it because he said he would.

[Larry J. Beans]

Yeah. I do think that you're going to see a change in that. These groups, these white supremacist groups, these Nazis, these proud boys, all of them, I think you're going to see a clampdown on them big time. They have been given free reign for four years. And I think that you're going to see them being investigated and being arrested. All sorts of things happen with Biden. But, you know, going back to yesterday, the most compelling thing, the thing that got me was looking at senators crouched behind the stanchion where, you know, the desks are hiding in fear. That really got to me.

[A.G.]

Yeah. And the atmosphere, first of all, there's tear gas being deployed in the rotunda. And then when. And when they were told, when the senators and congressmen were told to get their gas masks out from under their chairs, they have gas masks under their chairs for shit like this, pull their gas masks out. When they do that, alarms little sirens go off on all their gas masks. So it had to just be total pandemonium.

[Larry J. Beans]

Oh, I can imagine. Yeah.

[A.G.]

And you know, it's just so frightening. And now the Republicans who support Trump are coming out and saying that this was a false flag operation. These were left wing anti fascists from the antifa. I heard that.

[Larry J. Beans]

I mean, you know, that's just so pathetic. Every single one of them should be out. Every single one of those guys, Ted Cruz, starting with Ted Cruz and Lindsey Wagner gets up and makes this big speech. I saw him, you know, now he's turning on. Hey, he's there. He put him there. And every Republican that voted to a Court, which was every single Republican has blood on their hands without a doubt, because they knew he was a criminal, they knew he was guilty and they let him go.

[A.G.]

And Matt Gaetz, in his debate floor speech last night to object to the certification of the Electoral College, had said this was antifa posing. Now though, we have a lot of white supremacists, proud boys, this group coming out on TikTok and Parlor posting videos. They're angry that these Republicans, that they're not getting credit. And, and I think that just goes to your point of the loyalty that people display for Trump, the ends to which they're willing to go to support him and please him in these loyalty tests. They're just, they're so loyal and I can't understand why it's cult like behavior.

[Larry J. Beans]

Well, they're so loyal because Trump represents them. I mean, they've been in the shadows for many, many years. Some of them are my age, some of them are yours, some of them are kids. But for many years they haven't been able to come out and shout, you know, blacks are bad, women of inferior, you know, all the things, get rid of the Muslims. All of a sudden, this guy Trump becomes president. And without saying it, like I said, he never says things directly. He said, it's okay. It's okay for you to be a racist. Look at me, I'm a racist. It's okay for you to hate Muslims. It's okay for you to put women down. And these people are so enamored with their own, I can't say values, their own feelings that they're able to do it. They want more of that. They don't want to go into the shadows anymore. And so Trump offers this to them and they love you for it.

[A.G.]

Yes. I found that hate is a very powerful drug and it can be hard to kick as a habit. So everybody, I really encourage you to check out the book Tower of Lies. And I appreciate you coming on and talking to us today. It's been really eye opening. Former executive Vice president of the Trump Organization, Barbara Rez, thank you for the time today.

[Larry J. Beans]

My pleasure, everybody.

[A.G.]

Stick around. We'll be right back with a good after these messages. We'll be right back. All right, everybody, welcome back. It's time for the good news. Who likes good news?

[Larry J. Beans]

Everyone? Then good news, everyone.

[A.G.]

Good news, Good news. And it's Friday. So joining me today for the good news is Amy Carrero. And Amy, I'm so happy it's good news time.

[Amy Carrero]

Me too. Oh, man, we really earned it this week, didn't we?

[A.G.]

Yes. Yes we did. And a lot of these are going to be written either during or before, you know, the insurrection. So I'm interested to hear what people's good news stories are, because we all need them. So thank you for sending these in. And if you have any you want to send in, you have any corrections or a confession, or you want to do Amy's court next week, just go to DailyBeansPod.com click on contact first up from anonymous Pronouns she and her Hiya Beans Queens I can't thank you enough for helping me get through this nutball week. Truly, I must have listened to the dildo story 20 times to take a break on Wednesday from the insanity. And a hearty thank you to the listener who submitted that gem. I mean, there was the unfortunate situation where I tried to tell my 81 year old mother about the story and ended up having to explain to her what a dildo. Oh no, how does she not know? That's what. That's what the submitter said, not me. Anyway, here's my good news. I was listening to the show this morning and marveling at the 13 year old daughter keeping track of the Georgia runoffs when my own daughter came out of her bedroom. She just turned nine and informed me she had been talking to her new stuffed animals since they arrived, with tags on them indicating their names and assigned pronouns. She said she asked each of them if they preferred to be identified as a different gender, a different name, and by different pronouns. And while I slight am slightly concerned that she was having a lengthy conversation with her stuffed animals, I can't help but also feel like the future is bright in the hands of people like her. In any case, if you're curious, one of her stuffed animals did tell her she identifies as female and has been given a new name accordingly. Thank you for all that you do. Attached for Pod Pet pic tacks are our two rescue puppers. Peach is a little Chihuahua mix and Honey Lemon is the giant Speckled Beast mix.

[Amy Carrero]

I love. Oh they're so sweet. They're so beautiful. Beautiful together. So elegant.

[A.G.]

Chihuahua back there is like what's up?

[Amy Carrero]

Oh this pictures of them sleeping on each other is the best.

[A.G.]

Oh they're friends. The last one is pretty adorable.

[Amy Carrero]

I mean, come on, that's what I look like when I'm like taking an afternoon nap. Love it. And also I I feel like we gotta cut your daughter some slack. She's probably talking to her toys because we are in the middle of a pandemic. So you know, I Know, after this week, it was easy to kind of forget with everything going on. But listen, I'm. I'm talking to my dog in weird voices, so, like, I'm not too far behind her. Okay, next up, from Amy. Amy. Her pronouns are she, her. I am so proud to say that I helped ensure one of the rioting lawbreakers inside the Capitol building on Wednesday lose her job today. Yes. One of the local social media groups I belong to has been working on identifying anyone in our general area who was present inside the building. Oh, I love this.

[A.G.]

I.

[Amy Carrero]

Can I be a part of it? I love it. I'll be a mascot. Once we've verified that they were not just protesting, but actually breaking the law, we've reached out to their employers asking them to condemn their employees actions. This is shockingly easy since several folks have their names, jobs, and photos of themselves inside the Capitol proudly displayed with easy public access right now. Well, I'm not going to ask you to name any names, but I promise you I received an email from this person's employer saying she quotes. In addition to your inquiry, we have received a tremendous amount of outreach over the past several hours making us aware of the actions of this agent. And then it's the company name is removed, unequivocally condemns these actions, and the company has served severed ties with this agent, effective immediately. Thank you for your concern. End quote. I just want to be clear. I believe in peaceful protesting. I do not believe in doxing. But if you break the law and then brag about it, you should experience consequences. I'm just one minor person, but I have to tell you that helping to work on this feels good. Thank you, Beans team, for all that you do and for helping to inspire, taking actions where appropriate. I the round of applause. This is like, totally.

[A.G.]

I'm all for this.

[Amy Carrero]

All for this. I mean, come on. You break, you commit a crime and then you post it on social media like it's something to be proud of. Yeah. That person immediately needs to be called out.

[A.G.]

Yeah. And this isn't just a crime. This. This isn't just a crime. This is terrorism. This is insurrection. This is conspiracy, sedition. Conspiracy. This. Breaking into the Capitol and. And damaging federal property, Stealing federal mail. Like, yeah, you know, and a lot of companies are great about this. They'll. They'll check it out and they'll investigate. And if they find the facts to be what they are, then they'll take appropriate action. It's. That's the free market at work.

[Amy Carrero]

Yep.

[A.G.]

Next up from Anonymous pronouns She and her confession Good news. Hi Beans Queens. This might be long. Bear with me. Kind of a confession kind of good news. I've been in a shitty relationship for a decade and I've constantly made excuses to stay. I have no money or it could be worse, etc. It's been entirely emotionally abusive. Nothing physical. Gaslighting and other fun bullshit. I won't bother with all the details. So last night, when I tried to talk to him about the events at the Capitol, he tried to start with the whole. Well, I heard it was antifa, so I pushed back. And it got so heated and emotional. And in the end, I made the decision right then and there. I was done. Finally, no more.

[Larry J. Beans]

Whoa.

[A.G.]

It's been coming for a while. And I finally had the guts to tell him to fuck off. I feel great. I'm still not as financially stable as I would like to be to get a place on my own, but I'm going to make it happen. And I have amazing and wonderful friends who can help and who have my back at all times. Hopefully I can find a place by April at the latest. Please keep me in your thoughts. I appreciate all you ladies do. You are such a light in all the darkness. Also, say some prayers that I win the lottery between now and March. Love y'all. Attach for pod Pet Tax is my baby girl seven years old, Ren. She is my life and my sanity, and I do everything for her. She is supremely spoiled. As she should be. As she should be.

[Amy Carrero]

Oh, what a sweetheart.

[A.G.]

That's. That's.

[Amy Carrero]

Wow.

[A.G.]

Hey, Anonymous set up a GoFundMe and send it to me.

[Amy Carrero]

Yes.

[A.G.]

And I bet we could get a little bit of scratch together to help you get out there.

[Amy Carrero]

A hundred percent.

[A.G.]

Yeah, I'd be happy to donate to it.

[Amy Carrero]

Yeah.

[A.G.]

I fled domestic violence a year ago and I had a lot of people who helped me. And so I'd be happy to pay this forward. And I know that everybody listening, all of our patrons and everybody, if they had a buck or two to chip in, it wouldn't take much to help you get help you get where you need to go.

[Amy Carrero]

That's so great.

[A.G.]

Send me a GoFundMe.

[Amy Carrero]

Yes, please do.

[A.G.]

What do we have next there?

[Amy Carrero]

All right, next we have Anonymous from Montana. Pronouns she, her, amusing myself today, dashing off notes to Ted Cruz, you will never be president. To Susan Collins, what do you think? Did Trump learn his lesson to Josh Hawley? Is there anything you wouldn't do to advance your political career? And to my own pipsqueet senator Sycophant. Stevie Danes, you are an embarrassment. Shame on you. Period.

[A.G.]

This.

[Amy Carrero]

This is relieving some of the anger I felt yesterday watching mobs overrun the capitol building. Love the show. I live in a state filled with some bonkers people. You keep me sane. Mostly enclosed. Pod, pet tax. Our elderly gentleman who passed last month at 19, and our two Rusty Kitties.

[A.G.]

Oh, my gosh, that's.

[Amy Carrero]

That's amazing. We should all be so lucky to have, you know, pets that live that long. Henry is a lovable lunk. Ally looks at me as if I am loathsome and she cannot remember who I am. She's the tortie. Thanks, beans queens.

[A.G.]

Oh, babies. Look. Look at the elderly gentleman.

[Amy Carrero]

Oh, very, very regal and a sweet.

[A.G.]

And she's knitting. And he's just sitting there watching her knit. That's so great. Great. There's the torti. Oh, what a. What a sweet baby.

[Amy Carrero]

I love it.

[A.G.]

Okay. Oh, these are great. And by the way, we send these out in the newsletter. If you're a patron, you can see all these pictures. Next up from Yashu or jc if it's easier. It's Polish pronouns, he and him. I think I get Yashu. I've been a little bit nervous about sending this in as a bit of good news, but here it goes. I've managed to lose 35 pounds and counting since Labor Day. I've been stuck without work since the pandemic hit. I work in theater. I shared when. When I have. By the way, I'm back out time out for a second when I almost said I work in. In a theater. But when. But when you say I work in theater, then you have to say I work in theater.

[Amy Carrero]

Theater.

[A.G.]

You have to sort of give it a little.

[Amy Carrero]

Yes, give it a tap, a little zhuzh. Give it the Juilliard R in theater.

[A.G.]

I work in theater. I shared about the drive in movie thing a few months ago, so I've been mostly helping my 7 year old with this virtual schooling. His ADHD makes this just a bit challenging. Now for the backstory. I've been wanting to lose weight for a while, but when I'm working constantly and consistently, I found it hard to get into a rhythm of healthy eating. Plus, I found out heredity blessed me with plantar fasciitis at the ripe old age of 36 instead of my 50 50s like a lot of people. So running is a painful option, which stinks because I enjoy running. And if you've never been to the green room of a theater or on a movie set, there are snacks everywhere. And it's not the best stuff usually. Yep, I've been there. So between the stress of virtual school, my dad passing from COVID back in May. I'm sorry to hear that. And the question marks of when I'd be able to work again, I was a hot mess and up to 2:25. Then my best friend let me know her photos of her wedding were available to view. She got married in February right before things went south. It was an awesome time, but holy moly. I looked like a balloon in my suit. I couldn't believe how awful I looked. I had to do something. Luckily my fitness focused cousin recommended I try intermittent fasting. Yay. And my other friend suggested a yoga program and both have been working. I started right after Labor Day and I just dipped below 190 for the first time since high school over 20 years ago. Also, the yoga has been helping with my feet and I'm going to start running with my 15 year old to keep in shape as well. Yeah, yoga helps with everything.

[Amy Carrero]

Everything.

[A.G.]

Yep. This whole pandemic has been a mess on my mental health, but this is one of the few bits of sun I've been able to enjoy. That and finally being able to help coach my older son soccer team. It's wonderful to be able to spend time with him one on one, which is increasingly hard as he gets older. For tacks, I've got a few pics including my dogs Indy in tan because Indy was the dog's name and Kona, our black dog and our cat Dorito. Also included is the unique way my 7 year old decided was a comfortable reading position. Thank you ladies for helping me and keep my sanity during these weird times. You make things so easy, easy to digest and find a way to keep it humorous. Congratulations dude.

[Amy Carrero]

That's so dope.

[A.G.]

Yashu, Congrats. Look at these babies.

[Amy Carrero]

Oh, these babies are amazing. Also, I got a really bad case of plantar fasciitis when I was doing a play in New York and one thing that really helped me was I would get I'll send it to you ag. Maybe you can put it in the newsletter. But it's this contraption that's supposed to help with your fascia and it's just supposed to break it up and if you use it with like some coconut oil or whatever and you just like rub the shit out of your out of the arch of your foot, it really loosens it up. It kind of hurts when you first start but then you get used to it. You do it for like, four to five minutes at a time, once or twice a day, and it really kind of loosened everything up. So anyway, that's just my two plantar fasciitis scents.

[A.G.]

Yeah, my plantar fasciitis got better when I. When I started yoga as well. And intermittent intermittent fasting slash Paleo. Like, intermittent paleo works for me.

[Amy Carrero]

Love it. Intermittent paleo.

[A.G.]

Love it.

[Amy Carrero]

I'm on the consistently carb diet, so it's not. It's. It's really. I'm always tired. Okay, so the next one is from Patty. Pronouns, she, her. Hello. A couple of years ago, I spit in the little. In a little DNA collection vial. Lo and behold, I have found a new sister. My older sister passed away. I know, right? My older sister passed away many years ago, which left a large void in my life. I have a brother, but there's truly nothing in life like a sister. Susan, my newfound sister, was raised as an only child and never knew the man who raised her wasn't her biological father. Oh, my gosh. Never in a million years would I have ever thought my dad would cheat on my mom. This is so bizarre. I'm saying that not her. Of course, none of the participants are alive to ask what the. But alas, DNA doesn't lie. I'm 68, and so Susan is 61 and our punk little brother is 57. She and I have similarities. She actually looks a lot like our grandmother. It turns out we live about 15 miles from each other and have gotten to know and love each other. Wow. Imagine her shock to find out she has a brother, a sister, a whole bunch of cousins, six nieces and nephews, two grand nieces and a grand nephew, all because her mom and dad had an affair. Her mom and our dad had an affair in the 50s, and we all spit in a vial. Attached is a picture of a few of my cats enjoying the gift she gave them. Oh, and a few more just because. Thank you for everything you do. This is like a TV show.

[A.G.]

This is incredible. This is an amazing story.

[Amy Carrero]

An amazing story. All these cats are so cute. That's so cool. I mean, like, you don't think that there are many surprises left in life, you know, with the dawn of the Internet and all this technology, but sometimes technology really surprises you and you find long lost or never, you know, known of sisters.

[A.G.]

Yeah. When you get like 20 new family members.

[Amy Carrero]

Yeah, that's got to be a lot.

[A.G.]

That. That's. Yeah. That's amazing. And that you all found each other. You all both. Both happened to spit in A vial. And there was an affair in the 50s. Drama, drama.

[Amy Carrero]

Like, this is. This is a Shonda Rhimes. A case for Shonda Rhimes.

[A.G.]

I know. I would want to investigate.

[Amy Carrero]

Yes, me too.

[A.G.]

Like, even if they've all passed away, I'd want to be like, read the diaries. Figure it out.

[Amy Carrero]

Yeah, Like, I want to know. Yeah, exactly. Oh, my gosh, that's so interesting. Thank you for sharing that with us.

[A.G.]

Yes. And thank you for sharing your gatos. They are adorbs. And again, everybody, if you have good news stories or confessions or corrections or dispute you need settled in Amy's court, please send them to dailybeanspod.com. just go to our website and click on Contact. And everybody just try to relax a little bit this weekend. Yes. I don't know. I don't know what else to say. It. This is. I mean, I'm. There's been a lot of times during this administration where I've been speechless.

[Amy Carrero]

Yeah.

[A.G.]

But this is. This is a big one.

[Amy Carrero]

This is a big one. You know, it's funny when you always say, like, at the end of the show, you say, like, take care of yourselves and not. And take care of the planet. I always kind of like, it's a good reminder. But. But in moments like these, I'm like, oh, what does it actually mean to take care of myself? Myself? You know, because so much of what I consider taking care of myself is, like, doing things that, like, push me harder. Do you know what I mean? And, like. But really, maybe sometimes taking care of yourself is just like, dude, just do nothing or do something you really enjoy. Like, I don't know, you know, like, just. You're. We're kind of in survival mode right now.

[A.G.]

Take a walk, have a bath, or just sit around and Netflix. Watch 30 Rock, you know? Yeah, yeah, whatever. But it is very important, especially this week. So I'll say it again. Everybody, please take care of yourselves, take care of each other, and take care of your mental health and take care of the planet.

[Amy Carrero]

I've been AG and I've been Amy Carrero.

[A.G.]

And them's the beans.

[Larry J. Beans]

Refried beans.

[A.G.]

I like refried beans.