Transcript
Allison Gill (0:00)
MSW Media thanks to Smalls for supporting the Daily Beans. Smalls cat food is made with protein packed recipes made with ingredients you'd find in your fridge and a silvered right to your door. To get 50% off your first order plus free shipping, go to smalls.com dailybeans and use promo code dailybeans at checkout. And a big shout out today to Helix Sleep. Helix is offering 20% off site wide plus two free pillows with any mattress purchase. When you go to helixsleep.com DailyBeans News we're swearing jelly beans. Hello and welcome to the Daily beans for Friday, December 6, 2024. Today, the Biden White House is weighing preemptive pardons for potential Trump targets. A reporter finds that GOP led states are hiding their abortion ban death tolls. Rick Grinnell paid influencers five figures to boost him for the Secretary of State job. Republicans in the House blocked a Democratic effort to release the Gates ethics report Thursday night. And Chelsea Manning and others have been arrested for staging a transgender rights protest outside Speaker Mike Johnson's office. I'm your host, Allison Gill. Hey everybody, Happy Friday. Thank you for joining us on the Daily Beans. New listeners, welcome everybody. Welcome patrons, welcome. This is our last day without Dana. She'll be back in our ears on Monday. I miss her so dearly. So I appreciate you hanging in with me all week. We've had a big, heavy week of news and I just want to go on record before I get to this Chelsea Manning story in the Hot Notes, this podcast, this place, this community. We do not throw our trans friends under the bus to be more electable. We will never do it. I will never succumb to that bullshit. And I just want everybody to know that about me and my friends. I feel like I sound like Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality. And if, if anyone hurts one of my new friends, I will hunt them down. So just want to make sure everybody's clear where I stand. And I hope you'll continue listening and spread the word. It's Friday here on the Beans. If you're a new listener this week, that means it's Fugal saying Fridays, which means I get to talk to my friend John Fugal sang later in the show. He's the host of Tell me everything on SiriusXM progress channel 127. You can listen to him weeknights at 9pm Eastern, 6 Pacific, or download his podcast, the John Fugal Saying Show. He's magnificent. As is his hair. And a quick story before we get to the Hot notes and and this is the one I wanted to talk about. I'm going to talk about it before the hot notes. Chelsea Manning was among a group of activists arrested Thursday outside of House Speaker Mike Johnson's office after taking part in a protest advocating for transgender rights. This is after the dance party protest was held in the ladies room with the song Meet Me in the Ladies Room playing, which I fucking loved. The protest came after Mike Johnson supported a GOP led effort to ban transgender women from using women's restrooms at the Capitol. And one day after transgender rights took center stage in a very high profile case at the Supreme Court that we've been covering here this week on the beans. Quote, I'm here today because every person deserves dignity and respect both in daily life and in more symbolic places like the U.S. capitol. That's Manning, who is a transgender woman, said in a statement to cnn. They ended up getting tickets citations I believe. So thank you for your bravery and your protest and your good trouble, my dear friends. All right, we have a lot of news to get to. Let's hit the hot notes. Hot notes. All right, first up from Scott Wong et al at NBC News, House law lawmakers voted Thursday night against releasing an ethics committee report on an exhaustive years long investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Republican from Florida, a close ally and confidant of President elect Donald Trump. Democrats had forced the votes and Republicans responded by not like voting no, but they've instead voted to return the matter to the ethics committee, ending the fight over the report's release for now. Whether the report ever becomes public remains unknown. The votes came shortly after the bipartisan ethics panel met privately for a second time in as many months about whether to make public the report on allegations that Gates engaged in illicit drug use and sexual misconduct with a 17 year old girl. I call that rape where I come from. Obstructed the House probe and other claims, sex trafficking, for example. But after two and a half hours, the panel did not release the report, saying in a statement that it is continuing to discuss the matter. Ethics Chairman Michael Guest, a Republican from Mississippi, told reporters that his panel would meet again before the end of the year. Quote, I'm not going to speculate on future action that the committee may take. That's what he said when asked whether it might still vote to release the report. Other members of the panel from both political parties had no comment as they left the meeting. The committee's top Democrat, Susan Wild of Pennsylvania, did not attend the meeting and her office had no comment. I wonder why? Gates has denied the allegations, which contributed to some Senate Republicans saying behind closed doors they would not vote to confirm him as the attorney general before Thanksgiving. On November 20, the 10 member ethics panel deadlocked over publishing the report on Gates, who Trump announced as his pick to lead the Department of Justice on November 13. A week earlier the same day, Gates resigned from Congress. But Gates withdrew his name from consideration on November 21, a move guest said at the time should end the discussion about releasing the report. No, it does not, sir, and I say sir and kind of like a Southern, bless your heart way. Without movement from the Ethics Committee, the full House Thursday evening took action, putting all lawmakers on the record. Two Democrats, Sean Kasten of Illinois and Steve Cohn of Tennessee, forced the votes with resolutions focused on the Gates report. Kasten's resolution would have directed the committee to release its report to the public, while Cohen's resolution would have forced the committee to preserve and release the records of its review of Gates. Because the resolutions were introduced as privileged on Tuesday, they had to be voted on within two legislative days. But Republicans thwarted the resolutions by voting to send them to the ethics panel. Democrats had pushed to release the report, with Gates openly flirting with a bid for Florida governor in 2026 or being mentioned for another potential role in the White House, one may not need him to be confirmed by the Senate, right? But Republicans didn't want the report released, arguing that the Ethics Committee only has jurisdiction over sitting members of Congress, not ex members. And that's bullshit because they've released this before on former members of Congress. House Democrats tried to do the same thing in 1996, pressing the ethics Committee to release a report from an outside council about its investigation of then Speaker Newt Gingrich. But the House rejected the resolution in a vote on the floor. Democrats at this time are pushing back against the GOP argument that the ethics panel can't publish a report without a member who's resigned. Kasten's resolution cited multiple instances of the ethics panel releasing reports about former lawmakers. For example, October 5, 1987, Rep. Bill Boehner, Democrat from Tennessee, resigned to become mayor of Nashville. The Ethics committee released an initial staff report the following December examining allegations that Boehner misused campaign funds, failed to disclose gifts and accepted bribes. And that's a Democrat. And in 2006, after Rep. Mark Foley, a Republican from Florida, resigned from office over revelations he sent explicit electronic messages to at least one teenage former congressional page. The ethics panel released its report on the matter, quote, whereas given the serious nature of the allegations against Representative Gates. This is what Kaston's resolution said. A failure of the Committee on Ethics of the House of Representatives to publicly release its report on its investigation undermines the committee's credibility and impedes the safety, dignity and integrity of the legislative proceedings of the House, unquote. So they found another loophole and buried the report again. Why wasn't Susan Wild at that committee meeting, the Ethics committee meeting, I wonder. I'll give our office a call on the public line. Next up from Matthew Chapman at RAW story. And this is what I've been warning about, right? Yes. I am terrified about what Trump policies will do, how they will result in deaths. And we'll get to another story about that in a minute. But equally, if not more worrying to me was that we won't know the scope of the carnage because the Trump administration will hide these statistics. Okay, so here's that story from Matt Chapman. Some Republican led states that passed near total abortion bans have mysteriously stopped collecting statistics on maternal mortality over the last couple of years. And some observers suspect it's not a coincidence. This is Susan Rincunis for MSNBC said that this comes as reports begin to trickle in in cases of women who have died after being denied abortion care in dangerous pregnancies, despite every state with an abortion ban ostensibly having exceptions for the life of the mother. Women of color being the bulk of these cases. We saw this coming and were ignored. The Latest found by ProPublica was Portia Newmanzi, a Texas woman, I hope I'm pronouncing that correctly, a Texas woman who died after miscarrying at 11 weeks because her hospital refused to dilate and evacuate her uterus, a procedure used to treat miscarriages but which also almost entirely banned in the state now because of its use in abortions. Instead, she was given medication to try to stop her bleeding, which proved ineffective. Despite this, the Texas Maternal Mortality Review Committee has stated it will not examine deaths in 2022 and 2023, when abortion became illegal in the state, citing a backlog of cases from previous years to review. We just have too many maternal deaths in Texas to count the ones that happened after Roe was overturned. We're just too busy to keep an eye on the statistics of maternal mortality in our state starting in 2022. Quote an analysis published in September by the Gender Equity Policy Institute found that from 2019 to 2022, the rate of maternal deaths in Texas increased by 56% compared with 11% nationwide. That's Rincunis saying that but rather than investigate, the state is essentially admitting that the bodies are piling up faster than the state can count them. Investigative reporters have, quote, found at least five women who've died under abortion bans. Three in Texas and two in Georgia. Quote, after the outlet ProPublica reported that Georgia's MMRC, that's the Maternal Mortality Commission, had determined the two deaths were preventable, state officials responded by firing all 32 members. We talked about this on the beans. The commissioner of Georgia's public health department, a Republican, wrote in a letter to members that because the department wasn't able to figure out who shared the confidential information with ProPublica, it was dismissing the whole committee and would seek applications for replacements. It seems leaks to the media are more important than urgent investigations of these women's deaths. We're going to fire you all and we're going to hire people who won't tell anyone what we found out. The issue, she continued, is that the whole point of these committees is to identify problems in medical care for expectant mothers. They call themselves pro life. They're fucking not. They don't give a shit about the life of the mother. And these moves create the impression that the state, like Texas or Georgia, states like Texas or Georgia, would rather suppress those efforts than risk the data showing that abortion bans are killing people. Quote, conservatives are trying to convince people that they live in an unreality where these tragic deaths are the fault not of politicians who banned medical care, but rather of the doctors who face imprisonment, huge fines and the loss of their licenses. That's what Rincunis wrote. Because of the delays these states have created in the review process, says Rincunis, quote, it could be years until anyone knows the true toll of these laws. If and when more deaths are reported, we can expect anti abortion activists and lawmakers to blame anyone but themselves. Next up from Natalie Allison at Politico. As Rick Grenell made a bid after the election to be Donald Trump's Secretary of State, a flurry of social media posts from MAGA influencers started popping up, advocating for the President elect to pick him. Pick me. Pick me. Around the same time, an associate of Grinnell had approached conservative social media influencers. According to Two people with knowledge offered paid contracts of as much as five figures to post favorably about Grinnell. You know, I never got a call from like Pete Buttigieg saying, I'll give you ten grand if you tweet that I should be Secretary of Transportation. Never got anything like that. Nothing. One such contract obtained by Politico and not previously reported, outlined that the influencer would do so during quote, peak posting times. That, quote content must appear genuine and it, quote, could not appear as an overt advertisement or promotional message. The proposed paid social media campaign, which organizers told Politico never took off, illustrates the lengths to which people close to Grinnell went to ensure he got the job. And Grinnell, who typically goes by Rick, had made no secret in private conversations over the last three years that he wanted to serve as Trump's next secretary of state. He told people in Trump's orbit that it was the secretary of state or bust, as one person close to the president elect said. Grinnell, Trump's former ambassador to Germany and acting director of national Intelligence, who Trump had been known to call his wild man, according to former administration officials, had been one of the president elect's most loyal foot soldiers throughout the 2024 campaign. But Trump ultimately chose Marco Rubio for the coveted state job, rewarding one of his top vice presidential contenders, though outwardly less maga, aligned with a key seat in his Cabinet, leaving Grinnell without his preferred post, Womp Womp. Grenell was offered other posts in the Trump administration, including director of National Intelligence, which he turned down, according to two people familiar with the conversations. Most recently, he had been vocal about helping his friend Kash Patel land as FBI director, and multiple people with knowledge of the transition did not rule out the possibility Grinnell will still get some kind of important job. So he wanted to be the dni. He said no, and then it went to Tulsi. Interesting. There's no evidence directly linking the influencer campaign to Grinnell himself. In response to a request for comment, Grinnell referred yeah, I, I, you know what? People who don't know me generally go out and offer people five figures to get me jobs. It happens. I mean, you know, who among us right now? Grinnell referred to the Politico reporter making the inquiry as unserious gossip and said none of this is true. Grinnell had put in the work to demonstrate his loyalty to Trump, championing the president elect's policies in public and private, traveling around the country to campaign for him and raising campaign cash. He's close with Melania, whose only public political activities this year were the conservative LGBT group Log Cabin Republicans, with which Grinnell is affiliated and for which she was paid six figures. Some senators close to the President Elect, like Lindsey Graham and Senator Mike Lee, praised Grinnell as a standout option for secretary of state. And Grinnell even appeared alongside Trump during a meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky in September, at Trump's final rally of the election, a midnight event in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where Grinnell also spoke. Trump praised Grinnel, who's very special with great talent. I'll never forget when I took him out of the ambassador role. The happiest person in the world was Angela Merkel. That's what Trump said, a former German chancellor. When Rick Grinnell was taken out, this was the best day in Angela's life. He was not your typical ambassador. What the fuck does that mean? Trump said of German officials. They really loved him. But Grinnell was wise to what they were doing. He was wise to what they were doing. In addition to ambassador to Germany, Trump entrusted Grinnell with another top diplomatic role during his time in the White House as special envoy for Serbia Kosovo relations. At the end of Trump's term, with Grinnell's diplomatic push, Serbia and Kosovo agreed to restore flights between their capitals in a step toward normalization in that period, after, Grinnell continued to meet with foreign leaders to promote Trump and his foreign policy. Kind of like a shadow secretary of state. But other factors weighed against him. If Grinnell was tapped for a Senate confirmed role, his business dealings in foreign countries, among them plans to build a $500 million hotel project with Trump's son Kushner in Belgrade, would have been scrutinized. The former Trump official's bid for the top state job also ruffled feathers, and his open lobbying for the position had grated on people in Trump's orbit. There were concerns that his prickly personality earned him a reputation among people close to Trump for being difficult and less than diplomatic. Oh, I don't know if that being less than diplomatic is a problem in Trump's orbit. That's that. I'm sure that wasn't it. It was something else. He just annoyed the fuck out of him. He's also gay. Maybe that's it. People assume the president wants a big personality who's pushing the envelope. That's not always the case. I think there were a lot of questions about whether Rick was diplomatic enough to be Secretary of State. I don't. I seriously don't think that that's it. I think Trump just didn't like him. The person said Rick was offered several positions that he turned down. It's not like he was shut out. After it was leaked that Rubio was Trump's pick for state, there was an outpouring of support for Grinnell from top mega voices who cast doubt that any decision had really been made. When one person urged fellow supporters not to give up the fight because a decision wasn't final. Grinnell responded, bullshit. Stop grifting. Not true. Allies of Grinnell who advocated for him at all costs may not have helped his cause either. Rick Lowery, the former chair of the political youth association Young Republicans who is an associate of Grinnell, had contacted conservative influencers after the election, offering payments in exchange for positive posts about Grinnell on Twitter and Instagram. The contract outlined that the influencers must also engage in their comment section, quote, tweet, share, add to stories and reply in relevant threads and posts. The money, which was to be paid by Magnify Media Partners llc, a political consulting firm run by Taylor Strand, would be issued in several installments between November and January. Strand said in an email that the initiative in question was a project about defending Trump loyalists against mainstream media attacks, but that this project never moved forward and Rick Grinnell nor any other MAGA leaders were involved, unquote. She did not respond to a follow up question about influencers being asked to positively post about Grinnell's bid for secretary of state. Neither Lowery nor the influencer for whom the contract was created commented for the story. A spokesperson for the Trump transition didn't comment either. It's not inconceivable that Grinnell could eventually secure his dream job as secretary of state should Rubio leave the post over the next four years. Has anyone ever lasted more than six scare emojis in a trumpet administration? Quote, if he's not doing something or accepting something, it's because he decided not to. That's what one ally of Grinnell, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said, explaining that he was still being given options to work for Trump but noting Grinnell's proclivity to play the long game and wait for the job he really wants. The round of appointments that has played out over the past several weeks showcased how some people have been more successful than others at maneuvering Trump World and finding a landing place. Trump made loyalty a key criteria when picking his Cabinet and was turned off by any whiff of inconsistency, like rumors of presidential ambitions or past criticisms of his behavior. And he was irritated to learn if anyone felt entitled to a role, presumed it was theirs or tried to buy his favor, according to multiple advisors. Still, Trump has rewarded strategic persistence from contenders for top level positions who got passed over as the first choice. Matt Whitaker Matthew fucking Whitaker, Trump's former acting attorney general who was vying for the top Department of Justice job, ultimately wasn't tapped for attorney General. But after Trump chose Gates for attorney general, who later withdrew from consideration, was replaced with Pam Bondi, Whitaker worked to remain in contention for other high level jobs and was named the U.S. ambassador to NATO because, I mean, you know, somebody who's really designed for the Department of Justice can also be the ambassador to NATO. Right? As long as you've, as long as you've got a patent for big dick toilets, whatever. And Patel, a top Trump ally who was tapped in recent days for FBI director, fought for the job even after it appeared his chances were dim and after some Trump advisors expressed concern about the likelihood of him being confirmed by the Senate. I think that's good news, though, that there are Trump advisors telling Politico that we don't think certain people can be confirmed by the Senate because maybe they're actually going to try to get these people confirmed by the Senate. We'll see. Quote, I think there's a need and a desire to keep these people close. That's a person with knowledge of Grinnell's situation, referencing others like Trump's former trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, who also hasn't landed a job in the administration. Quote, there are loyalists who've been really successful at getting Trump elected. Where does Trump park these people? Unquote, man. All right, next up from Mae Bruce et al at abc. President Joe Biden and his senior aides are discussing possible preemptive pardons for people who might be targeted by the incoming Trump administration, according to sources close to the president. I put out on social media that the pardon of Hunter Biden said to me that Joe Biden understands the gravity of what's coming in this Trump administration and that maybe this is just the beginning of the pardons. We'll see what ends up happening. But not everyone might want a pardon. Let's see where this story goes. Possible names include current and former officials like Mark Milley, Liz Cheney, Adam Schiff and Anthony Fauci. Politico was first to report the news. The consideration comes after Biden issued full pardon for his son, Hunter Biden. The move sparked backlash from Republicans, of course, and some criticism from Democrats who I disagree with. The White House said Biden did so despite his past pledges not to pardon his son because, quote, it didn't seem his political opponents would let go of it. Throughout his campaign, President elect Donald Trump vowed to exact retribution on his political enemies. Milley, who was retired as chairman of the Joint Chiefs last year, has long been a target of Republican attacks over the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. He also stoked Trump's ire over report that Milley secretly called his Chinese counterpart before and after the 2020 election to dispel China's fears that Trump was not planning an attack. Trump accused Millie of treason after that. Cheney and Schiff have also long been criticized by Trump over their investigation into the attack of the Capitol on January 6th. The two were part of the House January 6th Committee's year long probe which concluded with the recommendation of criminal charges against Trump. Schiff also was the lead House prosecutor in Trump's first Senate impeachment trial. Cheney lost her reelection bid in 2022 to a Trump backed Republican challenger. Cheney endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris over Donald Trump and appeared with Harris several times on the campaign trail. Schiff, as we know, is the senator elect from California after winning the seat held by the late Senator Dianne Feinstein in November. Fauci, former head of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, faced intense scrutiny over his response to the COVID 19 pandemic. He's been called to Capitol Hill to testify on school shutdowns, the virus's origins, and more by House Republicans since retiring in 2022. So we'll see what happens with these potential preemptive pardons. All right everybody, we're going to talk to John Fugal saying for Fugal Saying Fridays and get to your good news. But first we have to take a quick break, so stick around. We'll be right back after these messages.