Refried Beans | Weird (feat. Ben Folds) | 8/08/2024

Summary

The Daily Beans Podcast – Refried Beans | Weird (feat. Ben Folds) | 8/08/2024

Release Date: August 9, 2026
Host: Allison Gill (AG), Dana Goldberg (DG)
Special Guest: Ben Folds
Main Theme: Exploring the week’s political news with signature snark—and a deep dive into the effectiveness of calling GOP tactics “weird” with songwriter Ben Folds.

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Daily Beans takes a retrospective look at political developments around August 8, 2024, focusing on voter suppression tactics, Trump-era judicial misconduct, fact-checking attacks on Democratic VP nominee Tim Walz, and a powerful segment on the use of the word “weird” as a political tool. Songwriter Ben Folds joins to discuss the magic of concise, impactful language in political messaging. The show ends with a celebration of positive listener-submitted stories and a sense of energized hope for the coming election.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Georgia Election Board’s New Powers and Delays

[06:15-13:23]

• Georgia State Election Board granted local officials expanded authority for “reasonable inquiries” into election results—vaguely defined and widely seen as a Republican maneuver to delay certifications at the county level.
  • Trump publicly praised three specific board members who backed this change.
  • Critics warn it allows for micro-level stalling, echoing efforts to delay 2020 presidential certification.
• The change is likely to cause more chaos in Republican-leaning and election-denialist counties—potentially backfiring on GOP efforts.
  • “It’s self-defeating because it won’t work in Fulton County…delay[ed] results are now expected in Republican-controlled counties.” (Anonymous Georgia official, [12:40])
• Legal experts and watchdog groups (e.g., CREW and Mark Elias) believe the rule is likely illegal and will be overturned in court:
  • “If you try to subvert the election in 2024, you will be sued and you will lose.” — Mark Elias ([13:18])
• Tone: Skeptical, warning, and slightly sardonic about the inevitability of legal consequences.

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2. Alaska Judge Resigns Over Misconduct and Fallout Grows

[13:51-16:37]

• Update on Judge Joshua Kindred’s resignation (Trump appointee accused of sexual assault and hostile work environment).
• Federal prosecutors have found 21 new cases where Kindred failed to recuse himself—totaling at least 44.
• Details of inappropriate and unethical relationships, with potential impacts on criminal convictions.
• Many more conflicts expected to surface as investigations continue.
  • “It’s just gross and really sad for justice…all tossed out because he was sending dick pics to lawyers.” — AG ([16:37])
• Tone: Outraged, blunt, and focused on the broader threat to judicial integrity.

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3. Fact-Checking JD Vance’s Attacks on Tim Walz’s Military Service

[16:37-19:40]

• JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, accused Tim Walz of abandoning his military unit before an Iraq deployment—a claim thoroughly debunked:
  • Walz retired in May 2005; his unit did not receive deployment orders until July 2005.
  • Filing to run for Congress occurred in February 2005.
  • Vance served as a Marine combat correspondent—not in the Army—yet criticized Walz’s record.
• White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended Walz:
  • “This is someone who enlisted at 17 years old to serve his country…his bio speaks for itself. His record speaks for itself.” — Karine Jean-Pierre ([19:09])
• Tone: Impatient with persistent misinformation, confident in factual rebuttal.

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4. Lahaina Banyan Tree—Life After Wildfire

[19:57-23:14]

• Update on Maui’s iconic 151-year-old banyan tree, which survived the catastrophic Lahaina wildfire.
• Arborists and volunteers are “monitoring the heartbeat” of the tree with sensors; the tree’s recovery is symbolic of community resilience.
  • “As we’ve been treating the tree, the heartbeat is getting stronger and stronger and stronger.” — Arborist Sparkman ([22:15])
• The banyan stands as both a beloved landmark and a contested symbol of colonial history.
• Tone: Uplifting, reflective, highlighting both the magic and complexity of hope.

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5. The Power of “Weird”: Messaging with Ben Folds

[24:15-41:41]

Segment Summary

Special guest Ben Folds—prolific songwriter and wordsmith—discusses with AG the potency of the Democratic campaign’s strategy of branding GOP behaviors as “weird.” They explore the historical and emotional roots of this language choice, how concision and authenticity in messaging can sidestep endless explanation, and how humor and trivialization can effectively disarm authoritarian posturing.

Key Points & Quotes

• Why “Weird” Works:

  • Weird is simple but powerful—it pops the balloon of normalized absurdity.
    • “We’ve had 10 years of normalizing really weird stuff…to pop the balloon is to just use a word that just does it all.” — Ben Folds ([24:57])
  • It's an “insipid-sounding word” that sidesteps being mean, but shines a light on just how abnormal things have become.
  • Democrats often try to explain everything; the right-word can bypass explanation fatigue.

• Historical Analog: Superman vs. Klan

  • AG describes the 1946 “Clan of the Fiery Cross” radio serial, where Superman trivialized (and thereby neutered) the KKK with storytelling, contributing to a collapse in their recruitment.
    • “The trivialization of the clan’s rituals…had a negative impact on their recruiting and membership numbers. And they were totally obliterated, like within a year.” — AG ([29:38])
  • Ben: “It defangs…to call someone weird kind of works for Democrats because we generally don’t want to be mean…but it also points out how not normal things have become.” ([24:57])

• Weaponizing Humor

  • Distinction between honest humor (used by Walls, Harris, etc.) and authoritarian self-seriousness.
    • “They’re narcissistic megalomaniacs…incapable of laughing at themselves…Self-deprecating humor, the way Tim Walls is…It just vexes them.” — AG ([37:14])

• The Magic of Concision

  • “If you had more time, you’d write a shorter brief…songwriting and storytelling is persuasion.” — Ben Folds ([24:57], [28:00])
  • Word economy is key—“Bumper sticker only works if it's true”—and “weird” authentically matches what people have experienced.

• Risks & Limitations

  • Possible for opponents to try to “flip” the message but likely too late; authenticity and the timing of the word are everything.
  • “It’s too late…‘No, you’re weird’ doesn’t have the same impact.” — AG ([32:52])

• Memorable Moment

  • Both discuss “Superman Smashes the Klan”—the new book based on the original radio series as relevant reading.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• “If you try to subvert the election in 2024, you will be sued and you will lose.” — Mark Elias ([13:18])
• “We’ve had 10 years of normalizing really weird stuff…to pop the balloon is to just use a word that just does it all.” — Ben Folds ([24:57])
• “Word economy…there’s one word that unlocks that, and it’s ‘weird’…we should keep saying it.” — Ben Folds ([39:08])
• “The trivialization of the clan’s rituals…completely obliterated them within a year…” — AG ([29:38])
• “They’re narcissistic megalomaniacs…incapable of laughing at themselves…that just vexes them.” — AG ([37:14])

Fun Fact: Ben Folds’ Paper Airplane Tour

• He takes literal paper airplanes with song requests thrown from the audience and plays them live: “We say, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, launch it. And then I walk around the stage picking them up…” — Ben Folds ([39:41])

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6. Listener Good News & Community Shout-Outs

[42:01-end]

• Sustained focus on community, action, hope, and shared progress—stories include:
  • Listeners working to unseat Josh Hawley in Missouri
  • Attending rallies so full they couldn’t get in—signalling “Wisconsin is seriously energized” ([45:49])
  • Community activism: sewing for Days for Girls, supporting foster children, feeding kids with universal lunch in California ([47:00–52:41])
  • Using everyday conversations to persuade low-info voters, combating misinformation with facts and friendly engagement
  • Parenting tips to raise future voters by bringing kids to the polls
  • Shout-outs to social programs (Medicare, SNAP, VA, student debt forgiveness)

Uplifting Quote

• “You just have to find your talent to improve the world around you.” — Wendy, listener ([48:36])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We have Mark Elias, the court daddy who’s gonna make sure all this is OK.” — AG ([13:45])
• “It’s self-defeating because it won’t work in Fulton County… delays are now expected in Republican-controlled counties.” — GA election official ([12:40])
• “He [JD Vance] deployed once to Iraq for about six months… Now he’s accusing Tim Walz of not serving a combat deployment? Get the fuck out of here.” ([18:15–19:00], paraphrased throughout)
• “Bringing on the joy, pile on the happiness…you can do it at dailybeanspod.com!” — AG ([53:10])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Georgia Election Board: [06:15–13:23]
• Alaska Judge Misconduct: [13:51–16:37]
• Fact Checking Walz’s Military Record: [16:37–19:40]
• Lahaina Banyan Tree Update: [19:57–23:14]
• Interview with Ben Folds, “Weird” Messaging: [24:15–41:41]
• Listener Good News / Shout Outs: [42:01–54:13]

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Episode Tone & Style

• Original, irreverent, and snarky interplay between hosts.
• Mixes serious reporting, hard-hitting fact-checking, with comedic emotional relief.
• Emphasizes facts, tough love, some necessary profanity, and continual hope.
• Strong engagement with audience activism and community-building.

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For First-Time Listeners

This episode offers sharp, meticulously researched political analysis, a masterclass in messaging from Ben Folds, and a heartfelt window into progressive activism. It exemplifies The Daily Beans’ blend of strategic snark, truth-telling, and optimism for a better (and, ideally, less weird) future.

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[End of Summary]

Transcript

[A]

Diamond Dames, mount up.

[B]

I'm Charlotte Clymer.

[A]

And I'm Alison Gill. Hey, Charlotte, what if you and I joined forces to create a weekly podcast amid all the chaos of the news to chat about the most recent episode of season four of Ted Lasso?

[B]

Well, Allison, we'd be taking delight amid the spite to sit and write and bring some light on Wednesday nights. I mean, look, everything right now is ridiculous. I know we're all stressed out with the state of the country and we all deserve some joy. Ted Lasso was there for us in the middle of the pandemic, and he's back to offer us a respite from Trump 2.0 right before the midterms.

[A]

That's right. We believe in Rom communism. I mean, if Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan can go through some heartfelt struggles and still end up happy, then so can we. So subscribe to Diamond Dames for free right now to get notifications, and then you can join us every week and after each episode of ted Lasso Season 4, wherever you get your podcasts.

[B]

And remember, be a goldfish. Diamond Dames, Dismount

[A]

Barbecue sauce. 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 and 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. Refried beans. I like refried beans. That's why I want to try fried beans, because maybe they're just as good and we're wasting time. Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Thursday, August 8, 2024. Today, the Georgia Election Board gives local officials new powers to investigate election results. The Trump judge in Alaska that resigned over sexual assault allegations is actually impacting at least 21 cases. Despite new criticism, Trump told Walls in 2020 he was very happy with his handling of the George Floyd protests. We will fact check Vance's attack on Tim Walls military record and how Lahaina's 151 year old banyan tree is. I'm Allison Gill.

[C]

And I'm Dana Goldberg.

[A]

Hello. Happy Thursday, my friend.

[C]

Happy Thursday to you. I don't know. Have you been stalked by J.D. vance today? Because he seems to be in a stalking kind of mood?

[A]

No, but I haven't been flying around on Air Force too, so.

[C]

Fair, fair, fair, fair.

[A]

I don't really have a giant plane that he probably wants to get a photo in front of since I'll never be Stepping foot on it.

[C]

Totally normal fucking behavior. To think that a woman should, at any point, when you think she's available, answer your questions while she's doing her job. The fact that JD Got that close to Air Force Two is also bullshit. She's just, she's not just a normal candidate. She is still the Vice President of the United States of America.

[A]

Yeah, it's, it's gross. And I would get a restraining order 100%. Oh my God.

[C]

That would be very funny.

[A]

But it's good because she's got dad, right, Tim Walls there to make sure that everything's cool. But like, yeah, that's just creepy, weird behavior. And speaking of weird, we all know that it was Tomb Walls weird attack angle, the phenomenon that has, that has stuck quite well for the Democrats. And I'm going to be talking with wordsmith Ben Folds in the show later about why it's been so successful. And there's a, an historical analog about a radio show in 1946 where Superman took on the Ku Klux Klan using the same tactics. And so we're going to have that really in depth discussion a little bit later in the show with prolific songwriter my friend Ben Folds. Tomorrow we're going to have John Fugelsang for Fugal Sang Fridays. And we're going to have the National Republican Engagement Director for Republicans for Harris Walls. His name's Austin Weatherford. So we're going to talk to him about his strategies and maybe get some hints about how to talk to your Republican relatives about voting this November.

[C]

Amazing.

[A]

Yes. So also a little bit later in the show here in the A block, we're going to fact check JD Vance on Walls's military record. But I also want to let you know, Dana, about something else Vance is trying to claim. He said this about Tim Walls. He said he allowed rioters to burn down the streets of Minneapolis, whatever the that means. But ABC News points out at the time, Trump actually expressed support for Walls's handling of the protests. And that's according to a recording of a phone call obtained by Erelease. Yes, you can listen to it at abc. And this is Trump telling a group of governors on the phone that Walls, quote, dominated and praised his leadership as an example for other states to follow. Quote, I know Governor Walz is on the phone and we spoke and I fully agree with the way he handled the last couple of days. That's what he said on June 1, 2020. And that's according to a recording of the call in which he also called Walls an excellent Guy. I was very happy with the last couple of days, Tim. And of course you've seen the executive order, because, you know, the rep are saying that it was Donald Trump who called out the National Guard, and Tim Walls blocked it. That's absolute. Trump did not call out the National Guard. It was Tim Walls. And it's. There's an executive order online. You can Google it. It's right there for everyone to Google. And I. I suggest. I don't know if their Google machine is broken or if they're just lying probably a little bit.

[C]

Oh, no, because remember, they think Google is set up against them. If you've been following Musk at all.

[A]

Oh, oh, that's right. Yeah. Okay, whatever. And he's. He's now suing advertisers, by the way, which is hilarious to me. You remember how he had a bunch of Nazi all over and, you know,

[C]

advertisers, like, we don't want to be any part of that.

[A]

Yeah. Swastika's popping up next to Kellogg's or whatever, and Kellogg's is like, we're out.

[C]

You know,

[A]

and so. So now he's gonna sue them for the. So I was like, you know what? I talked to my lawyer. I was like, we should sue SpaceX for refusing to advertise on the podcast. He's like, yeah, that's a really good idea. It's just weird. Discovery is going to be very interesting in that case. But anyway, I just wanted. You all have that bit of info when your MAGA relatives try to pull that on you, which they definitely will. So, anyway, we have so much news to get to today, and again, we have a couple more rallies for. For Harris and Walls where they're just dominating. The crowd sizes are humongous, massive.

[C]

And I'm talking. Oh, by the way, that city that we were corrected on. What was it? Eclair, apparently. Eau Claire. Thank you. Eau Claire. Where the rally was. This is a red district. It was. There's only seven. What, 70,700. No, 70,000 people in the district. That stadium. My God, whatever. This outdoor area that they did this rally in in a red district. It was packed.

[A]

Yeah. And Bonaver was there, and they played. It was wonderful. And. And it's just, you know, she referred to herself and Walls as happy warriors. And I love that. I love that so much. And it's just. And then you've got Vance, like, doing the Reservoir douche walk with his big old crew, with his entourage, who. Look at this entourage. Somebody's like, thanks, Turtle. Like, yeah, does he know he's Turtle? I don't think he knows he's Turtle. Anyway, it's, it's just a creepy and odd behavior. So again, Ben Folds and I are going about that later. But first we have the hot notes. Hot notes. All right, first up, from Jose Pagliaria. Notice when Donald Trump showed up for a rally in Atlanta last Saturday, he cheered on those who are supposed to be the state's neutral election administrators. Quote, I don't know if you've heard, but the Georgia State Election Board is in a very positive way. That's what he said. They're on fire. You should put them out. They're doing a great job. Three members, and he named them Janice Johnston, Rick Jeffries, and Janelle King. Three people. People, all pit bulls fighting for honesty, transparency, and victory. And then just three days later, those three members of the state elections board jammed through a measure that'll grant new powers to county officials the ability to hold up certification if they have doubts. In a Tuesday evening vote, the Georgia Election Board gave local officials the power to engage in a, quote, reasonable inquiry, which has been undefined, by the way, to make sure that, quote, the results are true and accurate accounting of all votes cast in that election. Now, until now, counties in the state had a week after an election to certify the results, ensuring that the process chugs along, even if the tally can be, you know, challenged later. The state legislature hasn't given county officials the kind of independent authority that would allow them to do such an inquiry, a question that would likely end up in the courts. Now, although the measures supporters assured that this merely empowers local officials to do better due diligence and won't necessarily slow down the election process, the challenge actually gives county election boards ammunition to halt the process at the micro level. In essence, Trump's allies have taken the spirit of the former president's failed tactic to stall the 2020 election certification in Congress on January 6th and exported it to the lowest rung in the nation's election system. Johnston, a Republican board member who faced criticism for attending the Trump rally over the weekend, acknowledged that the new powers will transform the role of county election officials. She rejects the idea that local administrators are just prop who rubber stamp incoming tallies. Yes, they are.

[C]

That's your job.

[A]

A prop. It is a ministerial thing. The law says you shall certify the results now. Sarah Tindle Gazal, the lone Democrat on the board, warned about the danger of tinkering with the state's functioning administrative processes on the eve of the November election, she said. I want to make clear for the record that this board is determining that 90 days before the election is not too late to be making changes to our election laws, rules and procedures. Now King, one of the three board members praised by Trump over the weekend, pushed back on that, saying, I think by supporting this rule, what we're saying is that we stand with those who have to sign legal documents stating that their information is accurate and ensuring that they have what's necessary to stand by that legal document. That is all bullshit. Unless you intentionally forge a document like, oh, I don't know, fraudulent electors, you can't be held criminally liable for that. If you certify the election results to the best of your knowledge and it's challenged in court later, you're not going to prison like fraudulent electors will be right now. Earlier in the meeting, King shied at a member of the public who expressed a personal concern that black voters might be disproportionately disenfranchised by this change. And King pointed out, I'm black and I don't feel disempowered, okay? Those who know Georgia's voting system best think the plan will backfire for Trump loyalists and possibly cause more harm to Republicans than Democrats. One official who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Notice they expect most county level challenges to be raised will be in far right leaning corners of the state where Trump's meritless election system doubts have taken hold. In effect, this change could delay results from Trump leaning districts more than those leaning toward Vice President Kamala Harris. Quote, they're trying to spark the idea in people's heads that they can delay as long as possible, this person said. It's self defeating because it won't work in Fulton County. As the Trump friendly state election board members noted at Tuesday's meeting, a lone election denier can't hold up county level certification. A majority could outvote them. But that argument actually underscores how left leaning districts are better positioned to overcome any delay stemming from this new measure. The official who spoke to notice pointed out how instead delays are now expected in Republican controlled counties like Cherokee, Spalding or even Coffee county, where, as we know, Trump allies illegally accessed voting machines in 2020. Any chaotic fallout from the measure will be sorted out in the Georgia courts, where judges will have to determine whether the state election board overstepped its authority this week. The three members who voted in favor of the change ignored the warnings of Nikkel Seuss, an elections law expert at the government watchdog group Cruz Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, who explained how the measure is likely illegal during the hearing. Seuss said it won't be held up in the court now or held up. You know the courts will overturn it. Hours after the vote, Trump's former campaign spokeswoman declared victory. This is great news because CREW and the ACLU say it's the end of democracy. That's what Liz Harrington said on Twitter. But then Mark Elias tweeted this. In 2020, Trump tried to overturn the election. My team and I beat him in court 60 plus times. In 2022, Republicans in several counties refused to certify. We sued and won. Here is my message to the GOP. If you try to subvert the election in 2024, you will be sued and you will lose.

[C]

And that is true. Thank you for reporting on this because whenever I see stories like this, they do scare me a little bit. But when we actually get the facts of like this could backfire on them. It's not legal. The courts are going to overturn it. I hope that's what people actually hold. There are measures in place now more than ever because of the fuckery he tried to do in 2020 that they are not going to let this happen again even if they try.

[A]

Yes. And we have Mark Elias, the the court daddy who's gonna make sure that all this is okay.

[C]

I love it. All right, this one's from Reuters. Now I just want to do a content warning for sexual assault misconduct on this story. Remember the Trump judge in Alaska that we literally put beans on about why he was resigning and he resigned for the horrific sexual assault and hostile work environment he create. Clerks. Oh, yeah, yeah. Well, we've got an update on that. About his resignation. Federal prosecutors in Alaska, They've identified another 21 criminal cases in which a federal judge who resigned after being accused of sexual misconduct had failed to recuse himself due to potential conflicts of interest. This is the same prosecutors, in a letter dated Friday, added the 21 cases to 23 others they previously identified in which undisclosed conflicts may have existed between now former U.S. district Judge Joshua Kindred and attorneys appearing before him. Brian Wilson. He's the head of the criminal division in Alaska's U.S. attorney's office, in a letter reviewed by Reuters, told the state's top federal public defender that Kindred, quote, may have had an obligation to recuse himself in those cases. U.S. attorney S. Lane Tucker's office has been undertaking review to examine the extent potential undisclosed conflicts may have existed between Kindred and prosecutors in its office after the 9th Circuit Judicial Counsel on July 8 released the results of an investigation into Kindred that prompted his resignation. The council found that Kindred, an appointee of Republican former President Donald Trump, he created a hostile work environment for law clerks and fostered inappropriate sexualized relationship with at least one of them. Now investigators found he later had two sexual encounters with the clerk in October of 2022 after she took new job in the U.S. attorney's office. That ex clerk has filed a complaint with the U.S. office of Special Counsel alleging the office's leaders retaliated against her after she informed superiors about Kindred's conduct. The 9th Circuit inquiry also identified potential conflicts of interest that Kindred had with other lawyers, including with the senior prosecutor who had a, quote, flirtatious rapport with the judge and had sent him nude photographs. Such conflicts, if not known to the parties, they could be grounds for defense lawyers to challenge convictions or sentences imposed while cases were before Kindred. One defendant has already moved to have his conviction tossed, citing Kindred's misconduct. Yep. Jamie McGrady, that's the federal public defender, told Reuters in an email on Monday that she expected the number of cases with undisclosed conflicts to grow beyond 44. And that, quote, our own review has revealed a much larger set of potential conflicts.

[A]

It's just gross and it's really sad for justice because absolutely, you know, if any of these people deserved what they got, it could all be tossed out because he was sending dick pics to lawyers. Awful. All right, next up from cnn, Donald Trump's running mate JD Vance stepped up his attacks on Minnesota Governor Tim Walls portrayal of his military career, accusing him without evidence of d service in Iraq when he left the Army National Guard and ran for Congress in 2005, not only accusing him without evidence, but actually going against the evidence of what really happened. Vance also accused Walls of falsely claiming he had served in a combat zone while the Democratic vice presidential nominee was in the Army National Guard, while Walls retired two months before his unit received alert orders to deploy. The attacks on Walsh's military record are part of the race from both parties to define the relatively unknown governor after he was tapped Tuesday as Vice President Kama Harris's running mate. Walls's 24 year military service is one of several facets of his background that appeal to voters that the Harris campaign is trying to reach with his selection and that Republicans are trying to blunt by painting him as an out of touch liberal. Walls served in the Army National Guard for 24 years before retiring in 2005. He launched a campaign for Congress in Minnesota's 1st congressional district that year and was elected in November of 2006. At a campaign stop in Michigan Wednesday, Vance accused Walls of abandoning his unit before it deployed to Iraq in 2006. But that's just another Republican lie. Walls retired from the Army National Guard in May of 2005. May of 2005. Typically, service members have to start submitting their paperwork several months before that. Now, a National Guard article on his unit's deployment states that it received alert orders to deploy to Iraq in July of 2005, two months after Waltz put in his paperwork for retirement. The unit first mobilized in the fall of 2005 to Camp Shelby, Mississippi, to prepare for deployment and then deployed in March of 2006 for 22 months, which the Guard said was the longest continuous deployment of any military unit during US Operations in Iraq. Walls filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission as a candidate to Congress in February of 2005. Vance served four years in the Marine Corps, and he was an enlisted combat correspondent in public affairs. He deployed once to Iraq for about six months, and that's according to his military record. He left service in September 07 as a corporal. White House press secretary Karine Jean Pierre pushed back against Vance's criticisms when asked about them Wednesday, saying, quote, this is someone who enlisted at 17 years old to serve his country. He was part of the army national guard for 24 years. This is someone who was a high school teacher. Right. A high school coach as well, who grew up in a small town in the Midwest. And so I think his bio speaks for itself. Who he is speaks for itself. His record speaks for itself. And I'm just not going to say anything beyond that.

[C]

Thank you so much for that, Ag. It's such bullshit.

[A]

I mean, he filed a run in February, put in his February 2005, put in his retirement paperwork, started, probably started his retirement paperwork in January of 2005, put, turned it in in May of 2005. And it wasn't until July of 2005 that his unit got orders. Yeah.

[C]

Thank you. Okay, this one's from the Associated Press. When we all remember this story. When a deadly wildfire at tore through Lahaina on Maui last August, the wall of flames scorched the 151-year-old banyan tree along the historic town's front street. But the sprawling tree survived the blaze. And thanks to efforts of arborists and dedicated volunteers, parts of it are growing bad. It's even thriving. I think this blew everyone away. After the Fires were cleared too. One year after the fire, here's what we know about the banyan tree and the efforts to restore it. The banyan tree. It's the oldest living one in Maui, but it's not a species indigenous to Hawaiian islands. India shipped the tree as a gift to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the first Protestant missionaries to live in Lahaina. It was planted in 1873, a quarter century before the Hawaiian Islands became a US territory and seven decades after. King. Say it with me.

[A]

King Kamehameha.

[C]

Kamehameha. Thank you. King Kamehameha declared Lahaina. I knew I was going to get this story. The capital of his kingdom.

[A]

I was trying to give you the joyful story.

[C]

I know it's like a bedtime story. King Kahamehameha. I know that's not what it says. The tree is widely beloved, fondly remembered by the millions of tourists who have visited Maui over the years. But for many others, it's a symbol of colonial rule that has dispossessed native Hawaiians of their land and suppressed their language and culture. For generations. The Banyan tree served as a gathering place along Lahaina's waterfront. By many accounts, it was the heart of the oceanside community. It was towering more than 60ft high and anchored by multiple trunks that spanned nearly inch an an acre. An acre. The enormous tree has leafy branches and unfurl majestically and offer shade from the sun. Aerial roots dangle from the boughs and eventually latch onto the soil to become new trunks. This is fucking magic. Branches splay out widely. They become roosting places for choirs of birds. Now, those working to restore the tree, remove the dead branches so that trees energy could go toward the branches that were alive. This is what Sparkman said. To monitor that energy, 14 sensors were screwed into the tree to track the flow of cambium, or SAP, through its branches. It's the blood of the tree. It's the life of the tree. And this is a quote from the story. It's basically a heart monitor. This is so brilliant. I love this so much. And this was from. Sparkman went on to say, as we've been treating the tree, the heartbeat is getting stronger and stronger and stronger. To help restore Lahaina's tree, Sparkman founded a nonprofit called Tree Covery. The group has potted some 3,500 trees, he said, growing them in, quote, micro nurseries across the island, including at some hotels, until people can move back into their homes. This is such A beautiful story about life and growth and surviving devastation. This tree is. It's beau. It's really a stunning specimen. I'm so happy this is happening.

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

Those fires broke my heart. Just broke my heart.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So I wanted to. I know we gave a little bit of an update on. On the banyan tree a couple of months after the devastating fires, and. And then I saw this story come across the wire today, and I was like, we should. We should update everybody on the. On the. On the growing stronger and stronger and stronger heartbeat of the ban.

[C]

I love the good news before the good news. It always makes me happy.

[A]

Yes. And in between now and the good news, we will have the amazing Ben Folds. And we're going to discuss what. But we're both weird, and we're going to talk about what weird means. So stick around. We'll be right back. Hey, everybody. Welcome back. So everyone is clearly excited about the selection of Tim Walls as Harris's running mate. And one of the myriad amazing things about America's dad is that he actually started the weird messaging against the GOP because, well, they're really weird. So I wanted to take a look at why that messaging is so effective. So I thought the best way to learn more about the impact of words was to speak with someone who uses minimal words for maximum impact. So to that end, please welcome prolific songwriter and expert in word economy, my friend, Ben Folds. Hey, Ben.

[D]

Hello.

[B]

Hello.

[A]

How are you?

[D]

I'm good. On tour?

[A]

Yes, Always. Endlessly on tour. But I'm so glad that you've come back on the show to speak with us because, you know, I do a lot of legal commentary, and there's a common tenet in the legal world that says if I had more time, I'd have written a shorter brief. So talk about why weird is such an effective message from your point of view.

[D]

Well, and that's, you know, that's. That's the thing about the economy of words is that when we go to explain it, which is I tried to write my thoughts down, and I found it being the longest brief ever, where weird just works. But I think the reason I felt the necessity to write about it and to think about it is one, because it's obviously effective. And in a song, a word is effective because you have to unpack a lot of meaning out of just a quick thing. So what I get out of it, it is that we've had 10 years of normalizing really weird stuff, and normalizing isn't the same as normal. And we've come to A place where the way to pop the balloon is to just use a word that just does it all. I mean, first place weird is something that little kids call each other in the playground, you know. And so calling someone weird kind of works for the Democrats because we generally don't want to be mean and name calling sounding, but it's just, it's just a really insipid sounding word. But it also points out how not normal things have become. And we've been trying to explain how things aren't normal, but you can't get the microphone when there's a freak, freak show going on. That's really fun to cover 10 years of a freak show. And, and people are beginning to be really concerned that this is what's driving our public policy. And then Tim Walls, I guess I, I thought they cooked it up in a, in a lab or some, some poet had come up with this like in our focus group or something, but this guy just called it like what it is. And I have heard that some, I mean, George Bush, you know, leaned over, I think, went to the Clintons at the inauguration and said that was some weird shit over the American carnage talk. Right. So I, you know, you don't know, like as a songwriter, my job is I don't do well explaining why one word works. But in the song, you've only got two and a half, three minutes to really do it and then you're going to repeat it. The Democrats tend to explain. And we know what happens when you're explaining. I mean, think about death camps. I think that was Sarah Palins. Right. Which with two words just. It took us six months to try to explain why that wasn't the case. And no one hear it.

[A]

Yeah, I took a 20 part, 21 part series, 30 hours on the Mueller report. I was like, I wish we could fit the Mueller report on a bumper sticker, but you can't. We go way into the weeds. But like songwriters, I mean, I think you kind of wrapped up the entire emotion of a two hour movie in the last two lines of the song. The luckiest, like we, we get the same emotional impact from a much more, you know, minimalistic point of view. And I think that's really important. Yeah, it's an art.

[D]

But then that's the thing is, is that if you, if you're truly a public policy, you know, public servant, normally, you know, you want to be precise and, and if you're an entertainer or if you're someone who's trying to manipulate or sell, you're going to be doing more like what a songwriter is doing. Because songwriting and storytelling is essentially persuasion. That's what it is. It's manipulative, it's persuasion. Explanation is a whole different thing. So I just think it's pretty amazing that this guy came out of nowhere. I hadn't really. I mean, I'd heard Tim Wall's name before, but now he's saving the world. It's awesome.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And it kind of robs them. The word weird sort of robs them of their scariness, of their, you know, the fear that they're trying to instill in people. And you know what's really interesting, and you pointed this out to me offline when we were talking. There's actually an historical analog for this. I wanted to bring this up because back in 1946, there was a serial radio program called Clan of the Fiery Cross. It was a 16 part Superman comic radio series that basically obliterated the Ku Klux Klan in the northern states. And here's a quote. Stetson Kennedy, a human rights activist, infiltrated the kkk, infiltrated and other white supremacist terrorist groups. The concern that the organization had links to the government and police forces. Kennedy decided to use his findings to strike at the Klan in a different way. He contacted the Superman producers and proposed a story where Superman battles the Klan. And they were looking for new villains at the time. So the producers were really eager to agree to this. And Kennedy provided information, including details of clan rituals and the like, to the writers. And the result was a series of episodes, Clan of the Fiery Cross, in which Superman took on the clan. Now it was the trivialization of the clan's rituals and handshakes and secrets and nature that had a negative impact on the clan recruiting and membership numbers. And they were totally obliterated, like within a year. And that sort of trivialization of the fear that they're trying to project is, I think, exactly what we're doing here with the weird messaging.

[D]

Yeah, it defangs. I think that's the thing. It's like you can call someone dangerous and, you know, if you're someone who likes to rule with an iron fist, strong man and be cruel, that's kind of okay. I mean, look, Trump's running mate apparently called him Hitler and that wasn't a problem. So I don't know why he's so offended at weird.

[A]

Right? I think I saw somebody tweet out like five years ago, JD Vance says Trump is America's Hitler. Sad face. Today Trump is America's Hitler. Happy Face like it completely flipped the script. And now today, we have literally, JD Vance following Kamala Harris and Tim Walls around to each and every actual specific city they're going to. And today, on the tarmac in Eau Claire, he gets off, walks over toward the Kamala Harris plane. He's like, that's going to be my plane in a couple months. Like, stalkery, intimidating stuff. And what. What they want us to say is, oh, that's scary and frightening.

[D]

It's weird.

[A]

It's just weird. It reminds me of when. Because Donald Trump, when he was debating Hillary Clinton on the debate stage, started glowering behind her, like, walking up and trying to physically intimidate her, because he just doesn't have any ideas that compete with her platform. So he has to be this intimidating strongman. And he. And probably rightfully believes that people kind of like strong men, which is why we see a lot of corrupt, corruptible people taking power. But to diminish it and kneecap it by saying, you're just weird and creepy, man, I mean, it really takes the power away from them.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

And. And it wasn't that long ago when the conservatives were Exactly. Or did a good job of appearing conservative. You know, that's. That's part of the job, is they're supposed to be the. Somehow the grownups that kind of know how to run business and make everything okay. And I think they've been so high on the attention that you get by being a circus freak, and it's created a lot of money and a lot of power, and the media loves to cover it, but all of a sudden, one day, there's this just to stick a pin in that and say you're weird. It really works. I mean, my fear is that. Well, I guess two things I guess could work against us. One would be if they just start using weird all the time just to say you're weird. You want every single kid to be transgender. That's weird.

[A]

It's too late, though.

[D]

It is too late.

[A]

Like, you can't be like, you're weird, and like, no, you're weird. Like, it doesn't have the same impact, you know?

[D]

Yeah, that's true. But I think that Tim Wall seems to have a good comeback for that, too, which is, you know, what someone else does is none of your damn business. So it's pretty airtight. I suppose also that the Democrats could decide that we don't want to be seen as being mean, so we pull punches and don't say that. But I don't see it as Being mean. I just see it as just being like this perfect one syllable magic word which sort of breaks a ten year long fever. And the first thing I thought was that Superman and the clan thing, because I remember that from Freakonomics and just remember thinking, how amazing is that when you just, when you just make something insipid and silly. I think you were mentioning the Mel Brooks, you know, thing. That's, that's, that's amazing. He's making, he's making fun of Nazis, but he's making sure that he keeps them insipid and, and, and, and weird and odd.

[A]

It's, yeah, goofy and just, yeah, like, just weird. I mean, there's no better way to put it. And I think what's pretty amazing is just like Republicans today how the Klan responded to this back in 1946. They were really mad. They were like, no, you're weird. They denounced the show. They called for a boycott of Kellogg's products that were advertising for this radio show. Which reminds me of Elon now suing advertisers for pulling out, you know. You know, they pull their advertising off Twitter because of all the Nazi and fascist speak and anti Semitic and racist, you know, tropes and stuff. They don't want their ad next to, you know, some horrible Nazi or racial epithets. And so, but that's how they reacted to it back then too. Just how we're seeing them react to that kind of thing here right now, everybody's like hope scrolling instead of doom scrolling. And it's really upsetting. I think Elon Musk now, he wants to sue these advertisers just like they wanted to boycott Kellogg. It didn't work, by the way. Their, their boycott of Kellogg's back then didn't work. But they, they respond in the exact same way.

[D]

You know, it also just to come back to my just tiny bit of expertise in this as a songwriter, you know, why the one syllable word, the only way it can work is if it's honest and real.

[A]

Why is that?

[D]

That's just the way it is for songwriting. It has to be honest, it has to be real. You know, you, you people try to make bumper stickers of things, but the bumper sticker only works if it's true. And if it's real, then it sticks. That's the magic of it. And, and, and we mine for that as songwriters. You know, like that's what you try to do. You try to get one word that just works in that way. And sometimes it needs to be two or three or a sentence or something. But in this case, weird would not work if it wasn't what people see with their eyes and have seen with their eyes for at least a decade now of that circus show. And that's what's amazing about it. And it's brilliant. You know, Muhammad Ali was asking, was doing, I think it was a Harvard talk lecture and he was asked by, I think the poet laureate to give him a one or no, give him a poem really quickly because he was always doing rhymes. And he said me wee.

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

I mean, you know, some people got it, had it and, and, and I would say Tim Walls has it. He just, he gets it. I did not know that came from him.

[A]

And there's something else too that I think you're very good at that is also kind of subsumed in the, in the weird phenomenon. And that's, that's humor. When you have humor on your side, especially when you're talking about these kinds of strong men, people who want to be feared, who are like. Because they're narcissistic, narcissistic, you know, megalomaniacs, they're incapable of laughing at themselves. If J.D. vance would just also make a joke about couch fucking, it would go away.

[D]

Right?

[A]

But he is not capable of doing that, of laughing at himself. Self deprecating humor, the way Tim Walls is, the way Kamala Harris is. And I know that there is that humorous aspect to the weird insult that just vexes them because they can't join in on the fun.

[D]

Well, and humor is always one of the things humor does is it shows someone trying to retain some composure in the face of adversity. So when you have humor in a song or if you have humor at a funeral, if someone makes a little joke to their little brother at a funeral to try to make it okay, you're trying to make something okay. And I think probably what the Republicans may not understand when they see these massive rallies of people right now at the Harris Now Walz events is they're dead serious. Like it's not a football game for them, it's their lives. They're people with like working loads of jobs, single mothers, people just struggling to get by using a word like weird also pops a bubble for them of life. Life is tough. And, and I think that if you look at it like a, like, like they do, it gets very serious. It gets like a football game, you know, like it's. Because it's somehow entertainment. Their, their, their character is on the line or something like that. So I, I think it's perfect for a million reasons, which is why I was saying about that so difficult to describe. And this should look. We're on minute 16 trying to explain why we think the word weird is effective. And that is the beauty of word economy. There's one word that unlocks that, and it's weird and they're weird and we should keep saying it.

[A]

I agree. And also, everyone, there is a recent book adapted from the original Clan of the Fiery Cross series called Superman Smashes the Clan. I think it came out like in 2019, but if you feel like checking that out, you should. And also, Ben, you're on tour right now. It's the Paper Airplane tour, which is so fantastic. And everybody should go grab tickets to go see Ben Folds in their town when he arrives. And before you go, I just have to ask you. I know what it is, but tell everybody what the Paper Airplane tour means.

[D]

The Paver Airplane is a request tour. And it's. You just write your song on a paper airplane. We say, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, launch it. And then I walk around the stage picking them up because people used to scream the, you know, their requests. And it says, came off like some kind of angry town hall where I couldn't understand what they're saying. And. And that's too tough. My opener, Lindsay Craft, also does this thing where she says, you know, who are you? And everyone's like, what? She's like, who are you? And then they all start shouting their names at the same time. And it's just something about having all those people yell at you at once, you know? But yeah, so I pick up a plane and I play it. I do about 10 or 12 of those. And whenever we run out of time and then move on, it's fun.

[A]

That's so fun. Before I was a comedian, I did. Did Mitch Hedberg tribute shows. And then one night I just did a Mitch on Demand where you would just write your favorite Mitch Hedberg joke and I would deliver it like Mitch Hedberg.

[D]

So how did they get to the stage?

[A]

Oh, they would write it down and put it in a bucket.

[D]

Okay. And then they pass the bucket around

[A]

and, and, and Ben, let's be honest. My stage is in a pub, Irish pub, in a strip mall and is about 5ft by 4ft. It's different from your stage. So it was a little easier to get that information from them to me, but also easier to get, you know, drinks purchased and passed to me on stage. So there are, there are benefits to, to being small time. But I appreciate your time today, my friend. And, yeah, I love it. It took us 17 minutes to unwind one word. And I think that's the entire point.

[D]

Exactly. And I love that about it. Words are amazing and weird. They're weird. I'm weird, too, by the way. You're probably weird as well.

[A]

I'm very weird. Yeah.

[D]

You know, but no one's, no one's, no one's putting the levers of government under underneath my hands here. That's, that's, that's the issue, you know, and I'm not mean and weird, which, no, that.

[A]

And you and I can laugh about how weird we are. It's, it makes it different. All right. Thank you so much, my friend. I appreciate your time. Everybody, stick around. We'll be right back with the good news after these messages.

[D]

We'll be right back.

[C]

Epic.

[A]

Everybody. Welcome back. It's time for the good news. Who likes good news?

[B]

Everyone?

[D]

Then good news, everyone.

[C]

Good news.

[A]

And if you have any good news confessions corrections, especially pronunciation corrections for us, please send them to us.

[B]

Us.

[A]

Also, if you want to play the animal guessing game, any guessing game, any animal, baby, adult, you can pay your pod pet tax. If you don't have pod pet tax to pay, you can send us an adoptable pet in your area. But if you want to play what the mutt cat me if you can. What the hell is in that shell? What's the model of your axolotl? Opine on the bovine? What the hecwine? Any animal at all? I think somebody called it what the is in your ark. Send it to us. Also, if you have a shout out, whether it's a shout out to your partner, a loved one, a best friend, a BFF, or a shout out to a small business in your area or some, some like a cool activism group that's doing incredible work or your small business, or if you have a shout out to a government program that has helped you or somebody that you love, including Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, wic, snap, the PACT act for veterans, great VA health care, you may have received the Affordable Care act, anything at all. And especially and including student debt forgiveness. We want to hear those stories, too. I send those directly to the White House and they love reading them. So check your junk, check your email and see if you've got some student debt forgiveness you can tell us about. And all of that you can send to [e-mail] and click on contact. All right, first up, from school librarian, Ruth Pronouns, she and her. And I just want to Say school librarians and librarians are the lifeblood of the United States of America. Good day, Lady Beans. I am a new ish podcast follower. Thank you for all your incredible research and commitment to the cause. Vote blue. I am from Missouri. Super red state with small pockets of blue. Did you see we have a fighting chance to remove Josh Holly.

[C]

What?

[A]

Kansas City area Democrat Lucas KZ will face Josh Holly in November from Missouri's U.S. senate seat. As a fellow Kansas City area resident, I'm excited to see some blue in that seat. Now, Ruth, we did have Lucas KZ on this show. You can look it up. He's awesome. For podpet tax, please enjoy seeing my two cats. They are litter mates. The orange chonk is named Crookshanks of Harry Potter fame. He was named by my husband. The gray, black and white one is named Whiskers. And she was proudly named by my seven year old daughter. My then seven year old daughter. My daughter's now 13 and she and the cats patiently listen to me rant about the Cheeto faced guy and now enthusiastically talk about Kamala. That's so awesome, Ruth. Look at these beautiful babies. Oh, and by the way, the book is the Warmth of Other Suns, the Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson. Thank you so much for that note from our producers.

[C]

That's fantastic. All right, this one's from Brent. He's from northern Wisconsin. Pronouns, he, him. Hey, chums. On Wednesday, I interviewed for a job that would be a game changer for me. My present job is at an office full of magas who had the most revolting things to say about Tim Walls and their meeting this morning like he's a monster for helping LGBTQ kids. They had plenty more to say about how Harris administration would ruin this country and only Trump can save us from satanic liberal agenda. The job I'm hoping to get would be a remote position and it would pay much better and it would provide actual benefits. So please send the vibes and wish me luck. Listen, Brent, if I could tell the person to hire you immediately, I would.

[A]

I know.

[C]

Big shocker.

[A]

That a Republican company doesn't have benefits.

[C]

I know. All right, now for the Good news. At 68 and 70 years old, my parents set out for their first political rally ever held in Eau Claire. Sorry, Wisconsin.

[A]

Damn it, Eau Claire.

[C]

Damn it.

[A]

Dude, I got it wrong the first day. I got it wrong first day.

[C]

So, okay, to Eau Claire. And now I know this. There was a correction. I got it. No one write in held in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, they were turned back. The event was completely filled hours before it was scheduled to begin. Just when I was feeling like the tiniest blue dot and the biggest red sea, a bajillion people showed up to support the Dem ticket. It's too bad my mom and dad couldn't get in, but it means Wisconsin is seriously energized for Kamala and Tim for pet tax. Here's a picture of S' mores. Smiling, handsome, and I'll let you know what happens with that job. Please do. Brent, we are cheering for you. Get rid of the MAGA people, get some benefits, work from home. Let's do this.

[A]

Those are people you just can't even talk to about it. Like, like awful. Brent, thank you for that. And really, seriously, we're all crossing our fingers for that job. Look at this. Beautiful puppers. What an adorable smile. So cute. All right, next up, from Wendy, My heart in Chico, California. My feet in Texas. Pronouns she and her hi, AG and dg. It feels odd to be sending a self shout out, but here goes. When I turned 40, I felt the need to give back to the world. I started to regularly donate blood. I have O negative blood, and I felt good to be giving. At the end of each donation, they would say, today, you saved a life. After a decade of donating. Wow. I started fainting while giving, and I was advised not to donate anymore. Oh, no. I spent a year not knowing my next move until I remembered I could SEW. That was 24 years ago. I've sewn quilts for friends having babies, port pillows for people receiving cancer treatments, and beds for dogs at the Humane Society. I gotta say, though, two groups have my heart. One is my county's foster care. I've made dozens of children and teen quilts and donate them, hoping they bring some love to those kids. The other group is Days for Girls. This organization makes washable menstruation pads for girls around the world. The organization started when a woman was visiting an orphanage in Kenya. She noticed that one of the girls hadn't been in school for a few days. She found out that girl was menstruating and would have to sit on a piece of cardboard in her dorm until her period was finished. Every menstruating girl would miss school for up to a week every month. They were losing an opportunity to get an education. This amazing woman decided that had to change. She started Days for girls in 2008, and now they serve 145 countries and have helped over 2.5 million women and girls. I'm humbled by the work they do and proud to be a small part of helping girls around the world. You don't even need to sew to help them. Everyone has a talent that can improve the world around you. You just have to find it. Thanks for your podcast, for the belly laughs and and for giving me hope. You two are my first listen every morning and I happily support you. Thank you so much. And Dana, look at this incredible work.

[C]

Absolutely beautiful. Reminds me a little bit of home. The balloon fiesta in Albuquerque every October.

[A]

Gosh, I love that hot air balloon festival. It's October as you said. When it is.

[C]

Yeah, every year.

[A]

Fantastic. These are gorgeous. Thank you so much.

[C]

Really. Thank you indeed. This one's from Grant. Pronouns he and Him I think there's a big difference between engaged in politics and being excited about politics. So true, right? I've been engaged for the past several years and I always encourage every progressive minded person I know to get out and vote blue. Even if you're not excited about the candidate because the alternative is so much worse. The metaphor I use to talk to my fellow comic book fan friends is quote, even if Captain America isn't available to punch the red skull, I take whoever else is up for the job. With the Harris Walls ticket. Though I am excited about politics far more than I ever have been, the enthusiasm behind their campaign is palpable. Thing that enthusiasm is contagious and I believe we're going to have a true Captain America moment this November in the best possible way.

[A]

Grant I agree so much.

[C]

Me too.

[A]

100% it is. So it's a relief to be excited and to be hopeful. So thank you for that submission. Next up from Alice Pronouns she and her A shout out to my sister in law Kathy. She's been making a point of talking to people about the importance of the upcoming election whenever she has a chance. For example, she was riding in an Uber with a Trump leaning driver and she was able to give him accurate information about his mistaken belief about Trump, but urged him to do his own research. Beans listeners should be able to help low information voters separate fact from fiction. Many working people do not have time to educate themselves. She's also meeting with a small group of friends to urge them to do the same and brainstorm ideas for other simple actions they can take. Small everyday actions done with kindness and respect can spread goodwill and help people remember who we are as a country and bring on a huge blue wave this November. Alice, that is so true. Thank you so much for that submission.

[C]

Amazing. All Right. This one's from Hannah. Pronounced Hannah. Fantastic pronoun. She and her dear beans queens. With all the exhilarating love for Tim Walls, I wanted to do a shout out to my school meal programs. My kid was reading one of the Captain Underpants books in which bullies are taking lunch money from kindergarteners and turns to me and says, mom, what's lunch money? We live in California thanks to universal school meals. He was genuinely baffled when I explained that in my schools growing up, we had to pay for lunch. Some kids went hungry, and those that got free meals were stigmatized. I want every kid in America to know that they and their friends will be fed at school, no questions asked. Hearing Walls talk about the benefits of universal lunch to busy parents made me feel so seen. It's not just the money, which we put back into our kids and the local economy, which is huge. Swimming lessons are expensive. It's also the time and energy we get back, which also goes back to our kids and communities or even our own mental health. Walls gets it. No pets in our house. So here's my baby. Oh, photo tags. When my little guy stole my quote, I voted sticker for the first time, but not the last. Take your whole family to the polls, even the ones who can't vote yet. Gotta get them hooked on democracy. Thanks for the show. My goodness, Hannah, this little one is so sweet. Those sweet, gentle blue eyes. Oh, and that grin.

[A]

I think it might be Hannah, but. Oh, beautiful baby. And, yeah, my. My mom dragged me out to the polls, too.

[C]

Hannah.

[A]

Yeah, I think it's Hannah, but I mean, that ha. That first. Ha.

[C]

Yeah, that makes sense. It is Hannah. Hannah, I apologize for mispronouncing your name from the beginning. Ag. Thanks for the live correction. I always appreciate it.

[A]

No, no worries. I could be reading that wrong, too.

[C]

No, I think you're right.

[A]

But, you know, I. I so appreciate the concept of. Of taking the kids to the polls, even if they're not old enough to vote. It really. When my mom took me to the polls, it really instilled a sense of civic duty, and it made me excited to go vote. Like, this is something adults get to do because, you know, when you're a kid, you always want to be adult. And now when we're adults, we would like to go back to being kids. Yes, please. But we can vote. And it just always got me really excited, Hannah. So thank you so much for that. And, yeah, I agree. Tim Walls gets it.

[C]

It.

[A]

He really does. So appreciate all of your good news submissions today. Please continue to send your good news into us. We want to. We would just want to just pile it on. Pile on the joy, pile on the happiness. You can do [e-mail] and clicking on contact. And thanks to Ben Folds for joining me today. He's a weirdo, but I mean, it was really great to talk to him. Do you have any final thoughts, my friend?

[C]

No. I think we should end on Ben Folds as a weirdo.

[A]

To be fair, I am, too, so.

[C]

Exactly. Hey, listen, listen. I'm known to be weird from time to time.

[A]

It happens. I mean, if you spend 10 minutes being a comedian and I know you've spent a great deal more time as a comedian, it happens. It happens. You end up being weird. Or maybe you were weird and that made you become a comedian. It's hard to. Anyway, we'll see you guys tomorrow with John Fugal saying and Austin Weatherford. And I look forward to both of those interviews. 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.

[C]

Vote blue over Q you and please take all that family with you and

[A]

vote down ballot all the way. Oh, and go to vote.org to check your registration. I've been AG and I've been DG and them's the beans. Refried beans. I like refried beans.