
Tuesday, April 15th, 2025 Today, Trump told Bukele he needs him to build more prisons in El Salvador to house US Citizens as both men refuse to bring Abrego Garcia home; days before her arrest - the State Department concluded there was no evidence linking the Tufts grad student to antisemitic remarks or terrorism; Palantir is helping DOGE with its massive IRS data project; speaking of DOGE, they are falling woefully short of their stated goals; a Wisconsin teenager has been charged with killing his parents in a plot to assassinate the President to start a race war; a Trump plan would slash the State Department funding by half; and Allison and Dana deliver your Good News.
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Alison Gill
MSW Media. Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Tuesday, April 15, 2025. Today, Donald Trump told Bukele he needs him to build more prisons in El salvador to house U.S. citizens. As both men refused to bring Abrego Garcia home days before her arrest, the State Department concluded there was no evidence linking the Tufts graduate student to anti Semitic remarks or terrorism. Palantir is helping DOGE with its massive IRS data project. And speaking of doge, they are falling woefully short of their stated goals. A Wisconsin teenager has been charged with killing his parents in a plot to assassinate the president to start a race war. And a Trump plan would slash the State Department funding by half. I'm Alison Gill.
Dana Goldberg
And I'm Dana Goldberg.
Alison Gill
Ah, hello. Happy tax day, my friend.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah, to you, too. There is just a lot of bad news, and we're sorry to have to bring it to you, but, like, some of these stories are just. They're awful.
Alison Gill
Yeah. We get to pay taxes today to support the deportation of innocent people to a concentration camp.
Dana Goldberg
Oh, trust me, I had a big struggle. I paid my federal taxes today, did what I was supposed to do, but I was like, oh, this is a tough one. This one's a tough one.
Alison Gill
Yeah, it was so much nicer to pay taxes during Biden's administration.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah.
Alison Gill
When we were paying for infrastructure and climate change stuff and, you know, to help people. It's a different feeling having to send that check off.
Dana Goldberg
I've always said, if I'm going to pay for someone to play golf, they better be an LPGA player and I better be sleeping with her.
Alison Gill
Oh, my gosh. Hey, did you see JD Vance break the college championship?
Dana Goldberg
I mean, out of all the people it could have happened to, there's just a little karmic energy going on with the universe where they're like, here you go, pal.
Alison Gill
I really hope somebody loosened that screw on purpose.
Dana Goldberg
Oh, that would be amazing. And no, it was. It was awkward and beautiful, and I'm glad it happened to him.
Alison Gill
Yeah, just, I could see somebody being like. Like, rigging that trophy ahead of time just to see what would happen. Give me that screw.
Dana Goldberg
I don't have it.
Alison Gill
You want yank you out of that seat and shake it out of you?
Dana Goldberg
I don't have it. Screws fall out all the time. The world's an imperfect place.
Alison Gill
Give it to me, Bender. So, I mean, that's. That's my hope upon hopes is that it was. It was a setup.
Dana Goldberg
But I would love that. I would absolutely love that if someone's Like, I got this.
Alison Gill
Yeah, right. And hey, thanks to malicious women co.com remember terry sent in a good news submission yesterday. They're sending us a care package.
Dana Goldberg
That's amazing.
Alison Gill
They heard the show and they said they're sending us an a candle that says it's all about you, isn't it, you selfish bitch. They're sending us a candle that says bitches against Trump's bullshit, which is a fundraising candle.
Dana Goldberg
Nice.
Alison Gill
A couple of. I had, I've had crunch wraps more supreme than this court candle, which looks great. Also, the exhaustion of explaining basic human rights is another candle that they're sending us. And against bullshit. They're sending us a couple of bangle bracelets. So the next time I see you, my friend, oh, I'll have one on. You are going to be candle and bangle bracelet rich from.
Dana Goldberg
I'm in. I am in. Thank you so much.
Alison Gill
Incredible women over at it's called malicious women co.com go check them out. Their stuff is so great. So thank you so much to them for sending that. Just wanted to put that shout out out there. I got that email today and I'm like, what? Oh my gosh, this is so cool. So thank you. Thank you. All right, we have a lot of news to get to today. Let's hit the hot notes. All right, first up, so you know that the judge, Judge genus in the Abrego Garcia case on Friday ordered the federal government to every day provide a status report by 5pm Eastern stating three things. Where is Abrego Garcia? Number two, what steps have you taken to effectuate? Not effectuate. Excuse me, what was the word that the Supreme Court was weird about A facilitate his return. And what further steps are you continuing to take to do so? It was filed late on Saturday. It was filed on time on Sunday and on Monday, it was filed an hour late. And it said this. It said, DHS has established processes for taking steps to remove domestic obstacles that would otherwise prevent an alien from lawfully entering the United States. DHS does not have the authority to forcibly extract an alien from the domestic custody of a foreign sovereign nation. I knew they were going to make this argument. It also says, I am aware that the president of El Salvador and I Bukele was in D.C. today to meet with President Donald Trump. President Bukele and President Trump had a bilateral summit at the White House this morning. And I understand that in response to a question from a reporter regarding Abrego Garcia, President Bukele said, quote, I hope you're not suggesting that I smuggle a terrorist into the United States. How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States? Of course I'm not going to do it. The question is preposterous, as we all know, that is what Trump told Bukele to say. There is a hearing today in Judge Jenis's courtroom. It's probably not going to go well for the government. I hope that in this hearing and I hope that tomorrow we will be reporting that the judge has ordered somebody like Kristi Noem or Stephen Miller or somebody to come in and, and, and tell her under oath what knowledge they have about these three questions that she's asked.
Dana Goldberg
That would be my hope. This one's from the Post. Now, days before, masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained Tufts University student Rumesa Osterk to deport her. And that was a horrifying video, by the way. The State Department determined that the Trump administration had not produced any evidence showing that she'd engaged in anti Semitic activities or made public statements supporting a terrorist organization, as the government has alleged. She wrote an op ed, that's what she did. The finding, contained in a March memo that was described to the Washington Post, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not have sufficient grounds of revoking Ozturk's visa under an authority empowering the top US Diplomat to safeguard the foreign policy interests of the United States. The memo, written by an office with the State Department, it raises doubts about the public accusations made by the Trump administration as it sought to justify Ozturk's deportation. The Department of Homeland Security has said Ozturk engaged in activities, quote, in support of Hamas. And as we know, that's a U.S. designated terrorist organization. But neither that agency nor U.S. prosecutors have provided any evidence for that claim. And that should scare people, because if they can't provide any evidence for that claim, but they're just going to go ahead and claim it, they could do that with anyone that they want to get out of the United States.
Alison Gill
Yep. And if they're saying, and if the Supreme Court agrees that the we can just deport people to El Salvador and can't get them back, that could be where we end up.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah.
Alison Gill
And, yeah, there's no, not only is there no evidence to support the claim, the State Department had a memo days before she was arrested saying that she had not engaged in these activities. Just unbelievable. Makes that video even more terrifying because that means that the people arresting her in that video knew, knew she was innocent, that she hadn't done those things, and the State Department had said so. And from cnn, attorneys for Oosturk told a federal judge in Vermont Monday in a hearing she was unconstitutionally arrested, leading to her detention in Louisiana that the Tufts University PhD student described as unsanitary, unsafe and inhumane. A nearly three hour hearing for Ozturk, whom the US government has accused of being engaged in activities of in support of Hamas, came after the Post reported a State Department office failed to find evidence. Right, we just talked about that. Last week, A group of 27American Jewish organizations filed a brief in Oz Turk's case arguing that deporting students like Ozturk on the premise of fighting anti Semitism is not protecting the Jewish community or the community writ large. Judge Sessions, a Clinton appointee, said it would be unusual to release a person who is in custody without a bail hearing. But Rossman or attorney said there was no reason to think her client would flee. She is not a flight risk, said Rossman. Quite the contrary. She's desperate to return to Tufts to complete her work on her doctorate degree. Judge Sessions said he would take the issue under advisement, but did not indicate when he might rule. He didn't rule from the bench.
Dana Goldberg
Both of these cases are really frustrating. The constitutional crisis we're in, especially with Bukele, is just unbelievable. Yeah, this one's from the Times. Last week, Musk indicated for the first time that his Department of Government efficiency, well, it was falling short of its goal, even though that goalpost keeps moving closer, not farther away. He previously said his powerful budget cutting team would reduce the next fiscal year's federal budget by a trillion with a T, and do it by September 30th. That's the end of the current fiscal year. Well, instead, a cabinet meeting on Thursday, Elon said that he anticipated the group would save about 150 billion. That's 85% less than its objective. Even that figure, by the way, it might be too high. That's according to the New York Times, their analysis of Doge's claims. Well, that's because when Elon's group tallies up its savings so far, it inflates its progress by including billions of dollar errors. By counting spending that will not happen in the next fiscal year at all. And also by making guesses about spending that might not happen in the future ever, ever, ever. They're a mess. They're a mess. I'm so tired of everyone be like they found billions of dollars in fraud. How come no arrests? Because I don't know if you knew this, but fraud is against the law.
Alison Gill
No, our spending is up for the same time period in the first Trump administration and for this time period last year and the year before that. It's up, it's spending is up.
Dana Goldberg
And we're about to go $92 million more with this stupid military parade for his birthday.
Alison Gill
Yeah, and those deficits are going to increase severely if the budget reconciliation passes. Giving $5.3 trillion in tax cuts to the wealthy and gutting our Medicaid and Medicare in the process, along with Snap and a bunch of other federal entitlement programs. All of that is just a giant ton of bullshit. Math has never been their strong suit.
Dana Goldberg
No, it has not.
Alison Gill
So anyway, this is from Wired, and if you. Again, if you're not subscribed to Wired, take that money you're saving by not subscribing to the Washington Post and give it to Wired because they're doing some amazing reporting. Palantir, the software company co founded by Peter Thiel, is part of an effort by Musk's so called Department of Government Efficiency to build a new mega API for accessing IRS records. That's according to to IRS sources. Happy tax day. For the past three days, Doge and a handful of Palantir representatives, along with dozens of career IRS engineers, have been collaborating to build a single API layer above the IRS databases at an event previously characterized to Wired as a hackathon. According to sources, Palantir representatives have been on site at the event this week, according to a source with direct knowledge. So they're making a party out of it. APIs are application programming interfaces which enable different applications to exchange data and could be used to move IRS data to the cloud and access it there. Doge has expressed an interest in the API project possibly touching all IRS data, which includes taxpayer names, addresses, Social Security numbers, tax returns, and employment data. The IRS API layer could also allow someone to compare IRS data against interoperable data sets from other agencies like ice.
Dana Goldberg
Right.
Alison Gill
So terrifying. We know Peter Thiel and that Yarvin guy are all kind of part of the same group and this is, you know, they want to basically steal our money.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah, that's exactly. I mean, our data is worth so much to so many people. Yeah. So it's not just our money, it's our security, for sure.
Alison Gill
Yeah. And in that vein, lock your credit, lock it, lock it down. You can unlock it with a, you know, a touch of a button on the apps for the credit reporting agencies, but lock down your credit.
Dana Goldberg
Yep, it's a great idea. This next story, My goodness, it's from Talking points memo. A 17 year old Wisconsin a teen has been charged with killing his parents. It's also accused of plotting to assassinate Donald Trump. According to an unsealed affidavit from the FBI last month, Nikita Kassup was charged with killing his mother, 35 year old Tatiana Kassa, and his stepfather, 51 year old Donald Mayer. And he's been accused of living with their corpses for two weeks. Officials are saying he was also conspiring to kill the President of the United States. The FBI accused Cassip of conspiracy attempting to assassinate the President. I'm not sure I understand that one. And attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. Clearly there's something missing with that attempt here. According to the FBI, officials found what they called a quote manifesto while searching for a device that belonged to Kassap. The document called for the President's assassination in order to instigate a race war and sow chaos, which it would definitely do. Kassap also disclosed his plans to others on TikTok and Telegram identified himself as a follower of Order of the Nine Angels, which the FBI describes as a neo Nazi cult that quote advocates for the use of violence and terrorism to overthrow governments and destroy modern civilization. I've talked about this before, whatever you believe about the previous assassination attempts, any assassination attempt on Donald Trump and God forbid, a successful one, truly would create chaos and I do believe would start a civil war in this country. So I'm hoping that does not happen and whatever happens in the future for that gentle person, gentleman, is natural causes. That's all I can say.
Alison Gill
Yeah. And the fact that these are neo Nazis that are planning this.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah.
Alison Gill
They again just want to start a race war.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah. And I could see them doing that. I have always said if someone was going to do this, I don't think it's going to be one of us. I think it's going to be one of his own people that is either trying to start trouble or has felt slighted by.
Alison Gill
Wasn't some Nazi calling for this like Nick Fuentes or something?
Dana Goldberg
I, I'm not sure.
Alison Gill
Yeah.
Dana Goldberg
But it wouldn't surprise me.
Alison Gill
Somebody was like, oh, if they did it, that would be it. Game over, man. Or something, you know, like they were calling for it.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah.
Alison Gill
Terrifying. Killed his parents and lived with the.
Dana Goldberg
Corpses for two weeks.
Alison Gill
Yeah. I don't quite understand the, the connection going. Yeah. Going on in your mind that you have to kill your parents to kill the President.
Dana Goldberg
I don't, I don't know either. Unless they were telling him this is a horrible idea. We're not going to let you do this. We're going to report you.
Alison Gill
We're going to lock you up.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah. God. Don't know. That's all. It's all just hearsay at this point. But man, these stories.
Alison Gill
Yeah, for real. Next up from Reuters, Pete Morocco complete shitbag. Trump administration official who played a major role in dismantling U.S. aid has left the State Department. According to a U.S. official, Donald Trump's administration has moved to fire nearly all USAID staff as billionaire Musk's so called Department of Government Efficiency has slashed funding and dismissed contractors across the federal bureau bureaucracy in what it calls an attack on wasteful spending. Sources told Reuters that Morocco, who was the director of foreign assistance at the State Department, may have been pushed out, but they declined to give further explanation. Trump has claimed without evidence that USAID was rife with fraud and run by radical left lunatics. You know, us who want to feed children and give them medicine, developing companies. What a bunch of dicks. While Musk falsely accused it of being a criminal organization and said he wanted to put it through a wood chipper. Trump's administration on Tuesday moved to REINSTATE at least six recently canceled U.S. foreign aid programs for emergency food assistance. And that quick reversal of decisions made just days ago underscores the rapid fire nature of Trump's cuts to foreign aid that has led to programs being cut, restored, cut again. This disrupts international humanitarian operations to the nth degree. It's despicable, it's unnecessary, but the cruelty is the point.
Dana Goldberg
I think it always has been with him.
Alison Gill
Yeah.
Dana Goldberg
And this one is from the Post in the hot notes. The Trump administration proposed to cut the budget of the State Department and what remains of the U.S. agency for International Development by almost half at this point. That's according to an internal memo circulated last week, with funds for humanitarian assistance, specifically global health and international organizations facing dramatic reductions. The memo, which was reviewed by the Washington Post, says that the cuts contained in an early proposal from the White House Office of Management and Budget for the next fiscal year would leave a total budget of $28.4 billion for all activities carried out by the State Department and usaid, a separate agency that the Trump administration, as we've seen over the months, has just sought to dismantle. That represents a decline of $27 billion, or 48%, from the funding levels approved, by the way, by Congress for 2025. They were already approved by Congress. Now there would be particularly steep cuts to support for international organizations with just of this funding eliminated. In the proposal, funding for the United nations, NATO and 20 other organizations would be ended, the memo states, entirely, while targeting contributions to a handful of organizations, including the International Atomic Energy Agency and the International Civil Aviation Authority. Those would remain. The memo also described total cut in funding for international peacekeeping missions, citing and I quote, recent mission failures without providing any evidence whatsoever, which seems to be their M.O. these days.
Alison Gill
Totally. Yeah. No evidence. You know, we don't have to prove that Oz Turk was, you know, working for Hamas or that Abrego Garcia isn't a member of Ms. 13, or that any of the hundreds of Venezuelans deported to Seacoat are criminals or members of Trende or Ragua. We don't have to prove any of that. Come on. I'm the president. Whatever I say goes, and that's just how it's going to continue. I hope the Supreme Court grows a spine. Yeah.
Dana Goldberg
I am so annoyed that over 70 million people voted for this shit.
Alison Gill
Yeah, I know.
Dana Goldberg
Twice. Twice. You know better. You knew better. This was intentional. You didn't think it was going to hurt you. You just wanted it to hurt black and brown and trans people, women. And now it's landing in your own backyard with the farmers and the stock market and the. Oh, no, it's affecting me. I have. No, I'm not that kind of person. I'm an empathic person. I just have so much disgust for these people that turned a blind eye. A blind eye to everything that they thought was going to hurt someone they don't agree with until it lands on their own front door.
Alison Gill
Yeah. Yep. And, you know, I think that that's why they targeted young people that don't have a memory of what happened the first time.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah, that's very true.
Alison Gill
Although I can't imagine that any of them felt great as young students about COVID No, but maybe they believe Donald Trump when he says that that was Biden's fault. Well, China, that's the.
Dana Goldberg
That's the story. That's, you know, one of our biggest disagreements is who was actually president when the country shut down. It was not Joe Biden.
Alison Gill
No. There are a good percentage of Americans who think that Obama was president when 9, 11 happened, or whatever the fuck. Like, just 7% of Americans think chocolate milk comes from brown cows. So here we are. Here we are.
Dana Goldberg
We are. That's why we got the Department of Education. Department of Education.
Alison Gill
Jinx. Bench poke. Yummy. A Coke.
Dana Goldberg
I'll pay you. I gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger.
Alison Gill
You owe me a Diet Coke, Walt. Now to Waltine. Bring Me my diet soda, please. God damn. All right, everybody. It's time for some good trouble. What are you guys doing? All right. The White House has launched an ICE tip line to turn neighbors against each other and stoke fear and division. What a shame it would be if the line were flooded with calls from folks who wanted to report that Elon was here illegally or who disagree with the Trump Musk extremist agenda in general. The phone number for you to call. And this is catchy. 866-dhs2ice or 866-347-2423. That's 866-347-2423. Please, whatever you do, don't call them and don't flood their tip line with a bunch of bullshit.
Dana Goldberg
Definitely don't do that. But what I would do if you don't want to call in, is if you're not calling in, definitely block your number. Can you still do that? Star six seven. What was it? Star six nine. Star sixty seven.
Alison Gill
I don't remember.
Dana Goldberg
I think there's got to be a way that you can protect yourself. So I almost want to look that up while we're.
Alison Gill
Yeah, let's look.
Dana Goldberg
How do you block your phone number?
Alison Gill
How do I block my number? Star 67.
Dana Goldberg
Star 67. So, yeah, if you're calling from any phone, do a star 67 and then it. And the number comes blocked. So let's keep each other safe. And at the same time, like we said, don't. I mean, who. That would be awful if everyone just called this number and flooded their call lines.
Alison Gill
That would be awful. Star 671-866-347-2423. Yeah, please don't.
Dana Goldberg
We would never suggest you did that.
Alison Gill
Yeah, but definitely. Good point. Protect your number.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah.
Alison Gill
Or call from Uncle Frank's phone. Your MAGA friend's phone.
Dana Goldberg
That would be best.
Alison Gill
Yeah. When next time you're all at an Easter gathering or whatever. A holiday gathering. Yeah.
Dana Goldberg
Uncle Jimmy, can I borrow your phone for a minute?
Alison Gill
Yeah, I just need to make a quick call. I have. I want to report something to the ICE tip line. All right, everybody. That's a double good trouble. Thank you so much. Stick around. We'll be right back with the good news after these messages. We'll be right back. Hey, everybody. For most of my adult life, sleep felt like a gamble. It was a toss up. Some nights, I'd fall asleep right away. More often, I was staring at the ceiling until well past midnight. My brain just wouldn't stop. I was contemplating, you know, the. The solution to this. And I was complaining about it to a friend, just venting about how tired I was all the time. She casually suggested I give Helix a try. That was a few years ago. Now. I've stuck with it ever since. It's my favorite mattress ever. The first big change I noticed was how quickly my body relaxed at night. I wasn't tossing no turning no up in the night sweats. I wasn't feeling wired and, you know, weird. For the whole next day, I just slept. It was simple, but it felt like a miracle to me. Mornings changed too. I wasn't waking up stiff or groggy. I felt truly well rested for the first time in years. And I started getting out of bed without hitting snooze seven times. And my mood started to change too, for the better. My Apple watch confirmed it. I started getting longer stretches of deep sleep and I could actually feel the difference during the day. I was more grounded, more focused, more myself. I have more patience. I have more clarity and more energy. So Helix didn't just give me a better mattress. It gave me back the hours I used to spend fighting to fall asleep and the kind of rest that actually helps me feel ready to take on the day. So that is something I didn't realize I was missing until I got it back. Go to helixsleep.comdailybeans for 20% off site wide. That's helixsleep.com dailybeans for 20 percent off site wide. Again, helixsleep.com dailybeans you'll be glad you did everybody. Welcome back. It's time for the good news everyone. Then good news everyone. And if you have any good news confessions, corrections, especially pronunciation corrections, or if you want to give a shout out to a loved one, a family member, a friend, a bestie, maybe somebody doing great community activism in your area, a small business you want to boost or your small business or a self shout out. We love those of course shout outs to government programs that have helped you or a loved one or somebody that you know. Whether it's, you know, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, great VA health care that you've received, Head Start, Section 8, anything at all. Because I think they're trying to Meals on Wheels and these are all programs that the Republicans are trying to end. So we really want to make sure that we support them and let everybody know how amazing that these programs are. So send that to us. And all you got to do to get your submission read on the air is pay your pod pet tax, which means either submitting a photo of Your pet submitting a photo of any animal that you find on the Internet. Submitting an adoptable pet in your area. Submitting a bird watching photo, which can be an actual bird or you and your family and friends flipping the bird to Trump and Musk or their properties. Actual flipping the bird bird to Trump and Musk. Bonus points. And then of course, you can always send us your baby photos. We absolutely love those. Send it all to us dailybeanspod.com click on contact. First up from Jill Pronoun. She and her coincidentally, the photo feature in the Seattle Times this Sunday was of a pileated woodpecker. Had to share. Have been listening to you both via Stephanie Miller and others for a long time and more recently. Loving this podcast. Thanks for all your good trouble. You are beans of hope. Ah, the beans of hope.
Dana Goldberg
Look how beautiful this bird is.
Alison Gill
He is.
Dana Goldberg
It's just so cool. This is such a cool picture.
Alison Gill
He is busy beating the shit out of that tree. Look at that.
Dana Goldberg
Right?
Alison Gill
Nice.
Dana Goldberg
Could you imagine becoming a bird and being like, I'm sorry, I'm what kind? Yeah, I'm supposed to just jam my beak into a tree.
Alison Gill
Supposed to Madison cawthorn this tree over.
Dana Goldberg
And over and over and over and over.
Alison Gill
Well, right now that's how I feel every day. Just banging my head against a wall with.
Dana Goldberg
Seriously. Oh my God. All right, this one's from Amanda. Pronouns she and her hello, my lovelies. I live in rural Virginia. I'm about 45 minutes from Charlottesville. Anyway, there were a couple houses that I had to drive by in order to get to my house. They had Trump flags, banners, yard signs, everything you could think of. However, I drove by yesterday and realized everything is gone. No flags, no signs, nothing. I was so surprised, I screamed, yay. He's losing support. And I couldn't be happier for my pod pet tariff. Please see my two sweet babies. Sheba the cane, Corso and Zeus the Rottweiler. They are my best friends and fierce protectors. Thank you for all you two do. It's hard to get through these days, but listening to the good news every day, it helps.
Alison Gill
Oh, look at these babies.
Dana Goldberg
Babies. Oh, Rottweilers. I love Rottweilers. My sister has a giant Rottweiler that now needs to lose weight because it just weighed in at 100, I think in 73 pounds.
Alison Gill
170.
Dana Goldberg
The dog's massive, but also needs to lay off the treats. But it's a gentle giant. It's the sweetest thing you'll ever meet.
Alison Gill
That's more Than me.
Dana Goldberg
Like, considerably more Same. Wow. Well, not as much after last week, but yeah. Yeah, I was gluttonous. I was gluttonous last week. Oh, my God.
Alison Gill
You know, it was your birthday weekend.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah.
Alison Gill
Do what you want. All right, next up, from Abby, pronouns she and her. Hi, ag and dg. I'm a repeat. Write in. I last wrote in a few summers ago when I was doing my EMDR therapy. Yeah. And told you about the presence of your show while I make sourdough beignets. Right? Is that how you say it? Yeah, beignet. It's French. It's part of how I'm learning to feel good things again. I wanted to let you know that all of your shows continue to be part of my healing journey. And I'm so grateful to both of you for digesting the news with your unique and hilarious points of view. It helps more than I. I can express. I like how the idea of we digest it first and then, like, put it, like, baby bird it into your mouth.
Dana Goldberg
I also want shotgunning you the news. That's it.
Alison Gill
Shotgunning the news. You want to play suck and blow? All right. Also, I wanted to shout out my workplace, Busy Bees Pottery and Art Studio in Springfield, Pennsylvania, where a woman owned and operated small business. And we could use a few customers to offset the price increases on all the pieces we import. So come on in and do something soothing, like painting. If you feel like it. Everybody go see Busy Bees Pottery and Art Studio in Springfield, Pennsylvania. Give them your support. I read somewhere that getting into the creative zone is a way to help bring your brain out of an activated, traumatized state. And my therapist confirmed it. I've learned that I really love painting, and I'm pretty good at it, too. The art and the teamwork are helping me with healing so much. And I just wanted to tell you that I'm still going slowly but surely toward making peace with myself. And I think I forgot pet tax last time, so I made sure to include my lovely girls, Penny the pup and Kira the kitty. Can you guess their breeds? Kira looks like a tabby rag doll or a Norwegian forest cat, maybe.
Dana Goldberg
Maybe. And then looks like we have a.
Alison Gill
Maltese or a little shih Tzu.
Dana Goldberg
Shih tzu? Yeah.
Alison Gill
All right, let's see. Penny is a shih tzu mix. Yay. Kira is a Siberian. Ah. Okay. They both dander that I can snuggle them. Oh, good, because you have an allergy. I'm so glad to hear that. Thank you so much, Abby, for that. Again. Everybody, check out Busy Bees Pottery and Art Studio in Springfield, Pennsylvania.
Dana Goldberg
Yes indeed. All right, this one's from Cynthis. Maybe Cynthis could be Cynthia. Maybe get sent in a correction, but I've got Cynthis in front of me. Pronoun she and her hello Great legumes. As we all know, the regime defunded the Institute of Museum and Library Library Services, which provides funding and services to libraries and museums throughout the country. They are systematically trying to take everything out of our learning sphere that isn't about white men. If the Leguminati is wondering how to help the American Library association, we put together some suggestions that can be found at and there will be a link in the show notes. It's a little long to tell you, so we'll make sure you have it to make some good trouble. Here for my pod pet tags is a picture of our sweet Ella. Unfortunately, she left us a few years ago. She was a good nurse and could always tell when something was wrong and would provide therapeutic cuddles as required.
Alison Gill
Look, the ears on this fantastic dog.
Dana Goldberg
So sweet.
Alison Gill
Oh my gosh. Cynthis or Cynthia. Thank you so much for that. Let us know if if we have a typo and it's actually Cynthia. Next up from Trudy her they My husband and I went to the hardware store and I took the open parking spot next to a chump supporter so we could do some bird watching. What does it say? Take America back Trump 2024. Dumb.
Dana Goldberg
Definitely take the next one. That was a shorty.
Alison Gill
Okay. By the way, it's not an American car either. Next up, Mandy Pronoun. She and her hello Beans Queens and the Amazing Beans behind the scenes. I started listening after I attended the ISA Town Hall AG hosted Mandy. Yay. It was my first ever. I proudly attended my first protest as an as an adult on April 5th. 5th. I'm not originally from Temecula, California, but since I've lived here I felt like a very small blue dot in a massive red sea. Until that day, I was so proud of everyone who came out and filled all four corners of the intersection. It was so empowering. And they're already planning for the 19th of April. I can't wait. The next day I attended a Support Trans Troops rally in front of the Marine Corps base not too far from here. I've been a Federal Leo since 2009 and never felt like I could or should have a say in politics. But but I can't stay quiet and sit still any longer, especially as a queer female minority. I just want to Say thank you to you both for providing important news without fluff, but with very candid commentary. I don't feel so alone or so crazy. While I'm on my commute for my tariff, I'm including photos of my homemade signs and one of my furry partner in crime craft. Thank you and keep being pawsome, Mandy. Okay, let's see. Inclusion, accessibility, diversity makes us stronger. Yes. Don't care if the PI. Oh, uh, one ys. Don't care if the pilot is trans. I love it. I'm assuming that's a. That's an MOS for military pilots.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah.
Alison Gill
Love it. Absolutely love it. Thank you so much, Mandy, for coming to that. And thanks for doing all this rallying and supporting. It's fantastic. I love that you don't feel so alone. I mean, that's the whole point. Point, right? That's the whole point of what I do is to is and is to help folks not feel alone. So thank you for saying that.
Dana Goldberg
All right. This is from Jason Pronouns. He and him. Hi, Leguminatus. I've only been listening to your podcast for two weeks, but it's quickly become my favorite. Thank you, Jason. I especially like your Good Trouble segment. I've been down since November, but I've recently found that by getting into Good Trouble, I can feel like I have some control. Even the tiniest bit of hope helps immensely. Again, microdose hope. I'm going to the Fight the Oligarchy rally in Bakersfield on Tuesday. I get anxious around large crowds, but I get even more anxious about fascism, so let's fucking go.
Alison Gill
Nice, Jason.
Dana Goldberg
Yeah. Speaking of Good Trouble, here is the customer service number of Avello Airlines. The airlines that have a long term charter agreement with the Mango Mussolini to help him with his unconstitutional and unconscionable disappearing of people. This number is 346-616-9500 in case anyone wants to tell them how they feel. Keep up the good fight, ladies. You are doing tremendous work. As my pod pet, my podcast Pet Tax, I present Hemi and Milo. Hemi is named after the engine. He purrs when he's looked at. Aw. He purrs when pet purrs while eating. Sometimes even purrs when he's asleep. He's a happy boy. Milo is a rescue and probably had a hard life because he's afraid of of everything. Bugs, water, loud noises, cats, other dogs, the rain. He is spoiled now and has his cat buddy Hemi to protect him.
Alison Gill
Oh, my goodness.
Dana Goldberg
Look at this sweet photo.
Alison Gill
Oh, my goodness. That's a beautiful. It looks like a. The dog is gorgeous. The cat looks like a. Oh, what's the name of that breed? The Maine coon. Right. The big, furry, big, big babies. So adorable. Thank you so much for that. Thanks to everybody for your good news. Please, please send your good news in. Just go right now and find yourself a baby picture. Everybody has one. It might not be you as a baby. It might be somebody else's baby. And send it in and just drop a line. We would love to hear from you. You can do it@dailybeanspod.com and click on contact. Do you have any final thoughts today, my friend?
Dana Goldberg
I don't think I do.
Alison Gill
All right. Hey, patrons of the Daily Beans, Harry Dunn and I will be hosting a magnificent bonanza happy hour zoom call with cocktails and mocktails and whatever else this Friday, 4pm Pacific, 7 Eastern. It's for patrons of the Daily Beans and patrons of cleanup on aisle 45. If you want to become a sustaining member of the Daily Beans, please do so. If you've been thinking about it and you're able to swing it, you can do it at patreon.com mullersherote we would love for you to become a sustaining member. So thank you to our current patrons and just thanks for listening, everybody. Listening just helps. And also, I mean, Dana, it makes me feel good. Yeah, you know?
Dana Goldberg
Absolutely. Are you kidding? Any little thing that you can do, and this is a community and if today you can't do anything other than get out of bed, great.
Alison Gill
Hell yeah. Right? Or stay in bed, whatever, you know, no kidding. I didn't want to get out of bed this morning.
Dana Goldberg
I'm struggling. I'm on the struggle bus today, man. My, my productivity is low.
Alison Gill
Same, same. Well, maybe we'll have a little more energy tomorrow, in which case we'll be in your ears. So until then, please take care of yourselves, take care of each other, take care of the planet, take care of your mental health, and take care of your family.
Dana Goldberg
I've been AG and I've been dg.
Alison Gill
And them's the Beans. The Daily Beans is written and executive produced by Allison 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 Studio. 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 mswmedia.com msw media.
The Daily Beans – Episode Star 67 Summary
Release Date: April 15, 2025
Host/Author: MSW Media (Allison Gill and Dana Goldberg)
Introduction
In Episode Star 67 of The Daily Beans, hosts Allison Gill and Dana Goldberg delve into a tumultuous mix of international diplomacy, controversial deportations, budgetary struggles within the U.S. government, and alarming extremist activities. Their analysis is peppered with sharp wit and candid commentary, offering listeners a comprehensive and engaging overview of current events through a progressive lens.
The episode kicks off with a heated discussion on the recent bilateral summit between former President Donald Trump and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele. Trump reportedly urged Bukele to construct more prisons in El Salvador to detain U.S. citizens. This comes amid the contentious arrest and attempted deportation of Tufts University student Rumesa Ozturk.
Notable Quote:
Allison Gill [00:00]: “Donald Trump told Bukele he needs him to build more prisons in El Salvador to house U.S. citizens.”
Analysis:
Allison and Dana express deep concern over the implications of such diplomatic pressures, highlighting the potential human rights violations that could arise from forcibly detaining U.S. citizens abroad without due process.
A significant portion of the episode focuses on the case of Rumesa Ozturk, a Tufts University PhD student who was detained and deported despite a lack of substantive evidence linking her to anti-Semitic remarks or terrorism.
Notable Quote:
Dana Goldberg [05:54]: “If they can't provide any evidence for that claim, but they're just going to go ahead and claim it, they could do that with anyone that they want to get out of the United States.”
Key Points:
Host Commentary:
Allison and Dana condemn the Trump administration’s lack of evidence in supporting deportation claims, raising alarms about potential abuses of power and the erosion of civil liberties.
Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency was initially promised to slash the federal budget by a staggering $1 trillion. However, the reality has fallen drastically short.
Notable Quote:
Dana Goldberg [09:02]: “Their spending is up for the same time period in the first Trump administration and for this time period last year and the year before that.”
Key Points:
Host Commentary:
The hosts express frustration over misleading budget reports and the administration’s failure to implement effective fiscal policies, emphasizing the detrimental impact on essential services and public trust.
A deeply disturbing case is examined involving a 17-year-old Wisconsin teenager, Nikita Kassup, who has been charged with murdering his parents and plotting to assassinate former President Donald Trump to instigate a race war.
Notable Quote:
Dana Goldberg [12:25]: “These stories are just awful.”
Key Points:
Host Commentary:
Allison and Dana discuss the broader implications of such extremist actions, contemplating the societal and psychological factors that drive individuals toward such violent ideologies. They express hope that legal and mental health interventions can prevent further tragedies.
The Trump administration has proposed a nearly 50% reduction in the State Department and USAID’s budgets, a move that threatens international humanitarian efforts and global health initiatives.
Notable Quote:
Allison Gill [10:37]: “These deficits are going to increase severely if the budget reconciliation passes. Giving $5.3 trillion in tax cuts to the wealthy and gutting our Medicaid and Medicare in the process, along with SNAP and a bunch of other federal entitlement programs. All of that is just a giant ton of bullshit.”
Key Points:
Host Commentary:
Allison and Dana vehemently oppose the budget cuts, arguing that undermining international aid programs not only damages global relations but also jeopardizes human lives and international stability. They criticize the administration’s approach as reckless and ideologically driven.
A concerning development regarding the collaboration between Palantir Technologies and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on an IRS data project is explored.
Notable Quote:
Allison Gill [10:59]: “Palantir, the software company co-founded by Peter Thiel, is part of an effort by Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency to build a new mega API for accessing IRS records.”
Key Points:
Host Commentary:
The hosts warn listeners about the dangers of consolidating sensitive data without adequate safeguards, emphasizing the risks to individual privacy and national security. They urge taxpayers to take proactive measures to protect their information.
Transitioning from the gravity of the news, Allison and Dana highlight listener submissions that bring a dose of positivity. They feature heartwarming stories, shout-outs to supportive communities, and personal triumphs that provide a counterbalance to the otherwise heavy topics discussed.
Notable Segment:
Listeners share photos of pets, stories of community activism, and personal achievements, reinforcing the podcast’s mission to foster a sense of community and hope.
Host Commentary:
Allison and Dana celebrate these contributions, emphasizing the importance of supporting each other and finding joy amidst challenging times. They encourage more listeners to share their good news, reinforcing the podcast’s role as a beacon of positivity and solidarity.
In their closing remarks, Allison and Dana reiterate the importance of community support, mental health, and active engagement in social justice initiatives. They invite listeners to participate in upcoming events, become sustaining members on Patreon, and continue contributing to the dialogue surrounding progressive movements.
Notable Quote:
Allison Gill [36:59]: “Take care of yourselves, take care of each other, take care of the planet, take care of your mental health, and take care of your family.”
Conclusion:
Episode Star 67 of The Daily Beans offers a robust analysis of pressing political and social issues, underscored by the hosts’ passionate advocacy for justice and equity. Through incisive commentary and a blend of serious discourse with uplifting community stories, Allison Gill and Dana Goldberg provide listeners with both critical insights and a sense of hope.
Credits:
The Daily Beans is written and executive produced by Allison Gill with additional research and reporting by Dana Goldberg. The show features sound design and editing by Desiree McFarlane, art and web design by Joelle Reader with Moxie Design Studio, and music performed by They Might Be Giants. It is a proud member of the MSW Media Network.
For more information and to submit your good news, visit mswmedia.com.