SCOTUS Sanctioned Racism (feat. Ericka Kopp)

Summary

The Daily Beans – "SCOTUS Sanctioned Racism" (Feat. Ericka Kopp)

Date: June 4, 2026
Host: Allison Gill (A.G.), with Dana Goldberg
Guest: Ericka Kopp, progressive candidate for VA-01

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Overview

This episode unpacks a week of seismic legal and political developments with progressive snark and urgency. The main focus is the Supreme Court's approval of an Alabama congressional map previously ruled to be racially discriminatory, a move hosts describe as enshrining "SCOTUS-sanctioned racism." The show covers key election updates, the Trump administration’s controversial energy deal, unrest at CBS, and features an in-depth Flip It Blue interview with Ericka Kopp—a progressive challenger in Virginia’s 1st Congressional District.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. SCOTUS Allows Use of Discriminatory Alabama Map

• Background: The Supreme Court (6-3) permits Alabama to use a gerrymandered map it had previously deemed racially discriminatory, severely weakening federal protection for voting rights.
• Conservative Justices’ Reasoning: Stated that legal disagreement with earlier orders isn’t necessarily discrimination, which A.G. derides as "nonsensical" legalese. (16:01)
• Immediate Impact: Alabama will use the map in an August primary, diluting Black voting power. The court cited the “Purcell Principle”—not changing election rules close to elections—to justify the decision, though hosts note it’s applied inconsistently.
• Quote (A.G., 17:37):

  "...all six conservative justices signed on, suggesting that in practice almost no federal protections remain for non-white voters, even in extreme racist cases."

• Dissenting Justices: Warn this will create election chaos and disenfranchise 600,000 voters—roughly 15% of the state.

Notable Moment:
Dana: "It's so infuriating." (17:49)
Alison: "It’s just mind-blowing how scared they are—they know they'd get their ass handed to them if everything was free and fair." (20:19)

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2. Election Night Roundup: Primaries & Upsets

• States Covered: California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Dakota. (03:13)
• Key Races:
  • Iowa: Democrats coalesce behind Josh Turek, a Paralympian. Turek’s establishment status could be a bellwether for Democratic strategy in the Midwest.
  • Trump Endorsement Fallout: Trump’s endorsed candidate in Iowa’s Republican primary loses, underscoring his mixed record in 2026.
  • California: High turnout and drama, including the mayor’s race and a heated three-way governor’s primary (Becerra, Steyer, Hilton).
    • Quote (A.G., 06:45):

      "Republican Steve Hilton campaigned with a Trump endorsement. The three were leading in early returns..."

• Independents Rising: In strong GOP states, Democrats are sometimes backing independents, reflecting the party’s weak brand in those areas. (08:55)
• Competitive House Race in NJ-7: Dems target absent GOP Rep. Tom Kane Jr., whose absences have become campaign fodder. (10:37)
• New Mexico Milestone:
  • Deb Haaland (first Native American Cabinet member) wins Democratic governor’s nod, could become the first Native American woman governor. (11:49)
  • Dana: “I would love to see her win that.” (12:44)
• Vote Counting Woes: California’s notoriously slow count leaves critical seats undecided. (12:56)

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3. Blue States Sue Trump Admin Over Wind Farm Block

• Issue: Trump administration pays French company Total Energies nearly $1B not to build offshore wind farms, favoring fossil fuels.
• Lawsuit: Seven blue states (NY, NJ, CT, ME, VT, MA, RI) sue, arguing violation of federal law and environmental priorities. (20:19)
• Quote (Dana, 20:19):

  “They don’t give a shit about life, property, national security or the environment.”

• A.G.: “I can’t believe they used our taxpayer money to reimburse an IT company…” (22:23)
• Dana: “Oh, I can.” (22:29)

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4. DHS Secretary Marquane Mullen Refuses to Commit to Obeying Court Orders

• Context: At Congressional hearing, DHS Secretary (ex-GOP senator) Marquane Mullen refuses to commit to following federal court orders, citing concern over "politicized" courts. (22:30)
• Quote (A.G., 22:30):

  “Mullen … would not vow to abide by rulings from judges.”

• Notable Exchange: Mullen says he'd deport Abrego to Costa Rica if asked, seemingly unaware of agency’s own contradictory position. (23:44)

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5. CBS Fires 60 Minutes’ Scott Pelley for Challenging Management

• Background: Scott Pelley, 40-year CBS/20-year 60 Minutes veteran, is fired after confronting new executive producer Nick Bilton.
• Reason: Pelley claims new management pressured him to inject falsehoods into a politically sensitive story.
• Quote (Dana, 26:07):

  “He said new management had instructed him to inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story and told him to report unverified assertions…”

• A.G.: “I’m not going to watch CBS anymore. I’m not watching ABC anymore.” (26:35)

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6. Flip It Blue: Ericka Kopp Interview (Virginia’s 1st District)

[Starts ~27:53]

Background:

• Ericka Kopp is a progressive, first-generation American, attorney, and activist challenging entrenched Republican Rob Whitman.

Bio Highlights:

• Raised in the district (Henrico County), went to school with current Governor Abigail Spanberger.
• First lawyer in her family; ran campaign during COVID; sister is campaign manager.

Platform:

• Accountability:

  • Immediate impeachment of Donald Trump if back in office; reforms and ethics enforcement for the Supreme Court.
  • Quote (Kopp, 32:31):

    "I'm a courage candidate with citizens impeachment ... we came together around the mission of impeaching Donald Trump on day one in office."

• Progressive Policy:

  • Most expansive progressive platform in the field.
  • Universal healthcare, taxing the rich, affordable housing, ending dark money (overturning Citizens United).
  • Strong on transparency and anti-corruption.

• Listening to Constituents:

  • Town halls, actionable policy based on feedback.
  • Quote (Kopp, 33:49):

    "We hold town halls, we listen to what it is that the people want, and then we put that into actionable policy platform positions."

• Affordability:

  • End the Iran war (reducing inflation, fuel and food prices); abolish ICE to stabilize workforce.
  • Push for medical billing transparency in healthcare.

• Rob Whitman Critique:

  • Accused of being invisible and inaccessible:

    "He hasn't held an in-person town hall since before COVID... He’s not accessible to the people." (Kopp, 37:50)

  • Supported objections to 2020 election certification (January 6th).

• District Analysis:

  • Lean red but "flippable," within range of recent Democratic overperformance.

• Contact Info:

  • Website: erickakopp.com
  • Social: @EK4VA (everywhere except X/BlueSky: @erickakopp.com)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• A.G. (re SCOTUS decision, 17:37):

  "Suggests that in practice, almost no federal protections remain for nonwhite voters, even in extreme racist cases."

• Dana (re election fairness, 20:19):

  "They know they’d get their ass handed to them if everything was free and fair."

• A.G. (re Democrats’ Senate prospects, 05:13):

  "Both races are important for Democrats increasingly bullish about regaining the Senate majority."

• Ericka Kopp (on what sets her apart):

  "I have the most expansive progressive platform in the field and... the most comprehensive platform as it relates to accountability." (31:02)

• Dana (on wind farm lawsuit, 20:19):

  "I think those are four things they don't give a shit about."

• A.G. (on Pelley firing, 26:35):

  "I'm not going to watch CBS anymore. I'm not watching ABC anymore."

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Important Segment Timestamps

• SCOTUS Alabama Map Analysis: 16:01–20:19
• Election Night Quick Hits: 03:13–12:56
• Blue State Lawsuit on Wind Farms: 20:19–22:23
• DHS Secretary Mullen Testimony: 22:30–24:39
• CBS/Scott Pelley Firing: 24:40–26:35
• Flip It Blue: Ericka Kopp Interview: 27:53–41:11

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Tone & Language

• Original: Progressive, irreverent, urgent, with sharp critiques and humor.
• Excerpts:
  • "Black Thursday was rude when they, you know, fired everybody." (01:55)
  • "We round up the stupid. Because you know what? Somebody has to." (00:30, recurring)
  • "[On campaign strategy] Don’t tell the people what they want, go out and ask them, and then campaign on that. Wow. What a concept, right?" (Alison Gill, 40:15)

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Episode Utility

This episode is essential listening (or reading) for progressives following the status of voting rights, court overreach, primary elections, energy and environment policy shifts under Trump, as well as insider campaign strategy in hot congressional races.

For new listeners:
You’ll get a whistle-stop rundown of current political drama, legal developments, the 2026 electoral landscape, and a close-up with a fresh progressive candidate—all delivered with signature Daily Beans wit and clarity.

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Further Resources

• Ericka Kopp for Congress
• DailyBeansPod.com – for good news submissions and activism scripts

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(Prepared for those seeking a thorough digest of the June 4, 2026 episode. Skips non-content/ads as requested.)

Transcript

[Frances Collier]

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.

[Alison Gill]

Okay.

[Frances Collier]

Yeah. It's what we say.

[Alison Gill]

So.

[Frances Collier]

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.

[Alison Gill]

Okay?

[Erica Kopp]

All we do is give.

[Alison Gill]

MSW media.

[Dana Goldberg]

News. Whispering Daily beans. Daily beans. Daily beans. Daily Beans.

[Alison Gill]

Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Thursday, June 4, 2026. Today, the Supreme Court is allowing Alabama to use the racist map, the same court outlawed just three years ago. Votes are still being counted in California. With races too close to call. Marquene Mullen has refused to commit to following court orders in congressional testimony. Blue states are suing the Trump administration for paying a French company a billion dollars to kill offshore wind farms. And CBS has fired 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley. I'm Alison Gill.

[Dana Goldberg]

And I'm Dana Goldberg.

[Alison Gill]

Hello, my friend. Happy Thursday.

[Dana Goldberg]

Happy Thursday to you. And I guess that's what happens when you call out the powers that be with receipts and truth. Yeah, Richard Job.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah, they were very. You're just being so rude. What? Yeah, Black Thursday was rude when they, you know, fired everybody. But anyway, we'll get into that story too. Also later in the show, we're gonna have a Flip It Blue segment with a progressive candidate running in Virginia's first district named Erica Kopp. And this is breaking news, by the way. The House has just passed a war powers resolution to rein in Trump over the war in Iran. Remember how they, how like before they went on the week long break, Mike Johnson knew he was going to lose the war power resolution vote, so he just canceled it real quick and sent everybody. Well, they came back and they passed it. Four Republicans voted with Democrats Davidson, Massie, Barrett and Fitzpatrick. The vote was 215 to 208. So that war powers resolution has passed the House. So we'll keep an eye on this because, wow, that's quite a rebuke from your own Congress as a layout.

[Dana Goldberg]

No kidding. I mean, listen, Amassie's got issues. He's done some great things with the Epstein files. I hope he burns some shit down on the way out. I really do.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah, same that's, you know, big bag of rats, as our friend Stephanie Miller likes to say. All right, we've got a lot to cover today, so we have an extra segment about election night stuff. We had primaries in six states last night, so we're going to talk about that in our quick hits to make

[Dana Goldberg]

a long story short.

[Alison Gill]

All right, so this comes from pbs. The contours of a premier Senate race took shape in Iowa last night, while President Trump's endorsement streak ran into a roadblock there. Democrats chose a nominee for a House race in New Jersey that could decide control of the chamber. But much of the focus was on California, home to Hollywood, but not a governor's race packing much star power. Now here are some takeaways from the primary elections Tuesday in California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota. Now, Iowa Democrats rallied behind former Paralympian in a marquee Senate race. The Democrats, stunned by how Trump has remade American politics, have spent the past decade debating which type of candidate is best positioned to energize voters and win elections, not moral victories. And Iowa marked the latest stop in this sometimes agonizing conversation. The party's establishment supported Josh Turek, a state representative who presented a compelling personal biography that included competing for the United States in four Paralympics. State Senator Zach Walls offered himself as a more disruptive figure, an awesome disruptive figure, refusing to back Chuck Schumer of New York as a Senate Democratic leader if he were elected. So Democratic voters united behind Turek, and that's who's going to face Republican Ashley Hinson in November. At this point, many of the party's most fractious races are behind them. But Turek's win could be closely watched in Michigan, where one of the last major Democratic primaries will unfold on August 4th because Rep. Haley Stevens is emerging as the establishment candidate there, vying against State Senator Mallory McMurraw and Progressive Abdul Al Sayed. Both races are important for Democrats increasingly bullish about regaining the Senate majority. And to get there, they must retain the open seat in Michigan while looking for pickup opportunities like Iowa. Now, the results in the fall could have longer term implications as Democrats look to rebuild their standing in the Midwest, which swung to the Republican president, as we know, in 2024.

[Dana Goldberg]

And Trump's endorsement streak has faced a setback in Iowa in just the past month. The power of Trump's endorsements has helped end the political careers of two senators as we know John Cornyn of Texas and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and unfortunately, Rep. Thomas Massie, as I just said, of Kentucky. But Trump was unable to lift Rep. Randy Feenstra to victory in Iowa's Republican primary for governor. Yep. Even though Trump jumped in with his backing last week, Feenstra narrowly lost to Zach Lon. Now, the outcome was a rare setback for Donald. Well, that's not true. I think Donald's had plenty of setbacks. Who basks in his ability to sway the vote among Republicans with his endorsement. Now it now sets up that Democrats see as one of their best opportunities to pick up a governorship. This year, Democrats nominated Rob sand, who ran unopposed in the primary. He has the rural roots that have become rare among Democrats and is a proven winner in a Republican leaning state. He's been elected twice as auditor. Now Lon was not well known in Iowa politics when he launched his campaign in November, but he built support among conservatives. He championed policies including a total ban on abortion and keeping liberal ideology out of public school classrooms. Whatever. Now Lon has developed a following with the Make America Healthy Again movement, which has clashed, as we know, with the Trump administration over its embrace of specifically pesticides, which is really interesting. Could you imagine that being what actually

[Alison Gill]

breaks this man Weird Hills to die on in the Republican Party. But the California drama is dragging on. The Los Angeles mayor's race was jolted by the candidacy of Spencer Pratt. What a douche. He starred on the reality television show the Hills. The Republican's been trying to capitalize on dissatisfaction with Karen Bass, the Democrat who is seeking a second term. She's the incumbent, Mayor Bass. She did secure enough votes to make the November runoff, but it was unclear who her opponent will be. Also running is Nithya Raymond. She's a progressive member of the City Council. And the race for California governor has been especially chaotic. With Gavin Newsom barred from seeking a third term, about 60 names, 61 to be exact, were on the ballot to succeed him. Some of the state's most prominent politicians, including Vice President Kamala Harris, former Vice President and Senator Alex Padilla, and Attorney General Rob Bonta, decided not to run. One who did? Eric Swalwell. But he withdrew after being accused of sexual assault, which he is denying. But there are criminal investigations into that. Under the state's primary system, all candidates appear on a single ballot and the top two finishers advance to the November General. Now that's regardless of party, but in the final days of the campaign, much of the attention focused on Democrats. Javier Becerra, former Congressman State attorney general, who was health and secretary under Democratic President Joe Biden. And Tom Steyer, a billionaire known for his climate activism. Now Republican Steve Hilton campaigned with a Trump endorsement. The three were leading in early returns after polls closed. If Becerra were to advance to one of the two slots on the fall ballot, he presents a natural choice for voters more comfortable with traditional candidates. Steyer and Hilton. Hilton have both presented themselves as advocating significant changes. California has been governed by establishment oriented Democrats for two decades. The primary results will indicate the level of change being sought in the state, confronting serious challenges ranging from affordability to crime, and will signal whether the $200 million styer. The $200 million he put into the race from his own money. We'll see if it turned out to be a good investment. But he's in third. He's in third. $200 million for third place.

[Dana Goldberg]

What you could do with that money. Independents emerged in Senate races in Republican strongholds. Okay. If Democrats hope to compete in Senate contests in Republican strongholds this fall, they may have to abandon their party's nominees and rally around independents. That's what it's showing. That's one of the takeaways. After voters on Tuesday finalized general election matchups in Montana and South Dakota, where little known Democrats earned their party's nominations. In both states, however, higher profile independent candidates also qualified for the general election ballot. It's much the same in Idaho and Nebraska, which held Senate primaries last month. Democratic leaders in Nebraska, they're openly endorsing independent Dan Osborne over their party's nominee, which has promised to drop out to make it easier for Osborne to win. In Montana, independent Seth Bodnar, a former University of Montana president, looks like the strongest opponent to Republican Curtin Almy. And that's on paper, at least now. Bodner raised more money than all five Democratic primary candidates combined. He's even significantly outraged. Trump backed Almy. In South Dakota, we've got Senator Mike Rounds. He cruised to the Republican nomination on Tuesday. He's going to face Democrat Julian Boudion. Boudion, a former highway patrol trooper and small business owner. But it's a former Democrat now running as an independent. This is military veteran Brian Bangs, who some Democrats believe may be tougher challenger. The Democrat shift toward independence that reflects the party's toxic brand in Republican strongholds. So we'll see what happens there. I, I don't, I mean, at this point, I feel like it's anyone's game. Our, our politics are so haywire right now.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah. And a missing congressman got a Democratic challenger. Last night, Democrats nominated Rebecca Bennett to take on Republican Rep. Tom Kane Jr. In New Jersey 7th Congressional District, which stretches from the New York City suburbs to the Pennsylvania border. The seat is critical for Republicans as they defend a narrow majority in Congress. And the race was always going to be one of the most competitive on the map. That has been increasingly gerrymandered to protect both parties. But it's under particularly close scrutiny because of Cain's extended and unexplained medical absence. As we went over yesterday and the day before, he's missed more than 100 votes since casting his last one on March 5. Bennett, who's a former Navy pilot, was among the Democrats in the primary who made the absence and the lack of clarity surrounding it an issue, arguing Cain wasn't around to protect money for a new rail tunnel connecting New Jersey and New York City. That line of criticism will likely only grow heading into the general election. And Trump reiterated his endorsement of Cain on Monday. The congressman released a statement Tuesday saying he's focused on his recovery and would return in person to work within a matter of weeks. So, yeah, I mean, he ran unopposed. So Trump endorsing him is okay.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah. Well, we're going to my home state, the 505. New Mexico. I know it's two area codes. Don't yell at me. But New Mexico could make history in a governor's race, and I'm happy to see this. The stage is set for Deb Haaland to make history this fall after Biden's interior secretary secured the Democratic nomination for governor in New Mexico. Holland was the first Native American to serve in the Cabinet, which is wild. Native American. Listen to what I'm saying. I know Native American. This fall, she could become the first Native American woman in history to be elected governor. She defeated Albuquerque based District Attorney Sam Bregman, the father of a Chicago Cubs All Star, Alex Bregman. I love that. That's the, you know, credit they're giving him. Y and a Democratic primary campaign that emphasized her ancestral roots in addition to lowering costs and her governing experience. Now Holland's going to face Republican Gregory Hull in the general election.

[Alison Gill]

I would love to see her win that.

[Dana Goldberg]

Also, my longtime childhood friend Maggie Toulouse has won her primary as well. So if Holland wins, Maggie Toulouse looks like there's a really good chance she'll end up as lieutenant governor.

[Alison Gill]

Amazing. Amazing. I mean, there were so many races and specifically, you know, I was on local news last night covering some of the returns, particularly House District 22 and 48. These are redistricted districts from Prop 50 and you know we're still counting votes. California takes a notoriously long time to count votes, so we'll keep an eye on those races for you as well. All right, everybody, we have a lot of news to get to, but we have to take a quick break. Stick around. We'll be right back with the hot

[Dana Goldberg]

notes after these messages.

[Alison Gill]

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[Rainy Day Rabbit Holes Host]

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? From crazy disasters and tasty scandals to enlightening and surprising heartwarming tales, we explore the moments where people behave badly and sometimes beautifully. We've got naughty politicians, cultural chaos and a deep love for the Pacific Northwest, including Bigfoot. It's thoughtful, irreverent, occasionally serious, and always entertaining. Let's fall down the rabbit hole.

[Alison Gill]

MSW Media,

[Erica Kopp]

Everybody.

[Alison Gill]

Welcome back. It's time for the Hot Notes. Hot Notes all right, first up from Democracy docket the US Supreme Court will allow Alabama to use a congressional map found to have intentionally discrimin discriminated against black voters. That's what it said Tuesday in a 6 to 3 ruling. Figures when the court gutted the Voting Rights act in Louisiana v. Calais, it found that intentional racial discrimination in voting remains unconstitutional. But this new ruling, to which all six conservative justices signed on, suggests that in practice, almost no federal protections remain for non white voters, even in extreme racist cases. The most immediate impact of the ruling is that Alabama will be free to use its gerrymandered map in its primary election, which has been rescheduled for August. August A federal court found in 2023 that lawmakers intentionally discriminated in drawing Alabama's congressional map, which diluted the voting strength of black Alabamians. Now the Supreme Court agreed it was racist, and in 2024 the state was required to use a fairer map with two black majority districts. Quote as to intentional vote dilution, the district court did not heed the presumption of legislative good faith because it interpreted the state's legal disagreement with the court's earlier remedial order as proof of discriminatory animus. That's what the court's conservative majority wrote, which what is he? That doesn't even mean anything. In April 29, in the Calais ruling, which all but ended the VRA's ability to block maps that reduce minority voting power, Sam Alito wrote that the decision had no bearing on the court's earlier finding on Alabama's map. He wrote that maps could still be found in violation of the VRA if it was proven they were drawn with the explicit intent of discriminating against the state's minority voters. That's what you decided before.

[Dana Goldberg]

It's so infuriating.

[Alison Gill]

Still, shortly after Kallay, Alabama lawmakers resuscitated the state's previously blocked illegal racist map. And they did so while an active election was happening, hoping that the courts would quickly step in and allow them to use it. As we talked about before on the show, Governor Kay Ivey scheduled a special election based on that map for August 11th. Also betting on the court's approval, she was right. But last month, a three judge panel found the map still to be in violation of the 14th Amendment and the court's new legal standard under Section 2 of the VRA. Alabama appealed that ruling to the Supreme Court. And here we are. The request has been seen as the first major test of the high court's new approach to policing racial discrimination in voting. Quote before the court are two paths down one lies an orderly election held under a tried and tested congressional map that protects black Alabamians rights to vote and with which all voters, election officials and candidates alike are familiar. That's what the court's dissenting justices wrote. And they went on to say, down the other path lies a chaotic election held under never before you used congressional maps that intentionally discriminate against black Alabamians that Alabama adopted in unashamed defiance of a prior court order directly affirmed by this court and that will require officials to change the voter registrations of hundreds of thousands of voters in just days at best, a task that Alabama previously represented would take months. Citing the election law doctrine known as the Purcell Principle, the justices said the lower court erred by changing election rules so close to an upcoming election, risking confusion for voters and election administrat, quote, to switch the 2023 redistricting plan. Now, however, county election officials will have to reassign hundreds of thousands of voters across the state to new congressional districts. The dissenters added, quote, three of Alabama's counties will be particularly hard hit because they're split across two congressional districts. These counties have about 600,000 registered voters between them. That's about 15% of the state's total number of registered voters. Critics say the court's conservative majority has applied that principle selectively to reach its preferred outcomes. In December, the court invoked similar reasoning to state a lower court order blocking Texas's 2025 congressional map, which the lower court district found likely to be an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. That map is expected to give Republicans several additional seats in Congress. Do you remember when we talked about that? Like in December, they used the Purcell principle to say it's too close to the elections. But then in Alabama, after the election already happened.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah, I know. God, it's just mind blowing how scared they are. They'll know they'd get their ass handed to them if everything was free and fair. All right, this one's from cnn. A coalition of seven blue states have sued the Trump administration Tuesday after it paid a French company nearly a billion dollars in taxpayer money to not build offshore wind farms. The lawsuit, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, argued that the deal struck between Total Energies and the Trump administration earlier this year deprived their states of much needed power and could raise electricity costs in the New England and Mid Atlantic regions. In March, the Trump administration announced that it would pay French energy giant total energies $928 million in taxpayer funds to reimburse the company for leases it had purchased under the Biden administration, allowing it to develop two offshore wind farms in waters near New York and North Carolina. The vast majority of that 795 million that would have gone toward developing the New York project blue state. In exchange, Total Energies would spend that reimbursed money on the development of a new liquefied natural gas plant in Texas, helping export US LNG overseas to Europe, CEO Patrick Poyain said in a statement at the time the lawsuit was filed in the U S. District Court of the District of Columbia. State attorneys general from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts and Rhode island all argued on Tuesday that the administration had violated the law when executing the March deal, failing to hold a hearing required by law to determine that keeping the offshore wind leases, and I quote, would likely cause serious harm to life, property, national security or the environment. I think those are four things they don't give a shit about. The blue state lawsuit. It's test of whether the courts will weigh in to halt this tactic. Ags are asking the court to strike down the agreement and vacate the lease cancellation.

[Alison Gill]

Nice. I hope they win. I can't believe they used our taxpayer money to reimburse an IT company.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh, I can.

[Alison Gill]

To stop windmills and do natural gas in Texas. All right, from Politico. Homeland Security Secretary Marquane Mullen refused on Tuesday to commit to following court orders from judges who rule that the Department of Homeland Security is acting illegally. In his first appearance on Capitol Hill since confirmation as secretary two months ago, the former Oklahoma Republican senator told lawmakers dhs, quote, we'll never break the Constitution and we're not going to break the law. But Mullen also would not vow to abide by rulings from judges. If we didn't think courts were politicized, then I'd probably be able to answer that, Mullen said. But we see courts over and over again use their bench for political Opinion, not just the rule of law. Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy, top Democrat on the panel that funds dhs, noted that even Republican appointed judges have said the department has violated almost 100 court orders this year. The senator cited the non compliance as the main factor fueling the ongoing partisan feud over DHS funding funding that led to the longest funding lapse in US History this year. Mark Quain, who was also asked by Senator Van Hollen, who I love, about whether he'd be cool sending Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Costa Rica. Like, you know, this whole ongoing saga, Right?

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah.

[Alison Gill]

So in an extraordinary moment of, I guess, stupidity, Mullen agreed, we'd be happy to send him to Costa Rica if he's here, if he wants to go. Seemingly unaware that DHS has been trying to deport Abrego to Liberia instead and that Mr. Abrego has said for months he's willing to go to Costa Rica right now. And Mr. Abrego's attorneys immediately filed a notice to Judge Polissini's in Maryland overseeing Mr. Abrego's habeas case, saying, hey, just want to let you know, Mullen said he'd be happy to send Mr. Abrego to Costa Rica.

[Dana Goldberg]

I hope that this happens. I mean, if he's got to go, I hope this happens.

[Alison Gill]

He'll probably just say, oh, I didn't know enough about it. I shouldn't have said that.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah, I'm sure now everyone, I don't know, they'll not even fall on that sword. They'll put the sword right into Mark Wayne if he really up that badly and made them look that bad about it.

[Alison Gill]

It's funny.

[Dana Goldberg]

Now, this is a story that we've been covering that has just shifted in the last couple of days. This is from NBC. CBS News has fired veteran 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Got Pelly on Tuesday, and that's a day after he confronted the show's new executive producer at a very heated staff meeting. And this is a quote, your antipathy to the future of the show has come through loud and clear. And I have heard you. That's 60 Minutes executive producer Nick Bilton. That's what he said in a letter addressed to Pelly, a copy of which has been attained by NBC News. He said, I therefore write on behalf of 60 Minutes News Incorporated to inform you that your employment with CBS is terminated for pause, effective immediately. In a written statement, Pelly expressed, and I quote, gratitude for the men and women of CBS News who encouraged and enriched my work very often at the risk of their own lives. I pray for a day when those people and their ideals are honored again. A day when sanity, competence, and courage return. Peli did not mention Weiss or Built in by name in his lengthy written statement about his firing. But he said, and I quote, new management had instructed him to inject false falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story and told him to report unverified assertions. And I guarantee this was a story about the camps that we call.

[Alison Gill]

That was Sharon Alfonsi. Oh, that was her report on Seacoat.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh, interesting.

[Alison Gill]

I'm still trying to dig around and figure out which stories he's talking about.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh, boy. All right. And this is the last quote from the story. Incompetence and unprofessionalism is. The new management have wreaked havoc in a case involving one of my stories. The entire program came within 19 minutes of not getting on the air at all. That's what Pelly said, in part. He did not provide any specifics, but Allison Gill's on the case, and we're gonna see if we can find out what it was.

[Alison Gill]

He's got so many great stories. He's been there for 40 years, and he's been with 60 Minutes for 20. Yeah, and then Waltz is these Belton and Barry Weiss and just fire everybody. It's. I'm not gonna watch CBS anymore. I'm not watching ABC anymore. Yeah, I know, man. Thank you for that. All right, everybody. Up next, we're gonna talk to Erica Kopp, who's running as a progressive candidate in Virginia's 1st district on flip It Blue. And then we'll hit the good news. Stick around. We'll be right back.

[Frances Collier]

Hi, I'm Frances Collier. And I'm Angela V. Shelton. And we're Frangila. You know what, you mean in your life 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.

[Dana Goldberg]

That's right.

[Frances Collier]

We think you need to hear it.

[Alison Gill]

Okay. Yeah.

[Frances Collier]

It's what we say.

[Alison Gill]

So.

[Frances Collier]

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.

[Alison Gill]

Okay?

[Erica Kopp]

All we do is give.

[Alison Gill]

Hey, everybody. Welcome back. It's time to Flip It Blue. All right, so we have a totally flippable seat in Virginia. Even though the Supreme Court said that they can't use the maps, the Virginia Supreme Court says they can't use their maps. This is a totally flippable district. It's Virginia's first district district. And we're going to talk today to the progressive candidate running to unseat incumbent Republican Rob Whitman, who's been there for 20 years. Okay, so this is a very definitely status quo candidate. And their primary has been moved. It was going to be in June, but Now it's on August 4th. And our guest today is running against a couple of Democrats. Please welcome Erica Kopp. Hi, Erica, how are you?

[Erica Kopp]

Hey, A.G. i'm great. How are you?

[Alison Gill]

I'm all right. I'm good today. I'm really excited to talk to you because first of all, I love your agenda. I love what you stand for, and I love your background. Can you tell everybody you know about yourself, you know you grew up in this district and talk a little bit about your family?

[Erica Kopp]

Absolutely. So, as you mentioned, I grew up in this district. I was raised in Henrico county, which is kind of the southwestern part of this district, and grew up here from the time that I was three years old. This district really, truly raised me. I went to high school at J.R. tucker High School, which also happens to be the same high school that our governor, Abigail Spanberger went to. And I stayed here throughout college and for law school as well. This is home. I grew up to a family of two parents, was really lucky to have that, and an older sister who has now become my campaign manager. And so we're really just doing this for the community.

[Alison Gill]

Takes a village. It takes a village, right? In so many aspects. You're first generation American, right? Yes. And you're also the first ever on either side of your family to actually become an attorney. Talk about that journey.

[Erica Kopp]

Yeah, that was really hard. Law school for first generation students is not easy in and of itself. And then just added to that the fact that nobody ever in my family at all has had any experience with this. I didn't have a whole lot of support to be able to lean anyone on anyone in the family as far as my professional aspirations were concerned. So it was really a lot of figuring things out on my own and breaking barriers and doing law school during COVID too, that added another element of difficult times. But I got through it and I'm really proud of myself for that. And then we keep on going.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah, yeah, we do. It's called perseverance and resilience. And it's kind of learned when you do those things and when you are who you are, you bring those lived experiences to the job. And I think that that's really an important aspect of your campaign as well. And I think that's why it's resonating with people. Let's run through this because you were supposed to have a primary in June, but that got kicked back to August. So let's start with the Democrats you're running against. I know it's a pretty big field, but I think there are just a couple of top contenders. Can you tell us about your opponents and what makes you different from your Democratic opponents in this primary?

[Erica Kopp]

Absolutely. So I'm one of seven in this primary, and of the seven, we've got a few that have made major gains in terms of fundraising. Those would be Shannon Taylor, who is backed by the DCCC, Jason Knapp, who is a former F18 fighter pilot, and then Salam Bhatti, who is also on the more progressive side of things than I am. And my campaign differs from all of them in the sense that I have the most expansive progressive platform in the field and I also have the most comprehensive platform as it relates to accountability. So we have a whole laundry list of different action items that I'm ready to take in Congress as it relates to relates to accountability. And once we have that in place, then I'm ready to go ahead and improve our society for all of us to get things like universal health care, taxing the rich and then improving upon things like access to housing and many, many more things.

[Alison Gill]

That's interesting about the dccc. They've picked some losers this time around in a lot of different races. We can talk about Villegas here in California who beat the DCCC picked or beating. We still have a lot of votes to count. But you know, the DCCC backed candid have what happened in Maine, We've got what's going on here in Virginia. Talk a little bit about the accountability because pretty much like most Democrats that I speak to are running on accountability and affordability. So let's run down your accountability checklist.

[Erica Kopp]

Absolutely. And this is my favorite part of the platform. So I will preface this by saying I'm a courage candidate with citizens impeachment. There are over 120 active candidates in 36 states across country. And we came together around the mission of impeaching Donald Trump on day one in office. And so that is something that I look forward to and I think we can impeach and improve. And so beyond impeachment of Trump which his co conspirators will follow thereafter. We also need reforms to the Supreme Court. I believe that there are impeachable offenses that members of this Supreme Court have committed. I also want to have an ethics code that is overseen and enforced, forced by Congress upon the Supreme Court, because we've seen that when they are left to police themselves, it doesn't work out. And so consistent with Congress's authority to investigate and to impeach. I think that that could be a really viable option for having an enforceable ethics code.

[Alison Gill]

You know, before I go any further, everyone also, she's a dog owner, so that is put that in the plus column. You might, might hear a little bit of dog in the background, like wanting to take part in this interview. Interview. Let's talk about. You talk about impeachment and accountability around President Trump. Do you have anything on your platform for, like, court reform, for example?

[Erica Kopp]

Yeah, so I want to look into term limits. I want to look into beyond impeachment. I want to look into the ethics code. And then I think we can talk about a lot of different possible options. I want to get buy in from the community. So that's, this is, is a huge part of our platform is that we hold town halls, we listen to what it is that the people want, and then we put that into actionable policy platform positions. And so that's another way that I am distinctive from the rest of the pack. I don't know that anyone's doing that. And so I certainly want to get buy in from the community about how they want to see accountability come forward in the new Congress.

[Alison Gill]

Right. It's so important because, because we, for the next two years after this midterm election, we're still gonna have the same attorney general, we're still gonna have the same sycophants in charge of criminally prosecuting people. And they aren't going to hold anybody accountable criminally. So it's gonna be up to Congress to hold people accountable until we can flip those chairs later on down the road in 2028. But let's talk now about affordability and where you come down on that and what you would do in Congress to make the lives of the families in Virginia's 1st district better and more affordable.

[Erica Kopp]

Yeah. First things first. We need a war powers resolution to put an end to this illegal, unconstitutional war in Iran. It's going to take some time for prices to come down after that, but I'm hopeful that we can see a reduction in the cost of gasoline. I'm hopeful that we can see a reduction in the cost of fertilizer and make it so, so that farmers are able to have more crops and make it so that they're able to farm. I also want to abolish ICE so that we are able to have a workforce of an immigrant community that is not afraid to go to work so that they can help the farmers get the food to the grocery stores and have prices come down.

[Alison Gill]

Not to mention like thriving economic tax revenue. Right, like, hi, hello. Exactly.

[Erica Kopp]

Exactly.

[Alison Gill]

A lot of people don't connect abolishing ICE or overturning Citizens United or universal healthcare with affordability. But they're all baked into that, aren't they?

[Erica Kopp]

Yes, they are. And both of those things that you just mentioned, too, those are on my priorities list as well. We definitely need to get dark money out of politics. I am hopeful that we can get a constitutional amendment to take Citizens United off the table nationally. And I also want to help create a comprehensive universal healthcare system. And until we have that in place, because I don't think it's going to happen immediately. I want to at least get some form of transparency in medical billing so as it relates to healthcare goods and services. We need it. We need it nationwide.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah, man. Erica. I had PhD in public health and I worked in insurance and billing, tricare as a liaison to the Department of Defense for Veterans Affairs. It was my area of expertise. And I still couldn't answer my mom's questions about her EOBs and her medical billing and her Medicare, which is pretty much an identical program. It still was just like a language I didn't understand. It's what I am a doctor of. So it was very. That has to change. I'm so glad that you have that on your policy platform. Now let's talk about, about after we get through the primaries in August, we get to the general in November. Now, Virginia's first district leans red, but it's flippable. And so because, I mean, we've seen what we've won 32 or 33 special elections as Democrats by an average of 12 points. Trump didn't win this, didn't win new district by 12 points. It's, it's far less than that. It's well within that margin. So talk about the differences between. I mean, they're pretty stark. But why do we need to get Rob Whitman out?

[Erica Kopp]

First and foremost, Rob Whitman hasn't held an in person town hall since before COVID and he's. Yeah, like he's not listening to the people at all. And then when he does have different events. They're either heavily screened as far as who can actually gain access, or it's a telephone town hall where the questions are screened, and whether or not you even get the ability to speak is hit or miss. And so we're not having any kind of access to our congressman as it is currently. And people are upset about that, rightly so, because they're not being heard in any kind of way. He doesn't respond in a substantive manner to emails. He doesn't return phone calls to his office. Meeting with him is near impossible, and he's not accessible to the people, first and foremost. And there are so many people that have recognized that there have been protests outside of his office here in the county in which I live. And people are mad. So I think it's going to be a referendum on who is accountable to the people. And at the end of the day, that's not him.

[Alison Gill]

No, I mean. I mean, it just shows his cowardice. Right. He can't defend his policies and his votes because he knows that they're horrible and that he will get backlash for those. So instead of talking to the people and saying, well, what would you like me to do? He just hides and screens his calls. Right. That's just such cowardice. Wasn't he one of the Republicans who objected to certifying Biden's election January 6th?

[Erica Kopp]

Yes, he was.

[Alison Gill]

I bet he can't answer the question of who won that election.

[Erica Kopp]

You know, if there would ever be a response at all, he would use a whole lot of words to say absolutely nothing. So, no, I don't think there would be any substantive response to that question either.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah, I would not bet against that, let's say. All right, well, thank you so much for joining us today. I really appreciate it. I think your platform is one that really is going to resonate with people, and I'm glad that you're seeing that in these town halls, in these meetings, and in the canvassing that you're doing, because, I mean, that's the winning strategy, to campaign the way, for example, Mom, Donnie did. Like, don't tell the people what they want, go out and ask them, and then campaign on that. Wow. What a concept, right?

[Erica Kopp]

Yep.

[Alison Gill]

Well, I appreciate you coming on Happy Pride, and I would love for you to tell everyone where they can find more information about your campaign. Follow you on socials, by the way. Way, it's totally free to follow candidates on social media, and it really helps them a lot. So if you want to tell everyone where they can do that, that would be wonderful.

[Erica Kopp]

Absolutely. And thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate being here and happy pride to you as well. You can find me on my website, that's Erica kopp.com, e r I c k a k o p.com and you can find me on social media. We're everywhere but X. And you can find me at EK the number 4 VA with the exception of Blue sky which is is@erica cop.com wonderful.

[Alison Gill]

Thank you so much for your time today. I appreciate it. Good luck in the primaries. Come back and talk to us as we as we get close to that August date and I would love to see where everything is shaking out.

[Erica Kopp]

It would be an honor and a privilege. Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate the opportunity.

[Alison Gill]

No problem at all. Everybody stick around. We'll be right back with the good news.

[Dana Goldberg]

I'm Brian Caram and I've spent decades covering politics. Now I'm taking you behind the scenes one interview at a time.

[Alison Gill]

Join us as each week Brian confronts the issues that matter, posing the questions you wish you could ask. No filter, no agenda, just the truth.

[Dana Goldberg]

We're not here for sound bites. We're here for substance. Join me, Brian Caram Every week as we cut through the noise and get straight to it. This is just ask the question where curiosity will lead us to the facts.

[Alison Gill]

Subscribe now on your favorite podcast platform and remember when you want answers, all you have to do is just ask the question. Everybody, welcome back. It's time for the good news everyone.

[Erica Kopp]

Then good news everyone.

[Alison Gill]

Good news. And if you have any good news you want to share with us, any little thing at all or big it could be, you know, from yesterday or 30 years ago, doesn't matter. We want to hear about it. We want to microdose in your hope. We need it. Send it to us, Inject it into our veins. You can also send good trouble suggestions or give a shout out to somebody like a spouse or a loved one, family member, best friend, a self shout out, tell us why you're awesome. You can shout out a non profit you want us to know about or maybe some great community activism in your area. Whatever it is you can send it to us dailybeanspod.com and click on contact. And all you got to do to get your stuff read on the air is attach a photo. And it can be a photo of anything as long as it brings a smile to our face. The sunset, chickens, goats, your pet, an adoptable pet in your area, random animal on the Internet Otters holding hands, falling asleep so they don't float away from each other. Those we love those bird watching photos, which can be an actual bird or you flipping the bird to a Trump building. Any photo at all, Send it to us dailybeanspod.com click on Contact. First up is your Good Trouble. Good Trouble today is about Bill Pulte. As we discussed on yesterday's Beans, Bill Pulte has been appointed Acting Director of National Intelligence despite having no meaningful national security experience and facing bipartisan concerns about his fitness for the role. All of these Republicans that Trump has pissed off are not about Bill Pulte. In December 2025, the Government Accountability Office agreed to investigate allegations that Pulte weaponized mortgage data against perceived political opponents of Trump. So you have two calls to make. One to each of your senators. Tell them you want him to vigorously oppose Bill Pulte serving as Acting Director of National Intelligence for any length of time. Because remember, he can serve for 210 days without Senate confirmation. Ask them to first follow up on the status of the GAO investigation into Pulte's conduct. Then, if they oppose any effort to normalize or extend his tenure in this position, then demand immediate oversight hearings into his appointment and his actions. And then refuse unanimous consent agreements and slow Senate business as necessary to force accountability. And insist that the administration submit a qualified nominee with substantial national security experience as required by law. Law and I would also add, tell them not to extend FISA section 702 until they get rid of him. That's some really good leverage they have because. And the Republicans want that, you know, ability to surveil Americans in FISA section 702. So maybe take that away from them. But let your senators know the nation's intelligence apparatus is too important to be entrusted to an unqualified political loyalist and that Congress has a responsibility to provide meaningful oversight and protect the integrity of national security institutions. And here's a script we cooked up for you should you need it. We'll have it in the show notes and all the links to the GAO stuff and a couple of articles about Senate Republicans being against him and Mitch McConnell's statements suggesting Bill Pulte is unfit.

[Dana Goldberg]

All right, thanks so much, Allison. We got Emily pronounced. She and her I have two shout outs today. First to my brother in law who's a retired army helicopter pilot. It he graduated from law school in May and we wish him lots of luck as he prepares to take the bar exam later this summer. Good luck, brother. My second shout out is to my eldest Daughter Francis, who just played in her first soccer game ever. She's only 5, but many of the kids on her team have been playing for a couple years already. She was so nervous about not being as fast or skilled as the other players and overall not knowing what to expect. I'm happy to report that she had an absolute blast and tried her hardest, and we're looking forward to the rest of the season. I love bumblebee soccer. When they're five years old, my pot pet tariff is my pup Olive. Oh, Olive is cute. She joined our family last fall after we lost our previous dog to cancer. She's around a year and a half, and we love her endless enthusiasm and exhaustible appetite for snuggles. Can you guess her top three breeds? I mean, she looks like a German

[Alison Gill]

shepherd, shepherd, an Australian shepherd, and maybe some lab in that little would be my guess. I had a dog named Olive, named after all of the other reindeer. She was born on Christmas and 5 year olds playing soccer. I'm just picturing it in my head. It's just. It's so adorable.

[Dana Goldberg]

It is the best. It looks like a rugby scrum and then the ball shoots out but no one gets hurt.

[Frances Collier]

And then.

[Alison Gill]

Francis is such a beautiful name. I. I always think of baby in Dirty Dancing. Her name was Francis.

[Dana Goldberg]

Cute.

[Alison Gill]

All right, let's see what we got here for this doggo. Oh, my gosh. Australian shepherd, lab and German shepherd. We got one right?

[Dana Goldberg]

We got it. We got it. All three breeds. We got it.

[Alison Gill]

Holy moly.

[Dana Goldberg]

Three top ones.

[Alison Gill]

That's it. We got to shut down the whole show. We have to shut down the network. We're done. The dog's ears, by the way, are amazing.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah.

[Alison Gill]

What a sweet baby. Next up, from Maryanne, pronounced Marianne, not Marian. She her. Hello, beautiful brainy body. Beans babes. Just want to wish everybody a happy pride month and share two pics I snapped while out and about in western Maine last night. A breathtaking sunset and this spectacularly artsy theater, complete with rainbow sidewalks. I hope they bring a smile to your faces as you do mine every day. I appreciate all the on air and behind the scenes work to keep us truthfully informed. Marianne, thank you so much. That main sunset is amazing. And that house. Look at that. That theater.

[Dana Goldberg]

That's beautiful.

[Alison Gill]

I love Maine so much. I know. Thanks, Marianne. Awesome.

[Dana Goldberg]

All right, this is from Clay. Pronounce he him. Hiya, Beans babes. I'm an artist in Cleveland, Ohio. Here's a sample of my new work. I've taken to painting protest pictures on Drop cloths. Also, I present my precious agropuff Moby. Wow. Wow.

[Alison Gill]

They're truly an incredible artist, Clay.

[Dana Goldberg]

Holy shit, dude.

[Alison Gill]

And you have a ned cat. Well, you're in Ohioan. Did you see? By the way, I have some good news from Ohio. Recent senate poll, Fox news poll from Ohio has Sherrod Brown at 53 and housted at 45.

[Dana Goldberg]

Hell yeah.

[Alison Gill]

It's got him ahead by eight. Eight points. Sherrod Brown's up by eight points in a fox news poll.

[Dana Goldberg]

Nice.

[Alison Gill]

Absolutely amazing. And thank you very much for this art. That's incredible, Clay. All right, next up from Sadie girl. She her. Hello, ladies of the lagoon. I never feel like I ever have a reason to write to you, but felt that this federal worker should offer a gentle correction. S, I P R N E T. Which I was saying. Cypernet is pronounced sipernet. Oh, cybernet's way cooler. And it's the secure military version of the Internet used to transmit and store data up to the secret level. I love your show and I look forward to every episode. To keep me company on my commute to work for podpet tax, I include a picture of my best bud and crazy dog. She's a mixed breed, but can you guess what breed stands out? Looks like Pitbull stands out.

[Dana Goldberg]

It looks like a pity to me, but.

[Alison Gill]

Or maybe an American bulldog dog. Let's see. Mountain Kerr or Black Mountain. Oh, it's one of those mountain dogs

[Dana Goldberg]

that I'm never gonna recognize the mountain cur.

[Alison Gill]

I never am because they always just look like beautiful little pities. Oh, my God, they're so cute with a slender face.

[Erica Kopp]

Sadie.

[Alison Gill]

Thank you, sipper. Net. I think cybernet's cooler, but fine.

[Dana Goldberg]

All right, this is from Roxanne Fleer. Pronoun. She and her. My small town of Mount Pleasant, Michigan, located right in the middle of the mix, kitten all came together yesterday to rescue a bear that was up in a tree in downtown area. Now, we don't typically get bears here. In fact, I don't think we've seen one since the 90s, so it was a big deal for us. The bear was located in a tree literally four blocks from my home.

[Alison Gill]

Oh, my gosh.

[Dana Goldberg]

I know. If you want to see other bears in Michigan, Roxanne, go to the dunes. It's the gay resort. Okay.

[Alison Gill]

The whole different kind of bear.

[Dana Goldberg]

Different kind of bear. The whole community came together.

[Alison Gill]

I've seen a bear in Michigan since the 90s.

[Dana Goldberg]

I know. The whole community came together and rescued the bear safely and was able to relocate him. No one was hurt. I'm sharing a picture not only of the bear, but a notice from our city listing every single agency that assisted to save the bear, keep everyone safe, and have a happy ending to a pretty exciting event in our town yesterday. How in the hell. Like, I get it. I know how. Apparently, they climb trees. That's why you're never supposed to climb a tree to get away from one of these bears. But, wow, that's extraordinary.

[Alison Gill]

Look at that. City of Mount Pleasant press release. We're happy to share that the bear spotted earlier near Fancher and Mosher has been safely relocated with no injuries to the animal or any individuals. That's amazing. And then they list all of the agencies that helped move the bear.

[Dana Goldberg]

I love it.

[Alison Gill]

Oh, wow, look at this. Police Department, Mount Pleasant High School, which provided pole vaulting mats.

[Dana Goldberg]

That's amazing. Along with Mount Pleasant Fire Department, Mount Pleasant Streets Department, Isabella County Central Dispatch, and the Michigan Fire Apartment. Let's give it up for the pole vaulting team.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah. Wow.

[Erica Kopp]

So smart.

[Alison Gill]

Ingenuity at its finest. All right, from Ally Pronoun. She and her Good morning to my favorite beans, Queens. I learned about your amazing work from an AARP volunteer who does taxes for free at my local library. Shout out to the aarp and offered your show as a way to stay informed without overwhelm. I've been listening to you since the administration lit the dumpster on fire. You two have kept me sane as a civil servant, and I can't thank you enough. I'm also a big fan of your spy talk and unjustified shows, but I'm actually reaching out today about a little guy looking for his forever home. Backstory. My mama has become a snowbird and recently flew north to spend the summer up with my sibling. This past six months, my partner and I realized that mom seemed quite sad being back in the area and learned that it was my sibling's pup's companionship she missed the most. Enter Old Dominion Humane Society ODH HS we became foster parents, My mama soaking up the sweetness of our first foster, who found his forever home a few weeks later and is doing awesome. Our second little guy, Bonito, we had for about five months. He was born at the shelter right at the beginning of COVID and was returned to the shelter when his adopted family had to return to the office. So hanging out with an octogenarian all day and snoozing on the couch and also barking at dogs on TV was just what little Benny needed. Needed as his dog walker and Best sister. I'd offer that he isn't a dog's dog so he wouldn't be best in a home with other four leggeds. Maybe someone who's home most of the time or works from or at home. He's truly a shadow and the sweetest guy once he has some time to settle, develop and develop trust. If you happen to be looking for a pup to foster or adopt, I'd offer that. ODHS is a no fooling, no kill shot shelter and they have a huge number of surrenders of COVID pups who could use a wonderful home. And who better than other legumes to reach out to for an assist. I've attached some photos in the website to check him out and other pups. And Friday is my birthday. Happy Birthday Allie. So it would be just the coolest news to hear that there might be an application or a meet and greet on the books for this sweet and neurotic gem. We'll have a link in the show notes to his pet finder profile. Ally pronoun she and her P.S. i would have absolutely adopted all the dogs, but with work I'm gone a couple weeks per month and all summer and I'll be fostering during the weeks I'm at home. I had no idea how full my heart would be fostering. Don't get me wrong, the goodbyes suck. But it's nice to know everything going on in the world. There's still so much goodness. Look at this sweetheart angel.

[Dana Goldberg]

Oh, the baby face.

[Alison Gill]

Oh, Allie, thank you for that. Appreciate you.

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah, I love it.

[Alison Gill]

If that's the ally I think it is, I know which agency she works at. So thank you so much everybody for your good news. Please send it to us dailybeanspod.com click on contact. Do you have any final thoughts today, my friend?

[Dana Goldberg]

Not today.

[Alison Gill]

All right. I'm going to be solo tomorrow, but Fugal Sang will be with me. Dana, you're traveling?

[Dana Goldberg]

Yeah, I am actually doing a big event in New York for Lambda Legal. It's their Liberty Awards. They will be honoring Annette Benning and Kara Swisher. I know. So I'm very much looking forward to meeting both of them.

[Alison Gill]

Very cool. All right.

[Dana Goldberg]

It's wild that I haven't met Kara yet, but.

[Alison Gill]

Yeah, yeah, same like I was thinking. I was just thinking that myself. But it's going to be an incredible event. Thanks for all the work you do. Seriously.

[Dana Goldberg]

Absolutely.

[Alison Gill]

All right, everybody, I'll be back in your ears tomorrow. Until then, please take care of yourselves. Take care of each other. Take care of the plan, take care of your mental health and take care of your family. I've been ag. I've been DG and them's the Beans. The Daily Beans is written and executive produced by Alison Gill with additional research and reporting by Dana Goldberg. Sound design and editing is by Desiree McFarlane with art and web design by Joelle Reader with Moxie Design Studios. Music for the Daily Beans is written and performed by they Might Be Giants and the show is a proud member of the MSW Media Network, a collection of creator owned podcasts dedicated to news, politics and justice. For more information Please visit msw media.com msw Media

[Rainy Day Rabbit Holes Host]

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? From crazy disasters and tasty scandals to enlightening and surprising, surprising, heartwarming tales, we explore the moments where people behave badly and sometimes beautifully. We've got naughty politicians, cultural chaos and a deep love for the Pacific Northwest, including Bigfoot. It's thoughtful, irreverent, occasionally serious, and always entertaining. Let's fall down the Rabbit Hole.

[Alison Gill]

MSW.