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The Daily Beans
Refried Beans | Literal Brain Worms (feat. Jena Friedman)| 5/9/2024
00:52:34
Thursday, May 9th, 2024 Marjorie Taylor Greene is beginning her effort to remove Speaker Johnson; the Georgia court of appeals has granted Trump’s motion to reconsider the removal of DA Fani Willis; Judge Aileen Cannon indefinitely postpones the Trump espionage case; Nikki Haley nets 22% of the vote in the Indiana Republican primary; Biden takes aim at Trump for failed Foxconn project with a visit to Microsoft’s new site in Wisconsin; the Pentagon confirms that the Biden administration stopped a shipment of bombs to Israel; Kevin McCarthy is escalating his war against Matt Gaetz; RFK Jr has literal brain worms; plus Allison and Dana deliver your Good News.
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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.
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B
Okay. Yeah.
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A
It's what we say.
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B
So.
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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.
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B
Okay? 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 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.
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C
Refried beans.
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B
I like refried beans.
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C
That's why I want to try fried
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B
beans, because maybe they're just as good
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D
and we're wasting time.
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B
Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Thursday, May 9, 2024. Today, Marjorie Taylor Greene is beginning her effort to remove Speaker Johnson. The Georgia Court of Appeals has granted Trump's motion to reconsider the removal of DA Fani Willis. Judge Aileen Cannon indefinitely postponed the Trump espionage case. Nikki Haley nets 22% of the vote in the Indiana Republican primary. Biden takes aim at Trump for failed Foxconn project with a visit to Microsoft's new site in Wisconsin. The Pentagon confirms that Biden administration had stopped a shipment of bombs to Israel. Kevin McCarthy is escalating his war against Matt Gaetz. And RFK Jr has literal brain worms. I'm Alison Gill.
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D
And I'm Dana Goldberg.
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B
Hey, Dana. Happy Thursday.
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D
My God, the news did not stop. Literally. We're gonna. We were about to record everyone and Allison texts me and goes, can I have a 10 minute mental health break? So apparently Allison takes her mental health breaks and 10 minute in increments. And we're back.
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B
That's exactly about as much time as I can muster.
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D
Yep.
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B
And then even on that mental health break, there was breaking news, which I'll talk to you about in a second. There's more indictments that have been handed down in the 2020 election interference case in Michigan. And who as we record this, as we record this Marjorie Taylor Greene brought her motion to vacate to the floor amidst booze. Everybody was like, shut up. And out on the Capitol steps. There were like eight Republicans slamming her for being an attention whore. De La Cruz says MTG is destructive. Quote, this is unnecessary and destructive to the future of the Republican Party. Despacito was saying that. Well, Kelly said it best. We wish we had a larger majority in the House. We wish we had the Senate. We wish we had the White House. But stunts like this don't help us get that these tantrums are taking the country down this path. It's not what we're going to do. It's not going to pass. Lawler said Moscow Marjorie has gone off the deep end, possibly with her space laser. The only people who've stymied our ability to govern are people like Marjorie Taylor Greene. And then Manu Raju asked how this looks to voters, and Kelly says, I've got bad news for Marjorie. This stunt will be a flash in the pan, and the rest of us will get back to work. Bice. Stephanie Bice says we haven't gotten everything we want. As Republicans, the border is a big issue, but the strategies MTG is taking, they're getting us nowhere. My constituents want us to get back to governing. Miller from Ohio says Trump doesn't want this and doesn't want mtg, and she's going to find herself in a very lonely place. I mean, just. I just kept thinking of Stephanie Miller's big bag of rats.
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D
Oh, yeah. And this measure failed spectacularly.
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B
Yes.
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D
The vote.
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B
The vote just finished. What were the totals?
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D
I think it was 359 to 43 or something close to those numbers. Which means the 43 were Republicans that were voting with her.
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B
32 Dems and 11 Republicans voted to advance. Seven voted present. Looks like. Yeah. Boy, she got trounced. Yeah. Oh, my gosh. Okay, so there's more. There's more breaking news. Let's do some quick hits. All right, first up, Judge Cannon has indefinitely postponed the Trump espionage and obstruction case down in Florida and has laid out a pretrial calendar for motions hearings and SEPA deadlines. I've written about the filing in detail at Mueller Shoe wrote.substack.com Andy and I are going to go over it on this week's episode of Jack The One silver lining, Dana, is that by not scheduling the trial later in the year, she's not occupying the calendar, which would could prevent the January 6 trial from being scheduled should the Supreme Court allow that trial to go forward. So we'll see.
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D
All right. Well, I guess there is some positive news in that. Thanks so much, Ag. This one's from the Associated Press. The ghost of Nikki Haley's presidential campaign is ringing up significant in state primaries despite her withdrawal from the race in March, shortly before Donald Trump had clinched the Republican nomination. The backing for Haley, most recently in Indiana, where she grabbed nearly 22% of the votes on Tuesday. She's not in the race anymore, people. It signals persistent discontent among party voters with the former president. He's racking up primary victories even as he has been spending much of his time recently in New York's courtroom, freezing his little butt off, facing state criminal charges involving hush money payments to porn actress, adult. Adult actress to interfere with the 2016 election. Haley, as we know, is a former South Carolina governor and UN Ambassador who qualified for the Indiana ballot before she ended her campaign two months ago. She has not endorsed Trump and I sure hope that continues.
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B
Two months ago and she got 22% of the vote. That's 180,000 votes.
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C
That's a lot.
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B
It is. And Dana, the Pentagon has just confirmed that President Biden did block a shipment of 3,500, 2,000 pound and 500 pound bombs to Israel and that's a shot across the bow to Netanyahu to let him know the US does not support and will not stand for the offensive in Rafah. Now, Biden is considering blocking additional bombs and munitions in the future. And breaking just now, he has said in some remarks that he could not send any offensive weapons to Israel if they continue their offensive in Rafah and, you know, maybe continue to send defensive weapons like the Iron Dome so that if, you know, Iran sends missiles down to Israel, they could protect the, the people of Israel with their Iron Dome defensive weapons. But it looks like Biden is loudly and clearly saying that because of this red line that he drew on a potential attack in Rafah where he said, you know, over a million Gazans have, you know, moved down to the south and have nowhere else to go. And to continue to attack without, you know, any precision or care or anything like that is extremely wrong and he won't support it. And he seems to be refusing to send the kinds of weapons that would be used in that offensive to Israel. So good.
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D
That is good to see.
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B
It is. It's good. And I'm glad that that's happening. Also. Breaking news, Dana, right now, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nestle has hit Stephanie Lambert and Stephanie Scott with superseding indictments in Michigan.
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D
Amazing.
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B
Because remember, I know, we know down in Coffee county in Georgia, there was a breach of voting machines, and that was in Fani Willis's indictment. We'll get to Fani Willis in a minute. But there was a breach of voter data in Michigan, too, led by Trump lawyer Stephanie Lambert and this other lady, Stephanie sc. So they've been hit with multiple felonies charges from the attorney general there in Michigan for this. We'll talk about that on the next cleanup on L45. All right. Holy cannoli. That's just the quick hits. Let's hit the hot notes. Hot notes. First up from the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Georgia Court of Appeals on Wednesday decided to hear an appeal of a judge's ruling allowing DA Fani Willis to remain at the helm of the Fulton county election interference case against former President Donald Trump. The court's decision almost certainly means a significant delay of the trial for Trump and his 14 co defendants and signals that Willis could still be disqualified from the case, the biggest in her career and one she spent years assembling. It's unclear how long the busy appeals court will take to decide the issue, but it could stretch into next year. Quote, there's no way this case goes to trial this year. That's Atlanta defense attorney Andrew Fleischman, who's closely following this case. Quote, I would expect the appeals court to issue its opinion sometime next year. Dana On March 29, Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee issued a certificate of immediate review, which allowed the defendants to appeal his ruling to the Georgia Court of Appeals before the trial begins. Under appeals court rules, such a pretrial or interlocutory appeal is typically assigned to a three judge screening panel, and all it takes is for one of those judges to decide whether the court accepts the appeal. The court's order was just one page. It did not divulge which judge voted to grant the application, and it gave the defense 10 days to file its formal notice of appeal. In his order granting pretrial review, Judge McAfee said he would continue working on the case, resolving pending motions while the appeals court takes up the removal issue. It is possible Trump or his co defendants could seek a stay from the Appeals court, barring McAfee from doing any of that work while the appeals court decides this case. Eight defendants, including Trump, requested permission to appeal a few days after McAfee effectively denied the motion to disqualify Willis, and that was due to her romantic relationship with then special prosecutor Nathan Wade. While McAfee ruled that Willis did not have an actual conflict of interest he said there was an appearance of a conflict that required her to make a choice. She could either recuse herself and her office from the case or cut ties with Wade. McAfee said that that one of the two had to happen. And within hours, Wade tendered his resignation and Willis accepted it. Fleischman said he understood why the appellate court agreed to decide the disqualification challenge. He said the issue is important. You're prosecuting the former president, United States. This is obviously an area of the law that needs clarification. It's so important to the outcome of the case. Attorney for Trump and eight co defendants told the appeals court that McAfee erred in failing to disqualify Willis. Wade's resignation, they argued, did not cure the appearance of impropriety. As a result, quote, neither the public nor the accused can have the required confidence in the impartiality and fairness of the criminal process. The defense attorneys also contended Willis should have been removed for suggesting during her speech at Big Bethel AME Church that the initial defense motion that criticized Willis's relationship with Wade was racially motivated. In response, the DA's office said there was no basis for the appeals court to decide that issue. Prosecutors noted McAfee concluded the church speech didn't cross the line and that the case is too far removed from jury selection for any actual prejudice or improper effect on the jury pool. The exact timeline for when the court would take up the disqualification appeal is unclear. Fulton County Superior Court must first prepare the record from the first round of this removal fight and send it to the appeals court. Only then can the case be docketed and a panel of three judges randomly assigned via the court's computer system. And that's according to Christina Cooley Smith, deputy court administrator for the Court of Appeals. It's then up to the judges to decide when they would like to hear oral argument. But the matter must be decided within two terms of the court. That means if it's docketed before July, it would need to be heard and decided before March 2025.
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D
All right, AG, thank you so much for that story. This one's from Olivia Beavers at POLITICO. Kevin McCarthy and I love to see this, to be honest with you. He is escalating his revenge campaign against Matt Gaetz. In an interview with POLITICO, McCarthy backed Gaetz Gates, new Florida GOP primary Challenger. A top McCarthy advisor also acknowledged playing a vetting that opponent. His name is Aaron Dimmock. And McCarthy delivered a slashing attack on Gates, who led the effort to Overthrow him as speaker last fall. Quote, gates is the hunter Biden of the Republican Party. McCarthy said he's got an opponent who is pro life, pro second Amendment, trained at Pensacola, went to the Naval Academy and flew jets to defend us while Gates was getting kicked out of high school, buying coke and paying minors for sex, end quote. McCarthy was referring to the focus on an ongoing House Ethics committee probe. Those are the allegations that Gates had sexual contact with minors. The committee is in possession of a sworn statement that alleges Gates was present at a party where illegal drugs were used. This is from ABC now. That's what they reported. Gates has denied the drugs and sex related allegations. He graduated from Niceville High School in Florida. Can you make that up? According to his biography on the nonpartisan site ligastorm legastorm. Legastorm, the Department of Justice conducted its own investigation as part of sex trafficking probe. And according to Gates, lawyers and DOJ officials decided not to bring criminal charges. Gates responded by inviting McCarthy to appear in the District with Dimock, arguing it would be a boon for his campaign. Quote, I whooped Kevin McCarthy in Washington. I don't think he's going to fare better when I'm playing home field advantage in North Florida. That's what he said. Now presented with the McCarthy highly personal criticism, Gates also revived a nearly decade old unproven rumor that McCarthy had an affair with a colleague. Gates is the highest profile political target among the eight hardliners whom McCarthy and his allies are targeting in a vengeance tour that was first reported by Politico. But he is also among the hardest of McCarthy's foes to unseat. And even if Gates, who's won past primary challenges by healthy margins, defeats Dimock, McCarthy may have another opportunity to exact revenge. Florida Republicans suspect he is eyeing the seat that Governor Ron DeSantis will be forced to give up in 2026. Though Gates has said he doesn't plan to run, it's the recipe for a perpetual clash. Even lobbyist and McCarthy ally Jeff Miller, he took his shot last week, accusing Gates of invoking anti Semitic tropes to explain his vote against a geopolit anti Semitism bill and slamming the Florida firebrand as, quote, a pedophile. The McCarthy Gates vitriol is spiking anew just as Speaker Mike Johnson appears closer than ever to neutralizing his own ouster. That threat, as we know, is Marjorie Taylor Greene, whose combative instincts McCarthy had worked to tame as he turned her into an ally. While Green chafes at Johnson, Gates has stayed conspicuously on the sidelines. And though he is occasionally criticized as the Speaker's decisions made clear he's not in favor of an election year effort to topple a second House GOP Leader. Some of McCarthy's loyalists see an opportunity for payback in the Ethics Committee's ultimate findings about gates. A few McCarthy allies have even privately suggested using the internal inquiries findings to try to oust Gates from Congress if the conclusions are damaging enough. A Dimmick campaign spokesperson pushed back hard at Gates, Quote, Matt Gaetz's desperation oozes out of every baseless claim he makes as he attempts to distract votes from his disastrous tenure in Congress. The voters of this district are going to have a clear choice in August. A true conservative outsider with a history of service to country or a desperate career politician who will say anything to hold to power. And I'll say this right now, I know that these seats are pretty strong Republican like I think it would be. It'd be hard pressed to think that we're going to flip either Gates or Marjorie Taylor Greene's seat, but I would fucking love if a Republican took them both out of Congress because that would just be a beautiful thing. Yeah.
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B
I mean, if you're splitting the Republican vote between Dimmock and Gates, you might end up with enough votes for a Democratic challenger. It would be difficult, but it would be interesting.
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D
Yeah.
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B
Anyway, fun to watch. All right, next up from Samantha Kelly at CNN. Microsoft said it's pouring $3.3 billion into building a data hub in Wisconsin that aims to train employees and manufacturer how to best use artificial intelligence. President Joe Biden appeared at the site in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, on Wednesday to highlight the administration's efforts to invest in job growth in America. The news comes six years after the Trump administration announced their $10 billion investment by Foxconn with the promise to bring 13,000 jobs to Wisconsin, a plan that never materialized. The new center aims to create 2,300 union construction jobs and 2,000 permanent jobs over time, according to Microsoft. Microsoft said it will use the center to train about 100,000 workers across the state on generative AI by 2030, thanks in part to a partnership with United Way Wisconsin, United Way Racine and other community partners. It also plans to open a lab on the campus of the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee to help companies and manufacturers infuse technology into their business. Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella earned a master's degree in computer science at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. And in his remarks Wednesday, Biden plans to directly point his finger at Trump for the failed project. And he did, he said, you know, he promised this thousands of jobs and this Foxconn plant. And there was some digging, there was some dirt. He, he like raised a bunch of homes and kicked people out of their houses. That was like the best he did. In a statement to cnn, Foxconn parent company Hon Hai Technology says it continues to grow in Wisconsin and supports expansion of technology and inn to the state, unquote. Foxconn, which said it invested about a billion dollars in Wisconsin, still has a major manufacturing site for data servers in Racine county. With more than 1,000 employees, it has facilities in 205 locations across 24 countries. Quote, Employment at Foxconn Wisconsin has grown about 42% in the three years since 2020. We've been Racine County's largest taxpayer in recent years. The president's visit to the key battleground state will also present an opportunity for the White House to try to highlight some of the Biden administration's key first term achie. Specifically, funding from legislation like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the CHIPS act, which invests in semiconductor chip manufacturing in the United States. In a fact sheet released by the White House ahead of the President's visit, The administration says 177,000 jobs have been added in Wisconsin, 4,000 in Racine alone, since the president took office in 2021. Last year, Biden signed an executive order on AI aimed to get entrepreneurs access to technical assistance and resources, help small businesses commercialize AI breakthroughs and expand grants for AI research in areas such as healthcare and climate change. The White House also introduced an order in 2023 to require AI system developers to share results of their safety tests with the federal government before they're released to the public. Now, Microsoft's move comes at a time when the government seeks to monitor and regulate the risks of AI. In March, Biden urged Congress during his State of the Union to pass legislation to regulate artificial intelligence, including banning AI, voice impersonation and more. He said lawmakers need to harness the promise of AI and protect us from its peril, warning of the technology's risk to Americans if left unchecked. Now, beyond AI, Wisconsin is seeing a spate of funding toward futuristic industries. The state also received $6.9 billion from Biden's investing in America agenda for infrastructure and clean energy.
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D
All right, thank you, Ag. This one's from Suzanne Craig at the Post. In 2010, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. RFK Jr. Was experiencing memory loss and mental fogginess so severe that a friend grew Concerned he might have a brain tumor. Now, Mr. Kennedy said he consulted several of the country's top neurologists, many of whom had either treated or spoken to his uncle. And that's Senator Edward Kennedy before his death, of course, the previous year. And he died of brain cancer. Several doctors noticed a dark spot on the younger Mr. Kennedy's brain scans and concluded that he had a tumor. He said this in a 2012 deposition reviewed by the New York Times. Now, Mr. Kennedy was immediately scheduled for procedure at Duke University Medical center by the same surgeon who had operated on his uncle. While packing for the trip, he said, he received a call from the doctor at the New York Presbyterian Hospital, who had a different opinion. Mr. Kennedy, he believed, had a dead parasite in his head. Now, there's. I'm not making fun in any way of this because I think this has happened to me numerous people, and it sounds horrifying. The doctor believed that the abnormality seen on his scans, quote, was caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died. So, Mr. Kennedy said in a deposition, it is hard not to, just because of the things that come out of that man's mouth. You. You have to wonder how much damage this worm actually caused to his brain. Now, he's gone to lengths to appear hale, skiing with professional snowboarder with an Olympic gold medalist who called him a ripper as they raced down the mountain. He was with a camera crew that was at his side while he lifted weights, shirtless at an outdoor gym in Venice Beach. Still, over the years, he has faced serious health issues, some previously undisclosed, including an apparent worm in his brain. Now, for decades, Mr. Kennedy suffered from atrial fibrillation, as my voice cracks like Peter Brady, a common heartbeat abnormality that increases the risk of stroke or heart fail. He's been hospitalized at least four times for episodes, although in an interview with the Times this winter, he said he had not had an incident in more than a decade and believed the condition had just disappeared. Now, about the same time he learned of the parasite, he said he was also diagnosed with mercury poisoning, most likely from ingesting too much fish containing dangerous heavy metals, which can cause serious neurological issues. I have cognitive problems, clearly, he said in the 2012 deposition, and went on to say, I have short term memory loss and I have longer term memory loss. That affects me. This is where my issue is. This man is not fit to be President of the United States, and I am infuriated that he's running as a spoiler candidate trying to Take votes knowing that all of these depositions all the way back to 2012 have made it clear this man is not in good health and there's no reason that he should even be mentally considered to be President of the United States at this point. That's, that's where I, I lost it a little bit in the story and I apologize. But I think most of people listening could understand why. In the days after the 2010 call from New York Presbyterian, Mr. Kennedy said in the interview he underwent a battery of tests. Scans over many weeks showed no change in the spot on his brain. That's what he said. Doctors ultimately concluded that the cyst they saw on scans contained the remains of a parasite. Mr. Kennedy said that he did not know the type of parasite where it could contracted it, though he suspected it might have been during a trip through South Asia. So obviously we are reporting the news. You can take that as you will. The comedian in me is biting my tongue almost off. But I, you know, I don't wish anything ill upon anyone, but I think even by his own accord, this man is not mentally or physically fit to be President of the United States of America.
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B
Well, it makes me wonder, you know, how he constantly is forgetting that he said something or saying that he didn't say something. Like, I know never said vaccines were not impacting Jews or anything. You know, like he'll, he'll be. And then they'll just play the tape for him. Like here is you saying that thing and you'd be like, oh right, I
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D
believe that that's exactly what happened.
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B
Maybe this, maybe this has something to do with that.
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D
I mean it does. It's, it is a good explanation. And like I said, I know this is not the only person in the world that has had a parasite found in their brain. And I'm sure it causes tremendous damage. And this is a good explanation maybe for some of his behavior. Sure.
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B
Yeah. I don't know. And I'm not sure.
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D
Not making excuses, that's for sure, because he's dangerous. But this could be a good explanation.
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B
Yeah. And also I did you dirty. I typed that up wrong. Suzanne Craig works for the New York Times. That's my battle on the fly correction right there.
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D
Thanks so much for letting me know. Otherwise we would have gotten some people writing in. And I appreciate the real time correction from my co host.
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B
It was my fault because that's what I put in the script. And I so admire Suzanne Craig's work. She did that, that six piece New York Times. Oh yeah, piece on six Part New York Times piece on Donald's taxes.
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D
And yeah, Suzanne Craig, I believe, is the person that our dear friend Mary Trump handed all those boxes to so she could get this story done. The New York Times. She's incredible.
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B
Yes. Absolutely. Truly incredible journalist. All right, thank you so much. I wanted to get her publication. Right. So we will be right back. We have to get to the good news. We need good news today. And so please send us your good news@dailybeanspot.com and click on contact. And you know what, though? After the break, I get to talk to an incredible comedian who wrote a book called Not Funny and her name is Jenna Friedman. And it's one of the.
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D
And she is very funny.
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B
She's really funny. And the way that she just. The way she positions her jokes is just incredible. She's a brilliant comedian. And I get to talk to her after the break. And then we'll hit the good news. Stick around. We'll be right back after these messages.
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D
We'll be right back.
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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 hashtag resist, subscribe and get a new episode of the Final Word podcast each week. It's the news we think you need to hear.
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D
That's right.
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A
We think you need to hear it.
- [27:03]
B
Okay. Yeah.
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A
It's what we say.
- [27:05]
B
So.
- [27:05]
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.
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B
Okay? All we do is give. Hey, everybody. Welcome back. I am really excited today to be joined by Oscar nominated writer, director, author, and comedian whose book Not Funny is out now in paperback. Please welcome Jenna Friedman. Hi, Jenna.
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C
Hi. Thanks for having me.
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B
I'm so excited to talk to you. First of all, I'm a old comedian myself, so. Not saying you're old, but I'm okay with it. I'm not young. I was talking about me. That was a me descriptor, not a you description. And then it got into the news and politics. Just a natural progression. And I really, really love talking to comedians who have really kind of poignant and brave sort of material. And as you know, my co host is Dana Goldberg. She's an incredible comedian. She does a lot of work with human Rights Campaign and Lambda Legal. And so I am so excited to talk to you because your book is called Not Funny. And it's incredible. And I love that because just recently, I had been asked to do a couple of shows at comedy clubs, and I said, okay, but I'm gonna have to call it Not a comedy show, if that's okay with you. And so I really kind of connect with that. And so talk a little bit about the book. What sort of prompted you to write it, and then we'll get a little bit into some of the material.
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D
Sure.
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C
Well, I think it was during one of the lockdowns when I was like, you know, what would be a fun thing to do right now since everything shut down? Finally write that book. And I had. I had a little. When Twitter was still called Twitter, I had tweeted something, and it went viral for all the wrong reasons. Like, well, okay, I'm. I'm paraphrasing. I did a fake breaking news tweet, which I thought at the time was funny because I have comedian in my bio. I say, don't quote me. It was right at the time of the Republican National Convention when they had the McCloskey. When I saw an announcement that the McCloskeys, this couple in St. Louis who pointed guns at protesters, were speaking at the rnc, I thought that that was insane. And so I wrote something to the effect of, like, you know, Brock Turner, the Stanford sex offender, was speaking at the rnc, and so many people thought it was real. And then I also wrote bad who gave world Covid speaking at the rnc. So if you just looked at my feed, you would know that I was not serious. But everyone ran with it. Like, the ap, I think, picked it up. And then it was like some Stanford professor weighed in. And I forget. I actually, like, took screenshots of all the places that had picked up the news. And then I got an email from a lit agent saying, we work with Chanel Miller. Her book just came out about what happened to her. And thank you for getting Brock's name trending, because it's going to help her book sales. Are you interested in writing a book? I am not making this up. And it just sounded so crazy. And I. But of course, I jumped at the chance because I have wanted to write a book. I just didn't have the discipline to do it until a global pandemic. And it kind of started out being about this. I would say this political moment, but I feel like we've jumped five political moments since when I wrote the book. I mean, like, in the current moment, my brain. I can't even process what's going on right now. But in that previous political moment, when I thought maybe Trump would win in 2020, I think I. I think this all happened around, like, you know, right before the election, the lead up to the election. Yeah, I. Yeah, I wanted to get my thoughts on paper before, you know, all the books were burned. So that was part of the genesis for the book. And then the book morphed into being less about this political moment and more just about me coming up as a comedian from when I started 15 years ago to when the book came out.
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B
Why'd you call it not funny?
- [31:38]
C
A couple reasons. I think not funny is a really funny phrase. I think it's, like the worst insult you could ever give a comedian. We've been called all sorts of things, but to be called not funny is the gravest insult. Female comedians get that all the time. The professor calling my tweet not funny, and that being the headline of a credible news source, comedians tweet about Brock Turner. Not funny. Like a Stanford professor has the authority of what comedy is. I just thought it was a really funny, loaded term. And I've also talked about this on Colbert's side. I don't mean to repeat myself, but at the time that I pitched that title, I'd also pitched having a foreword written by someone named Bill Cosby, who wasn't Bill Cosby. So the combination of not funny with a forward by Bill Cosby is very funny to me. But then my editor scrapped that idea. He's like, that's totally. Let's not do that. Your book. You have a lot to say in your book. Let's not have it be overshadowed by this really bad joke that you think will be funny. The Bill Cosby has written many, many forewords to many, many books, by the way. So I just. And it was a different guy I found. I actually got that guy to write a forward for the paperback. But then we read his foreword, which is really complimentary. But why? We just didn't include it because it is just a funny idea to tell someone, but in execution, it's not actually a good idea to do.
- [33:05]
B
It's a good joke. I mean, I remember when I was in a band, I wanted to call our first album the Greatest Hits. It's that kind of vein. And satire is so difficult now.
- [33:16]
C
It's so difficult now. I would have argued with you a year ago. I would have said, you know what? There's still ways to Be satirical. But in this current moment, it feels impossible.
- [33:31]
B
Yeah. And, you know, a lot of my comedy set was satire. It was me kind of playing this character of. Because, you know, I'm a survivor of sexual assault. So my character was kind of like a pro sexual assault, like. Like satirical person. But, like, your tweet went viral for all the wrong reasons. My comedy was doing well for all the wrong people thought I was being serious. Like, yeah, date rape's the best or whatever.
- [34:02]
C
Oh, my gosh.
- [34:03]
B
And so I was like, well, I can't do this anymore, and had to really change the way that I thought about things because the irony was lost on people. The satire was lost on people. It's fascinating. And that was 20 years ago. So now we're talking today when satire has been absolutely beaten like a dead horse for over the head forever and is completely dead.
- [34:30]
C
Well, with satire dead, I mean, we are in this moment where people are just so angry and sensitive for. Very valid.
- [34:37]
B
It's not dead. I'm being hyperbolic. I mean, there's still some really good satire out there, but it's really hard to do.
- [34:42]
C
Do it. And I think there's a point where it's really hard, and then you do just kind of jump. You do just. You're just like, at a point where whatever. I mean, you're stepping on eggshells to not offend people. But then when everybody's offended all the time, maybe. Maybe that's a thriving environment for satire because you're just like, you know what? Screw it. I don't care if you're mad at me. You're going to be mad at me no matter what. This is what I do. I'm not there yet. I'm like a week away from there. In a week from now, I'm going to be like, you know what? We're all gonna die. I'm just gonna let me be funny in the process.
- [35:14]
B
Do you do the thing where every day you're like, I'm just gonna quit and disappear? Okay, I won't.
- [35:19]
C
I mean, I don't know. If I did, nobody would know. I'm already invisible.
- [35:24]
B
That's what stops me. Right. Nobody would care. Yeah. Talk a little bit about some of the subject matter because it. It is social justice. It is political, but then again, it's not. It can just be sort of enjoyed separately from that. Do you know what I mean?
- [35:42]
C
Well, I'm kind of. Oh, in terms of, like, my agenda being like, I care about women, and I don't want us to get Raped and brutalized and murdered. But I'm also a comedian, and I do think it's important for people to laugh. Is that kind of what you mean in terms of.
- [35:58]
D
Right.
- [35:59]
C
Well, my Adult Swim show was a perfect example of that because I definitely had a point of view and I knew the audience that watched Adult Swim, but I also knew that the only way to reach them would be by actually being funny. Not trying to, you know, not just like blatantly being political and sugarcoating that message, but actually, like, having, like, hard laughs and making people laugh. And I do think that that show, which is available on YouTube, I just threw the episodes on YouTube. If you Google Jenna Friedman and Campus Rape, you'll find a really funny segment actually tailored to frat guys, where we had them take around life size sex dolls for a weekend on college campuses. And the one assignment was like, don't fuck her. And then I hope I can curse.
- [36:46]
D
You could swear.
- [36:47]
C
Okay. And then we followed the guys around all weekend, and then there was a really funny finale, which I don't want to spoil, but. What was your question?
- [36:57]
B
Oh, just. Just the whole satire angle and how difficult it can be. I mean, one of the comedic devices that I think you are, like, super genius at is you'll be like, okay, so this terrible thing is great. Now stick with me and let me explain why.
- [37:15]
C
Wait, when do. What's an example of that? Because I don't know if I. What would be.
- [37:21]
B
Well, do you know. You know how you.
- [37:22]
D
You'll.
- [37:23]
B
You'll talk about a specific subject in a. In a seemingly positive or satirical light and then take us into reality with. And I think that that's. I saw some of that on Is it Lady Killer?
- [37:35]
C
Yeah, Ladykiller was really dark. I was so pregnant.
- [37:39]
B
Let's talk about that. Because what were you, like, 26, 27 weeks pregnant when you did that?
- [37:44]
C
Yeah, I watch it now. It was like, I have this joke about miscarriage that was working before I got pregnant. And then I'm pregnant and the audience is just not. And then I tried to add, like, tags and be like, if you don't laugh, you'll stress out the baby to try to get. Get people to, like, lighten up. But I think people were, like, not having it. Yeah, I mean, I just. I think it's important to talk about stuff, especially now. And I think if you can do it from a place of humanity and if you can make it funny, all the more impactful. But there's a lot of, like, we're shutting down conversations we're canceling events that this is in this current moment I'm talking about, not even in the stuff that I've done. And it feels like a really scary time, especially as we have an election coming up which could be our last. I think that we need to be kind of talking about things, and if you can use comedy to do that, all the better. But we are in a really scary moment where I think people are having a really hard time engaging in dialogue at all.
- [38:44]
B
And that's always kind of been the way. I think it's always sort of been comedians who get us through those dark times by helping us laugh at and relate to the place that we're all in at the same time. Do you know what I mean?
- [39:01]
C
Yeah. I used to feel that, and I still do that. Like, comedians are the canaries in the coal mine of democracy. At the minute that we aren't quote, unquote, safe or accepted, that's really when, you know, a democracy's in trouble.
- [39:15]
B
Yeah. And it is getting really scary. So on that note, can you tell everybody where they can find. First of all, remind everybody where they can find that series, because it's hilarious. And then also I'm assuming that your book's available wherever people get their books. It's called Not Funny. But where can people find and follow you?
- [39:37]
C
I'm online. I'm trying to not be. But if you want to see Self Focus, I do have you just Google Soft Focus with Jenna Friedman. The clips are on YouTube and you can buy my book wherever books are sold. Support your local Amazon. It's called Not Funny. And then I do. I have someone who actually works with me to post clips on TikTok. That's how I. I don't actually partake in TikTok, but my content is up there. It's also on like Instagram and Twitter and I'm touring a live show now that's a new hour about somewhat about politics, but also personal stuff. And that will hopefully be in cities near you. And I will be posting about that soon.
- [40:25]
B
Awesome. Yeah, I think I found you on Instagram a while back. Thank you so much. And I think the work that you're doing is very important. I mean, I know it's also funny and it kills me. It makes me laugh, but I think it's important.
- [40:39]
C
Does it kill you? It kills me.
- [40:42]
B
That's. Yeah. No, literally kills me. But no, I appreciate everything that you do. I know it's not easy on a lot of days, so I appreciate your bravery. I guess your Courage. So thank you.
- [40:55]
C
Thank you. Thank you.
- [40:57]
B
So everybody check out the book. It's on paper. It's in paperback now. On paperback. In paperback. It's paperback. And it's called. I don't know what the proper terminology is. It's called not funny. And it's wherever you get your books. Thank you so much, Jenna Friedman. I appreciate you.
- [41:13]
C
Thank you. Right back at you, everybody.
- [41:16]
B
Stick around.
- [41:16]
D
We'll be right.
- [41:17]
A
Hi, I'm Frances Collier. And I'm Angela V. Shelton. And we're Frangela. 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 hashtag resist, subscribe and get a new episode of the Final Word podcast each week. It's the news we think you need to hear.
- [41:43]
D
That's right.
- [41:43]
A
We think you need to hear it.
- [41:45]
B
Okay. Yeah.
- [41:46]
A
It's what we say.
- [41:47]
B
So.
- [41:47]
A
That's right. And because all we do is give. Every Thursday, you can listen to our hysterical podcast, idiot of the week week. We round up the stupid. Because you know what? Somebody has to.
- [41:57]
B
Okay? All we do is give. Get back, everybody. Welcome back. It's time for the good news, everyone. Then good news, everyone. Good news, good news. And if you have any good news confessions, corrections. You want to play what the is in your ark? Send us a photo or a drawing or a description of an animal and we'll guess something about it. You tell us what you want to guess, what you want us to guess. This started out as what the mutt where you sent in your adopted furry friends and we tried to guess what breeds were in there. And it's just kind of expanded to a whatever you want us to guess about whatever animal you want to send in. And if you don't have pod pet tax to pay, you can send us an adoptable pet in your area and we'll try to help find that pet a forever home. I also love to hear about success, like success stories with Democrats government programs. So if you have an awesome story about how something like the Affordable Care act or Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security helped you, send those in along with, of course, your student debt relief stories. Send it all to us. Baby pictures, frog orgies@dailybeanspod.com and click on Contact. First up from Philip Pronouns, he and him. Hello, Beans Queens monarchs of Media Ag asked if people had any democratic programs that have helped them. I'm a type 2 diabetic and I was having trouble with controlling my blood sugar so I was put on a certain drug that involves singing commercials and it turned out I was allergic to it. I found this out when I went to into diabetic ketoacidosis and was hospitalized for five days. Gotta say, I don't recommend your blood becoming acidic. Oh my God.
- [43:41]
D
Oh God.
- [43:42]
B
Following that five days of hospitalization, I was put on insulin instead of the drug I had been on. This is when we get to the democratic policy or program that helped me if not saved my life. That would be that. Earlier this year, before this happened to me, President Biden worked to cap insulin prices out of pocket. I wouldn't have been able to afford it under the old rates. In the two months following my hospitalization I've lost weight, stopped drinking soda, started walking again, breaking 25km a week consistently, and began to eat healthier than I have in my entire life. I don't think I would have been able to do any of that if the threat of not being able to pay for life saving medication had been hanging over my head like a sword of Damocles. It is not an exaggeration to say President Biden probably helped save my life. Thanks for the great podcast and keep up the great work folks. Behind the scenes and AG and dg, I'll definitely be voting blue over Q. Wow.
- [44:37]
D
Wow indeed. A hell of a way to start our good news. Thank you. This one's from Anonymous Pronoun she and her hey AG and Dana. I finally have some good news to share. I'm 46. I'll be 47 on June 8th this year. I just got my Master of Library and Information Science which is an MLIS from UNC Greensboro. Congratulations Anonymous. I've been working as a part time library assistant since 2021 and finally have a shot at a full time position in the same organization. But it's far from a done deal. I have some modest student debt. Modest by comparison to horror stories I hear, that is. But thanks to President Biden and working to help him deliver student debt relief, I am a Navy veteran who absolutely relies on the VA benefits. I was honorably discharged after two tours because of severe mental health complications. I'm so grateful to you for all you do for veterans and for keeping the awareness about how important VA benefits are. My mother and I live together. We've had a lot of tough breaks, but since 2021 we've been on what for us is a really solid footing. I'm just holding my head high every day working hard and believing that my hard work will pay off at last, the real job responsible adults ought to have by right, and that at least I won't have a bleak future of mounting student debt. One thing that really helps me is the writing of my substack, where I write about books, movies, films, philosophy, and sometimes do interviews of other writers, actors, filmmakers, animal lovers, and pretty much anything or anyone who inspires me. Can I play what the mutt too? Here's a picture of my mutt, but just try and guess what he is. His name is Tucker Linus. Oh, I love that this picture is old, but it's one of my favorites of his. He's the most unique fella ever. First of all, he was born in highly unusual circumstances. I did not meet and adopt him until he was seven weeks old, but I'll never forget being told about his birth, which had to be a cesarean birth due to the breed of his mother. Nope, no spoilers. Maybe I'll send pictures of our rescued horse and five cats in future. Good news.
- [46:44]
B
Please do send those photos and Dalmatian and something tiny.
- [46:52]
D
Yeah, like a. Like a Dalmatian, but like a Lab Chihuahua maybe.
- [46:58]
B
Adorable. Look at the ears are fantastic.
- [47:00]
D
So cute. What do we have here?
- [47:02]
B
We have no answer given. Okay, great.
- [47:05]
D
We're right.
- [47:05]
B
We're correct.
- [47:06]
D
Those are dalmatian ears. For sure.
- [47:08]
B
They are. Thank you, Anonymous. That was a really, really great submission and just hats off to you and your mom and all the work that you've done. And thanks for your service. Seriously, thank you for your service. All right, next up from Chris in Rhode Island. Pronouns he and him. I'd like to tell you about a highlight in my life. I was contacted about being a bone marrow donor. I matched with an infant who wasn't going to make it much past a year without any help. I of course said yes and made the donation. A couple years later I was contacted by the Be the Match organization and they said the family wanted to meet me. I was really excited. I met a very active child and a pair of wonderful parents. We spent some time together and I still get updates. It's been over 10 years now and he's doing great. I would like to ask your listeners to please sign up to be a marrow or stem cell donor. It's very easy to sign up and just as easy to donate. I'm enclosing a picture of the two of us when we met at Christmas time. Thanks for all you do and keep up the great work. That's such an incredible story Chris, it is. And what a beautiful gift.
- [48:14]
D
Yeah, absolutely. Thank you, Ag. This one's from Linda Pronoun. She and her hello beans queens. This submission photo is for Dana on her day back. The picture is one of my twins when they were six months old. They turned 25 on Tuesday. These two and their younger sister have benefited from various social programs that we qualified for after I ended my marriage to their father. Those programs would be the wic, which are Women, Infants and Children, Food Share and Badger Care. All those made it possible for me to work a very flexible but low paying, full time job so that I could be there for them. As a single mom, I didn't have to worry about food or medical bills. I have paid into these programs my whole working life. And also while benefiting from them, they were there when I needed help, a helping hand. It bothers me when I hear criticism of those programs. You really never know when you will need help. And it's not easy to accept that you do need help.
- [49:07]
B
Help.
- [49:07]
D
Or to be looked down upon by those critics. I've held my head high and eventually became self sufficient. And these kiddos are the best. And I'm also proud of them and looking forward to watching them grow even more. Look at the twins.
- [49:22]
B
They're so great. Oh, my God.
- [49:24]
D
Oh, man, that smile. Oh, smile. I bet they still have these smiles. Linda, thank you so much for that.
- [49:31]
B
Look at those cheeks. I want to pinch them. Oh, so adorable. Linda, wonderful story. Thank you for that good news. Next up from Anonymous Pronoun. She and her hello, ladies. Love both of you. I listen to the Daily Beans every day, and I also catch Dana every Thursday on the Stephanie Miller Show. All of you keep me sane, so keep up the good work. Here's a picture of my daughter's doggy, Stella Rose. Stella is about four and a half years old, and she loves to fetch and occasionally gets into trouble. But shooting her is not an option. Oh, my God. Kristi Noem is a disgrace. Grace. Yeah. MAGA stresses me out so much. Anyway, back to something less stressful. Can you guess Stella's breed? We have no idea.
- [50:10]
D
Okay. Those ears scream. I don't know. They also scream Corgi, Chihuahua, mini pincher,
- [50:20]
B
terrier, dachshund, Ch,
- [50:31]
D
Everyone. We've never been so sure of a guess in our life.
- [50:34]
B
We're gonna keep moving. I'm Ron Burgundy.
- [50:37]
D
You're right.
- [50:38]
B
All right.
- [50:39]
D
Okay. This one's from Dwayne. Dwayne Yu. Duane Yu in Phoenix. Sometimes I feel like I'm getting punked.
- [50:45]
B
You Know what I mean?
- [50:46]
D
Like someone's putting names together. Dwayne U in Phoenix. Pronouns Hin, him. Hello again, Queens of Illiguminati. Here's my story of the VA and the care I've received. I served for 87 to 90 and then was recalled by Desert Storm. In 91, I was honorably discharged and thought that my association with the VA was done. In 1994, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. But at the time I was employed, I had health insurance and was involved in a drug study that took care of any episodes I had. In 2003, I moved to Phoenix, Arizona, was not employed and had a fairly bad episode, but I had no insurance. My father, a retired nco, told me to go to the va. I wasn't sure if they would do anything for me since I was diagnosed. After I was discharged and I had been out of service for 14 years, the VA instantly gave me treatment and initially a 30% disability rating and paid for me to go back to school. Due to the way Ms. Affects me, I now have a 70% rating. That's not the end of the story. Last December, I took a nasty fall. Still not sure what happened happened. But that landed me in the ICU for a week and then rehab for another week. Total to date for the hospital, over $500,000. The VA has covered every penny and I'm currently in review to have my rating increased to 100%. That rating will cover tuition for my son's college pet. Tax is Petey, who I have sent before and a new addition Buck.
- [52:15]
B
Oh, wow.
- [52:17]
D
This whole the story. Amazing. First of all, and I'm so glad that you're being taken care of.
- [52:22]
B
Yeah. And that benefit in Arizona, I think it was the Honeywell act, where if you're 100% disabled veteran, your kids get free tuition to school. We have it over here in California for the UC system as well. Absolutely incredible state level veterans programs in addition to the care that you get at the federal Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration. And then you also have to deal with the Veterans Benefits Administration to help you get those disability ratings. And so hats off. Thank you for your service and I'm so glad to hear these positive VA stories and Affordable Care act stories, capping insulin stories and the Inflation Reduction act stories. Just brilliant. Wonderful. Please keep sending them in. And thank you for sending all of your good news to us. And Dana, I have a little bit of good news for you at the event I was at last night at the Char school with Andy McCabe and Brian Greer for the Jack podcast, hosted by Anna Bauer, who is exceptional. I had so many people come up to me and tell me how amazing you are and what a huge asset you are to this show and to say hello and to send love to you. So I just wanted to pass that message along.
- [53:38]
D
AG thank you. Makes my heart full. It's always nice to hear. I appreciate you very much. I also get a lot of that on the road when I do my standup comedy. People come up and go, please tell AG how incredible she is and how smart she is and how grateful I am for everything she does. So it's mutual, trust me.
- [53:55]
B
That's so sweet. Thank you so much. Any final thoughts before we get out of here today?
- [53:59]
D
No, I think that covers it.
- [54:01]
B
All right, well, we'll be back in your ears tomorrow, and this weekend you'll be able to hear that whole live panel for the Jack Podcast with me, Andy, Brian, and Anna. It was truly an honor to be there at the Michael Hayden center and just an incredible audience. We had over, I think, 700 people that were that were watching and listening and there in the auditorium. So thank you. Thank you so much, and that was just a wonderful night. All right, we'll be back in your ears tomorrow. Until then, please take care of yourselves, take care of each other, take care of the planet, take care of your mental health, take care of your family. Vote blue over Q you, and please
- [54:43]
D
take all your family with you.
- [54:44]
B
I've been AG and I've been dg and them's the beans.
- [54:47]
C
Refried beans.
- [54:48]
B
I like refried beans. History is messy. It's weird, wild, and anything but boring. Rainy Day Rabbit Holes is a history podcast about unhinged stories that make you stop and ask, wait, is this real life?
- [55:01]
D
From crazy disasters and tasty scandals to enlightening and surprising, heartwarming tales, we explore the moments where people behave badly and sometimes beautifully.
- [55:11]
B
We've got naughty politicians, cultural chaos, and
- [55:14]
D
a deep love for the Pacific Northwest, including Bigfoot.
- [55:18]
B
It's thoughtful, irreverent, occasionally serious, and always entertaining.
- [55:22]
D
Let's fall down the rabbit hole.
- [55:25]
B
Msw.